Drakonika (Book 1) (8 page)

Zim nodded faintly, dropping a spoon into his cup. “But I have never challenged anyone. My own father had named me the next Guild Master before his death. However, many mages don't accept this method. They consider it some kind of a modernised falsity,” he said, starting to stir in his empty cup with the spoon. “I know that Solas thought I was the worst candidate. He simply can't forgive me for becoming a Guild Master at such a youthful age.”

“Ah... that I understand,” said Maren dreamily, and if Magnus hadn't reminded them of his presence, she would have totally forgotten about his existence.

“
But what we don't understand is why you stir an empty cup!” exclaimed Magnus, looking utterly dazed.

“
And who says it is empty?” Zim said brightly, as he took a sip from the cup.

Neither Maren nor Magnus could believe their eyes. There was tea in the cup!

“If you strongly desire something, it will become reality,” said Zim. Hearing that, Maren and Magnus were already thinking of loads of things to wish for. “However, it has to come from inside you. Well, hopefully one day you will understand,” he added, because he thought they didn't grasp the meaning of his words completely.

Shortly, he had a feeling that their important sitting had become a meditation course. Watching Maren and Magnus' closed eyes, he understood that he would have to remind them of himself. Who knows how long they would sit there like that!

“I know what you're thinking,” said Zim with a roguish smile.

His guests opened their eyes immediately and they both flushed red.

“Really...? You... you do?” said Magnus in a frightened tone and in the next moment his eyes darted sideways.

Maren didn't seem to feel any more comfortable.

Zim took in the scent of his tea. “Well, I didn't, but now I do,” he said, letting out a small snigger. However, he understood that he needed to change the topic quickly, or he wouldn't hear another word from his guests.

“
But let us get back to business. You have come to me for something, so what can I help you with?” Zimbadur said brightly.

It seemed that Magnus had completely forgotten about the reason why he had come. “Oh, of course,” he said swiftly, placing the scroll that he was still holding on the Guild Master's table.

Zimbadur unfolded it carefully. As he saw the handwriting inside, his face lightened up even more and when he finished reading, he had a wide smile on his face. “I have good news for you, Magnus. Valezar has been a good friend of mine for years and if he decided to give you a recommendation, I trust his decision and I will give you the permission to stay.”

As soon as Magnus heard that, his ears pricked up and he looked back up to Zim. “Really?” he said with such joy it was impossible not to hear. Zimbadur's slight nod deepened his excitement even more.

“You just need to join one of the Guilds in Ragna,” said Zim calmly.

Before Magnus could say anything, Maren grabbed him by his coat and shook him wildly. “That's GREAT! Magnus, you must join the mages! That would be so cool! Actually,
you
would be cool,” she said eagerly and it was a wonder she didn't shake Magnus' soul out, swaying with him in the armchair like that.

“
Just calm down, easy! I have to think everything through. I can't join the mages just because it would be
cool
,” Magnus replied. His effort to look as wise as possible was joined with the hope that Zim would offer him membership in the Mages Guild himself.

Maren released his coat and relaxed back in her seat. Her behaviour wasn't exactly appropriate in Zimbadur's presence.

“It's true that the Mages Guild has a few free positions,” said Zim, sipping from his cup again.

His guests exchanged hopeful looks.

“This guild offers many advantages. We have one of the biggest libraries in the kingdom. You can learn many powerful spells here, but you also get discipline. You can learn to protect yourself and your dear ones. And of course, you can meet lots of new friends with the same interests. For instance,” said Zimbadur as he left his armchair, “my father had a friend from the society of druids. He knew it would be beneficial to me, so he introduced me to him and we are still in touch. It's always good to have friends from various societies of magick folk.” Zim came to one of the trees in the room. “I got all of these plants from my dear druid friend. He knows I like nature and that I'll take good care of them.”

Maren and Magnus were listening with deep interest, just waiting for Zim to say
Welcome to the Mages Guild
.

“
Feel free to smell their beautiful fragrance,” said Zim proudly, bidding his guests to walk around the lounge.

Neither of them let him wait. They both started sniffing Zim's flowers, just to make him believe they shared the same interests.

“This one smells fantastic,” Maren made up.

“
Hmm, but you've got to try this one as well,” Magnus said in the tone of false interest.

Seeing them sniffing the scentless flowers was enough for Zim to understand it was all just an act. However, he let them finish the play. After all, it seemed they complemented each other perfectly.

Maren smelled the bloom that Magnus was sniffing before. “But that's nothing compared to this one here. Nothing can match its divine scent!” said Maren with a sweet smile as she jumped next to the flowers growing in the middle of the salon.

That was the last bloom Magnus intended to smell, but he shouldn't have done that. This plant had an enormous amount of pollen.

In the next moment all three of them almost had a heart attack. Magnus sneezed.

A massive and blinding flame blazed out from the spot where Magnus was standing and with devastating strength it burnt down everything that was in its way. Maren managed to flinch back in the last second and she was very lucky she didn't get burnt. Shortly, there was nothing left of the beautiful flower but pieces of dust swirling in the air as they fell down to the ground.

There was a long and painful silence. Everyone was shaken from what they had just witnessed, even Magnus himself. They silently gazed into the hallway, where fire was burning down the last bits of the carpet on the stone floor.

Zimbadur sat back down in his armchair. He took a deep breath.

“Unfortunately, every guild requires certain skills that you must have to be accepted. And you don't have those yet,” said Zim, suddenly sounding stern and serious.

Magnus didn't believe his ears. Such an amazing feat and Zimbadur told him that he did not have skills! “But I do have skills, you've seen it yourself just a moment ago!” he breathed indignantly, trying to save the last motes of dust that were his hope that he could be accepted into the Mages Guild.

“Indeed, but you can't control them,” Zim retorted grimly, his eyes darting in the direction of the burnt hallway.

Magnus felt his face turn red again. But at the same time, he lost all the hope he had. He was definitely finished in Ragna!

It wasn't hard to see the despair in Magnus' face, so Zim decided to offer him another solution. “I do have something, however, that will be just for you,” Zim proceeded to draw a scroll from a drawer in his desk. It seemed to be already filled with many other names but there was a small bit of free space at the end. “Not far from Ragna, about an hour from here, there is a citadel that was once home to an independent guild. It's been a long time since I saw it though as the last time I visited was when I was a child. Now we want to use the place for children like you. It is a place where you will learn everything you need to know for entering any of the Ragnan guilds. The training takes approximately a year or two, depending on how fast you can learn,” Zim said, but Magnus' reaction was worse than he expected.

“
So it won't be in this town? And it will be somewhere else than here? And it will take so long? And Maren won't be there either?” Magnus kept asking in disappointment, when suddenly he heard some kind of scratchy sound.

When he looked at the table again, he noticed Maren returning a quill to the inkwell. There was a new signature on the list.

Maren Samai!

“
Well, it looks like Maren
will
be there,” said Zim contently. “But if
you
don't sign it as well, you will have to leave Ragna very quickly, preferably at once. The police must be looking for you already.”

Hearing these words, the blood in Magnus' veins ran cold.

On the contrary, Maren seemed to be completely excited. “Come on, just try it! It's your only chance to get the permission to stay in Ragna. Besides, when we finish the training we'll join this guild! And I will finally become a real mage. All my dreams are coming true and it's all thanks to you! This is a great opportunity, you should join in!” yelled Maren eagerly. She chose the best words of praise to make him accept that offer. She really wanted to enter the preliminary guild, but certainly not without Magnus.

Maren didn't wait for his answer. She grabbed the quill pen again and forced it into Magnus' hand. “Sign it,” she said flatly.

Magnus gave a small sigh. “All right, all right, it's probably my only choice anyway,” he said gloomily, as he tightened his fingers around the pen and reluctantly scribbled his name on the scroll.

“
Why the long face? It must be a guild in very high demand. Just look how many people have joined!” Maren said brightly, in effort to cheer him up.

“
Nay,” Zim said, “I just tried to stretch their names to make it look like they were many,” he said calmly, as Maren and Magnus exchanged startled looks. Then he rolled the parchment up and in the next moment the scroll vanished from their sight as though it had magickally disappeared, which would be no surprise given the place where they were.

“
This is where I'll have to end our conversation; I have a meeting I need to attend. But before you leave, I shall write the stay permit for Magnus,” Zim said. The tone of his voice suggested he wasn't looking forward to the meeting at all.

From then on there wasn't much fun with him any more. While he was writing the stay permit for Magnus, a scowl darkened his face. He finished his creation by sealing it and wrapping it in a red ribbon. He reached over the table and handed the scroll to Magnus.

“I wrote yesterday's date in there so that you wouldn't have any problems,” Zim said swiftly.

The joy that filled Magnus' eyes and heart in that moment was unspeakable. Finally he got the permission to stay in Ragna! Nobody could chase him or arrest him for walking the streets of Ragna any more. His face brightened with a broad smile that he couldn't and also didn't want to hide.

But it wasn't just Magnus who was overjoyed. Maren felt like it was a victory for both of them.

When Zim got up from the table, his guests understood it was time to leave. “Meet up by the town's gate tomorrow at dawn, a cart will be waiting for you there. Like I said, the journey takes about an hour as it's not far from here. Look for my friend, he is a tall druid and the one who will teach you,” Zimbadur said hastily, leading them back through the corridor.

Magnus couldn't help peeking into the room with the opened door they saw before. One thing had changed. The old wizard was watching them in amazement. Clearly, he wasn't sure what to make of the fire blaze that flew through the hallway a short while ago. He didn't stop staring until they vanished from his sight.

Even though they were leaving now, neither Magnus nor Maren mourned for the beautiful halls of the Mages Guild. They knew they would be able to come back. After all, destiny itself had led them there. It was more than certain they would visit this place again.

When they reached the entrance door of the Mages Guild, it was time to say goodbye.

“
Thank you for everything,” said Magnus brightly, still smiling. Actually, he hadn't stopped smiling at all since he obtained his stay permit.

Maren couldn't complain either; she hadn't sneezed ever since they started the conversation with Zimbadur. “I... I think I'm fine now! As if I got cured miraculously,” she said in amazement.

“That's because I wished for it,” said Zim with a charming smile, watching Maren's eyes beam with joy. “You are both most welcome to come back any time. That is, unless you come here to burn some other carpets, Magnus.”

“
I'm sorry about what happened. I really don't understand it. One day... one day I'll buy you a new carpet, you'll see,” stammered Magnus in an effort to calm Zim, when he realised that he was already calm.

“
Don't worry about that. The important thing is that no one got hurt. It's not a problem for me to buy a new carpet, the Mages Guild is one of the two strongest and richest powers of Ragna,” Zim said proudly, but the next question forced him to say what he didn't like saying at all.

“
Oh, and what's the second power?” asked Maren curiously.

Zimbadur's answer didn't please either of them: “The Ragnan Magi Police.”

V. Seize The Thief!

When Magnus stepped out of the Mages Guild back to the streets of Ragna, he felt as if all of his worries had disappeared. The last twenty four hours were like a marathon and suddenly he didn't have to rush anywhere. He wasn't even sure what to do with all of that free time!

“
I'm so excited! This is going to be a thrilling adventure!” Maren blurted merrily. Afterwards, a similar sentence followed, and another one, and another…

Magnus didn't disturb her dreaming. He was walking silently with a contented smile on his face and although Maren probably thought he was listening to her, he wasn't. Still, satisfaction was on both sides.

They walked across the plaza before the Mages Guild which looked utterly peaceful that morning and then they walked down the aisles of Ragna that resembled a maze. When they finally came to the main square it was very much alive and full of market stands like every day.

Suddenly, Maren stopped and rounded on Magnus with a maniacal expression. “I have an idea! Let's buy some clothes!” she said in an ecstatic voice, when they were entering the main square.

Normally, Magnus would refuse participating in any kind of boring shopping and especially if it was about clothing. However in this case, he simply couldn't think of a better way to spend his free time. “That's awesome,” said Magnus brightly, plucking his big loose tunic. “I'd like to get rid of these oversized rags!”

Both of them burst into laughter, but their mirth didn't last long.

“Perhaps you wanted to say: 'I would like to get rid of the rags that the police can identify me by'?” a stranger's voice rolled out from nowhere, and the sound of it sent a chill down their spines. Maren and Magnus slowly turned around, as though they didn't even want to see who was standing behind them. And their feelings were well-founded; it was General Xanthar.

It took a moment for Maren and Magnus to recover from the shock. Where did he come from?

“Yes, the advantages of the invisibility spell, one of the most important spells for a Magi policeman,” said the general, seemingly preoccupied by gazing at his serpent staff. Then he shot Magnus a look so venomous that if he could, he would have already killed him with his gaze. “So, it looks like I've finally found you, Magnus.” A grim smile darkened his face.

Magnus felt his knees wobbling. He wasn't sure who this man was, but for some reason he wasn't very happy about his presence. And seeing the lines of gleaming badges on his obviously expensive long coat, Magnus came to the conclusion it wasn't just an ordinary police man. And certainly not a guard.

“Now you're coming with me,” Xanthar said, his voice full of malicious delight. If there was anything he enjoyed doing, it was locking up criminals behind bars.

Hearing that, Magnus' hair bristled in horror. Then he felt somebody take him by his hand. It was Maren. Although she had only known him for less than a day, she would do anything to protect her friend.

“No, he didn't do anything wrong, you must be mistaken,” she said, sounding scared.

Obviously, her statement didn't have the slightest impact on Xanthar. He came closer, circling around, like a predator trapping his prey. “I am
not
mistaken. If you don't want to be arrested for aiding a criminal, you should stand aside,” he said sourly, watching Maren's face turn even paler than it was before.

“Fine! Take us both, then!” she yelled unexpectedly. As she came to realise what she had said, she clapped her hands to her mouth immediately; but it was too late to take those words back.

“Nobody will go anywhere,” said a familiar voice.

Valezar!

Xanthar frowned. An enemy emerged in his sight. “What do y
ou
want here? Go home and play with your magickal hocus-pocus,” he growled grumpily.

“No worries, I'll go. But first we have to resolve this misunderstanding,” said Valezar calmly as he paced slowly towards Magnus and Maren, almost sweeping the ground with his long beard.

Xanthar observed them all with a spiteful look. Curious citizens of Ragna started gathering around them.

Valezar's pale hand rested on Magnus' shoulder. “Magnus, show the general your residence permit,” the mage said.

It seemed that these words had finally set Magnus into motion. He drew the scroll out from his linen bag, hands trembling. Carefully, as if he was afraid of getting bitten by Xanthar, he handed over the parchment tied in a burgundy ribbon.

“Here... Here you go,” he stammered, glancing quickly at Xanthar and away again, terrified to make eye contact.

The general fiercely snatched the residence permit from Magnus' hand and giving him one last suspicious glance, he looked downwards and fell silent as he unfolded the scroll and started reading. His face, so recently flushed with joy, had turned a bitter expression. No matter how many times his eyes slid across the parchment, from the top to the bottom, from the bottom to the top, from the left to the right and from the right to the left, there was simply nothing he could use against that little refugee. Not even a single hidden note, which was so often used by chisellers to make the lawfully impossible a very possible thing. The date was valid as well, though he knew that Magnus didn't have any official papers the previous day. And seeing Zimbadur's seal with an owl, a flame, a leaf, a water drop and a whirl of air was enough for him to start grinding his teeth in anger and contempt.

“Uh,” Magnus gasped, as the general thrust the permit back on his chest.

Xanthar made a few steps backwards, gazing in front with a hateful stare, his chest heaving wildly. He pointed a finger at Magnus so that everyone would know that he wasn't going to let the boy live in peace. His eyes beamed with unimaginable ferocity. “I am not finished with you yet. I will find the evidence. And nothing will save you then.” At these words he turned away, his long police coat following him like a shadow, leaving into the street labyrinth of Ragna, pacing heavily.

There were small noises of disappointment, as the townsfolk watchers didn't get to see any breathtaking action. They slowly walked away.

Valezar looked at Magnus and Maren. “You should see your faces! You look as rigid as statues! You can breathe now, it's over,” he said, laughing through his white beard.

Magnus twitched as though somebody had slapped him to wake up, but Maren remained stiff. “Maren, you can let go of my hand now,” whispered Magnus quietly, hoping that Valezar didn't see anything from behind.

At these words, Maren seemed to finally recover. She made a long step aside from Magnus, which appeared to happen within a fragment of a second. As they both rounded on the old mage, her face turned pink.

“You both seem to be kind of nervous. Perhaps it's because you're hungry? I invite you for lunch at my place,” said Valezar with a smile on his wrinkly face.

Maren was thankful there were no comments about her holding Magnus' hand a moment ago. “Really? That's very generous of you! I am Maren. And you are Sir Valezar, right? Magnus has told me so much about you! I almost couldn't stop him,” she went on with a sweet smile, but a sudden poke coming from the left startled her.

Valezar was well aware that Magnus hadn't mention a word about him, but he used what Maren had said to his advantage. “Oh yes, he is a very talkative young lad, isn't he?” Valezar said gleefully and turned to Magnus, who seemed a little suspicious about Valezar saying that, as if he was trying to figure out whether he was being serious about it or not. “Yet another reason why I should treat you to a proper meal!”

In the next moment, Valezar was leading them to the house of the Pathico Company. Meanwhile, they could hear a familiar sound from the tower, but no one paid attention to it.

No one except Magnus. “Twelve o'clock,” he murmured, but fortunately this time he didn't see the dragon on the tower explode to pieces. Something from that moment gave him a gloomy mood.

Once they entered the Pathico house, Valezar hung a sign saying “CLOSED” on the door, to ensure his guests' uninterrupted comfort. With a subtle gesture he asked them to sit around the table. This time Magnus didn't have to wander in the dark because it seemed like everything was prepared for their arrival, including lighted candles and fresh food on the table.

Maren instantly ran to the table as if she wanted to get a place next to the wall. Magnus dropped his bag behind the armchair and sat next to Maren, while Valezar was brewing tea.

“I have lived in Ragna all my life,” Maren said, fixing her mage cloak on her shoulders. “I saw this house many times. It wasn't always without windows. What made you have the windows walled?”

Valezar smiled. “One should always go with the flow, not against it. All the citizens of Ragna barricade their windows at night because they fear for their safety. But if the windows bother them so much, why don't they get rid of them? I got rid of mine and I don't have to care about it any more. When I want a little sun, I go outside,” he said with his back turned to them, still preparing the tea.

A moment of silence occurred till Maren and Magnus absorbed the information.

“I am really proud of you, Magnus,” Valezar said over his shoulder as he was placing the tea pot and porcelain cups on a serving tray.

Magnus wasn't sure what Valezar meant by that. “Oh, if you mean the permit it wasn't so difficult-”

“Forget about the permit already!” Valezar interrupted him. To Magnus' astonishment, there was a trace of irritation in his voice. After a moment of silence, Valezar sat down by the table, pouring tea into their cups. “It's not even two days since you came to Ragna and you have already found a girlfriend. Congratulations,” continued Valezar, this time with a touched smile. Instantly, he could see two pairs of bulged eyes staring on him; one of them gazing in awe and high hopes, the other in shock and disagreement.

“A-ah... Maren isn't my girlfriend. We're just friends,” stuttered Magnus, but he was lucky that he didn't see Maren's expression when he said that.

“Let's see if you'll talk like that after a few years,” preached Valezar.

Before Magnus could say anything, something small swept past his head abruptly and landed squarely in Valezar's hand. It was clear. Valezar had summoned one of the gingerbread cookies from Magnus' backpack.

Maren looked quite startled, even though that day she had become a witness to various oddities of unexplainable character.

Magnus gave a heavy sigh, groping at the place where the gingerbread brushed his hair. “I hate it when you do that,” he said grumpily.

“Come on! You shouldn't be so over-sensitive,” advised Valezar.

The gingerbread in his hand nodded, a few crumbles falling off it down on the table. “I don't like to agree with the old boring chap, but... he's right! You're an oversensitive wimp!” it yelled, but didn't have the chance to say anything else.

“
Hmm, a bit hard, but otherwise tastes good,” said Valezar while chewing on the gingerbread. “I am lucky I still have a few teeth left.”

Maren gave in to her curiosity. “That gingerbread... spoke?” she said incredulously, as though she didn't want to believe it.

“Yes,” nodded Valezar without any trace of excitement in his voice. “These are the same gingerbread cookies that saved your necks yesterday.”

Maren gasped. “So that's why the backpack spoke!” she said, sounding agitated as she turned to Magnus. “Magnus, you were right! The backpack really
was
talking! Or more precisely... its contents!” she repeated in wonder.

That didn't change Magnus' annoyed facial expression at all, though. “I know that. It was
you
who didn't want to believe
me
,
” he mumbled. He had been looking forward to showing her that he was right so much and in the end he didn't enjoy it at all!

Maren turned back to Valezar, her eyes open wide. “But how can you know that? Did you see us?”

“I know because it put them into Magnus' bag myself,” said Valezar with the smile of a trickster, which brought something youthful to his old face. “I saw how it happened but I wasn't there. I can see it right now, through Magnus' mind.”

“
Why do you always have to rake through my mind?” growled Magnus.

Valezar didn't react to this question at all. He knew that Magnus was worried for his private thoughts, which he would like to keep for himself. It was probably quite inappropriate to go through other people's minds without their permission, but just like anyone else who had this gift, he simply couldn't help it.

Neither did Maren pay attention to Magnus' question. “Wow! So you know how to read the past from the minds of others?” she said, sounding utterly amazed.

Valezar nodded. “Yes, I can read thoughts,” he bragged.

In the period of her whole life-time, Maren hadn't felt more excitement than in the past several hours. She leaned over the table keenly.

Valezar gave Maren a knowing smile. “Hmm, life was boring, wasn't it? Then suddenly Magnus appears and everything turns upside-down as if by the flick of a magick wand,” he said as he gave a hearty laugh.

Maren gasped. “That's exactly what I was thinking! It works, Magnus! He actually read my mind!” Maren shrieked. Her eyes widened even more.