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Authors: Joshua P. Simon
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honestly not sure if I even needed to apologize first. I wish I would have known that because I wouldn’t have bothered with it. They heard all the details about how we killed the Geneshan Master Sorcerer. Apparently, they couldn’t ignore my talents any longer, regardless of my pissy attitude. Their words, not mine. I leave with them tomorrow for Hol.”
Hol, Turine’s capital, where both the king and the Council of High Mages reside, held a quarter of the nation’s population. It had been a dream of ours as kids to visit the place one day. I don’t think either of us had ever expected to really make it there.
“What about home? Didn’t you hear what I said? We can leave.”
“I’m not deaf.”
“I don’t understand. We’ve been talking about returning to Denu Creek nearly every day since we were forced into the army.”
She shook her head. “No. You talked about going home. I just listened. Personally, I’d rather this war go on for another ten years if it meant I didn’t have to go back.”
I blinked. “I can’t believe I just heard that.”
“Seriously? Ignore the alcohol and clear your head, big brother. The memories of our youth aren’t exactly fond ones. At least not the ones outside of our family. How many times did I get picked on? How many times did you get into fights trying to protect me? Gods, even after my talent manifested, it didn’t get any better. Sure, no one hit me or made fun of me to my face, but I still saw the looks cast my way. I noticed how the girls excluded me from their little get togethers while the boys acted like I was some kind of freak. I don’t want to return to that. And despite Ma and Pa saying it would get better when we all got older, it never did.”
“But what about Lasha and the kids? Don’t you want to know your niece and nephew?”
Ava smiled. “Lasha is going to be too busy making up for lost time with her husband to worry about me. And as far as Myra and Zadok go, they’ll both be better off seeing me through your rose-colored eyes than to learn the truth face-to-face.”
I shook my head, unable to believe what I was hearing.
However, what she said did make sense.
Life had been hard for her, far more than for me. Part of it had been her personality, but most of it had related to things outside of her control, like sorcery. In a small town like Denu Creek, folks acted as if you were cursed to have a talent for such things. On the other hand, my resistance made some people think I had been blessed by the very gods who cursed Ava as a way to keep my wild sister under control.
“You know they’ll make you wear robes,” I said, gesturing to her leathers.
Unlike every other mage, Ava refused to wear the traditional garb associated with one of talent. She thought the attire looked ridiculous unless you were an old man pushing a hundred. I agreed, but still liked to give her a hard time about it.
She scowled. “We’ll see about that.”
“What about me?” I asked, serious once more.
“What about you?”
“Are we going to see each other again?”
She chuckled. “I’m not dead. You can come to Hol any time to visit me. I’d love to show you around. You can even bring the family if you aren’t sick of them after a month of being home.”
A tight smile came to my lips as I tried to hide my sadness. I could tell by the look on her face that we both knew that wouldn’t happen. After a month, I’d be trying to get settled back into a routine at the farm, catching up on all that had happened from our uncle who I had tasked to help Lasha out while we were gone. Once I fell back into that routine, the chances of me leaving for weeks on end would be slim.
“Yeah, that’s not a bad idea,” I said, lying.
It didn’t make me feel any better, but maybe it did for her.
* * *
Ava and I parted a short while later when a High Mage—one of her new tutors, I presumed—interrupted us for something that he considered important. A part of me
Hol, Turine’s capital, where both the king and the Council of High Mages reside, held a quarter of the nation’s population. It had been a dream of ours as kids to visit the place one day. I don’t think either of us had ever expected to really make it there.
“What about home? Didn’t you hear what I said? We can leave.”
“I’m not deaf.”
“I don’t understand. We’ve been talking about returning to Denu Creek nearly every day since we were forced into the army.”
She shook her head. “No. You talked about going home. I just listened. Personally, I’d rather this war go on for another ten years if it meant I didn’t have to go back.”
I blinked. “I can’t believe I just heard that.”
“Seriously? Ignore the alcohol and clear your head, big brother. The memories of our youth aren’t exactly fond ones. At least not the ones outside of our family. How many times did I get picked on? How many times did you get into fights trying to protect me? Gods, even after my talent manifested, it didn’t get any better. Sure, no one hit me or made fun of me to my face, but I still saw the looks cast my way. I noticed how the girls excluded me from their little get togethers while the boys acted like I was some kind of freak. I don’t want to return to that. And despite Ma and Pa saying it would get better when we all got older, it never did.”
“But what about Lasha and the kids? Don’t you want to know your niece and nephew?”
Ava smiled. “Lasha is going to be too busy making up for lost time with her husband to worry about me. And as far as Myra and Zadok go, they’ll both be better off seeing me through your rose-colored eyes than to learn the truth face-to-face.”
I shook my head, unable to believe what I was hearing.
However, what she said did make sense.
Life had been hard for her, far more than for me. Part of it had been her personality, but most of it had related to things outside of her control, like sorcery. In a small town like Denu Creek, folks acted as if you were cursed to have a talent for such things. On the other hand, my resistance made some people think I had been blessed by the very gods who cursed Ava as a way to keep my wild sister under control.
“You know they’ll make you wear robes,” I said, gesturing to her leathers.
Unlike every other mage, Ava refused to wear the traditional garb associated with one of talent. She thought the attire looked ridiculous unless you were an old man pushing a hundred. I agreed, but still liked to give her a hard time about it.
She scowled. “We’ll see about that.”
“What about me?” I asked, serious once more.
“What about you?”
“Are we going to see each other again?”
She chuckled. “I’m not dead. You can come to Hol any time to visit me. I’d love to show you around. You can even bring the family if you aren’t sick of them after a month of being home.”
A tight smile came to my lips as I tried to hide my sadness. I could tell by the look on her face that we both knew that wouldn’t happen. After a month, I’d be trying to get settled back into a routine at the farm, catching up on all that had happened from our uncle who I had tasked to help Lasha out while we were gone. Once I fell back into that routine, the chances of me leaving for weeks on end would be slim.
“Yeah, that’s not a bad idea,” I said, lying.
It didn’t make me feel any better, but maybe it did for her.
* * *
Ava and I parted a short while later when a High Mage—one of her new tutors, I presumed—interrupted us for something that he considered important. A part of me
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