‘No. My name is Chauncey.’
“I’m Lac. Pleased to meet you.”
‘Where are you headed Lac?’
“Well,” Lac had finished the repast and sat sated. “When I saw your magic in the meadow back in Oakendusk, with the mother and her boy, I thought maybe by observing you I might gain knowledge of magic.”
Lac hesitated. He hated to say it but he was an honest lad and he respected Chauncey.
“I’m not that good at magic.” He said it softly but he said it. He felt better for saying it in one way as if a weight lifted off his shoulders. In another way he felt frustrated to recognize the truth of it.
‘Your magic seemed impressive to me.’
“Well, that was,” Lac stopped himself. It would be unkind to say it was tiny pixies as it would mean Chauncey’s compliment wasn’t of significance. “Thank you Chauncey but there’s a lot to learn and I seem to be slow in the learning. At least in practice. I cannot really do anything my instructor asks me to do.”
They were quiet for a spell. Each with their own thoughts.
“Chauncey, where are you headed?”
‘I’m seeking my mate Shastra.’
“Oh, that’s nice. Where is she?”
‘I do not know.’
“Oooh.” Without thinking Lac said, “is there anything I can do?”
Chauncey thought on it for awhile. ‘Perhaps.’
CHAPTER SEVEN
Lac and Chauncey traveled the road heading to the Galwich Mountains. The first day was uneventful and very pleasant for both of them.
Chauncey was content as Lac did not overly burden him with questions. Just enough queries to give Chauncey a feeling of parental satisfaction when he contemplated the answers yet not too much to tax him or disturb his daydreaming.
Lac on his part understood that Chauncey liked to chat but minimally. He also knew Chauncey was not an adept at magic as his magic was innate and maybe not something the unicorn ever thought about. So he didn’t bother the unicorn with a lot of questions specific to controlling magic.
To Chauncey magic was something that was rather than a thing to develop. Existence but not aptitude. And it was this reason he found Lac’s magic impressive. The unicorn could tell there was strong innate magic within Lac. Chauncey didn’t know anything about conjuring let alone developing that skill and so left the subject there.
The second day of the journey was much like the first. The weather was conducive to traveling and Lac and Chauncey did not want for food. The cheese weighed over ten pounds and the nuts and raisons were substantial. It was odd to carry the rucksack since Lac lived close to the academy and didn’t need a bag for his books. He rarely took his books home unless it was the weekend.
But Lac didn’t mind having the rucksack‘s weight on his shoulders. This was an adventure. This was the reason he wanted to become a certified mage. To have adventures. To battle evil. True, pixies couldn’t be considered evil as they were like mischievous children but who knew what would follow by traveling with Chauncey on his quest to find Shastra?
At fifteen Lac could not be said to understand the world. Yet, the problem with most fifteen year olds was their ignorance of what the wide world was like was unknown to them. In the long run this is probably better for the species.
If at fifteen you really understood how the world worked then you might never leave your bed or at least your kitchen. Lac at this moment was happy to have left both. And it wasn’t like traveling was a new thing for his family.
When his great-great-grandfather came out of Fonderlac to the borderlands he and Lac’s great-grandfather had traveled quite often. On occasion going all the way to the Galwich Mountains to trade with the dwarves.
So, it wasn’t new ground he was treading upon. Following in footsteps as it were. Yet, Lac was aware that no family member in nearly a century had gone this far to the west but it wasn’t something he was prone to dwell on.
Lac wasn’t prone to dwell on many things. How many fifteen year olds do, especially when interested in one thing…okay, make that two things; magic and Nadilia. What else did one have time for?
So it was with an agreeable mood Chauncey and Lac stopped for the night. They had walked far but not hurriedly so they were tired but not exhausted. Hungry yes and the spot they chose was perfect for their evening meal.
They were at the river which had a nice area of arboreal canopy and soft moss to sit and lay upon. They dined and retired for the night. Lac was aware he felt different. No longer the kid or young adult of his parents or Oakendusk. He was aware of being himself, whatever that was, but a new self. Yet, he did feel changed albeit an undefined change. He was the same but perhaps was no longer being the same. Although, he was not given to introspection at this time or at most times he was subtlety aware there had been an initiation of change with his decision to accompany the unicorn.
It was an intuitive awareness and one which made his sleep come quickly. Before he dreamed he wondered how bad could it be? I took care of those pixies with…out… much…prob…lem.
‘Lac. Lac. Wake up. Visitors approach.’
Chauncey realized his thoughts could not be projected into the somnolent Lac. So he kicked him.
“Hey. Was that you…you move around when you sleep?”
‘We have company.’
“Huh? Company. I don’t see anyone.”
That would have been impressive magic. It was pitch black under the canopy of weeping willows and cedars trees. The stars didn’t even shine through. Had anyone been within a foot of Lac he would not have seen them.
‘Then listen.’
Lac rolled over on his side and rested on his elbow. Oh, birds. Great, he wakes me up to hear birds.
‘Birds generally do not make night sounds.’
“Really?”
‘Yes, really. They need sleep as well.’
“Well, what would make them…?”
Lac paused. He now heard something. He had no idea what it might be but it was now certain something was out there. More pixies?
The noise grew in proximity as well as in volume. Lac didn’t think pixies.
“Could it be an ogre?” He reached for a suitable branch. It felt good in his hand.
‘No, I do not think so. I would say there are several of them.’
This got Lac to his feet. He brandished the limb in front of him and toward the noise which was getting very close now. Something was definitely coming through the brush.
The closer the noise came the more he worried. A primal feeling invaded him but subconsciously. The mind perceives the worst when you cannot see the enemy. He was no longer thinking. Instead, he was getting very nervous. It seemed a long duration he held this defensive stance and if the sounds weren’t so immediate he would have sighed and sat down. He waited next to Chauncey.
The noise was almost upon them and in a moment whoever or whatever was creating the noise would be in the little clearing underneath the lofty tree canopy.
It’s right there, Lac thought. Here they come. Oh, oh, oh…I wish we had a fire. We need light…
Lac fell backwards and on his posterior. He let go of the branch. The light was immediately extinguished. When the tip of the branch glowed Lac noticed some smaller beings had broken through the brush and emerged into the little clearing.
However, he hadn’t spent any time looking at what had arrived. All he could do was look at the end of the branch. I said light and it…it…well, it lit up, didn’t it?
‘Yes, it did Lac. Your magic is impressive. Now get rid of them.’
Lac stood up quickly. It was dark again and he had no idea what was confronting them. He retrieved the branch and was a little chagrined it did not light up again.
“Who’s there?” Lac was barely able to stammer out the question.
“Oh, it’s just a boy and a unicorn.”
This brought gales of laughter to the three hobgoblins. Lac began shaking the branch and saying, “light.”
Lac said ‘light’ several times and no matter how much he shook the branch it remained unlighted.
One hobgoblin turned to his compatriots, “how heavy could that branch be?”
“Maybe it’s too ‘light’ for him?”
“Well, take it from him and we can use it to for the fire. I bet he’s a tender morsel.”
Lac couldn’t see the speaker but he felt the hobgoblin was salivating.
Lac found his voice again, “don’t come any closer. I’m a powerful mage and I don’t want to hurt you.” He shook the branch while murmuring “light.”
Lac’s stomach felt queasy. Well, you tell me if being confronted by three very hungry hobgoblins wouldn’t make anyone queasy. A fifteen year old unsure of himself should feel something, shouldn’t he?
But maybe it was something else. The last meal didn’t seem to sit well in Lac’s stomach. He felt the gas building. He really didn’t feel well.
“What should we do with the unicorn?”
The three hobgoblins advanced slowly as they argued what to do with their food.
“Stop…(burp)…right…there. I don’t wa(buurp)nt to hurt you.”
Lac was feeling very queasy now. He was nauseous but he had to defend himself and Chauncey from being eaten. No time to…
“I’m warn(buuuurp)ing you.” Chauncey had already lowered his head to make the horn more menacing. The three hobgoblins were now only several feet from Lac and Chauncey.
Lac swallowed trying to keep the food inside him. Can’t fight when throwing up.
“Stop. Come no fur(buuuurrrrrrp)ther.”
Lac managed to keep the food down but he had to do something and without a light it seemed better to talk.
Lac swooned and almost dropped the branch yet said quietly, resignedly, “light.” The end of the branch glowed once again.
The three hobgoblins backed off. They looked at Lac. He had one hand on the branch held before him and the other against his abdomen.
“So this is the powerful magician?” The three laughed.
“So where is your powerful staff mage? Nyah, nyah, nyah! You call that a staff?” The second hobgoblin sneered.
The third wit would not be outdone, “yeah, master magician show us your magic you puny little tasty boy.”
“Really, go away…I’m not feeling all that well.”
“Oh, by all means. We can’t eat anyone who isn’t feeling up to snuff, now can we lads?”
“Oh no. Tsk, tsk.”
“Sure, we’ll come back when you’re feeling better. Humans are always tastier when they’re feeling good.”
They laughed then lunged.
Lac could only raise his one empty hand and shout, or what should have been a shout of, “STOP.”
Chauncey and the three hobgoblins did hear something but the ‘stop’ could not be distinguished except in Lac’s mind.
What came out of Lac’s mouth was not ‘stop’ but the most violent vomit known to mortal man. It hit the three hobgoblins with the force of a tsunami. It seemed to Lac to go on for some time though that could have been an illusion from feeling so poorly.
The vomitus not only knocked the hobgoblins back into the bracken but with a force to flatten the brush. It covered all three with copious amounts of the foulest slime anyone could imagine.
CHAPTER EIGHT
‘Lac. Are you feeling better?’
“Well, I’m really hungry but I don’t feel like eating.”
‘Let us rest. It will soon be light. Sun always makes me feel better and I sense it will make you feel better as well.’
Lac didn’t really think so but couldn’t see any reason for arguing. Talking wasn’t a whole lot of fun at present. Yet…
“Do you think the hobgoblins will come back?”
‘No I do not. That was the most impressive magic I have witnessed from you. I believe they will feel the same and think you are a great mage.’
Lac didn’t think this was completely accurate but maybe there was a kernel or two of truth to what Chauncey said.
He sincerely hoped so.
As dawn broke over the eastern horizon Lac began to notice the skirl of the cicadas subsiding as the bird sounds tentatively replaced them. He was now hearing the stream tumbling down the creek bed. The stream seemed joyful to be going forward. To be pushing onto new territory.
This emboldened Lac and he felt he could continue with Chauncey though he was no longer so naïve to think he would only have pixies to deal with. Yet, he didn’t want to dwell on what else might be around as they traveled deeper into the wilderness.
Lac drank deeply from the stream. Maybe the progress of the water imbued him with wanderlust as he became hungry and a little restless to boot.
Lac and Chauncey broke their fast and after eating broke camp. They went back to the road. It was earlier than their usual departure time but it suited them both.
It would assuage Chauncey’s pessimism that Shastra could not be located. It would keep Lac from introspection.
Chauncey’s fear that Shastra could not be located underlined a pessimism which hovered slightly above despair. He wondered if Shastra was still able to graze. Chauncey feared he might be the last unicorn left standing. He had traveled to many lands in search of another unicorn and had found none.
Lac intuitively knew if he contemplated on what might be around the bend he would be paralyzed with fear. Not so much the fear of a terrifying creature although that was certainly something he was aware of now but the fear he would not be able to use any real magic to protect himself and Chauncey.
‘Does your use of magic not make you feel good?’
Lac thought about that.
“Well, I think I generally feel relieved. I’ve heard my master say something to that effect but I don’t seem to feel whatever a mage doing successful magic feels.” He sighed. He hated, really hated the thought he would never be successful enough to earn his certificate let alone earn a living being a magician.
He wondered briefly what he would do if he couldn’t make the grade to adept. This brought his thoughts to Nadilia. He missed her. She was always in his thoughts when he was in Oakendusk. Yet, he hadn’t thought of her on this journey. Until now.
Lac’s long silence was not something Chauncey was used to.
‘What are you thinking about?’
“Oh, ah…” Lac was too embarrassed to continue.
‘Your mate?’
Lac sighed. “She’s not my mate. And if I don’t become a full fledged mage she may never be.”
‘Could you not be something else and have her as your mate?’
This almost stopped Lac in his tracks. As he caught up to the unicorn he wondered. He whined, “I don’t really want to do anything else. I just can’t think of doing something else. If I don’t become a magician…I don’t know.”
This was something Chauncey could not fathom. He knew in an abstract way that humans and elves could do many different things. But the reality was unicorns could only be unicorns. This made sense to him so not wanting to do anything else was emotionally satisfying to Chauncey. Yet, he could perceive Lac’s paradox as being onerous to the young mage even if he could not see how it mattered in the long run.
To the unicorn Lac was a successful mage. He had easily handled the pixies and the nasty hobgoblins with impressive conjuring. As well as magic he had never before seen or even heard of. Wasn’t that impressive in and of itself?
They continued in silence for some time. The mountain peaks, whenever the canopy above them was absent, could be seen clearly. They seemed quite close now. The two travelers stopped for lunch at a nice open glade by the river. The grass was lush and young and as tasty as any equine could ever want.
Lac sat on a broad and fairly flat boulder to partake of the cheese and trail mix. He could see the sharp peaks of the mountains. Seemed steeper and craggier as the two neared them. He racked his memory for the tales he had heard from his grandfather Chester. The tales
passed down to Chester from his father starting with Lac’s great grandfather.
Lac knew there were no more dwarves in the Galwich Mountains but didn’t know the reason why other than the assumption that the mines had played out. He wondered now if that was true.
He didn’t know anything about ores and mining let alone smelting and fashioning to create tools and weapons but he didn’t think the dwarves could have gotten all the ore from those mountains. They were much more impressive than he had been led to believe.
There sure was a lot of mountain. It was a long chain he understood. It seemed just too much mountain for a few years of mining by the dwarves to exhaust its treasures.
After a leisurely meal they set off once again. The road was no longer well traveled and had numerous clumps of grass growing in it as well as some impressive ruts but the pathway was not difficult to manage. They proceeded at nearly the same pace as when the road was flat and smooth.
In this part of the country beyond the borderlands no hamlets existed. No cultivated fields or orchards could be seen. Lac could hear more animal sounds as small creatures scurried under the brush looking for sustenance while other skulking animals looked for the small creatures.
‘Wild’ was the word which sprang to Lac’s mind. Here the hand of man or elf was not evident and nature did whatever nature deemed appropriate. Man was the wild card here in the deck of nature not the ace or king.
Lac steeled his resolve. He would need his fortitude. This was the wide world he had heard about but could not have known its peculiarities and its dissimilarity to his known insulated world. Everything was new and different now. He started to wonder if he had the moxie and ability to deal with it but blocked it from his mind.
Just go forward and take care, he thought.
Chauncey and Lac approached a widening in the road. Lac could tell at one time this was an important place. Off to the side of the road he could see the remains of foundations.
“Probably had been a warehouse and a toll station.”
‘Yes Lac, I seem to recall this was a busy area with a lot of humans and dwarves.’