The Circles of Magic Read online

  He pulled his bow off his back, grabbing an arrow with his other hand. Had someone robbed him? That would be completely unheard of given how easy it would be to find the culprit among Sunwood’s small community. But then why else would anyone break in?

  He would find out soon enough, he supposed, as he grabbed the handle and swung the door open. But when he saw the intruder, he froze again, almost dropping the bow in shock.

  There was another elf sitting there. And he had clearly been waiting for him.

  2

  Feyrith had meant to continue studying from the book on healing magic Master Endari had given him, but all he could do was stare blankly at it. It was still open on the page he’d left it at when he’d gotten summoned by Councilor Hellan along with a few other novices to tell them about a mission to investigate odd magical energies in a ruin on the mainland.

  He couldn’t believe he’d volunteered for it.

  It still didn’t feel real. On a rational level, he was glad. He’d been waiting for a proper opportunity to prove himself, and so when none of his peers had risen to the occasion, he’d taken it upon himself. It was an obvious choice.

  But the problem was that this was going to be much more dangerous than anything he’d done before. He’d never actually left his home island and had only read about the outside world in books. The island of Aendor was by no means a place devoid of threats, but the beasts that lived here were nothing compared to the ones attacking humans on the mainland.

  Feyrith was confident enough in his abilities to know that he was likely to handle defending himself from any threat he could face on his travels, but that didn’t mean that imagining it didn’t make him nervous. Though he wasn’t too worried about the beasts that might attack him on the way. He was mostly concerned about how he would handle whatever challenge awaited him in that ruin.

  Feyrith put his head in his hands, resting his elbows on his metal table. He didn’t regret accepting the mission, but he couldn’t help but feel anxious about it. Incredibly so.

  If he succeeded, he might get the chance to impress his Masters, perhaps even some elves in the higher Circles. It wouldn’t make them consider elevating him to their level, definitely not yet, but it might make them notice his worth. But if he failed…. Well, it might have the exact opposite effect.

  It hadn’t been long since he’d managed to get accepted into the Third Circle, and it wouldn’t take much to get removed from it and sent back to the Second. And at best, failing would make everyone think less of him, and his superiors might retract their praise of his potential.

  Feyrith sighed, his heart flipping almost painfully as his anxiety intensified. He’d never been good in stressful situations, but he’d also always managed to deal with them and overcome any challenge he’d been faced with. He just needed to believe in himself, and he would manage this. Perhaps there was just some kind of anomaly in that ruin, maybe an ancient artifact left behind by their ancestors that they didn’t know about, and it would be nothing dangerous.

  And his mission was to only investigate, not solve the problem or deal with it in any way. He was to contact Councilor Hellan as soon as he had information to report. And sure, he was supposed to use his communication stone to do so rather than return here, but Feyrith doubted he would be told to proceed with the investigation if there was real danger afoot. He was still a novice, after all, no matter how powerful he already was. Feyrith didn’t doubt that the Council would send trained sorcerers to deal with whatever threat the ruin could be hiding.

  And yet no matter how much he assured himself that all of this was worth it, he couldn’t help but feel like this was a mistake. That he wasn’t ready for this. But there was no way he would go to the Councilor and tell her he didn’t want to do this anymore. His reputation would immediately be damaged if he did, and that was the last thing he wanted to happen.

  He found himself staring absently out of the circular window that was right next to him, giving him a view of the entire Academy—the tall towers glistening in the sun, the enchanted metal walls that surrounded them, and even the purple forests beyond, on the horizon.

  Feyrith knew that the mainland was nothing like this, and he couldn’t deny that the way humans lived was intensely fascinating to him, but he was still very intimidated by the idea of seeing something as different as what he’d seen in the books, illustrated by the elves who had spent a lot of time in the human lands.

  He flinched when he heard his door opening, his eyes snapping to it as he sprung to his feet. He watched the door open fully with bated breath, only relaxing when he saw it was Councilor Hellan. And then he tensed up immediately once more as he watched her walk into his small room. There was only a table, a chair, a bed, and a couple of full bookcases lining the walls, but having two people here at once was almost too much.

  “Feyrith,” she greeted him with a nod, her large, golden earrings glinting as they moved. “I must say I was hoping you would be interested in this mission.”

  Feyrith’s mouth went even drier than it had been before. He swallowed, bowing his head to her. Of course, he appreciated the implied compliment, especially from a Councilor, but if anything it made him more nervous about failing her.

  “However, as much as I am sure you can manage this mission on your own, I did take the liberty of lending you a helping hand, so to speak.”

  Feyrith blinked at her in surprise. “Oh?”

  “Close to the coast, there is a human town called Sunwood.” She put her hands behind her back, looking out the window. “An elf called Edwyr lives there. He should be able to help you on your quest.”

  Feyrith frowned, now more confused than surprised. Wasn’t the whole reason for his involvement the fact that the Council had no one else to send to the ruin, as it wasn’t of high priority when it came to defending the mainland?

  If this Edwyr was available, then….

  Feyrith’s eyes widened. “Is Edwyr—?”

  “Cursed, yes,” the Councilor confirmed easily, apparently not at all bothered by this information.

  “But if he has no magic, how can he help?”

  Finally, Hellan turned to look Feyrith in the eye. “An elf bearing the Divine Curse is still much more skilled than any human, and Edwyr is a local. He should be able to help you reach the ruin at the very least.”

  Feyrith supposed that made sense, though the idea of working with a Cursed elf made him a little wary. He felt pity for elves born with no magic, but their Goddess must have had a reason for making them that way, which was exactly what was putting him on edge. He’d never met a Cursed elf, and thinking about what they could be like wasn’t pleasant.

  “Give this to him,” the Councilor said, raising her hand and showing him the small scroll she had been holding. “It’s an order from the Council telling him to help you.”

  Feyrith didn’t say anything as he took it, bowing his head in thanks. He hoped his silence didn’t come across as rude because he couldn’t help it—he always got nervous around the Councilors. They were the best of the best, the most powerful, and Feyrith always felt like anything he did around them could jeopardize his future. It wasn’t true, but he couldn’t help but feel that it was. But he was very grateful for this. If Edwyr didn’t listen to him, he was surely going to listen to the Council, especially since this scroll bore the official High Council seal.

  “May the Goddess protect you,” the Councilor told him before leaving with one last nod. Feyrith sank into his chair, sighing as he stared down at the scroll in his hand. He could barely sit still now, his hands shaking. He didn’t particularly want to see Edwyr, but since the Councilor had gone through all that trouble to find him some help, Feyrith shouldn’t complain.

  He somehow managed to drag himself up again, walking over to his bed, from which hung his satchel. He needed to pack the few things he would need and leave if he wanted to arrive in Sunwood by evening. At least according to where he thought Sunwood was. He had yet to look at a map
to make sure he remembered correctly, but he would have plenty of time to do that once he was riding to the mainland.

  Feyrith grabbed his communication stone, a map, his journal, and his enchanted pen and put it all in his satchel along with the scroll. He would have packed some food as well, but he didn’t feel like having a discussion about it with the elves who gave out rations. Feyrith could just conjure up something later. No matter how difficult it could be to create edible food from nothing, Feyrith had tried it enough times to now feel somewhat confident in his skill, even if the food created was incredibly bland.

  He ended up bringing his waterskin as well, though, not liking the idea of wasting his energy on creating water. He wasn’t nearly powerful enough yet to be able to afford that. And finally, he picked up his staff from where it was propped up against the wall next to the door.

  Feyrith took a moment to study the uneven, wooden surface of it, the jagged, sharp tip, the strap attached to it so he could carry it on his back, and the magical energy he could feel radiating from it without even touching it. It was made from a piece of Denedril, the massive tree growing in the center of Aendor. It was so tall that its trunk took up a fifth of the island and cast a large part of it into permanent shadow. If Feyrith’s window faced north, he would most likely be able to spot at least a part of Denedril from here.

  But his window faced south, instead—the place where his future would be decided, for better or for worse.

  His heart proceeded to give a few erratic beats. It seemed the more time he gave himself to think about this, the worse and more on edge he felt. It was clearly time to go.

  Heaving a sigh, Feyrith put on his black and gold robes, pulling the satchel over his shoulder and slinging his staff onto his back right after. Feyrith took one last look at his study before walking out into the familiar corridor full of carved wooden beams and smooth, silver walls.

  Feyrith paid no attention to his surroundings, though, nor did he look at anyone walking in the opposite direction. He didn’t need or want any distractions right now. He only focused on getting down to the stable and leaving before he grew too nervous to do this. Leaving certainly wouldn’t be such a scary concept if he hadn’t already built it up in his head.

  The stables were relatively far away but walking down all those flights of stairs felt like nothing. Feyrith barely remembered traversing them now that he stood in front of the wooden building just outside of the Academy. He could hear the quasir inside snorting and digging with their claws.

  The stable keeper standing in front asked him for his name, which Feyrith gave without feeling like he was the one doing so. It seemed a bit as if he were in a dream. Thankfully, the other elf didn’t seem to notice or at the very least didn’t care about Feyrith’s lack of focus as he disappeared into the stable, returning a moment later with an already saddled quasir. The beast was larger than the ones Feyrith had trained with so far, but like all quasir, he was sure the animal would be relatively gentle and docile.

  Still, the red eyes and black feathers this particular one had were a little intimidating, combined with the fact that it was taller than him. The stable keeper didn’t seem to share these feelings as he gave Feyrith the reigns with a rather bored expression. Feyrith took them with a shaking hand and led his new steed onto the cobbled path that connected the various buildings making up the Academy.

  The quasir was watching him with far too intense a stare, even as Feyrith climbed onto its back. And then it proceeded to yawn and fluff up its feathers. It was clearly much calmer than Feyrith himself.

  Swallowing down his nervousness, he nudged the quasir to start walking down the path, each sandy stone making it up the same as the next. Until now Feyrith had never truly thought about this, or any of the elven buildings around him, for that matter. They were all perfect and symmetrical, which wasn’t something he would see much on the mainland.

  He made the quasir move faster once they made it to the main road which connected every major structure on the island. Since it was wider, Feyrith could afford to go faster without fear of running someone over. The quasir reacted to his prompts with no hesitation or unwillingness, which was a relief even though Feyrith shouldn’t have been surprised. Elves were very good at training animals in general. However, he had ridden one or two before which were a bit too headstrong and didn’t appreciate him telling them what to do all that much.

  Feyrith let the quasir trot along on the side of the road as he stared at the blue and purple vegetation around him. There weren’t many trees here or mushrooms, as it was impractical since they tended to grow incredibly tall. There was only one forest on the island, and it was in the northern part of it, with the rest being covered in dark blue grass and bushes.

  The human lands weren’t at all like this, from what Feyrith had heard. There were jungles, and thick forests that were practically impossible to traverse, hiding dangerous beasts and creatures. That all sounded intimidating, though Feyrith couldn’t deny that a part of him was delighted at the prospect of seeing it all with his own eyes. Still, he would be much less nervous if he were going with someone more experienced.

  His mind immediately jumped to the elf he was supposed to meet, and Feyrith promptly pushed those thoughts away. It wasn’t going to do him any good to think about how terribly that might go. Instead, he kept his eyes on the horizon, already able to see the incredibly long, glistening, diamond bridge leading to the mainland. It was several miles long, and from what Feyrith had read about it, it had been difficult to build even with magic. It was perfectly smooth, except for the very surface, which was rough on purpose so the quasir could more easily run on it.

  He'd never actually been on the bridge, nor had he seen it from up close, despite it being fairly close to the Academy. He was somewhat interested in seeing it and traveling over it, but the unfamiliar silhouettes of trees and mountains on the other side were making him much less enthusiastic than he would be under normal circumstances.

  Feyrith tried to actively think of nothing, counting the number of the tall, golden lamps he passed on the road as he went if only to busy his ever-buzzing mind with something. As there was practically no one else around right now, Feyrith made the quasir run faster, eager to get this done as quickly as possible. He knew the trip would take several days at least, but that didn’t change his irrational need to leave Aendor behind. The longer he took to look at everything he might miss here, the worse it would feel to leave it.

  It took almost an hour to get to the bridge, which was faster than Feyrith had thought, and so he let the quasir slow down. He didn’t want to exhaust the animal too much, especially not so early. The quasir didn’t react, neither negatively nor positively, but Feyrith wasn’t going to urge it on again simply because it didn’t seem bothered.

  He barely noticed the two guards in front of the bridge as the quasir zipped past them, its claws finally making contact with the bridge. Feyrith couldn’t help but stare down at it, and into the sea beneath it, which was visible through it. It made him feel a little nauseous—he’d never been great at handling heights—but Feyrith couldn’t tear his eyes away from the sunlit, beautiful surface. Though he was glad for the equally beautiful railings around the entire bridge. They looked fragile and far too thin, but Feyrith knew no simple force could break them.

  As hard as a diamond was, this entire bridge was also enchanted, ensuring that no outside force would break it. And it was also meant to symbolize the elves’ effort to help humanity in any situation, their will to do so unbreakable. Feyrith wondered what the humans thought about it. He would have to ask if he got the opportunity.

  As he got closer and closer to the strange, green trees on the other side of the bridge, he let out a sigh. This was it, then. He looked back at Aendor behind him, the incredibly tall, golden spires of the Academy practically only a gleam in the distance. They didn’t even look real, somehow, like a mirage.

  Feyrith truly hoped he would see them again. He sighed, tu
rning his full attention to the human land in front of him, just as the quasir was about to run to the end of the bridge.

  The sounds of scratching of the beast’s claws against the diamond surface changed into quiet thuds as the quasir’s claws hit the stone path, so uneven and worn in comparison to the ones Feyrith was used to. But somehow, he didn’t find this intimidating and unfamiliar. It was quite novel to see the contrast. And there was a certain beauty to it, just a different kind. The various sizes of the stones and their varying shapes were fascinating to look at as his steed continued making its way down the road.

  Perhaps this wouldn’t be so daunting after all.

  Feeling encouraged by this, Feyrith continued looking at everything around him with interest. The area surrounding the road was mostly made up of grassy fields as far as the eye could see, but there were small clusters of trees every once in a while. And everything was so strangely green.

  He’d of course known that would be the fact ahead of time, but that didn’t mean he understood why that was. Feyrith was aware that there had been studies concerning this topic, but they still had no answers. Everything on Aendor practically oozed magical energy, but they still had yet to discover the full extent of how it worked.

  Of course, Feyrith didn’t doubt that their island had been blessed by their Goddess, just like the elves themselves had been, but that didn’t mean he didn’t wish to understand where all of that energy was coming from, why it manifested itself in dark colors, or even if there was more to this than that. Unfortunately, research into this topic was widely frowned upon, so they were unlikely to ever know.

  The rest of his journey to the town of Sunwood was shockingly uneventful. It seemed not many people frequented these parts, and the few settlements that were around were far too away from his course to visit. But maybe that was for the best. After his initial anxiety had worn off, he was starting to feel rather relaxed and curious about anything and everything, and that wasn’t necessarily a good thing. He sometimes had a problem with focusing on the task at hand and got far too easily distracted. He needed to keep reminding himself of what his mission was.