The Blue Pearl

"I don't know who this Vilon is nor this Aristeros."

"Vilon is a Mind and Aristeros is the Golden Anchor of Sharak."

She explained as to give him an idea how big a league he was talking about. But-

"Your…guild? Like you said before."

"Yes. I am… was an agent." She bit her lip to keep the tremble away. She was going to be a Liaison. Now she was not even an Eye.

"It 'Was' my Guild." She said again, bitterly as the words trembled out of her lips. "The greatest guild in the Faeraq Mae." But she still felt the pride in its name and power. That she was once, though a lower rank but still a member of it.

She calmed eventually and found it better not to think about it. So she wanted to know something else. "Just how do you not know of Sharak?"

"I was away…" He answered slowly. A slight discomfort visible through him as he tried to not look at her.

"How far away? The whole Faeraq Mae knows of Sharak. How far away could you be to not hear of it?"

There was a pause as he thought of an answer. He could lie, Bedona thought by the back of her mind but something told her that the Giant wouldn't.

"I was living alone, in a …cave."

She stared at him, hard as if to ask, 'Really'? He looked down sheepishly.

Somehow looking at him, Bedona could see that.

"Who are you?" Not giving him more chance to think Bedona asked seriously. "A master Wizard? You say you are strong enough to suppress Vilon's curse. The strongest spell he has. And you are barely spent. But there are thirty-eight master wizard in Faeraq Mae and all are accounted for, I don't think you match any of the descriptions. Is your name really Moswen?"

He didn't answer right away, instead lifted his head and stared silently at Bedona. She could almost hear him answer directly into her head.

"And Faeraq Mae… is a big place. One cannot account for everyone in it." He added softly.

It was true too. It was not possible to account everyone in it. But a master Wizard caused enough storms in the lands to be accounted for. One could not hide absolute power.

"There are witches in the wild, the traveling sorcerers. Have you heard of Narvith?"

He asked and Bedona shook her head.

"I, without a doubt can tell that he is alive and should be in your list of master wizards. Maybe even the strongest of them all …after Arch."

No one uttered the name Arch and the words wizard or sorcerer or any such kind in the same sentence. Arch was a force of nature, a calamity, a Demigod, every wizard's nightmare. Arch was hunter of magic or more specifically magic users. Whenever someone was bold or stupid enough to use enough power to draw his attention Arch came and 'Ate' them. The stronger the wizard was, the more danger of Arch he was in.

"Arch doesn't count." Bedona said quickly, keeping the shiver of panic down in her. She looked up to check without a thought just in case that bright blue line of calamity was in the sky today. "And… The Sorcerer king is the strongest of them all. People are already lifting him up as the next Demigod."

"Next …Demigod?" Moswen asked, as if having difficulty believing her words.

Bedona shrugged "You know, the Prophecy, a new Demigod ushering a new age."

Bedona shrugged, a bit unnerved by the sudden reaction but ultimately managed to ignore it. The Prophesy and the New Age was not something she cared about. But seeing him get so agitated by this did bring out some questions.

"Demigods are evil abominations, they have no place in this world…" he muttered darkly, completely ignoring Bedona.

"Whoa there, I don't care about Demigods as long as they stay as far away from me as possible. But You, you promised me answers…"

"Yes, I- I am sorry." She grimaced. Another sorry; she was beginning to think this giant just like to apologize.

"You still haven't answered me. Are you a master wizard or not?"

"…I am." He finally admitted.

And Bedona, even though she was certain of it, hearing it directly took her breath away.

She fought a Master Wizard and wished she was dead afterwards. It sounded exactly like how should be. Alive at his mercy but have him in her debt for her situation…

"What do you wish to do with me?" She asked with implications clear in her voice.

"Then you wish to abandon me after destroying my life?"

"No, but I, I…I am sorry." He sighed again, defeated and looked down.

So, this was a master wizard?

Granted she only ever met few but still, they always had a poise about them. A surety about themselves, a gravity, weight in the air around them. Moswen did not have that.

But she was not done with her questioning.

"What is your school?"

"School?" Giant repeated confused.

"School, field of study, discipline, specialty whatever… What is it?" Bedona asked a bit more forcefully, feeling annoyed at the Master Wizard's ignorance of basic knowledge.

"Oh! I specialize in protection. Wards and healing."

"So you healed me from the damage the Curse did. I thought I was going to die."

"Yes, your condition was… very bad." And now she sat, feeling all her limbs in working order. Even Ava, the only other Master Healer she knew wouldn't be able to do it, Bedona was certain.

"So how did you Heal me? The Ritzvan, Second Life, Kiss er Dsela?" She quipped. She knew of some healing spells, though only few of the famous names. She just had that sudden irritating urge to impress the Master Wizard in front of her and could not stop herself.

"None… I doubt you would know." He paused, eyes wide as he looked at Bedona. The insult must had been clear on her face for that. "No, no." lifting her hand rapidly as if to ward off her contempt. "My magic is fundamentally different. I mean no offense."

You better not. Words remained unsaid.

"Tell me about your Zone." She signaled the now dim golden dome around them. Formed by lines of golden sand, slowly shifting in unreadable marks, a half sphere of about ten feet diameter.

"It's a healing zone. I made it so that it helps your body adjusts to your change more easily."

"Change?" Bedona asked in alarm. "What change?"

What did he do? Did she feel any different?

An entire arm was nothing drastic. And seeing all the red sand underneath them, she was sure that she also needed lot more blood.

Master Wizards sure lived in a different world than the normal.

It was a bitter feeling, knowing how small she was in the bigger world. She had more questions, much more but it was getting difficult to swallow what she already knew.

Moswen also seemed to have sensed that as he straightened on his knees.

"It is about time I take it down." He said softly and looked at her with the concern eyes of a parent. "You are feeling alright, yes?"

Not knowing how to answer she just nodded. The dome was gone without as sound and the bright Sun assaulted her senses. It wasn't even noon yet. And unless it was the next day, which she didn't think so then her entire right arm was destroyed and created under a couple of hours.

She looked up at Moswen who was peering to his side toward the river with a frown. She tried to see what he was staring at but saw nothing.

"Tristan?" he murmured softly and without a warning ran off toward the River.