Chapter 4: Brave Enough for Politics

As far as terrible plans go, this admittedly was not the worst. The worst was probably when my sister Kaylee convinced me that gunpowder could be made simply with the heads of matchsticks.

That went about as well as could be expected.

Of course, this plan was far more dangerous regarding potential consequences. Being recognized as a White Mage would probably involve another “request” to join the war, which would be another thing.

Lord Balar had brought me to a large complex that was the Royal Academy he had spoken of previously, which I assumed was the ‘University’ the guard at the gate had referred to. He had taken me to his quarters and an attached living space that was rather dusty, but after pressing a symbol on the wall that had flashed green, the dust had disappeared, and a fresh scent emerged in the room.

Lord Balar had told me to sleep and that he would prepare everything in the morning after asking me for my name.

Given everything so far, I had little compunctions about telling him that my name was Jamie; not like there was much he could do to hurt me with it.

The bed was not uncomfortable per se, it was not loud, and it seemed like the perfect condition to sleep. Yet I found myself unable to.

I stared at the ceiling, counting the seconds that turned to minutes that turned to hours. I had only slept once since I had come to this world, but since then, much time had passed, and I had felt little desire to sleep. Was it something unique to White Mages?

Sara did not respond, and I wondered if distance or lingering dissatisfaction stayed any words.

At some point, I think I fell asleep or had become so zoned out that the difference was indistinguishable as the next thing I knew, Lord Balar was knocking at the door, and light was streaming in the window.

“Did you sleep well?” he asked.

“Sure,” I replied.

Lord Balar nodded amiably, “Well, it was a small trick, but I’ve got you registered as my student. You’ll have full access to the library, and there’ll be no need for classes as I’m overseeing your education personally. The cure is the first trick we’ll have to pull off. It requires White Magic and a purifying agent, preferably dragon claw.”

“Great, so I’ll heal him, and then you can help me find that White Mage you talked about,” I said; this was a magical world. How hard could dragon claw be to find?

“Well, you see,” Lord Balar nervously rubbed his beard, “Getting Dragon Claw will be rather difficult. They’re rather secretive, you see, and usually maintain a fair distance from any form of civilization.”

“You don’t just have some on hand?” I asked, trying and failing to hide my disappointment.

Lord Balar looked at me dryly, “No. Dragons are prideful, possessive, and have quite a temper. They don’t like parting with their claws, even if we only need a chip. The only reason we know the claws can be used like that is that some White Mages managed to befriend some of them.”

“Right,” I rubbed my forehead, “So find and befriend a dragon. Anything else?”

“Well, we likely will also have problems asking about such a thing to most people. Getting a hold of a dagger cursed with black magic shows that whoever is trying to stop us from healing the King has some resources at their disposal. I don’t even know what they look like. It’s entirely possible they’ll try to kill me again.” Lord Balar shrugged his tone blasé as if he was discussing the weather.

“Could you be a little more concerned about your health?” I sighed.

Lord Balar shrugged again, “There’s nothing I can do about it. I’ve made another charm just in case, but I suppose you can always heal the damage if it comes down to it.”

I stared at Lord Balar, resisting the urge to throttle him. I could probably even heal him.

“Something wrong, Jamie?”

This man was insane.

“Nothing; when can we start?”

“Right after the Council meeting, I need to inform them of my discoveries, minus a few choice details.”

I looked at Lord Balar perplexed, “Won’t that just inform the assassin what we’ll be doing next.”

Lord Balar nodded, “It will. I do not doubt it. That is why I will only tell them I have a solution, not the details of needing a purifying agent. It is also why you will accompany me as the person best suited to prevent my imminent demise.”

I looked at Lord Balar and considered protesting. I really did.

“Sure, whatever, let’s do this thing.”

“Excellent, now we must hurry. Getting your education set up delayed me slightly, so we’re running slightly late.”

I got up and followed Lord Balar as he launched into a meandering walk.

“How late?” I asked out of curiosity.

“Oh, just a little.”

_-_

“Lord Balar, you are two hours late,” a stately female voice echoed throughout the chamber we walked into, where five people stood around a polished marble table.

I recognized two of the people as dwarves with thick long grey beards each and matching stoney eyes breaking for a mumbled discussion as we entered. Two others were elves, both women, one with long silver hair braided intricately and one with a smooth scalp and sharp green eyes. The latter had been the one to speak.

There were also two humans; one with a thick dark beard that was beginning to grey and warm brown eyes and a teenage-looking girl that I guessed to be around eighteen with auburn hair and almost feline green eyes. They were all dressed in matching long dark gowns Lord Balar had also changed into.

“I’m sorry, Lady Mell,” Lord Balar said, not sounding the least bit sorry, “My research took longer than anticipated, but I believe I have a solution.”

Despite his work to cure the king, I wondered if someone wanted Lord Balar dead.

“Do you?” this time, it was the elf with long silver hair; her voice was much lighter sounding, almost on the verge of singing, “That is good news; the doctor reports the King is getting weaker by the day. What is this solution?”

“I have located an old White Mage remedy that should address the illness our king has been struck by.”

“And what pray to tell does the remedy involve?” the older human stroked his beard, “Wouldn’t a White Mage remedy require a White Mage to perform?”

“In most cases, yes,” Lord Balar said, “But this one, Lord Gelen, I believe I can work around. We would only require a purifying agent; I believe a dragon claw would be sufficient.”

“You do realize dragon claws don’t grow on trees?” the older human man replied, a gentle rebuke in his voice.

“Well, yes,” Lord Balar replied, “They grow on dragons. It’s in the name, isn’t it?”

The people around the table stared at Lord Balar the way one would look at a child who, for the thousandth time, loudly and rudely insulted everyone present.

“Well, if that’s all that’s needed…” Lord Balar began trailing off as the youngest of the humans coughed politely, “Yes, Lady Dellar?” he asked.

“Who’s the boy next to you,” she asked with a frown and a raised eyebrow.

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“Oh, he’s my new apprentice,” Lord Balar said easily.

“His name?” she continued.

“Jamie.”

“Family name, I mean,” Lady Dellar said.

“Oh, we never got around to talking about his talents.”

Did that man casually throw me under the bus? Great, and now she was looking at me.

Still, I had to have an answer. Preferably one that ended this conversation.

“I’m sorry, Lady Dellar,” I said, “I have little family to speak of and no family name to give.”

Flowery, broad, and imprecise, perfect.

Still, Lady Dellar looked like she wanted to continue questioning me, shaking her red hair in a curtain of swaying frustration.

“Is this important, Lady Dellar,” Lord Gelen looked at Lady Dellar with a tone of confusion in his voice, “He’s an apprentice. Though I admit his hair is unusual, he’s probably from the Long Mountains.”

Lady Dellar, for a moment, looked like she wanted to say something more, even opening her mouth to do so before she closed it with a click, “It’s nothing. By all means, be on your way Lord Balar.” She gestured to the exit turning away from them.

Lord Balar and I exited the room swiftly and with purpose, and he led me through the city’s streets back toward the Royal Academy.

Lord Balar spoke as we walked, “We will have to spend time in the records of the Royal Academy to find the information we need. Any resting points we have records of the dragons using will be the first place to look. Haven is a city of learning and the study of magic, but I believe that the Stone Teeth, a set of mountains far to the north of here, will have what we seek. I have seen the records that say the dragons used to nest there; it’s as good a place as any to start searching for what we need. Not to mention that the Empire of Gold has mostly steered clear of those mountains.”

“Right, should we really be discussing this out here,” I asked.

Lord Balar tapped one of the rings he wore, “Ring of Secrecy works to obscure intent to listen in on conversations.”

“What can’t your items do?” I observed dryly.

“Well, every item created with Green Magic must be made with a purpose and intent. It costs materials and uses magical energy, but aside from that, as long as the task is not overly large, many things are possible. That is excepting Red Magic abilities which involve control direct control of forces, and Blue Magic which changes space itself.”

“What do you mean changes space itself?” I couldn’t help but question.

“Well, it’s difficult to describe especially considering there are few people who can use Blue Magic which inherently limits its study. Essentially though, it warps space itself, making it incredibly useful for transportation.”

“So what, it can be used to teleport stuff?” I asked, confused.

“Well, it would take some skill with blue magic, but yes, that would be possible. A more subtle but also useful skill would be bending space to shorten distances. Some creatures can use these skills though actually encountering them is rather rare. Notably, Sea Horses are able to traverse almost anywhere.

“Sea Horses?” I questioned cocking my head, an aquatic fish popping into my head.

“Yes, Sea Horses,” Lord Balar nodded along, “They’re quite rare. They are impossible to catch, but a few times in history, they have appeared to a select few people to transport them wherever they go. They’re called as such because the original tales said they walked out of the surf before the first White Mage, Erbor. He greeted them as friends and won their trust. In return, they would ferry White Mages across the continent to wherever they most needed. Since the White Mages decline, I don’t think anyone has seen them.”

A Sea Horse. The shifting blue of the horse that had born me here came to mind. Was a Sea Horse what I encountered? Was that how it had transported me so quickly?

I shook those thoughts away, “So about the Stone Teeth….”

“Right,” Lord Balar nodded, “I’ll need to get us some transportation there. Did you have anything you needed to bring with you?”

“Uh, no,” I shook my head; I really didn’t have many possessions to speak of in the first place, “I’m pretty much ready to leave, I suppose.”

“Good, good,” Lord Balar nodded, “So let us be off. I will have the supplies brought to us at the gate. I have an important mission for you in the meantime.”

“More important than keeping you alive?” I observed dryly.

Lord Balar chuckled, “Not to worry, my young friend. Look for me if I’m not already at the gate when you arrive, but I believe I should be fine. I have some new charms, after all.

I observed the man with a death wish and realized I had nothing to say. If he did die, though, I would pull him back from the afterlife to say, ‘I told you so.’

“What is this important mission?” I asked.

“You must get some more apt traveling clothes,” he gestured at a shop we had stopped in front of with a sign proclaiming, ‘Tailoring for all Needs,’ they should set you straight in there. Tell them Lord Balar sent you; they should be expecting you.

I glanced down at my current simple clothing and saw what I should have beforehand. That the clothing stylistically did not match what I had seen the occupants of this world were wearing.

Probably because my clothing was made in one shade, all from a tree.

“Fine, but if you get stabbed again…” I looked at Lord Balar meaningfully.

“Yes?” he cocked his head, looking genuinely confused at me.

I drooped my head, massaging my brow, “Never mind. Just please don’t get stabbed.”

Walking into the shop, I was struck by a soft floral fragrance and the bright shades of cloth around me.

“Can I help you, young man?” a somewhat stooped elven man asked, blonde hair interspersed with silver as he looked at me curiously.

“Right, sorry,” I said, “Lord Balar sent me to get some travel clothing from you.”

“You’re the young man he talked about,” the elven man hummed, looking me up and down, “Well, what is your name, may I ask?”

It was strange how so few people had asked me that question, “Jamie,” I said.

“Well then, Jamie, my name is Hacket. Let’s get you fitted, shall we?”

He flitted about me in a spritely matter with a tape, measuring everything and noting nothing, and I wondered how he kept every measurement straight in his mind. Green light flared as he drew cloth from the shelves into a pile, which began to shift and morph together as a silver needle flickered in his hand.

I could only wonder how long this elf had been at this profession as I had never seen anyone moved so easily, so little wasted motion.

Minutes passed as, piece by piece; my new clothes took shape until I was left to look at a leaf green shirt, incredibly soft to my touch, dark brown pants, and matching socks, all resting on a pair of solid soft-looking pair of black boots alongside a brown cloak.

He ushered me to dress behind a curtain, and I followed his direction, dressing in new clothes that fit perfectly. I realized how clean my feet were as I put my socks on. How pure, in general, I was despite having no opportunity to bathe. I should have smelled frankly awful, but maybe I was thinking of how a human should be in my type of condition instead of whatever type of being a White Mage was.

Still, I felt more secure now that my boots completely hid the white tattoo on my leg.

I stepped out, drawing my cloak around me, and Hacket nodded with a small smile.

“You look quite good young man, the proper apprentice if I say so myself, be on your way then; I know Lord Balar has little patience for anything except his research.”

“Right, thank you,” I said, leaving the shop feeling like I had wandered through a whirlwind.

It was strange not to feel the stone beneath my feet now, and I almost missed it. Still, I couldn’t very well go around barefoot everywhere. Not like I had thick hair to cover my feet and act as shoes.

I went through Haven, enjoying the sun shining on my skin, a feeling of warmth and comfort pervading my entire being. I didn’t quite understand the feeling, to be honest. It was unlike anything I had experienced before in my previous life.

I walked through the streets cheerfully, entering the lower portions of Haven until I arrived at the gate swung open to allow traffic through.

I waited for some time there, but eventually, something began to bother me, as if the eyes of someone were directly on me. I tried to look around myself without drawing attention, but to no success. Minutes passed, and I gradually became more and more on edge.

Which was why I reacted poorly when a hand clapped on my shoulder. My elbow flew backward before I could think, hitting a soft, yielding stomach.

I spun around to see what had happened, ready for anything.

That was except for the form of Lady Alina crumpled over, clutching her gut. I realized faintly up close that she was around my height though she was a couple of years older than I looked in this form. Around my original age, really.

“I am so- “My apology was interrupted as she raised a hand to interrupt me, raising her head to look me directly in the eyes.

“Sorry; I didn’t mean to startle you,” she said.

I nodded slowly, still freaked out and at the same time astonished as I was sure the force I hit her with, even though it was a mere reaction and not close to the full strength of this body, shouldn’t just result in someone rubbing their gut slightly still standing on their feet.

“Right. Sorry, I reacted poorly. I’m a little on edge.”

She smiled brightly at me, and I cursed myself as my cheeks flushed. I hadn’t interacted with many pretty girls since my confinement in the hospital or even before then.

“That’s perfectly all right. I have some questions if you don’t mind. Off the record, that is.”

“Right, of course, totally,” Stop talking, idiot, “What do you want to know?”

“Well, it’s quite unusual to see that Lord Balar has taken another apprentice. Usually, the teaching he does is not so one and one. Did something about you catch his eye, perhaps?”

“I’m not sure exactly,” I saved his life, “I’m new to the city, and we met mostly by chance,” he had a cursed knife in his back.

“How fortuitous for you,” Lady Alina smiled guilelessly at me, “It’s just that your hair is quite striking. I think I would honestly say it’s quite unusual to see a young-looking human with such stark white hair.”

“Well, you know it’s genetic,” I shrugged casually.

“I’m sorry, what?” Lady Alina cocked her head, “Gen-tic?”

“Ah, right,” I guess they didn’t know about genetics; great job, Jamie, “Just a saying from where I come from.”

“Where do you come from?” she asked, the same guileless smile on her face.

“From the west of here” is technically true.

“There aren’t that many cities west of here,” Alina hummed, “Most of them are mostly elven after they were banished from the Great Forest.”

Ha, she didn’t say, “Well, there are some humans there,” though I hadn’t seen any.

“Really, as far as I know, the Elves living by the Great Forest aren’t particularly fond of anyone who isn’t an elf.”

Why did she have to be so well informed on the events outside the Capitol? Well, she was a Lady on the council that governed it, so I answered my own question.

“Yeah, they’re not,” they had, in fact, tried to imprison me, but you know the details.

“Interesting, I’d-“

“Jamie, I got our supplies. I- Lady Alina! What a surprise to see you here!” Lord Balar emerged from the crowd stopping mid-way through his sentence once he spotted Lady Alina.

“Hello, Lord Balar,” Lady Alina said, nodding courteously to the dwarf, “I was just talking with your apprentice here. I wanted to request that I accompany you on your mission. It wouldn’t hurt to have protection for such a vital journey.”

“Well, I thank you for your concern-“

“It’s not just my concern, It’s the City’s. I simply must insist.”

I looked at Lord Balar, and he looked at me silently; I pleaded with my eyes to gainsay this girl.

“Well, all right then.”

Was this man really my ally?