Felarius’s Journal

It’s been a weird day. I guess I should start at the beginning. I woke up, showered and got dressed, and everything about that was normal. I’m the only one in the attic rooms so I basically have a bathroom all to myself which is nice because I never have to wait for it.

Anyway, I went downstairs, and that was my first surprise of the day. We had a whole big breakfast prepared for us. There were pancakes and eggs and even bacon! When I took my plates to the kitchen, I found out why. Tik is back.

I stayed and talked to him a bit longer than I usually do. Normally, I talk to him a little bit because I always go to rinse my plate after I finish eating. Some people don’t. They just leave their dishes there for someone else to pick up, which I don’t think is right, but I guess that’s what they’ve learned to do.

Anyway, we weren’t alone. He had his baby with him in a basket with a blanket. A couple of the other students were already fawning over the baby, so I didn’t get to get very close. Tik said that the baby’s name is Ker’alith, and he’s going to have him at the school everyday. I guess Lilithel is back to work in the stable already. I would have thought it was too soon, but Tik said that Esladra told her that if she felt up to returning to work, then it was fine. Tik seemed confused about it too, but he just shrugged and continued working.

The baby is really cute and quiet, but it’s hard to tell because I think he was sleeping.

Anyway, I had to go to class after that. I still have to take general classes, and I go to those every morning. That part of my day was normal. Vaildor was there today. He only has general classes part-time too because he goes to art school in the city, but he alternates days. He and Kiandris like to goof off sometimes and make Miss Lali mad. I remember I did that too at their age. I guess when you get older, you get more sensible about learning. I mean, I realized that I didn’t want to end up working on the docks for the rest of my life just because my father knows people there. I was already doing it part-time, and I know that if I had stayed there, I would have eventually moved to full-time. I always wanted more, and was always interested in magic, so I’m really grateful for this chance to study what I really want to do.

After my general studies, which was mostly math – yuck, we had lunch. Lunch was so good with Tik back. It was just sandwiches and broccoli soup, but it was amazing sandwiches and broccoli soup. Lunch was really good, but nothing really happened.

I went to my arcane class after, and that was boring because there was a test. It took a long time. I think I passed it, but there were some really hard questions that I think I missed.

After that, I went to my private lesson. It was fire today. Sometimes, it’s Magistrix Mae who teaches it, but usually Magister Firewind does. Luckily, it was Magister Firewind today, which is good because I had been wanting to talk to him, but then I hesitated and figured after the lesson was over would be a better time to ask. He made me go through all the usual exercises with an existing flame. We use a candle for that, and I do different shapes and change the color and size of the flame and stuff like that. After that, we worked on conjuring fire. I’m not very good at it yet, but I did manage to light the candle twice. It was brief both times because the flame was too small to stay lit, but still I did it. He thinks I’m doing well.

He always asks about how things are, not just with my studies, but with my family, and how I’m getting along with the other students and stuff like that. I told him that I wrote home and suggested to my sister that she should apply here. Even if the headmaster didn’t let her bring our father, she still earn more because someone wouldn’t be taking most of it from her. Then she could send enough home to father to help him. Magister Firewind thought it could be a good idea, but she’d have to be careful and possibly change some behaviors. I asked him what he meant, and he told me about Julan and how he had some difficulty adjusting to his new life. I don’t think my sister is that bad, not that what Julan does is bad. I mean I’m not judging him or anyone who has to do that sort of work. Anyway, I asked if he had difficulty adjusting. He said it wasn’t as much of an issue for him because it was more gradual. He was still working like that while he was studying in Dalaran so that he could pay for his room and his apprenticeship! He said that’s why Irael and I are here for free, so that we, as serious students, won’t have to worry about how we’re going to pay for learning.

Then I remembered that I wanted to ask him about the books that I got from Shattrath. I didn’t tell him that I already checked them out, but I told him that I saw them and I wanted to know if it was allowed to check them out. Um, I think he knew somehow that I wasn’t being entirely honest. He started asking which books so I described them a bit, but stuck to size and color and stuff. Then he started asking for titles, and said he needed to know so that he could check with the headmaster. I was kind of asking him to avoid asking the headmaster, so I guess that might have shown in my face, because then he asked if I had already read them.

I figured if I was already in trouble, I could minimize it by being honest, so I told him that I had borrowed three of the books and had looked through them all.

Then he started asking if I had tried anything in them or drawn any circles. I haven’t! Then he asked me to get the books and bring them back to the practice room.

I hurried up to my room and got them. I thought about just running away and going back to the city, but that would be the same as being kicked out of school, so I decided instead that it would be better to wait and see if I didn’t get kicked out.

I took the books back to the practice room where Magister Firewind was waiting, and he wasn’t alone. Magister Fairsong was there now too. They had been talking , but both turned to look at me when I came into the room. I had only heard Magister Fairsong telling Magister Firewind that there was a reason he had asked him to teach.

I didn’t have much time to think about what that meant. Magister Firewind asked to see the books so I handed them over.

He flipped through the first one and called it garbage as he tossed it aside. The other two, he looked at and called ‘suitable’. I was confused about what was suitable about them, but again, I had no time to think about it because Magister Firewind started asking questions.

He wanted to know if I craved power, or if I wanted control over something in my life and that’s why I wanted to learn. I said no because that’s not it at all. I just thought that using demons against demons could be effective if they ever came here.

He kind of smiled really briefly and then he got really serious-looking and looked right at me. It was kind of scary, but he said, and I quote, “Felarius, are you sure you are interested in learning these things?”

I glanced at Magister Fairsong, but he wasn’t looking at me. He was frowning at the books and his ears twitched.

I looked back at Magister Firewind and that’s when it kind of all came together in my head. He was knowledgeable enough to judge the content of the books I had borrowed. He wasn’t asking if I wanted to learn so that they would have a reason to kick me out. He was asking if I wanted to learn from him.

I nodded.

He started to tell me that there would be strict rules in place, but Magister Fairsong interrupted with probably the most important rule. I’m to never, ever, ever practice any of what I learn of fel magic and summoning at the school or on the school grounds. Ever. And if I’m caught doing so, it will result in immediate expulsion for the school with no chance of return. So I think that sounds pretty serious. He said the books and any notes I take will need to be kept where Magister Firewind chooses to teach me, which he reiterated would not be at the school. I’m not to keep anything related to it in my practice room or room or anywhere at the school.

Another rule that seemed pretty important, but set by Magister Firewind is that I can’t tell anyone at all. I can’t tell my family or my friends or anyone.

After they went over the rules with me, and Magister Fairsong left, Magister Firewind told me to meet me in his office tomorrow after classes, and he would take me for my first lesson.

I’m a bit nervous about that because he mentioned it would be at his house and the guy he’s with is really big, and I don’t want to bother him just because I need to go there to study. Maybe there’s another place I could go for reading or something. I’ll have to ask tomorrow.

Alinash’s Night Out

Alinash frowned as he heard the murmured voices in the room next door. He couldn’t make out what they were saying. He never could, nor did he really want to, but it sounded like they were already enjoying themselves. His long ears laid back as he got up and started getting dressed again. The less he had to hear of ‘that’, the better.

Idiot boy. They don’t care about you. Syrina’s voice. Another memory. He wished he could forget. Laughter next door reminded him that staying in Harrier’s room any longer tonight was not going to make things any better. He had tried to stay, once. After a sleepless night of constant nightmares, anxiety, and pitiful sobbing, he had vowed never to put himself through that again. He pulled his laces tight on his boots and opened the window.

He climbed out, scaling his way up to the roof easily. There, he headed west over the roofs of the connected buildings. He wasn’t sure where he would go tonight. Harrier had urged him to give up on retrieving his stupid bauble, so he wound up wandering aimlessly in the opposite direction of the house he had been watching for all this time.

He did have to talk himself out of going to watch the house some more. After all, watching wasn’t going in, nor would he see his opening to go in if he wasn’t there to watch. Things won’t be any different tonight than they ever are. Always the guard. He reasoned with himself as he climbed up to one of the higher roofs in the district. But not in back. He stopped and looked back in the direction of the house. No. Keep going. Go see Star.

Star. He hadn’t planned it, but he was relatively close to where she worked. His ear twitched. He didn’t want to. Her touch would remind him of the touch he didn’t have, he wasn’t allowed to have, tonight. Someone else was experiencing that right now. You could go see her to talk. His ear twitched again at the thought. As if whores ever had any good advice. But then Star was older than most of the whores Alinash knew, and he had gone to her before, sometimes just to talk. She was the only person in Stormwind outside of the people he live with who knew him well enough that he could remove his hat in her presence. His ear twitch again, almost dislodging his hat. He pressed it further down on his head, and climbed down the alley side of one of the buildings. He pulled the brim of his hat a bit lower as he walked into the street and across to another building.

He’d been here before, and though it had been a while, he knew the routine. He sat at the bar, far enough away from others who were also sitting there, having a drink. He did his best to look unapproachable and waited for the barmaid.

“What can I get ya, hon?” a woman on the plump side asked as she walked towards him on the other side of the bar. The Madame, though if anyone important asked, she was just a barmaid.

Alinash leaned forward, keeping his voice low, “Is Star busy?”

“She just went upstairs, love.” The woman replied just as quietly. “Perhaps you’d be interested in Basil or Clover instead? They’re both free right now.”

Alinash shook his head, “No, that’s okay. I’ll wait.”

“Can I get you something to drink then?”

“Sure, a dwarven stout would be good.”

The woman smiled and served his drink.

Five dwarven stouts later, Alinash decided he had enough. Star was obviously too busy for him, and he was at the point where his fingers and toes were tingling. He stumbled out the door, and leaned against the wall he was supposed to climb. What are you going to do? Climb up and pass out on a roof? You’ll be picked up by the griffin patrols first thing in the morning. He frowned deeply. He couldn’t very well pass out in an alley either, and guards took much more notice of individual people at night, especially ones who couldn’t walk in a straight line. Walking home on the street was out of the question. He had to climb up.

Getting up on the roof proved to be less of a problem than he thought it would be. Staying upright once he was on top was problematic. He stumbled more than once as he crossed over the partitions that raised up between the buildings. He frowned in frustration. He couldn’t stay up on the rooftops for the rest of the night. He could go home, but he dismissed that idea rather quickly. Never again.

Fifteen minutes later, he found himself at the spot on the roof where he had spent many nights with an excellent view of the house he believed his bauble to be in. He hadn’t planned it, but here he was.

Five minutes after that, he had made his way to the other side, where he had a view of the courtyard behind the house. He shrugged to himself. Nothing to lose. He started scaling down the wall into the courtyard. He lost his footing near the bottom and dropped, less than gracefully, onto the cobblestone below. That’s going to leave a bruise. He picked himself up, and steadied himself against the wall. Maybe this was a bad idea. He bent over and threw up. A very bad idea. He suddenly felt like going home and crawling into bed to go to sleep. He glanced up at the back door of the house. He was so close. His bauble was inside. How could he give up now? He stood up straight, letting another wave of nausea pass before he stumbled towards the door.

He peeked inside first, the clear glass window of the door offering an unobstructed view of the kitchen. It appeared to be empty. The houses residents and servants must all be to bed at this hour. Except the guard in front.

He put his hand on the door knob and turned it. Locked. I hate locked doors. He pulled his hat up for just a second. Only long enough to pull one of the hair pins that held back some of the loose stands of his long blond hair out. After pushing his hat back into place, he bent the pin and inserted it into the keyhole. It took him twice as long as it normally would as he fumbled with the lock, almost dropping the hairpin more than once, but finally he heard the click. Success. He turned the knob and slowly opened the door.

He crept into the kitchen, slowly closing the door behind himself. What now? He frowned. He hadn’t thought this far ahead. His bauble wouldn’t be in the kitchen at any rate. In a bedroom probably. He frowned even more at that thought. The people who lived here were most likely in their bedrooms at this time. Idiot child. What did you expect? He shook his head trying to rid himself of Syrina’s words. As he did he lost his balance and fell to the side, bumping one of the kitchen counters. He struggled to regain his balance, and managed to dislodge a neatly stacked pile of cooking pans, sending them crashing to the floor.

Not your stealthiest move. He scampered to a hiding place in case someone came to investigate the noise, squeezing himself between the end of the cabinets and shelf unit.

He waited, and it wasn’t long before he heard footsteps on the staircase. They padded softly and slowly. Then silence for a few more moments before a floorboard creaked. Who ever it was, they were getting closer.

Alinash held his breath. Light flooded the kitchen as a conjured orb glowed in the center. Shit. A mage.

“Come out! Show yourself!” A woman’s voice called out.

Alinash stayed where he was.

“Look, you should probably show yourself now before I get the guards to find you. You don’t want the guards to find you. They’re much less understanding.”

Alinash remained in his hiding place, but the adrenaline had stirred up a new wave of nausea. Just make it until she leaves to fetch the guard. Then slip out the back door and scale up the wall. You can go home and be safe. He had barely finished the thought when he retched and lost what was left of his stomach contents.

“Ugh. Wonderful. What did you do? Drink canal water?”

Shit. He pressed his hat down as far as it would go, and prepared to bolt. Before he could move, the mage said a word and ice cracked out along the floor. His feet froze in place. He reached for his dagger, catching himself with his other hand as he almost fell over again. The moment his hand touched the floor, the ice formed around it, and left him with just one free hand. He left it resting on his dagger, but did not move any further. The woman was walking again. He lowered his head, making sure not to look up and show her his eyes.

“There you are. You made a mess on my kitchen floor. Why are you here?”

Before Alinash could even decide if he was going to answer or not, his hat was lifted swiftly off his head.

“Look at me when…”

Shit.

“Well, what do we have here? An elf? Look at me, elf.”

He was already beaten. There was no use denying it at this point. He looked up, hoping his green eyes would somehow be overlooked.

The woman smirked. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Look, return to Silvermoon and tell my father that I’m still not interested. Understand?”

Return to Silvermoon? What would a human be doing there? Then again, he was in Stormwind, so he could hardly point fingers.

“Do you understand?”

Alinash nodded, “Okay.” Leaving the building alive and free sounded good. Following her instruction to go back to Silvermoon sounded optional, and not something she’d follow up on anyway.

She tossed his hat back at him and stepped back while the ice disappeared. “Good. Go.”

He wasted no time in following that order. He shoved his hat back over his ears and dashed out the door. He quickly scaled up the wall and started heading back home. Maybe it would be best to pass out in bed for the rest of the night.