Somewhere in the Archives:
Myr walked through the dismally lit corridor of the magical archive, the dull light of a handheld lamp illuminating the floor beneath her feet just slightly. When she got to where she was headed she started to carefully thumb through the records of all known Arcana in Moonbayne, eventually stumbling across a name that widened her usually narrowed eyes. Dandy Avice.
Myr's lips started to curl into a smile as she started the search for the Tome once owned by the affable but powerful Arcana. It took some moments but eventually she found it, she glanced over her shoulder before plucking it off of the shelf and opening it, taking a surface level read before smiling to herself and placing her palm flat over the text. She closed her eyes and took a full and steady breath in through her nose. As she breathed out a thin wisp of aura escaped her lips. "There we are..." She said in a gentle but cold tone before quickly returning the Tome to where it had been.
Chamomile's Residence:
Hawthorne paced up and down a shelf, never once taking his eyes off of the messy, flippant Arcane who had interrupted his lecture. Chamomile shook her head "Oh no...you're mistaken Mr Rosewater" she asserted for the third time " I was just brewing tea, there was absolutely no illegal or forbidden magic being performed here. ". Her affable demeanour served to somewhat offset how panicky she was becoming. What could have persuaded Miss Belladrina to surmise such a thing in the first place?. She went over to the cauldron and filled a cup with the bubbly black liquid and handed it to Melodius who took it with a shadow of a smile "See...just ginger tea" she laughed nervously.
Melodius sighed and met the girls eyes with his "I don't know enough about you to judge your character Miss Avice, but I know a Dark Arcane when I see one...you don't really fit the bill" he took a sip of the tea "But those lot have already made their minds up I'm afraid, it's either I somehow make a passable Arcane out of you by the Initiation Festival...or its both of our heads." . As he said that he nervously moved the cup around in his hands. Chamomile sat, now feeling a deep and existential dread in the pit of her gut. Would she be arrested? Turned into one of those Lightless?...Or worse?. "Oh...oh I see" she sniffled, Hawthorne jumped from a shelf to a lower shelf and then from that into the girls lap, he was usually a calm cat, not given to reckless or ill conceived thought, but this Melodius fellow was starting to give him a headache. On top of that he had now made Chamomile cry...and that was simply unforgivable.
Hawthorne looked up and Chamomile with concern all over his face, "Chamomile, calm yourself" he said gently but with no less authority than usual "There's no reason to believe anything this pest of a man is saying. He has offered no credentials, no references from any Court of Arcana...and furthermore I suspect he is merely a fraud" he turned his nose up " What kind of silly name is Melodius Rosewater to begin with? " he scoffed.
Chamomile gently placed her hand on Hawthornes head and looked at Melodius who's demeanour had become more stormy. "What am I to do?" She asked, concerned "I've never been any good at magic, I have tried but we've had..." She looked at the cat in her lap " Less than desirable results ". Melodius found it impossible to hold back a laugh. "Wait..." he chuckled " You were responsible for this soot faced puff ball? " he laughed more. Hawthornes eyes widened in pure indignation, first this scruffy ruffian entered his house and upset Chamomile with his drivel, and now...AND NOW he was insulting him?! To his face?!. "Who the hell do you think you are?" He hissed " You come in here dressed like a garden gnome, spouting your fables and then you call me a...A SOOT FACED PUFF BALL! " he jumped from Chamomiles lap to the floor and walked towards the man, ready to tear him limb from scrawny limb. "You better had had a bloody good reason to assert yourself as Chamomiles teacher or I swear I will curse you from here until the end of time!" He bellowed .
Melodius stood and offered a hand to Chamomile. "I'm really not trying to sound arrogant here Miss Avice but I have been appointed your teacher...so I really don't have a choice but to arm you with every tool I can" his demeanour softened "Look, the great thing about magic is it's not an exact science. You don't have to rely on a bunch of dusty old textbooks to prove you're a great Arcane. You just need heart and hope, with that...well you'll never find a magic that can stop you". Chamomiles eyes glowed with a new sense of hope as Hawthorne felt several new white hairs grow on his face. What on earth was this man blathering on about?, Magic was an exact science, that is why several thousand God forsaken tomes had been written. To show both the capabilities of several great and studious Arcane, and that there of course was a right and wrong way to do magic.
"Thank you Mr Rosewater..." She smiled, taking his hand and standing. "Please, teach me how to do magic a new way. Goodness knows I've tried the Tomes and the studying and it hasn't gotten me far...maybe I do need a fresh look at things". Hawthorne shook his head "And what if this all goes wrong Chamomile? What if it's all just nonsense and you end up condemning yourself, I'm sorry but I simply cannot sit here and watch you get hurt." He turned away , feeling his heart burn with a deep sadness and unforgiving frustration. Chamomile frowned "Please don't abandon me Hawthorne. I...I simply couldn't bare to lose you.". Hawthorne turned to her "Never...You will never lose me, but...well if you think it's best that I leave you to try this new option...you didn't learn anything if all we do is bicker" he glared at Melodius who still had a hold of Chamomiles hand "One chance, I'm giving you one chance to do things your way, to fill her head with whatever nonsense you're going to. But I swear to you Rosewater! If anything happens to this girl while she is under your tutelage, I swear you will never get rid of me!." he walked into an adjacent room as Chamomile and Melodius headed off.
Moonbayne Forest:
Melodius sat within a thicket of tall and winding trees as the daylight turned to early dusk. He sighed heartily as he felt the breeze brush across his face. Although he was still technically a condemned man he had never felt more free than in this moment. "So, what is it that drives you as an Arcane? Miss Avice?" He asked politely . Chamomile shook her head, "My parents, I suppose. Both of them were Arcana." Melodius Sat up and looked at her. "Were?", Chamomile nodded, sitting and brushing her hair from her face. "Yes, my mother died when I was eleven and my father...well that is strange. My mother always said he worked a lot and was never really at home but I always sensed something else...something amiss". Before he had a chance to answer Melodius heard the crack of a twig being stepped on behind him. He moved in front of Chamomile, shielding her as a wolf stepped out from the thicket.
Chamomile took a rather sharp intake of breath. "Wo...wolves? I had no idea that there were wolves in this forest" she said very nervously. Melodius shook his head. "There aren't" he swallowed " Look at its face Chamomile, do you notice anything peculiar? ". She glanced at the great, black, snarling beast. The creature was a mass of heavy black fur. He was also huge, at least twice the size of an average wolf. Just as she was about to pass the size off as her answer she noticed something else about the wolf. It was true that both she and Melodius could hear a distinct snarling, but this beast bared no fangs. In fact it's face was static...wooden. Before she could say anything the beast lunged forward at the both of them. "Oh no you dont!" Melodius shouted, his palms glowed green as he pushed them into the earth beneath them. The ground shook as a mangle of roots sprung forth, encasing the creature in a spiral of tightly woven tree roots that was almost as tall as the trees themselves. " Way of wood...third volume. Arbor Prison" he spoke proudly and distinctly. Chamomile was in awe. So this was magic performed by a truly skilled Arcane? She had seen Hawthorne perform basic spells as a way to teach her...but never anything of this majesty.
He smiled to himself as his new smile quickly turned to shock and concern. Up from the opening at the top of the mesh sprung an enormous black raven. It's face as static and as wooden as the wolf had been. "It can't be" Melodius said, shocked "I thought it was a myth..." Chamomile looked at him, her face was a mess of both intrigue and panic. " Wh...What was Mr Rosewater? " he turned to her and frowned "This..." He spoke lowly and seriously , now emulating Hawthorne "This is Mask Magic..."
To Be Continued
