Fairycorrupter

Chapter 2

"Aza." Draven hollered like a child as soon as she appeared through the door. He was across the room in a second with his arms wrapped around his older sister in a tight bear hug. All he could do was chuckle at the affection.

"Good to see you, Az." Uncle Ro said with a sniffle. Despite his sturdy, big, and stout frame, Uncle Ro was a softy at heart. Most mages and elves of the north only focused on his tall, muscular body and thick facial hair, which made him look like the lumberjack serial killers in the human horror movies. His vulnerabilities were only known to Draven, Azura, and a few academy mages stationed in Fjordland.

"Going somewhere? Draven asked his sister. She quirked an eyebrow at him, looked down at her dress, then laughed. Her long black dress with silver sides and white sequins around the bottom and top morphed into a black hoodie and white jeans with combat boots.

"More like where I've already been. I had to stop at a formal at town hall." Azura answered, putting her hands in the kangaroo pouch.

"A formal this early? Don't they usually serve alcohol at the formals?" Draven asked, and she nodded.

"Mages will drink any time of the day...." Azura answered with an eye roll, "I'm not used to the cold anymore." Azura said with a shiver.

"The weather can't be that different," Draven commented. Then again, Azura was never a cold weather person, to begin with. She even ignored the water and ice aspects of her inherited magic. She instead focused on her moon magic and telekinesis.

Azura smelled the air with deep interest and sighed contently at the scents that began to waft throughout the main chamber. Daven hadn't even noticed that Uncle Ro had walked away to keep cooking the food. The two siblings made their way to the dining table against the railing on the ledge. Sitting on the stools, they could look down into the living area while talking and watch the food gently placed on the table. Sweetly cooked cinnamon and vanilla pancakes with juniper berry-infused maple syrup lightly landed on the table. Draven's stomach roared when he got a whiff of the savory caribou sausages seasoned with pepper, ginger, nutmeg, sage, and rosemary. In the middle of the table, a hot plate built into the wooden table kept a tea kettle warm with Labrador tea steeping inside.

"What was the reason for the formal? Surely it wasn't just an excuse for the town officials to get drunk." Uncle Ro asked while Draven poured milk and honey into a mug made of Alaskan jade and fluoride. After that, he added the pale golden-colored tea into the cup and took a sip with a satisfied sigh.

"To touch base with Fjordland's general security. Then..." She sighed, "The snow elves showed up with an essay of grievances they wanted me to give to the mage council." She grumbled.

"Why would they go to you? You're part of NAMA. It's only a military installation. Wouldn't they have to send the letter to the grandmaster in Massachusetts?" Draven asked while Azura took a sip of winterberry juice.

"That's what I told them. I tried not to be too irritated with the elves since they didn't know any better. The most I could do for them is give the letter to headmaster Brennus. I, of course, gave myself an extra errand to do." Azura complained further.

"Did they have food at the formal? Uncle Ro asked, gaining another eye roll from Azura. Her favorite hobby.

"Only basic human-styled salmon and crab cakes. The coffee was elk dung too. Nothing like the native cuisine." Azura critiqued with a smear of acorn butter on a slice of toast, "The food at the academy is nothing like the food up here. It's sad, honestly." Azura mentioned.

"You always say that about their food." Uncle Ro stated with a chuckle.

"Because it's always true. You should have seen the looks on the academy merchant's faces when I was going around asking for acorn butter."

"Hmm... I could see if Maila would be able to export some products to the academy." Uncle Ro thought aloud, stroking his beard and leaning back in his chair.

"You just want a reason to see Ms. Maila." Azura teased with a smirk on her face. Whatever was visible on Uncle Ro's face quickly turned red like a male cardinal.

"Excuse you, but I don't need a reason to see Maila anymore." Ro protested. Azura's eyebrow quirked up again for a split second, "We have become official." He explained.

"About damn time. Making googly eyes at each other for half a decade." Azura joked, making tea rush into the back of Draven's nose. He rushed for a napkin and felt his uncle's glare hit him.

"Besides, her neighbor Robin will try establishing a store at the academy. You remember him, right?" Uncle Ro teased her back.

"Why would you mention that wretched snow serpent? He needs to stay here and miles away from me." Azura spat. Draven took another sip of his tea, looking between them, waiting for an explanation.

"Who's Robin?" Draven asked, tired of waiting.

"Someone I dated in secondary until we both left for the academy. He was mad when he had to come home alone because he thought I would renounce my acceptance for him. Pfft, never in a million years." Azura sputtered at the thought. Poor Robin, Draven thought. Another victim of the entrance exam.

"Hopefully, I won't come back home in failure," Draven mumbled. Azura reached across the table to grab his hand.

"You'll be fine." She reassured him. The dirty dishes floated off the table and into the kitchen sink, where Uncle Ro was stationed, waiting to orchestrate the quick clean-up.

"What time does the train leave?" Uncle Ro asked over his shoulder.

"Noon." Azura answered, "It'll take about forty-eight hours to get to the academy... Weather permitting."

Forty-eight hours? The train had better be comfortable for them to be on it that long. Why couldn't it fly like most things the mages make? "What time is it now?" Draven asked. Most of his things were packed already. He had to grab it on the way out the door. He asked his uncle if he could shrink the house and take it with him, but his uncle said it would be inappropriate.

"Ten something," Azura answered. She sighed, looking around the kitchen and then into the living area. It only lasted a moment, but Draven could catch a glimpse of homesickness in her eyes. A condition he would be familiar with soon enough.

"I need to visit more often. My room could use a remodel. We'll come back over the holidays, won't we?" Azura asked Draven, who nodded in agreement.

"You two promise?" Uncle Ro perked up before Draven could obviously agree. They were looking at him with a hopeful glance even though they didn't need to hope; Draven's mind was already made up.

"It would take an army to stop us," Draven promised. He prayed in his head that the universe wasn't given an idea. At the academy, there was no telling what the next few months had for him, assuming he got in. Azura didn't have to say to him that dark times were ahead. Everyone could feel it. A growing pressure and uneasiness rising in the atmosphere.

In the forests, giant wolf spider and snow serpent populations were growing for unknown reasons. Also, many domesticated herds of caribou, elk, and mammoths were born with magic. Animals born with magic in the wild were protectors of the herd and were a sign of danger. However, many creatures of the north were proud, hardy, and stubborn, just like the mages.

"Are you ready?" Azura asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Draven answered back. He crossed the room to get his bags and met the two of them at the front door.