Wizards

CHAPTER 8: Two Sides of Coin

Majestic, that was how Rei described the Cave of Wands. It was nothing but a cave from the outside. But with the glowing rocks, scattered gems, and floating wands inside of it, it was far from an ordinary cave. In the middle of the cave stood a pedestal made out of rocks, surrounded by four torches.

     "How should I choose my wand?" Rei said.

     "You don't. The cave chooses what wand it will give you."

     "How?"

     "That's an unsolvable mystery," Brooke said. "Just stand by the pedestal. Your wand should appear there."

     And she did. She waited. One by one the torch's fire turned blue as if they rendered judgment and was coming to conclusion. The fire started to ignite violently, started spreading through the floors, and started encircling her. The fire crawled to the pedestal until it reached the top. It burst into a black flame. And then the fire turned into a wand — a plain black wand.

     Brooke thought it was a special wand. A black wand was a sign of power she says. The usual was made out of brown wood, breakable. Some wands were white, great for healing spells. But black was always a sign of power. Every man or woman who made history in Magicana holds a black wand, even those who did terrible things. Many people believed that a black wand owner faces an incredible destiny.

     "Really?" Rei said. "Who were those people?"

     "Well, there was this one person who was revered by our ancestors. He's Enzo Salazar."

     "What did he do?"

     "Ages ago, Magicana was under the rule of Lord Sangderoi and his army of Blooded — people who have the power of blood magic. It was terrible according to the tales. Anyone who tries to stand up against the Blooded was ending up dead. Enzo didn't care. He wanted Magicana to be free. So he rallied the leovirs and the elkerians and started a war against Lord Sangderoi." Finally, they were at the bottom of the Hundred Steps. "Thus, we have peace right now," she said.

     Checking the list again, they decided to go for the wings first before the books. And where would they find them but the marketplace? The bricks from the foot of the Hundred Steps led them to it.

     They didn't miss the marketplace. It was hard to miss it when it was such a busy place. Witches and wizards were walking like ants, trying to avoid collisions with one another. Tents were everywhere with different colors that have nothing to do with anything. Under them were loud screams of vendors, inviting people to check the stuff they were selling.

     But that was just the entrance. Beyond the tents and the shouts were stores with doors, not tents, and class, and organized market. People moved more slowly, more calmly, more . . . quiet.

     Rei stood frozen, more in awe than terrified, as she witnesses a huge muscular eight-footer man with a face of a lion, wearing a cape of fur, walking towards them.

     "Step aside, human!" he bellowed with a roar of an angry feline.

     The awe turned to terrify as chills ran through Rei's spine.

     "Calm yourself, leovir," Brooke said as if returning the disrespect of how he called them "human".

     "How dare you, filthy little human? Who are you to stand before me?"

     "My name is Brooke," she said, chin up, "of Binder Corp. can I do anything to ease your mood?"

     The leovir grunted. Spoke nothing. And then the ground shakes as he walks away and turned a corner.