The Other Apprentice

10-2 | Strange New World

Before long, Tenet came down and joined in for breakfast. He seemed anxious and excited about the day, and Quinn could understand why, knowing what Madrigal had promised the two of them. It was that promise that had likely been the root of her nightmare.

Magic. Madrigal had promised that today, they would learn the secrets of being able to use magic. That they would meet with the al'vilae themselves via a nexus near to Stillbrook. Quinn wasn't sure how she felt about this.

It hadn't been more than a few weeks ago that she would have screamed at the idea of being where she was now. Staying with Madrigal, training to be a wizard. What had changed?

She thought about each of the key players. First, Madrigal himself. He didn't act the way she'd expected him to. Was he truly the doddering old fool he appeared to be, or was this just another act? Even if he was, that hardly excused the crimes he had perpetrated in his past. Tenet seemed to think the wizard deserved a second chance. Quinn wasn't so sure she agreed. But then again, Tenet also believed that about her, and she was still struggling with that notion.

She thought about Tenet. How had her feelings about Tenet changed? Initially, she thought him to be idealistic, naïve, and privileged. Honestly, she couldn't hold his privilege against him. He'd given up a chance at a much more lucrative life to seek a dream. And he truly seemed to believe that he could help others, expecting nothing in return. She didn't share his optimism but had found the young man to be her closest confidant this past month. She had started to see him as a friend.

What about magic? Had her feelings changed about magic? She shuddered, thinking about it. She still hated the thought of magic. Possibly even more-so. Before, she had only heard the stories of what it had done to a land that she'd never seen. Now she had seen firsthand what a blighted landscape looked like, and she did not like it. The thought of magic still made her want to hurl. No, her feelings about magic had not changed.

But she had a new understanding of what it was to be a wizard. It had never occurred to her that a wizard's true purpose was to keep people from abusing magic. She had always thought of the wizards as the abusers themselves, not the protectors. She had seen a ni'vilae firsthand as well as his vicious otherworldly darkhounds. If she were to become a wizard, it would be her responsibility to keep enemies such as these out of the world and prevent the misuse of magic. Surely, that was a worthy goal.

She thought about her goals. For so long, it felt like she had no motivation, no direction and no plan for her life, other than to get through each day. She'd lacked purpose in life. Now purpose was being handed to her.

With all that had happened since leaving Lytgard, she suspected the element that had truly changed in her life was herself. Tenet had forced her to think about a future for herself when she had been spending every day focused on the present. The Ordo had seemed an exciting prospect for her to make a life for herself, but deep down, she knew that her life there would have been a lie. The Ordo believed her to be something that she wasn't, and to possess skills she didn't.

But Madrigal seemed to have no such delusions about her. She had passed his entrance test herself. She doubted Tenet would have managed on his own. Madrigal seemed to respect her for the person she was rather than for a part she was playing. When was the last time someone had appreciated her for her own merits and saw a future for her based on those qualities?

She realized it was for this reason she was curious to see where this apprenticeship was leading. But could she see herself as a wizard? A caster of magic?

Madrigal came down the stairs, dressed for an excursion with a gnarled walking staff in hand. "It is time. Come, students."

Quinn realized it was time to decide. Was she someone with a future, or someone who ran away from opportunity?