Multiverse of Magic & Mistakes (Completed)

Part Two - The Mages College - 1.2.8 Chapter 8

The Mages College of Verdyn, Verdyn, June 2019.

Vi fell forward and landed hard on her knees, the impact jarring up through her spine and causing her hand to slip from Rho's. Rho, anticipating the impact, had thoroughly braced himself and landed neatly on both feet.

" I feel like I've been through a fucking rock crusher!" Vi exclaimed.

Rho offered her his hand again and helped her to her feet. "You get used to it!"

Vi failed to come up with a witty response for she was busy taking in the central courtyard of the Mages College of Verdyn. In the very centre of the courtyard was a huge stone oak tree. It was by far the largest tree Vi had ever seen, branches off coming off the main trunk as wide as her waist and curved gently outward. The vast canopy caused the centre of the courtyard to be cast in deep shadow. Vi looked at the perfect stone leaves and acorns and realised that this was no sculpture or art piece, but the stone tree must have once been living and was now preserved in this state. Woah, Ok then. Stone trees were a thing here.

Further out from the shadow of the stone oak, the rest of the courtyard was neatly trimmed grass, with cobbled paths winding around the outside. Vi noticed that one patch of grass toward the far side appeared to be waterlogged whilst the rest was unaffected. And crossing the cobblestone paths in pairs and threes and fours were the Mages. Vi had expected them to be wearing long black robes and cloaks and pointed hats, but to her amazement, their clothes were not dissimilar to those worn on earth. Men and women, young and old alike had black loose linen trousers, black loose linen tunic tops and sturdy black shoes. She spotted a few of the women instead wearing knee-length flowing black skirts. The only flashes of colour came from their wide belts, with long tassels knotted around their waists. It must be some sort of uniform, Vi realised. Jewellery seemed to be very in. Violet could see most of the Mages had several long necklaces layered around their necks and multiple bracelets along their arms. She was too far away to see, but she suspected most of them would have pointed ears, like Rho's. She wondered what the different colour belts and the jewellery meant.

The Mages College loomed over them on all four sides. The building was gothic in style and at least three stories high. It went straight up from the lower two floors then tapered upward to sharply pointed gables at the roof. Wide glass windows with dark wooden shutters were interspaced at regular intervals. A wide wooden exterior walkway circled the upper level, with small doors leading inside. In the centre of each side of the square building, were large gothic-style arch doorways, one for each compass point, leading into the interior of the college. Violet realised that the building exterior appeared to be made entirely of short overlapping planks of wood. She stared and turned, taking in the size of the place, its apparent 2-fold symmetry, and choice of building material.

"I wasn't expecting all the wood. Or all the symmetry." She finally remarked.

"What were you expecting?"

"Erm, a giant stone castle?"

"Like Hogwarts?" Rho laughed. "Please, don't try and compare Verdyn to Hogwarts!"

He reached into his bag, and pulled out a large grey stone, with neat rows of flat embedded gemstones. Rho held the stone in both hands and screwed up his face in concentration before saying; "Master Reynold, I'm back, and I have someone from Earth to see you."

"Excellent work Rhonan! Bring them to my office immediately!" came the response inside his head.

Rho led Violet across the central courtyard towards one of the four arched doorways.

"What was that stone thing?" she asked.

"A Conveyor, almost our mobile phones. Unlike your phones, they allow for buzzing people who have a corresponding gemstone only."