Rat Among Wizards

A Rat Among Wizards

Chapter 1

A young woman sat upon a bench while looking to the sky. A castle floated around with four waterfalls mysteriously from each of it's four sides. The woman herself had short, wavy hair and slightly squinted eyes, both were of a deep hazel hue. She wore loose, fitting cloth breeches and sleeveless tunic both without dye, leaving their natural earthly colors.

"Hey Toka."

A boy ran up. He was shorter than her, at least a full heads worth. He wore his own golden hair long in a ponytail. His jade eyes widened at her sight. His nose was slightly bent to the side, a sight which always made Toka sigh. He wore an embroidered robed dyed green with silver designs of plants, animals, and staves or wands forming some intricate pattern across and between the shoulders. He was jumping up excitedly while seeing the young woman.

"Toka, glad to see it's you." He smiled brightly, grabbing her hand. "I've been sent to a school here in Aldrynn for education. Hey, how often are you here huh? Whens the next time we ca-"

Toka put a hand over the boys mouth.

"Glad to see someone learned to be ten years old. At least you aren't too scared to talk to people." Toka let out a chuckle and looked down. She's always heard that the boy was only happy around her. Otherwise he would go back to being the scared, paranoid boy he always was. Well, that's what she heard anyway.

She put a hand on his head with a saying "So Gaius, what's a little rat like you doing in Aldrynn? You can't just be trying to dress pretty for a girl." Toka laughed.

Gaius wiped his hands on the robe. Dust flew off of it. He looked back up at Toka.

"I'm here to go to an Aldynni school. Isn't it cool? I'm learning magic!"

Toka sniggered at what he said.

"Aldrynni learn more than magic. I've known quite a few who choose to not learn magic. In fact I've known some who were simply engineers, historians, or even boring old merchants."

Gaius nodded. He looked around to see what else was around. There were people of all colors in hair, eyes, and skin. Many were wearing robes of cloth mostly wearing the colors brown and green. A great many other shades could be seen from gray, blue, and even red but purple and violet were strangely absent.

Surrounding trees had mostly green leaves that were starting to turn red. Around Toka and Gaius trees could be seen from all angles. Their rustling came to the young boy's ears while he found his movement slowing. He even went so far as to take a long whiff of the air.

Markets were starting to open up. Men and women started filling little stalls full of vegetables, grains, and fruits. All the while speaking a strange language, different from what he's heard before. Particular emphasis seemed to be given to the amount of syllables used and vowels.

Gaius turned his ears to the crowds. He could clearly hear what people were saying even if he couldn't understand everything they were saying. Even looking at how the other citizens acted when seeing him they merely continued their business, not even a scowl came his way. It did nothing to keep him from raising a left arm to shield his face.

Toka grabbed his arm and lowerd it.

"You're just a kid here, not a Willok to be hated and feared. Besides you're having a conversation with an Ikvar nomad five winters your senior."

Suddenly a voice called out.

"Hey Gaius, you're going to be to your first day of school."

With that Gaius turned red in embarrassment. He waved to Toka and ran off. Toka chuckled and rested her head in both hands, watching him run. She sighed as he ran to a stern looking adult in foreign clothes and a turban. He had a long nose along with a thin mustache and goatee. It always surprised her how Gaius could have come under the guardianship of someone who looked so different from himself.

Once again she looked to the flying castle with a square shape and four waterfalls. How these people manage to use and sustain such magic always amazed her. She eventually stood and stretched her arms forward and back.

"This may be good for him. He needs to be a child for once."