The Missing Mage (20 page)

Ava jumped off the bed and raced downstairs to find Nathan, she wanted to know what the heck was going on. Ava found Avera in the kitchen talking with Maggie, the cook.

“Have you seen Nathan?” Ava asked.

“Last time I saw him, he and Balthazar were headed to the library,” replied Avera.

“Thank you,” said Ava as she bolted off towards the library.

 As Ava walked into the library, she could hear Balthazar talking. “Once you become efficient at sending memories and emotions, it will become easier to send thoughts. For some reason, thoughts are much harder to transmit. Personally, I think it is because memories are ingrained in the mind and trigger a stronger emotion, but not all mages agree.”

Ava looked from Balthazar to Nathan, and then interrupted. “Were you sending me your memories just now?”

Nathan smiled, “You could feel it?”

“Yes. At first I felt a little tingle, then all of a sudden, I could see memories of us at the pond. But, they were not my memories. I could see myself through your eyes, and I felt all warm and happy.”

Balthazar clapped his hands together. “Impressive! Well, now we know you two can transfer emotions at a short distance. I will be interested to see what effect different distances will have on your abilities. I wish we had more time to dedicate to keeping notes. This will make for an interesting case study for future mages to use.”

Both Nathan and Ava looked at Balthazar as if he was crazy.

Balthazar noticed the look his two pupils were giving him. “What? This is exciting stuff. The opportunity to expand our knowledge of how mind connections work is very interesting. If we weren’t on the verge of war and having to go find Cyrnic I would drop everything else to continue our work.”

Nathan looked at Balthazar then over at Ava. He shrugged and smiled, “I guess it is pretty cool.”

“Now Nathan you go find something to do while I work with Ava,” said Balthazar.

“Okay. Ava do you know where Quinton is?” asked Nathan.

“He was going to show Rose something in his study. I think she has been harassing him about magic paintings again.”

Nathan laughed, Rose was very persistent when she wanted something. “Alright, I will go rescue Quinton.”

When Nathan left, Balthazar began again. “Ava, as you now know, transferring emotions is very possible. Nathan was able to imagine a childhood memory and send it to you. As Nathan has a much stronger source of magic, he was able to send those thoughts to you relatively easily once he had a little direction. You will likely be able to send him memories as well, but to start they will probably have to be a very powerful memory. Once you are able to master that, it will become easier. Eventually you should be able to send thoughts, but for now let’s focus on sending a strong emotional memory.”

Ava thought of the memory Nathan had sent her. The days they shared at the pond were certainly happy and she had enjoyed seeing them from his eyes. An interesting thought entered her mind and she started to focus on it.

…

Nathan found Quinton and Rose in Quinton’s study where he did most of his artwork. They were discussing a picture. Rose was directing him on how to draw things.

“No, the nose is too big, make it smaller. Yes, like that,” bossed Rose.

Nathan walked over to see what they were working on. He was surprised when he saw the drawing. It was not perfect, but it was an excellent drawing of Sharon’s parents.

Quinton noticed that Nathan had joined them. He turned to Nathan. “What do you think? I thought Sharon might like a painting with her parents in it, something to give her pleasant memories of them.”

Nathan looked at Quinton; he could see that his cousin was a little worried about this project. He was relying on Rose to give him a good description of them so that he could surprise Sharon. Nathan thought it was a great idea. “It will be fantastic, but it’s missing a couple things. Sharon’s dad’s hair actually parted the other way, and his jaw was a little bit stronger.”

As soon as Nathan affirmed that the painting was a good idea, Quinton sighed in relief and quickly got to work making the suggested changes. As he worked, Nathan and Rose argued about the finer details of both parents’ faces. As Quinton added Nathans suggestions, Rose agreed that they helped.

Suddenly Nathan felt a tingle, quickly followed by a flood of emotion. He could see memories going through his head. Ava was successfully sending him her memories. Nathan watched as visions of them together came into his mind. They were standing together, talking when he watched himself being pulled in for a passionate kiss. Nathan could feel Ava’s love and desire very strongly, he started to blush at the vivid memories.

Quinton was trying to get Nathan’s attention, he had just finished making a few adjustments around the eyes of Sharon’s mom and wanted confirmation that they looked better now, but Nathan was staring off into the distance, and turning a bright red. “Are you okay Nathan?” he asked.

Nathan brushed aside Ava’s memories and turned to Quinton, who was giving him a weird look. “What?” Nathan asked.

“I asked if you were okay, you totally lost focus for a moment there,” replied Quinton.

Nathan ignored the question, not wanting to explain what had just happened, especially with Rose in the room. He took another look at Quinton’s picture. “The eyes do look much better now. I think you have her parents almost perfect now. How long will it take to finish painting?”

“Actually, I am done painting now, and it’s all magic from here.”

Nathan smiled, when Quinton had said magic Rose had perked up as if he was offering her candy.
She is going to be a mage someday
, Nathan thought to himself. “That is so amazing, Quinton. I had better get back to the library. I suspect that they are waiting for me now. Rose, you get to bed soon.”

Rose looked crestfallen. “But I want to see Quinton make a magic painting. Please Nathan, let me stay up just a little longer.”

Nathan gave Quinton a wink. “All right, but when Quinton says bedtime, no arguments.”

Rose shook her head vigorously. “I promise.”

…

Ava was asking Balthazar about infusing magic power into salves when Nathan returned. They both stopped and looked at him when he entered the room.

“Well, did it work?” asked Balthazar.

Nathan nodded. “I felt her emotions and was able to see her memories.”

“Excellent, was it a happy memory?”

“Yes, I guess you could say that,” answered Nathan.

Balthazar could see by the bright glow of his face that perhaps asking any more about the content of Ava’s memories was a bad idea. Balthazar looked at Ava who just sat there with a small smirk on her face. Regardless of the contents of the memories, it was impressive that Ava was already able to send Nathan emotional waves. Perhaps he should retest Ava; it seemed that her magical powers have been getting stronger.

…

Sharon was diligently working on her new clothing when Rose came into the war room looking for her. “What are you still doing up little one? It’s late.”

“I’m looking for you. I have something I have to show you before I go to bed.” Rose grabbed Sharon’s hand and started pulling her towards the door.

Sharon laughed, there was no stopping Rose when she was on a mission. “Okay, I’m coming, no need to pull my arm off.” Sharon walked quickly with the young girl. When they got back to their suite and Rose pulled her towards her own room, Sharon was surprised.

“Close your eyes,” instructed Rose.

Sharon closed her eyes. Rose pulled her into the room, putting her in front of her bed, facing the opposite wall.

“Okay, you can open your eyes now,” exclaimed Rose, her voice had risen almost to a yell with excitement.

Sharon opened her eyes. On the wall across from her bed, hung a large painting. Sharon looked at the painting; it was definitely one of Quinton’s magical paintings. She recognized the gardens from the castle. The nighttime scene featured a couple dancing by themselves in the beautiful gardens. The painting began to change, the image closed in on the dancing couple. Sharon was enthralled. It hit her hard, when the painting shifted again closer to the couple and you could see their faces as they danced. The couple momentarily stopped dancing and turned, smiling, and both blew her a kiss before turning to dance again. The picture slowly zoomed out, as if they were dancing away from her. The picture of her parents was too perfect for words. Sharon just stood there while tears formed in her eyes.

“Well, isn’t it perfect?” asked Rose. “We need to know?”

Sharon smiled, turning and grabbing Rose and swinging her in a big circle, dancing with her like her parents danced in the painting. “We, who is we, my precious little flower?”

A voice from the door replied. “I hope you like it. If you don’t want it, I will take it down and paint you something else.”

Sharon set Rose down and turned to face Quinton. “Take that painting down and I will put my practice dagger through your skull. I don’t like it, I love it. It is perfect, thank you so much.”

“I helped too,” exclaimed the jubilant Rose. She loved magic and making Sharon happy pleased the small child to no end.

“Oh, well thank you too Rose. I love it,” said Sharon, as she leaned down, giving Rose a kiss on the forehead. She then turned and walked to the door. Giving Quinton no chance to argue or be shy she grabbed him, giving him a big hug and then leaned back and looked him in the eyes before placing a big kiss on his lips. When Rose’s giggles filled the room, Sharon pulled back and, looking Quinton deep in the eyes, she whispered softly. “It is the most beautiful painting ever. I will cherish it forever.”

Chapter twenty four

WHEN MORNING CAME, Nathan dressed in his vraber-skin clothing, as good the armor any knight or mercenary would ever wish to own, and gathered his weapons before saying goodbye.

Sharon, Quinton, and Rose were surprised to hear that Nathan would be going with Balthazar. Nathan had not told them anything about his plans the previous night. “It’s not really a big deal. We are just going to check on a friend of Balthazar’s and work on magic lessons. Verin and his rangers are the ones who are going into dangerous areas,” Nathan lied. He did not want his friends worrying about him. It would serve no purpose. Ava knew parts of the truth and Avera knew all of it, which was enough.

“I am not sure about that. Everything I hear says the entire forest is dangerous right now, but you are traveling with the most powerful mage in the kingdom, so I suppose it is safe enough,” replied Quinton, doubtfully.

Sharon gave Nathan a quick hug. “Hurry back, I am going to miss using your workshop while you are gone. Oh, and I might miss you too,” she teased.

“Well, I’m glad to know I am almost as important as my workshop. You can use it any time you want. Can’t have you slacking off of weapons practice just because I am gone.”

Next Nathan hugged Ava, who held him tight. “Try not to worry too much, Ava. Balthazar is the most powerful mage in the city. I should be fine.”

“Pfft, I expect you to protect Balthazar, he might be the most powerful mage in the city, but he is no spring chicken. You are young, well trained, and have the best armor around. I am not worried about you. You bring my magic teacher back in one piece or else mister.”

Nathan looked carefully at Ava, as they worked on connecting their minds, he was becoming much more attuned to her moods and feelings. He could tell that even though she was being cheeky about it, she was not angry or worried that he was going on a quest. This was a relief, he was glad that she was accepting that life was different now and so was he.

…

“I am getting too old for all this walking, perhaps I should have reconsidered the idea of using horses,” said Balthazar.

Nathan, Balthazar, and a ranger named Corey Poole, had been walking through the forest all morning, the mild weather and slow pace made for a pleasant walk. Nathan knew Balthazar was not serious about his complaints regarding walking, as the man looked fine and had a bit of a smile as he said it. Obviously, the mage was enjoying being out of the city.

“Were you not the one who said ‘horses are too easy to spot’?” asked Nathan.

“You are just disappointed that you had to leave Thorn at home,” said Balthazar with a laugh. “I don’t blame you. Your horse is a beautiful animal, and I too would be looking for reasons to go riding. But, as much as riding to Cyrnic’s house would have been quicker, it is vital that we are careful and don’t run into our enemies unaware. An extra day of travel is well worth it. Besides, this way we able to put some of our traveling time to good use. Have you made any attempts to send memories to Ava since we left the city?”

Nathan nodded. “A couple times. She has sent some memories as well. The connection is weaker as we get farther from the city, but it is still there.”

“Good, that is an excellent sign. The next step is to progress beyond powerful memories to more current ones. Right now, take a good look around, she can’t see what you see. But, if you close your eyes and picture what you just saw, you have a recent memory that can be shared. Recent memories can distort as they travel, so what she sees won’t be a perfect replicate, but it should be close enough that she can tell we walking through the forest and she will know your current emotions.”

“She will be able to tell how I feel from me looking at trees?” asked Nathan, slightly confused.

“No, you are not just sending what your eyes see. When you remember this forest, you might be thinking about the scent of the pines, the way the ground feels as you walk, the breeze touching your skin. Your most recent memories are often all of your senses combined, that is part of why they get distorted. You are sending a lot of information at once. Older, more powerful, images tend to carry only the vital info. The senses that were triggered for that memory might only be an image or a smell or a combination of a couple senses while the less important details are removed. Your old memories are like sending someone a letter. A current memory is more like a book, it is much more complex and the amount of info is substantially larger. However, once you get used to sending each other current memories you have an ability to communicate that is not far from talking out loud.”