Julia watched Nathan spin dizzily around his feet. He’s not completely resisting it, but neither is he falling under its influence. Just like with Golden Row, different people had different reactions to liquid charms.
Nathan fell face first in the snow. Julia got up and rolled him over, making sure his airway was clear. “Nathan, I want you to go fire your ice bullets at every tree you see,” she said to make certain he wasn’t under the charm’s control. He didn’t react and remained unconscious in the snow. This was a promising sign for his future.
Although his instincts and reflexes were great, his inability to consume Golden Row might stop him from joining the Battlemage tower, as they used many similar potions. Of course, she’d need to test alchemical potions on him before determining this, but there was a big overlap between the two.
Thankfully, he showed resistance to mind control substances. If he was trained to be more of a secret operative, it wouldn’t be the worst. After all, he no longer had family and seemed rather Stoic. He might be a perfect fit for one of the espionage or intelligence towers. Not to mention, the intelligence towers had been gutted by civilians. Having a strong and reliable mage in that tower may be of vital importance to their plans.
No … she was skipping too many steps. He hadn’t even entered the academy, and it wasn’t a guarantee that his natural talents would translate to a high rank. He might even get stuck at the third rank like his father.
Julia looked into the bag, grabbed the antidote, and poured it in Nathan’s mouth.
#
Something was stuck in Nathan’s throat. He coughed and sat up. “What happened!” He yelled, taking gasps of air and wiping snow off his face.
“You’re fine.” Julia was standing next to him. “Like I had said, I needed to test things. Thankfully, this time, I have good news for you. Although you are somewhat affected by suggestion potions and spells, their influence on you is minimal. If you ever feel an odd wave of fatigue or fuzziness hit, know that it is probably due to such a spell. Of course, when you reach the Tower, you’ll be given additional instructions as to how to resist it. But for now, such news is great enough. It is better to have a weakness and strength rather than being average in all fields.”
Nathan coughed a few more times. His throat was sore from the burning hot tea and the cold … he hadn’t felt this cold ever since ascending to magehood. “Can’t you tell me the next time you’re going to do something like that?” He asked pitifully.
“No, if you know what will happen, you can fight against it. I needed to assert a baseline. But it’s over, those are the two kinds of products you will encounter in the lower floors of the Tower.”
“What’s the second thing again?” He didn’t know what she meant by him resisting its effects. He had just fallen unconscious with nearly no warning.
“A liquid charm. They are the most common form of suggestive drugs and are used to influence minds.”
“Shouldn’t things like that be outlawed by the Tower?” asked Nathan, only now realizing how dangerous things like that could be.
“The students can enforce their own rules if they so wish to do so. The Tower shouldn’t be the one to enforce such things. Of course, things are different on the higher levels, but why should the laws which apply to fifth-ranked mages apply to the first—or second ranks. Anyhow, —.” With ice, Julia pushed their bag towards Nathan. “It’s time to go.”
#
On their journey through the woods, Nathan had a go at hunting a few small animals and had moderate success; the small beasts were quick.
However, they didn’t encounter any large beasts nor indications of such. Finally, they reached the end of the forest. Tired, and beaten, Nathan slumped against a felled tree trunk. His feet ached, and his back muscles contracted in pain. “Finally,” he couldn’t help but mutter. He stretched out his arms and legs. The forest’s terrain was uneven, hard, and strife with debris, making walking all the harder.
Thankfully, since they were at the forest’s boundary, he could see that what awaited them was a flat, snow-covered plain. It somewhat reminded him of Grival, however, here there wasn’t as much snow … nor memories.
“Stay there,” said Julia with a concerned voice.
Confused at what had brought on her tone, Nathan quickly looked at her. Her eyes were creased and her forehead frowning. “What is it?” He followed her eyes and found it staring at the plains.
“Beasts have escaped the forest,” her tone was grave.
Nathan forced himself up and walked over to Julia. There he spotted troll footprints going out into the plains. But soon he wondered if this was really what had Julia so concerned. “Isn’t it normal for trolls to wander the plains?” asked Nathan. After all, trolls lived in the plains of Grival.
“No, it’s not normal. Why would they wander the plains when food is all but absent there? If they leave the forest, it means, there wasn’t enough food, or something forced them out. And since those wolves weren’t starving, food isn’t the issue.”
“What does that mean then?”
Julia didn’t respond immediately. She was piecing things together, but it didn’t take long for her to come up with an idea. But first she had to confirm something. “Follow me,” she said, and began walking at a brisk pace through the plains.
#
After an hour of following the troll’s trail, Julia stopped near a gravel path. “What a bunch of idiots,” she muttered scornfully.
Nathan wasn’t sure if he should speak, so he kept quiet.
“You see this path, it leads to Filno.” She pointed to the north-east.
Nathan looked into the distance. And sure enough, he spotted a few wooden triangles protrude into the air.
“But the trolls ignored this easy meal and travelled north. North is the largest rail station of the province. All the crystals that are unloaded at the various smaller ports in the area are sent there to be sorted and sent to the Tower… It used to be shared by both the Grenoldines and nobles since they owned Vilnus… They wouldn’t attack it.”
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“Aren’t there mages protecting the area?” asked Nathan, confused at why a few trolls might pose problems for mages like Julia.
“Fuck!” She yelled, her face turned crimson, and her hands looked ready to fell a tree.
Nathan stepped back and didn’t dare say anything. Although he didn’t know Julia too well, he didn’t think she could show such anger.
“They shouldn’t know that we seized Bregva and Vilnus. There’s another traitor. Let’s go, follow the trail, we’re heading to the depot!”
#
After following the trolls’ path through the plains outside the Dark Pine Forest, the pair spotted a blue wall of ice protruding into the horizon.
“There,” Julia said.
The sun was bright, so Nathan blocked it out with his hand. Alongside the bright blue of the compound’s walls, he spotted red splatters. “Is that the blood of trolls?”
“Of course, what else might it be,” Julia shot him a look.
Nathan looked down. He didn’t mean it in that way. He should stop talking, she analyzed each one of his words which such care it was hard to speak.
With a brisk pace, they soon reached the gates of the compound, where a pond of blood sprawled next to the rails.
Julia froze the blood, her face full of scorn, and walked over the crimson ice. “They could have at least cleaned up better. This is still the Tower’s facility.”
Nathan wasn’t listening to her words. His mind was occupied with memories and old sights.
He remembered the countless days and nights he spent sitting in front of beasts hung by their feet. Their blood dripping into wooden buckets. It had made him ever aware of how much, but also how little blood living things had.
He was in awe and fear of the blood in front of him. Not even five trolls would yield so much blood. And what was the state of the mages inside the compound? Were there really so many mages as strong as Julia, standing guard at every village and mine? Where were all the young and weak mages? Wasn’t it the case the higher the rank, the fewer mages there were? Could Brian even take on so many trolls?
And then, admits crimson pools, Nathan spotted pieces of fabric so soaked in blood, once he looked away, he couldn’t find them anymore.
Nathan turned away and looked at Julia’s back, but then he saw something in the pool of blood she’d frozen. He saw the tips of human fingers—
“Nathan, come in. We don’t know if more beasts will come.”
Nathan took two more seconds to compose himself and ran into the compound with his eyes closed.
Weren’t mages supposed to be at the top of the world’s hierarchy, living a good and luxurious life… Why were there human hands frozen in troll blood? Was everything he’d been told a lie? But why? He desperately needed to see the Tower. Was even that a lie? And if it was? What would he do then?
#
Julia spotted a mage and quickly walked over to him. “Tell me what happened!”
The mage was young, perhaps sixteen or seventeen, and his childish appearance didn’t fit well in the luxurious robes of the Northern Tower. His emblem only had two branches.
“Yes,” he said, anxious at the sight of an approaching angry fifth-ranked mage. “A group of nine trolls attacked the compound. Fortunately, no shipments were incoming, so we didn’t lose any crystals.”
“I don’t care about any of that. Tell me, where is the compound’s leader.”
“He’s taking care of the injured in the recovery building.”
There, Julia found an old man talking to a young mage crying on a mat of soft snow. Her right arm up to her elbow was missing, and the bandages around its stump were so full of blood it dripped onto the snow. The older mage had his hand on her arm and was constantly applying more gauze.
“I presume you are the mage at the helm of this depot,” said Julia with a cold voice.
The old mage turned around with a deadly stare, but seeing her emblem, he snuffed his rage. “Yes, what is it you may require?”
“Watch your attitude, old waste. Is it not obvious, this attack wasn’t without a leader? This needs immediate reporting to the Tower.”
The grey-haired mage turned to look at his student. “Of course,” his voice was coarse. “It seems I’m showing my age and won’t be able to heal these children. Could you help here while I prepare your transport?”
Julia looked to the second ranked mage. She could see it in the girl’s skin—Dirty skin stained with dirt. She was the lowest of the low. No doubt a farmer’s girl who lucked into being compatible with a strong stallion. She looked even younger than Nathan and was already doing her second-year exam—They shouldn’t have taken her in. She did not fit her station. But … desperate times were afoot.
Julia closed her eyes and got on one knee next to her. There were ten other students in here, all recovering from minor wounds and all no doubt commoners. No nobles would be sent to such a remote corner of the Continent. “I’ll do it. But as soon as I’m done, I want that transport to be ready.”
When the mage ran out, Julia created an ice block and had the girl bite down on it. Next, she removed the gauze, under which she found a mixture of cut up and frostbitten flesh, no doubt a result of the old mage’s ill attempt at healing.
With fire magic, Julia heated up her hand until it wouldn’t get any hotter, grabbed the mage’s arm, lifted it up, and then wrapped her hand around the stump. It sizzled. Smoke rose, and the room began to smell of meat and then char.
After three seconds, Julia let go and cleaned her hands of charred skin with snow. The other students had closed their eyes and covered their ears, and the girl had fallen unconscious.
Getting up, Julia took out the ice from in between the girl’s mouth and threw it aside before leaving the building.
Now outside, she spotted the old mage pushing a large wooden cart towards the rail which led to the Tower.
Spotting her, the mage didn’t stop pushing the cart. “I’m sorry, my body is old. I cannot even freeze the snow below me.”
Julia didn’t have the time to wait, so she waved her hand and froze the entirety of the compound. “Will that do?”
The man nearly slipped as the ice, but thankfully he was holding on to the cart and caught himself before gluing his feet to the ice. Now stable, he looked to Julia and with the sincerest looking smile he could muster, thanked her, “Yes, I’ll manage now.” He went on to push the wooden cart onto the rails, making sure the cart’s iron wheels were well-placed on the rail.
Julia jumped into the cart, but then realized that Nathan was nowhere to be seen. “Nathan, where are you; we must go!” she yelled, looking around for him. He didn’t respond, but it didn’t take long for her to spot him. He was standing in front of the recovery centre with a listless face.
Although that boy had the strength of a noble mage, his character left a lot to be desired. Sometimes she even wondered if there was anything in his mind. Hopefully, that was just a result of him growing up in such an isolated place. But would he be able to rise to his station in the academy? Would he be able to lead the ever more rebellious commoners? At least, with his strength, at worse he would be pushed aside and left alone. However, in the Tower’s current state, mediocrity wasn’t enough. They needed the best of the best, and no less.
Well, she’d figure it out. For now, she had to report this event to Mage Kregrack. There was another traitor amongst their midst, and they couldn’t have a repeat of the last time this occurred.
“Nathan, we must go!” she yelled once again. This time, he heard her and stumbled across the ice before climbing into the cart.
Julia turned to the old mage. “Start converting the crystals.”
She then turned to Nathan. Why, she didn’t know, but she saw fear in his eyes. His hands, still encrusted with blue shards, shook. She followed his eyes to the old man who sat down on the converter’s bench. But when he grabbed onto the mithril bar to conduct his aura into the Bredwin liquid, and they began to move, Nathan’s face returned to its aimless expression.
Julia looked out in front of the cart as it gained speed and exited the compound. Soon the wind battered her face, and the trees became a blur. She looked down at Nathan once again, yet there wasn’t amazement nor wonder on his face. It made her think back to her own childhood. To when she first saw the carts speeding on the tracks at fifteen, even she looked at them with excitement, and she was called the Witch of the North amongst her peers.
What would Nathan’s ice be able to freeze?
A few hours later, a smile spread across her face. She could see the shadow of a rod, the shadow of the Tower. She had returned.