Chapter 432: The Fire Eater
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Chapter 432: The Fire Eater
The Fire Eater
For the lesson in the Circle of Fire, Martel noticed that Moira arrived with only three staves. It seemed his training with the weapon of a stormmage had come to an end. Once she had distributed the staves to the other acolytes, Moira handed him the wand of a weathermage. "You look ready to give water another try."
Martel waited for a biting remark to follow; none did. Accepting the wand, he glanced at it; the sapphire at the tip sparkled in the sunlight streaming in from the windows far above. Turning away from the others to face the wall with the slit that served as his target, Martel channelled his magic through the silver-streaked wood.
From the surrounding air, moisture knitted itself together and became drops on the gem. The water lingered for a moment before freezing to ice, shining with magic as it launched itself at the wall. It hit far from the mark, and Martel felt himself strained from the effort; still, the spell had worked.N0v3lTr0ve served as the original host for this chapter's release on N0v3l--B1n.
***
When his obligations for the day had ended, Martel set out for the Khivan district. The route was familiar to him, though he could not recall if he had been to the enclave since the last time he saw Shadi. That had been at the year's beginning, some eight months ago. With her gone, he had no reason to visit.
Reaching the quarter, it looked the same at first. Old wooden houses, many of them in need of repairs, lined the streets; built in an earlier age where timber provided cheap and fast construction materials, now generally replaced by stone buildings everywhere else except for the copper lanes.
The local residents regarded him apprehensively, either because he was Asterian or a wizard; probably both. Yet now and then, he caught someone bowing their head towards him; every time, he nodded in return. And when he asked for directions to the home of the Fire Eater, the reply came swiftly and willingly.
His path took him towards the central square of the enclave. He avoided looking in the direction of Shadi's former home; he had no wish to stir those memories more than necessary. And soon, something else stole his attention.
North of the square, where the fire had raged before Martel intervened, a new building took form. So far, little more than the foundation had been prepared, but large slabs of stone lay piled up. No doubt once the building was complete, it would tower over everything else in the district; a brand-new insula that could provide homes for hundreds of people, potentially. Besides the ongoing construction work, Martel noticed at least a dozen heavily armed guards, probably with more elsewhere around the site.
Dismayed by the visible sign of how Duke Cheval's nefarious scheme had come to fruition, despite Martel's efforts, the wizard hurried onwards according to his received directions. His path took him south, past the temple for the Khivan faith until he could see the southern city wall in the distance. At length, he reached a building that stood in the same style as the rest of the quarter; the difference was that it was well-maintained.
Furthermore, a man stood outside, leaning against the wall in the manner that Martel had come to recognise; despite his casual demeanour, he was a look-out, keeping watch of the street. He wore the traditional Khivan robe and headscarf, as did nearly everyone else in this part of the district; as Martel approached, he abandoned his relaxed stance and stepped towards the wizard with a bow.
"My master bids you welcome. Know that you enter his house in peace and shall leave it in peace."
A promise of safe conduct, Martel figured. Regardless, he used his magic to look for golden weapons; the Khivan had none. Satisfied for now, he followed the look-out into the house.
***
As the first thing, Martel noticed this house had much richer furnishings than would be expected; secondly, it expanded backwards to be twice as large compared to the typical residences of the quarter, though done in such a way as to mask this expansion when viewed from the street.
Two Khivan children in their early teens, one boy and one girl, sat on pillows around a low table; they looked to be studying their letters. They both glanced up with curious eyes, leaving Martel bewildered; he had not expected this.
"Duke Cheval, I assume."
Navid gave a nod. "Correct. From what I gather, the fire was started on his orders." Seeing no reaction from Martel, he spoke again. "But you already knew this."
"What about it?" Martel's patience was reaching its end.
"Once it is finished, that insula may provide homes for hundreds of people. Asterians, no doubt, who can pay higher rent than us Khivans. In this way, they push us out of the only district where we may settle."
"I'm sorry. Nobody should lose their home."
"Your sympathy is well noted, master wizard. Not many feel as you do. My people have tried to disrupt the construction, but it is heavily guarded. Any form of confrontation is dangerous for us – the law provides little to no protection nor restitution for Khivans, should any of these hired thugs attack us."
"Something I don't agree with."
"Neither do I, yet it is the reality of the situation. If we are to prevent this construction..." Navid took a deep breath before he continued. "We need stronger powers on our side than what gold or steel can provide."
There it was. Martel emptied his cup of tea, buying him a few moments to think. He really only needed one moment, though, to know that he had to refuse. This was not his fight, no matter how much he sympathised with the Khivans; as much as his status as a battlemage shielded him from certain consequences, there had to be a limit, and Martel was not keen on finding it.
Antagonising Duke Cheval further also seemed the wrong move; even if the nobleman already hated Martel, it just seemed a poor idea to give the duke another reason to seek revenge.
"I'm sorry," Martel finally said. "Fire can do little against stone. I'm not the right kind of wizard that you need."
"You may be the only one we have," Navid argued.
"I'm sorry to say, you don't even have that." Not in the mood to be guilted, Martel got up from his pillow. "Forgive me, but it's late. I should return home."
"Of course. I'm the one asking for your forgiveness, keeping you so late. You were most kind to visit me." The Khivan hid his disappointment well, remaining unfailingly polite.
"Thank you for the tea." Martel stepped over the table and made his way towards the door.
"Goodbye, Master Martel. May the Flame illuminate your path."
With the eyes of the children on him, Martel nodded in farewell and left the house.
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Chapter 432: The Fire Eater
The Fire Eater
For the lesson in the Circle of Fire, Martel noticed that Moira arrived with only three staves. It seemed his training with the weapon of a stormmage had come to an end. Once she had distributed the staves to the other acolytes, Moira handed him the wand of a weathermage. "You look ready to give water another try."
Martel waited for a biting remark to follow; none did. Accepting the wand, he glanced at it; the sapphire at the tip sparkled in the sunlight streaming in from the windows far above. Turning away from the others to face the wall with the slit that served as his target, Martel channelled his magic through the silver-streaked wood.
From the surrounding air, moisture knitted itself together and became drops on the gem. The water lingered for a moment before freezing to ice, shining with magic as it launched itself at the wall. It hit far from the mark, and Martel felt himself strained from the effort; still, the spell had worked.N0v3lTr0ve served as the original host for this chapter's release on N0v3l--B1n.
***
When his obligations for the day had ended, Martel set out for the Khivan district. The route was familiar to him, though he could not recall if he had been to the enclave since the last time he saw Shadi. That had been at the year's beginning, some eight months ago. With her gone, he had no reason to visit.
Reaching the quarter, it looked the same at first. Old wooden houses, many of them in need of repairs, lined the streets; built in an earlier age where timber provided cheap and fast construction materials, now generally replaced by stone buildings everywhere else except for the copper lanes.
The local residents regarded him apprehensively, either because he was Asterian or a wizard; probably both. Yet now and then, he caught someone bowing their head towards him; every time, he nodded in return. And when he asked for directions to the home of the Fire Eater, the reply came swiftly and willingly.
His path took him towards the central square of the enclave. He avoided looking in the direction of Shadi's former home; he had no wish to stir those memories more than necessary. And soon, something else stole his attention.
North of the square, where the fire had raged before Martel intervened, a new building took form. So far, little more than the foundation had been prepared, but large slabs of stone lay piled up. No doubt once the building was complete, it would tower over everything else in the district; a brand-new insula that could provide homes for hundreds of people, potentially. Besides the ongoing construction work, Martel noticed at least a dozen heavily armed guards, probably with more elsewhere around the site.
Dismayed by the visible sign of how Duke Cheval's nefarious scheme had come to fruition, despite Martel's efforts, the wizard hurried onwards according to his received directions. His path took him south, past the temple for the Khivan faith until he could see the southern city wall in the distance. At length, he reached a building that stood in the same style as the rest of the quarter; the difference was that it was well-maintained.
Furthermore, a man stood outside, leaning against the wall in the manner that Martel had come to recognise; despite his casual demeanour, he was a look-out, keeping watch of the street. He wore the traditional Khivan robe and headscarf, as did nearly everyone else in this part of the district; as Martel approached, he abandoned his relaxed stance and stepped towards the wizard with a bow.
"My master bids you welcome. Know that you enter his house in peace and shall leave it in peace."
A promise of safe conduct, Martel figured. Regardless, he used his magic to look for golden weapons; the Khivan had none. Satisfied for now, he followed the look-out into the house.
***
As the first thing, Martel noticed this house had much richer furnishings than would be expected; secondly, it expanded backwards to be twice as large compared to the typical residences of the quarter, though done in such a way as to mask this expansion when viewed from the street.
Two Khivan children in their early teens, one boy and one girl, sat on pillows around a low table; they looked to be studying their letters. They both glanced up with curious eyes, leaving Martel bewildered; he had not expected this.
"Duke Cheval, I assume."
Navid gave a nod. "Correct. From what I gather, the fire was started on his orders." Seeing no reaction from Martel, he spoke again. "But you already knew this."
"What about it?" Martel's patience was reaching its end.
"Once it is finished, that insula may provide homes for hundreds of people. Asterians, no doubt, who can pay higher rent than us Khivans. In this way, they push us out of the only district where we may settle."
"I'm sorry. Nobody should lose their home."
"Your sympathy is well noted, master wizard. Not many feel as you do. My people have tried to disrupt the construction, but it is heavily guarded. Any form of confrontation is dangerous for us – the law provides little to no protection nor restitution for Khivans, should any of these hired thugs attack us."
"Something I don't agree with."
"Neither do I, yet it is the reality of the situation. If we are to prevent this construction..." Navid took a deep breath before he continued. "We need stronger powers on our side than what gold or steel can provide."
There it was. Martel emptied his cup of tea, buying him a few moments to think. He really only needed one moment, though, to know that he had to refuse. This was not his fight, no matter how much he sympathised with the Khivans; as much as his status as a battlemage shielded him from certain consequences, there had to be a limit, and Martel was not keen on finding it.
Antagonising Duke Cheval further also seemed the wrong move; even if the nobleman already hated Martel, it just seemed a poor idea to give the duke another reason to seek revenge.
"I'm sorry," Martel finally said. "Fire can do little against stone. I'm not the right kind of wizard that you need."
"You may be the only one we have," Navid argued.
"I'm sorry to say, you don't even have that." Not in the mood to be guilted, Martel got up from his pillow. "Forgive me, but it's late. I should return home."
"Of course. I'm the one asking for your forgiveness, keeping you so late. You were most kind to visit me." The Khivan hid his disappointment well, remaining unfailingly polite.
"Thank you for the tea." Martel stepped over the table and made his way towards the door.
"Goodbye, Master Martel. May the Flame illuminate your path."
With the eyes of the children on him, Martel nodded in farewell and left the house.
Chapter 432: The Fire EaterThe Fire EaterFor the lesson in the Circle of Fire, Martel noticed that Moira arrived with only three staves. It seemed his training with the weapon of a stormmage had come to an end. Once she had distributed the staves to the other acolytes, Moira handed him the wand of a weathermage. "You look ready to give water another try."Martel waited for a biting remark to follow; none did. Accepting the wand, he glanced at it; the sapphire at the tip sparkled in the sunlight streaming in from the windows far above. Turning away from the others to face the wall with the slit that served as his target, Martel channelled his magic through the silver-streaked wood.From the surrounding air, moisture knitted itself together and became drops on the gem. The water lingered for a moment before freezing to ice, shining with magic as it launched itself at the wall. It hit far from the mark, and Martel felt himself strained from the effort; still, the spell had worked.N0v3lTr0ve served as the original host for this chapter's release on N0v3l--B1n.***When his obligations for the day had ended, Martel set out for the Khivan district. The route was familiar to him, though he could not recall if he had been to the enclave since the last time he saw Shadi. That had been at the year's beginning, some eight months ago. With her gone, he had no reason to visit.Reaching the quarter, it looked the same at first. Old wooden houses, many of them in need of repairs, lined the streets; built in an earlier age where timber provided cheap and fast construction materials, now generally replaced by stone buildings everywhere else except for the copper lanes.The local residents regarded him apprehensively, either because he was Asterian or a wizard; probably both. Yet now and then, he caught someone bowing their head towards him; every time, he nodded in return. And when he asked for directions to the home of the Fire Eater, the reply came swiftly and willingly.His path took him towards the central square of the enclave. He avoided looking in the direction of Shadi's former home; he had no wish to stir those memories more than necessary. And soon, something else stole his attention.North of the square, where the fire had raged before Martel intervened, a new building took form. So far, little more than the foundation had been prepared, but large slabs of stone lay piled up. No doubt once the building was complete, it would tower over everything else in the district; a brand-new insula that could provide homes for hundreds of people, potentially. Besides the ongoing construction work, Martel noticed at least a dozen heavily armed guards, probably with more elsewhere around the site.Dismayed by the visible sign of how Duke Cheval's nefarious scheme had come to fruition, despite Martel's efforts, the wizard hurried onwards according to his received directions. His path took him south, past the temple for the Khivan faith until he could see the southern city wall in the distance. At length, he reached a building that stood in the same style as the rest of the quarter; the difference was that it was well-maintained.Furthermore, a man stood outside, leaning against the wall in the manner that Martel had come to recognise; despite his casual demeanour, he was a look-out, keeping watch of the street. He wore the traditional Khivan robe and headscarf, as did nearly everyone else in this part of the district; as Martel approached, he abandoned his relaxed stance and stepped towards the wizard with a bow."My master bids you welcome. Know that you enter his house in peace and shall leave it in peace."A promise of safe conduct, Martel figured. Regardless, he used his magic to look for golden weapons; the Khivan had none. Satisfied for now, he followed the look-out into the house.***As the first thing, Martel noticed this house had much richer furnishings than would be expected; secondly, it expanded backwards to be twice as large compared to the typical residences of the quarter, though done in such a way as to mask this expansion when viewed from the street.Two Khivan children in their early teens, one boy and one girl, sat on pillows around a low table; they looked to be studying their letters. They both glanced up with curious eyes, leaving Martel bewildered; he had not expected this."Duke Cheval, I assume."Navid gave a nod. "Correct. From what I gather, the fire was started on his orders." Seeing no reaction from Martel, he spoke again. "But you already knew this.""What about it?" Martel's patience was reaching its end."Once it is finished, that insula may provide homes for hundreds of people. Asterians, no doubt, who can pay higher rent than us Khivans. In this way, they push us out of the only district where we may settle.""I'm sorry. Nobody should lose their home.""Your sympathy is well noted, master wizard. Not many feel as you do. My people have tried to disrupt the construction, but it is heavily guarded. Any form of confrontation is dangerous for us the law provides little to no protection nor restitution for Khivans, should any of these hired thugs attack us.""Something I don't agree with.""Neither do I, yet it is the reality of the situation. If we are to prevent this construction..." Navid took a deep breath before he continued. "We need stronger powers on our side than what gold or steel can provide."There it was. Martel emptied his cup of tea, buying him a few moments to think. He really only needed one moment, though, to know that he had to refuse. This was not his fight, no matter how much he sympathised with the Khivans; as much as his status as a battlemage shielded him from certain consequences, there had to be a limit, and Martel was not keen on finding it.Antagonising Duke Cheval further also seemed the wrong move; even if the nobleman already hated Martel, it just seemed a poor idea to give the duke another reason to seek revenge."I'm sorry," Martel finally said. "Fire can do little against stone. I'm not the right kind of wizard that you need.""You may be the only one we have," Navid argued."I'm sorry to say, you don't even have that." Not in the mood to be guilted, Martel got up from his pillow. "Forgive me, but it's late. I should return home.""Of course. I'm the one asking for your forgiveness, keeping you so late. You were most kind to visit me." The Khivan hid his disappointment well, remaining unfailingly polite."Thank you for the tea." Martel stepped over the table and made his way towards the door."Goodbye, Master Martel. May the Flame illuminate your path."With the eyes of the children on him, Martel nodded in farewell and left the house.
