Hey there, sorry for the slight delay in bringing out this chapter, and for the shortness. I'll make everything up to you in the next chapter. Promise! Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this chapter, though it is sort of just a transition chapter I suppose.

Two

Majic sighed as he sat in the gardens with the other students of his level. They were studying with one of the other teachers today. He found it inexpressibly boring. Hartia's and Lai's classes were the most interesting for him, the other teachers didn't seem to have as much enthusiasm and passion that those two had for the magic itself.

Eris dug her elbow into his rib when it looked as though Majic were about to drift off to sleep.

"You're going to get in trouble again," she hissed.

"I don't care. I know this stuff back to front and more." Majic glared slightly. "I know it sounds conceited of me, but I really have very little left to learn here that could be of use to me."

Eris looked at him in worry. "Majic," she whispered. "You're thinking of leaving aren't you?"

Majic looked away a bit guiltily. "I suppose I am. I'm not made for this sort of thing. With Orphen, it was just so different. The only lessons I find at all interesting are Hartia's, and Lai's too I suppose, though I'll never be a psychic like he is." Majic sighed again, a rather typical thing for him to do of late and looked up at the sky. "I won't leave though, not until I'm sure that it would be the best thing to do."

Eris watched him for a long moment before leaving him to his contemplation, knowing there was more to what he was saying.

Majic still looked up at the blue expanse of eternity above and thought on the possibility of leaving. It was becoming increasingly obvious that he was not fitting in here. Not for lack of trying, or even lack of talent. People liked him, he was one of the top students (except in some areas of practical magic) and it was wonderful at the Tower of Fang.

But there was something calling to him outside.

Orphen.

He had to be alive and waiting for him. That could be the only reason he wasn't quite fitting in at the tower. He had unfinished business.

It was also probably the reason he couldn't quite accept Hartia as his proper master. He often caught himself about to call the older man by his name (even in some cases the hated nickname 'shrimp man' given by Orphen and Cleao). He worried about this. What if Orphen really was alive? What would he do?

Looking up at the sky, Majic saw a bird flying away west, soon joined by another bird, and yet another. A small flock. He smiled at the omen.

Wherever Orphen is, I'll find him and follow him to the ends of the earth if need be.

***

Eris was still worried about Majic. Her eyes had barely left him all day. Even now as they waited in the gardens again for Hartia to arrive, he could feel her gaze fixed on his back as he sat down on one of he benches. He put up with it for a short while before finally growling in frustration and turning to face her. Eris squeaked softly at the expression on his face and scuttled back away from him a bit.

"What is wrong with you today?" Majic asked irritably.

"Nothing."

"So why are you staring at me?"

"Erm … I … oh, look, isn't that Hartia and Lai?" Eris pointed, hoping the distraction would work.

Majic growled softly again. "Don't think I won't be talking to you about this later Eris," he said with a serious tone. Eris didn't doubt that he would, but for now she was safe. She got up and sat down beside him and looked over at their tutors in the mighty art of sorcery.

"It's rare to find them apart these days," Eris commented quietly.

Maijc looked at her curiously, a strange feeling in his stomach. "You're right. I wonder if something is wrong." He looked over to see the two sorcerers talking quietly nearby.

Thinking over things that had happened in the past weeks, Majic had indeed noticed that Hartia seemed a bit ragged. He'd cancelled his class three times, it was a very rare occurrence for any teacher to do so. Lai had often been seen talking earnestly to the redhead, a look of concern on his face. Majic would see him coming to their class to escort Hartia away or hand him a tonic. He was not sure if many others in the class seemed to notice anything. Perhaps he was just closer to Hartia than the others, having known him before he came to the tower.

Eris just shrugged, bringing his attention back from the two figures laughing quietly at some private jest in the shadowed columns. "If there was something wrong, it wouldn't be our business."

Majic frowned at this. He didn't think that. He knew that if something was wrong with Orphen, he'd want to know and help him. That same loyalty to a master had carried over to Hartia when he took him under his wing at the Tower. "Perhaps," he answered her quietly.

Eris stared at him curiously. Majic was a strange one. Everyone knew that the masters kept to themselves and that their affairs should not be pried into. But Majic had been different from them since the beginning.

Neither got to say another word as Hartia and Lai walked their separate ways, the sorcerer over to them and the psychic back to his tower. Hartia smiled warmly at them all and began their lesson.

Majic studied him carefully. There was a strained quality to his voice, he would almost call it fearful, but that was ridiculous. What did Hartia have to fear? Looking over the students, Hartia caught Majic's eye and he winced slightly. Majic's heart froze at the gesture. Why was Hartia so afraid for his sake? What was going to happen?

AN: The next chapter is more interesting, I swear. And there's more Hartia/Lai scenes (well, one, but that's still more than this chapter, sorry about that)

Until then,

Laters.