Jaer cursed under his breath at the heat and humidity that was so unfamiliar to him. He never thought he would miss the bone deep chill of the north, but with the sweat dripping from his brow and other less comfortable parts of his body, he felt he’d trade the little remaining coin in his pouch for a few minutes in a cold wind off the mountains of his homeland.
Talya, her head occasionally peeking from the pocket he’d sewn in his tunic, seemed no more comfortable, whispering too quiet for others to hear, “I fail to understand why a great mage would settle a school in such an inhospitable place in the world. Did you see the size of that serpent hanging from a branch back there? It was thicker than your thigh!”
Jaer shushed his friend quietly, concerned as always that someone might overhear… though part of him always hoped someone would overhear. That has never worked out well either, he thought with a sigh.
He knew from Rolf - always straightforward and blunt in his dealings with anyone, including his family and Jaer, his foster son - that Talya had been found sleeping beside the infant Jaer in the woods where he’d been found. The little ferret rarely left his side as he grew.
I wonder - would the other kids in the village have just discovered another reason to make fun of me if it weren’t for Talya? It’s not as if another would be hard to find - my pointed ears. My clumsiness with weapons - even if I someday return home, they’ll still call me “Jaer Eight Toes.”
Jaer wiped the sweat from his face with a handkerchief and listened to the excited talk of the porters and other new students around him - they were getting close to the school and the end of the journey.
That journey had been long, mostly boring but also occasionally exciting. Jaer had to admit to himself that he was not heartbroken to leave his village - he loved his family, of course, and already missed his siblings - but he’d lived his life more in storybooks than with those around him. Being “smuggled” out of Riddleport and nearly captured by slavers near Cheliax was frightening but also made him feel like he was suddenly living in one of those stories.
Encouraged by Talya, he’d continued his studies on the boat and at night by campfires. Every time he opened a tome of magic, he felt something in his mind shift… Maybe “open” is a better word for it - I feel like there’s some Secret that I am so close to learning, like it’s on the tip of my tongue every time I begin to cast a spell.
The voices around him became more excited and he could see hands raised, pointing. He followed the direction to see the tops of buildings above the trees that were becoming more sparse.
The Magaambya! I think maybe I’ll learn the Secret here!
The caravan made their way to the school, Jaer still having trouble understanding the accents of the people around him as he was directed to a room where he could drop off his meager belongings and clean the sweat and grim from his body.
As Jaer finished dressing he quietly expressed his excitement with Talya, “Can you believe all of those people out there? Do you really think they can all use magic?”
Talya paused in her grooming to respond, “No, not all of them. Most though. I can’t wait to visit the library - it has been so hard to teach you with so few books available, but now… you are finally going to be… useful.”
Jaer’s brow creased in a familiar frown. “Useful for what? Useful to whom? C’mon, Tal, I’m almost 19 now - you said you’d tell me when I’m ready.”
Talya’s small black eyes seemed to evaluate Jaer. “Soon,” she replied. “Soon.”
A knock from the door interrupted Jaer’s response, a muffled, heavily accented voice to Jaer’s ear, saying, “You are summoned to meet with Teacher Ot - you do not want to be tardy for this meeting Student.”
