Wizard Tournament: Chapter 39 (Patreon)

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          Istven caught Dred’Slynt with one hand. He flashed Draevin a satisfied smile. Caelnaste desperately reached for it but Istven merely dropped it to the ground at his feet and the bow plunged into his shadow like it was a pool of water.

          Draevin was familiar with the spell. Shadow Pocket. Only Istven or another equally skilled umbramancer would be able to retrieve the bow from within Istven’s shadow now.

          Istven really was the perfect person to give it to.

          “Uh uh uh,” Istven tsked, wagging a finger in Caelnaste’s face. “There’ll be none of that, now. I’ve been entrusted with the safe-keeping of this powerful artifact.”

          “Dred’Slynt belongs to the Queen!” Caelnaste spat. “If you don’t give it back you’ll have to answer to her!”

          As the bickering between the two eldrin escalated Draevin stepped back and let them have at it. Sylnya even ordered her shadow stalker out from between them.

          “Yes, be sure to go run and tell her how you lost one of the prize jewels from Eldesia’s royal armory.” Istven shooed her off with his hands. “Run along.”

          Draevin waved to Peter and Tenna then cocked his head in the direction of the window. Tenna seemed to get what he was saying and nodded her assent as he used some cryomancy to form a new set of stairs that would let them leave their booth out the window instead of interrupting the two eldrin bickering in the doorway. When Peter saw the stairs he smiled and gave a thumbs up.

          “What do you want for it, Istven?” Caelnaste was asking as Tenna and Peter made their escape.

          Draevin tapped Sylnya on the shoulder to get her attention. She looked over and he gestured to the stairs he’d made. “We’re leaving,” he whispered, “you coming?”

          “You know what I want and I know you can get it for me,” Istven said to Caelnaste.

          “I think I’ll stay. I’ll catch up with you later, Drae,” Sylnya whispered back. “I wanted to thank Istven for what he did. And there were a few things I wanted to say to Caelnaste.”

          “Well don’t do anything stupid,” Draevin whispered back. “I’m going to see if I can hire a Guild cerebromancer to check me out. Want to meet at the guildhall later?”

          Sylnya nodded and turned her attention back towards the two eldrin. Kot slinked up to her side and rubbed himself against one of her legs and she gave him a distracted pat on the head.

          “You’re mad if you think I’m going to give that to you! Even if it was possible the queen would never allow it!” Caelnaste was shouting in the background.

          The last bit of the argument Draevin overheard as he climbed out the window was Istven shouting, “We shall see just how possible it is when the queen’s precious bow is on the line!” Istven clearly had his own agenda and it was all the better if it kept that bow out of anyone else’s hands.

          Draevin hopped down his staircase and caught up with Peter and Tenna. When Peter saw him catch up he asked, “Hey Draevin, do you know what Istven and Caelnaste were arguing about back there?”

          Draevin just shrugged. “Eldrin stuff. Beats me. I’m happy to let the two of them tear each other apart. As long as they stay focused on each other and leave me out of it.”

          Tenna laughed. “Ha! I wonder how long it’ll take them to even realize we left.”

          With the matches for the first round done for the day, the trio had the rest of the evening free. When they got to the exit to the arena they came to a stop as their various paths started to diverge. “I’ve got to go use The Pot,” Peter explained, pointing off in that direction.

          Draevin groaned. “The line’s going to be long today. I think I’ll just have an extra-large dinner tonight.”

          “Me too,” Tenna said cheerfully, “mind if I join you?”

          After saying his goodbye to Peter, Draevin turned his attention back to Tenna. “Might as well,” he told her, “weren’t you still going to show me that trick with the invisible ice?”

          “Of course! You can get me dinner as payment.”

          Draevin steered them to the path around the backside of the arena. “Might as well eat at the guildhall then,” he told her. “I need to see their cerebromancer anyway.”

          “You really think Tomrha got into your head?” Tenna asked as they took off in that direction.

          “It’s certainly starting to look that way. I’m probably only starting to notice because he died. Thank Peter for that.”

          “Peter?” Tenna asked curiously. “But wasn’t it Grrbraa that killed Tomrha in the first round?”

          Draevin frowned to himself as he considered how much information to trust Tenna with. He settled with, “Let’s just say Caelnaste would have seen that coming if not for Peter.”

          They walked for a minute before Tenna pulled out a clump of ice. It looked like a tuft of Frost Armor fibers. “So, I think I figured out your trick,” Tenna announced cheerfully.

          Draevin took a moment to catch up. He remembered giving her a tuft of Frost Armor fibers to look at. He had completely forgotten about that. “Then tell me, how is it done?” he asked her.

          “The spell is intentionally overcharged to the point of being unstable. The slightest nudge and all that cryomancy magic jumps into whoever disturbed it and gives them a bad case of cryomancy feedback,” Tenna said. She actually sounded confident for once. It was good to hear out of her for a change, especially since she had gotten it right. She really was a natural when it came to cryomancy.

          “That’s it exactly,” Draevin told her. “Good job.”

          Tenna flashed a smile at the praise. “It must be hard to maintain it like that.”

          “Not at all,” Draevin said. “You get used to it. Now you going to tell me how that trick of yours works?”

          “Maybe after dinner.” She gave him a wink. “You’ve got to earn it first.”

          Draevin chuckled. “Yes, well I did promise to pay.”

          The two of them reached the entry to the guildhall. It was a small, unimposing building on the backside of the arena. If not for the two purple-robed guards out front it would be easy to mistaken it for a supply shed. It was much bigger, and grander, on the inside.

          The guards waved the two of them inside without any resistance. The small doorway opened up into a massive opulent waiting area of green and gold. All the wood on the inside was made of living treen lumber: a conspicuous display of wealth. At the front desk a well-dressed gnome in a button-down suit greeted them. “Sir, ma’am,” the small man said, nodding his head to each of them in turn, “what can I do for you today?”

          Draevin signed in at the ledger and handed the quill off to Tenna to do the same. “I need to see a cerebromancer,” he explained. “I have reason to believe my mind may have been tampered with.”

          “Very well sir, I’ll send for one right away. Do you care to have a seat while you wait?”

          “Actually,” Tenna spoke up, “I needed to turn this in for the night and then I was hoping we could have dinner while we waited for Draevin’s cerebromancer.” She removed the necklace from which her purple bird-shaped gemstone rested.

          The gnome studied the necklace. “Ah, yes. Tambril’s Thieving Magpie.” He jotted some notes down in a book. “Loaned on behalf of Caldenia… that makes you Tenna, yes?”

          Tenna bobbed her head. “That’s me.”

          “We’ll hold this for you until the morning.” He finished his notes and looked up. “And the two of you wanted a seat in the dining hall?” he asked. He raised an eyebrow in Draevin’s direction.

          “What? Yes. Might as well eat while we wait, right?”

          “Of course,” the gnome agreed. The small man dropped from his chair and disappeared behind the counter. He emerged a moment later out the side of the desk with two menus in his hand. “Right this way and I’ll find you a table for two.”

          Though the Guild dining hall was available to members like Draevin and Tenna, this year Draevin had been avoiding it. He knew representatives from the various nations and companies would harass him with sponsorship offers if they saw him there: especially now that he’d made it to the second round.

          The trio stepped around the corner into the dining hall. In the impossibly tall voluminous ceilings a dozen chandeliers sparkled and the soft murmur of polite conversation washed over them. Aside from a few other contestants sitting with their clients Draevin and Tenna looked underdressed. Thankfully Trundle was there looking rough as ever with his blackened chimera-hide outfit to lower the bar. Their gnome host led them to an empty table set with polished silverware on a white silk tablecloth.

          When they passed by Trundle’s table Draevin tapped the gnome on the shoulder. “I wasn’t in my right mind when you came to visit me last night,” he explained, “but thanks for the intel.”

          When Trundle looked up Draevin was pleased to notice the gnome was now wearing a Screecher on a stud in his left ear. A simple trinket that offered roughly the same kind of protection against cerebromancy as the enchantments in Draevin’s own hair. The pink gemstone wasn’t glowing at the moment. “Oh right,” Trundle said. “Chaska’Nal wouldn’t mind another taste of your blood if you find yourself in need of any further services.”

          Draevin blanched. “That’s not likely.”

          Trundle chuckled. “Suit yourself.” He pointed to his new earring. “Keep your mind safe, ya hear?”

          Their gnome guide gave a polite cough. “Sir?”

          Draevin looked over to see Tenna waiting for him. “Oh sorry! I’ll catch you later, Trundle.”

          He followed the waiter a few tables down where they were seated on the perimeter of the dining hall. “Will this be acceptable?” he asked.

          “Of course,” Tenna said. She took her seat and gave Draevin a giddy smile. Draevin followed her lead and the waiter left them to look over their menus. “This is so nice,” Tenna continued. “Caldenia never schmoozes us like this.”

          Draevin snorted and barely glanced at the menu before setting it aside. “Yeah, I know how it is. They act like they’re honoring you by allowing you to be sponsored by them.”

          Tenna slouched down a little in her seat and pushed her menu over her mouth so just her nose was showing. “It’s not an honor?” she asked in a small voice.

          Too late, Draevin realized he’d just put his foot in his mouth. “Of courseit’s an honor, Tenna! They would only sponsor the most powerful of elvish wizards.”

          Instead of being encouraged though, she just slumped her head. “Not this year. They only wanted me because you said no.”

          Draevin tried to hide the glimmer of pride he felt at hearing that while the waiter came to take their order. He ordered a sausage rigatoni while Tenna got a spicy tomato soup. “Waiter?” he asked, before they walked away to put in their order. “Can you elf-size my order?”

          “Me too!” Tenna echoed enthusiastically.

          The nondescript eldrin waiter smiled politely. “Yes, of course,” he agreed.

          Once he’d left, Draevin returned to the conversation. “I’ve been fighting in the arena for decades,” Draevin explained, “every couple years I try to take some personal time to pursue my own interests. Just because I turned Caldenia down this year doesn’t mean I don’t think it’s an accomplishment for you to be asked to fight for them.”

          “They wanted you though,” Tenna complained. “I can’t help feeling like a second choice. They even insisted I dress like you.” She gestured to her hair.

          Draevin was actually disappointed to learn that the similarities in Tenna’s outfit hadn’t been based on adoration, which surprised him. He did his best to cover it by taking a sip of his water. “They did?” he asked. “Did they tell you why?”

          “No, they wouldn’t even admit they were trying to get me to copy you either. They just insisted I wear the Frost Armor robes, and dye my hair blond and spike it. When I asked them why they wanted me to look so much like you they said it was just a familiar style that would get fans excited.”

          “Huh,” Draevin said. “That’s pretty strange.” He remembered they’d been pretty insistent about trying to sponsor him this year, even going so far as to double and then triple his normal rates when he turned them down. If not for the promise he made his nephew Graevin he might have even done it.

          Tenna casually formed a one-handed cryomancy cantrip to chill her glass of water and took another sip. “When I checked in after my match today they didn’t even congratulate me. It’s like they expected me to win.”

          “Tenna!” Draevin exclaimed. “That’s not fair! Your performance out there today was amazing! I think I was in my 150’s when I first figured out the Repeat Casting technique. You’re not a second-rate cryomancer.”

          Tenna’s cheeks flushed. “Stop…” she said weakly.

          “Don’t get down on yourself just because you’re not on my level yet. I’ve had centuries more than you to practice and expand my mana pool.”

          “You don’t have to patronize me, Drae. I know I almost lost my match today.”

          “See this is exactly what I’m talking about with you…” Draevin trailed off as the waiter arrived with their food.

          As promised, their dishes arrived elf-sized. Draevin’s pasta dish came on a heaping plate at least twice as big as his head and Tenna’s bowl of soup was deep enough to drown a small gnome. They got right to eating. Tenna was a little more self-conscious and was being careful not to splatter her soup everywhere but Draevin didn’t care. He shoveled mouthfuls of pasta into his mouth as efficiently as possible. He needed to be finished eating before his appointment with the cerebromancer. The other patrons could make all the comments they wanted, but he wanted to make sure his mana pool was brimming full.

          “Uhh,” Tenna said, “you might want to slow down a bit there, Draevin.”

          “Whuh?” he asked between bites. “Uh nee duh manuh.”

          Tenna gave a tight smile and looked around at the other patrons. He was getting a lot of stares, but Draevin figured they probably just hadn’t seen elves eat before. “It might be nice to just take our time and enjoy the meal,” Tenna commented. “And you’re getting food all over your face and clothes.”

          Draevin looked down and saw that she was right. With a quick wave of his hand he froze all the pasta sauce and bits of sausage into crystals and swept those crystals onto the floor. He swallowed the bite that was currently in his mouth with a swig of water. “Cleans up easy enough,” he announced proudly.

          Tenna put her spoon down. “Draevin…” She frowned at him. “Do you mind maybe… not eating like that?” she asked. “At least while we’re out?”

          Draevin rolled his eyes in annoyance. “What for? I’m in a hurry and it’s just us anyways.”

          Tenna’s brows knit together in concern. Draevin sensed he had said something wrong, but he was saved from having to address it when the gnome from the front desk tapped him on the shoulder. When Draevin turned his head he leaned in and whispered in his ear, “The Guild cerebromancer is waiting for you by the front desk, sir.”

          Draevin nodded. “I’ll be there in just a minute. I just have to finish here first.”

          “As you will, sir.”

          Draevin raised his plate up to his mouth and was about to start dumping it in his mouth when Tenna interrupted. “Draevin!” she hissed. “What did I just say?”

          Draevin paused and decided against it after all. He set his plate down. “Fine. Can you get me a to-go box while I run and meet with this cerebromancer?”

          Tenna dropped her spoon back in her soup. “Of course. You’re leaving. This was exactly how I imagined it,” Tenna sighed.

          “Well yeah,” Draevin replied, “You were right there when I made the appointment. I’ve got to go find out if someone’s been tinkering with my mind.”

          Tenna sat her elbows onto the table and slumped her head into her hands. "I'll just stay here and finish my soup. Alone.”

          There was definitely something wrong. Tenna had that look women tended to get right before they yelled at him. Draevin scratched his temple and thought about it. Of course. Their training session. That was what she was upset about! “Don’t worry," he reassured her. "You can still teach me that special move after I’m done.”

          “Oh that… I was actually thinking maybe—”

          Draevin pulled a few silvers out of his pocket and slapped them down on the table. “That should cover my half of the bill. Can you bring my to-go box with you when you’re finished?”

          Tenna looked up at him with a deep frown creasing her face. For some reason it looked like she was still upset.

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