I was adopted by a Magician

Until the age of twelve, Linda Jordan lived an ordinary life, like many girls her age, in a family of average means. Her parents earned a good income, the family was united, without conflict, and the only daughter did not need anything. However, a year ago her father died in a car accident, falling under the wheels of a drunk driver, and this event turned the family's life upside down. The mother grieved deeply, but soon came to the conclusion that it was necessary to remarry.

"You have to understand, dear" She said to Linda: "It's hard for me to provide for you on my salary alone, and it's hard without a man in the house. There are a lot of jobs we can't do on our own. He is a fine man and a great host. He works as a locksmith for the local utility department and gets a good salary. You'll see, you'll like him and you'll become friends".

Initially, Linda really liked the cheerful and attractive stepfather, although she did not approve of such a quick marriage. In his dealings with her, he was kind and caring, making an effort to show favor. Jason didn't really earn much at his main job, but he often found part-time jobs and tried to do them during working hours, periodically passing the money he earned to his wife and telling her how hard it was to earn.

"If you don't take care of yourself" He said mostly to Linda: "No one will take care of you. So I have to try to make sure you and your mother don't need anything".

Sometimes he came home a little late and slightly intoxicated after these jobs. Linda didn't like it, because there had been no alcoholism in the family before, and she had inherited her father's contempt for drunks.

"Don't mind it, dear" Her mother reassured her: "It's rare, and how much has he had to drink? For a man, a couple of drinks is nothing".

But soon such occasions became more and more frequent, and it was clear from my stepfather's condition that two drinks were no longer enough for him. Gradually Jason started bringing home bottles of vodka.

"Here, people gave me a drink!" He explained, putting a bottle of vodka on the table: "They offered it themselves, why refuse? In the evening we'll have a drink with you, mommy, it's good for your health, and it's good for a man!"

At first the mother did not approve, but then decided to join in, and at her daughter's rebuke said: "Honey, we don't drink much, and I don't see anything wrong with it. You've never seen me drunk, have you? Jason is very tired at work, he just needs to rest. You're almost an adult, you should realize that".

Somehow the cups of tea were replaced by half-liter bottles, and her mother began to drink more and more, no longer making excuses to her daughter. In the evenings Linda had a hasty dinner and retired to her room. Her mother and stepfather were not patient until she fell asleep, and did not hesitate to end their drunken feasts by making love in their bedroom.

In that hot summer without rain, the girl began to leave home altogether and return at night when her mother and stepfather were sleeping the dead of night. The mother stopped making lunches and doing household chores. Soon she was fired from the hair salon for an incident with a customer who she cut off almost half an ear with scissors, and even cologne didn't help get rid of the smell of alcohol. Jason found a position as a cleaner in his utility department.

They had had enough of what they drank in the evening and started drinking before work. First their mother was fired for drinking, and then Jason was fired. The first time he tried to find a job or earn money on the side, but he couldn't work like he used to, he ended up bringing things in from the house to sell for drinks and snacks.

After each bout of alcohol, the house would erupt into violent quarrels, which, unfortunately, often ended in fights. The neighbors tried in vain to persuade the intruders to think about their actions, and sometimes even called the local police to help, but all their efforts were like trying to persuade the furniture to talk. Linda was horrified to witness the gradual disappearance of one thing after another from her apartment: winter clothes, valuables, and anything else that could be sold at the market.

One day, when the girl came home and found that her favorite books were gone, tears came to her eyes. Her mother heard the crying, came into the room and tearfully supported her daughter, hugging her and trying to comfort her.

The process of peaceful coexistence was interrupted by a delicious sausage sandwich brought by one of Linda's kind neighbors. The girl had long eaten only bread and margarine, and her exhausted appearance touched the hearts of her neighbors, who tried to support her with fresh food and fruit.

Today Amanda had brought a sandwich in a newspaper for Linda too, knowing that the girl had gotten home earlier than usual because of the rain. Restraining herself from eating on the stairs, Linda went inside to eat her breakfast. Her stepfather hadn't visited her in a long time, so the girl decided to eat at the desk. But the smell of sausage attracted the attention of her stepfather Jason, who burst into the room, opening the door noisily.

"Your parents are in need, and you're living the good life here and still eating meat!" He shouted, reaching out for a sandwich.

Linda felt disgusted looking at him.

"Here you bastard, choke yourself!" She shouted, throwing the sandwich at him: "It's your fault mom is suffering so much from vodka! You drunkard, you damned bastard! I hate you!" And suddenly she fell from the chair receiving a fist on the head, falling she hit her head on the cupboard. The noise attracted her mother who saw Linda on the floor and pushed her husband away. Jason, of course, was drunk and after the shove he fell, hitting his head on the corner of the table.

"You bastard!" Shouted he, trying to get up on the fire: "I'm going to... kill you now!"

The frightened and even a little sobered mother ran away from her drunken husband, and he chased after her, angry. The chase ended in the kitchen, where Linda heard the clatter of dishes and the man's cry of pain. All reality was eclipsed by the thud of a falling body.

With difficulty she got to her feet and walked holding on to the wall on which she was leaning with her hand, the girl stepped into the living room and saw her mother, who ran out of the kitchen, screaming with terror, rushed through the doors and into the street. Linda already had a premonition that a terrible, irreversible sight awaited her behind the kitchen door, but still dared not look through the crack. And there, half lying on his stomach in a pool of blood, was her stepfather.

The next thing Linda saw above her was the ceiling in the living room, indicating that she had passed out. She woke up on the couch and found the police and some other people in the room. In the corner where the television used to be, her mother sat with her head in her palms, rocking quietly to the beat of her muffled moans. A familiar policeman was standing nearby, taking notes.

Before the officers finished their work, they carried the stepfather's body away on a stretcher. As they left the room, the mother was with them, and the senior lieutenant turned to Amanda as he finished his examination:

"We're already done. Could you and the neighbors work together to clean up the place? I know it's difficult, but the girl shouldn't be doing it herself right now. We'll call the doctors tomorrow and they'll give her a thorough examination".

"I'll wash it all myself" Promised Amanda: "Can I take Linda back to my place later?"

"It's not my place to decide that" Replied the officer: "But I can tell you at once that unless you're a relative of hers, it's unlikely to work out".

It was late at night, but Linda couldn't bear the thought of being sent to an orphanage tomorrow, deprived of her family, even if it wasn't the ideal one she had before.

As the precinct officer prepared to leave, he asked her if she had any next of kin.

"I have daddy's living parents" Replied the girl: "But they are old and after mom married Jason, they had a fight with mom and stopped talking to us".

"Is there no one else at all besides them?"

"There is another aunt, but she can't provide me with support. We've already discussed this with her".

Two months ago, the aunt came to visit while her mom was deep into an alcoholic depression. But they ended up having a big fight, and Auntie came to Linda, hugged her, and said, wiping tears from her eyes:

"What a nuisance, God help us all! She has always been weak-willed: for her moods depend on those around her. I can't understand what your father saw in her! This is going to end badly, and you'll probably end up in an orphanage. I'd love to take you, but there's just no way. You know how hard it is here. We have three boys, a husband, and we all live in two tiny little rooms. My George's salary isn't much and I haven't managed to work yet. Hang in there, dear. If things get tough, you'd better go to the police yourself. The orphanage will be better than what I've seen at your place. It won't be better, Linda, it'll be worse! Don't worry, five years is not a lifetime, and then you'll be on your own, and I'll start working when the younger ones grow up and I'll be able to help you. And the state will take care of orphanages: offer jobs, give dormitories. You are a smart and beautiful girl - you will not be lost in this life!"

She knew her aunt was telling the truth and genuinely sympathized with her.

"Maybe you'll sleep over at my place for tonight?" Interrupting her recollection was a familiar policeman: "I have a place for you".

"Thank you, Uncle Paul" She replied gratefully: "I'll stay here. Don't worry about it. And what will happen to mom?"

"She'll be arrested for sure" He sighed: "Charged with fighting while intoxicated in excess of self-defense. Your testimony will be included in the case, so maybe we can get the sentence reduced a bit".

She was thirsty, so she threw off the terry blanket she used to cover herself with in the summer and headed for the kitchen. On the table there was only an old enameled kettle and two aluminum mugs. The girl poured water into one of the mugs and sat down on a stool. She was startled by a sudden sound behind her and turned around. Above the place where the dead body used to lie, a circle was visible, painted in all the colors of the rainbow and unfolded by two meters.

In its center was a small black spot. After looking at this multicolored wonder for a few seconds, Linda got a headache. It seemed as if she was leaning over the edge and looking into a bottomless abyss. The pain in her head was aggravated by the rotation of the multicolored stripes at high speed.

A spot on the wall intrigued the girl and caused her to sharpen her focus. Upon closer inspection, she saw a miniature image of a woman in a long black dress. Suddenly the picture came to life, and the old woman was standing in front of Linda, the rainbow circle behind her back disappeared. The girl could not take her eyes off the guest. The old woman's face, with originally beautiful features, was now covered with wrinkles, and her thick hair, gathered in a pony tail at the back of her head, was completely white from gray hair.

The woman was dressed in a black velvet dress that barely grazed the floor, and on her head she wore a tiny beret of the same material. She wore no jewelry except for a high collar with lace inserts and a gold pattern.

"May I come in?" An old lady's voice rang out.

Despite her compressed lips, Linda was sure she was the one who had spoken.

"Sure, come in" Replied Linda: "Why ask that if you're already here?"

"Indeed, you are right about that" The old woman grinned: "The gate should not be kept open for long. Tell me, has blood been shed here recently?"

"Yeah, my mom killed my stepdad tonight. Can you please tell me why your lips don't move when you talk?"

"I don't speak your language, and you don't know mine. But for now we can communicate as it is. Do you belong to a noble family, girl?"

"I'm often referred to as being like my father. The Jordana surname belongs to the nobility, but father never brought it up. It's been a long time since we've had nobles. There was once a price to pay for that, but it's not that important now".

"You look noble, with fine facial features, large eyes, graceful neck, and slender frame. You certainly have aristocratic blood in you. Tell me, are you happy?"

"I'm so happy today, I'm ready to die!" Replied Linda: "I don't care to that extent anymore, I'm not even scared of you. You must be a sorceress?"

After her question, the old lady smiled sincerely.

"I've been called many names and different things, but I'm just a woman from a noble family with secret knowledge. Other than that, I'm just an ordinary woman. You can learn many things... if you accept my offer".

"And what are your ideas on that?"

"I invite you to embark on an exciting adventure into another dimension, become my apprentice and gain wealth and wisdom. You can gain control over your destiny and live by your own rules".

"So, you came to us from a parallel world? How can you travel between worlds without using spaceships?"

"I'm not quite sure what ships you're talking about right now, but I don't need space ships. I can travel across dimensions with magic".

"Magic is what else is called magic?"

"Not everything is as simple as it seems, and it's not what you just thought it was. Magic is a science, a power that exists throughout the universe".

"Will I be able to go back?"

"After I teach you how to open the gate, you can always return to your home".

"In that case, I agree. Let me just take a picture of Daddy!"

Linda returned instantly with her father's photograph and handed it to Helena. Her heart was pounding with excitement, gripped by the desire to leave the world that had changed to her in such an incomprehensible way, and the only thing she was worried about now was that the old woman might disappear. However, the old woman was standing in the kitchen, studying the aluminum mugs.

"What an interesting metal!" Noted Helen: "Are they expensive?"

"It's actually a pretty cheap metal" Replied Linda: "But it's lightweight and doesn't corrode. If you need it, you can take it with you".

"Alright, let's take them" Helena said decisively, taking both mugs: "Are you ready? In that case, let's not waste any time! Come to the door, I'll open the gate".

"I didn't ask you, and how do I address you?"

"Call me Helena. Now please be quiet, I need to concentrate".

She didn't cast any spells, but a glowing vortex began to form in the middle of the room, slowly growing in size. Suddenly it turned all the colors of the rainbow, becoming an exact replica of the portal that had disappeared half an hour ago.

"Go forward straight to the center" Helena told her: "Hurry up, because it's hard for me to keep the gate open for long".

Linda felt fear for a moment, which caused her to feel a little confused. However, when she gathered her strength, she decided to overcome the feeling of fear and stepped forward through the rainbow mist with her eyes closed. When she emerged from this vortex, she found herself in a spacious semi-dark room with a high vaulted ceiling. Helena appeared behind her, and then the gate disappeared, making it even darker.

"Where are we?" Asked the girl apprehensively.

"This is the last remaining intact tower in the castle" Helena's reply rang out in her head: "This tower is where I do my magic".

"So we're going to live here?" Linda clarified.

"No. Follow me, I will show you the castle and there you will meet my servants. But first you will have to learn our language to communicate with everyone in this world" Helena explained.

"Can you help me learn a language with magic? I'm not very good at learning new languages. I barely got a B in English" Linda expressed her concern.

"Magic won't help you study. So you'll have to study on your own. But don't worry, you have a good memory, and we can strengthen it with my potion. But first, I need to get to know you better. Even though we are alike in appearance, we may have strong differences in the state of our souls and just the inner workings of our bodies. So I need to find out what you're allergic to or what might be dangerous to you. Let's do that kind of research in the lab. Follow me" Helena ordered.

Linda followed Helena, who walked quickly, lifting her feet carefully to avoid tripping on the uneven stone slab floor. They went through an inconspicuous door in the wall and down a steeply descending staircase to a small room. It was flanked by five further halls. All of the rooms were empty and rather dirty.

"This is the part of the castle where no one has lived for a long time" Explained Helena: "Now I have few servants left to keep order in the other rooms that are still intact".

"Are there whole sections of the castle that aren't damaged?" Linda inquired: "Maybe it was attacked by enemies or destroyed by an earthquake?"

"When I took over this castle over half a century ago, it was already in this condition. The castle was probably damaged in an attack, but there were no earthquakes here as far as I can remember. Let's move faster. It's already nightfall in your world, and we're just starting dinner. I'm hungry, and we still need to find out what you can eat from us without danger".

"Who knew I'd get hungry so quickly too!" Linda thought to herself, but immediately heard the laughter of her new acquaintance...

She seemed to be constantly reading Linda's thoughts. However, this phenomenon did not bring much pleasure.

Continuing to smile Helena said: "When you master our language, I won't have to penetrate your thoughts. But for now, bear with me, or we will have difficulty communicating. Later, I will explain to you how to protect your mind".

After walking through two corridors, they stopped in a small, dark room. Helena made some manipulations in the semi-darkness, and the room became brighter. It turned out that the light was coming from a frosted ball hanging from the ceiling; it was about the size of a soccer ball.

"These are our rainbow demons" Feeling Linda's surprise, Helena explained: "They are harmless and even more so very useful if you know how to communicate with them properly. There is no such thing in your world?"

"We have electricity in every house instead of glowing demons" Replied Linda: "It's a useful and almost safe thing too, as long as you keep your fingers out of the socket. Is this your lab?"

In the center of the room stood a large table full of labware and equipment that looked like a moonshine machine. A rack of chests and thick books stood against the wall. There was nothing else here except four chairs.

"Now I'll get started on the analysis" Muttered Helena, shifting different sized glass spheres on the table: "Yep, this one will do. It will only take a drop of your blood for a complete analysis. Come over to the table and hold out your hand to me. Don't worry, it won't hurt. Come on!"

Still, Linda gingerly approached the sorceress and gave her her hand. She didn't want to starve to death or be poisoned by unfamiliar food. Helena grasped her hand deftly and let it go.

"That's it?" Surprised Linda: "Have you drawn blood yet?"

"Take a closer look at my hand" Said Helena: "First of all learn to trust me, your mentor. When it's time to experience pain, that's when you'll have to be patient".

Glancing at the old woman's water, Linda noticed a bright red drop flying in the air about five centimeters above Helena's wrinkled palm. The woman flicked it onto the surface of the large balloon. It instantly turned pink and began to emit a faint light. Almost transparent creatures began to flicker in the middle of it.

"Astral parasites" The old woman whispered mysteriously, looking at the girl with dark eyes: "The blood of sentient beings contains immense power, which astral parasites feed on, concentrating on the essence of their victim. We will need only a drop of blood for our purpose. Keep your voice down, don't let me concentrate. I'm reading the magic words".

"That's it, I'm done! I'm glad that most of our meals are quite good for you. Importantly, my infusions work well on you as well. Our variety of food and the amazing quality of the magical settings will not leave you indifferent. Truly, however, you and I are very different. You certainly can't conceive a child with a man from our world, but that won't stop you from enjoying lovemaking with them. To get pregnant, you will have to go to your world. Why are you so embarrassed? There's no need to be embarrassed - it's a natural process of life. In our villages, girls your age usually lose their virginity already, but ladies from noble families do it a little later. When it's time to give birth, our girls often get married right away".

"I don't think I'm ready yet" Linda protested, blushing like a poppy.

"I think you're ready" Helena decided, looking her over: "Don't worry, I'm not going to marry you off, on the contrary, it's important to me that you stay away from guys. It's right that you don't want to give birth so early, because such a birth could be bad for your health. Let's not waste any time, lunch will get cold. Let's go!"

On the way Helena spoke delicately to the girl: "Let's decide right away what I'm going to call you. For some reason you have such a jumble of different names in your mind. What do your loved ones usually call you?"

"Linda or Lindic".

"Let it be Rinda. It's a good noble name. And your clan, what is your name?"

"My father's last name is Jordan, so I'm a Jordan".

"Too long and heavy for my ears. You will be Baroness Rinda Wolf of Kivana. It is the kingdom next to ours. They haven't had a king for a long time, so there's chaos and war. If anyone asks where you're from, tell them you ran away from there. No one will test you out of fear for their lives. Now, about my favors. I only have two: Haya does the cooking and cleaning, and Gusd does the rest of the housekeeping. Their names, as you say, you don't need to know, and they've probably forgotten them long ago".

"So you and your two servants have lived here for so many years?"

"Yes no, twelve years ago I had many servants, but they betrayed my trust, stole from me and wanted to escape. But the truth is, they didn't get far".

"What happened to them afterward?"

"I sent the bogmen to subdue the servants and bring back the gold stolen by the name. But now they lie in the mire, probably rotted away by now".

"Isn't there some easier way to penalize theft?"

"Your head is full of nonsense that I'll have to clear, so you need to remember right away that in our world there is only one punishment for servants of traitors - the death penalty. But everyone chooses their own way. By the way, I want you to know that my way is not the cruelest. We are already at the place. This is our dining hall".

The room was three times the size of the empty laboratory, poorly lit, the ceiling very low, supported by a few stone columns. Tables of some kind of black wood stood everywhere in disarray. Chairs were only at two tables, two people were already seated at one of them. There were deep plates in front of them, the aroma of roasted meat rising from them made Linda swallow a mouthful of saliva.

"Sit at my table and enjoy your meal, or your fainting will not be far off. You will meet the servants later".

Linda sat down at the liberty table, poured the porridge and added meat from the common plate, and took a piece of warm bread. The bread was so tender that it almost dissolved in her mouth. Trying not to hurry and chew carefully, the girl still quickly cleared her plate and looked around the hall carefully.

On the tables, in addition to porridge and meat, there were unfamiliar fruits, herbs with a pungent odor, and large metal jugs. Linda couldn't eat or drink anymore, so she looked at the servants.

A tall old man, apparently Gusd, with a sharp face and a tail of hair at the back of his head sat eating porridge slowly without paying attention to the meat. Haya was much shorter than him, but fuller, with rough facial features and thick hair, which was also pinned back, ate the meat with gusto. The servants, as well as Linda, had finished their meal before Helena, but waited for her to finish and rose from the table after her.

Helena uttered a few short, curt phrases, in which Linda caught the new name given to her, and pointed a finger in her direction. Then the servants bowed to them both and began to clear the tables.

"Come on, I'll take you to your rooms" Said Helena: "Mine are right next to yours. Haya has already finished cleaning there and has prepared everything you need for you. If you have any questions, only ask me. After you've had a look around your apartment, come see me. I'm ready to tell you a lot about myself and about our world that will now be open to you".