A/N: You guys asked for more! I'm so proud! First, a note to
some of my reviewers from the first story…
~Lady of the Wolves: Thank you! Eventually, I will get to
Numair-runs-away-to-Tortall but I want to focus on his school years first.
~DarkWolf: I like to think that they were friends until
Ozorne was crowned, and I always imagine his father as being one of those
rough, unsupportive types (ever since the quote about how do I know you even go
to those expensive teachers if you speak the same way you always do).
~Veralidaine Sarrasri: I'm not sure how far I'm going to
make it…I mean, if you were living on the streets, would you send regular
letters to your father? But I agree with you, I think he was born in Carthak
too, but for later purposes I really needed his home somewhere in the eastern
lands…definitely not Tortall, though…maybe Tyra or Tusaine?
Thanks also to Ali, Tsuara Kimiro, Radella, Fairygurl,
Daine, Jez-two, Birdie, Foxstar, and Aoi! You all deserve my special cookies!
Home baked, of course.
I understand this one is kind of strange…I actually don't
like it too much but I have better, more original and more entertaining plot
ideas for the next ones, so just flame me to a crisp. Please.
Disclaimer: Most of the characters and locations aren't
mine.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Dear Father,
I've hardly
heard from you all summer! Are things busy at home? Summer here wasn't nice,
weather-wise…too hot and humid for me, and not enough rain. But the skies are
starting to cloud up, and Ozorne says once the rainy season starts I'll have
more than enough precipitation (I got that word from Master Reed) to satisfy
me.
The crystal
you sent me is absolutely perfect! It holds magic very well, and I'm going to
need it a lot this year.
Since no
one really had to go to classes in the summer, they were a lot more talking
about interesting types of magic than actually working hard on our required
spells. Master Reed taught us some hilarious spells that are good to work as
jokes on your friends, and for a few days people were using them nonstop; you'd
see someone walking around with a chair stuck to their behind or spots on their
shirts that were impossible to wash out.
Classes
start officially again in three days. It will be a little bit of a
disappointment to lose the freedom to fool around with spells, but mostly I'm
glad that I'll have the goals to work toward again. It feels good to have
something to do.
Hope to
hear from you soon.
Love, Arram
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Dear Arram,
I was
worried the crystal I got you wouldn't be right, but when I started reading
your list of requirements to the merchant, he laughed and asked if the stone
was for a student mage. He picked out an appropriate one and told me he'd
replace it if it ever exploded.
I still don't quite understand why
you need it. What do crystals have to do with magic? It's not that I don't
believe you, I just want some proof that it was a valuable investment.
Magic, as
I've realized from the things you've told me, is serious business, and not
meant for pranks. No matter what you think of this Master Reed, I think it was
irresponsible of him to teach you silly spells when you could have been working
on important things. People will hire mages who can create thunder and
lightening, not ones who know practical jokes.
If Master
Reed is a bad teacher, I think you should request to be removed from his class.
Your father
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Dear Father,
Master Reed
is not a bad teacher! In fact, he's one of the best! He can relax and
have fun, which makes pupils like him, which makes it easier to learn from him.
He really does know what he's talking about, and we don't do pranks every day.
Besides, I mentioned that summer classes aren't mandatory so he was only there
to teach about five people anyway.
Sometimes,
a spell needs more power than you have, so if you don't want to combine with
another mage, you can store some of your Gift in a crystal and wait a few hours
for it to replenish itself in your body. Older mages use opals, black ones if
they can get them, because they hold the most power of any stone. But they're
very, very expensive and the only student who has one is Ozorne.
But I'm not
advanced enough for any spell that requires that amount of power. We're just
learning how to use one, and that actually means I need it more than I would—I
can't borrow because everyone else will be using theirs at the same time.
Laina went
home for the summer, and she just got back. I'm going to go say hello, and find
out why she's so late. I'll write back soon (yes, I know, not too soon).
Love, Arram
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Dear Arram,
Master Reed
had still better shape up his teaching if he wants to make it up to my
standards. I suppose I can't say much if you're learning well, but if I sense
he's slipping, I'm going to write to the University.
That thing
about the crystals and opals is quite interesting. If there are more
interesting facts like that in the world of magic, I understand why you say
mages enjoy their work.
Aliania
fixed one of her own small cuts today…your mother was making a huge event out
of it. I personally think it's not such a big deal…she's a healer, it's what
she's supposed to do. There's a first time for everything.
Don't
forget to work hard. And your letters are a bit too frequent.
Your father
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Dear Father,
A healer's
first success is special to her. I think it would mean a lot to Aliania if you
gave her some recognition for her achievement. Just tell her you're glad she's
been working hard, for Mithros' sake! And give her the enclosed object—it's a
sweet they only make in one store in Carthak City, and the recipe is closely
guarded.
Laina was
late coming back to school because her family was having some kind of a debate
about whether or not to let her go. They're traditionally thieves and players,
and think that too much education might spoil her practical mind.
She brought
her younger brother, whose name is Erriando, but we just call him Errie. He
makes me nervous…I bet they were training him to be a pickpocket or something
before his magic was discovered. I know this isn't a nice thing to say, but I
just want you to have an idea what he's like.
I don't
really know why he makes me nervous; maybe it's the way his eyes shift around,
or how he dresses all in black and skulks around. I know you'll tell me not to
trust him, and I don't. However, I don't see how being friendly to him is
dangerous, so I'm not going to refuse to talk to him.
Laina also
brought home a beautiful diamond ring, which she says has been passed down to
the daughters in the family for generations. It has powerful magic, and we all
spent an enjoyable evening poking around with our Gifts.
Love, Arram
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Dear Arram,
You are an
over-trusting idiot. If I were you, I wouldn't trust your new friend as far as
I can fly. He has all the signs of a thief, and coming from the family you say
he does, he's most likely dangerous. I forbid you to speak to him.
I don't
know how you knew, but you were right. Aliania was almost insane with happiness
when I complimented her on her latest spell. She also wrote you a thank you
note; you'll find it in the envelope along with a picture from Willin. He'll
never make it as an artist.
How are
your classes going?
Your father
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Dear Father,
I think the
picture from Willin is amazing. He's a talented artist, even if he still draws
somewhat like a six-year-old, for obvious reasons. I doubt many of the
teenagers I know could do much better in capturing the mood he wanted to
suggest, with our whole family at home under a rainbow.
I'll avoid
Errie if you want me to.
My classes
are going well, except for a minor mishap yesterday involving almond extract
and Master Reed's lizard. But don't worry, Ozorne's skin will stop changing
colors in a few days at most, and Master Reed's ears are back to normal
already.
Love, Arram
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Dear Arram,
Shameful. I
don't even want to know the story with the lizard. Can't Master Reed keep a hand
on you? What is he trying to teach you, anyway? Lizard with almond extract…you
should give the recipe to your mother.
Speaking of
your mother, lately she's started to miss you more than usual…I don't know if
it's finally sunk in, after a year and more, that you're gone.
Willin and
Aliania have been begging us to give them separate rooms. I let Willin have
your room, since you haven't used it for ages. I hope you don't mind sleeping
on the kitchen table if you ever come home for a visit.
Your father
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Dear Father,
In Master
Reed's class, we were doing a spell with a chameleon's colored skin, trying to
put its properties in the lizard. It's a spell that has countless variants,
several of which can be used to make objects fly—you just take the properties
of a bird, and even without the wings, the object of your spell can fly.
However, it's not a very practical way to do that, since you need to have the
bird with you.
Eventually
I perfected the trait-switching spell. Errie explained it to me, since he was
the only one who got it right on the first try. There were accidents far worse
than mine.
Next week,
instead of our usual classes, every student in his or her second year,
regardless of specialty, is going to participate in an endurance clinic. Ozorne
tells me it's exhausting…basically, you do a series of spells with no break to
eat, sleep, or go to the bathroom until you pass out. Once you're up, the
teacher who was supervising you tells you what you could have done to make the
spells last longer. Then you do it all again.
I don't
mind giving up my room. I haven't been home in a long time, and I might not
return for another long time. We're kept busy here during the year, and the
lessons are even more interesting in the summer.
Ozorne was
right; the autumn rains here never seem to stop. I created a spell to shed the
water while I walk between University buildings, but when I showed it to Ozorne
he said it was an old and very common spell.
Tell Mother
I send my love, and not to worry about me. She has two other children to raise
at home. On second thought, don't tell her that last part. She might not agree
to send Aliania away for training if she needs it.
Love, Arram
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Dear Arram,
In your
last letter, you promised not to talk to Errie and here you say he explained a
spell to you. This seems rather contradictory. I look forward to your
explanation.
That
endurance exercise sounds like a big waste of time. Doing spells until you drop
doesn't seem like what you're there to do. However, if your teachers know what
they're doing, I'll leave it up to them.
I asked your mother why she had
suddenly started missing you, and she said it was your birthday. I guess I
forgot about it. How old are you now, eleven?
Your father
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Dear Father,
I'm twelve.
The
endurance practice went pretty well—I lasted over 24 hours, longer than most people
when they first start. The second time, I lasted almost a day and a half but
the third time, I only lasted the average amount. Repeated drainings are hard
on your body. I should be back to normal after a few days of regular sleep.
When I
promised not to talk to Errie, I was lying. It's not fair for me to be mean to
him just because you don't like his family! Sure, he act kind of suspicious,
and he doesn't seem keen to get to know anyone, but he's willing enough to make
conversation.
Why do you
always have to criticize my teachers, especially Master Reed? Why can't you
just trust them; they've been doing this for years and turned out fantastic
mages. But every time I do something hundreds of boys have done before, you
start complaining about anyone you can pin the problem on.
You also
keep trying to interfere in my personal life. What's it to you if I make
friends with a shady character or two? Can't you let me make my own decisions
once in a while? If it turns out to be a mistake, at least it was my
mistake! You're always trying to control everything. And you wonder why I never
come home.
Arram
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Dear Arram,
What kind
of an ungrateful son are you? You insult me, you insult my parenting, you lie
to me, and you act above your station in general. It's a miracle they haven't
thrown you out of that University for your arrogance. As your father, it is my
right and my duty to make choices for you until you are old enough to make them
on your own.
Speaking of
fatherly duty, since you are older than I thought you were (sorry I lost
track), I think it's time to talk to you about some very serious issues. As I
have mentioned before, you are in Carthak to learn to be a mage. Nothing
else—not your friends, not the heir, not the thief, and most especially not
girls—should distract you. You may start to look at girls in a new way soon,
but this is unhealthy and you should stop it as soon as you start. There are
other things I should tell you about growing up, but first I am going to
consult your mother. She may be a woman, but she does know some things.
Your father
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Dear Father,
You haven't
seen me in over a year! Why do you still have the right to tell me I'm not old
enough to make my own choices?
And as for
your so-called "fatherly duties," you needn't discuss sex with me. I asked
Ozorne, and he told me. He also said that you were wrong, it's not unhealthy to
start to look at girls. If it was, and everyone tried to suppress his or her
desires, the human race would die out. Besides, I don't think I'm quite
old enough to start being interested in the opposite sex. I don't think that
will happen for a long time.
About
Mother: why do you say she's a woman as if it somehow makes her inferior and
less knowledgeable? A woman can do anything a man can do. There are great
female mages, we have female teachers, and two of the world's six black
robes—the most powerful wizards in the world—are women! In Carthak, they have
to wear veils in public but at least men respect them more than you respect
your wife.
Arram
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Dear Father,
I
understand. It's been three months without a letter from you. I would like to
apologize for my conceit and insolence, and make amends with this very
belated midwinter gift. It's a special kind of soap brewed by people who spent
years learning how to do it just right. All the nobles use it.
I still
can't quite agree with your view on women, so let's not mention it again.
Besides, some of the information I gave you is outdated. One of the female
black robes was recently killed when a spell went horribly wrong. It only shows
that the best mages can make mistakes.
Next week
I'm finally going to get to use my crystal. Ozorne made a fuss when they told
us we had to use crystals, because he wanted to use his black opal. He gets a
little bit showoff-y sometimes.
I just
received top marks on a paper about the Bazhir tribesmen of Tortall for my
world history class, so I'm going to go help Laina with hers (she has to
rewrite it). Don't worry, I won't do it for her.
Apologies,
Arram
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Dear Arram,
It's nice
to be writing to you again. I hope you've seen the error of your youthful
confidence. Your mother adores the soap you sent.
Congratulations
on your history. I'm glad you're still keeping up with your studies, although
history seems a worthless pursuit. I know of the Bazhir; they're supposedly
vicious and bloodthirsty. Thank all the gods I've never encountered one.
Your sister
just healed her first broken bone. Taking your advice, I bought her a gift to
celebrate. It's a broom, a really beautiful one, with a pine handle and lovely
bristles. When I showed it to your mother, she just sighed. Aliania didn't say
anything but thank you, though, so I suppose she liked it.
Let me know
how your crystal experiments go.
Your father
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Dear Father,
You don't
buy a broom as a present, especially for a little girl! Women like pretty
presents, like jewelry, or perfume…lavender perfume, in a pretty little glass
bottle—out of pure curiosity, where would one buy such a thing? Just in case I
ever need to someday.
Anyway,
you're not going to believe this, but I can't find my crystal! I had to borrow
one from the master for the class. I looked around at everyone, but no one was
using mine. I'm so disappointed! I was looking forward to using that, and now
I've gone and lost it!
According
to my research, the Bazhir are only nasty to non-Bazhir. Within their tribes,
they have strict rules of proper behavior and a colorful history. They also are
united through a fascinating form of magic. They have a leader, called The
Voice, who speaks to them every day through the fire.
Master Reed
has a new assistant. Usually, assistants work for him while they complete their
mastery, but this one is only a year older than I am, and started at the same
time. But the masters soon found out that his Gift wasn't good for much, but
exceptional for making plants grow. So after taking a year and a half of basic
courses in everything else, he's going to study magic almost exclusively with
Master Reed. I met him yesterday. His name is Laas, and he's from Scanra. He doesn't
speak common too well, but since he's mastered most of the ancient languages
he'll take a few extra classes to help him improve. Also, all of us (my group
of friends, that is) have decided to try and get him to join us during breaks.
The more he talks, the easier it will be for him.
One of my
friends, Sira, giggles every time Laas comes near her. Sometimes she'll drop
books on purpose when he's around, and he always runs over to help her pick
them up. I think the disease that thirteen-year-old boys and girls catch has
infected them both.
I'll let
you know when my crystal turns up.
Love, Arram
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Dear Arram,
I can't
believe you lost that crystal! I go to the pains to get you the exact right
kind, and you lose it! I had hopes my son would be more responsible.
Whatever
you say about the Bazhir, there have been killings on the road that runs
through the desert. What do they have against other people?
Simply to
satisfy your curiosity, there are shops in most cities that sell perfume. If
you need your curiosity satisfies further, I'm sure your friend Ozorne, who is
sixteen and has considerably more experience in buying gifts for women, can
help you locate one. If you're curious as to the process of buying scents, a
small bottle will usually cost about seven nobles—I'm not sure how that
translates into thaks. If you go into the store and ask for help—not that you
would ever do that, you're just curious—the shopkeeper will try to spray you
will all kinds of horrible concoctions. Just ask to sniff the bottles, and when
you find the one you want—not that you want one—he or she may sense that you
are new to the business and try to double the price on you. Hold firm to seven
nobles…if you're a good bargainer, which I doubt, you may be able to talk it
down to six.
Curiosity
satisfied?
Your father
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Dear Father,
Thanks for
your advice. That is, your information. To satisfy my curiosity.
Laina
sympathizes with me about the loss of my crystal and offered to let me share
hers. This means that we have to do our homework together every night, but it's
fine because she needs help on some things, too, like this one paper we have to
do on ancient literature. Not only does she hate history, but she thinks she's
no good at ancient languages, either. I think she's really smart, but she has
trouble sometimes. I wish she could help me with a lot of things, like
mathematics, which is my worst subject, but I'm too afraid to ask.
Ozorne was
really mad at me today. He came bursting into my room, interrupting Laina and I
while we worked on her paper. He yelled something about where is it and where
did I take it and he'll have me thrown out. I asked him what on earth he was
talking about, and he told me that an old and very valuable book of his had
disappeared.
I told him
I didn't need to steal the book, because I could get it from the library, but
he didn't believe me and had to search my room before he was content. Then he
apologized for disturbing us and walked out of the room, but he's being very
cold to me. I don't think he believes that I didn't take it.
Maybe
whoever took it also has my crystal? It's worth thinking about, anyway.
In class
today, our teacher told us about a spell that can transport objects across miles
and miles in a second. They just disappear here and appear there! But the
farther you send whatever you're sending, the more power you need. We tried sending
objects only as far as across the room.
Do you want
me to send you a copy of my paper? It would let me get some work on the copying
spell, and you could also read about the Bazhir. Most of them are peaceful, but
the ones who attack first and ask questions later give the whole race a bad
reputation.
Love, Arram
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Dear Arram,
I don't have
time to read a poorly written student work. I believe you about the Bazhir, and
unless I ever come in contact with one, I'm no worse off if I don't know much
about them.
Don't get
ridiculous ideas into your head about thieves and stealing. You misplaced your
crystal, and Ozorne, equally irresponsible, misplaced his book. It's just a coincidence,
so don't make it into anything more.
I don't
think you're too shy to ask Laina for help; I think you're too proud. If you
have something bad enough to be considered your worst subject, you'd better get
some tutoring before you fail out and waste all the money I've put into that
school. At this point, I will be extremely disappointed if you don't get the
minimum credential. Of course, I don't expect much more.
Your father
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Dear Father,
Laas and
Sira are mad at each other. During academic classes (the only ones they have
together), they used to sit next to each other but now sit far apart. They
never talk to each other, and they look away as quickly as possible if they
have any accidental eye contact.
Laina (who
has agreed to help me with my math) says that Sira started the fight by getting
mad at Laas about something. At one point, she was heard screaming, "You slimy
Scanran!" to which he replied, "You are liar, I not doing it!"
Tomorrow,
instead of studying with me, Laina is going to go talk to Sira and I'll
"accidentally" meet Laas at the library. We're going to try and get to the
bottom of this stupid fight of theirs.
In between
all this social upheaval, I've mastered the crystal power spell and can now
stop borrowing a crystal from the master every day. But I still like to do my
work with Laina in the evenings. She's good company, and likes to make me
laugh. I wish I could do the same for her.
Occasionally,
we're joined by many of our other friends and we all go to the library and look
up forbidden spells. Don't worry, we never try them, but they're a lot of fun
to read about. There's one that lets you capture all the fire in a particular area
(and a related spell which sets fire to only a certain material within the
specified area), one that temporarily dissolves glass, and an illegal working
which allows you to drain the Gift of other mages for you to use. It's illegal
not only because it's stealing, but also because it's dangerous to the mage
performing the spell. If he or she drains too many people, there can be
disastrous results.
I'm working on transformations, which require a lot of energy and
way too much extra reading. Today, after ten minutes of sweating and straining,
I managed to turn a maple leaf into a feather and then back again. It's harder
if the two things you choose have dissimilar properties—tonight I'm going a lot
of work to prepare for tomorrow, when I'll attempt to transform that same
feather into a lead pipe.
Love, Arram
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Dear Arram,
Don't get
caught up in the ups and downs of your little circle of friends. Relationships,
especially at your age, are fleeting and meaningless. I personally couldn't
care less about who is "courting" who, but your mother laughed and clucked and
tutted over your letter, so you'd better write more of it for her enjoyment.
"Slimy
Scanran" is a good insult. I'll try it out the next time the Scanran fishmonger
at the market tries to sell me yesterday's cod.
Be careful
not to mess up your transformation spells—they sound rather dangerous. You're
the one who will pay for anything you turn into a feather and can't turn back.
Happy
solstice—yes, I know it's not for a month. This is a clue about the frequency
of your letters.
Your father
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Dear Father,
I got the
hint about my letters, but I just had to write you. Many things have happened
at once.
We found
out what was wrong between Laas and Sira. Apparently, Sira gave her key to Laas—let's
not go into the reasons. The very next day, she discovered all her money
missing from her purse. She's convinced that Laas is responsible, or so she
told Laina. But Laas claims he never used the key and would never steal from
anyone anyway.
Laina and I
were going to meet in my room to study as usual today, but she was late. When
she did come, she was terribly upset. I think I mentioned a long time ago that
she has a magical diamond ring—well, not anymore! It's missing, just like my
crystal, Ozorne's book, and Sira's money!
Obviously,
something strange is going on here, so I talked to all my other friends. Laas
is also missing some money. I asked him if he suspected Sira of retaliating,
and he shook his head. "She would never," he said with great conviction. I'm
not so sure, but then again, who knows her better than Laas?
Tristan, a
friend of mine who specializes in illusions, was given a crystal pendant by his
great-aunt—it is now missing. Eirkal, who is two years older than me and very
slowly earning a credential as a weather mage, recently misplaced his black
opal. Quarican, a healer, lost a magical charm given to him by his grandmother
before she died.
I could go
on for as many friends as I have. Wait, that's not quite true. I know one
person who has lost nothing: Errie.
I admit,
you were right. I should have trusted my instincts in the beginning and now it's
too late. He's acted the part of a thief for as long as I've known him—not that
I know him very well. He doesn't seem to like to talk much. All the signs were
there, but I was too blind to read them.
The emperor
is preparing for a conquest far to the south. The magic teachers are all
helping him and his other mages, so we only have half as many classes as usual.
Tomorrow afternoon, I'm going to gather all my friends together and tell them
about my suspicions; maybe someone else will know how to confront Errie. I'm
sure that by the time I get your next letter, I'll have something very
interesting to write to you about.
Love, Arram
P.S. I'm not sure if I should tell you this, but…Laina
kissed me. I kind of liked it but wouldn't do it again because it was really
slobbery. I told Ozorne this and he just laughed. Please don't show Mother.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Dear Arram,
Why is it
that every year around the time of the solstice, you do something foolish and
dangerous? I admit, the fact that so many things have gone missing is rather
suspicious, but young people are prone to losing things. I advise you to
proceed with caution.
I do agree,
though, that if anyone is the thief, it's Errie. One's instincts are seldom
wrong. I've been trying to tell you all year. This should teach you once and
for all to listen to your father.
Despite
your written request, I showed your mother the postscript to your last letter.
This was a mistake; because she was laughing so hard, she burnt supper. She and
I would both like to congratulate you on your first conquest for the empire.
Good luck
on your latest idiotic adventure.
Your Father
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Dear Father,
I told you
I'd have something interesting to report in this letter, and I was right! I can't
relay the excitement of last week, but I can tell you the entire story and let
you imagine. Set aside some time: it's a long one.
The afternoon
I told my friends to come to my room after lunch coincided with a ferocious
thunderstorm. I didn't tell any of them why, because Errie was always near.
Everyone showed up except Laina, who said she had work to do.
Well, no
sooner had I told everyone my suspicions but Errie broke through the magical
seal on the door. As soon as he came in, he admitted that he had been
eavesdropping the entire time.
He made it
very clear, under truth spells and his sworn honor, that he had never stolen as
much as a bootlace. We took a vote, and it was unanimous: we believed him. As
it turned out, we were quite correct, as was what he told us next.
His family,
as I have mentioned, is comprised of thieves and players. And there is one
other representative of his family at the University: Laina.
I couldn't
believe it! Sweet, quiet Laina, who gave me my first kiss and asked for my help
with history? I told him that although I believed him, I didn't know why Laina
would do such a thing. Ozorne then told him what we all thought: Errie acted
like someone who could be stealing.
But Errie
was more open and normal than any of us had ever seen him, although he seemed
scared of something. When the fire and candles went out, he jumped higher than
the rest of us (figuratively).
"Oh Gods,"
he said, "she's starting."
Since he
hadn't even begun to tell us his story, we all pressed him for information. But
everyone was speaking in whispers now; it was very creepy, hearing the wind wail
outside and huddling together in my dark room.
Instead of
telling us, he led us to a tiny, deserted library. Motioning for silence, he
lined us up behind a shelf where, looking over the books, we could just see
Laina in the middle of a working. Sira, who is very afraid of the dark, refused
to go in and stayed instead in the hallway, which at least has windows.
Obviously,
she had succeeded with the fire-calling spell. While a ball of fire sat on the
table next to our missing things, she read a large book. I immediately
recognized it from class: it was the one that contained the transportation
spell.
Errie's
voice came into all of our minds (we learned the mind-speak spell early last
winter). She's sending it all back to the family, he said. I was
disillusioned that someone I had liked so much had such a mean side, so I did
something that was probably pretty stupid. I shattered her spell with my Gift.
She looked
up immediately as all the fire rushed back to where it should be. I walked out
from behind the bookcases, and she glared at me.
We had a
little confrontation. Apparently, Laina had never given up her family's way of
life and had been stealing various objects from the palace and University. But
lately, people had started to notice the missing things, so she had taken to
smaller theft.
I kind of
forgot that everyone was watching and told her that I was slightly disappointed.
"I really like you," I said, "and I wish I didn't have to report you as a thief.
Why did you have to do this?"
She
laughed, and told me that no one was going to report her. She named everyone
who was watching, and then attempted a very complex spell.
I think I
told you about it; it's called the draining spell. Anyway, I don't think I
mentioned the risks because the book says only that this spell, gone wrong, has
terrible results.
It had
terrible results, all right. By the time I could feel what spell she had used,
Laina was already on fire with the color of everyone's Gift. I wish I could
have blocked her shrieking out of my ears. We all stood, helpless, as she
burned and burned until she was a pile of ashes. Only after the carpet started
to smolder did we think to pull our Gifts back into ourselves.
I don't
think the head of the University would have believed a word of it if not for
Errie. He had all the details of the story. He knew all about it from the
beginning, but the first time he tried to stop her she threatened him with
death. And after the hateful way she talked about all of us, her friends for
the past two years, I actually believe it. I wish I didn't…it's hard not to
hate her, when I think about how she betrayed our trust.
But I
shouldn't speak ill of the dead. Laina will never lie or cheat or steal again.
Still, don't think I'm so inhuman that I didn't cry—in private—once this was
all over.
Love, Arram
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Dear Arram,
I must say,
this was a surprise. I never would have expected your shady friend to turn out decently
after all.
There's a
lesson in all this: you can never tell whom to trust. And another lesson: don't
fool around with magic you haven't learned yet. Let your friend be an example
to you when you start doing your little experiments.
I hope you
and all your friends got your possessions back. It would be a shame to lose
that crystal after the lengths you went to in order to find it.
You're
twelve years old (see, I remembered). You shouldn't be crying over a thief,
especially one that deceived you.
I'm glad
you got a little experience in magic. Now that you've had your fireworks, I
hope you have a peaceful summer. Please don't come home, because Aliania has
set up her healing mess on the table and you'd have nowhere to sleep.
Your father
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Dear Father,
I think it's
perfectly acceptable to cry in private at a friend's death. No matter what she
did to me, I still can't forget all the nice things she was, too.
I'm going
to stay over the summer and work on my spells (there won't be any classes,
because the teachers are still busy). It's going to be very strange without
Laina, but now that Errie can talk to us freely without worrying, it should be
nice.
To make up
for the fact that I've been sending you very frequent letters, I'll lighten up
until fall. Have a nice summer, and happy solstice!
Love, Arram
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
A/N: Ok, that sucked. I'm sorry. Don't hate me after this. Review
if you must, flame if you don't like it. I've already flamed myself. The next
one will be better, I swear!!!!
