On Being a New Wizard in Arcadia--X

    "I didn't even notice," Christian said very softly. "Did anyone see it?" He glanced around the fourth floor.

    "No, and if they did they probably thought it was just a cell phone." Emmerich still looked more amused than anything. "Well, that does explain some of how you were able to walk the ways. You have a natural affinity for this. We'd better find someone who can teach you wards, for your own safety. Who taught you about the thinner places?"

    "I picked up some information from winnowing through folklore, and and I met someone who helped clarify more of it. I'd prefer not to say who, but they may be able to teach me some wards." Christian didn't want to drag Sean into all this if could avoid it. Given how Emmerich kept eyeing him like he was some exceedingly interesting lab specimen, he could only imagine what he'd make of a fifteen-hundred-year-old man. "Can you help me with anything to stop all of the background noise?"

    "Not likely," Emmerich said. "I can't aura-read, which is part of the reason why Samir works with me. I don't know the correct ward to damper it."

    "I don't bother to turn mine off," Samir told him. "It's not like yours, where it's a new talent. My people all can do it, from the minute we're born. It's just another sensory experience for us, and I'd feel blind or deaf if I didn't have it anymore."

    "Your people?" Christian asked. He was getting the distinct feeling that Samir was something other than human, even among magic-users. "I'm getting tired of talking in riddles with you two."

    "Fair enough," Samir said, eyes flicking around Christian, as if he had seen something new in the nimbus he assumed he must have. "I'm djinn. Now, I don't know how much you've read up on my kind...." He trailed off, waiting for Christian to answer.

    "Enough to know that you aren't human, that you are very powerful, that your human forms are frequently quite stunning, and that you aren't all malicious in nature, but will almost always look out for your own self-interests first and foremost. Close enough?"

    "Close enough for the time being. You're underselling yourself again, I see. I think you had the makings to have been a serious demonologist before all this. A natural affinity for the spiritual world, obviously. Anyway, as a being of purer magical energy, I can't turn it off and on without risking permanent harm to myself. Suleiman the Wise didn't try to seal our powers permanently, knowing that we could be useful in defense of this world if we could be persuaded to see the merits of humanity. It's been a tense relationship, and we mostly keep to ourselves. The continuing conflicts between humans have driven a lot of us out of our homelands, for our own safety. My family has known Emmerich's family since the days of Suleiman, and we were more than happy to uproot ourselves and settle in this country. We have a solid symbiotic relationship. They help keep us safe in this foreign land, and we help supplement their defense of the thin places. Most mages are deficient in a handful of areas, because only wizards have superior magical abilities. That, of course, would be you." Samir waited to see the weight of his words sink in, and for Christian to pale. "There is a difference, you see, between a mage and a wizard. Mages are mortal magic users. While they can extend their lives to an unnatural span, they will eventually grow old and die. Wizards, however, have learned and mastered the esoteric knowledge needed to break the boundaries of mortal existence and become something more. It generally takes decades of careful study, years of thorough preparation, and the sheer will to overcome the mental and physical toll that it exacts. Most mages never even consider that path, as it most frequently ends in death both for the body and the soul. For you to achieve this by accident or mischance is an astonishing accomplishment. You've put yourself at incredible risk, though. You may find yourself in the midst of a battleground. There are those who would use your skills to undo reality." Samir sat back, handsome face serious. "You must learn to defend, and quickly."

    "This friend of yours who could teach you wards, are they trust-worthy?" Emmerich demanded. "I don't know of any other mages in Arcadia, but wards don't require much in the way of ability, just a meticulous eye for detail."

    "Oh, they are quite trust-worthy," Christian replied. "And I think the fact that they have flown under your radar exemplifies their eye for detail."

    "True enough," Emmerich said. "They must have wards on top of wards, since I can't even pin them down. If you feel that they are worth your trust, then I'll defer to you in this matter. You have to get them to teach you wards quickly. We can't have darker forces tracking you down before you're prepared."

    "What do you know about the Veiled Lady?" Christian asked. Emmerich gave a small shake of his head.

    "We don't speak of her. Half of the mage community doesn't believe in her or the rest of her court. Those who do...well, they don't speak of her out of fear of drawing her attention. She's extremely dangerous."

    "Ah. She was there, when I was...undergoing  my ordeal." Christian didn't like the look on either of their faces. "Have I crossed some unspoken boundary?"

    "Of sorts," Samir said at last. "She is dangerous, as Emmerich says. Exactly what she is, we don't know. She and her kind are the things that nightmares are made of."

    "She was very gracious to me. I'll keep it to myself in the future, especially if you guys don't know anything."

    "Dad doesn't think she's real. I think I'll not let him know what you know for the time being. He might be less willing to let me train you." Emmerich sighed. "If you have met her and she showed favor, then you may be more dangerous than we appreciate."