Drakonika (Book 1) (6 page)

She knocked on the inn's door. At once, there was a chaotic rustle coming from inside.

“They're here! They're here! Everybody hide, quickly!” Even through the closed door, Maren understood that she caused a stampede the whole inn.

“
I'm not one of them, you can open the door!” she yelled from the top of her lungs, just to get at least one of them to hear her voice.

The inn piped down. It worked.

But it also worked on somebody else. Maren heard something creeping through the street right towards her and Magnus. Something very big.

The window on the door slowly opened as the inn keeper peered out in terror.

“Open the door, please! Quickly!” Maren begged, bobbing on the spot. She felt death sneaking around her.

The bartender announced to the whole tavern: “It's a girl!”

“A girl? Then what are you standing about for? Let her in!” the guests yelled, while the inn keeper broke into sweat under all the pressure.

Maren shot a horrified glance to the dark lane, already praying to all the saints and deities of Aria, even those who didn't actually exist.

Suddenly, the door flung open and Maren with motionless Magnus fell sprawled on the floor. And right after that they could hear the sound of the door being locked with several bars and padlocks.

Finally they could breathe! But what wasn't good for them was that Magnus looked like a corpse.

Maren felt unpleasant stares on her. There was a narrowing circle of grumbling people around them.

“
Why have you brought a corpse here?”

“
Disgusting, get rid of it!”

“
No, wait,” said Maren finally, when she saw they were about to grab him and take him away. “You're wrong. He isn't... dead,” she defended Magnus, but there wasn't much conviction in her voice.

“
What are you babbling about,” retorted a shabby man from the crowd who pulled Magnus' legs. “He's as solid as an ol' bread!”

“
He's just... paralysed,” Maren said, holding Magnus' arms and drawing him closer to her, but she wasn't sure about what she had said herself.

“
That's absurd, he's been dead for several hours!” another man said, dragging Magnus by his feet closer to the door.

By then, Maren had already got her temper back.

“HE'S NOT DEAD!!!” she cried so loudly it shook the well-worn floor, made all spiders and wood worms fall out of the wall chinks and all guests were forced to clap their hands to their ears. But among all these people, Magnus' eyes bulged the most. Clearly, he heard it and probably too well.

“
I think he moved his eyelids,” said one of the enthusiasts who wanted to get rid of him at the speed of light.

The bartender gasped and patted his bald head, watching the whole scene as though he was in a theatre.

“Of course he did,” Maren said bossily. “That's because he isn't dead.” She didn't wait any longer, grabbing Magnus' arms and dragging him to the stairs in haste, although it required a lot of effort on her part. What if one of those drunkards decided that Magnus was dead again?

“
But... we thought that... when someone goes out at night, he won't return alive,” mumbled the bartender's customers in defence.

“
Do I seem dead to you?” said Maren grumpily, rolling her eyes. “Could you at least help me get him upstairs to his room or should I do that alone too?” The tone of her voice indicated someone had better help her or they would hear another shriek.

Some of them were obviously unhappy with a small brat talking to them like that, leaving quite a tart look on their faces. A single man decided to help them after a long hesitation while the others didn't even think about it and instantly returned to their drinking.

When they got Magnus safely to the bed in his room and the man left them alone, Maren shut the door. Suddenly, there was such serenity and peace it was almost impossible to believe that just a moment ago they were being hunted by savage
monsters and had to face a huddle of close-minded drunkards downstairs. She watched the motionless Magnus for a while and then decided to lock the door as well.

Maren kept on thinking about how to help Magnus. There was a small sink carved in stone, built in the wooden wall of the room. The fireplace was already lit. Perhaps some hot tea would bring the boy back on his feet? She had learned to make excellent teas from her mother, who, fortunately, couldn't see Maren hanging out with some stranger at night. Maren got the tea-leaves ready and, waiting for the water to boil, she finally had a moment to sit down. It would have never crossed her mind that being a mage could be such hard work!

She took a few pieces of wood from under the table and placed them into the fire. The wood cracked and sparks flew out of the flames. In the meantime, Maren surveyed the room. It was only now that she realised it must have been the largest room in the inn, and the most expensive one as well. Perhaps he was a son of someone important. And the luck he had! If she didn't drop the keys, she would have never-

The bubbling of boiling water interrupted her thinking. She carefully took the pot from the fire and poured hot water into a mug. A pleasant smell of herbs spread across the room.

Shortly, she saw Magnus slightly turn in his bed, which could have been some kind of a feeble attempt to sit up.

Maren sat in the chair next to the bed and noticed Magnus watching the mug with hot tea as if he hadn't drank anything for days. She smiled faintly. It seemed Magnus would be fine.

“Careful, it's very hot,” Maren warned him, but when she handed him the mug, she stared at him in awe.

As soon as Magnus touched it, he grabbed it tightly with both his hands and drank it in one breath. “Thanks,” he said, as if Maren's tea revived him completely. Afterwards, he laid his head back on the pillow and fastened his eyes upon Maren's face. “Thank you for saving my life.”

Mared smiled at last, “And thank you for saving mine,” she said bashfully, her face turning pink.

“
That means we're friends now, right?” Magnus said in a low hoarse tone, his silvery eyes gleaming in the orange light from the fireplace.

Maren nodded but her eyes darted downwards. She felt she could not hold the tears back much longer, but as she looked up again, she understood Magnus wouldn't see it; he was already sleeping like a baby.

IV. Fire In The Mages Guild!

The next day started well.

At least, better than the previous day. Magnus was in Ragna, nobody was chasing him and he was making his way to the renowned Guild of Mages to get his stay-permit. But to get there, he certainly needed the help of his new-found friend, a blonde girl called Maren, who seemed to be excited about mages more than anything else.

The warm sun rays had brought a wide smile to Magnus' face. It looked as though the whole town had changed by their golden touch. The puddles glittering on the cobblestones were slowly drying up and the euphonious chirping of the morning birds echoed over the houses.

Magnus was chewing on a delicious cake, while he was walking the Ragnan streets along with Maren, who was gazing intensely at the map from Valezar. He didn't remember anything more than he did the day before, though. He didn't know who he was or where he came from, but at least now he knew where he was going.

“Are you sure you can understand it?” mumbled Magnus with his mouth so full, the words came out a little muffled. He leaned closer to Maren but as he did that, a few crumbles of his cake dropped on the map.

“
Hello
, I've lived here for ten years,” Maren said crabbily, sweeping the crumbles off the map fiercely. “Mind your distance with that, you're going to make it all greasy.”

Magnus gave a small sigh.

Maren cast Magnus a covert glance. “It looks like you're all healthy now,” she said tartly.

“
Yeah, I think so. But you don't look too healthy, to tell you the truth,” Magnus said calmly, when he saw her constantly rubbing her nose with a tissue.

“
It's... just a cold. That's nothing; it will vanish before we reach the other side of Ragna.”  Just after Maren said that, she let out a sneeze so audible that all Ragnan citizens who were already awake turned to her. And those who were not woke up.

There was not another word about her cold because Magnus was afraid she would toss all the guilt on him. There was however something else he wanted to ask. “You said you've always lived here, but where exactly is your house?” Magnus said curiously, as he swallowed the last bit of his cake.

“I live nearby. With my mum,” Maren said swiftly, as she was gazing into the map. It almost looked as though any further questions about her home were most unwelcome.

“
Nearby? Then why couldn't you let me stay in your house overnight?” Magnus said a little angrily. He thought Maren didn't take him home because she considered him some kind of a criminal, but when he realised the tone of his voice, it was already too late.

Maren folded the map in half and shot him another annoyed glance. “Look, I could have left you out there with the monsters, but I didn't. I couldn't take you home, understand? My mum hates everyone who has anything to do with the mages, and you had a magickal talking backpack,” she said and suddenly seemed to accept the story about the talking backpack, but her voice suggested she didn't really believe it and it was just an excuse. “Moreover, you're going to the Mages Guild, aren't you?” She said with great interest rising in her voice at the end of the sentence. Clearly, she thought Magnus was about to join the mages.

“Not quite,” said Magnus calmly. “I'm just going to get my permission for staying in Ragna.”

Hearing these words, Maren jumped up in terror. “What!? So by saying that you mean that... that... your presence here in Ragna isn't... legal?” she whispered in a horrified tone. She felt they could be arrested any second. “That's madness!”

“Not if I can get the permission today,” Magnus said evenly. “By the way, how come your mother doesn't cast you out of the house if you endorse the mages so warmly?”

There was a long silence. As they walked wordlessly, Magnus understood it was probably not the best choice of a question.

Maren buried her nose in the map in such a way it looked as though she was hiding behind it. When she thought Magnus was not looking, she kept casting him covert glances. Could she entrust him with such a huge secret? Her quick thinking came to the conclusion that she could. After all, he revealed his secret to her as well; and it wasn't something he would tell just anyone.

“
She doesn't know,” Maren spit out finally.

That was exactly what Magnus expected. “And what will you do if she finds out?” he asked in the tone of false ignorance.

“She won't. Unless
you
tell her,” Maren said flatly and fixed her gaze on Magnus walking beside her, as though she expected some kind of a great vow from him.

“
But of course not! How could I when I entrusted you with my big secret?” Magnus said lightly.

Maren took a deep breath and with a broad smile on her face, she looked at the blue sky above. “When I live alone, I'm going to become a famous and powerful sorceress. And until then I'll practice in secrecy,” she announced in an ecstatic tone.

Magnus didn't think this was a good idea, but he decided to not make any comments about it. The rest of their journey went silently. Maren focused on the map and Magnus looked around the unknown Ragnan streets. Neither of them spoke until they finally reached the other side of the town – the majestic and famous (at least in Maren's eyes) Guild of Mages.

Maren had seen the Mages Guild countless times, but Magnus thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. Now he understood why Maren wanted to become a mage more than anything else.

“I didn't think it would be that big,” said Magnus with a shallow breath, when he looked up to the towers of the beautiful castle. He couldn't believe he would be walking within them shortly.

Maren was clearly proud of the Ragnan Mages Guild; she raised her head up as she looked at the majestic building as though she was looking at her future home. “I've never been inside. It must be wonderful,” she said. The two of them exchanged understanding looks. They both knew what the other one was thinking of; in seconds, they bolted to the fallen draw-bridge, which led them to the small courtyard of the Mages Guild. Apparently, the courtyard wasn't considered too important in the society of intensely studying and working mages.

“I'm First!” Magnus shrieked joyfully, but then he bashed into something soft. When he looked up and realised what he had bumped into, his smile vanished as suddenly as he announced his victory. As soon as they heard a grumpy voice yelling at them, they knew the fun was over.

“
Go play elsewhere, kids! This is a Mages Guild, not a playground!” These words came from an elderly mage with a grey beard and hair, clad in a violet mage robe and a pointy hat with golden embroidery. Apparently, games didn't ring a bell to him.

It took a while till Magnus even dared to speak. “Excuse me, but we're actually here to see the Guild Master. Could you please tell us where to find him?” said Magnus in a slightly shaking voice, happy that his composure was correct, but it didn't seem to make a difference.

The mage in a violet robe narrowed his eyes, “And what could kids like you want from the Guild Master? I can't pester him with every pointless bit of rubbish,” he snarled with undisguised scornfulness. Apparently, he couldn't wait to get rid of them; there were too many books to read and too many spells yet to learn for him to waste his time with these insolent brats.

Neither could the kids wait to get rid of that grumpy old wizard. Magnus decided to quickly show the recommendation letter from Valezar
before they would be chased out like burglars, so he pulled it out of his backpack without hesitation. With the utmost effort to stay calm and polite, he handed it over to the old mage standing on the doorstep. “I'm not sure if you know him. I've got it from Sir Valezar from the Pathico company,” said Magnus carefully, hoping the mage would finally let them in. Why did all citizens of Ragna have to be so stout?

The mage plucked the scroll out of Magnus' hand and he gave him a rather unfriendly gaze, as if he couldn't even believe that he was forced to read because of these unwelcome visitors. He unfolded it wordlessly, as his eyes slid down its contents rapidly. “Huh... The old loony still lives? Hm!” he snorted.

Magnus didn't expect such an unfriendly attitude towards Valezar in the Mages Guild. Suddenly, he wasn't sure if they were talking about the same person so he decided to add a few words to clarify. “He... he was a member of the Mages Guild,” he stuttered, but the grumpy mage didn't seem to grow any fonder of Valezar.

“
Of course. He
was
,” said the mage peevishly and as he released one end of the parchment, it rolled back in one swish. “I am afraid I will not be able to let you in. The Guild Master is very busy at this time; and I cannot disturb him with vanities like this.” The mage punched the scroll back into Magnus' hand. “Off you go now,” he said with a malevolently victorious sneer on his face and would have already cast them out, if he didn't notice a sudden change in the children's disappointed expressions.

Magnus' eyes popped wide open, but Maren almost stopped breathing. A real mage!

“Since when are you my manager, Solas?” calmly said another man, suddenly emerging from the dark hallway. The sound of this voice made the grumpy mage jump ludicrously in shock, which made Maren and Magnus let out a small snigger. But the mage standing behind Solas had nothing of an old man's looks; he must have been the youngest member of the whole Mages Guild, there was no doubt about that. He was dressed in a heavy black robe, embroidered with silver ornamental patterns. A single glance was enough to understand that the fabric his clothes were made of was very luxurious and expensive. His long, raven black hair was reaching far beneath his shoulder blades, and his eyes, dark blue like the night sky with glittering stars, enchanted his face with a mysterious and noble look. He was holding a long mage staff overlain with Obsidian stones that was taller than himself.

“
They came to see
me
, so I will decide if I let them in or not,” said the man in the expensive black robe and with a charming smile on his face, he looked at Maren and Magnus. “I bid you good day. I am Zimbadur Elric Ravan, the Head Master of the Ragnan Mages Guild. Please, come in,” he said in a very pleasant and kind tone, as he made a step aside, so that his little guests could enter. Zimbadur and Solas seemed as different as black and white.

When the grumpy mage Solas heard the Guild Master's decision, he was forced to step aside and let the kids in. He gave Maren and Magnus one last sour gaze, while they, surely surprised by the Guild Master's benevolence, could finally cross the doorstep of the castle. Solas didn't utter another word, but then again, there was no need to. His gaze spoke for him very clearly.

As soon as Magnus crossed the threshold of this majestic building, he sensed a wave of various strong energies. Both he and Maren felt as though they had entered a completely different world. It was a place like no other.

Their eyes, bulged with amazement, surveyed the huge entrance hall with a high ceiling that was decorated with beautiful vaults. It would be impossible to guess how it looked inside before they actually entered.

“Solas, close the front door,” said the Guild Master Zimbadur when he invited his guests to follow him, making a gentle gesture with his staff-free hand. Maren and Magnus didn't want to spend a second longer in Solas' presence, therefore they both rushed in front to follow Zimbadur on the way to the reception chamber.

Solas banged the door shut, muttering something under his nose, and for the luck of them all, nobody heard what he said. He shuffled away in a completely opposite direction, to the wide spiral stairs leading up to the library. That was probably the place where he spent most of his time. Before he vanished from their sight, Maren made a taunting grimace at him, but he couldn't see it any more.

While Zimbadur was leading his guests through the halls of the Mages Guild, Magnus got flushed by a very strange and strong sensation that something had led him to Ragna because of this very place.

*

Not only the Guild Master Zimbadur was taking his work seriously.

General Xanthar didn't blink his eyes for the whole long night. He was sitting in his armchair behind the desk, piles of books and documents towering on either side and clearly he didn't even move the curtains since yesterday, because the whole office was utterly dark. His head, full of thoughts and worries about the “scarecrow Magnus”, was resting on his left hand, while the fingertips of his right hand were impatiently tapping on the table. Obviously, he was waiting for something.

Directly before him lay his luxurious telepathic device. It seemed that somebody had just called him because he could hear a loud ringing echoing in his mind. Finally what he had been waiting for.

In one of the many aisles near the  Merry Pigeon inn, Jackal was bragging to Eagle about his great discovery.

“
Still, you don't know if it's really his,” Eagle said in a highly doubtful tone.

“
What's wrong, Eagle? D' yeh envy that I've found what yeh with yer renowned hawk sight couldn't see?” chided Jackal at his colleague. “Just wait till I show it to the general. I'm sure he'll promote me right away,” he continued in his day-dreaming. Those were however really mere dreams, because the General Xanthar had never promoted anyone in his life. On the other hand, he was sacking people quite often.