The White Mage

Chapter 27

Theodore was a beautiful kingdom. White had explained, that Arcana's mountains kept the dragon's magic out and Arcana's magic in. However, in Theodore, the magic was actually attracted to the kingdom. When I asked her, she just smiled and said the princess was a very special person. I didn't know what that meant, but she didn't answer. Large, old forests were everywhere , speckled with shimmering lakes full of Lunefish. White actually had to drag me away once because I had become enchanted by the Lunefish. They were like living gems, swimming around in the water.

But when we stopped to rest, I poured over one of the books I had smuggled from Haven. Jotting down notes and scouring every inch of the pages. If only White had known what kind of work her father had been doing. This book could change the future of magic forever. But the steps to get there might not be so welcomed by all. The work wasn't even half done, more of a idea and some formulas smashed together. It was a long shot to even think that all of these formulas worked. But they made sense on a primal level, even if it was extremely complex magic.

"What are you doing?" White asked, looking over my shoulder.

I slammed the book shut, holding it to my chest. She had startled me, and I didn't think she'd be too keen on the idea contained in this book.

"Nothing." I said quickly.

"Eren, you're obviously doing something so tell me."

"It's not important."

"Eren." She said in a warning tone.

"I'm not telling you, end of story. I have the right to not tell you everything, just like you don't tell me everything."

White seemed taken aback by my words. Cain and Abby were stunned by them too. But I had the right not to tell her. I planned to, just not at this moment.

"I have told you everything."

"You didn't tell me about my own cousin. If you tell me everything, then tell me what you were going to ask the phoenix."

White's mouth stayed firmly closed.

"Exactly, so don't you dare think I need to tell you everything. Everyone has their secrets, and that's okay. I haven't told you everything from the beginning, and I don't plan to start now."

With that, I walked away. If there was one thing I knew, it was sometimes telling secrets only cause more problems then they solve. I was a very good example of that. Pressing my hands to my ribs, I remembered the time telling a secret almost got me killed. It had left a scar, a branding of my mistake. And it wasn't the only one. I had told the wrong secret to the wrong person. Abby had come to find me a short time later, saying that it was time to keep moving.

Again with the high places for some reason. But at least this time, we weren't going straight up, instead on a slope. Being on the cliffs of Theodore was a completely different experience from the volcano. There, it was like you were about to fall into hell. Here, it was like you could touch Heaven just by reaching out. And there was a constant gentle breeze, one that ruffled your hair like someone running their fingers through it.

"Where are they?" Abby asked.

At the top, there was nothing but cliff. Not a creature in sight.

"They are here , we just can't see them because they don't want to be seen." I answered out of nowhere.

Little whirlpools of wind formed, taking the shape of vaguely human figures. They laughed and whispered and danced around. But it was playful and carefree, like children. They were sylphs, wind spirits. I noticed how they tossed a little ball of wind, they were playing. These spirits were like children, all of them.

"I think we have to play with them." I said.

On cue, one of the little spirits threw the ball towards Cain. It almost hit the ground, when Cain bounced it off his foot and up to his knee. Cain smiled down at the ball as he alternated between knees.

"We used to have a game like this in my village. I was always the best, but only because I practiced so much."

The little whirlpools spun faster with delight. They must have enjoyed their game, and were happy that someone else had found joy in it too. The largest, the one with flower petals in its whirlpool and the only one not playing, seemed to grow until it took the shape of a woman. She approached Cain, the smaller sylphs parting for her.

"You have laughter in your lungs, young one. You are still able to find joy like a child, despite being grown. This is a good thing, I will grant you my mark."

She touched a single finger to Cain's collarbone, just below his throat. There, another mark, different from Abby's, appeared in shimmering gold. Then they all disappeared, their laughter still ringing through the air.

"We're off to Logas from here, right?" Cain asked.

"Yes, to find the mermaids." White answered.

"But aren't they in the ocean? You know, avoiding people way out in the ocean? How can we find them, we don't have a ship." Abby questioned.

"I have a friend that should be more than willing to help us."

"Doesn't Logas have a bit of a, um, pirate problem?" Abby asked nervously.

"It's not as much of a problem as it is the bountiful trade opens up opportunities. Plus Logas is rich kingdom with a rich naval history. Which means plenty of treasure to find. But I really don't see why people think pirates are like barbarians, they live by strict codes."

"This friend is an alternate reality you, isn't it?" I questioned.

"That too."

"Who am I in that reality?"

"Don't know, you haven't shown up yet."

"Well, now were off to find the mermaids."