“On one hand, something tells me he might be a good teacher. On the other, I don’t think he likes me very much.”
Samuel voiced this opinion at lunch with Shigeru and Grimr, throwing it out as a question. It was odd, he thought, how he looked directly at the Ancient as he said it, almost as if seeking advice on his theory. The small black cat - he’d cast aside his human form before leaving the Archmage’s office - only blinked those violet eyes slowly at him and didn’t answer. To Samuel’s surprise, it was Shigeru who offered an opinion, speaking for the first time in some minutes.
“It’s clear that he’s a true master, if only by length of study.”
“But not by matter of skill or excellence?” Samuel asked, turning toward the foreign swordsman. “Archmages are supposed to be the highest in the College, after all. If he’s wearing that robe, it must be because he earned it.”
“It could also be the fact that he’s the only one who was eligible,” Shigeru countered. “Perhaps he is only in his position because there was nobody else to claim it.”
Samuel considered that for several long minutes. He wanted to disagree, but there was something about the simple logic of Shigeru’s guess that couldn’t be denied. “Well, at least I know one thing for sure. He’ll know far more magic than I do, so he could teach me.”
Magic is easy, Grimr’s voice finally joined the conversation. You just decide what you want to do, spend the mana, and there you go.
“That’s easy for you to say,” Samuel retorted, forgetting in his annoyance to keep his tone respectful. “You’re an Ancient. I’m sure you know all the mysteries of magic. Meanwhile, we mere mortals have to spend our lives clawing away at something to truly master it. Even the naturals.”
He inclined his head in Shigeru’s direction as he said this, and the swordsman frowned but didn’t comment. Grimr met Samuel’s eyes and managed - without the familiar features of a human’s face - to convey his sarcasm and disdain with his reply. I’m sure you’ll notice that he muttered an incantation when he performed magic.
Both Shigeru and Samuel nodded their understanding. “That’s how magic works, though. Right?”
It was the commonly accepted truth that incantations and mana made magic. Grimr blinked slowly, the simple movement expressing a world of impatience. Words are nothing more than a guide for your life force. True control comes without such unnecessary distractions. But only true masters can achieve this without effort. If you’ll take my advice, do not waste your time on learning long and complex incantations. Master your own mana, and you’ll be a far better mage for it.
The Ancient was being unusually helpful with his advice, Samuel thought. It was just strange enough to linger in his brain and make him suspicious. Before he could voice the thought, however, Shigeru leaned forward with a frown, interjecting. “Just a moment, Grimr. You used words when you channeled your Ancient magicks.”
“You’ve seen him use Ancient magic?” Samuel asked, his previous suspicion vanishing with this new revelation.
“Just the once,” Shigeru replied shortly, actually waving Samuel’s next question away before it could be uttered, and continuing to stare at the cat. “You didn’t speak much, but you did use words when you cast that spell to break down the gate of Hayakawa’s castle.”
Hayakawa. That was the name of the warlord that had nearly killed Shigeru and his brother as children, Samuel thought. The warlord they fought so hard to dispose of before finding their way to Gorteau. Grimr took his time replying to Shigeru’s statement, appearing to consider his answer. The rules are slightly different from the magic that we Ancients use. I’m not saying it’s impossible to use it without speaking, but I have yet to see one of my kind master the feat. Channeling the Mother’s energy is a difficult task even for the most ancient of Ancients. The words are our connection to her essence. For us, the words connect. For mortals, the words guide what is already inside you.
There was nothing Samuel could say in response to that; not because he thought it was untrue - because he did believe Grimr - but because he couldn’t imagine that the Ancients, the oldest and most powerful beings in the world, could have such areas of weakness. Yet here was Grimr, admitting that not only did he have a shortcoming, but that he knew of no Ancient that had reached that height. Strangely, it inspired a sort of quite determination in Samuel, a quiet flame that would go on to burn for years and years, even for centuries, driving him toward the ultimate goal of perfection. Not just of magic, but of himself.
“So I should learn how to use magic without incantations,” he said, returning them to the original topic. At once, Shigeru’s rare show of interest faded, and he sat back in his seat once more, picking at the sandwich laid out on the plate before him. Apparently, he didn’t care for the meal. “Is it much harder?”
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Immeasurably so. The Ancient replied at once. But it is necessary. Not only will it allow you to learn magic at a much faster rate, it will make you yourself faster. There is no greater advantage in magic.
“If I didn’t know any better,” Samuel braved to say, “I’d say you were quoting someone else’s words there. It’s wise enough to sound like you came up with it, but it doesn’t have your dry wit.”
A passing woman, clad in a clean and well-kept white apron, paused nearby as he spoke. He didn’t notice this, but wouldn’t have been surprised. Samuel had made the mistake of looking directly at Grimr as he said this, and that left the woman puzzling over why he would be talking to a cat. Luckily, she saw the peculiar robe he wore and assumed it was nothing more than strange magic she didn’t understand. She was right, of course, but to what degree she may never figure out.
You would be correct. Everything I know about mortal magic, I learned from a mortal man. It was your kind that created it, after all. I could not learn it instinctively, as I did with the Mother’s ways. So I sought out a teacher, one who I knew was strong enough to fulfill that role for me.
“He must have been some man,” Samuel said quietly. “If he was able to teach an Ancient something they didn’t know.”
“He was,” Shigeru said, surprising Samuel. “He was a master of a great many things.”
That same mortal man is also the one who instructed Shigeru in the way of the warrior. The same man that took him and his brother under his wing when they were fleeing for their lives.
Samuel glanced at Shigeru, impressed. “So you both learned from a true master. I’m jealous of you on that count. I don’t suppose you’d be willing to teach me what you know?”
Shigeru held Samuel’s gaze with a hard light in his eyes, making it quite clear what his answer would be. Not for the first time, Samuel wondered if this foreign man would ever warm up to him, or if he’d remain distant and angry his entire life. Not that he expected any great progress in that area, given what Shigeru had already been forced to endure in his young life. So he turned instead to Grimr.
I will not be your teacher, the black cat said flatly. I have a goal of my own, and it will not allow me to stay in Milagre much longer. Already I feel unwelcome in this city. There is not enough time to allow me to offer you a proper education.
“I’ve been wondering about that,” Samuel said, taking a bite of his own sandwich and trying to make his next question appear casual and unimportant. “Why are you still here? I get the sense that what you have to do is critical, so why are you wasting time in the city instead of going after whoever or whatever you have to deal with?”
Rest is important. Rushing out now would only result in our destruction. I am not as strong as I once was, and Shigeru’s soul needs time to recuperate before we embark on the next step. If he were to leave as he is now, he is sure to be corrupted.
Samuel said nothing to that, and they fell into a thoughtful silence once more. Grimr, acting like cats all over the world, stole half of Shigeru’s sandwich right off his plate, apparently done with watching the man refuse to eat it. He scarfed the food down quickly, then licked his sharp teeth and gave a wide, gaping yawn.
I tire of sitting here. Let us go back to your new home, young Samuel. The next step of your life begins tomorrow.
Samuel was too nervous to ask what the Ancient meant by that. As they rose, Samuel left two silver coins stacked atop one another on his empty plate and drained the last of the dark coffee in his mug. It wasn’t as good as the beverage that Seamus had given him, or the dark brew that Thomas sometimes treated him to back in Milagre, but coffee was coffee. He enjoyed the quiet energy it gave him, even if he sometimes became jittery and anxious from consuming too much.
Arthur was waiting just inside the front door when they returned, doing his best not to appear as if he’d been pacing that exact spot for the duration of their absence. As soon as he saw Samuel, and confirmed for himself that his new lord wasn’t harmed in any way, the frown lines in the middle of his brow eased somewhat; though they did not vanish entirely.
“Welcome home, sir,” he said, his tone stiff and proper as it had ever been. “We have prepared a bath for you upstairs, and a fresh change of clothes. I know that you must be tired after your day down in the city.”
“Not at all,” Samuel said brightly, for he was truly wide awake. His legs might have been a bit sore, but he was by no means exhausted. “But a bath does seem welcome. Prepare one for Master Tokugawa as well.”
“It has already been taken care of, sir,” Arthur replied smoothly, bowing properly. To Shigeru, he offered no more than a courteous nod, exactly what was expected for a man of his position. “Mari will show you to your new quarters.”
“There is one more thing, sir,” Arthur said, as Shigeru made his way after the nervous-looking girl, now clad in a proper house gown and looking anxious at the stern expression on Shigeru’s face. “A few items of mail arrived for you while you were away. Clara has placed them in your room for your perusal.”
He stopped speaking then, but his expression was just hesitant enough to let Samuel - inept as he was at reading people - know there was something else. “And?”
“Lord Silver has extended you an invitation to his estate for dinner, my lord. He is hosting many of the nobles of Milagre and wishes you to attend. He wants to welcome you to the city properly, it seems.”
Samuel had expected this. He knew that he’d be a noble upon his arrival, and he’d heard enough rumors, myths, and facts about the people of the upper class to know that they loved to co-mingle. “Very well. I accept. You can tell me all about this Lord Silver when I’m finished with my bath.”
Arthur nodded, looking surprised at how quickly he accepted this news. Samuel couldn’t see why he’d be so surprised. He had an agile mind, and living in a tightly-knit village like Harlest had seen him become accustomed to other people wanting to know every bit of his life that they could. There were no secrets in a small place like a village, the old saying went. Apparently, the same could also be said for the nobles of a kingdom.