Adamagika: The Spirit Within - 15. Ch 15: Javier Bienvenido

CHAPTER 15: Javier Bienvenido

Jacob and I headed towards the stables together before dawn. We packed enough clothes for the days we were going to be away. We also brought along the food we bought the previous day which was composed of bread, some stuffing for it, and a few assortments of fruits.

We arrived at the stables before anyone else did.

“What do you think it’s going to be like?” Jacob asked me. “Have you ever met a seer before?”

“I don’t know. There aren’t really many seers and they say this Seer isn’t a person. According to the books I’ve read she’s supposed to be some form of magical entity that exists in the Hallean Mountains. They say she has the ability to see the future with such certainty that she could tell you what you were going to have for lunch today ten years from now.”

“You mean the future’s set in stone? If she says I’m going to eat a ham and cheese sandwich a week from now, does that mean I’ll have no choice but to eat that then?”

“Well, I suppose not,” I replied as I pondered his question. “If she says you’re going to do something and you already know that’s what she said, then you can always make a choice not to do it then, right?”

“I guess so, but wouldn’t that make her predictions wrong then? Or what if knowing the future doesn’t necessarily mean having any control over it?”

“Maybe. Then again she probably won’t speak of things down to the last detail like that. It would change the future then wouldn’t it? And changing the future isn’t so much the objective here than understanding it. That’s what they say anyway.” I said starting to get confused by that line of thought.

“So what’s the point of knowing the future if knowing it means changing nothing?” Jacob asked.

“Maybe that is the point,” I suggested. “By knowing some things about what will happen, you can understand it better so that you can cope with it in much better ways. Maybe things will even turn out for the better.”

“Or for the worse,” Jacob said morosely.

“Or for the worse,” I nodded my agreement.

“I don’t think I like seeing the future,” Jacob said with some sadness in his voice.

“You make it sound like you’ve already seen it.”

“I think sometimes I do,” Jacob said softly.

I paused for a moment, my curiosity aroused. “What do you mean?”

He remained silent as if he was gathering his thoughts. “Do you ever get that feeling that sometimes you know what’s going to happen before it does? I mean not like seeing visions or anything but like for example when you know something terrible is going to happen but it doesn’t actually make sense until it comes to pass?”

“Like what happened to your parents…” I offered quietly.

“Yeah,” Jacob said unperturbed that I knew exactly what he was referring to. “I knew something terrible was going to happen that night and yet I wasn’t able to do anything about it. What if we go to this Seer person and she predicts all these horrible things in the future and we find out that we’re helpless to change it? That would just be awful, wouldn’t it?”

“I suppose so. Sometimes I get that feeling too you know? Like here in the city, there’s this, I guess restlessness in the air and I get the impression that something terrible is about to happen. I don’t know how I feel that or if it’s even real.” I was at a loss on how to explain it further. He nodded as though he knew what I was talking about. I rubbed my forehead at the steadily growing pain there. “You know all this talk of the future is going to give me a headache.”

“Did you foresee that?” Jacob asked with a laugh although his eyes seemed to say that the whole topic was still disturbing him. I steered the conversation away to less serious topics.

We were just enjoying some light conversation when suddenly Jacob’s face went all serious and I was worried he was thinking about his family again. I wasn’t prepared though for what he said next.

“Adam, how do you feel about me?”

I gaped at him fully understanding what he meant but unable to answer him. The question felt awkward. “What…”

“Aaah, I’m glad to see you’re here.” Jacob and I turned our heads to the familiar voice. It wasn’t the one we were expecting.

“Magister Aenhol?” I asked. He was walking towards us with another boy behind him. The boy had a tanned complexion and silky black hair that reached his shoulders. He had a familiar face that I’ve seen from a few classes but I’ve never spoken to him before or come to think of it, even gotten his name.

“Surprised to see me?” my teacher asked with mischief.

“Yes!” I said loudly and happily as the implication of his presence sunk in. All thoughts of my earlier conversation with Jacob were forgotten.

“It seems Madame Rooste has some other matters that she has to attend to and has graciously allowed me to take her place during this trip of yours. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all, sir!” I said grateful for any reason not to spend time with Madame Rooste.

“Good,” he said then turned one hand towards the boy accompanying him. “Adam, Jacob, this is Javier.”

Javier looked us over, as in literally looked us over. His eyes seemed to rove over bodies as though studying us like some fascinating creature he found under a rock. His face was impassive and he made no attempt to introduce himself to us or start any kind of conversation.

When our eyes finally met, his looked haughty and there was a deep feeling there that told me he was unhappy for some reason. I supposed that it was probably Jacob and me he was unhappy about. I wondered to myself how I knew that from just looking at his eyes.

A smile plastered itself on his face once we had stared long enough. But having looked at his eyes, I knew that smile was fake.

“Javier Bienvenido of the Bienvenido Mage Clan, third generation descendant of the Great Archmage Gabriel Bienvenido,” he said as though introducing himself as royalty.

“Wow,” Jacob said probably mistaking his introduction as a gesture of friendship. “I’m Jacob… uhh… son of Thompson Langsley.”

They shook each other’s hand while Javier said, “charming.” Jacob looked like he was meeting a celebrity although I was sure he had no idea who the Bienvenidos were. Even I had no idea who they were.

Javier turned his attention to me. “And you are?” he asked in a voice that said he couldn’t care less who I was.

“Adam,” was all the response he would get from me.

“Charming,” he said again then turned towards Magister Aenhol. “Shall we go, then?”

“Of course,” he said as he nodded towards Javier then gestured towards the stables, “do pick any horse you would like to bring as your transportation for our trip. They are all quite capable.”

“If you don’t mind, I had one of our horses brought with me.” He then snapped his fingers and as though on cue, a small looking boy no more than ten years old came from around the gates that led out of the stables. He was pulling a majestic looking white horse into view. It was covered in purple cloth embroidered with gold and red trimmings around it. Some parts of the horse’s helmet and body were also gold plated. There was also a family crest placed on either sides of the horse. It looked like an ornate hammer that was surrounded by what seemed to be energy balls. I presumed it belonged to the Bienvenidos.

The small boy was struggling to keep the animal from moving away.

Magister Aenhol bent his head sideward as though to study Javier while the boy held his head high and continued to look at my teacher indifferently.

“Of course,” Magister Aenhol said again after a short pause. Javier promptly nodded then headed towards the stable gates to his waiting horse. Magister Aenhol then turned towards Jacob and I. “How about you two?” he said soft enough as to not be heard by Javier. “Do you happen to have regal horses waiting around the corner as well?”

“I know it’s somewhere around here,” I said as I started rummaging through my bag.

Jacob gave us a confused look before finally catching up to what we were doing. “Hah, you guys are mean,” he said though he was smiling pleasantly himself.

The three of us headed towards the stables and picked out our own horses. Unfortunately we couldn’t find any with our family crests on them.

“Is this guy for real?” I asked my teacher.

“Is he royalty or something?” Jacob asked probably now starting to doubt his initial impressions.

Magister Aenhol chuckled. “No, but he does belong to a very wealthy family that tends to think very highly of themselves. His Great Grandfather, Gabriel Bienvenido, contributed to the defenses of this city in his time.”

“By contributed, do you mean he gave a lot of money?” I asked somewhat sarcastically.

“You must remember Adam that whether we like it or not, wealth matters in our world and it would not be wise to make enemies of those who have it.” After a pause he added, “coincidentally, yes, I do mean he gave a lot of money.”

“What kind of defenses did he pay for, sir?” Jacob asked.

“Oh this and that,” he said. Jacob looked puzzled and I gave him a look that said that the conversation was over.

The three of us headed outside to meet his royal highness. Javier was already on his horse and the little boy who was pulling the horse was struggling to carry what looked like wooden steps presumably used by Javier to get on his horse.

He looked over at me and I gave him a smile. He smiled back happily as though glad someone finally noticed him before running off.

“Shall we go?” Javier asked impatiently, “it’s almost dawn.”

Magister Aenhol looked over at us as though in exasperation before saying “of course” for the third time today. He rode out alongside Javier who seemed to want to put as much distance between us and him. That was perfectly acceptable as far as I was concerned.

We made our way out of the city just as the first rays of light broke free over the horizon. It reminded me eerily of my last trip out of the city and I hoped nothing terrible was going to happen this time around.

“How’d you know he was a prick?” Jacob asked at one point.

“I don’t know,” I said. “Sometimes I can just tell, you know? I look into people’s eyes and it almost feels like I know what they’re thinking or what they’re feeling.”

Jacob studied me for a moment before responding. “You think it’s like the feeling I get about things that are about to happen?”

I shrugged. “I’m not sure. There haven’t exactly been studies or proof saying that mages could read minds. Seers sure but they are so few and far apart that usually no one pays much attention to them. Divinity is such an imprecise branch of magic that you end up wrong more often than right.” I paused as a thought occurred to me. “But you know, Magister Aenhol’s kinda like a mind reader. Sometimes it seems like he knows what I’m thinking even if I don’t say anything. He says he just knows me too well though.”

The rest of the trip was spent mostly talking about things we’d like to do to Javier. Unlike my trip to the Anthium Forest, most of our trip this time was spent with fast gallops. The Hallean Mountains were not that far from Arantiva. You could make it there in half a day’s worth of travel if we rode fast which we did.

There were times when Javier’s horse would seem to slow or gallop uncoordinatedly as though straining against the speed at which we were travelling. It seemed his horse was bred to display itself and not travel great distances in short amounts of time. The horses the rest of us had were bred for journeying.

It became clear that Javier’s horse had had enough when three quarters of the way there, Javier’s horse unceremoniously buckled him off and his bag onto the dirt road.

“Come back here, you knave!” he yelled after the horse which had trotted away into the forest.

The three of us who were still on horses attempted to suppress our chuckles but it seems only Magister Aenhol was really successful at it.

“What are you two laughing at?” he yelled at us while wiping his long hair away from his dirt stained face.

“Nothing,” I said innocently while Jacob shook his head with a suppressed smile.

“Now, what I am going to do?” he asked as though expecting us to solve his problems.

“Well, I’m afraid you’re going to have to walk now,” said Magister Aenhol.

“Walk?” he asked in shock. “You can’t expect me to walk all the way there. We’re not even half way!”

“Actually, we’re almost there. If you start walking now, you’ll get there in maybe four to five hours, That is if you can manage a brisk pace.” Javier’s jaws dropped almost comically at that remark. “Unless of course… you’d like to ask one of these nice gentlemen if you could ride with them.”

Javier looked over at us with a look that said he certainly did not want to. But the prospect of walking all the way there and back must have knocked some sense in him. He glared at us as though waiting for one of us to offer him a ride or more likely to dismount and walk the rest of the way while he had a horse to himself. When it became clear that we were not going to offer a ride unless he asked, his glare softened and his shoulders lost some of the haughtiness that stiffened it the whole day.

“May I ask for transportation from one of you fine gentlemen?” he said the last few words almost softly.

I looked over at Jacob and shared a conspiratorial smile. I wanted to make Javier walk, perhaps to instill some humility in him but thought otherwise. I figured having to ask us already took more humility than he had to spare.

“Alright,” I said, “who would you like to ride with?”

“You will do,” he said letting some of his former haughtiness show.

He walked towards my horse and I gave him some room behind me to sit on. I wondered how he would get on it without the wooden steps he used back in the city. I offered him my hand and with one hand on mine and the other on the horse’s saddle managed to leap fluidly onto the free space at my back without much trouble.

This surprised me and it must have been obvious on my face. “What? You didn’t think I would be completely inept in mounting horses, did you?”

Jacob and I shared a bewildered look and both nodded.

“Well maybe that should teach you not to judge so rashly,” Javier said smugly as he wrapped his arms around my waist.

“Come on now, time for us to go,” Magister Aenhol said. I could have sworn he was grinning when he said this.

The rest of the trip was spent quietly. I was wondering what just happened with Javier. For the briefest moment, he almost seemed normal without all the arrogant bravado he seemed to have earlier in the day. I wanted to ask him about it, but with the rest of the way there made in such a rush, there wasn’t really any chance to. Magister Aenhol wanted to make it there before sundown.

When we arrived at the base of the Hallean Mountains, the road curved dangerously upward. The path was there to follow. But for disobedient horses, it would have made the trek up potentially dangerous. For a moment, I wondered if the loss of Javier’s horse was an act of providence but I figured it was just coincidence.

Eventually, we reached a small plateau on the side of the mountain that had a sturdy looking hut on it. There was an elderly looking man standing there, clothed in several layers of dead animal skin. He looked worn but he had an aura of strength about him that made you want to think twice about engaging him in combat. The large and menacing looking spear with jagged spikes at the tip might have helped a bit too.

Magister Aenhol dismounted his horse and the rest of us followed suit.

“Samson,” Magister Aenhol said addressing the man.

The man turned his attention to my teacher and frowned. “Aenhol, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Sam?”

“As many times as it takes for you to call me, Edward,” Magister Aenhol said seriously.

The two stared at each other before grins finally broke across their faces and they laughed heartily.

“How are you, you old goat?” Magister Aenhol asked.

“Oh still here, waiting for Mother Nature to take me home.”

“You have a few more decades left to wait then.”

The two men laughed again before Samson asked another question with a furrowed brow. “I thought it was Rooste’s turn to come up here.”

“She’s preoccupied,” Magister Aenhol said with a grin.

“Hah!” the man named Samson released a laugh that could have caused a landslide. “That hag will find any and every reason to not come near the Seer. You’d almost think she was afraid of it. She’s the only teacher in the last hundred years that has never even gone into the caves, you know?”

“A hundred years?” Javier asked in shock. “You’ve been here a hundred years?”

Magister Aenhol and Samson turned towards us as though noticing we were there for the first time.

“Ehh, these are the youngens then?” Samson said, ignoring Javier’s question. “There’s an awful few of them this month. Usually, you have much more than this.” He turned towards Magister Aenhol. “Your school not getting enough students these days?”

“Not quite,” Magister Aenhol said calmly. “On the contrary, our student population is larger than it’s ever been. It just seems the fates have conspired to prevent anyone from being born in June seventeen years ago.”

Samson turned towards my teacher as though waiting for Magister Aenhol to expound. When it was clear my teacher wouldn’t, he spoke up. “Uhu… I suppose you’ll want to leave your horses here while you head up the mountain?”

“That would be most appreciated as always.” Magister Aenhol gave him a courteous bow.

“Alright then. Just leave them here and I’ll take care of them. Why do you have only three horses by the way.”

We all turned expectantly towards Javier.

“Accident,” he replied softly.

“Uhu…” Samson said as though he thought better. “Go on then. Don’t worry about these. They’ll be here when you get back.”

The four of us headed up a steep path that led away from Samson and the horses.

“Has he really been here a hundred years, sir?” I asked Magister Aenhol.

“Oh yes, Sam has been the custodian of that hut for the last hundred years. One hundred and four years to be exact.”

“What does he do here all that time?” Jacob asked, short of breath.

“Well, he’s not there all the time. He only comes up whenever we send students here for their visitation. Most of the time, he spends his days in a village near the base of the mountain with his family.

We all nodded at this and cut all other conversations. The path had become dangerously steep and we needed to concentrate. It was manageable really but if we weren’t careful, we could slip and hurt ourselves. To our left, the mountain curved down to what looked like a very steep cliff that overlooked the forest below the mountain. If we fell with enough momentum, we could roll all the way to the edge and fall to our deaths.

“Careful now,” my teacher said, “the wind here comes as a bit of a shock.”

“What wind?” Javier asked, not having felt any the last thirty minutes. We were in fact sweating profusely from the effort and the lack of a good wind.

As though on cue, a harsh wind blew across us almost knocking Jacob off the path. I managed to grab a hold of him though and he was able to balance himself again. The wind hurled itself against us like a typhoon getting stronger and stronger. For three full minutes, we could do nothing but crouch and try to keep the dirt from our eyes.

Once it ended, we all looked thoroughly worn.

“What the heck was that?” Javier asked with a dazed and thoroughly crumpled look.

“The Seer,” Magister Aenhol said casually as he continued to walk up the path, “not everyone is welcome to visit her and if she doesn’t want you here, she will make sure of it.”

“Does that wind mean she doesn’t want us here?” I asked.

Magister Aenhol chuckled. “Oh no, dear boy, if she didn’t want you here, you’d be dead.”

Jacob, Javier, and I stopped in our tracks and gawked at him.

“Come on now, we don’t have all day,” my teacher said when he noticed that we stopped.

When we finally reached the end of the path, it curved around the mountainside and opened up to a beautiful plateau on the side of the mountain. It was a massive expanse stretching on a hidden side of the mountain, surrounded by the mountainside that stretched high into the sky. There were trees where there shouldn’t have been and even a pond that looked crystal clear right in the middle of it all.

At the back of the plateau at the very side of the mountain was a cave opening. It didn’t have any pointed stalactites that would scare off any inexperienced traveler but it had a certain aura about it that said something lives here or beware of rabid and vicious animal.

Magister Aenhol led us all the way to the cave entrance. We passed the mini-forest which was unusually still. He looked up at the sky and watched the last fading lights disappear. It wasn’t until then that I realized how late it was. “I think it’s best if we set up camp over there,” he said indicating an open patch of grass. “It is much too late to go in and it will be best if you’re all rested when you finally meet the Seer.”

We headed towards the grassy area where Magister Aenhol pulled a rather large rug from beneath his robes. Jacob was gaping at it’s sheer size. I was mildly surprised but Javier seemed unconcerned by what he saw. Magister Aenhol then swung the rug over the grass and it spread majestically over the open space. “The three of you will sleep here tonight. Have something to eat before going to sleep. Do not wander off without telling me where you’re going. If I’m not here for you to inform, then don’t go anywhere.”

I rubbed my hands next to my arms as the soft chill of the evening crept into the forest we were in. “I think Jacob and I should get some firewood.”

“Oh, I don’t think the trees will like that very much,” Magister Aenhol said.

“Huh?” I asked eloquently.

“These trees are… different… from what you’d normally find elsewhere. It is best if you do not disturb them.”

“But what if we need to relieve ourselves or something?” Javier asked.

“Do it by the path where the plants do not grow or else hold it till we get back,” Magister Aenhol replied. Javier didn’t look happy about that.

“What about heat, sir?” I asked starting to get uncomfortable from the cold. As soon as we entered the forest area it was like the temperature just dropped.

Magister Aenhol opened his hands and four small balls of fire floated out of them. They made their way around the rug and floated a foot from the ground.

“Remember,” he said, “you may drink from or swim in the pond but do not disturb the forest. That is very important. Do not wander off. I am going into the cave for awhile. Do not look for me. I will be back and I expect the three of you to be asleep by then.”

“You’re going to leave us here?” Javier asked.

“You are safe here as long as you follow the instructions I gave.” He turned to me and said seriously, “I am leaving you in charge, Adam. Eat then go to sleep. Understand?”

“Yes, sir,” I nodded.

“And you two?” he added. They both nodded. “Good. Remember, do not disturb the forest. Go on then. Get eating.”

He waited until the three of us were seated on the edge of the rug he placed on the grass. He then turned towards the cave and disappeared into the darkness.

In the soft glow of the flames around the rug, Jacob and I discussed possibilities on why Magister Aenhol would go in there at this dark hour. Javier was seated with us but for the most part he was quiet. When we brought out the food we each brought, it became clear that what Javier brought was expertly prepared. His food looked delicious and the sandwiches we brought, although tasty, paled in comparison to what he had.

We ate in silence. This whole forest on the mountain side seemed frighteningly still. There wasn’t a single animal making a sound and other than the occasional gust of wind that would fall from the cliffs above, everything was peaceful. It had a menacing quality about it.

At one point, Javier asked if we wanted to share his food. He said they always prepared too much for him whenever he went on trips. We politely declined and he surprised us by insisting that we get some. At one point his arrogant, annoying self showed itself and said we were wasting food by not accepting his offer because these particular dishes he had would spoil by the next day. Jacob and I shyly accepted on the pretense of not wasting food. I was almost certain though that Javier was pleased that we finally accepted.

It wasn’t too long after that that the flames dimmed as though indicating that it was time to sleep. After such a long journey the day before, it didn’t take very long for us to slumber.

* * * * * * * * * *

There was a very rude hand shaking me awake from a pleasant dream involving Jacob. I opened my bleary eyes to see Javier glaring at me with an annoyed look. “Wake up! You’ve been asleep the whole morning.”

“What? What’s happening?” I asked with a stifled yawn.

“Magister Aenhol already went inside with Jacob. They’ve been gone for a few hours and I’m bored to death sitting here by myself.”

“Hours? Why didn’t anyone wake me up?”

“Magister Aenhol said to let you rest. But enough is enough. The sun’s almost at the highest point in the sky.”

I looked up and indeed the sun was quite high. It wouldn’t be long before it was midday. “Did he say anything before he left?”

“Yeah, that you should get something to eat before you go inside and for goodness sake, take a bath!”

I stared incredulously at Javier. “No way.”

“What do you mean no way? You smell like a horse.” Our eyes met and for whatever reason I got the impression that he was playing with me.

“You liar,” I said with a wide smile.

At this point, Javier could no longer maintain the scowl on his face and a small smile broke through. He chuckled and said, “I’ve never been good at tricking people.”

“Could have fooled me,” I said with a laugh and he laughed with me. His laughter seemed restrained though almost as though it was not proper for him to be doing such a thing.

A thought occurred to me and I started undressing.

“What are you doing?” Javier asked with shocked eyes.

“Taking a bath,” I said as another item of clothing came off.

“I was just kidding about that, you know.”

“I know,” I said then the last piece of clothing flew off, “but it might be refreshing.”

I stood there naked unsure if I was doing the right thing. Javier was simply staring at me. “I bet that pond would be really nice right about now. Why don’t you take a bath too?”

Javier looked about uncertainly. His back finally straightened and he held his head high. “It’s not something I do.”

“Suit yourself,” I said then promptly ran into the pond and splashed water everywhere. It was cold but definitely refreshing. “Come on in!” I yelled with a laugh.

Longing and sadness seemed to fill Javier’s eyes as he stared at the pond. His eyes conveyed everything. He was worried. This was not the kind of behavior he was brought up to have. So many important people would probably disapprove if they were to find out. This was just not something people like him did. And yet, it was sorely tempting.

Looking into his eyes, I felt like I was reading a book and that book was titled Javier.

“No one’s gonna see you here, Javier,” I said. “They’re not going to find out. Out here, you can be anybody.”

The last walls of hesitation seemed to crumble as Javier leapt to his feet and threw off every article of clothing within reach. In record time, he was naked and jumping towards me with an ecstatic look on his face. I only managed to move out of the way in time before his body dislocated several liters of water out of the pond. I came up spluttering.

“Geez, you could have given me more time to move,” I managed to croak out.

Javier actually had the nerve to laugh at my indignant face. “Wow! My dad would kill me if he found out about this.”

“Let’s make sure he doesn’t then,” I said as I shoved a wave of water at him with a little magical help.

“Oh, two can play at that game,” he laughed and threw an enormous wave of water at me.

“Hey, no fair!”

We spent a good amount of time throwing wave after wave of water at one another. Every now and then we changed the temperature and he or I would be shocked by suddenly hot or cold waves. Plenty of water overflowed out of the pond into the grass around but for whatever reason the water never seemed to run out.

Once we were both exhausted, we climbed out of the pond and fell into the nearest dry patch of grass under the sun which was a good distance away from the edge of the pond.

We looked at each other and laughed endlessly for no apparent reason and it almost seemed like we were just two friends enjoying a day out in the forest. We used some fire and heat spells to evaporate the water off our bodies and once we were sufficiently dry, we put on clean clothes that we each packed.

For a moment, Javier pulled out what looked like a thin coverall with his family’s crest which was obviously meant to go over his shirt. But then, he folded it again and placed it into his pack without wearing it. A small smile was plastered on his lips.

“I like this new you,” I said without thinking.

He laughed and asked, “in contrast to what?”

“I dunno… maybe the you yesterday?” I said with a knowing look.

“And how was I yesterday?” he asked with a more subdued smile.

“Let me see, stubborn, annoying, arrogant, haughty, I could go on all day…”

The smile slipped from his face and I was worried that I’d said too much. “I don’t want to be like that you know,” he said solemnly. “It’s just hard cause people expect me to be proud considering the family I came from.”

“You don’t have to be stuck-up to be proud.”

“Hey, you didn’t say stuck-up earlier,” as a small smile found its way in again.

“I told you. I can go on all day.” We broke into hysterical laughter after that and it took awhile before we could calm down enough to speak.

“God, I’m so glad I went on this trip,” he said. His eyes sparkled with sincerity. “I was almost born in May you know. And I saw the students who were going on the May trip. They’d never have done anything like this. They’d probably have discussed academics or whose family member did what.”

“What do you mean you were almost born in May?” I asked curiously.

Javier gave a hearty laugh. “Yeah, about that, my parents actually planned my conception so that my birth would land in June. They wanted me to have the same birthday or as close a birthday as my great grandfather who made our name famous. According to the healers I was expected on June 17 which made my parents really happy because that would mean I would have had the exact same birthday as my great grandfather. Imagine that, right?

“But for whatever reason I was eager to come out of the womb. My mom still hasn’t forgiven me for that. I was born just thirty seconds after midnight on June 1. She said I was being rebellious and wanting to become a May baby against their will.” He laughed probably at the absurdity of the thought. “She said a baby like me would definitely be a handful. I think that’s why they were always so strict about me being proper and obedient. They only mingled me with the right kind of children as they called them.”

I nodded now understanding a little more where Javier came from. Something about what he said bothered me.

“So what happens after this?” I asked softly.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I mean we were classmates for so many years and you haven’t spoken a word to me in all that time. For the most part, we’ve just ignored each other. Do we go back to ignoring each other after this trip?”

A shadow seemed to cloud over Javier’s eyes and he looked away. It took awhile before he responded.

“You’re not popular among the students, you know. You and Jacob.”

“Ouch.” Although I already knew that what he said was true, hearing it out loud seemed a little more painful.

“All our classmates are from wealthy and powerful mage families,” he said unnecessarily.

“Including you,” I added before I could stop myself.

Javier gave a sad smile. “Including me.”

“I didn’t mean anything by it,” I added softly.

“I know,” he said just as softly. “I do like you though. I can tell that you’re fun to be with and that I can be myself around you and I know you won’t judge me like everyone else would. Thing is though, I’m worried about what others will think if we become friends. I have to worry about it. What I do and who I mingle with reflects on my family and my family is important to me. I’m at the mercy of other people’s judgments.”

I nodded unable to say anything to that.

“I’m sorry, Adam” he said. I looked over at him and he did look sincerely sad.

“I know,” I said softly.

We spent a few minutes in quiet reverie punctuated by an occasional sniff. It all seemed to go so well earlier and now things seemed so sad. For some reason, I was actually enjoying Javier’s company. I figured if we only had today and tomorrow to be friends then I might as well make good use of it.

From my seated position, I suddenly stood up and lunged at Javier. He only had time to register shock on his face as my body slammed into his and he was forced onto the ground. He struggled almost angrily to get up but I sat on his stomach preventing him from escaping.

He looked up at my smiling face and his angry look changed to confusion. “What are you doing?” he half-yelled.

“If I can only be friends with you for today and tomorrow,” I said in a know-it-all voice, “then I’m going to have to make good use of then, wouldn’t I?”

His confused face settled to something closer to amusement. “Is that so?”

I gave a dramatic sigh. “I’m afraid so.”

“You do realize that I’m going to have to defend myself,” he said with a wide grin.

“You could try,” I smiled maliciously.

The next few minutes were spent scuffling in the grass with an array of very odd spells being thrown around. Javier was clearly the superior caster as he seemed to know and have control of spells outside of what was taught in school. At one point, my clothes seemed to have shrunk several sizes. At another, Javier’s shoulder length hair was standing on end like a porcupine. There was even a time when my lips were sealed shut and Javier laughed his head off at my feeble attempts at coherent conversation.

We were thoroughly enjoying ourselves when we heard Magister Aenhol clearing his throat behind us.

We looked towards the source of the interruption. Magister Aenhol had an amused smile on his face and Jacob looked thoroughly confused.

Javier and I tried to fix ourselves as quickly as possible, but with an assortment of spells still in place, we probably looked thoroughly rumpled still.

“Enjoying yourselves?” Magister Aenhol asked. Javier and I shared a conspiratorial smile before laughing out loud.

I went over to Jacob and, for whatever reason, I hugged him. It took me a moment to realize how awkward that was and immediately broke away from him.

“How’d it go?” I asked him.

He offered a small smile. “Nothing I didn’t expect,” he said. His eyes were troubled and almost seemed devoid of life.

“What happened?” I asked as a frown made its way across my face.

“As I’ve told the others while you were sleeping,” Magister Aenhol interrupted, “it would be wise to keep whatever you learn from the Seer to yourself. Your future is not something to be told to anyone, not even me.”

This surprised me as I have never heard of such a rule. “Why not, sir?”

“The knowledge she gives you is for you to understand. Letting others learn of it could have dire, unforeseen implications in your future and the future of others.” For the briefest moment, a flicker of regret flashed in my teacher’s eyes but just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone. “If you feel you must share what you learn with someone, then you must be prepared to face any consequences that may occur from your actions.” He paused and then quickly added before I could ask more questions. “Now, it’s your turn Adam. Why don’t you come with me while we leave the other two here?”

I nodded and said my goodbyes to Javier and Jacob. They looked somewhat uncomfortable being left with one another but I knew they’d be alright by the time I got back.

When we reached the cave entrance, Magister Aenhol stopped. “Now, the Seer will only see you. I will be in the caves with you but I am not allowed to follow you to her chambers. It is a rule of hers that these sessions are not to be overheard ever. You may ask her any question you desire but whether or not she answers you is entirely up to her. When she does answer you, the response may be exact or open to interpretation. How you understand it is entirely up to you. Do not make her angry. She is an ancient force of magic that has existed long before us and will probably continue to do so long after we are gone. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good.” We then proceeded into the cave. It narrowed into the mountain. There were no alternate paths. It just had one direct path that moved forward which was lit by phosphorescent rocks that glowed blue in the darkness. It gave an eerie feeling of being in another world as odd shadows were cast in different directions. After about thirty minutes of walking, we stopped again.

“This is as far as I can go, Adam. Just follow this path until you reach her chambers. You can’t possibly get lost.”

I nodded to him and continued my walk. It must have taken just as long to get to the point where I left Magister Aenhol before I saw a bright blue light in the end of the narrow cave. I headed towards it and gaped at the sight that stood before me.

The end of the cave opened up into a large room carved within the mountain. The ceiling hung high and the largest crystal formations I had ever seen were hanging downwards casting a bright light that illuminated the cavern. At the very middle of the room, the crystals from the ceiling stretched down far enough to touch crystals that sprouted from the ground. A very large crystal formation stood in the middle in a seemingly random pattern. All the crystals glowed with the same phosphorescent blue light that marked the tunnel leading here.

The sight was marvelously beautiful.

I walked towards the large crystal formation in the middle of the room where a very tall figure was silhouetted against the glow of the crystals. I could see her back which meant she was facing away from me towards the crystal formation in the middle. As I got closer, I noticed that the crystals seemed to reflect odd combinations of color within them. The closer I got, the clearer they became and I realized that there were moving images in them. They looked like snapshots of events presumably of things that have happened or maybe will happen.

As I got closer to the figure standing by the crystals, there seemed to be something oddly familiar about her. It wasn’t until I was only a few meters away that I realized that she wasn’t very tall at all. She simply had something on her head that stretched three feet into the air in that familiar red feather-like substance.

She turned towards me and I stared into that well-known face except it bore a smile so malicious I felt chills run up my spine.

“It’s you…”