They moved slowly, very slowly. And even though their mouths were wide open and screams should be heard, it was silent. Only the three rune words were in the air. Siem looked down on herself and noticed that she was not taken by the spell. She could move freely. She looked at Mikko, “You froze her?”
Mikko nodded “Every second seems like a whole day to them. They will be a little busy, but not for long.”
“What do you suggest we do now?” She asked. He had saved her and seemed to know a lot about magic.
“I’m taking you somewhere safe.”
Siem nodded. Even if she could escape here, she needed allies in this city.
“Mikkooooo, Mikkooooo,” He cried the same way he had before. He suddenly threw her in the air and jumped after her. The entire thing happened so fast that she knew if she were a mere spectator it would only seem like a blur before her eyes. She couldn’t tell if she was flying two meters through the air or two thousand. It was as though time was not playing a significant role anymore. She was everywhere at once. She only saw the face of Mikko flash before her briefly. His mastery of time was impressive and not to mention, insanely powerful.
They landed again. It felt like a dream. She knew that she had been in another part of the city recently, but she could no longer say exactly where she was.
“My mind is clouded,” she said. He smiled at her observation as he put her down then took a few steps away.
“Everything happens so fast you lose the feeling of time and space, and you can’t distinguish between a dream and reality.” He explained.
Siem nodded and listened intently. He knew his stuff, that was for sure, and she would be foolish to not learn a few things from him. Fortunately, Siem wasn’t foolish.
She noticed her surroundings now and frowned. Mikko’s magic had brought her to the outside of the Mage Guild buildings. A single White lighter Mage was set up there. It was very unusual for a building to have a White lighter Mage – who were very powerful guardians.
The building itself looked very unimpressive. Brown walls with black runes of marble surrounded the building. The roof had four different chimneys. Each one spewed out smoke the same color of the chimney, red, yellow, blue, and brown. They were the colors of the Magic School. The smoke swirled around the guardian mage like some sort of protective shield. Two dragons woven by magic hung in the air. It was entrance week for the magic students. Accordingly, many magicians were outside with their children. The novices wandered together through the square in front of the building. For Siem, it was a beautiful and breath-taking sight. Here she had spent the first years of her education. This was her home, at least it used to be. Elves, beings of balance and chaos, Berserkers, and other human mages that crafted magic here.
“I am always amazed at how beautiful the surroundings are.” His tone was sarcastic and almost bitter.
Even though she despised the magicians for their weakness, she loved this place. “Tell me your story, Mikko.”
“My story?” he repeated thoughtfully. “It’s not that simple.” Siem’s gaze told him she expected more. Siem smiled encouragingly. She hadn’t done that in a while.
“You won’t like my story,” He warned after a few seconds of silence. Siem heaved a sigh. “I don’t think I’m supposed to, but at least I’m sure I’ll understand.”
Mikko nodded. “I am a magician novice. I was trained by Lord Taboon.”
Siem lifted her head. She had expected anything but this. He was the apprentice of the one magician that she had come here to oppose.
“Is that so?” She said sarcastically. “Is that why you’re helping me? Know your enemy better than you know your friend?” She was ready to use her defensive magic. The trust they’d just amassed began to fade in her eyes. She turned her hands in his direction and forgot for a second that the same person had just helped her. Mikko saw and raised his hands in his defense. “I could have attacked you much earlier, but I didn’t. Don’t you think I’m being kind to you?”
“Who knows? Why should I trust you?”
He looked at her and nodded. “I am at your service. Believe me or not, I had to leave because I had my own ideas about justice and our ‘mutual friend’ wasn’t too happy about that.”
“You mean Lord Taboon?” Siem clarified, for the strange Mage to nod, once.
“And what are your ideas of justice?” asked Siem thoughtfully.
“Well,” Mikko smiled. “First of all, I don’t kill anyone. I don’t need to manipulate anyone to reach my goal and I always tell the truth.”
Siem nodded. “That won’t get you very far in a world like this.”
“The truth is the magicians in these great halls think I am a charlatan. I have defeated most of them back in the Great Hall and quickly.”
She believed him, every word he said. She felt at one with him. He was a rebel in the true sense of the word. Siem hadn’t felt connected to someone like she did with him in a long time. Every second she thought about it made everything seem crazier. Siem, a powerful magician, was struggling with her emotions.