Things Lost and Found (a Waglington and Mianite fanfiction)

Chapter 4

How did this book go from 87 views to 240 in 6 days? O.o This is insane. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy the new chapter. More wizardly backstory, anyone? :)

*Wag's POV*

The wind blasted past my face as I raced after Tom, who—in true Dianite fashion—had started a split second early. In a rare moment of whimsy, I released the magic I had keeping the hood of my robes in place, allowing it to fall back and let the wind whip through my unruly brown hair as we raced along the coast (well, what had been the coast). I had not put my old magic through its paces in a while, and it felt good to use it so freely again, if only for a short time.

I willed myself to catch up to Tom and slowly gained on him as we flew west past Sonja's pink and purple house and Tucker's dojo and purloined lighthouse. We began to veer south as we drew even with Jordan's towers. I happened to catch a glimpse of golden wings, and looked more closely as we passed. Phil was hovering by the taller tower, talking to Jordan, who stood on the walkway between towers. Matt flew around the base of the mountain, while (Wizard) Tom stood on the ground with his head tilted slightly, staring intently at the stone cliff face and small cave before them. I recognized the scene without giving them a second glance; they were building.

~Flashback~

The piercingly bright sun shone down on my hooded head as I walked through the courtyard garden of our recently acquired home. It was a pleasant enough place, despite the sand always getting into places it shouldn't. So far we'd had no luck devising a spell to prevent that problem. The shade of the palm trees, scent of exotic flowering plants, and the sound of the splashing fountain filled my senses, but did not keep me from noticing my brothers, Matt and Tom, standing before a wall Matt had been working on.

Parts of the courtyard and the building itself had been allowed to run into overgrowth and disrepair by its previous owner. We had decided to clean up a little, and it did not take long considering our vast powers, only a handful of days really. I had undertaken cleaning the library that did not look to have been used in decades and the careful restoration of the many books and scrolls that had been allowed to molder or become damaged and brittle. Tom had fixed all the broken wiring for the lights, doors, and the fountain splashing cheerfully in the background. Phil fixed any and all structural damage to the temple proper, and Matt was in charge of the grounds surrounding the temple, including the courtyard. Really the only rooms that seemed well cared for were the kitchen, bedchambers, and barracks.

In clearing the vines that had taken over many of the walls, Matt appeared to have uncovered an old mosaic that they now stood gazing at. Tom had his head tilted slightly to the side in contemplation while Matt returned to incinerating vines that still covered the edges of the colorful picture. I walked over to join Tom in studying the wall. The tiny square tiles had been carefully arranged to form the image of a blue green pond with dark green lily pads and white and pink water lilies floating on the calm surface. Orange and white koi slipped in and out of sight under the pads and blossoms. Matt was just uncovering what looked to be a stilt-legged wading bird with snow white feathers. It was standing in the shallows with its gracefully curved neck bent close to the surface, eyeing one of the smaller fish. The exposed borders of the mosaic—where they remained intact—were swirling patterns of bright blues, greens, and white. Having cleared the last of the vines, Matt rejoined us in admiring the masterpiece.

Phil found us standing there some time later and joined us as well. As the sun started to set, we tore ourselves away from the captivating arrangement of tiles. The amount of time and care that must have gone into making it... We returned to the sandstone temple to examine the other repairs we'd finished and ate a quick meal by torchlight.