Born of Magic (Channeler Series) (24 page)

“They have never been kind with us in the past, gaining their alliance for this will prove difficult. Tevon will have to use all of his talent there. Whatever you can,” the mage speaking focuse
d on me with great intensity, “to gain their respect and trust.”

The debate went on for some time about the tactics of rallying the many cities of the North. I found it tiresome that they were all so divided. One day, I thought to myself, I will unite them.

“We all will unite them, Jasminis. You’re not alone here,” Helendra said.

I must have thought that louder than I realized.

I looked over at her; she had a coy expression on her face as she remained quiet for a moment, her eyes set on me. “You will do great things, Jasminis, just as I have always believed. With your strength and power, we will unite these lands.”

I thought to myself for some time while the debate raged on, only half hearing what was being said. After a great deal of the morning had passed
, Tevon interrupted two of the mages that were discussing the lack of trust some of the rural farmers further West have for the academy, “We must get to training now, if we are to be ready in time.” The three of us were excused and Tevon lead us out of the castle. Yurios ensured he was the one right behind Tevon instead of me, following him like a lost puppy.

I smirkeded as I started to notice some of the similarities between him and Edgar. I had always wondered how Edgar never noticed when Yurios hired me that day in Saltren. I now realized it was because Yurios had ensured his face remained hidden from Edgar. Yurios knew Edgar was there and didn't want him to notice.

Tevon took us to the area in the forest where we had practiced my magic blocking ability before; the patch of grass was still there, and had grown even more since we were last here. Tevon looked at it with satisfaction. He seemed proud of all of his creations.

Yurios
, however, had little regard for the puddles he created. I could tell he was envious of Tevon’s ability, which is why he was so desperate to remain his apprentice.

“
All right, we'll need to work on both Jasminis’ physical defense, and magic defense.”

Yurios gave me a confused stare, “Magic defense?”

“Yes, this little channeler can cut a mage off from their magic entirely, and even steal some of it from them,” Tevon answered, almost boasting for me.

Tevon handed me a long object wra
pped in paper. “A present,” he said. I opened it to find a short sword. It was very light, but felt like a claymore in my small hands. I was still able to wield it with ease. The blade had a slight curve to it. Tevon said it was easier to deflect attacks that way.

T
he three of us started training by sparring with each other. Yurios was very aggressive towards me in his attacks. It was frightening, but I found that I progressed much faster as a result. In a short period of time, I was already blocking some of his attacks. He threw a punch at me and I ducked out of the way, coming up with a jab to his gut. After a while longer my attacks were able to catch him off guard.

"She's getting better,
" Tevon commented. He seemed to enjoy taunting Yurios. Perhaps Tevon knew just how much of a brat Yurios was.

The sun had painted the sky crimson red by the time we were finished, and
I was exhausted after all of the combat practice we had done. Tevon and Yurios had taught me to fight unarmed as well as with the short sword that Tevon had given me.

When we decided to call it a day, Tevon said
that tomorrow we would focus on my channeling abilities. I found this relieving as that was somewhat less physically draining. I doubted I would be up for any more combat training. Every muscle in my body ached. Even muscles I didn’t know I had before were now coming to my awareness in the most unpleasant of ways.

When we all went our separate ways, I moved at a slow, tired pace, allowing my muscles to relax a little bit. I arrived at my home
to find both Denarah and Maaryn there waiting for me. As I walked up they both ran to me and hugged me. While I enjoyed the gesture, as they squeezed I could feel every muscle they touched throb in pain.

“We heard you’re leaving in a week.” Maaryn’s voice trembled
and she was on the brink of tears.

“How?”

“News like this travels fast through the students. It’s said you’re going to the Empire of Ordana to arrange an alliance with them. Is that true?”

While I felt I should check with Tevon or Helendra before revealing such information, I had never received any indication not to, and they already knew anyway so I was just confirming. “Yes,
Yurios, Tevon, and I leave in a week.”

“I heard he was going as well. The two people closest to me are leaving at the same time. I c
an’t deny that I didn’t take the news very well,” Denarah said, her voice filled with grief.

Both Maaryn and I now focused our attention on Denarah, realizing this trip would take a toll on her as well
. We tried to comfort her. It was good to see my two close friends care for one another.

They must have waited for me for some time together as they
seemed a little familiar with one another now. They knew each other’s backgrounds, powers, interests and even their love interests. I found it amusing to hear that they both had a crush on Yurios, even though Denarah had the upper hand with him, it seemed. Denarah had grown to enjoy being sought after by men now, so long as they didn’t try to cage her like Caspere had.

The three of us sat outside, looking up at the sky. Maaryn promised to visit me at night while I slept. She had grown far more comfortable with revealing her power to others now.

“I remember doubting you when you said we would be rescued that night in Caspere’s dungeon,” Denarah confessed, reminiscing of the time when we first met. “You seemed so sure of yourself. I thought you were just being naive. Sure enough…”

Maaryn interrupted, a curious look on her face
, “How long were you there, Denarah?”

She shrugged at the memory, “Five years.”

We both looked at her in amazement. It was a question I had never bothered to ask her, afraid to know the answer, with good-reason now that I did know. “How did you survive that long?” The idea of enduring that hell for so long sent spikes through my heart.

“I got stronger. That's the only way you can make it by, living the lives we do.”

While we all talked, I watched the grassy fields around the outside of the academy turn into a sea of dark emeralds in the moonlight. The trees danced together in the wind, their branches reaching out to each other as they swayed. I could feel the soft breeze glide against my cheek and exposed arms. It soothed my sore muscles, and the throbbing faded.

With
everything that had happened, it all seemed worth it for nights like these. I took solace in the friends I had made, the home I had, and the role I now played in this world. In such a short time I had grown so much. There was much truth to what Denarah had said. The only thing you can do with a life like mine is grow stronger, and I had. Everything that had happened to me had shaped me in some way. I grew more resilient from Caspere’s dungeon, more thoughtful from my time with Tevon and Helendra, more cautious from my time with Aton, and more joyful from my time with Denarah, Maaryn and even Aldred. I knew I was ready to put everything I had learned to the test when it was time to leave on my first real mission.

Rather than my stomach housing a thousand butterflies from fear and loathing of what lay before me a week away, I found
myself excited. For as long as I could remember, I had always had something compelling me to make more for myself, assuring me I had a big role to play, and now I was. I had even acquired a loosely formed family, Helendra being my mother, wise and caring, always there for me. Tevon being like my father, watching over me and preparing me for the world. Denarah and Maaryn were my loving sisters.

This was worth fighting for, I thought to myself, to the very end.

“I think it’s time to call it a night,” Denarah said as she fought back a yawn. We had talked until the night air grew too cold to bear.

We all agreed and parted
ways after saying our goodbyes. I stepped into my home and prepared for bed. Tonight I felt as though I would rest well, more content with the way of things now.

My dream was focused around reliving the events that had taken place earlier that day. I found myself sparring with Yurios again, but in my dream I was much more proficient. He could not lay a hand on me. I then lost my concentration and took a blow to the head, when I saw the red eyed mage standing behind Yurios, cloaked by the shadows of a tree. His eyes locked onto mine and he knew I had noticed him. He waited for me.

I knew this was my world, my dream, and I could defeat him once again. Walking over to him, fists clenched, he signaled for me to stop when I was ten feet from him.

“I'm only here to talk,” h
e said with a look of conviction.

He seemed almost frightened, with good reason, but I still did not trust him. “Speak then
, while you can. This time I'll give you something to remember, since you apparently didn't learn the last time." I was surprised at how stern and commanding I sounded.

“You know not what fire it is you are playing with. Not of me, but of my people. But we are here to make you and only you an offer.”

“I won’t hear it.”

“You best be, this is your only chance for survival.”

His words intrigued me, perhaps this may be an opportunity to at least gain some knowledge of those that prepared to rage war with us. Perhaps I could unveil our enemy. He saw I remained silent and continued, “We know what you are. You are not like the others, but not like us either. You don’t belong with these people though. You belong with us. We are the masters of magic. We do not swindle it or meddle with it as the Northerners do. Wretched misbegotten children that they are."

“We'll cover these lands with fire and ash. No magic found in the North can stop us, and they will be slaughtered. You included.”

I grew impatient of his threats, “Do you have anything useful to say?”

He fought back his annoyance, but I could see it
, “We wish to offer you sanctuary with our people. Where you belong. Magic was born in the South, it be only fitting that a child born of it go to the South as well.”

“Born of magic?”

He left with an ominous look, disappearing with a whisper that rang in my ears as if he were next to me, “Consider it.”

While I had managed to fend off his attacks on others, I had also made them aware of me. I could only hope this would serve as a warning, more than a new tactic for them, and that my message had been properly received.

For the following week I spent my days with Tevon and Yurios, practicing combat, self-defense, magic defense, and becoming more familiar with channeling magic. They were both ready for these types of missions; it was me who needed the most training. Every day we would practice until it was near night, and then every night I would visit with Denarah and Maaryn, though some nights Denarah would disappear with Yurios.

The routine was tiring at first
, but by the end I had grown accustomed to it. We were working more like a team now, and Yurios had relinquished his angst with me, now that we were both working with Tevon.

The most difficult days were the two days in which I had to see Felinon in the morning so he could probe my mind with more of his vicious tests. Each time he tested me I passed, though not in the way he wanted it seemed. His tests left me tired and distraught, but it allowed me to gain their trust further
, so I continued to endure him.

The mission we were to partake on was a unique one. We were to travel to the heart of the kingdom and speak with their commander, an old military general that was put in charge of the kingdom after he had conquered it. He was well renowned for being a firm yet fair leader, as well as for his discontent with magic. Several mages
on their high council had attempted to overthrow his government some time back, killing the old king. That was when he staged a military coup, rid the land of tyrants and mages, and took over.

Once at the kingdom we were to appeal to them by any means possible
, and gain their respect. If not, then at least warn them of the impending war and the threat it posed. When the time came, they would be the first to be attacked. Being the closest to the border as well as the strongest military presence in the land, we needed them on our side more than anyone else.

Tevon believed that with his reputation and our combined ability to help feed their people with bountiful crops, we could gain their respect. The training was a precaution, as we would be so close to the border, as well as the risk of the General considering us a threat due to our presence there alone.

....

The day before we were to leave came with much anticipation. A small ceremony in our honor was being held in the dinin
g hall of the castle and all of the elder mages as well as the older students were invited, along with our close friends. The dining hall boomed with erupting cheers.

Many of the older mages drank in the excitement. Tevon was satisfied to find that my appetite was where he wanted it to be as my plate was piled high with a mountain of food. We feasted the night away, at the end of which Helendra stood up to give a toast.

“To Tevon, Jasminis and Yurios,” she said. I cringed when she said his name last, knowing I would receive some form of misery for it later. “You three seek to bring hope to the North and help save us all. Your journey will not be an easy one, but your high spirits and determination will surely prevail. May you go with the blessings of us all.” The second she finished, the dining hall once again exploded in thunderous applause.

While I was filled with pride over the honor that we
were receiving, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy, for an enormous amount of pressure had been placed on us as well. I believed we would succeed but feared the results were we to fail. Seeing all of them celebrate our impending victory made my heart ache with disbelief for some reason. I shook it off as best I could and enjoyed the remainder of the celebration, spending most of it with Denarah and Maaryn.

Near the end of it all Denarah snuck off with Yur
ios, tears coating her cheeks. I couldn’t help but grow a little teary over missing Edgar, though I was not being freshly separated from him as Denarah would be from Yurios. If anything, I would be somewhat closer to him as the kingdom was a little West of here.

"I think it bes
t we get rested up for tomorrow," Tevon said with a soft voice to Helendra. The party had gone on late into the night, and we were beginning to grow weary over the journey that lay before us tomorrow.

"We all wish you a good night's r
est and a safe journey tomorrow," Helendra said, loud enough to be heard by everyone in the great hall. Her voice somehow carried above all of the cheering and laughter.

We ended the night with Tevon, Yurios
, and I leaving together with a cheerful goodbye. The three of us went out to our homes. Tevon had given me a bag that day to carry with me during our travels. The size of it concerned me as it was nearly twice that of the one I had carried with Aton, which grew cumbersome at times as it was. I packed all of my uniforms as they were designed for a lot of outdoor usage and would be suitable for this.

With my bags packed and my goodbyes said, I went to sleep.

~11~

That morning we left while everyone else was still asleep.
We mounted our three horses, which I was nervous about as the only real experience I had with riding one was in the dream world. However, I felt that between my experience there and the time I had spent riding behind Tevon on our way to the academy would hopefully be enough.

As we started to ride away, I found it to be far more difficult than I had anticipated.
I didn’t know how I would keep up the entire way there—however far there actually was.

I warmed up to my horse
as we rode. She reminded me of the horse I had ridden in the dream world, as she was solid black with well-groomed, long, glossy hair. She didn't warm up to me in return though, making the first mile of the trip very challenging as I struggled to stay on her, digging my legs into her sides on occasion. She would bellow and kick me around, almost knocking me off. Tevon yelled back bits of advice at me while Yurios just spitefully watched me struggle. Though he had been returned to what he felt was his rightful place, it seemed he would always hold a grudge against me.

After several times of being knocked off or her running about, tossing me around like a scared chicken, I managed to learn the basics of horse riding.
Then I was able to have my horse, Tip Toe, stroll through the path with me atop of her, stable and gallant. I still could not figure out how Tevon and Yurios managed to not be bounced around like a toad with their horse’s trot.

We spent the morning in silence as we made our w
ay down the mountains. It wasn’t until we were traveling a more level trail that Tevon spoke. “We can go a little while longer here but then we should let the horses rest a bit. I’ll be hungry soon myself,” he said, a rumbling already forming in my stomach.

“How far is it from here?” My voice was interrupted with each stride my horse made.

Beneath his laughter, Tevon answered, “To the main city of Ordana, it's about four days at a decent pace. We'll be passing some of the kingdom's outlying cities within two days or so though.”

The kingdom of Ordana was named after its capital. It was uncustomary to do so
, but the general who had executed the takeover and formed the kingdom named it that to carry on the legacy of the king that had been assassinated. Tevon described the man as an unwavering loyalist to a king now long gone. The king he protected was a mage himself, but feared any of his own kind, as a twist of irony he was assassinated by a group of mages days before he was about to renounce his law against the use of magic in his city.

Abruptly, Tevon stopped and jumped off of his horse. Yurios followed, and then so did I.

“I hope you don’t mind, Jas, but I think we should shake things up a little for lunch,” Tevon said with a twinkle in his eye. “Mind lending me a little magic?” I began channeling a cautious amount of power and he placed his hands on the forest floor just to the side of the trail. From the ground small mounds began to form and a small stubby plant sprouted out. It had a series of sharp pointed leaves from the top and a rough rigid base. We watched as several more of these unusual looking plants sprouted from the ground.

Tevon
took a moment to catch his breath and then dug the plant up, revealing a large oblong shaped root. It was yellow in color and covered in diamond shaped bumps with little points at the center of each one.

He picked the first one up and smelled it, “What do you know, perfectly ripe.”

“What is it?” I walked up and ran my fingers along the firm surface of the plant, and I was dumbfounded by its uninviting appearance.

Tevon pulled out his sword and cut
the big hunk of plant into several slices. Streams of yellow juice poured out of the plant and down the edge of his place. He handed a slice to me. “It’s a pineapple,” he said with a proud smile.

I took the juicy yellow slice of pineapple from him and broke it in half, taking a bite
out of the center. It tasted sweet as my mouth was overcome with juices that dripped down the sides of my lips and fell to the ground. It was sweet, but difficult to chew.

Yurios laughed at me. “Eat around the center, that’s the hard part.”

I spit out the chunk in my mouth and shrugged. Then I took a bite from the edge, avoiding the skin as it seemed thick and unpleasant. This time there was even more juice, and it was far easier to chew. My hands were covered in the sticky sweet liquid as I continued to eat the slice Tevon had given me. As soon as I finished it, I helped myself to two more.

We sat down and ate away at the pi
neapple while our horses rested. Tevon gave them some oats that were held in several pouches on the horses’ saddles. It was very relaxing as this food required little preparation aside from its actual creation.

“This makes tra
veling easier,” Tevon commented, “being able to grow whichever plant we choose within a matter of moments. I don’t think we’ll have trouble appealing to the General.”

“Why do you think that?”

“The best way to any soldier’s heart is through his stomach,” Tevon answered.

A
fter we had finished eating, Tevon took the remaining pineapples and placed them in a bag he had on his saddle. We mounted up and continued on our way, and I had to familiarize myself with the horse all over again. This time it only took me a few minutes to do so, but I hoped the next time I would not need to do so at all.

We traveled at a steady pace, and the horse
’s gallop still caused me to be tossed around with every trot. Before long, the combination of my full belly and the constant bouncing from the horse made my stomach feel unsettled. Part of me wanted to ask to stop and recover, but I didn’t want to appear weak. I could feel my lunch making its way back up my throat and struggled to keep it down.

The expression I made as I did so gave Yurios another reason to hassle me when he looked back at me, “Going to make it Jasminis?” His words were meant to sound sincere
, yet his eyes were filled with ridicule.

I didn’t want to risk opening my mouth and speaking
, so I just nodded my head back at him with my mouth clenched shut. Not long after, Tevon took notice and pulled on his reigns, slowing his pace so I could catch up next to him.

“Feeling nauseous?”
He asked.

Once again I nodded.

He sat up on his horse. “Here, you need to ride like this.”

He demonstrated the proper way to sit on the horse, instructing me to first relax my legs,
and bring myself forward a bit to align what he called my center of gravity with that of the horse. I tried doing so, but it was not as simplistic as he made it look. I continued to squirm around a little bit at a time, trying to find the best position for riding so that I was not tossed around with every step.

“Sorry we didn’t spend more time working on this with you. We had very little time to prepare you and I wanted to cover
the more critical skills first,” Tevon said with an apologetic look.

With some patience on both Tevon and Tip Toe’s part
, I mastered some of the basics of horse riding, and soon I was able to not only control the horse but ride it with comfort as well. When we felt I was entirely ready, we increased our pace to a swift gait. Trees passed by me in a blurred haze that removed all detail from them. I no longer noticed the well engraved bark or coating patches of green moss.

“Better,”
Yurious said, as he watched me ride.

We continued onward until it was almost night, and the sun was already disappearing behind the thick canopy of branches. We stopped at a small clearing just off of the trail and made a small camp. Tevon did not create another dome for us as the weather was far more pleasant in
this region. The air was warm, and a steady soft breeze wove its way through the trees as it found its way to my back, tossing my hair up against my shoulders. The ends of my hair danced along my back, jumping up to my neck then floating back down. Here the nights were more comfortable than the days, unlike Saltren, where the nights were dreaded and cold.

The horses rested near one another, bustling up
together. They were probably happy that they were able to relax now. They formed their own pack, carrying on their own conversations. They were most likely talking about me and how difficult I had been. Their thick coating of hair did not give way to the wind, fighting it like a tree refusing to be uprooted by a storm.

Tevon was optimistic as usual
, while Yurios remained reserved, speaking in short, un-revealing phrases that only served to express his torment. Our conversations were very awkward as a result. Had Denarah been here he would have been more likely to let go of his frustrations and discontent, his feeling of betrayal. While I did not agree with his behavior, I saw the reasoning behind it. This was his life, his ambition, he was in a position he had worked hard to be in. Then out of nowhere comes a young, undeserving gifted individual that causes him to be disregarded like a used napkin. It would have curdled my blood as well.

I felt as though my story was not understood by others. I never asked for my ability or strived for it. I never wanted to have a war to fight, to be a grand champion for the people. Or did I? While it wasn’t intentional, there was always a part of me that wanted to be where I am, that wanted to be significant. Who doesn’t want to be special and live a life of adventure?

This life was one I had chosen. No one had forced me to leave with Aton, misguided though that may have been. Just as no one had forced me to stay at the academy or offer to help. These decisions were of my own doing. This is the life I have chosen and I must accept that as well as the person I may become because of it.

“I see you are doing well,
”
Helendra said, her timing was too perfect, she was mocking me.