Victoria Coupe was a tall, slim woman with broad shoulders and a mass of curly dark brown hair that was pinned back near the nape of her neck. Her skin was the same shade of Joleena's and her eyes were a dark purple. She didn't even seem to notice her daughter as she went to sit down behind her council member.
Joe glanced at Joleena. Her face seemed calm but Joe could see there was a layer of sadness over her features. He would kill to know what she was thinking. All he could do though was reach over and lay his hand on top of hers. She gave him the briefest of smiles before turning her attention back to the front.
"And his royal highness, King Apollo!" The herald announced and the king strode in, taking a seat near the council.
"Operi Lux, et Lux Omnem Vitam!" He called out.
"Operi Lux, et Lux Omnem Vitam!" The crowd called back.
The herald then stood at the front of the room and everyone stood to repeat the vows of magic use. Like Joleena said earlier, it was basically an oath not to use their magic for evil, not to dabble into forbidden magic, and not to use magic to harm or take advantage of someone without magic. Then they all sat down and the initial hearings began.
One by one the magicians who were either getting their magic license renewal or getting licenses for the first time were called up. Some had an endorser with them and some didn't. Either way the format was pretty much the same. The magician or mage would sit at the chair in the front and make their case on why they thought they should get or keep their magic license. If they had an endorser with them then that person would give testimony for or even against the person in question.
And if there was no one to endorse the magician or mage though, the Council used something called magic foresight, to see the magic doings of the person in question no matter what world or country they were from. These were prepared ahead of time and made into reports.
If the testimony or report was good and the person was seeking a renewal, then one of the clerks would make an appointment with the person to have their license renewed within the next day or two. And if the person was getting their license for the first time then an appointment was made for them to prove their worth in a one on one session with one of the council members at a later date during the convention.
If the testimony or report was bad though (the person was lazy or untalented) then they still had one more opportunity to prove the council members wrong at the end of the convention. And if they aren't able to prove themselves by then, their magic use will be temporarily suspended until the next convention. Six months after this one concluded.
Joe swallowed nervously. He had gotten so used to his magic, just feeling it within him, that having to go six months without it sounded terrible.
One by one magicians and mages were called to the front to present themselves. They ranged from children as young as ten to elderly men and women. Some of them were confident almost to the point of arrogance while others were sweating bullets and quaking in their seats.
Most of them were approved unanimously by the council, but there were a few debates over some of the others. One of the strongest debates was over a thirteen year old fire mage who accidentally burned down half his non-magic neighbor's barn. Half of the council saw it as an honest mistake and thought the boy would learn from it. But the other half of the council saw it as a case of irresponsibility especially with something as powerful as fire magic. Thanks the endorsement of his parents, both prominent elemental mages, they council agreed to give the teen a change to prove himself to one of the more skeptical council members.
The clerk handed the teen a piece of paper with his appointment information then he was ushered back to his seat. The herald cleared his throat to announce the next candidate.
"Next, Anna Arthur from the normal world, here to apply for her first magic license in the area of spell casting and divining!" The herald called out.
Anna took a shaky breath and stood up. She made her way to the front and sat down. Joe felt a glimmer of pride for his little sister. She only looked a little nervous instead of completely terrified.
"And her endorser and mentor, Miss Joleena Beauchene!"
There was an astonished mummer around the room as Joleena stood up and went to stand next to Anna's chair. She looked completely calm and confident, her lips in a sure smile. Joe couldn't help but glance at Victoria to see her reaction, but the woman looked blankly at Joleena almost as if she didn't realize who she was.
"Miss Anna Arthur, is it?" King Apollo nodded to her. "Please address the council and make your case."
"Okay." Anna took a deep breath and began. "My first encounter with magic started when I was around eight. My older brother had a magic book that could travel through time and I well, traveled through time with it."
"Time travel is hardly considered magic, dear." A council woman interrupted. "Perhaps you should just enroll in the Warper's Academy?"
There was a light rift of laughter from the audience and Anna flushed, but held her head high. She cleared her throat and continued.
"When I was around twelve my uncle, also a magician, and my great grandniece, a time traveler, set me up with a mentor, Joleena Beauchene. For years she trained me in advanced divination and spell casting. I am now able to foretell the past, future, or present, and I also have the ability to cast complex spells."
A few of the council members nodded their head in approval, but some of them didn't look impressed. King Apollo nodded and turned to Joleena.
"Miss Beauchene, would you recommend your pupil for a magic license?"
"Oui." Joleena said without hesitation. "Anna has worked hard over the years and has proven herself time and time again with her skills. She has even saved my life more than once."
For the briefest second Joe saw her eyes flicker towards her mother. But Victoria remained focused on Anna and whispered a few brief words to her council lady.
"Anna Arthur is brave, strong, smart, intelligent, and good." Joleena continued. "She's made me proud to be her mentor and I know she'll make our magician class proud."
There was a brief, quiet conversation among the council members. Joe waited breathless for their verdict. Finally Victoria's council woman cleared her throat and stood.
"While her credentials are impressive, my trusted clerk and adviser Victoria has informed me her mentor is a novice herself. That and the fact that Miss Arthur was born in the normal world leaves the council with reasonably doubts to her abilities." She said. "So the council has decided that we will grant Anna Arthur her magic license only on the condition that she proves her skills to me. That is our final decision."
There was another wave of murmuring from the audience. Anna looked relieved to have the ordeal over with, but Joleena laced her fingers together so tightly that her knuckles turned white. They both bowed to the council though, took the piece of paper that the herald handed to Anna, and went back to their seats. Joe laid his hand on top of Joleena's and the second his hand touched hers he could feel all the anger brewing in her, making her magic burning hot. It literally hurt to touch her. But Joe endured the pain and kept his hand on hers until he felt the heat of her magic cool as she calmed down.
"And finally Joseph Arthur, the next chosen Warp Wizard!"
Joe felt the blood drain from his face as even louder murmuring rose from the crowd and the council. He glanced towards them and saw more than one scowl at him. But Joe took a deep breath and went to sit at the front of the room.
"Because Joseph is vying for his position as Warp Wizard there shall be no sponsors or endorsements." The herald said. "He shall be judged solely by his merits alone."
Joe's eyes shot to Fina but she nodded grimly, as if she knew all along that he would have to face this alone.
"Joseph is it?" King Apollo cleared his throat and looked through some papers. "You uncle used to frequent my kingdom quite often a few years ago. Proceed to state your case young man."
"Well," Joe cleared his throat and said what he and Fina rehearsed, "I received The Book from my uncle when I was ten. I used it to time travel and when I learned how dangerous it was I made sure to keep it safe so no one could take advantage of it. Over the years I studied and worked at using my magic and The Book. And now I feel like I am ready to take on the responsibility to become the next Warp Wizard."
When he finished he let out the breath he was holding and saw Fina give him a small nod of approval. The council members talked among themselves before one stood up angrily.
"Is it not true that you once allowed a military emperor change the entire course of history?" He accused angrily. "How can anyone trust you to keep the entire space time continuum in check if you cannot even control history in your world?"
Inwardly Joe cringed at the fact that his brief stint with Napoleon was brought up but he quickly recovered.
"I know I made some mistakes in my past." Joe said not bothering to mention that it happened when he was ten. "But I have learned from them. There was even a point where I stopped using The Book completely for a period of four years until I felt I was ready to wield it again."
"But is it not true that people other than yourself has used The Book? People with no magic training what so ever?" Another council member pointed out.
There was a ripple of scandalized whispers throughout the room and the king had to raise his hand to silence them. Joe was beginning to feel irritated. He had been ten when most of these mistakes had been made! What did these people want from him? But he forced himself to answer the accusation.
"Magic training or not, magic or no magic, the people who I have allowed to make contact with The Book are good people that I trust with my life. They've done nothing but help me keep the continuum safe."
Joe then thought about telling them how he and his friends faced the Tenebrosi Sanction on more than one occasion and won, but both Fina and Joleena had warned him to hold off on that information for a while.
The conversation among the council members was louder, but he was relieved to note that at least less of them were scowling. Anna whispered something to Joleena who shook her quickly shook her head and whispered something back.
After a few moments of conversing, someone rushed into the room and whispered something to a guard who whispered something to a clerk who whispered it to their council member. The council member conveyed the information to the rest of the council members and stood.
"It has come to our attention that the previous Warp Wizard is present at this convention." He announced. "We have decided to postpone our decision until Joseph has completed a brief mentorship with him and have proven his worth to us. Do you accept these terms Nathan?"
The doors opened and Nathan walked in. He shot a brief smile at Joe and nodded to the council. "I accept the job of passing my knowledge to Joe."
"Then Joseph shall spend one week being mentored by Warp Wizard Nathan who will judge his merits to be the next Warp Wizard. That is our final decision."
Once again there was whispering throughout the room as Joe stepped down and returned back to his seat. He noted that Fina had somehow disappeared. Probably got bored once his turn was done. He didn't blame her.
"You did well mon amour," Joleena whispered. "I think they were leaning in your favor."
"Really? Didn't seem like it to me." Joe grumbled. He craved a cigarette but he had to fight the urge until he could be alone. "How much longer does this last?"
"It should be over soon. Not much longer, mon amour."
"And now the council will announce what issues they will consider during this convention." The herald announced. "Lady Victoria Coupe has been asked by her council member to present the topics that will be discussed. Additional meetings over these matters will be further debated at later times with final decisions being made on the last day of the convention. Lady Coupe will take the floor now."
Victoria stood up and made her way to the front but didn't sit down. She looked over the audience before speaking.
"It has come to the Council and the kingdom's attention that magic and the use of magic has been running rampant throughout both the magic world and the non-magic world." She said in a calm, clear voice. "There have been many complaints from the non-magic wielders that such over use of magic is endangering everyone who isn't powerful enough to defend themselves. The council will be deciding what measures to take."
"They're just dissatisfied normies!"
"These high powered magicians are a danger to everyone!"
"We should extradite the normies to the normal world where they belong!"
"We need to limit these magicians and sorcerers before they enslave all of us!"
They entire room was torn as they angry shouting continued. It even got to the point where several of the guards closed in one a few people. The king stood up and the entire room quieted down. Victoria waited until the king sat down again before continuing.
"There have also been a recent rise in black market activity and the appearance in dark magicians." She said still maintaining her calm. "The council will look into these matters thoroughly and will discussion laws to keep magic use in check. Meanwhile if any magician, mage, or sorcerer is found grossly misusing their magic for anything but the most upright means, or anyone found practicing dark magic will have their magic stripped, any memory they have associated with magic stripped, and will be banished to the normal world."
There were now fearful whispers among the crowd and even the king looked a little surprised. Victoria went back to sit down and the herald finally announced the end of the first day of hearings. The council members stood and filed out of the room while everyone else broke into conversation waiting to be released.
"Is that a normal thing?" Joe turned to Joleena. "Stripping people of their magic and memory and banishing them?"
"Non. Usually it's only reserved for the most odieux of criminals and they're not banished to the normal world. I guess these issues are more serious than I thought." Joleena gave a weary sigh. "Don't worry about that though. Focus on meeting with Nathan and maybe I'll be able to talk to my mother if she has any free time."
"Is there anything you want me to do?" Anna asked.
"Practice I guess, or…" Joleena gave her a slight smirk. "Maybe find that young man you were talking to the other night?"
Joe frowned. "What guy were you talking to last night?"
Anna pursed her lips and looked away. "Absolutely no one, Joe."
Joe wanted to push further but he spotted Nathan waving at him with a large smile on his face. Joe waved back and stood.
"Well, I guess I go talk to Nathan now." He leaned down and kissed Joleena on the cheek. "See you later?"
Joleena smiled. "Oui. See you at dinner mon amour."
A/N- I had a little one shot on where Fina went off to but its a little NSFW if you know what I mean ;) Thinking about whether or not I'll post it exclusively on my tumblr. But anyways I hoped you enjoyed this chapter and please read and review please.