Master of Fire - 7. Name Day

The Fitzgerald home was three levels of polished brown stone. The front wall was flush with the street. Marty and Chandler followed Master Fitzgerald up a narrow stair to a door on the second floor. The door opened to an anteroom, in which Master Fitzgerald pulled a bell rope.

The matron who responded to the bell was introduced as Master Fitzgerald’s daughter-in-law. She did not seem surprised that her father-in-law had brought guests, even two boys dressed in plain, rough-spun farm clothes. Marty and Chandler nodded their heads when introduced to Mistress Fitzgerald. Their faux pas at addressing her as “ma’am” was corrected, politely but firmly, and excused by Master Fitzgerald “They’re from far away, daughter.”

“Of course,” she said. “The men in my family have friends from many far places… customs differ; clothes differ, too. Please do not think it forward of my sons to offer you other clothes to wear tonight.”

Sensing that she might have embarrassed the boys, she added, “Tonight is a special gathering for my youngest son. He and my other sons and our friends will be wearing their best…Please do not think us as being overweening…but this is a special occasion.”

At that point, a loud clattering from the stairs heralded the arrival of a boy-child who jumped into Master Fitzgerald’s arms and began babbling, oblivious to all else. “Grandfather! The wind took the kite you made for me and the sea would have claimed it like it claimed Master Morant and his crew except that a powerful mage summoned a great wind that brought my kite back to…”

The little boy paused for breath and finally noticed Chandler and Marty standing beside his grandfather. “Oh…there he is!”

“What’s this?” Master Fitzgerald asked. “You didn’t tell me about this.”

“It didn’t seem important,” Chandler said. “The kite string broke. I reached for the kite with my mind and pulled it back so that Douglas could catch it. Kedron was there…he didn’t seem to make much of it…”

At this point, things became a bit confused. Kedron had followed Douglas down the stairs, and learned that the boys he’d met on the wharf would be staying in the home and would need clothes for the party. Rudy had barged in the still open door and greeted Kedron with a very serious kiss. Mistress Fitzgerald was shooing everyone in so that she could close the door. Kedron had taken Chandler’s hand and was urging him toward the stairs, and Marty was trying not to become separated from Chandler without, however, stepping on Rudy’s toes.

“Come on, here’s the boys’ room,” Kedron urged, leading Chandler and Marty up the stairs to the third level. “Mother says putting us on the roof is the only way to keep us from underfoot.”

The third level included a huge room full of chests, beds, toys, and games. A second room was the boys’ bath. A toilet was in a third room. Most of the third level was a huge courtyard, walled but open to the sky. The courtyard, too, was full of toys: balls, hoops, bats that resembled cricket bats more than baseball bats, and kites—though none as fine as the one Chandler had rescued for Douglas.

Kedron introduced two of his older brothers: Tyler and Greg. “Mother said to lend them some clothes…Father insists we be presentable for supper…Oh, don’t be embarrassed…I can tell you are…you should see what we wear on the boats…it’s not nearly as fancy as this…I’m just wearing this because of Douglas’ name day…” In short order, the trunks yielded soft leather boots, belts, and tights and tunics of silken material that Kedron insisted would fit.

“Come on…we’ve got to bathe. Supper will be soon, and it’s going to special. And then, there’s the party.”

At the family supper, the boys met Captain Fitzgerald, Master of the Reef Runner, one of the deep draft coastal sailing vessels they’d seen in the docks, and his daughter. After the meal, everyone went to the great room. Two servants brought trays of refreshments, while a third began to usher guests from the door. The guests all were adult couples, accompanied by one or more boy-children of Douglas’ apparent age. The women went to sit with Mistress Fitzgerald. The men paid their respects to her and the other women, and then congregated with the Captain. The children thronged Douglas, admiring his kite, which was suspended from the ceiling, and a collection of toys, all apparently new.

“It’s a birthday party!” Marty whispered to Chandler. “Name day…it’s a birthday party!”

“Well, duh,” Chandler said. He grinned at Marty’s abashed look. “Southern hemisphere,” Chandler whispered, and Marty returned his grin.

Captain Fitzgerald offered the boys ale, and seemed surprised when they declined, and asked for water. “We’ve found that ale here is stronger than the drink to which we are accustomed, Captain, and we’d not abuse your hospitality by losing control of our senses,” Chandler explained, wondering how to describe soda or ginger beer to someone in this world.

“Have you tried our barley water?” the Captain asked, pouring a foaming, dark amber liquid from a pitcher into a mug and offering it to Chandler. “It has only the small spirit.”

The boy tasted, cautiously. “Root beer! Marty, it’s root beer! Just like at home! This is great, Captain. Thank you.”

Douglas quickly shared—and embellished—the story of how Chandler had rescued the kite. A throng of children descended on Chandler, demanding that he summon the djinni who had rescued the kite. Chandler was rescued by Rudy.

“Such a djinni would like nothing more than to be summoned to this party…and feast on little boys!”

When the children’s squeals of mock fear died down, Rudy continued, “How would you like these, instead?” He pulled—apparently from behind a boy’s ear—a popper, a paper cylinder with strings at each of its pleated ends. Rudy handed the popper to the boy, who pulled the strings. The cylinder popped loudly, and showered the child with confetti that sparkled as it fell, but disappeared before it reached the floor. Rudy continued to pull poppers from unexpected places including, it appeared to Chandler and Marty, out of thin air. Each one was different. Some popped, some chimed, some whistled. Some released colored confetti, some a pastel smoke that formed elaborate designs before vanishing. One, which Rudy gave to Douglas, released a tiny yellow bird that flew chirping around Douglas’ head before disappearing.

“That’s all, for now,” Rudy said, “perhaps there will be something else, later this evening.” The gaggle of boys went back to the corner to play with Douglas’ toys.

“That was incredible, Rudy,” Marty said. “But I don’t understand. Master Fitzgerald made it sound as if Chandler and I had greater power than you, but we couldn’t do what you just did.”

“Oh, that was just sleight of hand,” Rudy said. “It’s part of learning the fine muscle control needed for casting spells. I’d show you, if you like.”

“Yes, please,” Marty said. “But the poppers, those must have been magical!”

“Yes,” Rudy said. “Master Fitzgerald made those. I helped, some.”

“Well, they were truly beautiful—and a lot of fun, too,” Marty said.

*****

“Marty, Kedron wants to share boy magic. I told him that I’d have to ask you,” Chandler began.

“Rudy wants to, too. What do you think?” Marty countered.

“Yes, I think we should.”

Rudy’s Journal

Yesterday, I met the oddest boys. The captain of the Swallow had come to the college to ask the weather. The masters were absent, and I asked him to come back later in the day. He said that he was sailing immediately, and became very angry with me. As soon as he stalked out, two ruffians came in. They looked like farm boys. They had on homespun wool pants and tunics, brown work boots, and straw hats. Straw hats! One was a tween. He carried a bundle wrapped in an old horse blanket. The other was a boy who would have been cute if his hair didn’t look like a mad beaver had cut it.

I foolishly threatened to turn them into cockroaches. The tween argued that I couldn’t because the energy released by the spell would blow up World. Well, I couldn’t have done the spell, anyway, but that told me they were magic users. At least, that’s what I thought!

It turned out that Master Fitzgerald was looking for them. He’d met them at the gate earlier. They came from another world! They don’t know where they are. They’re both powerful magic users, but haven’t any training. (I didn’t tell the tween that some of the things they’d done with magic might have blown up the world, too.) Master Fitzgerald explained that they needed training, and invited them to stay at his home tonight. At first I was disappointed, since I’d been invited to Douglas’ Name Day party, and hoped to have Kedron to myself afterwards. Once Marty got cleaned up, however, I was happy to change my plans.

Master Fitzgerald has tasked me to take care of Marty and Chandler. (I hope that means I can give Marty a decent haircut! He really is cute, and he shares boy magic better than anyone I’ve known before.) I’ve never had a roommate, and now, I’m going to have two! The rooms are huge; there’ll be space for us all. I could move them into an empty room…the dormitory has space for a hundred students, yet there are only five of us, now.