The Mages arrived the next morning.
When they came, Lian was waiting for them.
There were four in total, three women and one man.
Sitting on the steps of the closed school house, Lian saw the very moment each of the four Mages caught sight of him.
All four looked surprised as they straightened on the backs of their horses. Clearly hey hadn’t expected Lian to stick around after his magical display. Fenrir had told him that many Magic users fled after their first magical release. This was why an Oracle was always sent to fetch the new apprentices, usually with guards. Lian wouldn’t run though. He was no coward, the scars on his back be damned.
They were just within hearing range when the first Mage spoke. Lian wasn’t surprised to see that it was the man.
Relatively young in appearance, and rather pretty for a man, he reminded Lian of an older and much saner Nova, though the only similarity was in their dark brown hair that hung in wavy lengths around his face and his somewhat feminine features that twisted up in a familiar sneer. Lian’s dislike for the man was instant and obviously reciprocated.
“But he’s only a god forsaken child!”
“No more than sixteen I believe.” Replied one of the women. She was prettier than the man, but in a slight and transparent way. Her eyes were a dull shade of gray and her hair was pale blond, almost white in the light of the rising sun. She reminded Lian of a living ghost, yet her voice had a presence to it that her appearance did not. It was strong, not loud, but authoritative. Lian couldn’t have placed her age if he tried. “And he is quite powerful, no?”
“Quite.” Another woman echoed. This one had fiery red hair that hung in messy curls all about her head. The sun rose behind them so Lian couldn’t see her eyes, but her skin was pale and littered with small brown freckles. She couldn’t have been more than twenty-five years old. Everything about her radiated wildness and freedom, like an unbroken mustang. Lian found himself liking her instantly. “My name’s Ashling, wee one. Blonde one over there’s Voniya. The whinny child’s called Lybell, and my twin here’s Keera.”
The twin in question had stopped slightly behind her sister, making her features hard to distinguish against the light of the sun, so Lian hadn’t tried, but he could see that the twins were, in fact, identical.
“This is the part where you tell us your name in turn, child.” The pale one, Voniya, said with a slight smile. Her face was open despite her dull outward appearance.
Lian kept his face blank as he stood from his perch on the school house steps. The school house was located at the eastern edge of town, and thus was the perfect building to sit and wait for the arrival of the Mages.
As soon as he stood up, Fenrir, who had been resting behind him so as to not be hit directly by the sun, also got to his paws and stood at his side. So close he was almost leaning against Lian’s leg.
“My name is Killian Fury.” He allowed, with a tip of his head. “But I go by Lian.”
Only, they were no longer staring at him anymore. All of their attention was solely on the wolf at his side.
Lian could feel Fen’s sudden tension at their scrutiny and laid a hand against the back of his neck.
“It’s a wolf.” The previously quite twin, Keera, finally spoke. Her voice was soft and nearly emotionless, the complete opposite of her rather lively sister.
“I can see that, Keer.” Ashling replied, never taking her eyes off of Fenrir.
“This has to be a joke! First we ride like our tails are on fire to a no name village almost a week and a half away from the Academy to find a barely five-foot-tall little boy who has not only already found his Familiar, no, the gods be damned thing is a Wolf!” The only man in the group sounded outraged and his voice rose with every world. Instantly both Lian and Fenrir were on their guard, the wolf growling in his throat and the boy taking a subtle fighting stance, reaching carefully for one of the knives at his lower back. Lian was lucky he'd already gathered his pack from underneath his bed that morning. He wouldn't be caught empty-handed against these Mages.
“You will calm yourself.” The ghost woman barked, her dull eyes narrowing as they turned on the man. “You were chosen to collect the new apprentice because you are one more test away from a Master status. Should I tell Master Jaques that you don’t have what it takes to become a Master?”
The harshness of her tone instantly cowed Lybell and Lian saw the man back down. Suddenly he was certain that Voniya, for all her dull paleness, was the leader of this small group of Mages.
Once Lybell bowed his head in a grudging sort of deference, Voniya turned her disarming gaze at Lian. Lian had to stiffen his spine and gather up his self-control to keep from bowing his own head to this woman. His pride won out. He was a Lion of Fury and Lions do not bow.
“You have found your Familiar.” Voniya stated, unhelpfully.
“Yes.” Lian replied shortly, a part of him still deeply rebellious of these Mages. He might be a Magic user, as Fenrir calls them, but these were never going to be his people, he was more sure of that than ever.
“And your Familiar is a wolf.” Voniya pointed out the obvious again, and Lian found himself bristling at her words. He’d preferred the term Fenrir had used in his tales. Guardians. That’s what Fenrir was to him.
“He is.” Lian grit out. He wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be able to take her hard stare and unyielding tone. It was setting all of his instincts on edge.
“Show us the Mark.”
Cold ice clawed up Lian’s stomach and froze his throat. The request was a simple one, he was sure of that by how she spoke it, but this wasn’t so for him.
His Mark was located on the back of his left shoulder. Lian knew that to show his Mark would mean showing them his back, presenting his shame to them in the harsh daylight.
They would see every nasty, jagged scar running random patterns on the entire expanse of his upper back.
He could not…he would not show them.
“Lian!”
Fen’s voice dragged him back from the edge of his panic, and for the first time he noticed that the air around them all had begun to curl and spin, working itself up into a whirlwind in a little under thirty seconds.
All four of the Mages were staring at him with round, very surprised eyes, and Lian could see a slight shimmering between himself and them.
A shield? He thought to himself.
“I believe so.” Fenrir answered.
It wouldn’t hurt if I learned how to do that. Lian conceded, allowing the air to die down now that he had his panic in check.
“No.” Lian answered as calmly as he could. He was proud to note that his voice didn’t shake when he spoke that one word, though he would sure that if he had said anymore, it would have quaked like a leaf in the breeze.
“No?” Voniya asked, eyebrows knitting together. Lian almost wanted to laugh out loud at the fact that he had finally gotten her to actually ask a question.
“No.” Lian repeated.
“Lian, maybe you don’t understand.” Ashling started leaning forward into her horse’s long neck. Her expression so open and earnest. “It’s customary for Mages to present their Marks when they first meet. It is considered a sigh of good faith and trust between beings of power.”
Lian frowned at her, not convinced and absolutely not persuaded.
“I do not carry good faith, nor do I particularly trust any of you.” He started bluntly. Ashling stared at him open-mouthed.
Lybell reared back as if he was slapped before he surged forward so hard that his horse let out a sound of distress and took two steps forward.
“Why you ungrateful little-”
“What do I possibly have to be grateful for?” Lian retorted sharply, his glare cutting into Lybell. Fifteen he may still be until tomorrow, but he was a Warrior at his heart and he would not cower. “I have lost my mother, my home, and my chance to join the Warrior’s Guild. I was not raised a Mage and there for do not think of myself as one. Yes, I have magic,” Lian raised his hand when Ashling made to speak, she closed her mouth with an audible click. “But I did not ask for it nor went after it. My future was set for the Warrior’s Guard. Instead I am thrown face first into a fire and expected to enjoy it while it burns me? I will go with you for one reason only, and that is because I do not wish to cause harm with a weapon I cannot control. As soon as I learn that control, I will be gone. So no,” He turned his glare to Ashling. “I will not show you my Mark in good faith and falsely promised trust.” He swung his eyes to Lybell once again. “And I will not cower in the face of people who barely show me respect merely because they believe my age makes me incompetent. I may only turn sixteen tomorrow, but I was very well taught.”
Lian lowered his hand as he finished his rant, raking his accusing gaze over Lybell, Ashling, and even Voniya. He would not allow them to treat him like a child. He had lost so much; he would not allow them to take any more of him. Especially not his pride.
He could feel Fen shaking in silent laughter at his side and the beast’s amusement was beginning to bleed into his own, but he kept his face blank like his father had taught him.
“A Warrior, he calls himself.” Keera spoke for only the second time, her voice sounding just slightly amused. “Lian, he calls himself. Mage, he calls himself not. Well then Sir Warrior Mage Lian, I Believe you are exactly what the Academy needs.”
It was Keera’s turn to become the attention of everyone’s surprised gazes, but she merely stared back, her lip quirked just slightly to one side.
Lian nodded, once and deceive.
“I will see about getting myself a horse who won’t spook at my Guardian’s proximity.” He stressed the term he decided to use for Fenrir, then turned on his heal and went into the school building. Not bothering to speak another word to the three stunned Mages and the one very amused one.
“Interesting things are to come. Of that I am sure.” Fen commented with a disconcerting glee that Lian did not feel.
Now if only he could find someone in the village who would talk to him without running away.
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