MageLife (19 page)

“I have, Eron, I have. Won’t they want their old homes restored?” Velten said. His tone sounding far less convinced.

“No you haven’t, you old fool. They would have to live with the residue of the event better to start fresh and do a better job, we get paid either way. The wizards are footing the bill, may as well drag it out,” Eron said. A greedy smile appearing on his face.

Lyphia stood looking over the destruction, no longer even paying attention to her employees.

I felt now might be a good time to announce I was here. “I think not gentlemen. The wizards are footing the bill, no dragging it out. You are contracted for high quality work. It takes as long as it takes,” I was guessing, but the look on Eron’s face told me I was right.

“Nice of you to join us, Tristan, as you can see we are just deciding on how to proceed,” Lyphia said. The rain had soaked her hair darkening it even further to a deep red, it was beautiful.

My mouth dried instantly, and my palms felt sweaty again, I don't know how I could even tell in the rain, but that's how it felt.

“I can see that,” I struggled to get out, she hadn't even turned around. I was getting tongue tied looking at the back of her head.

Lyphia chose that moment turn around and face me. She was soaked her thickly woven dress clung to her every curve. Her face was stern though and wet, her eyes slightly bloodshot. “Thoughts?” she asked

“Thoughts?” I repeated.

She sighed “Yes, do you have any? On how to proceed.”

“Oh, I may not be the best person to ask,” I said.

“Mage I didn't ask if you was a good person to ask, did I?” she said, her hazel eyes seemed to be studying me intensely.

“Start from scratch, wipe this place clean,” I said slightly more forcefully than I had intended. I flushed and looked away. Everyone was staring at me. I walked a few steps away. Surprised once again by my emotions getting the better of me, what was going on with me. I looked over the blasted ruins of my failure, feeling the pain I had felt then again, I noted the spots where the bodies had been cleared away, but still remaining were smudges. Those smudges were all that was left of a person. Each one special and important to someone if not to me personally. I could feel my anger coming back, it had been weeks and nothing had been done to remove the damage or find the cause. My reading came over me, glimmers of muted colours. Twisted streams sluggishly moving, build ups in stagnant pools, soaking into the shattered rock and cobbles. Patches of deeper, darker shades where people has died. Faint echoes of their dying screams hanging in the air. Near the far edges of the blast zone, brighter livelier streams encroached, stimulating some of the lifeless areas, by dragging some of the corruption away. Bad things always leave a mark. This was my legacy. A failure that would poison all who came here. I looked back towards Lyphia she was radiant in oversight. She didn't belong here dealing with this darkness. She looked straight back at me, an odd considering look. I must have looked rough, I knew I had tears in my eyes, but if they were from sadness or anger I couldn't tell. I turned to look back on my mistake again. I could see the darker areas were slowly spreading like rot. The pure magic inside me was whispering to me, I could feel it trying to rise, I let it out a touch, and it sparkled in the air around me. Spinning flickering sparks appearing all around me. I heard a gasp behind me, but didn't care enough to turn and look. The magic within me was building more slowly drawing out to join the rest in the air, some going down through my feet into the cobbles, I focused trying to feel my way through what I was doing on instinct. A sudden rush as the magic flowed out of me faster I opened my link wider to replace what was leaving, I started to feel the strain of channelling then. I could handle it, but it still knocked the breath out of me. I couldn't feel the effect as yet, but something was happening as the magic built up. A hand touched my shoulder. I turned.

“What are you doing?” Lyphia asked me. Her eyes wide with something I couldn't name.

I smiled although it was more like a grimace as a huge rush of magic went through me. “What should have been done before you were called out” I said as I realised what I was doing.

“Don't be cryptic,” she said. Annoyance battling with the wonder as my magic became visible to the others.

The others let out gasp of their own as they saw what really happening. I ignored them.

A deep rumble came from the stone beneath us, vibrations rocking us slightly. Lyphia's hand tightened.

My power was breaking down the darker shades, vitalising the streams. Rubble started to warp, shifting to a more fluid state. Still my power flowed. It felt like it was never ending. The strain was starting to take its toll. I sunk to my knees Lyphia reached out to support me.

“I knew you liked me,” I said with what I thought was a charming smile, it was probably a pained rictus.

“Shut up and stop it, you don't need to do this yourself. There are more mages that just you,” she said, a concerned crinkle formed between her eyes.

“I do, it's my fault it’s like this," I said.

“That was you? The sole survivor?” she asked surprised.

“Yes, I need to fix this.” I said

“Stop it, this helps no one if you die,” she said

“Maybe it would,” I said. The horror of this place must be getting to be, I wasn't normal this morbid. I pushed harder with my magic. The earth shook violently as it took back the stones of the broken buildings. A vast wave of power burst out of me. It tore the damaged streams of energy apart. I reached out to draw purer flows into the area, the magic’s voice guided me in the last steps. One last burst set temporary beds for the new flows. It should hold long enough for the streams to find their own paths. I went limp, the last of my energy gone. The final thing I saw before falling into the black of unconsciousness was Lyphia’s face hovering over my own, tears in her eyes as she held me to her.

Chapter 17

My head was killing me as I came to, I doubt the change in scenery was helping. I was laying down on something soft. My eyes felt really heavy, I didn't want to open them, I was comfortable. I may have made a noise, I don't know.

“You’re an idiot,” a familiar female voice greeted me.

I opened my eyes and instantly regretted it. I couldn't see anything clearly. The light was dim, but my head didn't care. It felt like getting stabbed, okay I was guessing I had never been stabbed, but this is what I imagined it would feel like.

“Lyphia, how did I get here? Also where is here?” I asked in a quavering voice. I needed a drink.

“You passed out, I got Eron and Velten to carry you. Here is your room, at the mage academy. You really are an idiot, you know that right?”

“So you keep telling me, oww. Do you have to be so loud?” I asked, I was still trying to adjust to the light. I eased myself into an upright position, it hurt, oh my did it hurt.

“So do you need an explanation for why you’re an idiot?” she asked.

I blinked, that sentence had confused me. On the plus side, the room came into focus. I was laying in my very own bed. On the minus side, I could see Lyphia. She was sat in the chair to the left of my bed. She looked beautiful, tired and angry, but beautiful.

“Maybe,” I said. I had no idea what she was talking about.

“Well tough, you want an explanation so do I, You stupid impossible man,” she shouted at me.

“Not so loud please.” I asked with a wince.

“Oh stop whining, you brought it on yourself,” she said in a still raised voice as she stood up. “I've been here watching over you for the last two days, I have better things to do that watch you sleep.”

“Oww, two days? And why were you watching me?” I asked. Bloody woman had a pair of lungs on her, I’ll give her that, but did she really have to be so loud?

“Yes, two whole days. You’re not very interesting asleep,” she said in a calmer tone. She had gotten close to me, I could see the redness of her eyes as if she had been crying, the general bedragglement that came from not sleeping properly. Her cheeks were flushed.

“I will endeavour to be more interesting. Can you tell me why you are here though?  Even better can you tell me why I have been in bed for two days, in a large amount of pain and appear to be naked under this cover?” I asked with a small smile, a large one was beyond me with the way my head hurt.

“Don't smile at me Tristan. I’m mad with you. You tried to kill yourself. In front of me I might add. You failed. You passed out instead. My colleagues carried you here. we ran into Master Mage Jase, who said to put you to bed while he got a Healer, Eron undressed you while I waited outside. Your apprentice, Sophia I think her name was, popped in a while ago. You’re in pain because you're an idiot,” Lyphia said with a small smile.

“Well that about covers everything except the idiot part, what did I do?” I asked softly. I wasn't sure if I was asking her or myself. I looked up to the ceiling as I searched my memory. There was nothing. I remembered waking up sending Sophia and Airis off with Jase, that was it. Nothing to explain why I had been in bed for two days or in so much pain. I had just noticed that it was nothing physical. Mental, magical maybe. Well that was something at least.

“How can you not know?” Lyphia asked me, she had gotten closer again, she sat on the edge of the bed looking down at me.

“I don't…” I started to say, but the door opened. Jase and Fion were at the door.

“Is it okay to come in?” Jase asked. He looked worried.

Fion on the other hand looked exactly the same as he had the last time I saw him. “I don't know why you ask Jase, we were coming in even if he said no,” Fion said gruffly.

Jase turned to look at Fion, “Because it’s polite Master,” Jase said tiredly this sounded like a long standing disagreement.

“Ha, screw polite, just get the job done. And stop calling me Master, you know I can't stand all this sucking up,” Fion said as he walked towards me.

“It’s not sucking up Fion, its respect,” Jase said as he followed the older mage.

“Well done boy, I've been down to the site. It’s pure again. And you did a bloody clean job of it. I have no idea how you did it, care to tell me?” Fion asked as he reached the other side of my bed.

I could see right up his nose, I guess being really tall isn’t good for everything, such as hiding nose hair. “Fion what are you talking about?” I asked confused.

“He doesn't seem to remember what he did,” Lyphia chimed in.

“Tristan how are you feeling?” Jase asked. He had also reached the edge of my bed while Fion spoke. He looked small compared to the older mage. Small and frail.  

Shouldn't it be the other way round? I thought briefly before focusing on what I had been asked.

“Um, not great. My head is killing me, and I keep getting shouted at,” I said.

“Well the pain is to be expected, you did sink an entire district,” Fion said.

Jase gave him a harsh look, Fion looked back unrepentant, in fact he just grinned.

“Say again? I sank a district? I think I would remember that,” I said as I looked from one face to another, Jase looked worried, Fion was smiling like a mad man at me. Lyphia had a strange look of wonder as she gazed down at me. Her hand reached out towards me before pulling back slightly.

“You did, I was there. You don't remember anything?” she asked softly. Her hazel eyes looked intensely into my own, intense, but somehow gentle. I recognised something about it.

I spent a few moments gazing into her eyes, almost lost. I felt a strong hand touch my head, a spark of magic leapt from the hand to deep inside my mind.

“Oww! What the fuck was that?” I shouted. I turned my head to see Fion pulling his hand away from me with a pained but distant look on his face.

“A reminder,” he replied with an echo of the magics voice backing his own. It was creepy. I even shivered as I did my headache flared with a vengeance.

“Ouch, you bastard! Did you have to do it that way?” I said with a growl.

“Do what?” Fion asked, his eyes were unfocused and his words were slurred slightly.

“Never mind master,” Jase murmured.

“I remember, stars did I really act like that?” I said softly to myself as the memories came flooding back.

“Like what?” Lyphia and Jase asked together.

“Like the mages of old, entitled, violent and vicious” I said, quietly, but fiercely. I clenched my fists at the thought of my behaviour, outraged at myself as I would be with another.

“Tristan we weren’t all like that” Jase started but Lyphia interrupted

“Yes you were, I remember my father when he was whole, I even remember you Master Jase before your son died, and you were both arrogant bastards. Petty and cruel most of the time,” Lyphia had stood as she spoke, passion was in her voice, she had flushed again colour rising in her cheeks. Staring daggers at Jase. “This is clearly mage business, I don't want to be here anymore.” she turned to me, “I am pleased you are well Tristan, please excuse Me.” she started walking towards the door.

I pulled myself out of bed and ran on very shaky legs, I ignored the lingering pain in my head, I reached out and grabbed her shoulder.

Lyphia turned. She saw who it was. Her eyes widened, and she flushed a bright bright red.

“Wait please. I want you to stay,” I said, I looked her right in the eye. Which kept shifting lower.

“Tristan you, you’re naked” she stumbled out as she kept trying to meet my eye and failing.

“Oh,” I looked around for anything, to cover myself with, there seemed to be a lack of anything within easy reach without exposing myself more.

“Here” Jase said as he handed me a blanket.

I took it gratefully, I wrapped it around my waist as brazenly I could. I didn't want to let on how uncomfortable I was, and it was my own fault. Again.

“So Lyphia you will stay?” I asked

“For now, I do have work to do, you know, even though I have less now that you did the largest job we had,” she smiled and grasped my hand.

We walked back slowly to my bed hand in hand.