Don't Forget

#49 Sorcerers

A/N Damn, I've been writing ten chapters ahead of what I'm publishing, but now I'm only seven ahead. I'm so close to the end of this book, but I just can't find the words to finish! So frustrating......
I also made a magic chart!

     Quinten was too busy to do much else besides work in the medical building. There weren't many fatalities, but all the smaller wounds are still time consuming. Everything is so much slower without using magic. It's the first time he's had to make stitches by hand.
The work was almost doubled since Liblicen didn't bring many doctors. Zemrlt are more reasonable, but most of the other hybrids would leave someone behind if they were that injured. Quinten had to go out and find those kinds of patients. He thought that everybody would be put off by his heritage, but the other hybrids actually seemed more comfortable with him.
Either way, outside of work, he was keeping Jason company. Sub's death hit him really hard. It was made worse when Prince Don immediately took the body and hid away from everyone. Quinten keeps finding excuses to slip off and visit him.
     It's only later in the afternoon of the second day that one of the other doctors notice how sluggish the squid number's movements have become. He hasn't gotten much sleep since the battle started. The kind lady sends him away despite his meek protests.
Quinten leaves the new medical building inside the wall, not quite sure where to go. Mitch would probably let him sleep in the old barracks for a few hours, but he feels like it would be rude to ask. Most of the soldiers are camping outside. He'll just have to find out whoever has the tents. And then set it up. And maybe also see if there's anything around to eat.
     He's too groggy to notice the large animals before it's too late. The squid number yells as his leg is suddenly pulled out from underneath him. Large jaws wrap around his ankle, as well as a second pair around his forearm.
     Quinten screams as the two beast run away, dragging him between them. All can make out in the confusion is that the animals are furry with four strong legs. They can't be much smaller then him if they can drag him around like this!
     Quinten's magic flares wildly in response to his fear as the Zemrlt side of the camp zooms by. His back bounces against the ground, leaving a small patch of ice. The number's clothes become soaked with water from the air. There's not enough time for him to focus on anything useful with what little magic he does have.
     The two beasts don't stop their mad dash until they reach the forest. Quinten is certain now that they're taking him home for supper. He's dumped in a small clearing, soaked with water and out of breath.
"I told you guys that I saw an aura! Look at that!", Quinten looks up to see three strangers looking down on him. He sits up and pushes himself back, all that magic training coming back to him. A small spike of ice freezes in place between him and the three.
A wave of pain and dizziness makes Quinten squeezes his eyes shut and cover his head. Too much. His magic isn't ready. This is where he dies. There's no other reason anyone would want to get a half squid's attention.
"Valana, you traumatized the poor thing! His aura's way too weak for you to scaring him like that", a second girl starts to scold the first, but Quinten's too scared to look. He flinches when someone touches his arm.
"Hey, sorry about those two. They can get a little loud, huh?", the third stranger is male from his voice, and a lot calmer and comforting then the other two, "Sorry if we scared you. Valana doesn't think before acting. Won't you look at me?".
Hesitating, Quinten uncurls from his ball. Those two animals really scared him, and he's never been without magic for defense before. He calms down a little when the guy crouching next to him smiles.
He has bright blond hair, and his dark yellow eyes have some amber hybrid streaks in them. His skin is tan instead of ghost pale like so many of the Zemrlt. With the slim build, he doesn't look intimidating or dangerous at all.
     "Who are you?", Quinten is still wary. A kidnaping is not a good introduction. The man with the yellow eyes tries to answer, but one of the girls shove past him.
     "Hi, I'm Valana. I'm sorry if my foxes scared you, but it was obviously the quickest way to find you", she directs the last part at the other girl. Valana has deep green eyes with lighter specks mixed in. Her brown hair is tied up in pigtails, and her entire outfit is made of different greens to match her eyes. Two large foxes peer at Quinten from around her legs. They're familiars.
     "My name is-", the man ties again, but is cut off again.
     "Call me Tristle! Don't mind Valana, I had a way better plan to bring you here!", Tristle sticks out her tongue. Her eyes are a dark orange, way darker then Quinten's, and her hair is in twin braids. Her outfit is a mix of blacks and and blues.
     "......I'm Azeal of the Sk- uh, just Azeal", the man finally gets his say, although he's much quieter then the girls. Quinten stares at the trio with wide eyes. They make an odd group, especially for kidnapers. Quinten can't figure out why they're all staring at him until he realizes that they're waiting for him to speak.
"Seven?", he squeaks out his number, but starts again, "Quinten. My name is Quinten". Azeal manages to get the girls to back off enough for Quinten to stand up. That's when he notices that none of these other kids can be much older then him. No wonder they act so strangely.
"I was trying to explain earlier that Valana sensed your aura so that's why-", Azeal tries to explain is his soft manner, but Valana starts talking over him.
"I was super surprised to see a sorcerer aura on GoldenEye, but you just can't miss it! You're a walking torch!", she laughs.
     "Wait, aura? What's that?", Quinten feels a little braver asking questions.
     "Your aura? You don't know what that is?", Tristle wrinkles her nose at him, "All sorcerers have one, and it's not that hard to see".
     "What I was tying to say is that all of us are sorcerers!", Azeal finally raises his voice a little to compete with the girls, "That's why we wanted to meet you. I didn't think there were any sorcerers in GoldenEye. All sorcerers have an aura that other sorcerers can see".
     "Yeah! So what kind of magic do you have? I'm an Alchemy sorcerer, so I can have my fox familiars, make potions, and just a few smaller things", Valana preens.
     "Oh, I have the water element", Quinten feels good at finally being able to answer a question. He's never been able to talk to other sorcerers like this.
     "Cool! I have the earth element", Tristle smiles, "Water has healing, doesn't it? Maybe you could look at Azeal's back".
     "Tristle", Azeal mutters a warning. He looks very uncomfortable after the earth sorcerer outs him.
     "You're hurt? I can at least look, although my magic might be too low to help. It's not a big deal", Quinten is suddenly eager to prove his skill to the other sorcerers, but frustrated that his magic is still so low.
     "It's nothing. You shouldn't strain yourself", Azeal tries to say.
     "At least let him look! It can't be healthy to walk around like that", Valana crosses her arms.
     Quinten's about to say something, but that's hen he realizes that he doesn't have his jacket on. He must have left it in the medical building. The squid number looks down in fright at his own splotchy blue skin. The other three sorcerers are oblivious to this as they argue. They immediately saw that he was a Piscus, but none of them care. Quinten's been scared of judgment ever since Jason found him, but it seems like people are caring less and less.
     "Fine!", Azeal throws up his arms in frustration, but he doesn't sound all that angry, "He can look, but the entire point of this is that I'm not suppose to ever heal". Valana and Tristle both grin before spinning Azeal around so that his back is to Quinten.
     The squid number has never seen anything like it. At first he thought it was some sort of tattered cape. Azeal's shirt comes up around his neck and shoulders, but his upper back is left open. Two large bird wings grow out of his shoulder blades and fold snugly against his back.
      The tan wings must have once been beautiful, but now they're dirty with several broken feathers. Quinten can easily see different spots where the thin bones have been broken. All the muscle that should be there has withered away into frailty.
      "You're a half breed?", Quinten immediately knows it's the wrong thing to say, "I mean, I'm a half breed, too. There's nothing wrong with that! What happened to break your wings so badly?". For once, Valana and Tristle have nothing to say.
     "My mom is a Caelum. We can fly and predict the weather. I used to live up in the mountains with her in our village", Azeal clearly misses home, "They exiled me after I did something bad with my magic. When Caelum are thrown out, their wings are broken to show their dishonor".
     Of corse he wants to ask what happened, but Quinten can already tell that Azeal is being pushed outside his comfort zone. Just letting Quinten look at his wings sets him on edge. Azeal could back out and refuse help if pushed too far.
"I don't know if these breaks would ever heal properly without magic, but it's hurting the rest of your body to leave them like this", Quinten does his best to sound professional and convincing, "I'm surprised some of these cuts aren't infected already. The least I could do is clean up your wings and bandage the breaks".
Azeal is about to refuse, and that much is clear on his face, but twin glares from the girls make him reconsider.
Valana and Tristle really wanted to meet Quinten after they saw his aura. It's the only reason Valana's two fox familiars dragged him here, but it's an added bonus that he's a healer. The two girls watch smuggly as Azeal is finally taken in for treatment
"Come on. There's a river nearby. Your wings are way too filthy to bandage now", Quinten looses his self doubt when he has a job to do.
"My broken wings are a punishment. I would never fly again, even if I could", Azeal droops his head while following, "I do appreciate all your help, but I'm sure your talent would be better used on someone more deserving". Even Quinten can see that his resolve is paper thin. Caelum have a strong connection with the sky. It'll break Azeal's spirit to be grounded. He needs a little pushing.
"I'm the one who gets to decide who I help. Your just as important as anybody else I've treated today. Now sit down and stay still", Quinten is angry at whoever gave Azeal so many negative opinions of himself. It's not right.
Crouching by a small river, Quinten carefully unfolds Azeal's wings off his back. The unused muscles are too cramped up to work properly. His wingspan must be around fourteen feet.
Quinten doesn't know everything about bird bones and feathers. The little he does know is based on books. He never even saw a bird until he was brought to the surface.
     Azeal's wings actually have three joints, which is how they fold up so well. The feathers are in four different layers. Some of the biggest ones are as long as Quinten's arm.
     "Feathers really need a lot of care to stay healthy, but I'm sure you know that", the squid number uses the river water to try and clean on the wings, "Whatever crime you've done, it'll be easier to make up for it if your not in so much pain all the time".
     "If you were any other type of elemental without a healing gift, we wouldn't be having this conversation. Valana and Tristle have been lecturing me ever since we met", Azeal picks at the grass around his legs.
     "Your wings weren't broken that long ago, right? Maybe half a month at most?", Quinten guesses. He's just starting to see where Azeal is missing feathers. The broken quill shafts of the old ones are still in his skin, so new ones aren't growing in. Those will have to be pulled out.
     "Yeah, it's only been a couple weeks. Valana actually found me right after I'd been exiled. She and Tristle were heading to join Prince Don in his war, so I came along", the Caelum explains. Quinten hums in acknowledgement.
     Although sopping wet, Azeal's feathers are a lot cleaner now. Quinten pulls out a roll of bandages from his pocket and starts to wrap the breaks. Most of the bones have to be positioned differently. Azeal bites his tongue, but doesn't complain. His wings have started to heal in the wrong ways, so Quinten tries to be as careful as possible. He doesn't tell the Caelum that he's using a little magic to numb his wings. This works out well when Quinten pulls out the broken feathers. Azeal doesn't even feel it.
     "You'll probably never fly again if you don't let me go over the breaks with magic later, but you should at least take care of yourself a little better", Quinten sweeps the pile of broken feathers into the river before standing up.
     "Thank you. I needed someone to push me", Azeal looks down and up in embarrassment. He carefully folds his wings back up, the bright white bandages holding the breaks in place. His wings will be light tan and a lot softer after they dry out.
     The two sorcerers leave the river to go find the girls. Quinten never believed that he could feel this comfortable around strangers. Jason is his first friend, but now there's other people that he can trust. Liblicen is a whole different world compared to GoldenEye.
     It isn't until later that night when Quinten realizes that Azeal never mentioned what type of magic he has.

A/N
     Azeal has his own short story, just so you know.....