Chapter One - The Young Sorceress
Dear Caesar,
Summer is beginning here now and I'm afraid to tell you that everything is not alright. If you were still here, I know you'd know what to do. But frankly speaking, father doesn't. Troy broke the number one magic law - never use magic for a selfish reason. Apparently as said by the report, he killed his bodyguard and ran.
I never imagined he had anything like that in him. You remember him, Caesar, he was always so humble and polite. I have no idea what caused the change, but, I don't like it. I want to talk to him. I know there's something I'm missing.
And something father is missing too. I must absolutely convince him to go.
Well, I'll tell you how it all pans out tommorow.
Love Mercy.
Mercy May Lovett put her feathered pen away and folded her reading glasses onto the musky oak desk that had a tendency to creak. She would've loved to admire the new summer scenery, but, she was far too busy writing in her shabby old journal. It had been loud all day though, shouts and crashes coming from below. Mercy had adapted to ignoring it until a paticular shout from her usually calm father caught her attention. She was usually a very loud girl, herself, and such a sound wouldn't have affected her, but, after the news about Troy, she found herself skulking around the house thinking a lot more.
"This is impossible!" the voice of her father was stressed. "Don't tell me you can't find him! I admit, he has a lot of magical power, but, he just used up half of it. He's a sitting duck and you can't even find him? What's your problem, Julian!?"
Julian.
Mercy reckognized the name - he was a wet-behind-the-ears rookie who acted more like a puppy than a human. He was always using water magic although half of the time it went dreadfully. Everyone in Lamber had magic, but, the Lovett family were like heroes. The legacy of their bravery went into stories and tapestries... Julian was just a squire trying to fit in.
As she made her way down the stairs, she heard more clearly Julian's mumbled apology in reply and smiled slightly. He was always so humble which was so different from her that it fascinated her in a way. When she had reached the hall her feet touched the familiar luxurious red carpet and she noticed it had been dragged a little across the floor. When she looked up, her father's office offered a dim light as the door was only cracked open slightly. "What's wrong, father?" Mercy called.
His head craned her way and he sighed. He clearly wasn't too happy to see her, but, put on a mildly cheerful face anyway as she opened the fine oak door a little further and stood in the doorway. "Mercy." he nodded to her. "Good to see you. I was just talking to Julian here."
"Talking?" she inquired. "It sounded more like yelling to me, father. Please don't insult my intelligence. I know what this is about. Your magicians still can't locate Troy, right? I already know that he's broken the law and vanished."
A glimmer of surprise passed over his face for a split second, but, it was replaced with a frown and furrowed brows. "You're right, Mercy. But, I can't help it. I didn't want you to get involved. I poured my heart and soul into training him. Your brother had so much talent... he would've been the perfect successor. I don't know what could've changed him. I'm sorry to say it, Mercy, but, I never really trained you as hard as I could have."
Mercy shook her head. She had always fought for her father's attention - he was always so proud of Troy, so she always tried to outdo him in any way possible. "It's fine. But, now that I do know, father, I'm going to have to ask you again. Let me find him. I want to be the one to bring brother back for his trial. I want to prove myself. It's just like the old Lovett tapestries speak of. Bravery. Strength. Wisdom. Heart. The whole works." she flicked her hand.
The silence that followed seemed forced and awkward.
Julian adjusted his hood and pulled it over his head, but, Mercy and her father never stopped looking at each other, both just as stiff as the other.
Finally, her father straightened in his chair and gave a small sigh.
"You do realize how much danger this would put you in, right? You're just a rookie water magician with a knack for getting into trouble. Your brother is a lot more skilled than you and it may end up with you dead on the ground."
"So be it." Mercy smiled, her usual strong voice coming back to her again. "He's my brother. Our responsibillity. If he's going to use magic without permission, breaking our sacred law and cause trouble for our family, then he has to face the punishment. And I'm the only one who can do it right now, father. You are much too busy, mother is away on business and as we have found out... our magician squires can not find him. Our strongest magicians wouldn't stand a chance. That leaves me and I'm more than capable for it."
"Overconfidence can turn into arrogance. I believe that's something Sheena told you as well?" her father countered. Using her mother's lines was something not uncommon for him and it made her doubt herself for just a second. Her hesitance did not show.
Mercy shrugged. "All the same."
His face contorted as he strained apathy, standing up now. Impressively, he was both a frightening and handsome figure. Mercy always had thought he looked like the humand version of a proud lion. His smooth blonde hair was all pulled back into a rough ponytail showing off his dark brown headband and his thick furrowed brows. His blue eyes were like raging seas and he supported a full golden beard matching his fine hair.
"It is clear that I can't convince you." he stated. Mercy began cheering in her mind. "But, it's also true I never agreed to let you go alone." he glanced at Julian who blinked. "Julian will inform King that he will be going with you. As he is a wind magician, he can send me messages of your progress and that will mean if you get in danger, he will take you back."
His voice had been so strong and demanding - had she not lived with him all of her life, she would've have been frightened out of her skin. Instead, she gaped. "Father, I'm getting a bodyguard? Do you trust me so little?"
"It's not a matter of trust. Troy is dangerous - he's very powerful and we already know he killed his own bodyguard who was very skilled. There will be no disagreements, Mercy. You will go as you so desired, and you will take Wyatt with you. He is the strongest we have and Troy will know if we send someone too powerful. We'dl never be able to catch him because he'll be one step ahead of us 24:7."
She realized he wouldn't let up. Mercy looked down at her feet and then at Julian. He kept fidgeting with his hands, resembling a paranoid conman. She kind of pitited him, but, when she glanced back at her father, her mind snapped back to subject. She didn't really know Wyatt very well, but, even the idea of taking someone with her was not something she liked. She knew he was one of her father's old apprentices, but, still. She had always worked alone. All the same, Mercy hid her true emotions and straightened, giving him a look she hoped was as strong as his own.
"Fine. I accept." she said.
Her father nodded his approval and then glanced at Julian with a stiff nod. "Go and get Wyatt King this instant. Search the courtyard - no doubt he will be practising there."
Mercy found herself rooted to the spot, her eyes clashing with her father's. She felt as if her eyes were firing lightning bolts. However, her unaffected father merely sank into his armchair - it looked bigger than him and her father was a huge man. She hadn't realized the new person's arrival until he spoke.
"You called for me, sir?" the man said.
He totally ignored Mercy as he brushed by her and obviously felt a great deal of respect for her father - she then knew that this partnership wouldn't be easy. He didn't wear the usual apprentice garb, either. His face was covered by a black hood and his black cloak looked tattered. Her father sat up, his golden hair falling down like a veil. "Ah, good you came. I'm sure you already know about the Troy situation, correct?" the man nodded. "As expected. I need your help protecting my daughter Mercy who deseperately wants to catch him and get him in for trial. That is now your job, Wyatt."
For the first time, the man called Wyatt noticed Mercy. His expression was flat and his face was still obscured only this time by dirty blonde hair. "...So I'm a babysitter." he said in a tone as flat as his expression.
Mercy stomped her foot, now uncontrollable.
"A babysitter!? How dare you! Take that back at once! I'm a high-ranking water magician with the powers of the Kynd and I'm the daughter of the famous magician and ruler of this household, Jerry Lovett!"
Wyatt shrugged, but, her father looked furious again as he straightened and cleared his throat.
Mercy hung her head at that. She knew she wasn't supposed to mention the Kynd to anyone else, but, he had underestimated her so... and still was. Wyatt, however, didn't seem all too impressed by this secret as he raised his hand. At first, Mercy just thought he was trying to get her father's attention and he must've thought so too as he looked Wyatt's way, too, but, they were both very incorrect.
A sudden gust wind blew Mercy's cape back and in his raised hand, an airy-looking being became to surface with a red gem in her back. Mercy gaped - she knew what this was. But, how did some apprentice like Wyatt have the abillity to summon Kynd!?
Sastisfied, Wyatt drew his powers back into his palm and his mouth quirked into a smug smile. It was infuriating. "The powers of nature and the powers of magic are the same," he said as if she was a little child. "In the holy books, it is said to use nature, the Kynd, for our own gain is the worst crime of them all as you are then helping to kill all nature itself. The sky, the grass... even the weather and seasons. They're all Kynd spirits. Even someone as bullheaded as you should be able to understand that much." Now that he had said that, Mercy noticed the pendant around his neck was the very same symbol depicted in the holy books - a candle held by three crosses inside a thick-rim circle.
"Of course I knew that!" Mercy snapped, her father smiling in the background only made her temper flare that much more. "I'd like to think being the sole daughter of the Lovetts I know what Kynd are! I don't need you to quote the entire holy book." she rounded on her father. "Father, how can I work with this man? He shows me absolutely no respect, treats me as if my knowledge about magic is zero and acts utterly condescending?" she especially stressed the word 'utterly'.
Her father chuckled again now properly losing the anger he had before.
"My dear Mercy..." he began as if telling a story. "it is not always about what we want or who we want to be with. Wyatt is a talented wind magician and one of my only successful apprentices. It is because I trust him that I have chosen him. Now, you always ask for my respect, Mercy... so do me the same favour and honour my decision." there was a twinkle in his eye at this point. "Silently." he added.
To say she was outraged was much like saying an ocean was as big as a puddle. Mercy glared at Wyatt and then at her father, both looking very composed. Perhaps that was why she was so angry in the first place. "Fine." she said again. "Fine, I understand, father. I will, of course, accept this man..." her now polite tone stumbled at the words 'this man' as she jabbed a finger at Wyatt. "as my own bodyguard and I will try to respect him and you have done before." she bowed and the proud smile she got from her father was all she needed.
Her father stood up, towering tall even over Wyatt who was quite tall himself. As always, he cut a wonderful, majestic figure. "I'm proud of you, Mercy, my dear. Now that everything is decided, I think it's time you went to see your mother. I, personally, have things to discuss such as rules and guidelines for Wyatt here." he nodded, as if to prompt her and it worked.
Without another word, Mercy flung herself out of the room and up the stairs faster than a lynx onto a prey. She didn't think she'd be this excited to see her mother, but, she was, bumping into pretty much every maid and waiter in the passageway. Her mother had just been reading when Mercy bursted in through the fine white door and stood there, breathing heavily. She looked up, only mildly curious as she set down the thick book in her hands and stood up, slowly and gracefully, much like an angel might have.
"You're always in such a rush, Mercy." her mother said, her tone was mildly amused. She always spoke in such a deep and musical way so much so that is was beautiful even when all she was doing was speaking.
Mercy straightened herself and slowed her breathing before her reply. "I'm going to be going away, mother." she couldn't afford to be tactful now. Not when this may be the last time she could talk to her mother. "I'm going to find Troy and find out why he's done what he's done. Then, I'll bring him here for trial as we've always done with lawbreakers."
Strangely enough, Mercy's mother didn't look surprised in the least. She disappeared behind a fancy white dresser, her fair curled hair trailing behind her and came out with a small, neat hard-back blue book in her white gloved hands. "I already knew you were going to be leaving, my darling." she said whilst taking out a long, thing object from her personal jewelled case. "I knew the second Troy broke that law that you'd be the one to go after him. You're so stubborn, you're just like you're father, you know." she smiled lightly.
For some reason, Mercy didn't speak. She felt both guilty and happy and didn't know what to make of it as her stomach seemed to twist itself apart. But her mother continued on, as peaceful, graceful and elegant as a Queen. "That is why I already prepared these." she said in a sweet quiet voice handing Mercy both the book and the thing object she now reckognized as a staff. But as she took it, she realized it wasn't just any staff.
It was copper all over with a dragonfly-shaped top which was peppered with tiny sapphire gems making it seem to shine. As she held it, Mercy somehow felt powerful, gripping the handle as if it were her last resort. "The Dragonfly..." she whispered more to herself than anything.
Her mother smiled and nodded.
"That's right, my sweet. The staff that has been passed down to each daughter of the Lovett family since we started. The Dragonfly. I feel it only fitting that it is your turn to wield it now as you have now displayed the courage and heart I feel are needed to use it properly.""And what of this book, mother?" Mercy asked, her eyes meeting her mother's. "It appears... empty. Is it a spellbook of some sorts?"
She laughed merrily, her hand covering her mouth as she shook her head. "No, no, no, of course not. Sometimes weapons and spells don't cover a journey. This book is for your personal usage, Mercy. I know how you love writing so, Mercy, ever since Caesar gave you his own journal. You work your problems out best when you write them out. So in a way, my dear... that book is more powerful than the staff you hold so tightly."
Mercy blinked. Her mother had known so much about her with Mercy even realizing it. She even knew about her hero-worship of her older brother Caesar before he met his unfortunate end. It made her think whether she had actually paid as much attention to her dear mother rather than
her father. "I don't know what to say..." said Mercy.
"Then say nothing at all. You being speechless is as rare as it gets. I think that alone shows your feelings more than any words could." she put her hand on Mercy's shoulder and though her hand was cold, Mercy felt all the confidence in the world rush to her. "Now, go. You would hate to keep your father waiting. He is so very impatient."
Mercy nodded and thanked her in a quiet voice before leaving for downstairs. She walked much more carefully now and those in her way certainly looked grateful for it. Before she had even touched the floor from the stairs, her father boomed:
"Mercy, we don't have all day! Hurry up now!"
As she a raised eyebrow and a grin, Mercy realized her mother was more right than she had first anticipated as she now made her way outside where her father and Wyatt were standing. She had been outside before, but, only as a luxury. The afternoon air was still as crisp as morning and the sky was painted a mellow baby-blue like a pool. The grass was, as always, short and pruned much like the extravagant rose bushes that lined their house. They had roses of every colour making it look like a floral rainbow protected their home.
To Mercy's own amazement, there didn't appear to be any horses outside.
No wagon, no carriage... just the two men and a couple of large brown packs, one for her and one for Wyatt, she presumed. "Aren't we taking a horse?" Mercy asked as she followed the two men on the smooth stone paving.
Her father was about to reply, but, Wyatt got there first, his attitude just as sarcastic as it had been outside. "Don't you think your brother would get more suspicious if we came by horse? Wagons and carriages are simply out of the question. Don't forget, we are magicians. Where we're going magic isn't normal and if anything, it's frowned upon. The last thing we want to do is make a scene and believe or not, but, horses make a scene." he paused only to look at the now retreating sun, shielding his eyes with one black-gloved hand. "We need to hurry up and hit the road before dawn... get your pack and let's move. We've already wasted enough time."
Mercy felt her anger build up again, but, as she looked at her father's slightly remorseful face, she didn't say a word. There was only enough time for a hug before she seized her own pack and began to walk away from her home and down a road she had never even been on before. Mercy looked back and saw her mother from the window, smiling. It would be a new experience and a hard journey, but, Mercy was determined to see it to the end.
She would find Troy and finally let her parents live in peace.
And that was final.
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