The Wolf Mage

Home in Maridius

Something below me lurched to the side waking me up. My eyes started to open to look up at a dimly lit sky. The sun was beginning to rise again. My body felt numb, and tired. I glanced down to see my chest, and arms delicately wrapped in bandages. ‘Well if I were dead I suppose I wouldn’t need bandages’ I decided. I glanced around. I was in a cart with some people walking beside it. I recognized their faces from the camp back home. ‘Home, were we heading home?’  I wondered curiously. There were two others in the cart. A brown haired boy with bandages around his head. My vision focused as I squinted. I noticed the bandages around his chest. I looked back up to his face in realization that this was Brad.

“You okay?” a voice asked. Across the wooden cart was Erza. His legs and arms were in bandages from the burns. Without thinking I started to sit up. I groaned as pain flashed over my body. Still, I managed to sit up.

“What’s going on?” I asked. Erza opened his mouth to speak, but a different voice behind me answered.

“We’re heading home” I heard Dale’s voice. He was walking beside the cart. Usually I was irritated when he was around because he was always scolding me for not being focused. This time I was glad to see another familiar face.

“I heard you met my brother” he added, “Aaron” I nodded my head in response, and he grinned.

“Hell ya!” he cheered, “I heard you guys took him on in a fight!” he added. A hand smacked him on the back of the head. Behind him walking along with us was Eleanor, his wife.

“I’m glad you three are alright. I wish we’d been there sooner” she said.

“And I wish you’d stayed home where it’s safer” Dale complained under his breath. Her hand came down again on the back of his head.

“You guys are quite beat up, but I’m proud of you guys” she added.

“We got there a few minutes after Aaron, and his squad made their escape. Picked you three up, tossed you into the cart, and started home. I looked around at the forest around us. The trees were familiar, even the smell. I looked down at my hands, remembering the fight with Edmund. ‘Wolf magic’ I remembered. ‘I want to learn more about it’ I decided.

“I think I’ll get up, and walk” I muttered. I started to stand, wincing in pain as I hopped out of the cart. Dale sighed, and rubbed his head.

“Not only are you unfocused, but stubborn” he teased. Three horses were pulling the cart, their hooves tapped lightly against the bridge over the river. The cart rocked left, and right as it continued over the bridge. Once passed the bridge it didn’t take long to reach home. We headed back to the field where the camp was. Brad, and Erza both were sent to the infirmary where the unconscious Brad could sleep better, and Erza’s burns could be better treated. I on the other hand, refused to go to the infirmary. I started into town, grabbed a quick breakfast from the nearest place that was open because I was just absolutely starving. There was no way I was skipping breakfast, not happening. Afterwards I started down the cobblestone towards the library. I approached the tall stone building. It was recently built to replace the old library. I walked up the wide steps, and entered the building. A clean, papery smell greeted me. A man sat behind a desk near the door. Some scholarly looking kids close to my age sat at tables studying under the watchful eyes of teachers. These were the children of nobles. 'Was was my father like? A rich noble, or a courageous warrior?' I wondered. I sighed, ‘I wonder what my mother was like’ I thought. I shook the lonely thoughts from my mind. I need to focus on finding a book.

I headed further into the library's history section. The founding of Anova, the founding of the village, and finally I turned into the section labeled 'magic history'. Everything had been neatly organized to one's convenience. I skimmed through the sections of magic books. Books on transmutation circles, fire magic, and various other elemental magic types. Warrior blade magic, wind magic, wing art magic, but nothing labeled wolf magic. I double checked again. I frowned curiously as I checked again. I looked at the row of books in the 'w' category. There was something behind the row of books. I pushed aside several books revealing a much larger book. Rather than a paperback the cover was made of the fur. It was soft and war. I carefully picked the book up, and opened the first page. I smiled victoriously, it was titled, ‘wolf mage’

I sat down at a table with the book. I slid the cover off a lantern on the table for better lighting on the book. The first page’s title was ‘wolf mage’. I flipped a few pages, admiring the pictures drawn of what appeared to be an old tribe. In early years in the founding of what is now known as Anova various tribes, or clans, lived on the land. They competed for territory, resources, and power. Each tribe specialized in their own type of magic, and various versions of their own original magic. Converting water to ice, fire to lava, wind to storms, or small rocks to tall mountains to crush the enemy. Other than this there was magic swords that were forged, and became wildly popular quickly. However, there was  a more peculiar magic. It was rare, odd, but powerful. It was known as wolf magic.

“You’re seriously studying magic?” said a familiar voice. I looked up to see a Brad. Over the bandages he had thrown on a shirt, and wore a pair of loose, ragged pants.

“What are you doing out of the infirmary?” I asked.

“I woke up, and got bored” he complained.

“You escaped without permission didn’t you?” I guessed. He shrugged in response meaning he did. I shook my head disapprovingly,

“Eleanor is probably looking for you” I reminded him. He rolled his eyes,

“Like she’d ever come looking for me in a library” he said as he peered over my shoulder at the book.

“Wolf magic?” he asked. I nodded my head as I flipped the page, and continued reading. In old legends it is said wolf magic came from the wolf spirit itself. The practice of wolf magic was rare, and became even harder to come across as years went on. Some said the magic was too dangerous because of its wild nature. I flipped the page to discover a huge section of pages torn out. I frowned as I examined the ruined pages. I lightly touched the darkness at the tear, and it crumbled at my fingers. ‘These were burned, and I’m sensing a trace of magic’ I realized. ‘Someone burned these with magic’ I noted. ‘It didn’t me why wolf magic was rare, if it was stopped or anything why there aren’t more wolf mages’ I thought, ‘those burned pages would probably say why, but the questioned is why would someone burn that information?’ I wondered.

“What a waste of time” I groaned. I left the table to put the book away followed by Brad.

“You don’t seriously believe in those legends do you?” he asked. I shook my head,

“But legends do tend to be based on the truth, so who knows” I replied.