Elemental (Chapter one, part two)
How come nobody yelled at me, huh? lol
Anyway, this is as far as I got before I stalled out a little and decided to flesh out the world and characters a bit more before going on. If you have questions or suggestions or just want me to hurry up and post more, don't hesitate. ^_^
That said, I'm not sure what to think about this part. We'll see what becomes of it, right? Right.
Perhaps "soon" is completely relative to my perspective. I was nine years old, and the rumors began to spread like wildfire. A messenger arrived to visit my tutor, just as my morning lesson was at an end and we were going to break for lunch. It was supposed to be my third and final year being schooled by him for entire days. After that, I'd be apprenticed and only spend afternoons with my tutor, freeing him to take another young child in the mornings. I'd have the big desk all to myself at last, and the student ahead of me would learn only from his master. It was a privilege to have an opportunity like this though. Not everyone had the undivided attention of a professional like this, so young.
I paid no mind to the messenger at first. I was working on one last mathematical equation, and messengers were a commonplace occurrence in this particular room. My tutor, as one of the most literate people in the village, would frequently be entrusted with reading to the farmers and other laborers who had better things to do than read for themselves. Their literacy was limited to simple spells that were necessary to their labor, and most did not see the point in learning enough for correspondence when there were others so readily available to do it for them.
What did catch my attention finally was the continued silence from him. He did not say, "I will be visiting with Farmer Tarrinus for a few minutes," or "I'll be wasting another lunch, so you had better enjoy yours thoroughly." I looked up curiously and silently to see him staring at me with a thoughtful frown.
"Sir?" I said.
He shook his head and folded the note. "This town needed some excitement anyway," he said as he dismissed the messenger with a coin.
I waited expectantly, but he turned his attention to something on his desk and began writing. He didn't look at me again, and I finally began organizing my things to set them under the chair while I rushed home to eat. I stood, after I'd procrastinated as long as I could, and walked slowly to the door.
When my hand was poised to let in the outside air, he finally spoke. "Our lessons next week will be canceled. An old acquaintance will be visiting."
"Yes, sir," I said. "I shall let my parents know."
He nodded and I left, burning with curiosity. What sort of old acquaintance would he have, that I wouldn't know? Hadn't he lived here his whole life, like everyone else? At that age, I had a difficult time imagining any adult had a past that I wouldn't know about. He was the tutor and the reader and the mediator when necessary. My parents were the spellsmiths, and they assisted him on occasion. My friend Garim was the son of the only store's owners. My other friend Natali would succeed his parents as farmers. Everyone had a place, and they'd been in that place since long before I was born. No one left. No one arrived, except temporarily. Messengers and merchants were the only ones who were not a permanent fixture upon my life, and even they were at least familiar.
My parents did not gossip, but they were a rarity in Lesser Stonegore. I had a peaceful lunch at home, but I was stopped no less than ten times on the return trip. They each asked if I'd heard the news.
"Tutor had a messenger today," I said. "That is all I know."
"You probably know more than I do," they'd reply as they turned away.
Finally Wydram Longbar, our local enforcer, stopped me just outside. "Messenger, huh?"
I just nodded as I inched my way to the door, while trying not to turn my back on him disrespectfully.
"Agrad, you know--" He stopped himself suddenly and shook his head. "Never you mind that, right now. You just keep a low profile, hear me? I've heard tell that there's a wizard on the move, and your friend used to be friends with their like. Get me?"
"Yes," I said quietly, resting my hand on the doorframe.
"Don't 'yes' me just because you think you should," he grumbled darkly.
"Sorry, sir."
The door opened behind me, and I was ushered inside for the rest of my lessons. I forced myself to concentrate on my work and not think of anything else. The day was over quickly though, and on the way home everyone was talking about the wizard who was going to visit our town. My tutor would neither confirm nor deny it, and for me that was evidence enough that the rumors were true.
My parents fought more than usual once the rumors reached their ears, but I was not privy to what they fought over. I was anxious, I remember that much, when I heard raised voices at night. I didn't sleep well because of it, even when there was silence at last. My mother spent more time at home that week as well, cleaning and organizing our belongings, and throwing old things out. It was something she otherwise hated to do, but our house was nearly bare by the time the news came that my tutor's visitors had arrived.
"Stay near the house," Mother said.
"Let the child have fun," Father admonished. "Agrad will be fine, and it will draw attention if--"
"It's a little late for that!" Mother threw her hands in the air in frustration.
"I'll stay out of trouble," I promised meekly as I slipped out the door. There wasn't much I could do, anyway. My friends were all with their own tutors, or in the common classes that were held for all the children from seven to twelve years old. After twelve it was widely held that a general education was unnecessary, since everyone needed to learn better what they'd do the rest of their lives. It wouldn't make sense for me, for example, to learn more than the very basics of harvesting or carpentry, since I had no aptitude for growing things or using hammers, chisels, or other such tools. My gift was for magic, and I was confident at that time that I'd do the same thing as my parents. I'd be much more helpful if I made spells to make ploughs work than I would be trying to guide one through the soil.
The weather was perfect that week, and I spent time hiding alone in fields or by the stream near my house. I thought and relaxed, and sometimes I'd secretly enchant rocks into a row of toy soldiers to fight before my eyes in epic miniature battles. It was a thing that would get me into trouble, because I was too young to do magic on my own of course. But what child is completely obedient when there is fun to be had?
Besides, when I played with my friends we all did things like that anyway. Usually we'd each take one rock to enchant and fight them against each other. Tychel's brother had taught him the spell once, and we all learned together without any adults. Since no one else was there at the time, I decided to make my own army, and I must have made a hundred soldiers the first day alone.
It was the fourth day, and I was still adding to my army when I heard someone approach. I turned, cringing guiltily in case it was an adult who would be upset at my blatant misuse of magic. I wanted to just be proud, but I knew this was completely outside the rules.
The one who approached was a stranger, and so I knew it must be one of my tutor's guests. His skin was pale in the same way my parents and my tutor had pale skin, from spending too much time indoors. Shock white hair topped his head, and he was just a bit taller than me, so I relaxed and offered a hesitant smile. "Hello." I was convinced he must also be a child, but it had been my experience that all of us short people stuck together even if some of us were only short temporarily.
He nodded and found a tree stump nearby. "Hello," he said in a deep voice that disproved my first impression. "What have we here?"
"I was just playing soldiers," I said quietly, sitting directly on the dirt and picking up another rock. I willed the other soldiers to stand at attention instead of fighting, but they all still looked restless.
"I've never seen such an army," he grinned, picking one up and looking it over. The tiny soldier yelped when he was turned upside down. "Not an army of such small men, that is. And I didn't know girls liked to play soldiers. What's your name?"
I didn't bother correcting him, but it struck me as absurd that he'd think I was a girl. I was a pretty child, but everyone knew I was a boy. "I'm Agrad," I said. "What's yours?"
I thought he looked surprised for a moment, but he smiled and said, "Krecek."
"Do you play soldiers, Krecek?" I asked politely as I set down my newest creation.
"All the time," he said, bending over to set down the toy soldier he'd picked up before. "Not like this, though. What spell did you use?"
He was delighted when I taught it to him, picking up five rocks and changing them instantly. Their tabards and armor were bright blue and silver, while mine were still slate gray. I was both surprised and delighted. "That's wonderful! I didn't even think about making them look so real." I concentrated for a moment, closing my eyes so I wouldn't mess it up. When I opened my eyes again, a miniature army in green and gold surrounded me. They began milling about, looking each other over in surprise.
Krecek grinned and began making soldiers of his own. "When we're even, shall we battle?"
I frowned. "Can you make soldiers that fast? I'll give you some of mine, if you'd like."
"I think I can manage," he said. "You look like you're about ten. I'd say I have a few years of doing magic on you."
Well, if he was part of the wizard's entourage, he was probably right. "I'm nine," I told him, concentrating on bringing all of my soldiers into line. "I've only fought with one soldier at a time, before. We're not supposed to do magic without a grown up." Well, the last couple of days I'd had my own soldiers fight each other, but that was different.
"Well," Krecek said slowly, "since you have more experience with these particular solders than me, I hope you'll go easy on me." His eyes sparkled as he matched my number of soldiers in an instant. "And don't worry, I won't tell a soul. If you got in trouble, we wouldn't be able to do this again, later."
I grinned and we talked over simple rules. It wasn't much longer before we set our magical toys to fighting, and I could tell he was going easy on me. I knew my face was scrunched up in concentration while his was vaguely thoughtful and largely amused. To add insult to injury, he easily defeated me and I could barely tell how he did it.
"You cheated!" I protested, grabbing my last "living" soldier. "You made more while we fought!"
Krecek shook his head, still looking amused. "You did so well, I forgot I was fighting someone so young. Given a few years, you will be a dangerous opponent."
"You broke my soldiers!"
He waved a hand, and they were all mere rocks again. "Mere toys, and ultimately unbroken. I won, yes, but you should be proud in your defeat. You did well, for your age."
"You cheated," I insisted, dropping the lifeless rock in my hand and placing my fists firmly on my hips.
"Yes, that's right," Krecek smiled. "I cheat."
I stared in awe. He admitted it! He admitted to cheating! "But, Mother says nobody likes a cheater, and nobody plays with cheaters," I finally growled darkly.
"Yet I predict," Krecek said, "that you'll play with me again. Even knowing I'm a cheater, you'll want to keep playing until you defeat me."
"It's no fun, if I know I can't win," I muttered. I sat down and crossed my arms over my chest.
"That's why you'll keep playing," he said smugly. "The only way you know you'll never win is if you stop trying."
It made too much sense.
That night, I took one of the soldier rocks home with me, and I practiced changing him faster and faster, until I finally fell asleep.
Anyway, this is as far as I got before I stalled out a little and decided to flesh out the world and characters a bit more before going on. If you have questions or suggestions or just want me to hurry up and post more, don't hesitate. ^_^
That said, I'm not sure what to think about this part. We'll see what becomes of it, right? Right.
Perhaps "soon" is completely relative to my perspective. I was nine years old, and the rumors began to spread like wildfire. A messenger arrived to visit my tutor, just as my morning lesson was at an end and we were going to break for lunch. It was supposed to be my third and final year being schooled by him for entire days. After that, I'd be apprenticed and only spend afternoons with my tutor, freeing him to take another young child in the mornings. I'd have the big desk all to myself at last, and the student ahead of me would learn only from his master. It was a privilege to have an opportunity like this though. Not everyone had the undivided attention of a professional like this, so young.
I paid no mind to the messenger at first. I was working on one last mathematical equation, and messengers were a commonplace occurrence in this particular room. My tutor, as one of the most literate people in the village, would frequently be entrusted with reading to the farmers and other laborers who had better things to do than read for themselves. Their literacy was limited to simple spells that were necessary to their labor, and most did not see the point in learning enough for correspondence when there were others so readily available to do it for them.
What did catch my attention finally was the continued silence from him. He did not say, "I will be visiting with Farmer Tarrinus for a few minutes," or "I'll be wasting another lunch, so you had better enjoy yours thoroughly." I looked up curiously and silently to see him staring at me with a thoughtful frown.
"Sir?" I said.
He shook his head and folded the note. "This town needed some excitement anyway," he said as he dismissed the messenger with a coin.
I waited expectantly, but he turned his attention to something on his desk and began writing. He didn't look at me again, and I finally began organizing my things to set them under the chair while I rushed home to eat. I stood, after I'd procrastinated as long as I could, and walked slowly to the door.
When my hand was poised to let in the outside air, he finally spoke. "Our lessons next week will be canceled. An old acquaintance will be visiting."
"Yes, sir," I said. "I shall let my parents know."
He nodded and I left, burning with curiosity. What sort of old acquaintance would he have, that I wouldn't know? Hadn't he lived here his whole life, like everyone else? At that age, I had a difficult time imagining any adult had a past that I wouldn't know about. He was the tutor and the reader and the mediator when necessary. My parents were the spellsmiths, and they assisted him on occasion. My friend Garim was the son of the only store's owners. My other friend Natali would succeed his parents as farmers. Everyone had a place, and they'd been in that place since long before I was born. No one left. No one arrived, except temporarily. Messengers and merchants were the only ones who were not a permanent fixture upon my life, and even they were at least familiar.
My parents did not gossip, but they were a rarity in Lesser Stonegore. I had a peaceful lunch at home, but I was stopped no less than ten times on the return trip. They each asked if I'd heard the news.
"Tutor had a messenger today," I said. "That is all I know."
"You probably know more than I do," they'd reply as they turned away.
Finally Wydram Longbar, our local enforcer, stopped me just outside. "Messenger, huh?"
I just nodded as I inched my way to the door, while trying not to turn my back on him disrespectfully.
"Agrad, you know--" He stopped himself suddenly and shook his head. "Never you mind that, right now. You just keep a low profile, hear me? I've heard tell that there's a wizard on the move, and your friend used to be friends with their like. Get me?"
"Yes," I said quietly, resting my hand on the doorframe.
"Don't 'yes' me just because you think you should," he grumbled darkly.
"Sorry, sir."
The door opened behind me, and I was ushered inside for the rest of my lessons. I forced myself to concentrate on my work and not think of anything else. The day was over quickly though, and on the way home everyone was talking about the wizard who was going to visit our town. My tutor would neither confirm nor deny it, and for me that was evidence enough that the rumors were true.
My parents fought more than usual once the rumors reached their ears, but I was not privy to what they fought over. I was anxious, I remember that much, when I heard raised voices at night. I didn't sleep well because of it, even when there was silence at last. My mother spent more time at home that week as well, cleaning and organizing our belongings, and throwing old things out. It was something she otherwise hated to do, but our house was nearly bare by the time the news came that my tutor's visitors had arrived.
"Stay near the house," Mother said.
"Let the child have fun," Father admonished. "Agrad will be fine, and it will draw attention if--"
"It's a little late for that!" Mother threw her hands in the air in frustration.
"I'll stay out of trouble," I promised meekly as I slipped out the door. There wasn't much I could do, anyway. My friends were all with their own tutors, or in the common classes that were held for all the children from seven to twelve years old. After twelve it was widely held that a general education was unnecessary, since everyone needed to learn better what they'd do the rest of their lives. It wouldn't make sense for me, for example, to learn more than the very basics of harvesting or carpentry, since I had no aptitude for growing things or using hammers, chisels, or other such tools. My gift was for magic, and I was confident at that time that I'd do the same thing as my parents. I'd be much more helpful if I made spells to make ploughs work than I would be trying to guide one through the soil.
The weather was perfect that week, and I spent time hiding alone in fields or by the stream near my house. I thought and relaxed, and sometimes I'd secretly enchant rocks into a row of toy soldiers to fight before my eyes in epic miniature battles. It was a thing that would get me into trouble, because I was too young to do magic on my own of course. But what child is completely obedient when there is fun to be had?
Besides, when I played with my friends we all did things like that anyway. Usually we'd each take one rock to enchant and fight them against each other. Tychel's brother had taught him the spell once, and we all learned together without any adults. Since no one else was there at the time, I decided to make my own army, and I must have made a hundred soldiers the first day alone.
It was the fourth day, and I was still adding to my army when I heard someone approach. I turned, cringing guiltily in case it was an adult who would be upset at my blatant misuse of magic. I wanted to just be proud, but I knew this was completely outside the rules.
The one who approached was a stranger, and so I knew it must be one of my tutor's guests. His skin was pale in the same way my parents and my tutor had pale skin, from spending too much time indoors. Shock white hair topped his head, and he was just a bit taller than me, so I relaxed and offered a hesitant smile. "Hello." I was convinced he must also be a child, but it had been my experience that all of us short people stuck together even if some of us were only short temporarily.
He nodded and found a tree stump nearby. "Hello," he said in a deep voice that disproved my first impression. "What have we here?"
"I was just playing soldiers," I said quietly, sitting directly on the dirt and picking up another rock. I willed the other soldiers to stand at attention instead of fighting, but they all still looked restless.
"I've never seen such an army," he grinned, picking one up and looking it over. The tiny soldier yelped when he was turned upside down. "Not an army of such small men, that is. And I didn't know girls liked to play soldiers. What's your name?"
I didn't bother correcting him, but it struck me as absurd that he'd think I was a girl. I was a pretty child, but everyone knew I was a boy. "I'm Agrad," I said. "What's yours?"
I thought he looked surprised for a moment, but he smiled and said, "Krecek."
"Do you play soldiers, Krecek?" I asked politely as I set down my newest creation.
"All the time," he said, bending over to set down the toy soldier he'd picked up before. "Not like this, though. What spell did you use?"
He was delighted when I taught it to him, picking up five rocks and changing them instantly. Their tabards and armor were bright blue and silver, while mine were still slate gray. I was both surprised and delighted. "That's wonderful! I didn't even think about making them look so real." I concentrated for a moment, closing my eyes so I wouldn't mess it up. When I opened my eyes again, a miniature army in green and gold surrounded me. They began milling about, looking each other over in surprise.
Krecek grinned and began making soldiers of his own. "When we're even, shall we battle?"
I frowned. "Can you make soldiers that fast? I'll give you some of mine, if you'd like."
"I think I can manage," he said. "You look like you're about ten. I'd say I have a few years of doing magic on you."
Well, if he was part of the wizard's entourage, he was probably right. "I'm nine," I told him, concentrating on bringing all of my soldiers into line. "I've only fought with one soldier at a time, before. We're not supposed to do magic without a grown up." Well, the last couple of days I'd had my own soldiers fight each other, but that was different.
"Well," Krecek said slowly, "since you have more experience with these particular solders than me, I hope you'll go easy on me." His eyes sparkled as he matched my number of soldiers in an instant. "And don't worry, I won't tell a soul. If you got in trouble, we wouldn't be able to do this again, later."
I grinned and we talked over simple rules. It wasn't much longer before we set our magical toys to fighting, and I could tell he was going easy on me. I knew my face was scrunched up in concentration while his was vaguely thoughtful and largely amused. To add insult to injury, he easily defeated me and I could barely tell how he did it.
"You cheated!" I protested, grabbing my last "living" soldier. "You made more while we fought!"
Krecek shook his head, still looking amused. "You did so well, I forgot I was fighting someone so young. Given a few years, you will be a dangerous opponent."
"You broke my soldiers!"
He waved a hand, and they were all mere rocks again. "Mere toys, and ultimately unbroken. I won, yes, but you should be proud in your defeat. You did well, for your age."
"You cheated," I insisted, dropping the lifeless rock in my hand and placing my fists firmly on my hips.
"Yes, that's right," Krecek smiled. "I cheat."
I stared in awe. He admitted it! He admitted to cheating! "But, Mother says nobody likes a cheater, and nobody plays with cheaters," I finally growled darkly.
"Yet I predict," Krecek said, "that you'll play with me again. Even knowing I'm a cheater, you'll want to keep playing until you defeat me."
"It's no fun, if I know I can't win," I muttered. I sat down and crossed my arms over my chest.
"That's why you'll keep playing," he said smugly. "The only way you know you'll never win is if you stop trying."
It made too much sense.
That night, I took one of the soldier rocks home with me, and I practiced changing him faster and faster, until I finally fell asleep.