The Magi (The Magi Series) (12 page)

“You okay?” asked Elijah.

“Yeah,” Roddick gasped, his face returning to his normally kind expression. “Fire is not an easy element for me. I can get by with all the elements, but water is by far my best. A fire controller could have done what I just did without blinking.” Elijah stared at the blazing fire amazed that Roddick could start it by just raising his hands.

When Roddick finally caught his breath, he turned toward Elijah.

“To answer your previous question, I don’t know if your feeling was right or not. If you felt it, you felt it. It’s a waste of time, if you ask me, to question things like that. There are things we can’t explain in this world. We just know them. You knew we were in danger this morning. I didn’t see the point in questioning that.”

The fire made Elijah feel much better. He lifted his feet up to the edge of the flames to dry them out. He could see the steam rising from his socks as the water evaporated. For a few minutes longer they silently rested and warmed themselves in relative comfort. The rest of the night was spent without much conversation. They were tired and drained from the excitement of the day, and in moments, they all were sound asleep.

Samuel was the first to wake up the following morning, and he didn’t speak a word about his near death experience which made Elijah grateful. He didn’t want to relive it either. Moving around made Elijah realize that he was absolutely starving! He had not eaten at all the day before, and his stomach was aching for something to fill it.

Samuel suddenly looked confused. “Are we there? The Magi city?” Samuel asked in a very groggy voice.

“Not yet,” Roddick answered. “We should be there soon.” Elijah’s stomach gave a growl that was so intense, it echoed loud enough for the others to hear. Roddick chuckled. “Here.” He reached into his pack and pulled out a few pieces of meat that looked like jerky. “Sorry about yesterday. With all the hustle and bustle, I forgot all about eating.”

Elijah wolfed it down. The meat was dry but tender, and it settled nicely in his empty stomach. His body was stiff and sore from the long journey, and it took a while to loosen up. Master Roddick, Elijah, and Samuel headed out, eating the dried meat scraps along the way. Roddick was apparently not as worried about being followed this time because he hiked with less urgency. The journey was also much less difficult. They walked through thick trees and soggy brush, but the snow was not as intimidating here on this side of the mountain range. After two hours passed, Roddick slowed down.

In front of them appeared an ambush of hundreds and hundreds of trees tangled and connected to one another. It looked impossible to cross. As far as Elijah could see to the left and to the right were trees that seemed to be melted together with the branches and trunks in a madness of green and brown. Roddick stood very still and quiet—concentrating on something.

“This way,” he said after a minute. They walked to the right of where they had been standing, stepping on ferns and hopping over dead logs. Shockingly, Roddick marched straight into the mesh of trees to a spot with just the tiniest of openings, invisible from farther away. It appeared to be only a few feet tall. Elijah thought there was no way any of them could fit into that opening. To his surprise, he was wrong. Roddick stepped forward and his lower half suddenly disappeared. It looked like he dropped three feet into the ground.

“C’mon now,” Roddick said, turning around and waving Elijah and Samuel over.

They both walked to the opening and dropped in. Even if Elijah had been looking for it, he wouldn’t have seen it. It took commitment to go in—to walk into a hole that was almost hidden from view. Being inside the trees, they could now see a very narrow passageway that they had to walk sideways to fit through. Someone looking at the front of the tree line would not have spotted this path. They would have had to be inside the cluster of trees to see it, as Roddick, Elijah, and Samuel were now. The farther they walked, the web of trees loosened, and opened up into a great clearing.

Master Roddick and the two boys soon stood in front of two towering wooden doors. To the left of the massive doors was a smaller, wooden door that looked more like the doors Elijah was used to walking through. Master Roddick walked up to the door and stated his name very loudly and clearly.

“Glen Roddick!” The door opened from the inside and the three of them stepped through. Elijah had a tingling sensation in his arms and legs as he walked toward the city beyond the door.

“Welcome to Savenridge!” Master Roddick said.

Elijah gazed at the city before him. He didn’t really know what to expect, but this was nothing like he pictured. Master Roddick may have called it a city, but Elijah thought it looked more like a tiny—albeit beautiful—village. All of the buildings were very simple, built with stones or brick. It reminded Elijah of the quaint Christmas villages he saw in stores and magazines. A large path carved its way down the middle of the city and continued on further even as the buildings became scarce. Elijah figured it was a road or street, but it was covered with snow so no vehicles traveled it like the roads and streets where he used to live. People here traveled by foot. There were lots of small carts and shops on both sides of the road in front of the houses, and everyone was busy with their errands. It looked like a kind of marketplace.

“This is the city center,” Master Roddick explained. He pointed to the right side of the road. “I live just behind these shops here.” They continued walking up the road, passing more shops and carts.

Elijah was impressed by the land around the houses. It was large and beautiful. He looked out as far as he could see and noticed a river that came out of the forests, winding through the middle of the open land, its reflection glinting from the sun now starting to set on the horizon.

As they continued walking, Elijah spotted a modest stone tower at the very center of the city where people were trading. It was divided into four parts, and each part had a stone carving representing one of the four elements: water, fire, wind, and earth. Very close to the tower was a small, stone building. Above the archway leading into the building was a sign that read “Elder Council.”

Elijah’s eyes continued to scan the area. Far off and to the left of the river, tucked away on a small hill was something that caught his eye. It was a building that was bigger than the rest. He could tell it was different than the other homes around. It was oval and looked much taller and longer than the other buildings, even from this distance. It looked majestic and important.

“What’s that building?” Elijah asked Roddick.

“You’ll get to know that building real well. That’s the training barracks. All the youth of Savenridge train there,” Roddick said.

“Is that where we’ll live?” asked Elijah.

“Most of the time. You’ll spend a great deal of time there, but during the holidays, you’ll be taken in by one of our townspeople.”

“Who will take us in?” asked Elijah.

“Let’s get to that when we get to that,” answered Roddick. “Right now, I’ll take you to my home. We’ll get some rest, eat a good meal, and get everything straightened out in the morning.”

As the three walked through town, they were greeted by families and people passing by. Most were greeting Roddick, but there were plenty that waved at Elijah and Samuel as well. They were all dressed in cloaks, each of a different color. Some wore green, some blue, some red, and some white. The colored cloaks that the men wore were simple—draped around their shoulders and tied with a plain, thin rope around their chest. Underneath, they wore plain, earthy clothes. Tied at the waist was a cloth belt that was the same color as the cloak. The women, instead of wearing a smaller, hooded cloak, wore long, elegant robes that had a cloth trimming about an inch wide.

Roddick led the boys up the steps of a small house. The chimney puffed black smoke, and the smell of food coming from the inside was intoxicating. Elijah’s mouth began to water. It had been a long time since he had a good meal. Roddick opened the door and was immediately mauled by two small children, both girls. One looked to be about four and the other about six.

“Hey there Tirzah—Lizzy! Have you been helping Mommy?” Roddick asked enthusiastically as he wrapped them both up in his arms and gave them each a kiss on the cheek.

“YES!” said the little one, Lizzy, very loudly. Roddick looked at Tirzah, the elder sister, and she shook her head no and pointed to her sister as if to say “She’s been a stinker.”

A very tall and pretty woman appeared from another room holding a wooden spoon and wearing an apron. She walked over to Roddick and kissed him.

“Everything go okay, Glen?” she asked. Roddick nodded. “No problems?” He shook his head. “Good,” she said as she took off her apron and handed it to him along with the wooden spoon. “The stew needs to be stirred and if you want bread, you’ll have to get it and cut it up.” Roddick did as he was told.

Elijah and Samuel stood in the room, feeling very awkward as they hadn’t yet been introduced. The woman came over and stuck out her hand.

“Hello gentlemen. My name’s Miranda. I’m Glen’s wife. Which one of you is Elijah?”

“I am,” Elijah said shaking her hand.

“I’ve heard you have quite the mind,” said Mrs. Roddick. Elijah blushed at the thought of Master Roddick boasting Elijah’s instincts. “I don’t think I’ve heard about you,” Mrs. Roddick said as she shook Samuel’s hand.

“I’m Samuel,” he said, lowering his head. “I’m sorry to be a bother.”

“Nonsense! You boys eat yet?” she asked.

“No, ma’am,” said Elijah.

“I figured as much since you were supposed to be in yesterday. Why the delay?”

“I think one of Cain’s minions was tracking us!” Roddick’s voice shouted from the kitchen. “Didn’t find out for sure!”

“What do you mean you
think
?” Miranda asked.

“Elijah felt it. Remember what I told you about that?” Roddick said appearing from the kitchen. Miranda looked at Elijah and nodded.

“Yes. I do,” she said softly. “Well, I’m glad you all made it here safely. I’ll go get your room in order. I’m sorry to say we don’t have a room for each of you, but you boys can make yourselves comfortable wherever.”

Miranda disappeared into another part of the house. Elijah quickly glanced around the room and spotted something interesting. On the corner of the wall, across from the fireplace, hung an ancient-looking sword and shield. He figured that they were hung for display only, but it was still fascinating. When they felt comfortable enough to move, Elijah and Samuel headed for the kitchen where they found Master Roddick pouring stew into six bowls.

“Who’s Cain?” asked Elijah.

“Not tonight,” answered Roddick. “Let’s just put aside all questions until tomorrow. Tonight, we rest. That means questions too,” he said, pointing the wooden spoon at Elijah. Elijah fought the urge to beg. He still had so many questions, but he knew it would be best not to push things.

If Elijah had ever tasted a more delicious meal, he couldn’t remember when. The stew hit the right spot. He helped himself to two more servings and could have had another, but he decided to stop.

The rest of the evening was spent talking. The Roddicks shared how they met and told stories about their two girls. Elijah even had the chance to share about his family. He hadn’t had this much fun since he was taken from Uncle Stan’s house.

That night, Elijah thought that it would be hard to fall asleep with all the anticipation for the following day’s events, but as soon as his head hit the pillow, he fell asleep and didn’t stir until he was awakened by the smell of Miranda Roddick’s delicious bread cooking in the kitchen.

****

CHAPTER 8: AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE PAST

A thick fog had settled over Savenridge during the night, blanketing the world above the ground and isolating anyone traveling through it. For Elijah, Samuel, and Master Roddick, finding an easy path to the small stone building, where the council met, was quite difficult. Roddick led the boys mostly by memory, but they arrived safely.

From the outside, the small stone building where the elder council met was plain and not overly impressive. The inside, however, caught Elijah’s eye. It was shaped like a hexagon. At each corner, a torch was lit so that the entire room was brilliantly illuminated. What intrigued Elijah the most were the colored banners hanging on the walls. Each was a different color, like the robes and cloaks worn by the people of Savenridge, and each color displayed a design representing the four elements.

The six present members of the council—all of whom looking to be over fifty years old—sat behind a large U-shaped table in the center of the room and instructed Elijah and Samuel to stand in front of it. Roddick told them that one of the elders, named Olivia, would be absent for the meeting—she apparently had important business to attend to—but she gave her regards to both boys.

“State your name,” said one of the council members.

“Elijah Hawk.”

“And you?”

“Samuel Moore.”

The councilman seated in the middle of the table addressed Elijah. “After hearing the testimony of Master Roddick, it is the decision of the council to put our trust in his evaluation, but you must understand the seriousness and importance of the commitment you will make. It is not often that the Magi admit someone from the common world. Have you been told the sacrifice you will have to make?”