Chapter Twenty Four
Justin stood in stunned silence for a full thirty seconds, trying to get his thoughts to calm down. The only thing that pulled him out of it was the reality that he had to help Maggie and the mages design the paddock for the unicorns. He could do nothing but stand frozen in fear.
Walking to the table, he realized that he was the only one of the group who didn't already have an understanding of what the royal property looked like. It was a disadvantage that he couldn't maintain. "Art, sorry to interrupt, but being as I have technically never been here before, I have no references to know what the available land looks like. I can't be much help in the design department because of it."
Art straightened and rubbed his left shoulder. It was obvious to Justin that he was deep in thought and needed the time to come up with a reply. When his eyes met Justin's, they had a mischievous glint to them. "I have just the way for you to see the land that I believe should be used for the unicorn's new home."
Art called the other mages to gather around him, and he quietly explained his plan. It took everything in Justin not to demand they tell him as well. He could see the impatience on Maggie's face, too, but he felt that she was just eager to do anything in the cause of solving the problem.
Art pulled away from the other mages and nodded at each of them before looking at Justin. There are only 3 potential places on the palace grounds with enough wooded area, a small pond, and a field that would be appropriate for the unicorns. It would take several hours to physically go through all of the area, and you still might not get a good sense of what each place looked like from the ground, so we have decided to show you a bird 's-eye view of each of the areas.
Justin was already shaking his head and backing towards the door. Sweat had already begun to form at his neck and cover his palms. "No, that is alright. I trust your judgment. I will go with whatever you decide." Maggie reached out and took his hand, not even flinching when her hand met sweat. "What is wrong, Justin?" "Oh, this was mortifying!" he thought. How could he tell Maggie and the mages that he was deathly afraid of heights? As much as he desperately wanted to be a part of this part of the plan, he could not go up into the sky to see the potential homes for the unicorns.
Cora's deep voice cut into his mind just as he almost spiraled completely into oblivion. "Do not worry about having to find your way around the palace grounds, Master Justin. We will show you the areas from this very room using magic." Justin looked up and saw that Cora's features were soft, and a small smile formed on her lips. It was as though she had seen the fear he was too afraid to admit to and gave him a way out. It seemed that there was more to her than her looks and melodious voice.
Justin breathed a deep sigh of relief and was about to agree when the library doors opened, and a servant walked in carrying a large tray of tea. Justin stood to take the tray from her, but Maggie shook her head at him, and he kept his arms at his sides. It was hard to remember that the servants here were doing their job and would probably think it was odd if they were helped. They might even feel offended by it. He had a lot to learn, and he needed to learn it fast so as not to make the king suspicious about where he came from.
Justin could barely take the time to drink his tea. Once he understood that magic would be used to show him the palace grounds, he could hardly think of anything else. The mages seemed content with taking their time and talking through the day's events as though they were gossiping at the local grocery store. Only Maggie seemed as eager as him to witness what the mages could do. It gave him a thought.
"Is magic only allowed by people who train under the mages?" The mages were so lost in their own conversation that Justin had to repeat himself before they took notice of him. Philip set down his cup, which was still mostly full, and spoke. "Every human being in Aldervaile can do base magic, or so it is believed. But only people with extra, how would you call it, ability, can be trained to one day be a mage. For the most part, people in the villages may use simple spells that they learn in school to help with the daily chores, but nothing more than that."
"But, why not? If I had the ability to do any magic, I would want to learn and do as much as I could." Justin felt his question was a reasonable one, but all the mages did was look at him. "Is that not the case in Aldervaile?"
Art rubbed his chin and spoke. "There are many people who try to learn magic without the help of a teacher, and for many of them, well, for most of them, it doesn't go well. As Philip said, basic, safe magic is taught to everyone so they can help with chores and day-to-day tasks, but anything beyond that can be dangerous, even deadly. And with the state of magic in general in flux due to the issues with the magical creatures, most people don't want to risk it."
Justin swallowed hard and felt the sweat pull at the base of his neck. Who did he think he was? He wasn't even from here, and he wanted to learn real magic. Magic that could get him killed. Magic that had already gotten many people before him killed, and those people knew a base level of magic to begin with. This was not good. This was so not good.
As much as it pained him to ask, he had to know. "Do you think the magic will get me killed?" He cringed as he spoke the words. He sounded so young and scared, but, frankly, he was terrified and needed an answer. Philip once again spoke up before the silence had stretched on too long. "No. I do not believe that you would be hurt by the magic, at least, it wouldn't kill you."
Justin was relieved by the answer, but he still had to ask. "But how do you know for sure?" Philip looked thoughtful, as though carefully choosing your words. "As we said earlier, the spell we cast to bring you here brought the person that the magic believed could do the job. It speaks well of you, and I believe it saw potential in you not only to help us but also to use it. I can't be sure, but I believe the magic wants you to learn it."
Justin was surprised at how eloquently Philip spoke. "You speak as though the magic were alive." This statement came from Maggie, who had been sitting quietly through the whole exchange.
Philip looked at the princess for a full 10 seconds, sizing her up before he spoke. "We aren't sure that it isn't. It comes from living creatures, so, in a way, it, too, has a mind of its own. At least that is how I have always thought it to be." At his words ALL eyes were on him as what he said hit everyone full in the face.