Forgotten Mage by D.W. Jackson Page A

town for another night when the Tower is only a short
distance away.”
    “Stop complaining,” Faye said looking
at Bren, her face holding a slight green tint. “All you have done
since we left the farm is complain. Can’t you just enjoy
life?”
    Bren sat down on the ground next to
Faye. “You might be right,” he said after a few moments. “It’s as
if I am always looking for the bad in everything, but you have to
admit drinking that ale was a very bad decision.”
    Faye laughed lightly then let out a
loud groan. “I can’t argue with that. I have never felt so bad in
my life.”
    Thad continued to walk through the
darkness. It had only been a few days since he had left Humanius
behind in hopes of finding some way to escape the prison of
darkness.
    The knowledge that his son and daughter
were now fully grown ate away at him. He had missed so much. As he
trudged along, Thad started to day dream about what his son might
be like.

CHAPTER VIII
    When the Mage’s Tower came into view,
it was clear what it was. It towered above everything else within
the city. At a distance, it was almost as if it could split the
clouds. The look on Faye’s face let Bren know that he wasn’t the
only one impressed with the sight.
    With the exception of the Tower, the
rest of the city looked much like any other. The houses were made
of brick and mortar from what Bren could tell, and not held
together with some odd form of magic.
    Bren didn’t know what he was expecting,
but a part of him felt disappointed. Faye’s eyes on the other hand
were still lit up like a child who had just received a new pony.
Bren decided to keep his complaints to himself as they moved
through the city streets toward the large tower standing in the
center of the town.
    When they were only a few streets away
from the Tower, the city and houses started to change dramatically.
The plain mortar and brick gave way to houses with large murals
with moving paintings or odd items in the yards that moved of their
own accord. There was even a house that had a talking gate that
greeted them as they passed by. Bren felt the excitement that had
been building in him for the past few days come back to life as he
found himself surrounded by every type of magical item
imaginable.
    “Look!” Faye said, pointing to a large
sign at the corner of the street that had flashing dots on it. “It
tells where you are and where everyone else is. If we had this back
on the farm, it wouldn’t have taken my parents anytime to find me
when I ran off to play as a kid,” Faye said laughing.
    Many of the items Bren had seen in his
own home, but many more were new to him. The two continued toward
the Tower, their eyes constantly searching for new objects of
wonder. As they finally approached the large double oak doors to
the Tower, Bren was in a state of awe. It had looked impressive
from a distance, but up close it made the palace seem like a
cottage. The building was massive and Bren could not believe that
it had been built in only four years.
    Inside, Bren and Faye found three women
sitting at desks. “I need to see whoever is in charge,” Bren said,
his voice coming out broken and weak.
    “If you wish to enter the school, then
you must apply during enrolment, which is in another five days. You
just missed the last one by a week. If you need a place to stay
while you wait for enrolment, there are many inns whose prices are
reasonable. If you can’t afford those, return and I will see what I
can do,” The lady said quickly and concisely in a rehearsed
manner.
    “You don’t understand, I need to see
whoever is in charge,” Bren said again more determined.
    “No, you don’t understand,” the lady
replied with an annoyed sigh. “Everyone who comes in here thinks
they need to see whoever is in charge, when in truth most of their
answers can be found by many other means. So, why don’t you tell me
what you really need and I will point you in the proper
direction.”
    “I am Bren