The Magi

Olivia Rose led Elijah through the snow-covered meadow into a thicket of trees. For an elderly woman, her pace was quick. Elijah still felt the aches from physical training earlier in the week, so keeping up with her was more difficult than he expected.

As they walked, Elijah wondered how tempted she was to make the trade for her husband. She didn’t even know Elijah, but she saved him from being taken by the Maliphist with yellow eyes. And yet, here she was, willing to sacrifice more on Elijah’s behalf. She was now going to be responsible for teaching him the secrets of the Magi powers. He didn’t know how or when, but Elijah felt he had a responsibility to repay his debt to her.

January was definitely palpable during their walk. The air was frosty. A silent hush had fallen over the lands, and all that could be heard were the occasional gusts of wind and the snow moving under their feet as they walked. It was beautiful! Elijah even enjoyed the frequent shiver running through his body from the icy weather.

After an hour and a half of hiking through the forests and hills of Savenridge, they came into a clearing that led to a small lake. Olivia sat down on the shore, took her bag from Elijah and placed it on the ground in front of her, and pulled out a pouch full of crackers. She handed some to Elijah, gently sat down on the ground, and began to snack on the crackers, gazing blissfully toward the frozen water. Elijah wasn’t sure if he was supposed to sit down or not.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Olivia said finally. She nibbled on her cracker, her eyes fixed on the horizon. Elijah looked at Olivia as she sat with her arms resting on her knees, and he wondered how she could seem so strong while being burdened with so much pain. Her deep-blue eyes held years of wisdom in them with a strength and patience Elijah hadn’t noticed in any of the other adults he came across. He felt almost intimidated by her presence, but at the same time, he felt welcome too.

“The water?” Elijah responded.

“Everything,” Olivia said. “This is a wonderful time of year—maybe my favorite. So much life and joy are promised in the spring, but it’s impossible to get there without first surviving the winter. Even during these silent and dreary days that seem to never end, there are preparations being made for a time when everything is reborn and life becomes fresh. There is a peace now if you really look for it.”

Olivia still continued staring out at the world spread out in front of them. Elijah decided to sit. Maybe there was a lesson in this after all. He began to eat his crackers, and for the next half an hour, Olivia Rose and Elijah Hawk enjoyed the dead of winter in complete silence.

“So tell me young man,” Olivia’s voice finally spoke, breaking into Elijah’s thoughts, “do you feel like you belong here?”

“I’m not sure what you mean,” Elijah said.

Olivia grinned. “From what I’ve heard, you’ve had quite a time these last few months, so I can imagine you’re feeling a bit lost. I’ve heard many people talk about how wonderful you are and how great your mind is. Roddick promised me you’d fit in here. Ismai has expressed to me how special and talented you are. Even my good friend Arthur says you are extraordinary. That’s quite a reputation you’ve built in a short time with some very extraordinary people themselves, I might add. I just wanted to hear from you. What do you feel?”

“I’m not sure I know yet,” Elijah admitted. “I just don’t feel that special, I guess.”

Olivia chuckled. “The special ones never do.” Elijah tried to think about his ability. His instincts had saved his life, but he didn’t think his senses were anything worth all the attention. “And what about this lifestyle?” Olivia continued. “Is it something that makes sense to you?”

“Actually, it does,” answered Elijah. And that was the truth. Even with everything that had been thrown at him during the past few weeks, he never questioned any of it. It made sense. It seemed obvious to find the good in the world. It seemed like a noble cause to fight to protect the good, and it was wise to search for understanding. Even though he had been introduced to a completely different world, it felt right to him.

“Well, that’s good,” said Olivia. “And what is it you hope to learn with me?”

“I don’t know,” answered Elijah. “Aren’t we supposed to learn about how to control the four elements? I definitely don’t know how to do that.”

“Yes,” Olivia continued. “But that’s just what you were told you were supposed to learn. I want you to tell me what you expect to learn. I don’t think there’s much you can expect to learn if you don’t expect to learn anything, is there?”

“I want to know how exactly you control the elements,” Elijah said after careful thought. “What makes them move? Even if I can’t do it, I want to know what’s done to make that happen.”

“Good,” Olivia said. “What else?”

“I want to know what it is everyone else sees that makes me so special,” said Elijah bravely.

“What else?”

“I want to know how the Maliphists killed my parents. And I want to know how to fight back.” Elijah’s body began to fill with anger. Olivia looked at Elijah with a concerned expression that made Elijah’s anger quickly fade. She studied him for a moment until she saw Elijah relax.

“Well then. Let’s get to work.”

Olivia stood up, brushed the dirt off her clothes, and walked closer to the lake. When she reached the edge, Olivia spread her hands apart, and between them, a small ball of fire ignited and burned vigorously. She waved her hands in front of her as if tossing a ball to a small child, and the fire released out into the lake about ten feet. It hovered over the edge for a moment and then sank, extinguishing itself in the water as she let her hands down. Where the ball of fire passed over the frozen lake, the ice melted, making a small pool for Elijah to wade into if he wanted. Olivia walked back to Elijah who was completely amazed. “I’ll be back in a while. You told me what you wanted to learn. Now learn it.”

“What am I supposed to do?” Elijah asked anxiously.

“Learn,” said Olivia frankly.

“How? I don’t know how to do anything! You’re supposed to teach me, right?” Elijah didn’t like sounding so whiny and confrontational, but he didn’t want to be abandoned with no direction.

“I’m supposed to mentor you,” Olivia said. “Right now, I want you to observe. Go to the edge of the lake. Learn. Do you think the first Magi had mentors to give them the answers?” Elijah looked back at the lake wondering what he could possibly learn by just looking at water.

He turned back toward Olivia. “What am I supposed to look for?”

“That is exactly the question you should try to answer. If I tell you what to look for, then I’m making you answer my questions. You told me what you expected to learn, right? Start there. I’ll be back. Tell me what you find. I won’t be far.” Olivia walked away and out of site, leaving Elijah feeling vulnerable and completely confused.

He walked over to the water and sat down. For a minute, he succumbed to his frustration. He hated not having direction and wanted to go back to the barracks. At least there, they told him what he had to do. He had a goal. Elijah wondered if all the other students were just as frustrated as he was.

Once he had calmed down, Elijah decided to attempt to work things out. Just for kicks, he moved his hands out the way he had seen Olivia and Roddick do at one time or another. He closed his eyes and imagined water coming out of the lake in a ball. He wasn’t surprised when nothing happened. Realizing how ridiculous he looked and felt, Elijah glanced around to see if anyone saw him. He decided to give up and make a list of things he noticed. He looked down at the water and watched it closely. He felt completely idiotic! Elijah took a few deep breaths and relaxed. He had to admit the water was peaceful. Staring at it gave him a calming presence that washed over him. Elijah found a stick and began to poke it in the water, swirling it around and around, making small, gentle waves with his rhythmic motion. He looked at the behavior of the water as it was moved by the stick. Suddenly, Elijah thought about the other elements, an idea coming to him. If he were to put a stick in fire, something very different would happen to the stick. Here in water, the stick was the force in control. The water allowed itself to be moved by the stick. There was a sense of willingness the water had to be controlled. It was at peace, and when Elijah stopped poking at it with the stick, the waves slowly stopped forming, and the water began to smooth itself out again—as it was before Elijah meddled with it. It seemed to want to remain at rest.

Elijah cleared off a space on a nearby rock, dusting away the dirt and twigs that covered a flat spot on the top. He then scooped up some ice-cold water with his hand and let it drip onto the rock. Watching it carefully, Elijah noticed the water moving toward itself whenever a droplet touched another droplet. It tried to collect itself and become bigger—a more powerful, more unified collection of water. He began to get excited with his discoveries even though it seemed so simple. How had he not noticed this before? Here, in this simple element he used every day, an element he saw in so many different forms and uses, there were some very specific rules and behaviors it followed. It was exciting to him not because he learned something new, but because he noticed it. He never really appreciated how wonderfully designed this element was. It seemed almost alive!

For the remainder of the lesson, Elijah poked, prodded, swished, and manipulated the melted ice of the lake that had been prepared for him to observe. He even waded into it a short distance. Instead of manipulating the water, he let the freezing temperatures manipulate his body when it came in contact with the water. He noticed the temperature change and behavior of his own body. Elijah felt silly, but the more he noticed, the more he enjoyed himself.

Eventually, he heard the footsteps of Olivia Rose coming back. Elijah turned around to greet her.

“Looks like you’ve come around,” said Olivia. “So what is it you’ve discovered?”

Elijah told her all about what he noticed during his time alone. He told her about the water wanting to remain at peace. He told her about how it tried to unite itself into a single, more powerful force. He told her about how it made him feel and what happened when he worked with it. Olivia could sense his enthusiasm and she grinned in spite of herself. She had a tough time hiding a little bit of pride in Elijah’s accomplishment.

“Good. You’ve learned something very important. Something that will be necessary to eventually moving and controlling the water,” said Olivia.

“What?” asked Elijah.

“You understand it! That’s the key. You won’t be able to control any element without understanding it. The more you know, the more you will be able to control.” Olivia glanced up at the sky. “Well, it looks like we’d better head back. We’ll work with another element next time, and maybe you’ll find out more about what makes these elements so special. Well done today, Elijah.”

They walked back to the training grounds and arrived at the front doors just at sunset. Elijah hadn’t done anything physical during the day, except the long walk to and from the lake, but he felt as though he had. He was emotionally exhausted.

He walked into the training barracks, after saying goodbye to Olivia, and made his way into his room. He changed clothes and went downstairs to the oval fire pit finding Samuel, Paul, and Isaac talking about their own day. They had been back for a while by the sound of it.

“Geez Elijah,” Isaac said as he walked up, “where did you go?”

“What?”

“Well, the rest of us went to Jade Lake just down the way here and worked on our element exercises. We didn’t see you all day. Where’d you go?” Isaac asked.

“We went way out there. I dunno. Out to some other lake. Why? I thought we all went to different places,” Elijah said.

Isaac looked at Paul who shook his head. “Not us,” Paul said. “We all stayed around here. Did you have any luck?”

“No,” answered Elijah. “I learned a little about water.” He knew his comment sounded stupid, but the look the other boys gave him made Elijah feel even more foolish.

“Learned about water?” Paul said with a smirk. “Well, we all have to start somewhere.” The boys laughed, and Elijah laughed too, more because of how he knew it sounded to the others.

“What about you guys?” asked Elijah. “What did you do?”

“Nothing much,” Isaac said.

“Y’mean nothing at all!” Paul corrected. “No one did anything. We all sat around pretending to look cool and focus on moving stuff, but nothing happened. We just watched our mentors do everything. They kept telling us to focus more on the element. Whatever!” Paul picked up a fire iron and poked a coal in the massive smoldering pit.

“Well, didn’t Mr. Button say most students don’t do much of anything right away?” Elijah asked trying to make them feel better.

“Ah, to heck with Button!” said Paul. “I mean, maybe that’s true, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do better than most right? I’ll figure it out sooner or later. It’ll just take a little practice. You watch, I’ll have it down before the end of term. Maybe sooner.”

“Who was your mentor?” Samuel asked Elijah.

“It was Olivia Rose.” Paul turned to look at Elijah with raised eyebrows.

Isaac went wide-eyed. “You got an elder as a mentor?!? Wow! How did you manage that?”

“I’m not sure. Why? Do elders not usually mentor?” Elijah asked.

“Not that I know of,” said Isaac, looking back at Paul for validation. Paul shook his head. Elijah couldn’t help feeling like an outcast. Being mentored by an elder was just one more thing setting him apart from everyone else.

Sunday morning was a day off, and Elijah felt as good as he had in a long time. He woke up for the first time in a week without being stiff and sore. He began to feel a little more at home at the barracks, and he had the entire day to do as he wished. There were many possible things to do today, but Elijah had only one thing on his mind. After he washed and got dressed, he signed out to leave the barracks (giving his destination), took the walk back into the center of town, and knocked on the door to the Roddick household.

Mrs. Roddick opened the door and before he knew it, Elijah was engulfed in a big hug. Master Roddick came into the room once he heard the commotion, and soon afterwards, the two Roddick girls were welcoming Elijah back. It had only been a week since Elijah left, but it felt much longer.

“Sit down, Elijah,” Roddick said handing him some vanilla cider.

“Do you want something to eat?” Mrs. Roddick asked.

“No, thank you,” said Elijah.

“I’ll whip something right up,” Mrs. Roddick insisted. Elijah knew better than to argue with her, so he sat down with his vanilla cider and began to sip the meringue off the top.

“So how’s training going?” Roddick asked. “Are you sore?”

Elijah laughed. “A little. I’ve definitely felt better. The first few days were the worst. My schedule spreads out the physical days pretty evenly, so I have time to rest.” Mrs. Roddick came in with some food, gave it to Elijah, and sat down. Elijah could hear the girls playing in the back rooms.

“How is your training with the elements?” Roddick continued.

“Pretty good,” Elijah said. “I didn’t do much yesterday, and Mrs. Rose had me sit and watch water for hours. I’m not sure why, to be honest.”

“So Olivia’s your mentor?” Mrs. Roddick asked looking surprised. “That’s interesting.”

“What’s interesting about it?” asked Elijah, remembering the shock on the face of his friends when he told them.

“It’s not bad,” said Master Roddick. “It’s just that elders usually don’t train students. They are needed elsewhere, and they’re really busy most of the time. But it’s obvious you have something Olivia thinks is worth cultivating.”

“She had me doing things the other students didn’t do,” said Elijah.

Roddick smiled and nodded. “I’m sure of that. Did you learn anything?”

“Yes. I think so. Well, at least I hope so. But why is training different for me than it is for the other students?” Elijah asked.

“Well, first of all, you have a different mentor than anyone else. Different mentors have different methods. But I honestly don’t know, Elijah,” Roddick said. “All I can say is to trust her. She knows more about our power than anyone else here. You’re really lucky to have her as a mentor.” Elijah decided it was too early to question Olivia, especially since it seemed as though he had learned more in his first lesson than any of his friends had. “I’m glad you stopped by, though,” Roddick continued. “I talked to some people and I think I’ve found someone for you to ask about your parents. His name is Walter, and he works closely with marshals stationed outside of Savenridge. He lives in the northern part of the city, close to Arthur. I say one of these days we both go up there and talk with him.”

“Does he know my uncle?” asked Elijah eagerly.

“I don’t know. I didn’t get a chance to ask him. I haven’t even met him, actually. I’ve just heard he would be the most likely person to know.”

“Can we go today?” Elijah asked, putting down his cider.

“I’d be more comfortable if we didn’t just go barging into his house on a Sunday. Besides, by the time we’d get there it would be almost dark. I’ll see if I can make an appointment with him. How’s that sound?”

Elijah nodded his head in disappointment. He wanted to go talk to Walter now.

“Can I ask you about Mrs. Rose?” Elijah asked thinking about Uncle Stan and Phinneas Rose in the Maliphist prisons.

“Sure,” Master Roddick said.

“Her husband has been in the prison for a long time, right?” Both Roddicks nodded. “Why is he there? What did he do?” Mr. and Mrs. Roddick looked at each other and then back at Elijah.

“I’m not sure either of us knows the whole story,” said Master Roddick. “But what we do know is that the Maliphists think Phinneas has something they want.”

“Or it could be Olivia they’re after and they’re just using Phinneas to get to her,” Mrs. Roddick said.

“Whatever it is has heated up the conflict between the Magi and the Maliphists,” Roddick continued.

“What do you mean?” asked Elijah. “I thought the Magi and the Maliphists were already in conflict.

“We believe different things,” said Roddick, “that’s for sure. But there have been years where we have coexisted in relative peace. We work to stop their delivery of young men and women to their cities, and they work to stop us from getting in their way, but other than that, there hasn’t been anything we would consider going to war over. That is until they started to terrorize our city and take our people, like Phinneas. We’ve had to be very careful the last few years. Like I said, things have been heating up.”

Elijah wondered what would make the Maliphists want Olivia’s husband. And if the information Phinneas had was so important, why were they willing to give him up for Elijah? He certainly didn’t think he had any important information.

“And Mrs. Rose accepts all of this?” Elijah asked. “I mean, is she doing anything to get him out?”

“I think some things are best left alone,” said Roddick, a little short. “At least for now. Let her concern herself with her husband. It would be wise not to worry about it.”

“But I have someone I care about in there too,” said Elijah defensively. “I’m just trying to find out if anything is being done to get them out.”

“I’m sure those who are involved are doing what they feel is best to do,” said Master Roddick.

Elijah gritted his teeth and stared at the sword and shield hanging on the wall across from him. He wasn’t satisfied with that answer, but he knew it would have to do for now. Either Roddick didn’t know what was being done, or he chose not to tell him. Whichever it was, Elijah knew he would get no more answers on the matter. He picked up his cider again and drank some more.

Elijah and the Roddick family spent the rest of the afternoon visiting. Elijah told them all about his training and how he had failed to get out of the pit. He told them how he aced the mental training exercises and all he had learned about water with Olivia. Appropriately, Roddick seemed most interested with Elijah’s discoveries with water. After all, he was a water controller.

Elijah also talked about the friends he had made during his first week, although, he conveniently left out his conversations with Hannah.

When it was time to say goodbye, Elijah felt like leaving was just as hard as the first time they said goodbye. Mrs. Roddick again promised a meal for Elijah whenever he needed it and told him to give Samuel some encouragement. He waved goodbye and took the long walk back to the barracks.

Just after he crossed the river, Elijah suddenly began to feel very warm. It had been a while since he last had this sensation, but he felt a hint of danger creeping into his thoughts again. Realizing he was alone, Elijah became increasingly scared. He looked around, but no one was in sight, and he still had a long way to go before arriving at the barracks. He picked up his pace.

Darkness quickly fell over Savenridge, which made Elijah even more nervous. His body continued to emit heat, and his instinct told him the danger was near. But where? This time, the silence of the winter was not comforting. It was terrifying! He stopped walking for a minute to listen. Elijah tried using his training to his advantage. He couldn’t see, but he needed to use his other senses.

Silence.

More silence.

He wondered if stopping was such a good idea because the quiet of dusk began to make his heart race, and instead of focusing on what was around him, he could only hear his heart hammering against his chest. Just then, he heard a faint sound coming toward him. At first it sounded like the air rushing beneath the wings of a large bird. As the sound grew louder, Elijah recognized the sound of footsteps in the snow. He heard only one set of footprints, but they were getting louder, and the closer it got, Elijah could tell whoever made the sound was running. Toward him!

Elijah thought about running for it, but whoever approached was too fast for him to outrun. He would never make it to the barracks in time. His heart pounded with frantic speed. Finally, out of the shadows of the spreading darkness emerged the outline of a person reaching for Elijah. He almost screamed, but just before he did, the hand grabbed his arm, dragged him forward, and pulled him toward the barracks.

“RUN YOU IDIOT!”

Elijah didn’t think. He ran side by side with the tall figure that had grabbed him, giving every ounce of energy he had to keep pace. When Elijah had a chance to glance at the face of the figure, he saw it was his friend, Paul Hetfield. It was hard keeping up with him, but Elijah managed to do it. His adrenaline raced, and every few seconds, he looked back to see a darker sky each time. If anything was out there now, he wouldn’t know until it had him.

After what seemed like days, Elijah and Paul came to the entrance of the barracks. Paul opened the door and led Elijah through. The entire building hummed with panicked and flustered students and trainers.

“What’s going on?” Elijah asked Paul.

“What the heck were you doing out there by yourself?!?” Paul asked, ignoring Elijah’s question. Elijah was taken off guard by the concern in Paul’s voice.

“I—I thought—” He didn’t have an answer. Paul shook his head.

“I thought you were taken for sure. I almost went all the way to the Roddick’s house before I found you.”

“Found me? You were looking for me?” Paul grunted as they walked toward the stairs to their rooms. “Why? What’s going on?”

As they climbed the stairs, panting for air, Elijah saw a large crowd of students right outside his door. They all turned to look at him as he slowly walked toward them. They parted ways to let him through. Mr. Button stood next to Elijah’s door looking at him.

“Y’ alright, Elijah?” he asked. Elijah didn’t answer because he was looking at his door. On it was a note. Pinning the note to the door was a thin, wooden stake pierced completely through to the other side. Elijah read the note:

To all who protect Elijah Hawk:

Release him to us or next time the penalty will be more severe. Until we claim what is ours, more than one will be taken.

Elijah looked around at everyone as they gaped at him. He glanced inside his room. It was completely torn apart! His wooden chest by the window had been opened, and everything he owned was scattered around the room.

“More than one will be taken? More than one what?” Paul sighed and glanced at Isaac who stood in front of them both. “What?” Elijah insisted. Isaac stepped toward Elijah to speak.

“The Maliphists took Samuel.”