Mark of the Ranger

XIV. The Grand Wizardess Is...Is...

"Now, I know this was done rather quickly. Usually, it takes weeks or even months for the grand council to appoint a brand new Grand Wizardess. We're quite proud of ourselves, really. Now, without further ado, JAMES! THE SCROLL!" Oculus shouted behind him. A messenger came and handed him a scroll. They could use pieces of paper, but that wasn't as dramatic. Oculus slowly unraveled the scroll, looking down at the crowd of Rangers and magicians. The scroll was almost at its full length when Oculus finally looked back at it. "The newly appointed Grand Wizardess is..."

"...A wizardess from the Outlands," he continued vaguely. "One of our star students in the Academy." Every female star student from the Outlands Academy groaned. They could barely handle the suspense. "It's a girl," he joked, and someone shouted, "GET ON WITH IT!" I, personally, had to hide my chuckle, but I didn't understand what these wizardesses were going through. Oculus took a deep breath, even though he had no lungs. "The newly appointed Grand Wizardess is..."

"Is...Is...Is...Is..." Oculus had shorted out from the suspense! One of the other grand councillors, the one that I believe was known as the Alchemist, walked on to the balcony, shoved Oculus to the side, and said, "The newly appointed Grand Wizardess is Isabel Norrima. Congratulations, Isabel, and stop hiding behind that poor Ranger." It was true. Isabel was hiding behind me, pretending that she, who was just nominated the most powerful wizardess in the Five Lands, didn't exist. The Alchemist, if that was the Alchemist, dragged Oculus out of the balcony as other magicians and Rangers quickly discovered Isabel and were lifting her up on their hands. "Put me down!" Isabel shouted to them as they were throwing her up in the air.

Isabel threw her hand out, and a dark oak staff, topped with a bright blue jewel, flew through the doors of the hall to her hand. "Ventus!" she cried out, and a great wind blew from the point of her staff, knocking everyone back and into the walls. Isabel landed gracefully, then looked smugly at the other magicians. "Stop that," she said calmly, then threw her staff. The staff seemingly went back to where it had come from. After a few more moments of silence, everyone went back to dancing, just as they had done before the announcement. Isabel began dancing with me again, and this time she asked something of me.

"I need a favor of you, Lio," she told me. I was curious. "Oh? And what is that?"

"I need you and your team to escort me to the next grand council meeting, before the Ranger Gathering. We're not allowed to go by falcon, or by any other means than foot. Every year, Oculus appoints a group of new Rangers to escort the Grand Wizardess to this meeting, so it would be the perfect job. Plus, you could obtain a few Marks when you complete the mission," Isabel explained.

"I'm not sure that we can do something like that. You're sure it's a group of new Rangers?" I aske uncertainly. Isabel nodded, so I continued. "This can be taking a huge risk. Everyone knows that the quickest way from the Wizarding Guild to the grand council is dangerous and infested with pirates, amongother things. You're sure about this?"

"Of course I'm sure. Plus, isn't one of your Marks the Mark of Courage?" She chided.

"That may be, but--"

"Come on, Lio, don't make me persuade you."

"What does that mean? Are you going to use some sort of magic?"

"No! Of course not! Suadeo is very unhealthy for the brain."

"Well, I'm still not going to--" Isabel leaned over and kissed me on the lips. Instantly, my fears went away. "I said that suadeo was unhealthy, but I simply removed your fear," she explained. With my fear removed temporarily, I could see how easily this could be done. "We'll do it," I promised, sealing my words as truth.

It was a bad idea, but I didn't care at the time. I found my teammates and told them of our new mission. They loved it.

"That's a horrible idea."

"You're positively insane."

"You've made an absurd decision."

"This better be good."

"Is the new Grand Wizardess pretty?" That was Ko. He then proceeded to say I was insane. After they calmed down about my obviously wise decision, they showed me to a couple other Rangers that they met. There were two Woodland Rangers, by the name of Commanders Jordan and Josie, that Elena had introduced me to. Jeff showed me a Highland Ranger named Chris, one who wielded a hammer, like he did. I also met an Asmerian from the Badlands, whose name was Sari, and she used a fire-infused echo blade as her weapon of choice. "Are there any Deadland Rangers at the ball?" I asked my teammates and their new friends. After a moment of consideration, everyone shook their heads. "They never show up to anything, anyway. Trust me, I know," Sari assured me.

It was still odd, though. The Deadland Rangers may never willingly show up to Ranger Gatherings, they would definitely attend an event such as this. Rangers were always respectful, no matter what. I rejoined Isabel and told her my suspicions. "You're right," she told me. "There's not a single Deadland Ranger. Not even a representative saying that they deny attendance. If anything, they always send one of those." It was pretty suspicious, so I asked Oculus after he had gotten down from the room behind the balcony. "It's strange, I know. Veritas, the leader of the Deadland Rangers, didn't even arrive here, either. I know I sent him a message, and he always comes. We'll investigate it, Lio, don't you worry. Too much that is," he responded.

An hour or two later, my team and I mounted Tombstone, and we flew into the night. "So, first thing in the morning, we ask Oculus about the Grand Wizardess?" David asked me. I told him it was his decision, and he shrugged, then stared thoughtfully into the sky. I knew he and I both hoped that I hadn't made the wrong decision.