Chapter 2; Finding a Friend

Almost thirteen years had passed since Catbriar was brought to her new home of Ohmanry Glen. In those thirteen years she was raised wealthy, and as the heir to her people. Life was not always easy and she tried, like most children her age did to resist her training and discipline that was being instilled into her. Countless days and nights she would stay at her trainer’s house Master Mage Lucor Everhar, studying the arcane arts. Catbriar was quick to pickup the lessons that her magician trainer taught her. Nonetheless, she was resistant to perfect them. The day before her thirteenth birthday she had her nose buried in a book. She sat at a table in a small library that was lit by only one window and two burning candles. Books lined the shelves that were covering every inch of the walls. Catbriar had her face as close as she could have it to her reading materials. She absorbed every word that came from the pages of the book titled The Art of Enchantment. The particular chapter she was reading about was enchanted stones, and how to use them effectively. The door to the library opened and in walked a tall, thin aging man with a receding hairline. His white robes billowed out behind him as he walked to the table and sat down across from his apprentice. “Catbriar,” he said “what have you learned about the stones that gives a staff its power?” The young girl raised her head from the book and slammed it shut. “I’ve learned that different stones give a staff different powers.” She replied stubbornly. Catbriar pushed the book aside and leaned in closer and said softly, “What I don’t understand Master is how there are powers inside of rocks.” The weathered man sat back in his chair and rubbed his chin contemplating the doubts of his apprentice and said, “Gaia has blessed everything in this realm. It is the power that she has granted us as mages that taps the true potential of those blessings.” The girl stood up from the table and walked around to the opposite side and climbed up on top of the table. She sat quiet for a short moment swinging her feet back and forth and thought about what Master Lucor had told her. She then looked at him and said, “Is today the day that Grand Master Ting makes his annual visit?” Master Lucor looked over at his apprentice and revealed a small grin, “Yes Catbriar,” he said, watching the young girl’s eyes light up with gladness “today is the day the Grand Master will be making his visit to Ohmanry Glen. Why are you so excited about his visit child? You usually run and hide when ever Master Ting comes around.” The girl jumped down from the table and ran over to the coat rack and grabbed her shiny black cloak. She wrapped it around her, hiding her multi-colored dress. She hated the dress and tried to continually get out of wearing it. It had been a gift from the Duke of Haloon, and her mother and father insisted she wear it. She fastened her cloak all the way up from her waistline to her neck and said, “Because Master Lucor, today is the day that Grand Master Ting is bringing my staff. Now all I have to do is find a stone and I can assemble it and start training instead of reading.” Master Everhar laughed out loud and stood up from the table and turned to leave the library, “You must have patience Catbriar. All of that will happen in due time. You will have your staff soon.” Both Master and Apprentice exited the library and shut the door. Master Lucor said, “I think though that maybe he might have something else for you today.”

The young apprentice sat out on the bench until the sun was at its highest peak in the sky. She watched as her master wove spells and conjured swirling orbs filled with smoke and mist. When will he teach me to do that? He is such a show off. Off in the distance both master and apprentice could hear the sounds of hooves beating rhythmically against the solid earth. Catbriar jumped off of the bench and began running toward the oncoming hoof beats. She made it to the outskirts of town when her green eyes could see the approaching horse drawn wagon. The rickety, broken down barrow was hardly a transport for a Grand Master Magician. Nonetheless it was the chosen mode of transportation for Master Ting. The horses that pulled the wagon were magnificent. They were the most beautiful creatures that Catbriar had ever laid her eyes on in fact. The steeds’ coats were a smooth, shiny brown that turned to white at their knees. At the ankles their coat fluffed up all the way down to their hooves, creating the effect that they were floating just above the ground instead of walking on it. The horse drawn carriage slowed to a stop just in front of Catbriar. Dust was kicked up as the steeds stomped and walked in place, anxious to find a watering hole. The plain looking man sitting on top of the wagon said assertively, “Calm down the four of you, in due time you’ll get your water.” The small plump man stood up and dusted off his gray robes. He removed the hood from his head revealing a near bald head with a very long beard and mustache. He looked at Catbriar knowingly and gave her a slight smile and wink. Grand Master Ting climbed down from the carriage and walked to the head of the lead horse. He whispered something into the steed’s ear and without warning the four Clydesdales trotted off toward the west side of town to the watering hole.

Once the dust had settled from the horses and wagons, Grand Master Ting started off toward the small Mage’s Guild located in the center of Ohmanry Star. He walked right past Catbriar without acknowledging her. He was about fifteen paces away from her when she yelled, “HEY! I came to greet you. How come you didn’t say anything to me?” She started off running after him when he stated, “It is not my job to acknowledge you first, but your job to recognize me.” The puzzled look on Catbriar’s face made the elderly Mage chuckle under his breath. He put a pipe to his mouth and lit it to hide his amusement with the young girl. Catbriar replied, “I have never heard of that rule before. That is a pretty stupid rule. I’m just a kid, how am I supposed to know…” Master Ting could not hold in his amusement anymore and burst out in a fit of laughter. Catbriar stopped in her tracks and stood confused. “Wait!” She exclaimed. “You were messin with me?” The young girl placed her hands on her hips and cocked them slightly to the right and gave the Grand Master Mage a scowled look. “That wasn’t very nice.” She said as the old man slowed his laughter. “I am,” he wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his cloak, “I am sorry Catbriar. I was just having a little bit of fun with you.” He reached out and rubbed the top of her head messing up her hair. She stood defiantly and refused to fix her hair back to how it was. “That wasn’t funny.” said Catbriar sternly. The Grand Master and young apprentice walked in silence the rest of the way to the Mage’s Guild. Occasionally Master Ting would loose a smile across his face that went from ear to ear.

They arrived in front of the wooded building and found Master Everhar sitting on the bench in a deep state of meditation. “Well,” said Master Ting. “I was hoping for him to be present when I did this. However it looks as though we would be here for a while if we waited on him.” Master Ting turned away from Catbriar and began slowly walking toward the opposite side of town closest to the mountain ranges. “Follow me Catbriar. I wish to speak with you.” She sprinted ahead until she caught up with him and then fell in stride beside the Grand Master. “What do you want to talk about Grand Master?” asked Catbriar. Grand Master Ting took in a puff of his pipe and exhaled saying, “I want to know your thoughts on the different enchanted stones my apprentice.” The young girl looked down at her feet and kicked a rock as she stepped over it. “I am not sure about the secondary enchantments Master.” she said unsure. “But I do know most of the primary enchantments that a stone can possess.” Grand Master Ting stopped walking and turned to face Catbriar. “Secondary enchantments will come to you in time my child.” he said reassuringly. “If you know most of them, then tell me what kind of stone you wish to possess for your staff?” The sun was just starting to crest the highest apex of the Ohmanry Peaks, casting a shadow upon Catbriar’s young face. She had thought long and hard upon this decision. This was the most important one of her young life. It will define her as a Mage. “I,” she stopped and thought some more. What if I chose the wrong stone for my staff? What if it is not the right enchantment for me? How will Master Everhar think of my decision? “I want the diamond!” Catbriar blurted out. She immediately averted her eyes back to the ground, and soon after her head followed. Her head sank even lower as Master Ting said, “A very wise choice for you child.” Catbriar’s head sprang up to Grand Master Ting’s eye level. A wide smile came across her face, “Do you really think so Grand Master?” she asked. He turned from her and began to walk again and said, “Of course I do. Being able to control the power of lightning, handed down from Zehan Himself takes a special person.” Catbriar looked up at him curiously, “Am I special enough to be able to do it Master?” she asked. Ting loosed another small chuckle, unleashing a stern look once more from the young girl. “Yes child, I do believe that you will be able to wield the power quite easily.” he said. “To be able to harness the power of Zehan’s wrath one must be a powerful spirit in their own right.” he continued, “You come from a very powerful lineage Catbriar. A lineage so powerful as to be able to wield…” The Grand Master trailed off his sentence and let it hang in the air between them.

The midday sun had now begun to sink behind the highest spire of Ohmanry Peaks creating an early dusk. “Able to wield what Master?” Catbriar asked. The short man did not respond immediately. Catbriar knew not to push the issue, she had once before only to find herself blind for a week as punishment from the Grand Master. The two had made it to the base of the mountain range before Master Ting answered her question. “I am sorry child. I spoke out of line, and I should not have.” Confusion fell upon Catbriar’s face, “I do not understand Master. Why will no one tell me where I’m from?” Tears began to well up in her eyes. Grand Master Ting reached for her and placed a hand upon her shoulder. Considering the difference between their ages, he did not have to reach down very far to touch her. “Catbriar, you must understand. Your destiny has been told to me, and it is not my place to tell you that destiny.” He continued. “It is your journey to find out who you are, and where you are from. If I were to just tell you, you would miss out on all the fun in your future.” He removed his hand and reached inside of his robes. Catbriar began sobbing and turned her back to him. “I just want to know who I am. Why I am what I am. I am the only person from Ohmanry Glen that has ever had arcane abilities. Does that not seem weird to you Master?” There was a long heavy silence before Catbriar turned to see Grand Master Ting holding a bright white staff with a clear stone attached to the top in one hand. In the other was a very large gray and black spotted stone. “These are for you. For your birthday child.” Through crocodile tears Catbriar’s eyes lit up like the stars. “My staff!” she exclaimed. She ran over and took it in her hands. She admired its beauty and elegance. Once she examined the shaft she shifted her eyes to the stone attached at the top. Her eyes sparkled even in the shadows of the mountain. She was mesmerized by its majesty. Catbriar knew she would never see a stone more beautiful no matter how long she lived to be.

“Do you not want your other gift child?” said Master Ting. Catbriar looked up to see the Grand Master still holding the very large gray and black stone. “Please take it Catbriar, it is much heavier than it looks.” he said jokingly. She reached up and took the stone, feeling that it weighed no more than a handful of feathers. “A stone? What is in it Grand Master?” she asked. “It is not a stone, it is an egg. I do not know what is in it child, but I am to believe that it holds a great treasure once thought to be extinct from these lands.” Catbriar turned the egg over and over in her hands, inspecting it from every angle. “When can I expect it to hatch Grand Master?” she asked. Master Ting folded his arms inside of his robes and said, “Within the first hour that it is returned to its place of birth.” Catbriar shook her head and said softly, “I do not understand Master. Why would you bring this egg to me then?” Realization came to the young mage, “It was born here wasn’t it Master?” Grand Master Ting smiled big, “Yes Catbriar, it was born right in this very same spot we are standing in now.” Her eyes continued back and forth from the egg to Grand Master Ting. “How do you know Grand Master? I mean…” she trailed off. He stepped closer to Catbriar and placed his hand on the large egg, “I rescued it child. I had been traveling through trying to find some new recruits for the Mage’s Guild. I was only Seventeen years old at the time.” He began rubbing the gray and black egg, “It was lying in a nest right where you are standing now. I watched the nest for several days before realizing that what ever laid the egg was not going to return to its nest.” The Grand Master removed his hand and replaced it in his robes. “I picked up the egg and took it back home with me. It was not until many years later that I found out why it had never hatched for me.” He contemplated his next words for a short moment, “When Master Everhar set up a guild here and discovered you ten years ago, I knew who the egg was going to.” Tears welled up in Catbriar’s eyes once more, “Thank you Master, thank you very much.”

The Grand Master Mage and his young apprentice stood in the same spot for another ten minutes talking when they heard a cracking sound. “Catbriar look, your egg is hatching!” exclaimed Master Ting. Catbriar dropped her staff and took hold of the egg with two hands so as to not drop it. She then lowered the now rapidly cracking egg to the ground and took a step back to watch the miracle of life. After a few short moments, the cracking stopped. A moment went by and then one loud crack. A small head emerged from the shell. “It’s a lion Master!” Catbriar said. “I thought lions were born, not hatched.” Another loud crack produced another head. “It’s a dragon Catbriar.” Master Ting said. “Do you know what this creature is child?” he said. One last, loud crack produced a third head. “No Master, I do not know.” The creature climbed the rest of its way from the shell revealing a lion’s head in the middle with a dragon’s head to the left and the goat’s head to the right. Its body was that of a lions. “It’s magnificent Grand Master. What is it?” Grand Master Ting reached down and scratched the lion behind its ear. The lion tilted its head to the right as the goat gnawed on Ting’s pinky finger, and the dragon emitted a very small burst of fire from its mouth. “It is a Chimera Catbriar, and the only one left in Allukra.”