18.2 You Pass

General Summary

Day 215

After sleeping in after our elvish party I find myself leisurely relaxing in the common room when a troll arrives to see me. They are enormous but comparatively small, as trolls go, with dark mossy green skin and vibrant aquamarine eyes.   We sit quietly for a little while, exchanging a few words. They comment on me being a little wizard and laugh when I counter that I have big magic. As dusk descends on the city they invite me out for a walk, heading far out of the city to a sheltered area nestled between some rolling hills. We settle down on a flat rock overlooking a small pool that looks to be a seasonal pond of sorts.   “Soon,” they tell me calmly.   And then as the darkness settles around us the pond comes alive with blue-purple luminescent speckles. Pinkish-purple flowers blossom around the pool, glowing softly. After a while Puddle slowly hops off the rock and returns with two blossoms plucked from the plants, handing one to me. I inhale deeply and it instantly transports me to the Empress’ twilight gardens. The honeysuckle scent surrounds me and I hear the faint songs from the plants around us, almost like fae songs. The colours around us shift as well, into brighter purples and blue-violets. Time slips away as we sit together in silence. And after a while Puddle rises and simply starts walking back to the city. I follow, after hastily burying the wilting blossoms in the rich earth by the pond. Puddle nods at me and we walk in silence back to the inn.   “Little wizard - new friend. You pass,” they tell me before turning and ambling away. Somehow I feel like one of my own students when I say nothing and let them simply find an answer by themself.   Inside I find Kadia and the others waiting for me, concerned. I was gone for hours, apparently. And it occurs to me, just as I say it aloud to all of my family and apprentices, that I simply wandered off into the wilderness to get high with a troll.   Look...I came here on a diplomatic mission. And it’s working. I passed. And sometimes you need to take some time to experience new things and enjoy the world around you, and that’s fine.   I wander up to bed and fall into a deep, wonderful sleep. The dreams I have are vivid and wonderful, like an amalgamation of all my most precious memories with Mistress. I wake feeling like I’ve heard exactly the advice I needed to hear, even if I can’t remember it. It’s a new day.  

Days 218-221

After a few days of respite in the city our party heads North towards Sotor and then further on to Afan. Puddle takes the lead, loping far ahead and simply vanishing into the landscape before surfacing and beckoning us onwards. Even Alder has to admit that they are incredibly stealthy, especially considering their size.   Once we pass Sotor and cross the border of the Armed Nation we settle into our normal travelling routine, now with the addition of our two new companions. Torrick and I get a chance to talk about magic some more and I notice that he is laden with wands just like Alder is with daggers. He uses each wand for a specialized purpose and it channels enough of his small magical energy to accomplish that one thing in particular. They are amplifiers in a very specific way. It’s a clever solution but he wonders aloud if he would be happier doing something besides leadership and magical academia when he clearly does not have the innate magic required. Especially in the presence of all my apprentices setting up an efficient and comfortable camp, using their magic for trivial but wonderful things like making pudding and butter, it throws his lack of magic into relief.   Back home it’s uncommon for someone with strong innate talent to go unnoticed and even those with some small magical aptitude will find a way to cherish it. It sounds like the same cannot be said for dwarves. Sort of like the Collective they are born to a station that governs how they will grow up and what choices will be available to them. Being a soldier or a labourer wouldn’t have been an option for Torrick even if it’s what he wanted.   Over the course of our several day journey I have the pleasure of watching my apprentices from something of an outside perspective, as I’m mostly occupied with Torrick. Bran and Alder continue working them through exercises and battle magic as well as theory. I see Dawn and Nina growing closer in a way that reminds me of me and Doraal. For all that Nina is younger, she’s still a protector and slips into that role easily with Dawn.   In the evening one day, Dawn pulls me aside to thank me again for showing them a new way of life. “It’s not just that it doesn’t hurt anymore...it feels good to be like this,” they tell me.   And they ask if one day they might get to see the Empire and if they would be accepted there too. Like Rina I think they might face some challenges, being an unsworn human, but by the time we can cross I think those issues may be moot. I want Dawn to see the Empire and especially the Carthians. I think that when Rabiya gets to meet his tribe I want Dawn to be there with him too. But first they’ll see the Northern Grove and I hope they’ll find more family amongst the fae there.