Thieves Alike

     -*- Refuge -*-

     Nathan heard a familiar giggle. He twisted his head and saw Zena staring up at him, holding her hand to her mouth.

     “Zena? What are you doing here?!” Nathan said, dumbfounded and annoyed.

     “Making sure you stay out of trouble,” Zena said.

     “Funny. Get me down," Nathan said, trying to grab at the rope by his ankle.

     "Okay, hang in there. Or up there I guess,” she giggled again.

     “You’re a real comedian,” Nathan answered sarcastically. “How'd you escape?”

     “I wouldn’t say she escaped. One would assume, in that case, that she has been under confinement," a new voice answered. The old Gelert appeared. Nathan wasn't sure how to feel. Not relieved.

     “I have no idea what's going on, but can you get me down. My head's feeling sore.” It wasn't feeling sore, but he hated feeling defenceless.

     “No problem,” the wizard said as he opened both hands, palms facing towards Nathan. The rope slowly lowered and the noose loosened.

     “Isn’t that neat what he can do?” Zena said. “He can cast spells without using words!"

     “No no. I’m using words, but as I’ve explained already, it comes from within, not from what you say," Malvus corrected. Nathan chose not to answer. He didn't exactly feel included in the conversation.

     “Lighten up, Nate. It was all for fun. Malvus here used to teach in Silver Hills until the war. He’s been sharing stories with me all afternoon. Can you believe he taught my parents?! Isn’t that awesome?!”

     Nathan picked himself up and dusted off his clothes. He glared at Zena with dissertation, but an expression of concern replaced the look when he noticed Zena staring at his head.

     “Uh, Nathan. There’s an odd-looking spider on your head," Zena said.

     “Nice try. I’m not falling for that one," Nathan said.

     “No, seriously," Zena said. Nathan remembered the big one on the lense of his binoculars and gasped. He took off his camper’s hat and threw it to the ground.

     “Wait wait wait! Stop!!” Malvus demanded. “That's not a spider. It’s an Aboogala. It's been following me around for years. I think it thinks it's a Petpet.” Malvus lowered his hand and the Aboogala crawled up his arm to his shoulder.

     “And that makes it less scary?” Zena asked sarcastically.

     “Well it looks like a spider,” Nathan said.

     “Spiders have eight legs. This fine little critter has but four," Malvus explained.

     “Sometimes spiders lose legs,” Nathan argued.

     “I believe spiders have pinchers, and they appear to be absent from this guy,” Malvus said.

     “Really? Is that true?” asked Zena.

     “I believe so. Besides it gets upset when you call it a spider, so there’s a difference," Malvus said.

     “Uhm, is that what it's doing right now?” asked Nathan. The Aboogala was making chirping noises and stomping its feet around.

     “Yes. It's definitely upset right now," Malvus chuckled.

     “What does it look like when it's happy?” Zena inquired.

     “Pretty much the same thing,” Malvus said and cleared his throat. “Anyway, this is Churp. I named it after the noise it makes.” Nathan felt silly being frightened by the little thing, but it looked much bigger the first time he saw it.

     “So where did the bag go?” Nathan asked. Zena picked it up off the ground and showed it.

     “That was me. I can be pretty sneaky," she said with a big smile.

     “That had all of our stuff in it. We shouldn’t be playing games like that," Nathan huffed.

     “The only thing I need is right here.” She lifted the obsidian locket out from under her collar.

     “I’d be more concerned about the preserves. We won’t get far without any food,” Nathan said.

     “Relax. Nothing was going to happen to it,” Zena said and placed the locket back under her collar.

     “Your mom’s obsidian locket, I see," Malvus said.

     “How did you know?” Zena asked. Nathan was equally puzzled.

     “She always had it on her. It contained the only picture of her mom and dad in it,” he explained. He told Zena about how her mom was adopted and never got to know her parents. “Those pictures were all that she had. Are they still in the locket?”

     “No. There is a picture of my mom and another of me when I was almost six,” Zena said. She took the locket out again and opened it up to show Malvus.

     "Lovely. You must have been very special to her to replace those pictures," Malvus smiled. Zena blushed. The words meant a lot to her. Nathan on the other hand motioned that he was getting sick by the unusually sweet moment.

     When Nathan settled down, Zena took a moment to explain the conversation she had with Malvus and how she agreed to help out with collecting and piling firewood in exchange for temporary lodge and magic lessons. Nathan was on board with hiding out for a few days, but opted out of magic lessons when he learned that Malvus was not willing to teach them Dark Magic. Where was the fun in that? The evening came quick and the two exhausted travellers agreed to an early bedtime.

     **********

     Both Nathan and Zena slept hard that night, exhausted from the previous day. Malvus let them sleep in. They needed their energy for the day he had planned out for them.

     When Zena awoke, she didn't remember if she had dreamt during the night, but her sore jaw told a different story. It was obvious she had been grinding her teeth.

     Malvus already had breakfast ready when they climbed out of bed. An assortment of food was nicely arranged on a freshly cleared table: A few stacks of books and boxes were stacked to the side. On the table were plates of bacon and eggs, toast and a large bowl of fruit. Two glasses were placed at each spot, one filled with water and the second empty. Pitchers of milk and orange juice were placed in the centre of the table. A steaming bowl of oatmeal was placed on top of a plate and silver utensils were properly arranged. The arrangement set before them didn't match the rest of the cabin, but Malvus had obviously been working hard this morning. Zena wondered how she was able to sleep through the commotion.

     Malvus was in another room when Nathan and Zena entered the kitchen. He yelled to them to get started on breakfast without him. It was going to be a long day.

     As they ate, Malvus interupted by clearing his throat. He was standing by the opposite end of the table clad in a blue robe dotted with white stars and a crescent moon, and a matching hat that came to a long point. Nathan choked at the sight. Zena’s reaction was similar, but thankfully her mouth was not full at the time. She chuckled into her sleeve.

     “What’re you wearing?” Nathan asked, trying to clear his throat.

     “I thought if I was going to be teaching magic, I should at least dress the part,” Malvus smirked with a humble chuckle. This was one of his favourite parts about teaching new students. “Our first lesson will be about the fundamentals of magic. You see, it's important to be able to decipher the difference between magic and simple trickery. Magic, unlike trickery, comes from within yourself.

     "Speaking of which, you guys must have been hungry. You’ve eaten your plates and all!" Malvus nodded his head towards the table where their plates should have been. Both Zena and Nathan's jaws dropped when they noticed that their plates, which were set up so nicely in front of them, were missing. The two exchanged confused looks and Malvus continued talking. “Trickery is mastered through the art of misdirection. While you two were distracted by my outfit, you didn't notice me cast a spell to make your plates disappear.” Nathan and Zena were both confused and impressed, but found themselves speechless.

     “Or is there a simpler explanation than that?” A voice from behind asked. Zena gasped, clenching hard on her chest and breathing dramatically deep breaths. They turned their heads and saw Malvus standing behind them holding both plates.

     “Don’t do that!” Zena laughed, still holding her chest. “I’m not big on surprises.”

     “How’d you do that?!” Nathan asked completely befuddled, trying to hide the fact that he was equally as startled as Zena.

     “The outfit was indeed a misdirection, but so was the screen on which my image was displayed. The image of Malvus in a wizard costume disappeared and the glass of the screen remained, blending well into the dark background.

     “That was a good trick,” Nathan admitted. “But why put all of that effort into putting together a trick without magic when you could have easily done the same thing with no more effort than casting a spell?”

     “Two reasons. First, the person playing the trick may not know magic or is very inexperienced in the art. Second, sometimes executing the spell can become too elaborate to execute and can either fail or exhaust you quickly,” Malvus took a moment for it to sink in. “How do you think we pulled off that trick on you yesterday?”

     “That’s right! How did I fall for this trick?!” Zena started laughing.

     “You used a screen?” Nathan asked. He looked over at Zena who was wiping away tears. Nathan was no longer humoured.

     “Precisely. I had Zena sneak outside while you were still hiding behind the tree and I set up the screen to look as though she was sitting in that chair,” Malvus said, pointing to the dusty armchair in the corner of the room. “I merely had to walk back and forth a few times until Zena could steal the bag and toy around with you. The snare was accidental, but it worked out well.”

     Churp chirped from above. Nathan glared up at the Aboogala causing Malvus to chuckle again.

     “Magic, as I’ve said, comes from within. The art is to focus more on your outcome and less on casting the spell.” The wizard’s eyes rolled back as he chanted some jargon. Pink smoke began to plume around him, engulfing him completely as he twisted around in several circles. He appeared across the table from them still holding both plates.

     “And that was teleportation,” the wizard grinned.

     “Wow!” Nathan was amazed again, which didn't happen often. “I’ve never seen that done before.”

     “And your plates returned,” the wizard continued as they disappeared from his hands. Zena and Nathan look down at the table and saw their plates in front of them. “Magic at its finest.”

     “Or was that trickery again?” A voice behind them said. Zena jumped again. “I take it you guys already forgot about the screen?” Malvus chuckled.

     “Wait. Did you even teleport?” Zena asked. Malvus tapped the side of his nose. “It's difficult to decipher, isn’t it? Magic can be easy to execute, but trickery takes much more planning and strategy. Masters of trickery are usually very intelligent beings and as a result can be very dangerous foe.” Zena couldn't help but applaud.

     "Yeah, a breakfast and a show," Nathan added facetiously, feeling bitter about being duped.

     "Sarcasm noted. We can continue the lesson later. We must be hungry." Malvus nodded towards the table. "Lets eat."

     Malvus joined them for breakfast and Churp rested in its favourite web on the chandelier above the table.

     After breakfast, Malvus outlined his lessons for the day. He would focus the first day on a few of the basics of magic, even though Zena and Nathan understood some advanced spells.

     "Even a grand piano needs a good fine tuning every now and again to aquire and maintain its greatest potential," Malvus illustrated. As a teacher, starting from scratch was an appropriate method to understand his students' abilities. He would adapt his lessons accordingly to the collective skill level.

     Nathan tried, but failed to keep his interest in Malvus's lessons and reminded Malvus that he had already opted out of them. He insisted he learned best figuring things out on his own and that he and teachers never really got along. Malvus made it clear he would miss out on vital information, but of course lessons weren't mandatory and he lent Nathan a few textbooks that would peak his interest. Zena, on the other hand, remained glued to his every word. She could hardly believe she was getting magic lessons from an expert.

     The days turned into weeks. Each day started with a large breakfast, usually consisting of eggs, waffles or pancakes, a fruit bowl and a cup of milk or orange juice. They learned that merchants travelled out to his cabin twice a week, which explained the wide trail that Nathan chose not to walk on.

     The days were filled with physical and hard labour with a substantial lunch break, long enough to eat a picnic-sized meal and still have a short nap to build up their energy. The days ended with a hearty meal prepared from Malvus himself. Over the years he mastered the art of preparing excellent food, though admitted magic was partially responsible. After dinner, Malvus would either tell stories of Silver Hills or teach a magic lesson. He didn't believe in lessons every day because he felt that the mind was best able to absorb information when it was well rested and ready to learn.

     His most valuable lesson he tried to reinforce was the importance of understanding one’s enemies and to anticipate their actions.

     "Most Neopians' mannerisms, and beings in general, are completely reliable because they run on routine and tend to fight this way," Malvus explained. "It can be tricky when they use weaker spells or moves because it requires less energy and focus. It is also easier to switch things up on the fly. However, when they are desperate, they develop a weakness: predictability. And this you must take advantage of if you want to increase your chances of winning. They will undoubtedly go for their most powerful attack. If you have studied your enemy, you can easily reverse the effects of a spell with a counter spell if you can accurately guess what spell your foe is planning."

     Malvus tried to make all of his lessons relatable to a younger audience like he did when he taught at the school in Silver Hills. Zena listened intently to every word the wizard spoke, whereas Nathan limited what he listened to. This included Malvus' multitude of stories. He listened only to the stories that involved juicy gossip about someone he knew, but otherwise he would go for a walk or spent time in the shed on the rainy days.

     On clear evenings they would tell stories around a campfire. Nathan and Zena told stories about growing up in Silver Hills, while Malvus told stories about the history of the village, the war and about visitors coming and going. He assured them that he really wasn't that old, but a lot had happened over the past sixty years.

     One story he shared was the origin of Silver Hills and how it was initially one of Shenkuu’s original trading posts. There were several trading posts scattered throughout the mountains, a couple of them hidden now in valleys up in the mountains. In present day, very few people know of their existence. Nathan was intrigued and declared that one day he would scout them out. He was, after all, very familiar with much of the land and was intrigued that there were still places he didn't know about.

     Malvus also told several more stories about Zena’s parents over the days and even one he knew about Nathan’s parents once he made the connection of who his parents were. They were sneaky too when they were younger, but he believed they were good people. He didn't recall ever teaching them, so he wasn't sure if they ever had been magic users, but it was also possible that they also didn't like school.

     The cool Autumn air eventually started to settle in, leaving the mornings damp and crisp. With the Summer officially coming to an end, Nathan and Zena realized it was time to say farewell and continue on their journey. They spent the last evening sitting by the fire, the three of them marvelling at the pile of split firewood and all of the hard work that went into it.

     “There has to be at least two harsh winter’s worth, if not three,” Malvus said.

     "But the wood's still green and wet. You don't have enough dry wood for this winter," Nathan said, looking at a small stack of dry wood by the fireplace.

     "There are ways around that. It would take very little energy to dry the wood out," Malvus chuckled. "I'm not that old!" Everyone laughed.

     After the logs burned low and a few more laughs, they all retreated to their rooms for the night. Churp climbed back up to its favourite web on the chandelier over the kitchen table.

To be continued…