Things Lost and Found (a Waglington and Mianite fanfiction)

Chapter 14

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??? POV

My boots clicked off the paving stones of the Courtyard of Nature as I briskly crossed the shaded space. I looked up at the yew tree that had been planted here at the city's founding. The evergreen had reached a grand stature and spread its branches to shade almost half of the courtyard from its central position. Red berries were dotted among the dark green needles. I smiled briefly at the memory the tree represented for me—an end to war, lush life continuing around the bloodshed the berries reminded me of. The berries came and went with the seasons, but the tree was never without its abundance of needles.

Continuing past the centuries old softwood, I quickly made my way across the intricately patterned brickwork of the courtyard to the gate of the college district, mentally reviewing the summons I had received. The message had said that there was someone the Board wanted me specifically to question. I hoped this was not like the last time I'd received such a summons. That had been after a young wizard and a group of mortals had gotten into it over a girl, and the mortals had not come out of the confrontation alive. Being in my position, it fell to me to deal out the justice necessary to maintain the delicate truce we had with the gods. I would gladly wipe out the remaining population of mortals in this realm before having to harm one of our own, and I despised Mianite and his "order" for having backed me into that position.

I did my best to shake these thoughts from my mind as I quickly took the steps leading to the administration building of the college. The stone falcons lining the roof stood as sentinels in the fading light. Crystals lining the walkways and stairs were beginning to glow faintly as the sun sank behind one of the many mountains shielding our fair city from the outside world.

The door opened of its own accord as I approached and closed silently behind me. The admin building was much larger on the inside than it appeared on the outside, but this was a wizard city, after all. Walking through the abandoned atrium, I took a turn down one of the halls, passing the studies of wizards who taught on this campus. Turning onto a second hallway brought me to one of the meeting rooms that we rarely used. A master wizard in brown pants and a striped yellow and white shirt with goggles resting on his brown hair stood guard while reading an old book from the library. He was a recent graduate, if I remembered correctly. "Good evening, UserCreated. Who do we have today?" I asked nonchalantly. Where do these young wizards come up with their nicknames?

He looked up from the book he had been reading and snapped to attention, closing it quickly. "Ms. Hart! One of our missing wizards and his apprentice were found crossing the bridge into Laenadur this morning, too exhausted to teleport. They seem to be rested enough to talk now." He seemed worried, but not about me catching him reading when he was supposed to be standing guard.

Missing wizard? I wasn't aware any of our... Oh! "Wait, you mean one of the Fyre wizards turned back up?" Now I understand why he's worried. He was apprenticed to Phil before he graduated. They had left for a new dimension almost 10 years ago, and the connection between the two realms had deteriorated hours after they left. The connection had not solidified enough for us to get a message through since then, and we had not received a single report from them either. Waglington was always good about sending reports if there was any possible way.

User nodded. "Well, actually it isn't one of the four. Rythian made it back with Avrae."

Rythian? Too tired to teleport? "You are relieved of your watch. Please inform the Board that I will bring them a report as soon as I finish here." I dismissed User with a wave of my hand and opened the door to the meeting room.