Chapter 2: The Plans For A Last Hurrah

I hopped down the steps of the temple onto the dirt path right in front of it. The sun was half covered in a sheet of wispy clouds, barely blocking any light from touching my face. It had further fallen down to the western sky and would soon go to bed behind the Algualee Mountains. The town had gotten quiet, besides, of course, the quick construction going on in the town square. Since the Ceremony organizers had Magicians, they didn’t need more than a day to set up the stage and decorations for the ceremony tomorrow. They’d all arrived yesterday night, about twenty people in total, a mix of magic knights, guards and officials, all Magicians with different jobs. They’d taken up every room in the only inn in town and some of the higher ranking ones demanded their stay be free, the people around here don’t have much authority to argue, so the officials got what they wanted. Some people believe those without magic should worship the ground Magicians walk on, just because they were born with a strong connection to the spirits and the gods. It’s why those in the Downwalds are treated so poorly, it’s why my family wouldn’t be treated very well if we lived anywhere but Kugionara, most people here didn’t have a lot of magic, if magic at all. Lucius soon stepped down the stairs and stood beside me, resting their arm on my shoulder and leaning into me.

“We should totally mess with those snooty, hoity-toity officials, you know, a last hurrah.” They said, scratching at the side of their face.

“A last hurrah, eh? What are we thinking?” Marka asked, still standing at the top of the stairs, his arms crossed over his chest.

“Oh? Mister goodie-goodie what’s to join the misfits in some trouble, ah?” Lucius quips back, leaning on me more. 

“Well, I’m pretty sure I’ve got some water magic marbles, the ones I got from my cousins who live in the blue region of Pama. The command word should be written on the paper that came with them.” I said before elbowing Lucius in the ribs, shoving them off my shoulder. “Marka has never been a goodie-goodie, at least not a real one.”

“I’m going to take that as a compliment before it becomes an insult,” Marka said as he stepped down to stand beside us. I smirked at him, patting him on the head,

“Me, insult you? Never.” I said before stifling a laugh, “but it is getting late, I say we do this by the light of the moon, you know, under the cover of night and all that.”

“I agree with Sara, mischief that messes with Magician’s should be done stealthily.” Lucius added in agreement. “So, we head home, have dinner and wait until the moon is about… there, then meet back here.” They said, pointing to the sky to decide when we’d all meet up. About ten tonight, give or take half an hour. Once the time was decided, we did a little group fist bump before heading off on our own back to our homes. I

I ended up running most of the way home, I wanted to make sure I was on time and as I round the corner onto my street, I spot cars belonging to my aunts and uncles lining the street in front of my family home. I was the first child out of my cousins to turn 14, so I was the first to test for magic. My family loves to celebrate, a lot. I try walking into the house as quietly as possible, maybe I’ll get a moment to myself, but I could only laugh at that idea as I truly walked in the door. In a house as small as mine, there was no way to walk in and not spot one of my twelve family members. I just swing the door open with confidence, I can’t let anyone see the panic I have in my heart when it comes to tomorrow, when it comes to possibly being sent to the Downwalds. I kick off my shoes and neatly line them up next to everyone else's.

“Mama! Papa! I’m home.” I called down the hall before my cousins came rushing down the hall towards me.

“Sara!” the first one calls as he runs down the hall, this being Gabin, my youngest cousin at age four. As he got to me, he wrapped himself around my leg. “You’re back!” he added as his siblings caught up to him, Fergus and Morag stared up at me in a similar way that Marka stared at the priestess from the temple. Fergus is the middle child of my cousins at eight years old and Morag is the oldest at ten. They all look so much like their father, my Uncle Duncan, with auburn highlights in their black hair and a less reddish undertones to their skin, making them look more blue rather than pink like their mama, my Taunte Zoé. I pat each of them on the head.

“Yes, yes, I’m back, I’m back, and I’m not going to be going anywhere soon, no need to hold on so tight,” I say before picking Gabin up from under his arms, “Up we go,” I add as I swing him up and sit him on my shoulders. I then start heading down the hall towards the kitchen, Fergus and Morag following behind me while Gabin chants something in child-like gibberish along the lines of getting the be a mountain spirit. I guess because he stands above his sibling while on my shoulders. As I walked through the kitchen door, the delicious smell of a celebration meal being cooked entered my nose. A celebration meal can be made up of several different things depending on the family and they’re usually eaten during birthdays and holidays. Our family’s celebration meal is made up of a pork and bamboo shoot soup, a salad made up of different greens with toasted pumpkin seeds and a strawberry vinaigrette, and, like all Pink household, rice. There’s also always something for whoever the meals for, like a special treat. So if I know my family, which I do, there will definitely be some lemon-garlic elk skewers, my favourite.

“Ah, welcome home, flower,” Nana says from where she sits at the kitchen table, cutting up some bamboo shoots on a little wooden cutting board.

“Seems the greeting party found you,” Taunte Zoé said from beside Nana, cutting up some mushrooms, probably for the soup, or maybe the salad. My cousins could only giggle at their mother’s comment,

“Look mama, I’m a big tall mountain spirit!” Gabin cheered, raising his hands above his head, almost touching the ceiling. He should be glad he’s small, because he probably would have knocked himself off my shoulders had he been any bigger.

“Why yes, yes you are, now aren’t you,” She laughs softly, “but be careful, you don’t want to hurt Sara, carrying a mountain spirit on ones shoulders can’t be easy.”

“No need to worry, Taunte Zoé, I’m gonna be a powerful magician, I can carry around a mountain spirit, no problem.”

“Just like Granny Erina?” Morag asked, staring up at me with doe eyes,

“Of course, Mor, just like Granny Erina.” I told her, patting her on the head. I guess I’m only just realizing that I was my family’s last hope to stay out of the Downwalds. My dad didn’t have magic, my mom didn’t have magic, none of my grandparents, great-grandparents, tauntes or oncles, and almost none of Uncle Duncan’s family has any magic either. I’m kind of the all or nothing right now. If this doesn’t work out, what will happen to Maël? To Morag? Or Fergus? Or Gabin? Would they all have to face the Downwalds on their fourteenth birthday if I failed? Would my prayers to the Anci to take away my possibilities of having magic get my loved ones killed? Would I be the end of the Deleor bloodline? I had to simply smile to hide the panic that was bubbling up in my heart. “Anyone need any help with anything?”

“I think we’ve got it handled sweetheart,” My father said from where he was in front of the stove, grilling up what smelled like the lemon-garlic venison I loved so much. “But if you could go give your mother a hand with the youngsters, it’d be great. We don’t really need anymore firestarters ‘round here.” he said, glancing over his shoulder at me,

“You got it, papa.” I say, smiling widely at him, “alright, let’s go jack rabbits, to the…”

“You’re ma are in the living room with Maël and your other Tauntes and Oncles,” Taunte Zoé says,

“Alrighty, to the living room, jack rabbits away,” I say, turning around and walking back down the hall with a bouncy step, causing a loud laugh from Gabin. Mor opened the door to the living room for me, I walked my way in, lifting Gabin up off my shoulders, “by magic, by prowess, and by the spirit within me, I shrink this great mountain spirit down to but a wee hill, as a settlement for the people,” I chant as I put Gabin down, swaying him left and right as I do until his feet hit the ground. The chant was a quote from an old journal Granny Erina kept, from when she shrunk the great mountain spirit Kugionara into a tiny hill so that the people of the Pink region could make a settlement upon it. Some people around town think that she gave up her spirit to do what was needed to shrink Kugionara and appease them, that’s why none of her children had any magic, and it would be why I probably wouldn’t end up with any either. Though, I will drag Kugionara back up to their great mountainous position if it saves my family from the Downwalds.

“Welcome to the party, firestarter,” my Oncle Adam says, grinning like a dog.

“Well you aren’t needed in the kitchen either Oncle,” I quipped back, sticking my nose to the sky,

“She’s kinda got you there, Adam,” Oncle Hugo says,

“How are you doing, diva?” Taunte Inés asked, cutting out my oncles.

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“I’m doing great, Taunte Inés, school’s been good, works been good, it’s finally stopped raining, maybe, by the blessings of the prophetess, it might stop for a bit.” I say before my eyes follow my cousins as they trot their way over to where Maël was sitting on the floor, playing with some little wooden dolls Taunte Louise made for me when I was four. Maël really likes them.

“How are those friends of yours? What were their names, Mark and Luci?” Taunte Louise asked before sipping from a glass of tea.

“Marka and Lucius? They are good, excited for tomorrow. We’re actually planning to head out tonight, a little, last hurrah and all…” I say in a slow tone, rocking on my heels slightly, hoping mama would let me go.

“Oh, a last hurrah, hm? This isn’t going to get you arrested, is it now?” Mama asked as she set her glass down on the table.

“Of course not mama, at least not if we’re stealthy…” I say, still rocking to keep my legs from shaking,

“Ah, messing with magicians are we?” Oncle Adam pipes in, “good on ya, firestarter, you show those high-tails what’s for,” he then got a solid elbow to the side from Taunte Inés,

“We should be encouraging the sweet girl to be committing crimes right before the Selection Ceremony.” she says, looking to my mother, who could only give a small sigh before smiling at her sister.

“Come on, Inés, it’s basically a right of passage at this point, as long as she doesn’t get caught or cause any serious damage, I don’t see too much issue with it personally. It’s just a couple kids pulling a wee prank on some authority figures before they start their journey to become one of those authority figures.” Mama said, her voice calm and sweet

“I agree with Manon, we should let the girl have some fun,” Oncle Hugo adds,

“Yes, yes, Inés, don’t be a buzzkill, you remember how you used to be before you got that office job. You remember, right Manon, Inés-”

“Okay, okay, yes yes, diva has my blessing to do some mischief.” Taunte Inés says, causing me to fist-bump the air dramatically in excitement.

“Promise I won’t get caught.” I add with an ear-to-ear grin.

 

***

 

I stroll down my street in the darkest clothes I could find in my closet and ones that wouldn’t make too much noise when they rubbed together, in one hand the bag of water marbles, in the other an unlit flashlight. I skipped a little as I made my way back to the temple to wait for Lucius and Marka. I could basically feel my heart beating a mile a minute, my hands trembling slightly. It was so nerve wrecking to cause mischief. Lucius had beat me for being the earliest, sitting on the temple stairs as I walked up to meet them, sitting right beside them.

“You got the goods?” They asked, making it sound like this was some sort of illegal deal.

“Yeah, course,” I respond in a similar manner, placing the bag of marbles in their hands. I watch them take the instruction paper out of the bag and open it up to read it.

“Oh wow, these are legit magic water marbles,” They say,

“Yeah, you thought we’d just be throwing marbles at magicians? That wouldn’t be any fun.” I answer, “I’m shocked you had so little faith.”

“I mean, I thought this stuff was illegal, since it’s outlawed to teach anyone under the age of fourteen a command word.” They say,

“They are in certain counties but since Kugionara is so backwoods, we don’t really have that issue. As long as we don’t get caught, no ones going to know it wasn’t real magic.” I say as I hear footsteps approaching us. I glance over to spot Marka approaching in similar attire to Lucius and I. I stand from the stairs and grin in his direction, receiving a mischievous smile in return.

“Let’s get down to this, shall we? I’d like to get a wee little bit of sleep before the ceremony tomorrow.” Marka says, “and what’s really the plan anyways?”

“I say we climb the side ladder besides Mrs Tansies bakery to get on the roof that over arches the plaza where the magicians will be. My old man let me borrow his slingshot so we’ll be able to hit them from afar.” Lucius explained.

“Oo, you came here with a hold plan.” I say,

“Why of course,” They said with the utmost confidence, only to soon follow up with, “... and I did think we were just going to be shooting regular, non magic marbles at them, really don’t want to get caught then.” they explained with a shrug. Lucius then took the lead, Marka and I followed behind.   

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