Mage, Man

"August!!" I screamed at the top of my voice, between thunder rolls as I strode onto the balcony.

He turned, blinking in surprise. "Lawrence?! You can't be up here!" He shouted.

I could feel energy returning to my body in the form of indignant rage.

"Stop this right now!" I called over the sound of the wind. "Leave them alone!" I couldn't believe how naive I had been. How often had he been up here, wreaking havoc on the villagers below while I read or slept, and to what end? I had been deceived, and it inflicted more pain in that moment of clarity than a week of painful recovery after being badly burned.

August had a wild look on his face. His beard and robes whipped around him. I thought he looked quite mad.

"Lawrence, you have to get down from here, it's for your own good!" He called from where he stood, some forty feet from the edge of the balcony.

I took another step toward him and he took a step back.

"I have to finish this spell, it's critical to what I'm trying to accomplish!" He shouted. His voice was pleading.

"I won't allow it!" I screamed. I wasn't sure what I could actually do to stop him but I felt bold, empowered, like I could force him to desist with my will alone.

August held his staff out to the side and placed two of his fingers into his mouth and made a shrill whistle. I didn't understand what he was doing until I heard the familiar sound of heavy flapping wings seconds later. I looked up just in time to see the manticore fold his wings tightly against his body as he dived from the tower peak toward me. There was no time to react, I tried to run but the great beast landed beside me and pounced, dropping me heavily onto the stone balcony.

"Don't hurt him, Sarthis!" August cried. "Take him back into the tower!"

Lightning crashed nearby. Sarthis lifted me by the back of my shirt in his mouth and began to carry me away from August, back to the spiral steps. I should have been terrified, I should have been rendered immobilized by fear but my focus was singular: protect my town from the mage's destruction. I lifted my arms and pushed back from the terrace floor with my feet, lithely slipping free from my shirt. What happened next felt like reflex, even though it was something I had never done in my life. I remembered the spellbook under my old bed. I remembered the power as I absorbed it, and now I knew, unquestioningly the power it possessed. I raised my hand, palm out toward the nightmarish beast and cried, "Vortex!!"

The wind around me suddenly changed, in the blink of an eye, there came a pillar of concentrated, destructive force from my hand, no, from me, directly. My hand was only a focal point. The wind tunnel caught Sarthis, throwing him backward against one of the stone columns. He let out a surprised roar as he collided and fell heavily to the floor. His sides still rose and fell, slowly, he was only knocked unconscious.

I looked down at my hand in shock. The feel of what I had done only further invigorated me. It might have been adrenaline, but I could feel a strength coursing through me that had never existed. What was happening?

I turned back to the balcony where August stood, stupefied. His eyes bulged in abject astonishment. Around him the sky continued to erupt with blinding white light.

"I'll not ask you again, August! Stop this, or I will stop you." I held up my hand, aiming it like a weapon at the mage. The cold air whipped around my bare chest and face.

"Please go inside and wait for me!" He shouted. I could barely hear his pleas over the crescendo of thunder. "You're not yourself!" He moved in front of the bronze egg, as if to hide it from my view, or possibly for its protection?

"What is that thing?" I demanded.

His voice grew dangerous. "Do not concern yourself with the seed!" He shouted.

If that seed was the cause of all this, I would destroy it. I took another step forward and August lowered his staff, pointing it at me. His eyes were ablaze with passion, but what surprised me more is even from here, I thought I could see them brimming with tears. "Don't make me do this!" He begged.

I would not allow him to kill me with his lightning, like he almost had Fraust. It was a reaction more than a conscious decision, but again I cried out, "Vortex!"

As the violent wind tunnel surged around and through me I noticed that no lightning arced from the mage's staff toward me. He made no effort whatsoever to counterattack, in fact he placed the staff against the ground in front of him and allowed the vortex to crash into him at full force. The cyclone lifted him easily from the floor, tossed him about and then skipped him across the balcony like a ragged stone. His body struck into the metal railing at the platform's edge, wrenching it out and away from the balcony with a loud squeal. The sorcerer's body slipped from view over the side.

My heart leapt into my throat. What had I done? I hadn't meant to hurt him, certainly not kill him! I had only wanted to stop him from hurting anyone in the town below. I pelted over to the far side of the balcony, past the bronze 'seed' which emitted a powerful surge of energy as I ran past. All around me the lightning and thunder continued to rage, it seemed like the crashes came more frequently now. I reached the edge of the balcony and knelt down, peering over the side of the tower. All around me the black clouds churned the sky but below I could barely make out the town in the distance and the giant copper-colored wall. As I watched in horror, a large chunk of the wall broke away and crashed in slow motion into the forest below. The wall had always remained intact so this was especially disconcerting. I was so high up on the tower that looking over the side like this was dizzying. The wind nearly threatened to sweep me from the ledge where I was perched. While I looked over the edge I finally saw August. He wasn't dead, he was clinging to a length of bent railing that had been curved just under the balcony. I felt a wave of relief wash over me.

"Hold on!" I called to him. He looked up at the sound of my voice. His face was a white sheet of panic.

I looked around, and realized with dread that I had no way to reach him. There was no rope, no ladder, not even his staff as he must have lost it during my assault.

"I'm going to climb down to you!" I shouted over the roar of the storm.

He shook his head. "It's too dangerous! Don't you dare!" He barked up at me.

I had already begun stepping onto the railing from the platform. The metal groaned as I tentatively shifted my weight, but it held. August was down about fifteen feet or so and I began to inch my way toward him, using the railing as a sort of unhinged ladder. The heavy railing continued to creak in protest and at one point it partially gave way, tilting the world wildly. Eventually I made it down to where August still held tightly to the rail. His arms were wrapped around the metal but his lower half dangled in the whipping winds.

"Can you climb?" I asked as I put my hand under one of his arms.

"No. Your spell took too much of my strength I'm afraid." He gave me a weak smile.

I gritted my teeth. "I'm sorry about that. I'm going to carry you, but you have to help me, understood?"

He nodded and I lowered myself into a tight ball, my feet on part of the metal fence. I still held tightly with one hooked arm and with the other I began to pull August onto my back with his help. He hooked one arm over my shoulder and with his other interlocked it under my opposite armpit. He clasped his hands across my straining chest.

"Hold on tightly!" I said to him over my shoulder.

"Of course!" He responded.

We began the slow climb back up toward the balcony. It wasn't nearly as easy as the climb down, especially with the large man clinging to my back. The railing gave way again and I nearly lost my grip.

"Why are you doing this?" August asked in my ear.

"I'm not going to let you die." I said in response as I found a new foothold and climbed higher.

"But why?" He insisted.

I gave a sigh. "Because I care about you. I couldn't live with myself if something happened and it was my fault."

"Oh." He said simply.

August had nothing more to say as I was finally able to pull us the rest of the way to the balcony. Incredibly, the rail had held and we hauled ourselves onto the platform. August released me and struggled to maintain his footing in his weakened state, against the wind. Around us, in the distance, I could still see portions of the wall crumbling away.

"What's happening to the wall?!" I asked in alarm.

The wizard looked out at the destruction. "I need to finish my spell, or the wall will crumble." He explained in a worried voice.

"But then the villagers will be free!" I shouted with excitement. "That's what they've always dreamed about!"

August gave a grave shake of his head. "No, Lawrence. They don't understand."

I peered at him critically. "Don't understand what?" I snapped. "That you've kept them like pets for their entire lives? That you rain lightning, or fire on them with no provocation?!"

His mouth dropped in shock. "You... you honestly think of me like some sort of monster?" His voice was shaking. "After everything, living with me here, you honestly thought I was capable of such cruelty?"

I looked away from him, out to the swirling darkness. "I don't know, no, I don't know! How do you explain all this then?" I asked in a scared, conflicted voice.

He gave me a hard, searching look. "The wall was never meant to be a cage." He stated. "It's what the wall keeps out that's important."

My eyes widened in surprise. "What?"

"There are demons and worse beyond the walls. They thrive in the chaos and darkness. All that's left of the human race has to be contained and protected in walled villages like this, defended by mages." He finished.

In all of my years growing up in this place, it never occurred to me that the wall might be for our own protection, none of us had, not really. That had just been a lie the mages told us... but it wasn't. My mouth went dry with the realization, but there was still devastation. "Then why the storms? This isn't your magic?" I inquired.

He gave a solemn nod. "It is, an unfortunate side effect of using my magic at this level. But your people build solid houses, they will be safe indoors. I promise you, the alternative is most assuredly death for everyone if this wall collapses. Bear in mind, the magedom was constructed atop the same wall. It may stand until nearly the end, but we will die too if the wall crumbles."

"What can be done? Can you finish your spell? Repair the wall?" I asked desperately.

"I.. I'm not sure. I need a focus, but my staff was lost over the side." He said unhappily.

I looked around desperately, my eyes landing on the pulsating egg. "What is this thing? Can't you use this?" I asked.

"The seed is a power source." He explained. "It heightens all magical abilities fifty fold to those nearby, but I can't use it directly."

"Then use me." I said, stepping in front of August.

"What?!" He balked. "No, no, that's incredibly dangerous, you don't even know what you're saying." He finished, shaking his head.

"Would it work?" I stepped forward until I was nearly standing against him. I looked up into his brightly glowing grey eyes. His robes whipped around us and he fixed me with a nervous look.

"I'm not sure." He admitted. "It could, but Lawrence, I could easily kill you if anything goes wrong."

"No you won't." I said with calm certainty. "You've never hurt me in all the time I've known you. You've been kind and patient with me, even while I've been nothing but an ass."

He gently stroked my cheek with his hand. "I didn't know you could be so sweet." He said with a soft smile.

"I'm responsible for any harm to that village." I said sternly. "Let me be your vessel, August. Repair the damage I've caused."

I could see he wanted to argue, to find another way, but we both knew there wasn't any time. Instead I reached up with both hands and pulled his face into mine, pressing our lips together. My facial hair became lost with his as our mouths moved as one. His arms encircled me and held me tightly to his body. He was so warm, and a big part of me that I had denied, had wanted this for such a long time. He pushed his tongue into my mouth and we became lost in the moment's passion.

All too soon I knew I had to break the kiss and pulled away from him gently. "That was for luck." I said, giving him a sideways smile. "Now do what you need to."

August pushed me gently away and held his hand to my bare stomach. With his other open hand he placed it over the seed, not actually making contact.

"Thank you for staying, Lawrence." He said quietly as he stared into my face. Tears began to slowly slip down his cheeks. "I know I can be a ridiculous old man sometimes, and I haven't always been honest with you... but my feelings for you... those haven't changed." His voice wavered, and he looked like he might lose his nerve, but he quickly regained his composure and pressed his hand firmly against my abdomen.

"I love you, boy. I just, needed to tell you first!" He shouted against the storm.

Love? I felt completely blindsided by the word but there was no time to process or reflect as I could feel his magic begin to flow into me. I wanted to see his face, I wanted to see the immense magical barrier being repaired, but my head was thrown back involuntarily. I couldn't see anything except brilliant light. Everything was surreal as August's magic was focused through my entire body. I was vaguely aware of lightning streaking from my body, my fingertips, my mouth, but there was no pain, like I wasn't even present in this form.

My body felt light, I may not have even been touching the stone floor of the balcony any longer. I felt like I was made of energy, there was no pain, there was only the feeling of floating and power pouring out of me. I can't really describe the experience fully. It was something that altered me forever, something that always remains at the edges of my mind. It was terrifying but also incredible.

I have no way of knowing how long August focused his magics through me, time could not be measured or even acknowledged in my current state. Sometime later though I was aware of my feet touching back to the floor and August carefully cradling me in his arms, laying me gently on my back. The cold stone forced my eyes to flutter open. My face and chest felt warm, and my eyes stung. I instinctively put a hand over my eyes to shield them. Bright sunlight bathed me from above. The storms had completely subsided and disappeared. In the distance I saw Sarthis stretch and flex his tall wings and then leap into the air and fly away. By my side, August looked at me with fondness. He lay down beside me with his hands clasped behind his head. He wore a triumphant, satisfied smirk.

"I take it everything went well?" I asked. I had really expected to feel drained, completely spent, but instead I felt good, energized even.

The old wizard turned his head and gave a toothy grin under his thick silver moustache. "Yes, that couldn't have gone better. You proved to be my perfect focus. Thank you for that. You just saved that town of yours, no question."

I gave a deep, slow exhalation. "I'm glad to hear it. I'm... sorry that I misjudged you there, until the end."

His gaze drifted skyward. "It's... not surprising I suppose. You couldn't have known. I know the things your village says about me." There was a twinge of sadness in his tone.

"I mean, you could tell them. I used to despise you at one time." I said seriously.

"Try not to sugarcoat it so much!" August laughed grimly.

"My point," I emphasized the words. "Is you won me over. Your kindness, it, it got to me. I'm sorry about using that spell on you before."

"That was indeed a surprise." He admitted.

"Um, to me too. I thought humans had no magic?" I gave him a curious look.

He moved his arms and propped himself up on one elbow to give me a sincere look. "No Lawrence, that has never been the case."

I quickly sat up at his words. "What? I mean, we've tried to use magic in town, quietly of course. Granted we had no spellbooks or anything, but we never made any progress." I explained.

"I want to tell you a story." August began, laying down again to look into the clear sky. "Humans have lived in this world for a long time, quite a while longer than us mages."

I was surprised, since mages are known for their long lifespans.

"Over time humans began to awaken to the magic abilities that laid dormant inside of them. The magic, at first, brought them happiness. They used it for farming, and science, and making their daily lives a little easier. It was around this time that mages began to appear in the world. We suspect that with all of the rampant magical energy in the world, we could be the next abrupt stage of human evolution. Who knows? We are born to human parents but our great magic abilities don't manifest themselves until maturity, when our skin and hair pales and our eyes begin to glow. Our magic powers dwarfed those of humans, so we were immediately feared, and in some cases, killed. Mages have always been quite the rarity, and since we weren't well-received by our human families, we would flee from our homes and live in small tribes throughout the world, using magic to keep ourselves hidden and safe."

"I never knew that about mages. I guess I just assumed you were completely different than humans." I said thoughtfully.

"No, we're all the same, Lawrence, where it matters. In those days the differences seemed so minimal to me. I remember being forced from my home, my mother and sister crying, but I can't quite recall their faces anymore." He had a faraway look in his eyes, and sorrow there too.

I reached over and took his hand in mine. "I'm sorry." I said simply.

He gave a small smile. "I appreciate that." He said, then, shaking his head as if to clear it, continued his story.

"As more time passed, decades, perhaps centuries, the humans' magical capabilities increased and began to slowly but surely corrupt those who depended on them so much. They began to use their powers for more selfish reasons, assassination, inflicting drought and disease on neighboring countries. It led to a great war the likes of which I don't think the world had ever known."

I swallowed. "That sounds awful." I said.

He gave me a sideways glance. "That wasn't the worst of it though. Some of the more powerful magic-wielding humans learned the art of summoning and in their ignorance opened portals to a realm of hellfire and the things that dwell there. These creatures poured through into this world, slaughtering all life as they came in contact. The loss of life must have been in the billions."

I couldn't even conceive of such a large number, of anything, let alone human lives.

August continued his bleak tale. "The humans tried to fight back but were overpowered. Mages had a chance. We were stronger but our numbers were so few. Even if we could somehow reach and close the demonic gateways, there were too many of them here. We knew that combining our magics led to much more potent results and swore an oath that we would try to save what we could of this world. So we began to travel the world, finding and leading groups of humans to areas they could live. Some resisted, most still feared us, but they feared the demonic hoard more. We began to create powerful artifacts made out of pure magic, humans' and mages', we called them seeds. In each place where a seed was created, we could construct powerful walls of metal and mana."

"That's, really something." I said dumbly. The gravity of the tale was beyond my wildest imagination. "But, then why couldn't I use magic until now?" I asked.