The ship was prepared to leave.

For the past day Nathan had stared at the open seas, but now, as the ship’s sails roared and its haul creaked, his heart ached for a final look at the land where he grew up. He glanced over Bregva, a dead and artificial city of giant ice igloos and empty houses. Perhaps only two Daquo remained, keeping the fires of all igloos alight. The others were no doubt in the mines. Nathan’s eyes continued to wander until they found themselves in the hinterlands, exploring the plains with his memories. There, he saw vast empty fields of bloodstained snow and abandoned villages.

It didn’t hurt, for he knew this solemn island wasn’t his home. Homes shouldn’t hurt, homes shouldn’t leave one feeling defeated, and homes shouldn’t take the families of those who called it home.

This realization freed his heart but made it all the more obvious that he would never find a home. It led him to remember the family who had saved him when he still believed it possible to find a home.

“How did you sleep?” Someone tapped his shoulder.

Nathan pivoted around and was faced with the blue robes of a mage. He didn’t immediately look up into Julia’s eyes. Her words were soft, perhaps even velvety, however, as soon as he had a half-decent look into her black eyes, black ice covered his heart.

“Yes … and the fam—”

“I found the youngest—” she cut his stutters.

“Mahila!” he exclaimed.

“If that’s her name, yes.”

“Really! Where is she?” Nathan was excited.

“She is to be your mage assistant, as such you cannot meet her yet. That will have to wait until after she has completed her training.”

“But if she’s mine, why can’t I see her?”

“Because those are the rules,” her words were curt as always.

“At least tell me where she is?” asked Nathan.

“On another ship. Enjoy the trip,” she wasn’t amused at his prodding questions.

Nathan looked at the other ships leaving the port. There were two others. He stared at the second-largest ship, imagining it to be where she was, but then thought about the others. “Wait, what about Anfila and Gilja?”

Yet, Julia had already disappeared.

#

Nathan opened his palms. In one, he accumulated heat and in the other, he formed small ice crystals. They had the sharp and jagged shape of Grenold crystals. He handled them for a couple seconds, leaving tiny cuts in his thick hands, before letting them sink into the dark pits of the seas.

The sails roared once again as the sailors fought with bloodied ropes and more. With each passing instant, Nathan saw the frozen land become smaller and smaller, until even its shadow became a spec in the wind.

From then on, all he could see were moving waters in which whales wandered, sharks preyed, and birds dove to find sardines.

During these two weeks, Nathan did nothing but sit in his bed or watch the seas from his porthole. Brian had told him that he had nothing else to tell him, and Julia, well she would come to him; he wasn’t one to seek out hell.

Nathan would sometimes head out onto the deck to practise magic. This time he attempted to create his father’s emblem. He had managed to create the circular core, the sun, but the triangular shaped sunbeams were crooked and dented like a Grenold crystal.

“Oh! You can use magic?” It was the witch of the North. He didn’t know how she always managed to sneak up on him.

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Nathan dropped the emblem, but her arm found its way around his waist and caught the ice before it could be lost at sea. “Is this supposed to be the emblem of the South?” She held it up to the sun, examining its shape before melting it in her hands, letting its water flow down her arm and be absorbed into her robes. “How can you use magic? Did your father make you go through the first ceremony?”

Even her, who always masked her emotions with that icy smile, couldn’t hide her dismay and disapproval. Nathan didn’t know much about the traditions of the Towers, but he did know that, to them, traditions were more rules than anything.

“No, I’m both a mage and a Seer, and Seers can use magic as soon as they get a grasp of aura.”

“… Which explains your silver hair, I assume…” She pondered. “I can teach you a few things to get a step-up when the time comes, but until then, you cannot use your magic unless you have my permission. Although the phenomenon is fascinating, it will only cause you problems, especially in court.” She looked out at sea. Nathan glanced at her, and although she was beautiful, the fact that neither her heavy mage robes nor her slicked back hair moved with the wind. It made her disconnect to the world even more apparent.

“I’ll make sure to wait.”

“When we reach land, we won’t have as many eyes on us. For now, let’s go to the cabin. There are multitudes of formalities you must relearn, as I’m certain they vary from tower to tower.”

For the next week and a half, Nathan passed his days learning obscure gestures, words, and principles of conduct. He thought that in this time he could come to better know Julia, but it didn’t take long for him to understand that searching for anything in her heart was meaningless.

Time past nonetheless, and the two-week trip came to an end.

#

“Land,” Nathan couldn’t help but mutter. There wasn’t much enthusiasm in his words, but there was wonder. His expectations had been dulled, but not purged.

And already at Vilnus, everything seemed different. There wasn’t as much snow, and there were no igloos. There were no trees in the city, however, all around it, they jetted from the ground, forming a green barrier around the city. As they continued to approach the port, houses came into view. They were built of wood, more precisely, trunks stacked on top of each other as to make wooden boxes. And the streets weren’t trails of packed snow, but stone paths.

Soon enough, Nathan found himself standing on the pier. Julia had gone ahead to speak to another mage while the sailors unloaded the crates.

He, on the other hand, stood there, between these two, unsure if he wanted to proceed. A not so insignificant part of his heart wanted to run back onto the ship and return to the island, but he resisted. This was what had to be done. That place wasn’t his home.

To stop himself from thinking of the past, he turned to look at the mage with whom Julia spoke. He, too, wore blue robes and had the emblem of the North. He was old, perhaps as old as Kilgarda and his smile was kind, nearly deceiving Nathan into thinking it was genuine, but he knew that if that man looked upon anyone but a mage his expression would change.

Nathan tapped his chest once more, Julia had given him new clothes, a thin grey robe, tied around his waist with a white ribbon. On the right side of his chest, he wore his father’s emblem. This was the proper outfit of a beginner mage, not to mention he’d overheat if he wore his old clothes on this land.

Being in the way of the crew unloading the cargo, Nathan walked up to Julia and the old mage.

“Oh, and is this the young mage I was told about?” He smiled at Nathan. “What happened is a shame, I see you still bear the scars on your hands. Those will heal, but rest assured that the perpetrator will not and will make sure that he is brought back to the Northern Tower.”

Nathan looked to Julia surprised. “Are we not bringing him with ourselves?”

Julia gave Nathan a threatening look. “Do not interrupt! And no, all merchandise will be brought back by Mage Hilbert. Have you already forgotten that we have errands to run?”

“You don’t need to be so hard on him.” Hilbert helped ease the air. “Oh! And I see that the topic of today’s discussion is here.”

The trio looked back, and there, being led down the ship’s ramp by a large sailor was Mage Brian, his wrists and ankles cuffed, and blood glyphs glued to his arms.

Nathan looked away, afraid that the mage may say something about their talk, but Brian ignored him and greeted mage Hilbert. “Will you be my companion for the next week?”

Mage Hilbert nodded with a large grin. “Unfortunately for you, that seems to be the case. Orders from above.”

Nathan didn’t know why they were being so familiar but at the same time respectful and obedient, but then he realized that the snowflake on the mage’s robes had six branches and his buttons were made of gold. He wasn’t a nobody.

“Then, if you have Mage Brian in custody, I’ll escort the young mage back. Don’t forget to handle the rest of the other ships.”

“Of course,” Mage Hilbert was more than cordial, although he was their superior. He looked to be just a happy old man, and Nathan regretted that he couldn’t travel to the Tower with him.

“Let’s go,” Julia called Nathan.

Nathan glanced at the old mage and Brian one last time before following Julia into town. They were to buy supplies for the trip back to the Tower.

The travels to the Northern Tower took time, but he was nearly there; a week, that was all. Then he could at least lead the life of a student. There would be no need to speak to the likes of Brian nor Julia. It would be him, teachers, and other kids his age.

Yes, it would be better.