Return of the Stormcriers

CHAPTER 11 - RETELLING THE PAST

"What do you want to talk to me about?" Matt asked possibilities swirling through his mind. Had someone else reported seeing a dragon? Had they finally come to their senses and realized that he did not belong within a hundred leagues of the nobles?

"I wanted to talk to you about your training," Nathan said. "While we are here in Riftwater I will have some assistance in training you while I see to business, however, I will still train you personally whenever time permits. Anthony is a powerful stormcrier, and Lady Sylvia is rather skilled in wielding her powers as well. They have very kindly agreed to help you in furthering your studies." He gestured at the two in turn. Matt felt himself relax as Nathan spoke, this was wonderful news. With three instructors he should be able to greatly increase his knowledge of his abilities. Another thought struck him, Nathan had made a notable exception when he was describing his training.

"What about you Will?" he asked, "Will you be showing me some of your secrets as well?"

Will smiled and shook his head. "I do not have the same powers as the rest of you," he explained. "I take after our mother. She was not a stormcrier, she was a sorceress from the Isles of Zähler. I have inherited her gift."

"You can use magic?" Matt asked, intrigued. He had only ever heard rumors of sorcerers and mages. Fearful stories of their abilities to bend the world to their will through supernatural means. All the people in Clearfield that Matt had overheard talking about magic had whispered their words as if they were afraid to be overheard. To invoke the idea of magic was to tempt its appearance. While magic was present on Verden, just as it was everywhere in the world, it was especially prevalent on the Isles of Zähler. The swamps and bogs that dotted the archipelago seemed to permeate an old, natural magic that was unlike anything else seen on Eda. Only one man in Clearfield had been to its distant shores and returned, which led Matt to wonder about the accuracy of his knowledge of the far continent, Old Man Telos. The wizened old retired adventurer spun unbelievable tales of floating cliffs, whispering mists, and unnatural beasts that dotted the landscape and haunted its countryside. He had even claimed to have visited an entire city of elves while on Zähler, as hard as that was to believe. Matt had never met even a single elf, let alone an entire city full of them. If even half of his stories had been true the Isles were a frightful place that Matt hoped dearly to avoid, it was just so different from Verden, and the prospect of being lost in such a strange land terrified him.

Will shrugged. "I can do a little magic. My training has slowed now that I have been forced to learn from old tomes instead of a proper instructor. He affected a modest tone but Matt could tell that the young nobleman was proud to be among the small number of magic users in Verden. Will's obvious excitement for the arcane arts managed to temper Matt's innate fear of the practice. Will did not appear to be evil or creepy in any way, in fact, he displayed none of the terrifying inclinations that Matt had been brought up to believe that all magic users possessed.

Perhaps, Matt thought, magic is not inherently a tool of the wicked, but just a reflection of the wielder's personality, be it good or ill.

"Would it have been possible for you to be born both a sorcerer and a stormcrier?" he asked aloud, he had never heard of someone with parentages like Will and Anthony.

"Technically it is possible for that to occur," Will said thoughtfully. "Either Anthony or I could have been born possessing both powers, but it is very, very rare. I am not sure if there have ever been any confirmed cases of such an individual, at least not here on Verden."

I have so much to learn of this new world I find myself in, Matt thought. Everywhere he looked there was some detail that he had never heard or seen before. Stormcriers, sorcerers, princes, dukes, they had all been stories to him just a few weeks prior. Now they were all around him, each with their own rules and traditions. How could he be expected to remember all of this? He doubted that he would ever be comfortable again. His heart yearned to return to his little corner of the world where everything was exactly as it seemed.