Chapter 4

In Preparation

Come that following morning I had awoken with only one intention on my mind. I knew that we would be leaving the next morning at sunrise, so there was little time before I would need to be home to prepare for the journey to the Swamp Land Cities. I needed to make my way into town as soon as possible if I was going to get my hands on a fresh horse. I would need one to make it to Uraa's house before dark.

Uraa was the friend I had in mind last night. She is by far one of the most capable people in the entire region for a mission like the one my father had been assigned.

For one, her father is no longer alive. He fell in battle several years ago in the last great battle of the previous war. She doesn't talk much about him, not even to me, and I'd consider myself most likely her closet friend.

What she had told me, all that she had told me, was what I already knew about him. He was called 'Orin the Great'. No one really knows for sure, but it was said that in his final moments he held back a force of many hundred enemies, giving time for his comrades to flee. No one actually saw the battle, but later when scouts returned to that location there was little more than a wasteland of ruined bodies, her father nowhere to be found.

They say he's dead, no one ever saw him after his heroic sacrifice. But where he went, where his body ended up, no one actually knows. Regardless, she doesn't like to talk about it.

But aside from lack of a father to stop her, her mother is exceptionally uncaring of what she does. Her mother is hardly even home, so Uraa leaving for a while wouldn't even be noticed.

The third reason to ask her was perhaps the most important regarding her qualifications for this mission. She was a powerful mage, trained under an elder mage long gone. He was called Traith. He died of old age some time ago, but not before teaching her all he knew.

Uraa was now nearly my age, about to turn nineteen. She was still on the younger side, but she was most definitely a capable mage. Thanks to Traith's training she has nearly become his equal, and that's certainly saying something.

Traith was alive during the earlier stages of the previous war. Legend has it that he once held his own against the figure that later became known as Herobrine. It was a man versus an dark God, and still Traith was nearly capable of defeating Herobrine. Traith did not win the battle, but did manage to force Herobrine back, and still retain his own life. I can hardly imagine the power he must have wielded, to face a God like Herobrine… one of the original dark lords.

Naturally having learned all Traith had to teach. Uraa was more than capable of taking care of herself. If I could convince her to come with us, she would prove extremely helpful…

I informed my mother as to where I was headed, and set out for the village. I did manage to reach the horse stable before the last of the days horses had been loaned out. It was odd to see them nearly all gone so early in the day. The sun had just risen.

"Morning Brom," I said waving to the man in charge of running this stable.

"Morning kid! I take it that you're here because you want to visit that girly of yours huh?"

Coming to Brom asking for a horse was something that happened so frequently that he pretty much knew exactly what was going on whenever I came by. I really never went anywhere else on horseback other than to Uraa's house. She lived so darn far away that horseback, other than flying horse, was the only way to get to her family's mansion within a reasonable amount of time. She was still within the Grassland province, but on the outskirts, in the flatlands.

I once tried walking there, it took me nine hours. On horseback it only took about half an hour or so. That's why I was intently hoping Brom still had a few horses left.

"Where are your other horses Brom?" I asked walking around the stable behind him as he led me to the remaining horses.

"They're all rented out for the day kid. Lots of new folks settlin in around these parts, and people need an easy way to get around while they're looking for a good area to set up their house's foundations. Say boy, aren't you and Turk working on gathering the wood for just that project?"

I recalled that my father had said to say nothing about our mission to anyone it did not directly pertain to. So I made something up.

"We were, but men are returning from the Jungle front, and they're supposed to be bringing back a good stash of jungle wood, so I guess they don't need my brother and I right now."

"Guess you two lucked out then huh boy? Hard job cutting all them trees down eh?"

"Yes sir."

"So boy, you goin to visit that girl of yours right?"

"Yes sir that's right," I said handing Brom a few golden coins, forged from gold ingots, as payment for the horse loan.

"You ain't got to pay me kid," he said retracting his hand.

"No I insist," I said reaching out taking his hand and dropping the coins into his palm. "You need these more than I do sir."

"Well all right then kid, if you say so… say you and this girl of yours gonna get married or something soon boy? You go to visit her just about every other day. And you two are about the right age."

I shied away a bit at that thought. "No sir, we're just good friends, that's all."

He squinted his eyes at me. "Funny thing boy, that's what I always told people about my wife, before I realized that we were much more then friends."

"No sir it's really not like that, she's…"

"A mage, I know boy. But that don't change nothin'. Love is love boy, nothin' more to it than that."

I don't think that he was getting the point. I didn't love Uraa, other than as a friend that is. But whatever, I was not going to argue with him over this. We talked about this almost every time I came by here anyway.

"Alright boy, here's a nice one, her name's Beccy," Brom said pulling a large white horse from the stable. She'll get you there in no time flat boy."

I hopped onto the saddled horse and took the reins from Brom as he led Beccy out into the open.

"Take good care of my Beccy now boy."

"As always sir," I called back over my shoulder kicking Beccy lightly up under her front leg.

She neighed and took off heading towards the bamboo woods where Uraa lived.

"Ride safely boy!" Brom called after me as I vanished over the next hilltop.

…

The ride to Urra's house didn't take long, less than thirty minutes. When we reached the thick bamboo forest I knew that we where nearly to her doorstep.

I had ridden this path so many times that the bamboo didn't grow here. It was one of the only clear paths to her house from the side I came from.

As I rode up to her front door I was again impressed by the size of her house. Our family was rich, but not this rich. Her house was even larger than ours.

I dismounted from Beccy and tied her off to a stone pillar lining the front walkway of Uraa's house.

Beccy kicked up and wined loudly.

"Shush girl! It's alright," I said stroking her face.

Beccy continued to throw a horse fit and loudly whimper.

"What's the matter girl!?"

"Don't you ever bother letting me know before you show up at my doorstep?" I heard a familiar voice say.

"Uraa… Where are you hiding?" I asked looking around for her. I couldn't tell where her voice had come from.

"I'm right here stupid!" she said, but I still couldn't see her. She sounded close though.

I felt someone's figure flick me in the nose.

"Ow, hey!" I said waving my hand through the air in front of me.

"Going to have to be faster than that if you want to be able to catch me while I'm cloaked Steven," she chuckled.

"Would you cut that out and drop the invisibility spell already… you're scaring my horse."

Uraa suddenly became visible. "Ahw, you used to be much more fun Steven, when you were younger I mean. Now you're starting to sound like Turk."

"Yeah, and you used to not have magical powers. How are you even able to stay cloaked without a potion?"

"Are you kidding me? I'm a mage, only normal boring people need potions to do anything abnormal," she said twirling her arms around her body playfully.

"There is a reason after all that it's called 'normal'. You should study the meaning."

She chuckled. "So, what do you want Steven?"

"I actually came for your help, believe that or not."

"What! I'm stunned. You mean you're not just here to eat all my food, exploit my glorious house and its many treasures, and drink all of my potions? Shocking! Tell me it isn't so Steven?" she said jumping back and gasping.

"Stop kidding around Uraa, this is actually something serious!"

"I know… Gosh, you are no fun anymore."

"Times have changed," I mumbled.

"That doesn't mean you have to," she said with a smile.

"I need your help..."

"I know."

"You know?"

"I'm a mage. I saw you coming before you even left this morning. Finding the Book of Notch, that's a big task for just you and your brother and father, don't you think?"

"How did you know that?!"

"Mage… duh, can see future events… well sort of, you know how that works I explained that one to you before."

"Right you can only see some events, events that choices have already been made for."

"Not even I can see past an unmade choice. No one can. But yes, I knew you were coming, else I wouldn't be wasting time out here in my front yard while I have so many more important things to be doing."

"Such as?" I asked raising an eyebrow.

"Such as trying to create a potion that will act as a damaging effect when it makes contact with the rotted flesh of a zombie."

"You mean instant health potions? Think mages and potions brewers long before either of us came up with that one already."

"No you idiot! Something that actually not only irradiates their tissues, but also starts to restore them to normal humans again."

"Is that even possible? To turn one back into a human?"

"Well one ancient text I read, a book from my former master, said that once long ago someone composed a way to turn an infected villager back to being human again. So I guess it is possible, just no one knows how to do it is the thing."

"You always with the bold new ideas right?"

"As you said it's not new, just no one knows how to do it is all. I'll figure it out eventually, I am a genius after all."

"She's always so subtle about her gloating," I chuckled to myself. "So then, you know why I'm here right?"

"Obviously…"

"So, will you help us?"

"Well, my mother is not around, so she really can't stop me now can she. Not like she could even if she was around. And I guess I could set down my brilliant work for just a few days to help you out with something this important… but."

"But?"

"I would need some kind of compensation. After all I'd be taking so much time off from my usual work."

"You're joking right?"

"Well this mission is for the king! Right? So I think I deserve some new brewing stands or something if I do agree to help you out."

"Can't you just do it because it's the right thing to do?"

"Hmm… tempting… but no I need some money assurances here Steven."

"You know I can't…"

"Then maybe I just have more important things to be doing," she said flipping her hair.

"Wait, fine! I'll talk to Turk and see if he can talk to the king about getting you, compensation."

"Oh, would you really do that for me Steven? Wow thank," she chuckled blissfully.

"Not like I have a choice," I mumbled to myself.

"All right well, I'll go with you."

"You will?"

"Sure. Nothing better to do."

"But you said you had…"

"That can wait… come on in. I have to get some things before we can go. Figure if I come with you I won't be back here for a few days. You leave tomorrow morning right?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"I know. Come in, I have something to show you."

I followed Uraa into the house. I had been in this house so many times now. I knew every room like the back of my hand.

"Take your boots off!" she scolded as I walked into the house.

"Yes mom," I said taking off my leather boots and dropping them by the door. "You redecorated a bit since the last time I was here," I said noticing the new addition to her front lobby.

"Nothing that new really, just a few new paintings that's all."

"They're nice," I said as I walked through the lobby behind Uraa.

"To the mage chamber," she said turning the corner to her right as she reached the end of the front lobby.

We passed by her father's office on the way to the 'Mage Chamber'. Still don't know why she calls it the mage chamber… His office never changed. Always the same as it had been the day he last left it for battle.

She must really miss him. Her mother was all she had left. And her mother really didn't care much for her. God knows why, but she never seemed to want to be at home with her only daughter.

Uraa would never admit it, but I think her mother's distancing of herself really did bother her. But she is far too tough to admit that something actually bothers her.

"This way slowpoke!" she said hitting a stone button to open the iron door leading into her 'chamber'.

I'd been in this room several times before. It was always so interesting to see all this magic stuff. Though I had no idea what any of it actually did.

"I see you've added some more potions to your collection huh?"

"Yup," she said rummaging through some items on shelves and in drawers.

"What's this one do?" I said picking up one of the potions from a shelf.

"OH! Don't drink that! That one will kill you if you drink it!"

"What, why would you make something like that!?" I said putting the potion back on the shelf and stepping away from it.

"I case I need to kill someone, duh!"

"Something is wrong with you Uraa, you do understand that right?"

She chuckled, still rummaging through her stuff.

"Oh what is that thing?" I said pointing to a floating scepter of sorts.

"That's my new wand moron," she said walking over and grabbing it, shoving it into a very tiny pouch that hardly looked as if it would be capable of containing such a wand.

"How does that fit in there exactly? And how was that thing floating? Things don't float! What magic is this Uraa?"

"Stop being a moron, you know my wand is magic, it can do that… And as far as the sack in my hand, it's a magic pouch, capable of nearly infinite inventory space. What, did you think I was going to carry all my junk in my hands? How would I hold that much stuff at once?"

"I figured but, that's sort of cool is all."

"You non magic folk never stop amazing me with how little you know about the mage arts."

"We know nothing… you tell me more then you should, and I still know nothing about how to actually 'do' magic."

"Yeah, that's because our good old king coal doesn't let anyone teach magic anymore. I'm one of the last true mages in the entire world Steven."

"Yeah, you've told me that before."

"We're a dying race… and since the king prohibited anyone who already knows magic from teaching anyone who doesn't, it'll just be a matter of time until there aren't any of us left in the world."

"That really is terrible… why won't the king let magic folk teach others their magic skills?"

"Same reason he won't let non crafters craft, non builders build, non miners mine… come on Steven, it's obvious. He doesn't want anyone getting strong enough to oppose his rule. If he cuts of all our right hands, we won't be capable of wielding the sword against him anymore. Not unless we drop our shields to raise that sword, and then he'll just put down anyone who stands against him… just like before."

"Yeah well we all need both our hands right now. We're in a time of war."

"We've always been in a time of war. When has that changed? As a child I grew up dreaming of a better world, a peaceful happy world. Instead my father died giving his life to defend others against the darkness, my mother rejected me, and my master died of his old age. The world isn't a sweet happy place… That's just another lie that grownups tell kids who are foolish enough to believe them."

"You seem really upset Uraa… You don't have to come back with me if you don't want to, you can…"

"I'm coming with you! I already packed my things! That's final! Let's go!" she said storming out of the room.

I couldn't help feel sorry for her. All her life she had people make her promises that they couldn't keep. She had been so innocent once…

She says that I've changed… but so has she… More than I ever wanted her to.