Chapter 7 - Book 1 of Death of Magic Series
"I still can't believe my eyes, seeing an elf in real life" - Sara's personal journal.
Valor was dancing in the yard with his staff in his hand. It resembled a karate kata, although from time to time there was an arching motion or a step that looked out of place, like a ballet dance more than a kata.
Sara walked slowly toward the yard. She was trying not to disrupt his practice. It was a beautiful dance, and the first time in her life she had seen real magic. It wasn’t the type of magic that card magicians do, nor was it the type of magic you read about in fantasy books – the ones where people fly or call upon lightning. It was like looking at a horse running, or a cat leaping; it was natural, subtle, and elegant.
Within the dance, Valor made arcing gestures through the air with his staff. Every time he did so the air above the arc glowed in a different color, slowly fading into the night. Each series of arcs created the effect of a shining rainbow, just without the regular order of colors you would find in a natural rainbow.
Valor accelerated his pace, moving at amazing speed. It was getting close to midnight and the rainbows were glowing all around him now. “Good evening Sara,” he said without looking at her. “I will be right with you.” Sara sat on the grass, enjoying the fact that it was not wet, as she had expected.
Valor swung the staff several more times, creating a final set of swirling rainbows, then fell straight into a sitting position next to Sara on the grass. He looked at her with his big eyes. The light of the house behind her shone on his face, while keeping her own face in the dark – not that it prevented him from reading it.
“I have a question for you!” he said with childlike enthusiasm.
“Yes… my lord?” she replied, smiling. “He looks so young!” she thought to herself. “In his late teens, if I had to bet.”
“Exactly that!” he exclaimed, pointing at her. “There is hesitation in your voice, as well as the others, when you call me my lord. Why is that?” he asked curiously, tilting his head sideways like a puppy looking at something odd.
“All of the people you have met until now come from a country called America. We do not tend to call others with titles, we usually use first names,” she explained, talking slowly and clearly, like one might to an intelligent child.
He thought about this for a while, as if processing the new information. “People do not have titles in… America? Does this signify anything? What is the cultural importance of this?” He continued to study her face with his big eyes.
“We consider ourselves equals, so titles are meaningless. Well, mostly meaningless – it’s more complicated than that.” She wanted to continue, but she saw he was thinking about her answer, looking down at the grass now.
“I like that,” he said slowly. “It is a silly, but very optimistic way to look at the world!” He grinned, as if waiting for her to laugh out loud. When she didn’t, he added in a soft voice, “Please call me Valor from now on.”
She nodded gently. Although she could not believe she was sitting next to a living elf, she felt odly comfotable. They sat in silence for a while. It was like sitting next to an old friend, she thought, where silence was expected and welcomed from time to time.
“Julia, The Witness, is on her way with Richard. They should be landing early this morning,” she said, not mentioning the ordeal with the plane. She was not sure how to approach Valor with such hard subjects, and decided to omit that part of the story.
He didn’t seem to notice anything amiss, and grinned at her. “I am so looking forward to meeting her. I have so much to learn, and to teach her!” he exclaimed. He sounded like a child waiting to see a show he had been eager to see for ages.
“Every day magic is coming back stronger. Two days ago I couldn’t light a candle, and today I was about to do the Polcaris spell. Brenda is critical to our success. I will need to guide her toward the right path as soon as she gets here.”
“Valor, she will be tired and frightened and confused. Remember, she knows nothing of our mission!” Sara said carefully. “She will need time. I will need to talk to her first and make sure she is ready for your meeting… please try to understand,” she added.
The eagerness in his expression changed to anger as he processed this information, then he looked thoughtful, and sad as an owl, she thought. Then she saw with relief that he had decided.
“Very well, Sara, guardian of the staff,” the prince said formally. “I will trust you on this one well.”
“Thank you Valor,” Sara said kindly, and smiled gently at the young elf.
They shared another intimate silence, then Valor continued, “It's not totally back, you know, magic… none of my defensive or offensive spells are working.” He looked embarrassed. “I can feel it coming back, but I’m afraid that for the next few days I will be completely defenseless.”
Sara gave him a reassuring look. “Have you wondered why the glass doors of your room’s shower are so thick?” she asked, “Your shower doubles as a panic room and can block most calibers of bullets.”
He looked perplexed. “What are bullets? And… shower? Do you mean the fountain with the lever? And what is a panic room?” He smiled. “I do not tend to panic,” he said honestly.
Sara looked slightly amused. “Sorry, I was using modern jargon. Yes, we call the fountain in a room a shower. And a panic room is a room that is protected from bullets, which are basically bolts shot from weapons called guns. Guns and bullets have become very common these days. The panic room will protect you from most of these, but it has its limitations – very big guns and explosives might penetrate its defenses.” She spoke in a professional tone, but didn’t mention she was the architect of his panic room’s design.
“I am thankful for your worry for my safety, Sara,” he said, taking her hand in his and smiling. She felt light goosebumps on her arms and a shiver up her spine.
Valor looked at the sky, which was uncharacteristically clear. The city lights dimmed the stars, but he could still see some of them shining through.
“The future looks brighter than ever… We thought all hope was lost, and now there is hope again,” he said, half to her and half to himself.
“We have a path forward. We will accomplish our mission soon.” He smiled toward the sky.
“I hope so,” said Sara truthfully. But to be perfectly honest, she was not sure at all.