Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Mages of Asmadur ❯ Part 5 ( Chapter 5 )

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Mages of Asmadur

Part 5

It was hours before sunrise when master and apprentice left the castle the next morning, carrying the charms they had prepared as well as enough food to sustain them for several days. An inn in a small village about ten miles south of the Western Forest was as far as they could phase. From there Treize teleported them closer to the edge of the forest. By the time dawn finally broke the two mages had already covered several miles and replaced a couple of charms. A few hours later the sun was burning down on them, and Wufei was grateful when the master mage suggested moving deeper into the woods to find relief from the heat.

“Be mindful,” Treize urged his young apprentice as they passed the magic barrier, “and don't let your guard down for even a moment. You'll never know what we might come across.”

Wufei nodded in acknowledgement as he let his gaze wander. The trees around them were old and tall; their large crowns filtered out most of the sunlight, making it cool and comfortable even during the hottest hours of the day. The forest floor was covered with soft moss and thick brush. Birds were singing and chirping all around them, creating an atmosphere of tranquility. This place reminded him very much of the woods that surrounded his village, and for the first time in a long time the young mage felt a jolt of homesickness.

“Are you alright?” Treize wanted to know.

“I'm fine,” Wufei assured him. “I was just thinking of something.”

“Thinking?” the older man echoed.

“About the times when I used to accompany our summoner to the Shenlong temple, to bring offering to the dragon god. He was an old and wise man who had many stories to tell. I liked listening to him while we traveled.”

“Sorry, I'm not much of a story teller, I'm afraid,” his master laughed.

“That's not what I meant.” Wufei felt himself blush.

For a while they walked quietly, then Treize suddenly asked. “Wufei, do you believe you have what it takes to become the next summoner?”

“What?” The question caught the young mage off guard. His eyes narrowed. Is he questioning my abilities, again? “If you think that I'm not suited why did you select me to be your apprentice?”

“Why are you trying to avoid my question by answering it with another question?”

Wufei's frown turned into a scowl. “I'm not trying to avoid anything. If you look at my academy records I think you will find your answer. You will find that I'm more than qualified…”

“Then why do I sense such doubt in your heart?” the master mage asked calmly.

“What?” Wufei's eyes went wide. How does he know? How is it possible…? “I… I don't know what you are talking about.”

“You mean you have no doubts about becoming your clan's new summoner?”

“Of course not.”

“In that case, I apologize. Perhaps I was simply reading you wrong because I don't know you well enough yet.”

“Maybe.” The young mage confirmed quietly, unable to look his master in the eye. He was grateful that Treize didn't pursue the subject any further.

#####

“Master?!” Milliardo didn't really expect an answer when he knocked at the door to the study. He was pretty sure that the master had not returned yet, but he figured it was better to be safe than sorry. There was no reply; still he waited another moment, reaching out with his mind. Only when he was sure that he could not sense any life form from behind the heavy oak door, he opened it slowly and cautiously stepped over the threshold. He had never before set foot into the study, but he had always been wondering about what the master was doing in here, alone for hours and hours.

The blond mage looked around curiously. He walked over to one of the large bookshelf and ran his fingertips over the dusty spines of the thick, leather-bound books. Perhaps this room held the answers he was looking for; answers to who he really was and how he got here. Right now he wasn't even sure where `here' was, because he wasn't allowed to leave this place, and had seen nothing but the inside of the castle and parts of the inner courtyard since he had woken.

He wanted to know about his past, and the story behind a reoccurring nightmare he was having. It was a strange dream, almost like an out-of-body experience, in which he watched himself duel with another mage, a tall young man with reddish-blond hair. The nightmares had only started recently, but they became more vivid every night. The strangest thing however was that he, while he was watching the fight, felt more concern for the other mage then for his own well being.

Milliardo hadn't told the master about his dream yet. He wasn't sure if he wanted the old mage to know about it. But he couldn't help but wonder who that man in his dreams was and why were they fighting? Was that nightmare only a product of his imagination, a vision of something that was going to occur in the future, or perhaps a memory of something that already had happened in the past?

I wish I knew… The blond mage sighed as he pulled out one of the books. Since he isn't willing to tell me anything, I'll just have to find out for myself, I suppose.

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It was around noontime when the two mages reached a clearing near a small crystal-clear stream, and Treize decided that it was a good place to rest and eat.

Wufei set down his bag and started to unpack some of the food they had brought along. He wasn't sure if it was a noise that alerted him or the sense of another being nearby, but when he turned his head he saw a large, shaggy feline stare back at him from the underbrush.

“Master,” the young mage exclaimed, alarm in his voice.

“I know,” the older man replied calmly. “I have sensed her tracking us for a good while. But I'm surprised really, that she is showing herself. She is usually very weary of strangers.”

Wufei frowned. “You know the beast?”

“I sure do.” Treize nodded. “After all, I raised her,” he explained as though it was the most natural thing in the world. “I found her as a cub near her dead mother's body. She was too young to fend for herself, and I didn't have the heart to kill her.”

The youth watched with amazement as the cat gracefully approached the master mage, rubbing its head against the man's legs like one would expect a housecat to do.

Wufei had never seen a real life rhakhar before. He only knew them from pictures and from stories told by the village elders, back when he was a child. “May I touch her?” he asked quietly.

Treize nodded. “But don't approach her. Call her and let her come to you. Her name is Shila.”

“Understood.” The young mage extended his hand but didn't move as he called the feline's name. She turned her head and looked at him for a moment, then approached slowly. Amber eyes watched him guardedly, and Wufei froze, almost afraid to breathe when the cat pressed her wet nose against his hand.

“It's alright now, you can touch her now.” Treize told him.

When he reached out to pet the animal the youth was surprised how soft and velvet-like her fur was.

“I thought it was against the law to keep rhakhars and other wild beasts as pets.” Wufei looked at his master questioningly while he scratched the cat between her ears, eliciting a deep satisfied purr from the animal.

“That's true,” Treize confirmed. “However, I assure you, she is no pet. Don't be fooled by the way she is acting right now. She is very much the wild beast she was born to be. Cross her path on a bad day and she might rip you to pieces without hesitation.”

Wufei swallowed as he glanced warily at the cat who was still purring contentedly. “Still, I'm surprised the council allowed you to take her in.”

“Well,” Treize admitted with a nonchalant shrug. “They didn't exactly allow nor deny it. I think I might have just `forgotten' to tell them about it.”

Forgotten? The young apprentice snorted inwardly. So, he isn't above bending the rules in his favor if he sees it fit, he thought. That's interesting to know.

#####

After flipping through the pages of yet another spell book, Milliardo sighed as he set it back into its place on the shelf. As fascinating as these books and scrolls were, they didn't seem to hold any of the answers he was looking for. But there had to be some clue… somewhere….

The blond eyed the mahogany desk thoughtfully for a few moments before stepping closer. He tried opening the top drawer, surprised when he found that it was neither locked nor otherwise protected. His lips curved into a satisfied smile when his eyes fell upon a thick leather-bound journal. Bulls-eye! Why didn't I think of this earlier?

Milliardo reached out to pick it up. But the moment his fingertips touched the book sparks of magic energy hit him, sending a painful jolt through his body. He cursed and quickly pulled back his hand. Protection spell; I should have know.

The young mage wasn't foolish enough to try breaking the spell. If he had learned anything in those past few weeks, it was that the master was as short tempered and unforgiving as he was powerful. A cold shiver ran down his spine as Milliardo remembered the time when the old mage had found him outside in the garden, after specifically telling him not to leave the castle. The man's warning still rang in his ears. I have given your life, and I can just as easily take it away, Milliardo. Don't you even forget that!

As he moved away from the desk Milliardo's gaze fell upon a large wall carpet hanging between two heavy bookshelves, and it instantly struck him as an odd place to hang a tapestry. He stepped closer and lifted one corner of the carpet. Somehow it didn't really surprise him when he found a doorway hidden behind the heavy fabric. He hesitated before reaching for the door-knob, shaped in the form of a roaring lion's head. The door opened easily and without a noise. Beyond the entrance lay a long flight of stairs leading into darkness. Milliardo extended his right arm as he cast an illumination spell. Moments later, a small blue flame appeared in the palm of his hand.

The blond mage paused before setting foot onto the steps. He was well aware that if the master came home unexpectedly and found him in here he was going to be in a heap of trouble. After a short moment of hesitation, however, curiosity won over caution, and he slowly climbed down the old staircase, wondering what he might find at the bottom.

He had only taken a few steps when he suddenly sensed another life form. It was very faint but unmistakably. Milliardo stopped, and swallowed hard. There was definitely something down there in the darkness, and whatever it was, it was alive and breathing.

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T.B.C.

Author's Note:  Well, what a surprise my `Mages of Asmadur Muses' seem to have returned.
Oh btw, I recently also posted a short One Shot set in the “Loveless' fandom as well as the first chapter of a Kyou Kara Maou fanfiction story. If you have not already done though, please feel free to check them out.

Feedback is greatly appreciated, constructive criticism is welcome :-)