Does it have to be magic?
Sir Theodore leads Jane into the inner yard and up into a tower near the entrance wall. Jane knew it was very similar to the tower holding some of the staff rooms (the castle being too far away from town to leave after Friday and Saturday late suppers). But she couldn't shake a weird feeling: something in the air was different here. Her guts were telling her to be on her guards, even if her mentor seems very calm. Then again, Sir Theodore was always calm and collected… She will have to wait and see.
Contrary to the tower containing her room, this one was empty at the bottom. They climbed for what seems to Jane like forever to get to a heavy wooden door. It flew open as they reached the last steps, revealing an old man in a turquoise robe and pointy hat.
« Theodore! Jane!Please come in! Sit, sit! I'm guessing green tea with a cloud of milk and an orange juice? » he said, holding a tray with those beverages.
Jane took the glass and looked around the stuffy room, wondering where to sit. Every single space seems to be occupied with weird items. Her attention got attracted to a very old thick book resting on the table. Jane only got a few seconds to look at it before the magician took it away, but she could have sworn the title read Jane and the dragon…
« What a terrible host I am! Here, let me clear some space! » the white-haired man added.
He raised his hands in the air and started chanting a strange spell. Immediately, a load of objects flew out the way, discovering three chairs and a small table. Sir Theodore and Jane sat down and took a sip of their drink as the magician brought a fresh plate of Pepper's homemade cookies.
« Thank you, Merton. There was no need for such a fuss. Jane, here, simply has a question I feel you would be best equipped to answer. We do not want to take too much time in what I imagined is a very busy day. »
« I assured you, Theodore, that you and Miss Turnkey are not interrupting anything of importance. To be honest with you, my friend, your presence is a welcome distraction in what appears to be a very unproductive day. To my greatest regret. »
« Anything a simple knight and squire can help you with, my friend? » offered a now very concerned Sir Theodore.
« Unless one of you know how to make it rain inside on command, I fear not, » answered the discouraged man.
« No offence, sir, but nobody can! » Jane said with a disbelieved smile. « Plus, why would anyone want to do that, to begging with? »
« That is the problem, we magicians are destined to face. When even the girl riding a dragon does not believe in magic anymore, I fear there is very little hope left! People now reduce magic to a few parlour tricks! This is tragic, really. »
Silence filled the room as they all reflected on the magician's tirade. Jane took a huge sip of her juice, regretting her hasty comment. She sympathized with the old man's torment, but there was little she could do. She felt as if she was attending a private moment between friends. It was making her uncomfortable. Thankfully, Sir Theodore put down his cup with a change of expression.
« Sorry to hear things are looking cloudy for you today. » he said.
« Quite the opposite actually. The King asked me to make it rain inside the castle. Rain! Can you believe it? Simply because the Prince said it will be funnier than my usual show! The nerve of that child, I swear! » growled the magician.
« Yes, Prince Cuthbert can be … difficult, indeed. » offered Sir Theodore.
« So is his father… He treated to dismiss me if I cannot master the weather by tomorrow. I tried to explain how attending to control nature can be tricky, but he doesn't want to hear it. »
« Once again sorry to hear about your problem. I am afraid there is not much I can do, sadly. »
« Don't blame yourself over this, Theodore. Listening to me is more than what an obsolete man like me can hope for… But you did not bring Miss Turnkey here to talk about me… So, you were wondering about why nobody seems impressed to see a living dragon, right? » said the magician, now looking at Jane.
« How can you know? I have just asked Sir Theodore about that! » asked an impressed Jane.
« Magic, of course! » added the magician. « And so is the answer to your first question. I'm using a massive diversion spell. Every time someone outside of the castle caught sight of the dragon, the thought immediately leaves his or her head. If that person is within the castle, the spell leads him or her to believe the presence of a mystical creature is perfectly normal. Theodore and I figured it would better than your dragon do not attract too much attention. »
« I'm not sure he would agree. Dragon does love attention! » she added with a smile.
« All the more reason to protect him from himself. » intervened Sir Theodore with a serious look on his face. « Not everyone is as kind and disinterested as you, Jane. »
« I supposed you are right. It's probably better that way. » Jane sighed. « Thank you, sir, » she added for the magician.
« Always a pleasure to be useful. » added the man. « If you need anything else, you know where to find me. »