Chapter 42

Tabitha was back, the first mission of our squad of recruits finished before we had. I didn’t at first know why that was the first thing I noticed once our group was escorted just by Andor to the dining hall, except that it may have been the bit of colour that she wore, a deep blue that matched the adult cloaks all around it. Only four of us wore them.

“Oh hey, it’s that girl!” Rose excitedly noticed as I focused on her. “Maybe she can tell us something useful since she also went on a mission?”

I hadn’t realized that Tabitha and Sarah were chummy but it was perhaps the first genuine smile I saw from Sarah after we had returned. As we started eating, Tabitha told us about her mission with her mentor mage. “It was so amazing! We found a foreign group that was over the border, threatening a trade deal… or peace treaty? I don’t really know the details but Gemma told me what needed to be done.” She grinned as she hooked a thumb at the back of a mage I didn’t recognize with flowing red hair. “But it was quite the experience. They have these areas of land where they grow wheat; it looks like a field of gold!”

“Yeah, they’re called wheat fields, dummy,” Lucian grumbled.

Tabitha stuck her tongue out at him. “Well now they can call it an ash field, because that’s all that was there when we left.”

I bit back a remark. Rose did not, saying words I was glad that no one else could hear.

Sarah’s smile wholly disappeared, replaced with a look of horror. “No, Tabitha, you didn’t.”

“What do you mean ‘didn’t’? I did what the mission was. Now, tell me about yours!” she demanded as she grabbed Sarah’s hand and grinned wide. “Something something Eastern Mountains?”

Sarah calmly but smoothly slid her hands out of Tabitha’s. “Yes, we went to the Eastern Mountains. It’s a long story, but we weren’t able to secure any dragons.”

“Aw, that’s such a bummer,” she said with a disappointed sigh. “No dragon mages any time soon then.”

“What’s a dragon mage?” I asked.

“Are you serious, country boy?” Tabitha asked with a smirk. “Did you really know nothing about mages before coming here? Unlike our resourceful Sarah here, you need one human soul to create a magisoul… or a dragon’s soul will do since they are even stronger than a human’s.”

I looked at her, surprised. “So, any soul will do, human or dragon? Or just a lot of small ones?” I was trying to understand and had no recollection of Scolffice going over anything like that. “And the name’s Ren.”

“Well, Ren,” she smirked as if my name was a joke only she was in on. “Since you haven’t been paying attention, or rather knew nothing before getting here, listen. Humans have souls. Dragons have souls. Even animals have souls?”

“And plants?” I interjected.

Her face scrunched up. “Don’t be stupid; why would a plant have a soul? Anyways, our magisouls look like this,” she held up a covered fist and I wondered if it was a common visualization given that Christopher had done the same, “then a dragon mage’s magisoul looks like this.” At that, she suddenly spread her hands, only the finger tips touching, as if trying to make the most space inside as possible. “It’s larger and kinda hollow, but overall much stronger.” She turned back to Sarah, apparently done talking to me. “Ok, and what about eggs? If there were two dragons then there was probably a nest.”

Sarah gave me the smallest look before answering. “No, no eggs, just an empty cave we found the dragons in.”

“That’s such a pity.” Tabitha huffed, looking genuinely disappointed. “Not too many dragon mages around, other than old Skullface not yet kicking it.” She laughed as if that was funny. “There was one in Sandun, taught me how to really blast a flame, but the old bastard’s also retired.”

Rose and I perked up at that. “Maybe she knows something about retired mages; do they travel around or are just free to leave?” The underlying implication was obvious and I tried not to verbalize Tobian’s name in my mind’s voice.

I spoke for both of us, “Retired? Tabitha, what do retired mages do?”

“Huh?” She looked at me with a confused expression. “What do you mean ‘what do they do’? They bum around old classrooms in their fancy red cloaks like they’re still important.”

“You mean they don’t get to leave?”

“Leave? Why would they leave?” Her eyes narrowed. “You’re not thinking of leaving, are you? It’s great here. Plus, I heard you guys managed to take off that real hard ass, Brontus.”

I figured that Christopher was going for her face, but the fork was not a conventional blade and as such he had to rely on only his physical skill to project it at her. Fortunately for her, it went just slightly to the side, as she moved her head, tangling and hanging into her hair.

She bolted from her seat, glaring at him. “Oh, you want to go!?” she snapped, holding out her hands. The air above her palms flickered to life with flames.

Christopher stood to meet her but suddenly sat right back down as he looked at something behind her.

“Tabitha,” a feminine voice growled behind her. “If you so much as think of using magic in here, I will thoroughly remind you of each and every rule in this facility until you are unable to say a word otherwise.”

Tabitha looked frozen in terror. “Y-Yes, Master Gemma,” she answered, stuttering over her words. Her powerless hands fell to her sides as she sides as she quickly sat back down.

“Better,” Gemma cooed. “Now, pay attention, all of you,” she instructed, nodding to the front of the dining hall.

A man that I didn’t really recognize or know the name of but wore the robes of a mage came forward. “If I could have your attention. Just a few brief things to go over for tomorrow. First of all, the kitchen staff wanted to apologize for the lack of second servings today as they are saving up for the feast tomorrow. Additionally, you are of course to all be on your best behaviour for our guests and polish their buttons.” There were a couple chuckles in the crowd, the speaker’s included. “In all seriousness though, the captain has a few things planned that should set the mood nicely and hopefully secure us more funding.” A good number of cups went up into the air at that. “That is all, the morning duties and routines will operate as normal.”

I watched as he returned to his seat before I turned to the others, confused. “What was that about? ‘Guests’?”

“Right right,” Tabitha nodded as she untangled the fork hanging in her hair. “It was decided and announced a couple days ago. The top military leaders are coming to the base tomorrow for a meeting, so we’re throwing them a little banquet for them. Hopefully butter them up, since it’s not like they really care about us.” She tossed the fork back at Christopher, nearly knocking his cup over but he moved it out of the way. “With any luck, more money would be a welcome result of the little meeting.”

That sounded odd to me. The military mages were probably the strongest branch of the military, on an individual scale, even if they were far smaller in quantity. Didn’t mages carry some prestige with them? I asked in my head. Why would they be a neglected group? I mean, I know that they don’t have the most funding, if the meals we got the first couple days were any indication. I couldn’t keep back the complaint, the recent days of plain rations of bread and flavourless dried meat apparently wearing through me.

“Who knows?” Rose asked rhetorically. I could sense that she didn’t really care, instead her attention on one other detail as she was the first to address the elephant in our head. “But, Ren… was that who I think it was?”

I nodded, suspicions confirmed. I had seen that face in passing, not at all distinct in the groups of mages that walked around. But I thought I knew that voice, that one that held the confidence of my uncle. Virgil.