Book of Aurelio - Chapter Four
In about a week's time I was as healthy and hale as I'll ever be. I could take a deep breath without succumbing to coughing fits. Though I did lose a considerable amount of weight. One morning I woke up early. It felt like sometime after midnight. I had moved to the floor and gave Luz's bed back. It was fine, I was used to sleeping on the floor. Growing up I didn't have a bed until I turned 18 and found a job and moved out of my mom's place and and into my own. I spared Luz a glance but she was still asleep. She never snored. Maybe Elves didn't snore. I rolled my eyes. Such perfect creatures. I don't think she even smelled.
I finally had clarity of mind which is ever so important to me. During the winter I had a suspicion that my body wasn't the one I had "died" in. I beg examining myself. My large belly was gone, I was terribly overweight even before "landing" here. Now it was flat. I felt myself get a little giddy. I never had a flat stomach since high school. Women watch out!
I noticed I still had my scars. Scars on my hands and knuckles from fighting as a young ruffian. Scars on my wrists and arms from self-harm. Appendectomy scar on the right lower half of my stomach. They were white and old. I used to be ashamed of these scars in my 20's but accepted them simply as part of me in my 30's.
I still had my tattoos. The Sun and Three Stars from the Filipino Flag on the inside of my left forearm. Madame Pele, Hawaiian goddess of fire and volcanoes and the hula on my right forearm; a beautiful Hawaiian practically naked except for the grass skirts and leis around her wrists, neck, and head. The one on her head had red ohia lehua blossoms decorating it. Her eyes were wreathed in red fire and her smile promised mischief. She danced in front of Kilauea, one of the active volcanoes on Hawaii Island. Luz and Thion had looked at them more than a few times but said nothing. I wasn't sure if they were afraid or just curious and being polite.
I stood up from my "bed" and did my stretches. I touched my toes, moved my body side-to-side, lifted my knees, did some squats, et cetra. I felt a little more flexible. My left hip used to be tight but that was gone. I pursed my lips a little in thought. Am I younger? If only I had a mirror... I glanced at the stairs going up the darkhouse. Luz seldom went up there and I never did. It felt forbidden. And she never exactly said not to go up there.
I shook my head. I don't want to lose her trust, one of my only friends in this world. Did she think of me as a friend? Maybe as close to one as I have so far. Maybe a foster-sister. I glanced at Luz and smiled. I missed my sister, Arianna. Fuck. The cost of being here was starting to filter through my mind. I was never going to see my sister again; or any person I've ever- Tap, tap, tap. What? Was someone at the door? Whoever it was was knocking so softly that Luz didn't even stir.
I wasn't sure if it was wise to wake a being able to use magic but I put a hand on her arm and gently but firmly shook her until she awoke. Her eyes flashed open but I put a finger on my lips and looked at the door. Did a finger on the lips mean the same thing here? But it looked like she got the point and waited. Tap, tap, tap. She looked as confused as I was. I'm thinking she wasn't expecting visitors any time soon and at this hour. She called out.
For a moment it the person outside didn't respond. It was so quiet. I thought maybe I had imagined the whole thing and Luz was just humoring me. Then a voice responded. A man. He sounded apologetic. Luz's eyes widened. Maybe it was someone he was expecting. She threw back her covers. It was still a little cold so she still wore the furs but without the headcover. She made a show of brushing her clothes and fixing her hair before opening the door. Someone important?
A wizard entered and Luz closed the door. How did I know he was a wizard? He simply had to be. I would have bet my life on it. The energy in the room changed. I felt like I could hear the ambient frequency change. If not a wizard but definitely a magic user. It felt like the same family of the energy that came off the twig. He didn't have a wizard's pointy had or a gnarled staff of a walking stick but this man could wield power. He had curly black hair with silver streaks but cut short. He hadn't shaved in a few weeks it looke like. He wore neutral colored traveling clothes of fine cut. He probably did well for himself. He wore shades of brown, green, and black. Oh and he was human, I assumed without the pointy ears. The only thing that stood out was silver pin at his collar; it looked like a tree. Yggdrasil? The Silver Tree of Gondor?
He was frowning as Luz helped him with his pack completely ignoring me. They were talking and I heard my name a few times. He was asking questions and nodding as she answered him. I crossed my arms and waited.
When he finally looked at me we locked eyes. His eyes were blue; the blue of sapphires. I felt a roaring in my ears. And they were intense. It felt like he was scouring my soul. I refused to flinch and took my time to examine him as well. He looked to be in his 40's or 50's. He looked strong, a good framework of muscle existed under an armor of fat. I'm not sure I could take him... at least physically. He felt confident and then a little amused. Laugh all you want big guy, I will not be bullied. We were about the same height, around 72-inches. He had at least 40 or 50 pounds on me though. In my old body I'd have 100 or 150 pounds on him.
Then he said something and it felt like I was "released". I felt myself rock back a little as if I had been facing a fierce wind and it had suddenly stopped. The words he spoke I could not remember. I didn't remember what it even sounded like or how many syllables it had. His mouth moved "Do you understand me, boy?" Whoa. I can understand him. But it was odd. I saw his mouth move and I heard the sounds this time but they weren't English. Magic! He looked confused, "I though I cast it perfectly-" "You did," I interrupted. He clapped loudly and did a little dance, "Praise to Chaero!"
"Indeed," I said happily and grinned. "Fucking finally." I walked across the room and extended a hand. He didn't shake my hand but grasped my wrist and I grasped his. "A spell?" I inquired.
We released each other and he grinned, "Hardly. A cantrip." I noticed we were both still standing so I gestured for him to sit. We both sat next to the fireplace. "I have so many questions for you," he said as he began rummaging in his pack and produced a large leather bound book and writing utensils. I eyed them and said, "I have many questions as well but you must do something for me first."
The turnabout made him pause and he raised an eyebrow quizzically, "And what's that?" I smiled and lifted a palm, "Nothing big. I just wish to convey to Luz how much I appreciate her saving my life and letting me stay with her. I vow to pay her back one day. And that I'll always be a friend to her." He grunted as if it were the greatest chore in the world and told Luz what I had said. She gave the most prettiest of smiles and turned a little embarrassed red. She started to speak but he stopped her and said something and she just nodded. Afterwards then I guess.
We spoke for what seemed like hours. I interviewed him as much as he interviewed me. His name was Famaris Oriphine. I called him Marv, at least in my head. He wanted to know everything and so I told him thinking it might be useful to be in the good graces of a wizard. I told him how I had died before coming here. I was on a table in a the emergency room of a hospital. I was having a heart attack. I could feel the grip of death upon me. I honestly knew it down to my bones that this was the one. I was going to die at the same age my mom did at 52. As body was about to fail a bolt of lightning hit me.
Like a good little medical administrator I only answered his questions to the tee and only expanded if he asked the right question. Marv was on point most of the time as I expected of a wizard. He was very smart and I proved that I was one too. I only answered a question if he answered mine. The Law of Equivalent Exchange and all that. This methodology allowed me to ask all the questioned I needed to. Hell, I even got him to give me a blank tome and a writing implement and ink. Which made him ask about my language and alphabet and etc.
Marv thought that my species was one called Imra or whatever the equivalent of human was here. The only difference I found was extra ridges along the eye like he did, purely cosmetic. And they only had one kidney. Maybe that meant they got drunk faster. He also thought my people looked like this sea faring race called Dortoris.
Marv was exactly what I needed. Information. Information was supremely important. Why do you think information brokers exist? I found out that Marv was professor of sorts at a magic academy. Yes, a magic school. Fucking Hogwarts, people. "How do I enroll?" I asked. "I want to learn. I need to learn." Marv stopped scribbling and looked at me askance. "You want to learn magic, boy?" I shrugged, "Not just magic. But this world. I need to know the rules. Not only the rules but I need to learn how to speak the language. If your school is like any school I have back home, your school must be a font of knowledge. And knowledge is power."
I finally had clarity of mind which is ever so important to me. During the winter I had a suspicion that my body wasn't the one I had "died" in. I beg examining myself. My large belly was gone, I was terribly overweight even before "landing" here. Now it was flat. I felt myself get a little giddy. I never had a flat stomach since high school. Women watch out!
I noticed I still had my scars. Scars on my hands and knuckles from fighting as a young ruffian. Scars on my wrists and arms from self-harm. Appendectomy scar on the right lower half of my stomach. They were white and old. I used to be ashamed of these scars in my 20's but accepted them simply as part of me in my 30's.
I still had my tattoos. The Sun and Three Stars from the Filipino Flag on the inside of my left forearm. Madame Pele, Hawaiian goddess of fire and volcanoes and the hula on my right forearm; a beautiful Hawaiian practically naked except for the grass skirts and leis around her wrists, neck, and head. The one on her head had red ohia lehua blossoms decorating it. Her eyes were wreathed in red fire and her smile promised mischief. She danced in front of Kilauea, one of the active volcanoes on Hawaii Island. Luz and Thion had looked at them more than a few times but said nothing. I wasn't sure if they were afraid or just curious and being polite.
I stood up from my "bed" and did my stretches. I touched my toes, moved my body side-to-side, lifted my knees, did some squats, et cetra. I felt a little more flexible. My left hip used to be tight but that was gone. I pursed my lips a little in thought. Am I younger? If only I had a mirror... I glanced at the stairs going up the darkhouse. Luz seldom went up there and I never did. It felt forbidden. And she never exactly said not to go up there.
I shook my head. I don't want to lose her trust, one of my only friends in this world. Did she think of me as a friend? Maybe as close to one as I have so far. Maybe a foster-sister. I glanced at Luz and smiled. I missed my sister, Arianna. Fuck. The cost of being here was starting to filter through my mind. I was never going to see my sister again; or any person I've ever- Tap, tap, tap. What? Was someone at the door? Whoever it was was knocking so softly that Luz didn't even stir.
I wasn't sure if it was wise to wake a being able to use magic but I put a hand on her arm and gently but firmly shook her until she awoke. Her eyes flashed open but I put a finger on my lips and looked at the door. Did a finger on the lips mean the same thing here? But it looked like she got the point and waited. Tap, tap, tap. She looked as confused as I was. I'm thinking she wasn't expecting visitors any time soon and at this hour. She called out.
For a moment it the person outside didn't respond. It was so quiet. I thought maybe I had imagined the whole thing and Luz was just humoring me. Then a voice responded. A man. He sounded apologetic. Luz's eyes widened. Maybe it was someone he was expecting. She threw back her covers. It was still a little cold so she still wore the furs but without the headcover. She made a show of brushing her clothes and fixing her hair before opening the door. Someone important?
A wizard entered and Luz closed the door. How did I know he was a wizard? He simply had to be. I would have bet my life on it. The energy in the room changed. I felt like I could hear the ambient frequency change. If not a wizard but definitely a magic user. It felt like the same family of the energy that came off the twig. He didn't have a wizard's pointy had or a gnarled staff of a walking stick but this man could wield power. He had curly black hair with silver streaks but cut short. He hadn't shaved in a few weeks it looke like. He wore neutral colored traveling clothes of fine cut. He probably did well for himself. He wore shades of brown, green, and black. Oh and he was human, I assumed without the pointy ears. The only thing that stood out was silver pin at his collar; it looked like a tree. Yggdrasil? The Silver Tree of Gondor?
He was frowning as Luz helped him with his pack completely ignoring me. They were talking and I heard my name a few times. He was asking questions and nodding as she answered him. I crossed my arms and waited.
When he finally looked at me we locked eyes. His eyes were blue; the blue of sapphires. I felt a roaring in my ears. And they were intense. It felt like he was scouring my soul. I refused to flinch and took my time to examine him as well. He looked to be in his 40's or 50's. He looked strong, a good framework of muscle existed under an armor of fat. I'm not sure I could take him... at least physically. He felt confident and then a little amused. Laugh all you want big guy, I will not be bullied. We were about the same height, around 72-inches. He had at least 40 or 50 pounds on me though. In my old body I'd have 100 or 150 pounds on him.
Then he said something and it felt like I was "released". I felt myself rock back a little as if I had been facing a fierce wind and it had suddenly stopped. The words he spoke I could not remember. I didn't remember what it even sounded like or how many syllables it had. His mouth moved "Do you understand me, boy?" Whoa. I can understand him. But it was odd. I saw his mouth move and I heard the sounds this time but they weren't English. Magic! He looked confused, "I though I cast it perfectly-" "You did," I interrupted. He clapped loudly and did a little dance, "Praise to Chaero!"
"Indeed," I said happily and grinned. "Fucking finally." I walked across the room and extended a hand. He didn't shake my hand but grasped my wrist and I grasped his. "A spell?" I inquired.
We released each other and he grinned, "Hardly. A cantrip." I noticed we were both still standing so I gestured for him to sit. We both sat next to the fireplace. "I have so many questions for you," he said as he began rummaging in his pack and produced a large leather bound book and writing utensils. I eyed them and said, "I have many questions as well but you must do something for me first."
The turnabout made him pause and he raised an eyebrow quizzically, "And what's that?" I smiled and lifted a palm, "Nothing big. I just wish to convey to Luz how much I appreciate her saving my life and letting me stay with her. I vow to pay her back one day. And that I'll always be a friend to her." He grunted as if it were the greatest chore in the world and told Luz what I had said. She gave the most prettiest of smiles and turned a little embarrassed red. She started to speak but he stopped her and said something and she just nodded. Afterwards then I guess.
We spoke for what seemed like hours. I interviewed him as much as he interviewed me. His name was Famaris Oriphine. I called him Marv, at least in my head. He wanted to know everything and so I told him thinking it might be useful to be in the good graces of a wizard. I told him how I had died before coming here. I was on a table in a the emergency room of a hospital. I was having a heart attack. I could feel the grip of death upon me. I honestly knew it down to my bones that this was the one. I was going to die at the same age my mom did at 52. As body was about to fail a bolt of lightning hit me.
Like a good little medical administrator I only answered his questions to the tee and only expanded if he asked the right question. Marv was on point most of the time as I expected of a wizard. He was very smart and I proved that I was one too. I only answered a question if he answered mine. The Law of Equivalent Exchange and all that. This methodology allowed me to ask all the questioned I needed to. Hell, I even got him to give me a blank tome and a writing implement and ink. Which made him ask about my language and alphabet and etc.
Marv thought that my species was one called Imra or whatever the equivalent of human was here. The only difference I found was extra ridges along the eye like he did, purely cosmetic. And they only had one kidney. Maybe that meant they got drunk faster. He also thought my people looked like this sea faring race called Dortoris.
Marv was exactly what I needed. Information. Information was supremely important. Why do you think information brokers exist? I found out that Marv was professor of sorts at a magic academy. Yes, a magic school. Fucking Hogwarts, people. "How do I enroll?" I asked. "I want to learn. I need to learn." Marv stopped scribbling and looked at me askance. "You want to learn magic, boy?" I shrugged, "Not just magic. But this world. I need to know the rules. Not only the rules but I need to learn how to speak the language. If your school is like any school I have back home, your school must be a font of knowledge. And knowledge is power."
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