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Six

The events that unfolded next happened so quickly and in such abundance that I can't even begin to recount them. When we stepped out of the wizard's tower, men in red cloaks awaited us. We put up a good fight, but in the end, we lost this battle. A man grabbed Sophie, and another grabbed Laughlin; they teleported away before we could stop them. Ryul, having completed the spell to understand the orb's whispers, told us where he suspected we could find Sophie.

The journey to Highland Tower, turned into a journey to the island of Choddrath and The Battle of Dragon Peak. We met and made friends with The Prince of Ledora, saw the return of dragons to the world, Sophie became The Red Dragon Queen, and somehow, Commander Rend made it to Choddrath just in time to see our victory. There had been a point in time that I didn't think we were ever going to make it back to Blackwater, but when we reached the crest of the mountain pass and looked at the town below, my heart ached. Pa was sick when I left, chances were, he was no better off now. When we got back to the guild, Ryul was waiting for us.

"I'm glad to see you made it back safely," he said, moving past me to talk to Sophie.

"I trust that you accepted your ancestral gift? I wasn't certain at first, but now I see it. Your father was a terrible man—an amazing sorcerer, but a truly awful man—

"I'll stop you right there, my father is Commander Leon Rend, and he happens to be a wonderful man, and father. Whatever it is you think you know, I promise you are mistaken."

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I had never seen Sophie stand up for someone so fiercely, but I couldn't focus on anything except the implication that Commander Rend might not be her father by blood. Did he know?

"My apologies, I didn't mean to upset you. When you showed me the spell book you found, I almost didn't recognize it, but then when I flipped through some of the pages, the script was unforgettable. Given where you found it, I thought perhaps he was a family member, but that's not why I came."

"Why did you come, then?" Sophie demanded.

"Your blood contains powerful magic, and I need an apprentice. I know I don't look as old as I am, but the time to join my ancestors draws closer every day and I have no children. You could be a powerful wizard with the right training. It would take a year, maybe two at the tower, then you could make your home wherever you like."

Sophie looked at me and I could see the hope in her eyes. I had never been so afraid of her answer, not even when I asked her to marry me was I as scared as I was in that moment of silence that hung in the air. Would she really leave me to learn magic?

"I'm sorry, could you train me here? I do not wish to leave my family and my life here in Blackwater for that long," Sophie replied. Relief washed over me and I exhaled the breath I had been holding in anticipation of her answer. A smile tugged at the corners of my lips but I tried to suppress it as best I could as to not influence her decision.

"I apologize, but the training must be completed at the tower and while I do understand your attachment to your family and friends, I am giving you the chance to change our world for the better. You will have the power to protect those you love," Ryul shrugged. "If you change your mind, you know where to find me." The wizard produced a cloud of smoke that obscured him from view and when it cleared, he was gone.