Goodbye

When the snow began to melt, traffic once again resumed to the small, un-walled town of Leafburrow. Along with the soldiers and mercenaries came merchants and their caravans. Some brought food, a welcome relief for much of the town. Others brought weapons, supplying the soldiers and mercenaries on their task to destroy the local bandit company.

One person in particular drew more interest than any other. She had been among the first to arrive, and also one of the first to reserve a room in the Golden Gizzard. Wearing the robes of the mages' order, the Academic Order, the woman represented the hope of the fewer than dozen children who wished to be tested for magical aptitude.

Her test was simple. All children that wished to partake in it were to meet her in the town square before dawn a week after her arrival. Anticipation rising, many couldn't wait for the day to come.

And now it had. Jacob and Angelica stood among the prospective mages. The sense of worry and nervousness permeated the air, but Jacob wasn't all that scared. After all, he knew that he had magic from his brief experimentation with it. Getting a ticket out of Leafburrow wouldn't be all that difficult. Actually finding the courage to leave would be far more tricky, though he could worry about that later.

Angelica, for her part, remained stoic. Jacob knew how much this opportunity meant to her, and he hoped dearly that her latent powers, if she had them, would make themselves known today. The mage approached her candidates.

"Today, we will discover if you hold any talent for magic, whether is lies in fire, water, earth, or air," she said, appraising the jittery children. Most of them were far younger than Jacob's sixteen. Or was he now seventeen? He probably missed his birthday during the winter at some point. "The goal of the test is simple," she continued, though her icy blue eyes never stopped moving. "Place your hand on this enchanted sphere. The brighter it is, the more talent you have. If it doesn't light up at all, you've failed and must return home. That being said, do we have any volunteers?"

None of the children wanted to be first. Confident in his chances, Jacob approached. The mage nodded at him, at which point he did as he was told. At first, nothing happened. Dreadful seconds passed in quiet agony. Sweat poured from his forehead. How could this be? He knew that he could make the wind move.

Turning to leave the ball after a motion from the mage, his eyes met Angelica's. A shared moment of sorrow passed between them, but it was over as Jacob exited the square. He watched from afar, taking in the scene.

One by one, the other children took their turns. None of them received a reaction from the orb, until Angelica placed her hands on the enchanted item. It lit up bright orange, shining with the intensity of the sun. The mage had to shield her eyes. "Incredible," she exclaimed. Even Jacob could hear her words from where he was, thirty yards away.

Angelica took that as a good sign and remained in the square, beaming. Jacob smiled at her fortune, knowing she couldn't see him standing in one of the alleys adjoining the square. Some words were exchanged between the mage recruiter and Angelica before the pair left for the Golden Gizzard. Jacob followed them into the inn; the place was where he lived and worked, after all.

When he entered, he saw Rod embracing Angelica, tears flowing openly from both of them. They were joyous, though. Minutes passed before their embrace broke. Angelica noticed Jacob, wrapping him in a hug as well.

"I'm going to be a fire mage, Jacob! Like my mom!" she said happily when the hug ended. "I've got to go pack my things and leave; Mage Connelson wants to be out of Leafburrow by noon. Apparently, she was late getting here."

The mage, standing in the corner of the common room, had the sense to look embarrassed about that fact, though Jacob knew that trudging through the snow must've been a difficult task. It was easy to see why someone would've arrived late.

"I'm happy for you, Angelica! Show all those at the Ducal Capital what people from Leafburrow are made of! From what you've told me, those snobs at Steelshade could use a lesson in humility," he whispered conspiratorially, making sure the mage didn't hear. He didn't want to be fried, impaled, or worse, after all. "I guess this is goodbye, then?"

"We'll meet again. Worst case, I'll come visit when I'm done at the Academy" Angelica said, a promise in her words. She beamed again, a skip in her step as she bounded up the stairs. For his part, Rod looked like a proud father watching his daughter grow up. Jacob left the common room, letting the pair enjoy their last moments together.

He found Will in the backyard training. Wordlessly, he picked up his sword and joined in. He'd figure out why his magic didn't register someday. But that day wouldn't be today. He was furious at the injustice of it all. He needed to swing at something. "Spar, Will?" he asked. The older man agreed, surprised at Jacob's eagerness. After the incident with the loan sharks, the younger man hadn't wanted anything to do with fighting.

Noon came and went, but Jacob hardly realized. Enveloped as he was by the sound of metal clanging on metal, he found focus. He even found himself able to push back against Will on occasion, but those moments of inspiration never lasted long. The moons had begun to rise when he collapsed on the grass, exhausted.

He woke. The sky was still dark, and the stars were still playing. He didn't know how much time had passed, but he did know that he needed to go wash up and fall asleep in a real bed. Those thoughts were dashed when he re-entered the inn.

He heard a lute. Rod was playing again, and Jacob wanted to watch.