Five
My horizons widen
When I returned to my normal state Xentha was by my side.
"I thought I'd find you up here, I knocked and Grepp poked his head out, said you were there a minute ago so I guessed you up here."
"Hmm, that has made me feel so alive inside." Were my first words, as I stretched my cramped muscles. I felt relaxed and refreshed, the sensation of wellbeing like a cloak around me.
"You look like you're doing well; you were in a deep trance when I got here."
"I don't know, it was weird when you had me open my perception, all around me I saw and felt the magic in things, a hazy sparkle like the stars on the edge."
I automatically looked up at the great wheel in the sky, visible now in the darkening sky, looking at its thinning edge as it faded into the black of the Deep South.
"Wow, you were seeing magic?" she replied gushingly, her smiling eyes looking straight into mine.
"There's magic in the things around us that I'm sure of. I can still almost feel it now, its depth and strength."
"I'm getting jealous. Come on we'd better get down before it gets to dark to see," she said standing and gently tugging at my arm, a smile still decorating her lips and showing the teeniest flash of her white teeth.
She hurried us down and into the candlelit entrance hall.
"That's better," she exclaimed, as we entered through the curtained doorway. "Back to civilization."
I gave a chuckle, she turned and stepped closer walking in step with me.
"I wish I could see magic, though it would be a little weird to see it in everything, even though the theory holds that it is in everything and is the magic we use to change things."
The logic put a smile back on my lips.
"The weirdest part," I replied. "Is that nothing has a distinct edge but sparkles like feint stars, yet it's all so solid still with the magic in its core."
"No, don't make me wish more; my sight is confined to divining the truth."
"That would be a nice skill to have," I complemented her back.
"You probable have," she answered back. "But you'll need training to use it.
"It seems that I've got a lot of learning to do, let me finish learning meditation before I start anything else," I replied, to her further amusement.
We continued the light banter until we got back to the dorm where we found we had the place to ourselves.
"Would you like some cofftea?" she asked.
"If you're making one, yes."
I sat down as she continued to the kitchen area.
"So, what are you doing for the rest of the evening?" she continued.
"I don't know yet, I don't have much money at the moment or I might have gone out."
"Oh I can stand you a bottle of wine or two, beer if you prefer it. I'm going to see Milova at The Bull if you fancy."
"With an invitation like that how can I refuse." I replied graciously.
"Well it's settled then, give me time to drink the cofftea and get changed and we'll be off."
"Okay by me, if you want I'll finish the cofftea and you can go and get changed now."
"Thanks, that's nice of you."
She walked back as I stood and walked over to take her place. I pottered around waiting on the pot boiling and made the brew when it was ready, sitting back at the table sipping mine while I waited.
"Are you ready then?" she asked as she exited her door.
"Your cofftea's here."
"Oh don't worry about it. I can get one there if I want."
"Alright then," I said picking the two cups up. "Just rinse these out and we'll be on our way."
She talked about the music and the different entertainers that were on offer in the city, whilst her favorite was Kiria she quite liked Milova as well, she gave Kiria the edge because her songs were better.
We arrived and she grabbed an empty table, sitting, she gave me the coin to buy the bottle of wine she favoured. When I rejoined her at the table she began telling me of her last time here, some good few weeks past, when she had watched Jaspher.
We'd been there a little while when Calorissa wove her way through the gathering crowd to join us.
"There's a lot of erks in tonight," she remarked, sitting in one of the empty chairs.
"Erks?"
"Oh sorry Davor, I mean the acolytes, it's a nickname that the wizards use." She explained.
"No, that's unfair," chimed in Xentha. "It's only some of the not so nice ones that use it."
"I've heard one or two things that might surprise you. Anyway, will you get me a drink please Davor," Calorissa asked, turning to me and proffering a handful of change.
She gave me a name and I dutifully squeezed through the press of bodies to get to the bar. The two of them were laughing when I got back, reliving some past incidents with snatches of information that caused fits of giggling.
I sat back and casually ran my eye over the crowd, lots of young people engaged in animated banter. Our village inn would be thankful for a quarter of the customers here, and that would be about all it could fit in. It was also a little strange on the eye to see so many single girls grouped together.
Milova appeared on a little stage that was tucked away up behind the tables in the corner affording us a good view of her. Everyone stood and clapped as she made herself comfortable on the high stool, behind her was a mandolin player and a guy with a funny kind of whistle, bigger than I'd seen before.
The music was worth it, she had an excellent voice that carried well and I sat there half entranced by the tone and timbre as the songs washed over me. Xentha asked me to get her a fresh bottle in the middle of her last song, urging me to get to the bar before everyone else.
