Chapter 1: A day off

[Winter is nearing and cold is leaking into the stone halls of the Phinox academy. A group of students are gathered all in the thin red and gold robes of the school. One of the students a male standing near six foot, has short dirty blond hair and think glasses making his eyes seem to bulge out like an owl. He has a scare over the brim of his nose his skin is pale and eyes a light hazel. His name is Ian. He is dressed in a red shirt and blue jeans.  Another male student stands near him his eyes watching the passing faces. He spots me. His hair is a dark wavy brown his skin is a little tan but he is still on the light side. His eyes a deep brown, he is at my height about 5”9, his face is set with irritation, not many would have spot this because his face is nearly unreadable. He holds so tight to his emotions... it seems he will let no one in. His name is Shadow and I have known him for so long I can read him like no other except for professor Heartless. Only the gods know why they are so close. Shadow has the hood of his school cloak up as is his normal fashion. Underneath he has on a black t-shirt and jeans.  I hasten to them my brown and gold hair bouncing around my shoulders.]

Hey guys �"I smile-

Ian: hello Kiari �"smiles down at me-

Shadow: -nods his head in greeting-

Kiari: Have the elders picked a new commander yet? [Each magi school has a military to protect its people and nearby towns. Though it was not needed against other schools and other worldly creatures rarely attacked in this plain.]

Shadow: not yet, it shouldn’t take much longer though…

Kiari: -pulls cloak around myself to fight the morning chill- I think we should pick the dueling teacher Mr.…. err what’s his name?

Ian: its professor Walter’s.

Shadow: how long have you been at this school now? Two, three years?... shouldn’t you know your professors names by now? �"Irritation creeps into his voice slightly-

Kiari: -I give him a stern look- yes I should, but I don’t. Now for the thousandth time leave me alone about it and its four. Well starting on the forth at the end of Yule vacation.

Ian: don’t worry about it I don’t know all of them myself… well I have to go I’m meeting the new kid Chris for a duel today. �"Ian takes off in his normal manner running as fast as he can-

Shadow: quit drooling over him for Gaia’s sake.

Kiari: I wasn’t drooling. I was just watching him go.

Shadow: -rolls eyes- come on seeing as this is our only day off, let’s go to the new magick shop in town.

[As we walk out the doors and begin the long walk to Midgard, I can’t help but to think of Shadows irritation over me “drooling” over Ian. I know Ian had probably already got under his skin before I had joined them but still it bothered me… the problem was I liked Ian but I liked Shadow more. The only problem was with Shadow was he never let anyone in. I had already been leaving myself available in case he did ever like me… but the emptiness it left in me was starting to kill me. I raise my head up as we start to descend the hill our school lays on. The path to Midgard cut through a large forest. It was rumored to have demon spawn and all kinds of hellish beasts in it and was forbidden to the student body, but that never stopped me. I had been in the forest many times. All of which Shadow had caught me and scolded me. Thankfully he had not reported me for it, yet. But from what I had seen it was a beautiful place. Full of golden and silver furred deer and other smaller game and the plant life! Trees as thick as a car and some hundreds of feet tall. I had always gone into it of a night and found that there was an abundance of glowing plants. Flowers, mushrooms, and ferns you name it. It was beautiful. I looked up at Shadow raising the hood on my cloak.]

Kiari: I need to stop at the book store, kay?

Shadow: my tarot cards and new B.O.S. (book of shadows) should be in by now anyway. I’ll go with you.

Kiari: -I beam brightly as we near the woods and the path nearly levels now- do you think we will see any elementals this time?

Shadow: ugh… unless you’re truly Goddess blesses then I’d say no.

Kiari: one could hope. -Smiles pulling the cloak tighter around me-

Shadow: are you always cold?

Kiari: no I’m on fire I just wear this for looks.

Shadow: -rolls his eyes-

[A   large grey and black wolf walks onto the path in front of us. Its paws are white and its ears are tipped with white. Its eyes a stunning blue.]

Kiari: Shiva!!! �"Runs to her-

Shiva: -c***s head to the side-

[I had bonded with Shiva during my many forbidden trips to the forest. I had been lost when I first encountered her; she had been lean and severely wounded. It was dark and I was winding my way through the maze of trees, when I tripped over one of the many twisted roots snaking in and out of the ground. That’s when I heard a deep growl of my soon to be familiar…]

 It was an odd bound; she always seemed to know when I was near.

Kiari: (baby talking the dog) come here little ity bity I want to pet you!

Shadow: must you talk like that.

Kiari: (looking back while petting Shiva) no, but I can’t help myself.

Shadow: mmhhmm…. Ok leave the wolf alone and let’s go on. It will be dark by the time we get back, we need to go.

Kiari: let me give her some jerky first. (Pulling out a large bag of jerky from inside my cloak pocket) want some before I give it to her?

Shadow: I guess…

Kiari: (hands him a piece and I hold one in between my teeth as I pour the rest out for Shiva)

[Shiva devours it gleefully and we start to head on, but as Shadow nears Shiva her ears lay flat and a deep growl escapes her throat.]

Shadow: still don’t trust me huh Shiva?

Kiari: she is a wild wolf after all. Here I’ll stay between you two. (Moves around Shiva with shadow hidden behind me.)

Shadow: (as we make it past Shiva) why does she like you?

Kiari: we have been over this. You’re blessed in the arts of magick and I’m blessed with animals. That and I feed her jerky (smiles) how do you like it? (Starts nibbling on her own piece)

Shadow: (takes a bite) not bad.

[Just as we finish our jerky the woods thin and Midgard rises up before us]

Kiari: off we go to see the wizard the wonderful wizard of…. BOOKS!

Shadow: (rolls his eyes but smiles a little)

{Midgard: a labyrinth of stone roads, stores, homes, gargoyles, and a bustling town full of magi}

Kiari: the book store has been added to again, three floors now.

Shadow: it looks like they put gargoyles up too…

Kiari: [a dark expression comes over my face as my eyes land upon the gargoyles.] what’s the point in putting up protectors when they don’t even know how to do just that. Protect.

Shadow: you know good and well they only protect what there made to. The ones on the buildings protect that building. The ones on the traveler’s road protect the travelers, just as the ones around a town protect that town…

Kiari: and the ones you wear as an amulet protect its owner. I know already.

Shadow: I wouldn’t know that by the way you sleep in magick creature’s class. (A disapproving look spreads over his face)

Kiari: you know good and well magick drains me more than most magi…. Because I can’t call upon the elements and I’m not permitted to draw energy from others.

Shadow: you can if you actually try.

[We enter the book store: the walls are 12ft tall covered in rows of books. Tables set out all around the shop lined with charms, potions, book marks, potion bottles (of all shapes and sizes), and mixing pots. In each corner are steps swirling up to the next floor. Though outside the stones were dark and frightening and the very building looms over you, inside it is soft and welcoming with polished wood floors with rich green carpet runways. The walls are a worn gray stone.]

Shadow: I’m going to go pick up my order, I’ll meet you on the 3^rd floor at 7:00. (Walks away to the main desk)

Kiari: (mumbles to herself) but it’s already 6:15…. Eh oh well time to look around. (Rubs hands together in excitement)

[Moving down the rows of shelves I pick out a book of shadows with the tree of life carved into it. It is about three inches thick (which I would be using to drawl and write my poems in and not my studies.), a book on making protective charms, and a book on calling the elements and finding there plains. Moving on to the tables I pick up a mixing bowl, three bubble round potion bottles, a silver bookmark carved into a snake, and a magick 8 ball the store sold as a joke. Having too much to carry I conjured a shopping bag (not the best use of my magick but it comes in handy). Doing this simple act of magick left me pale and tired. I gathered up my supplies and headed up the winding stairs to the second floor. From wall to wall there were books on the history of magick as well as all known gods and goddesses. There were also books on different plants and their uses as well as books on crystals. On the tables were maps of the world showing where you could locate these crystals and herbs. Also on the tables were some of the more common crystals and plants. If you wanted anything uncommon you would have to order specially. I searched the tables first where I obtained two pounds of wolfs bane, one pound of rose wood, a moon stone, a cinnabar crystal (red as a glistening drop of blood), wulfenite crystal (orange and luminesce).  I glanced up at the grandfather clock behind the casher’s desk, it was already 7:15. I was late once again in meeting with Shadow. I rushed up the stairs to the third floor. As I reached the newly installed third floor the smell of freshly baked bread, honey tea, and cookies welcomed me. I searched the faces of magi longing at the round tables for shadow. At last I spotted him at a table in the corner almost hidden by a statue of the god Oden. When I seated myself at the table Shadow cocked his eyebrow at me.]

Shadow: you’re late... (Passes me a menu) you look pale you should probably eat.

Kiari: yeah sorry I couldn’t find a book on astro projection. (This was a lie I already had two in my dorm room. I just didn’t want him to know I was looking for books on how to call the elements, because he had been trying to teach me how to call on them.)

[A waitress comes up. She has long black raven hair and pale blue eyes. Her uniform is tan khakis white shoes and a white long sleeved shirt tucked into her pants and a brown vest on with alchemy symbols swirling along it.]

Waitress: how are you all today and how may I be of service?

Shadow: a honey tea and a cinnamon bagel.

Kiari: I would like a honey tea as well with three sugars and a loaf of French bread please.

Waitress: I’ll be right back with your order.

Shadow: they have winter cloaks up here if you want to look after we eat.

Kiari: yeah I kind of need one. So did your stuff come in?

Shadow: yeah.

[Pulls a shoulder bag up from the floor, which I hadn’t noticed before. He must have just got it with his order. It was brown leather but as he opened it removing a book and some cards I could see it was lined with a emerald green silk. His new book was black with a silver pentagram on the front. His tarot cards had black and white wings on the backs of them.]

Shadow: Like most books of shadows this one can’t be opened by anyone but its owner, but this one shocks anyone that even touches it other than me. The cards have wings of good and evil so they will show nothing but the truth. Not being influence by one or the other but both. (He puts them back in the shoulder bag and returns it to the floor.)

Kiari: did you get that bag here and do they come in black?

Shadow: yeah they do.

Kiari: I think I’m going to get one.

Shadow: do you ever wonder who your sponsor is?

[The waitress brings us our food and tea. The bread is steaming with heat.]

Shadow & Kiari: thanks

[I pick at my bread thinking. (After the accident with my family I had been dragged out of the mortal world and into this one. I had been so young. Not even six yet… then shortly after being placed in a magi orphanage I was dragged into a magi school. The headmaster of the school had told me I was lucky I had been chosen by a powerful magi to sponsor my schooling and he would pay for anything I needed. It wasn’t really heard of for this sort of thing to happen. The students family was always supposed to sponsor their teaching and orphans were home schooled. That or the orphan would be adopted and move into their new home, but once again life was strange to me and gave me a sponsor. This was my third school in all. The first I spent three years at until some kids stole my cloak revealing my ears to everyone. The second school I was at for five years until a local dragon waged war on the school and my sponsor had me removed. I’ve been at this school for four years now. No matter how often I asked I was never told who my sponsor was and of a summer I would have to choose between staying in my dorm or an old manner in the forbidden woods. I had learned quickly that I wasn’t to leave the manner and if I snuck out a magical alert would go off and I would be hunted by the manners staff and brought back. Altogether the manner was creepy with a disappearing figure who seemed to haunt the place, and worse it was lonely. But I met Shadow and he stayed at his dorm of a summer so I came back to the school and the world wasn’t so empty anymore. But the mysterious sponsor did make me wonder. Why not just tell me or even meet with me? Did he believe he would gain something from helping me but surely he knew my fault with the elements it was on the school records. So why hadn’t he dropped his sponsorship?]

Kiari: (coming back from my daze I found half my loaf destroyed and shadow patiently waiting on me halfway finished with his bagel and sipping on his tea.) yeah I do... it bothers me he won’t see me let alone let me know who he is.

Shadow: it is strange I will admit.

Kiari: (I place three cubs of sugar in my tea) it will be dark by the time we get back…

Shadow: I know... let’s hurry here.

[After eating we head over to the cloaks and shoulder bags shadow goes on the other side of the rack of me looking at the cloaks]

Kiari: I like this bag its black with red silk lining in it

Shadow: sure, sounds like you

[I place the bag over my shoulder putting my shopping bag in it and move to the cloaks. Some are very thick and others thin like the one draped around me but the ones that catches my attention it’s lined with fur]

Kiari: there so pretty.

Shadow: think more upon its warmth than how pretty it is.

Kiari: why not both? (I say as I come upon a black cloak lined with warm silver fur (fake but as soft as silk) removing my own cloak I try it on.) I love it.

Shadow: (moves around to see having a cloak on himself. Black lined with gold fur) good it fits we will need these soon. It will be snowing in a week or two. Come on let’s check out.

[As we walk down the winding stairs I can’t help but think that his brown eyes and his hair stood out nicely next to the gold fur. I also wondered what color my eyes were currently, seeing as they changed from time to time. I also thought my brown and gold hair probably went nicely with the silver fur of my new cloak.]