Boy of Light and Dust

Ica

The black-haired boy looked absolutely terrified. Ica knew the look he wore. He'd never seen someone use magic before. The boy had to have been at least seventeen and he'd never seen magic before. Ica couldn't figure out why William was hanging around him if he wasn't his son. Though he imagined if William had a son, he'd be much older. But magic was weird.

"Well, could you at least be a little helpful and tell me a little information? What about his name?" Ica asked, pointing a finger in the boy's direction, which was really pointing at William, who was standing between Ica and the other boy. William only glared at him.

"It's Dayin," the boy said quietly as he peered around William's armour and robes. He seemed shy and unsure of Ica.

"Dayin?" Ica repeated, biting back his curiosity. He raised his eyebrows in interest at William, who in turn gave him an even more annoyed look, if that was possible. "Jackson?" Dayin possibly-Jackson stayed quiet. "Really?"

If that really was Dayin Jackson, then oh, man. There were so many things wrong with their textbooks about him. Not to mention, Dayin looked a lot more friendly in person than he did in any of the pictures he'd seen of him.

"Shut up," William hissed. Well, that pretty much answered the question. Ica fought back a grin. He loved getting on William's nerves and even more so when he wasn't really doing anything wrong. "There are people near."

"Me." Ica knew otherwise, but it didn't mean he had to agree with William.

"No." William pulled the boy out from behind him, making him stumble. William didn't seem to notice or care. "We've got to move. You might as well go back if you're just going to badger us. We'll be there when we get there."

Ica raised his eyebrows further. "You're not just going to..." Ica wiggled his fingers enthusiastically. If William used his magic, they could be at the school and safe in no time. Ica wasn't sure why he didn't use it. But from the glare William gave him, he understood why he hadn't. He felt stupid for not realizing it sooner, given the look that Dayin had on his face when Ica had shown up. "Ohh, I see. He doesn't know anything about..." Ica wiggled his fingers again with half of a smirk; Dayin looked dumfounded. "You're scared he'll get hurt or something."

Ica readjusted his stance before returning his attention to William and Dayin more-than-likely-Jackson and smiled. "I'm staying," he said, holding his head high, waiting for William to object. "I can help. I can sense the others that are coming." He'd noticed there were others nearby when he'd arrived. He just couldn't tell who they were or where exactly they were. They'd been smart enough to cast a weak shield to keep their identities hidden.

William didn't seem impressed by Ica's wanting to stay and help. He pushed Dayin toward the horses, almost ignoring Ica. "Ica, get on the other horse," he told him, his voice gruff, annoyance ringing true. Ica didn't argue this time. He knew this wasn't a fight he could win; not when there was a legitimate danger around. He wasn't about to put himself in or a kid that knew nothing about magic in danger just because he wanted to be stubborn. "Get him as close as you can. I'll be there as soon as I'm able," he told him before letting the lead fall from his hand.

Dayin furrowed his eyebrows as Ica led him and the horses through the winding streets of the unfamiliar city. He seemed concerned and confused, and there wasn't much Ica could do to help him understand. William would have him in detention for the rest of his life if he tried to explain anything that concerned magic.