This piece introduces a new character that I am (half) in love with already!
Also! Don't forget to read "A Kiss of Magick" and tell me what gender you believe the apprentice to be!
Prompt: (33) A Normal Day
Perspective: First Person
Genres: Fantasy, Drama
Length: 1070 words
Warnings:
-Explosions
-Blind Man Walking
-Dragons Talking
-Unicorns
-Petty Squabbles
-Smoke Inhalation
“That’s what you get for asking me for a dragon scale!” he growled.
I gazed toward the source, noting the bronze aura glowed larger than normal. That meant he was mad enough he had taken his dragon form. The more I knew about the situation, the more I was certain that explosion hadn’t been a simple magickal mishap.
“You have thousands, Fai,” Algernon reasoned, pausing a moment to cough before continuing. “If you removed one, it would grow back!”
“…You know that feeling when you manage to tear off an entire nail? That’s what it feels like if I simply rip off one of my scales, Algernon.” His voice was deeper still and smoke was filling the cauldron room.
I leaned against the door frame. “Children, you can continue this argument outside where I’m not choking on the smoke.”
“Can’t. The unicorns are in the garden again.” Algernon’s voice was much calmer than it should have been, considering that h absolutely hated it when there were unicorns in his garden. They always ate his favorite flowers and destroyed the rest of the flowerbed. Apparently, they had not always had this sort of attitude toward him, but that just went to demonstrate their preference for virgins. Once you lost that status, they pretty much hated you –and I had the horn-scars to prove it.
“A twenty-foot tall dragon should do wonders for driving them away. Now outside, both of you.”
How these two had ever managed to teach me anything about magick –not to mention, everything I know about magick– I would never know. They could hardly go five minutes together without fighting over something completely stupid and pointless, and then I would end up back in the library with the one spell that I had learned the easiest and hundreds of books. Come to think of it, I think that was how probably I learned most of the things I’d needed to know, anyway.
Luckily, after all their time with me, Fai and Algernon had learned a few things, too. The most important of which was probably not to argue with me in moments like these. So they both quieted quickly. After Fai shifted back to human form, they silently filed out of the cauldron room and out of the house.
With a sigh, I walked to the window and opened it. I would have to go through this entire house and open every single window if I wanted all of the smoke out anytime soon. So much the pity, since it had been a fairly rainy week and a bit of chill hung in the air. I didn’t really see the need to bother with many of the windows downstairs, since the smoke would probably rise to the second story, anyway. Heading upstairs, I opened the windows in my rooms first, then the windows in Algernon’s rooms. There were a variety of rooms upstairs –guest suites, sitting rooms, a study or two– and Algernon was inordinately fond of windows. It was not a hyperbole to say that there were at least twenty-seven windows upstairs, and I opened all of them.
As I began to stumble down the stairs, I realized the asset that the smoke had been to my vision. Since I only saw magick, billowing plumes of smoke from a magickal explosion that filled the rooms and caressed each wall made it easier to see the non-magickal voids, which were important things like walls and stairs and doors and railings. Now, as the smoke dissipated, my vision deteriorated.
Huffing a breath, I sat down on the stair and waited for my vision to readjust to the normal semi-permeable darkness. I had been seated there for only a few moments when the door creaked open.
“Ellery?” Algernon called. “Are you alright?”
“Of course he’s not alright, you idiot,” argued Fai. “You left a blind man alone in a house full of noxious smoke!”
“Excuse me? You didn’t exactly stay behind, dragon,” Algernon growled back.
Standing back up and praying my eyes had adjusted well enough to the change, I started back down the stairs, only to stumble three steps in. Siding down the rest of the stairs on my butt hurt. Cursing, I managed to get back on my feet and stumble out of the house.
A brief glance at the shimmering auras told me that Fai was back in full dragon form and standing in the front yard. Algernon was standing on the cobblestones and yelling at Fai. “Go roast a unicorn!”
“Virgins taste better.”
“Well you won’t find any here,” Algernon retorted smugly.
“Enough!” I roared. “I am sore, I have a headache, and I’m the only one who bothered to even attempt cleaning up your mess.”
Fai began to protest. “I…”
“Don’t you dare pretend you’re innocent,” I growled out. “I know your fire when I see it and you started the explosion. And Algernon, you better not try it either. You aren’t doing much better.” Wobbling on my feet, I reached out for the column to steady myself.
“Dear Gods, Ellery!” Algernon exclaimed, rushing to my side. “What have you done to yourself, you foolish boy?”
“Damn!” the dragon exhaled, a plume of bronzy smoke floating upward as he shifted forms once more. “Can you lift him, Algernon?”
He snorted. “Can I lift a brick wall?”
“Good point. Get the door.”
“Not back into the house. The smoke isn’t all gone yet!” I protested.
Delicate fingers stroked my brow while stronger arms carefully lifted me up. “Calm, now, Ellery. I can clear out the smoke easily enough.”
As the door creaked open and pale blue magick danced out through Algernon’s hands, I comforted myself with the thought that at least they were working together again.
Just another day, I thought to myself, thanking the gods that Fai only dropped in on occasion anymore. I couldn’t handle this as normality again.
Ever yours,
~Lulu~