Eban

4 - Callum

Food, as it turned out, consisted of fresh bread rolls, hard cheese and apples. It was not fancy fair, but after the past 24 hours, Callum considered it the best meal he had ever tasted. The third boy, Eban, welcomed him wordlessly and passed him the food without comment.

As the four of them sat down to eat, Callum could feel Eban's eyes on him. They were startling, pale blue and intense, and they pierced into him whenever Callum was able to meet them. As a result, Callum found himself avoiding Eban's gaze, preferring instead to listen to the chatter of Cedric and Arran as they ate.

Perhaps the result of his hunger and exhaustion, it was only once he had finished the last morsel that he realised that, despite the cool spring day and his recent swim in the lake, he was not cold. His clothes, which should still be soaked with water, were bone dry. A glance at Arran and Cedric confirmed that they too were dry. Callum looked down, trying to study his clothes more carefully without the others noticing. How can they be dry?

"Don't question it," Cedric said. "It won't do your brain any good."

Arran snorted. "I think I finally understand how you get into so much trouble, Ric."

Callum stared at Eban. The boy's eyes were still on him, but they were softer, fainter somehow, and a little more...human. Eban held out his hand to Callum, palm up, in greeting. Callum automatically returned the gesture, touching his own palm to the boy's.

"Sorry about the silent treatment," Eban said. "And for the stare down. Eye contact helps direct the magic, and I've never been very good at holding a conversation whilst performing any kind of spell."

"That's alright," Callum said weakly. It seemed such a pathetic phrase when spoken to the one who had saved his life. "Thank you. If you hadn't helped me..." He could not finish the sentence.

Eban shrugged. "You're just lucky we were here." Eban smiled and nodded at Arran. "It's Arran you should thank, or perhaps his father. We were only in the village to deliver an item from his father to a customer."

Arran shook his head, stopping the thanks on Callum's lips. "If you really want to thank someone, lay a gift at Chance's alter."

"I will." Callum glanced around at the three of them. Despite the precautions they had taken with the beam, none of them appeared in any way concerned. They even had a fire going.

"Why are you helping me?" he asked. "If anyone catches you..."

"No one will." Cedric grinned at Eban. "Not unless Eban has a really bad day." Turning back to Callum, he added, "So, were the accusations true?"

Callum hesitated. He knew what Cedric was asking. If he were going to admit the truth to anyone, these three seemed like a fair option. But years of hiding the truth formed a habit that was not easy to break.

He sighed. "No. I didn't hurt anyone. Even if they deserved it. I definitely did not poison the Campbell's water. They did that themselves when they decide to grow the dassil plant next to their well. I warned them that it was bad idea."

"And what about what you were really being accused of?" Eban asked.

They really were going to make him say it. Eban even had creases around his eyes, as if he was struggling to keep a straight face. Cedric was not even trying to hide his own amusement.

Sighing, frustrated, Callum said, "Yes. I'm a wild mage. Happy?"

"Why not?" Eban grinned. "There aren't too many of us around. Not openly at least."

"Wait, you're a wild mage?" Callum stared, knowing his mouth was open but still too shocked to be able to do anything about it. The boy was clearly a manipulator. Only a manipulator had the kind of power that could create air bubbles or dry clothes. While double gifts were not unheard of, they were rare. Usually, when they appeared, it was a pairing of healing and wild magic, or healing and manipulation. But manipulation and wild magic together? That was...well, clearly not impossible, but it was not far off.

Eban's grin had not faded. At least someone was benefiting from his shock.

"He's a healer too."

"Cedric!" Exasperated, Arran swung a fist at Cedric, who dodged, laughing. "You can't just go telling people that."

"Why not?" Cedric asked. "What can they do? Besides, Eban wouldn't have said anything about being a wild mage if he didn't think Callum was trustworthy."

"It's alright," Callum managed. Honestly, he was surprised he was capable of speech at this point. "Who would I tell anyway?"

Eban just smiled.

"So," Cedric said, "Now that you're dry, fed and, you know, not dead, what are you going to do? Do you have any family you can go to?"

Callum glanced down, watching his fingers clench reflexively in his lap. "I have a cousin in Barkon. They might take me in, for a while at least. After that..." he shrugged, "I'll figure something out. It's not the first time I've had to restart my life."

"Barkon is west of here, isn't it?" Arran asked.

Eban nodded. His hands grasped his knees, arms wrapping around to bring them close so he could rest his chin on them. His eyes never left Callum. They were not as bright as they had been when Callum first noticed them, but they had gained a new level of intensity. His gaze clashed with his otherwise neutral expression. Callum found himself swallowing, unnerved by the fact that he could not read the young man in front of him, even as, he was sure, Eban read him like a book.

"We're heading west. You can travel with us to Barkon, if you like," Eban said, softly. "Four is safer than three."

"And definitely more entertaining than one," Cedric added.

Callum blinked, surprised by the offer, as incongruous as it was. He grimaced as he realised his surprise had, once more, lead to an increasingly awkward pause in the conversation.

"Please...and thank you."

________________________________________________________________________________

Hi everyone!  As today is the 4th chapter of Eban (and therefore also my 1 month anniversary of starting), I thought I'd add a short celebratory note :) To everyone who's read this far, thank you! I hope you've enjoyed it so far and continue to do so. There are a couple of new characters coming up in the next few chapters - I'm excited to finally be able to introduce them to you!

As always, please comment if there's anything you like/think could be improved. If you've read and commented and would like me to do the same, please PM me with the details! Always looking for something new to read :)