When Magic Was Discovered

Chapter Nine

The darkness was disrupted in an instant. Sunlight filled the cart and immediately felt warmth on Graham's skin. He blinked a few times. To his surprise, they were not in a hidden tunnel of any kind, but rather, the cart was sitting in the middle of an open field.

Ella and Franklin were already in defensive positions. Graham couldn't sense anyone around. He was still surprised he was able to do what Acetto had done before. His hands and arms tingled with magic still hopping around his skin.

"Why would they just leave this here? Would this not be a sign of some sort of magic stream?" Franklin asked.

"The Sanctum can't be that stupid," Ella replied with sass.

Autumn shrugged. "There isn't anyone around, so maybe Spellbinders and traders don't come this far out."

The siblings stood up from their cover. Ella's cheeks turned red. "Well we couldn't be sure."

Graham looked around. The field was covered in grass. It was a rare sight to see as someone from the central and midwest states. "It's beautiful," he muttered.

"Most of the north looks like this," Autumn explained. "First to get impacted by magic, and first to let nature return."

Graham stepped out of the cart. Outside held the feeling that he was used to on the farm. It was warm outside, but surprisingly not as hot as the farm used to feel. The ground wasn't radiating as much heat as the dirt did. It felt all new to Graham. All he could think is this could be what the entire world could be like if Spellbinders and Dispersion got along.

"Do the Dispersion not venture out here?" Graham asked.

Autumn shrugged. "I'm sure they have patrols, but more of their policing is in the central, midwest, and south of the States. Fanatics can be worse to deal with than the ordinary Spellbinder."

Graham swallowed hard. The idea of White Magic Spellbinders sounded scary. He wasn't sure how they would be in person, but he knew the idea of them was unnerving. Even though he held an amazing power at his fingertips, he still didn't see himself as any different than his family or any one else without magic.

"Where to now?" Ella brought up. All of them immediately looked to the sun for a sense of direction. The sun was in its descent west.

"Here we go..." Franklin muttered. All four of them started to head north.

The land continued to surprise Graham. There were hills, all covered in grass. Trees weren't merely dying pieces of hollow wood, barely standing against the harsh dry winds. They were full of leaves and branches. They were far and few, nothing like the stories Graham had been told of forests, but they were still a pleasant sight to see.

The way to the White Magic Spellbinders soon began to fill with what seemed the bare bones of old pre-Settling buildings that were now draped in elaborate-looking cloth. The clothes were covered in markings, each marking a different color. Graham didn't recognize it. The symbols and markings reminded him of the ones that were on the paper the Spellbinder at Sanctum Magica showed them, but these ones were altered slightly. His own powers weren't allowing him to read them.

People began to come out from the draped buildings and makeshift tents. They all were dressed similar to the four kids. They were trader outfits with slight variations done.

"Children...I have foreseen this," one Spellbinder mumbled as they walked passed. Graham was surprised to see how clean and well kept all the Spellbinders seemed to be for living in less than optimal shelters. Long hair, beards, or a combination of both, still looked clean and straight. Graham wondered if magic could be used for hair grooming.