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The choices we make 38
The afternoon and evening turned into a jumble of packing, anticipation, and nerves. The final announcement of departure came shortly before dinner. Everyone seemed to have assumed that would be the case and had already begun to prepare. For Mary, this made her decision more real and inevitable. Although it gave her a whole swarm of butterflies in her stomach, she stood firm in her belief this was what she had to do. When the news that Mary was coming with them spread through the group of grey-clad people, it was received with joy and cheers. They seemed genuinely happy she would go with them. They strengthened Mary's decision. Perhaps she would find a place where she was accepted and welcome. The most important thing for Mary was to make sure all her memorabilia was packed and secured. All the things which were left of her father’s craft, the little knickknacks she had received from her friends during the years—all were tiny specks of light. They might seem unimportant to most people
Last Updated : 2023-08-05The choices we make 39
Mary sat in the carriage, feeling somewhat depressed after leaving everything and everyone she knew behind. That wasn’t entirely true, she thought, she was, in fact, surrounded by people she knew, and she was with the Lady and Kopa. It helped a little, she just needed to look at this as an adventure. Like when Erik and she would explore the city when they were children. After a while, the carriage stopped, and Mary looked at the Lady questioningly."We have to wait for the wagons with our luggage," the Lady explained without Mary having to ask. Mary nodded and realized they couldn’t travel without storage wagons. The procession with the grey riders and the lonely white carriage, was only to create an impression, to maintain the vision of the Lady and her company. Mary thought she should have figured it out earlier, she, if anyone, should know how much food it took to feed all these people. As they waited for the waggons to catch up with them, Mary thought about the journey ahead of he
Last Updated : 2023-08-05The choices we make 40
Kopa walked around the camp inspecting tents, weapons, equipment and talking to the grey riders. He introduced Mary as they went, and she was amazed at the respect they showed her. She was used to being almost at the bottom of the social order, and now it suddenly seemed she had taken a step or two up. She didn't really know how to handle it. As they walked between two groups of people, Mary turned to Kopa."I thought Nihal was responsible for the riders" she said."That's right" Kopa replied."But if he's in charge of the riders, why are you doing the inspection?" She was never afraid to ask Kopa a question, she felt safe with him. He wouldn’t make fun of her just because she didn’t know something. He looked at her appreciatively."I'm responsible for Tariana's personal guard" he replied. "It's therefore my job to make sure she's safe, so I usually do an inspection to make sure safety is up to my standards" he continued. Mary nodded."But what does Nihal say about you doing it?" she
Last Updated : 2023-08-06The choices we make 41
The lady signed for Mary to sit down in one of the chairs at the table. Mary sat down and soon she was joined by the Lady and the two aari. After a while, Kopa and Nihal also joined them. As they sat talking, people came in with plates full of food and placed them in front of them. Mugs with water and cups with hot tea were also served to them. The conversation around the table revolved mainly around the journey back to Salmis. Mary ate and listened; she learned a lot by listening to the others. Apparently, it would take three days before they left Domne. That was the part of the trip that Kopa and Nihal worried about the most. Mary discovered that although the two men each had their area of responsibility and command of different groups, their responsibilities overlapped on a lot of the time. She thought it was something which could lead to problems. But it seemed the two men were able to cooperate without any problems for the most part, and they had very similar views. Mary was stru
Last Updated : 2023-08-06The choices we make 42
When Mary looked at everyone who worked to set up camp, she once again felt guilty for not helping. She just stood there next to Tariana talking to Kopa and Nihal. Mary turned to Mildy. "Is there anything I can do? "I feel like I’m just in the way" she said. Mildy smiled at her and nodded because she knew what Mary meant. Then she seemed to think for a moment before speaking to one of the grey-clad women. "Mary this is Sinhera, she'd appreciate it if you could help her with the distribution of the packs" Mildy said. Mary greeted the unknown woman, she looked to be a couple of years older than Mary. Like most people, she was dressed in dark grey riding pants, a lighter grey tunic, and a grey cloak. Her hair was dark and lay in a long braid along her back. Her eyes were brown and full of energy. Mary followed her towards the storage carts. "We are responsible for organizing, packing and then distributing all personal equipment" Sinhera explained as they walked. "Every company has a wa
Last Updated : 2023-08-08The choices we make 43
The morning came quickly and Mary hurried to eat her porridge and after telling Tariana where she was going, she hurried away to the yellow wagon. Sinhera seemed to have just gotten there."Do you need help?" Mary asked."If you have the time to spare, I would be grateful," Sinhera said. Mary nodded and climbed onto the wagon."The procedure is reversed from yesterday. We usually put the stars separately from the lines for the sake of simplicity. Make sure all the packs are steady and below the top edge of the wagon" Sinhera said."Okay," Mary said, getting ready. Soon the packs were handed in, Sinhera lifted them up to Mary, who put them in place. Mary quickly worked out a system she thought would do. The wagon filled quickly and soon all the packs was in place."Thank you" Sinhera said. "If you have time, please give me a hand this afternoon." Mary promised to come and help unload. She was happy to be useful and she took it as a good sign Sinhera had asked her to help.In the days t
Last Updated : 2023-08-08The choices we make 44
As Mary sat in the carriage and listened to the other women talking, she realized she missed Kopa. Which was strange because she really didn’t see him during the days. He spent his days on the coach box. But just knowing he wasn’t there, filled her with unease. When Mary pondered her feelings for a while, she got to thinking maybe she needed to get used to not having Kopa around. She had started to take it for granted that he was always nearby. But in three days they would be arriving in Salmis, and she really didn’t know what was waiting for her there. She didn’t know where she would be staying, she doubted it would be with Kopa or Tariana. Mary actually didn’t know where either of them lived. She reasoned Tariana was like a king, so she probably lived in a castle and spend her days ruling, whatever that included. Kopa as her bodyguard, would be close by her, Mary thought, so he would probably have his own place in the castle. Like Zerden’s father. Mary on the other hand didn’t know
Last Updated : 2023-08-09The choices we make 45
Kopa led Mary to the horse and grabbed her around her waist and lifted her so she was seated on the horse. Mary let out a surprised squeak and franticly tried to find something to grab hold of. She didn’t sit like the rest of the riders, that had one leg on each side of their horses. Instead, she sat with both legs on one side. She was also sitting further forward on the horse, almost so she was sitting on its neck. “Take hold of its mane, you won’t hurt her” Kopa instructed, and Mary turned her upper body so she could grab hold of the horse’s mane with both hands. “Good, now turn a little so your right leg comes a bit more on top of her” Kopa said. Mary turned her lower part and let her right leg glide up a bit and she realised she was more stable in that position. “Very good, you’re a natural” Kopa reassured her. “I’m going to mount now. I’ll be sitting right behind you. She might sway a bit, but that is okay” he continued, and Mary nodded. She focused on keeping her balance as Kopa
Last Updated : 2023-08-09
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The choices we make 101
“We finished Procecsa’s experiments today, and we think we can see a pattern,” Mary told Tariana excited. She didn’t know how Tariana already knew about it, but it was the only thing exciting which had happened lately. Tariana laughed again.“That is exciting to hear, but no. I was thinking about the fact that you have gotten some control over your fire magic,” Tariana smiled.“Oh, that. Yes, Procecsa helped me with it last night,” Mary said. She didn’t understand what was so exciting about that.“Do you think you could summon it now?” Tariana asked.“I think so,” Mary nodded. Tariana stood and went over to the bookcase. She got a small tray and walked back, placing it on the desk in front of Mary. On the tray there was a candle, an empty bowl, a feather, a pile of what looked like soil, and a plate with a dried bean.“Please light the candle,” Tariana asked Mary. Mary focused and after a while she found the now familiar feeling of her fire magic. The candle lit. “Fill the bowl with w
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The time until the winter solstice went by quickly and before she knew it, Mary was running around the equipment she had helped Procecsa set up the day before the solstices. They were outside the wall, on a flat part of the plain. The grass had been cut down and a light dusting of snow barely covered the ground. The area was guarded by grey riders. Not for the fear of someone sabotaging their experiments, but to keep curious people away. There was a lot of preparation to be made. Luckily for Mary, she had already done this a couple of times before. According to magical theory, occasions such as the winter solstice and full moons could affect magic in different ways. But to Mary’s surprise, it had never been proven, even though everyone used the principle. Procecsa had therefore designed an experiment to perform some basic magic, which was easy to perform and evaluate the effect of and repeat this during the different beneficial celestial occasions. They had already done the control ro
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“I would love to,” Mary said, looking at him. “But I don’t want to take time away from you seeing your family. I know you don’t get to see them that often,” she said. Tenac shrugged.“I will visit them as often as I can while they are here. It’s okay, I wouldn’t have asked if it weren’t,” he said.“Okay, then I would love to come.”“Good. Now let’s get you a new horse,” he smiled.“No, Tenac. I have told you, Buttercup will do,” Mary objected.“I’m not letting you anywhere near my grandfather whilst you are riding Buttercup, Mary. If you are going to visit a Che’hul camp, you can’t be on a horse like her,” he said. Mary looked at him. She really wanted to go with him to visit his family. Her curiosity and thirst for new things was going crazy at the thought of getting to see this whole new culture. At the same time, it felt like she was betraying Buttercup. The horse had been patient with her from the start. Mary recognised Tenac was dangling the visit to the Che’hul camp as an incent
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“In my case?” Mary asked.“For some reason, you have been conditioned to suppress your fire. Most likely not in an effort to suppress the magic, but a characteristic which goes with it. Like anger,” Procecsa said. Mary could hear that she tried to be gentle. Mary sat quietly for a while and thought things through. Her time in the kitchen had made her put a tight lead on her emotions, especially anger, but also passion and love. It would have been the last thing she did in the castle if she had become angry with someone higher up the rank than her. Which had been most people.“So, what do I do? Do I have to get angry at Tenac?” Mary asked, making Procecsa laugh.“No, I don’t think he deserves it. He’s just trying to help you, after all” she smiled at Mary.“I need to get angry at someone else?” Mary asked, confused.“I don’t know if you need to get angry at anyone, Mary. I think it would be okay just for you to accept it is okay for you to get angry. Just to allow yourself to experienc
The choices we make 97
It had been over six months since Mary had started her training, and each day offered new opportunities to learn and to explore the world. She discovered she had a craving for learning. The more she learnt, the more questions she had. Her mentor, Procecsa, had picked up on this and gave Mary more and more books to read. Mary was helping her mentor with all sorts of experiments. Procecsa was good at explaining things in a way Mary understood them. In just a few weeks, the winter solstice was to take place and Mary was looking forward to it. Several of the experiments that Procecsa had Mary help with depended on it. In the class for basic magic, they had learned certain celestial events could impact magic. The winter solstice was one of those. Mary was to assist her mentor in trying to figure out just how much it affected certain types of magic. Mary found the whole thing fascinating and couldn’t wait to get to see the results. After the solstice, they would have a two-week break. It wa
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Zerden stood looking at the men under his command. They were training, and they looked tired. Zerden knew he had been pushing them hard this past month. His bad mood had made him irritable, and every mistake was now punished with a gruelling training session. He knew he needed to back off a bit. His men were well trained and the minor mistakes they made didn’t warrant this punishment. Zerden needed to get his temper back in check. Which was easier said than done. It would be easier if he just had known why he was in such a bad mood. If he was honest with himself, he knew why. He just wasn’t up for admitting it just yet. So instead, his bad mood continued and everyone around him endured and stayed out of his way as much as they could.“Don’t forget to put everything back before you head to get dinner,” he shouted. He didn’t wait around to make sure they did what he told them. No one wanted to disobey him at the moment. He walked inside and headed to his room in the castle. Zerden had j
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“Sure, happy to help,” Jontak said, smiling. Firlea looked at Mary, slightly panicked. Mary smiled at her.“Thanks, Jontak,” Mary said. She and Sinhera looked as Jontak and Firlea left the shop.“Not the smoothest hint, but I think that will do,” Sinhera smiled.“It’s a good start at least,” Mary nodded.“What are you two plotting?” Tenac asked as he walked up to them. “And where are Jontak and your friend?”“Firlea needed ink. Jontak escorted her there as it’s her first time to the market,” Mary smiled at him.“You two are scaring me. Please don’t help me like that, ever,” he said. Both Mary and Sinhera laughed. They waited for the two to return before heading towards the weapons stalls. There were a lot of different weapons. Some Mary didn’t even know the names of and couldn’t figure out how to use.“Do you want to look at a new knife, Mary?” Jontak asked her.“No thank you, I’m happy with the one I have,” she told him.“Do you even know how to use it?” Tenac asked her.“Well, it’s
The choices we make 94
As Mary got back to her room, both her friends were sitting in the bay window reading. Mary had things she needed to read as well. But she felt like she needed to write her last letter. She wanted to let go of the past. She settled down at her desk and stared down at the empty paper in front of her. This was going to be difficult.‘Dear Anna,I’m so pleased to hear that things are looking up for you. That gives me hope this wave of the sickness will fade as well. I want to thank you for your kind words. They mean so much to me and I will always remember them. I told my father about your kind words, and he was grateful. That brings me to the difficult part of this letter. This is not something which is easy for me to write, or to think about doing. But I feel like it has to be done. Last time I wrote, I was taking the acceptance test to become an aari. Well, as you predicted, I made it and have now moved into the sanctum to start my training. With my training, my lessons with Tenac an
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“What did you need to talk about?” Kopa said, as the two of them sat down at the table. “I read the letter you gave me,” Mary started. “And you got upset?”“Not like last time. I’m angry this time, more than I’m sad,” Mary admitted, which earned her a surprised look from Kopa.“I know. Who knew?” she said, laughing at his expression.“So, what advice do you need?”“I think I know what I need to do, but I don’t know if I should do it, or if I really want to,” Mary told him. “Okay, can you tell me what made you angry?” Kopa asked.“Do you promise to stay calm?” Mary asked.“I do”“I won’t go into details, but the jest of it is that Zerden told me I was a disappointment for choosing to live my life the way I am. For the choices I have made since coming here,” Mary said, looking at Kopa. He had clenched his jaw and there was a muscle tick above his right eye. But he kept his promise and stayed calm, at least on the surface. It made Mary smile. “Are you okay, dad?”“Fine. The letter was
