The Burning Flowers

Chapter I

It was a misty and cold morning in the small coastal town of Koraashik, though the fog wasn’t as thick as it had been in recent days. A light blanket of snow covered the countryside, remnants from the previous week’s storm, and judging by the dark clouds off in the distance, roiling over the Great Orientem Sea, another storm would soon be arriving. Winter was reaching its end, but the biting chill still seemed to be holding on with all its might, leaving the warm days of summer as nothing more than a sight still far into the future. Though, being close to the northern border between Trovia and the Ijirian Empire, the summers that the locals spoke of were almost certainly far colder than the summers that those in the south knew. At least, that was what the wandering woman thought to herself, for she had only been in Koraashik for a handful of months and knew nothing of their seasons aside from winter.

Normally, there would be handfuls of locals out and about, heading off to work or preparing for the day, but since it was one of the few days of rest that were scattered throughout the months, the road was silent of all noise aside from the crunch of her worn leather boots against the snow-covered ground. However, that wasn’t to say there was no sign of life. Every once and a while, she would raise her head to see somebody peeking through their windows at her, and when she did, she would gently wave. When she first arrived in the village, the locals had been weary of her, but she had long since gained their trust, and so they always waved back whenever they saw each other.

Due to the cold, the woman was wearing a tattered and old brown cloak with the cowl pulled up over her head that concealed most of her facial features. Similarly, her tunic, trousers, and boots were all falling apart as well, and she silently reprimanded herself for once again failing to study any mending magic. One of the few downsides to small villages like the one she was in was that those with a strong understanding of magic were rare, and she had learned not long after her arrival that Koraashik lacked a magical mender. Luckily, she had spoken with an older lady that learned how to sew without magic, but her prices had been far too high for the traveler to afford, so she was stuck wearing her old clothes until she could either afford to have them fixed or until she forced herself to stop by a larger city.

She sighed, reaching down to stare sadly at the large hole in her right-hand glove, then shook her head and turned her thoughts away from her shoddy appearance, instead deciding to once again take in her surroundings.

The architecture of Koraashik was predominantly stone and appeared as if they had all been built in the traditional hand-and-tool method, resembling the Ijirian villages of old as opposed to the magically constructed cities that had sprouted up during the Age of Ascension. In many ways, the woman preferred and appreciated these glimpses into the old ways of Ijiria before magic truly rose to the heights it had. Life out in the country was far more simple, and so in recent years, she had begun to avoid the major towns and cities altogether.

She smiled as she regarded the multiple houses that lined either side of the road, wondering if she should make a brief stop by the market later that day. Even on days of rest, one could always find a shop or two still open, and she had noticed that morning that she was running short on bread, so after her appointment, she decided she would swing by Melena’s Bakery and check in on them. Once she was done with that, she could head home and cook up some stew for lunch, then enjoy the rest of her afternoon safe from the cold. Smiling at the thought of escaping the poor weather, she let out a soft sneeze, realizing then that her face was beginning to grow numb.

Geez. I hope I’m not coming down with anything. The last thing I need is to get sick. It’s such a pain to cast healing magic when I’m feverish.

The traveler grimaced, then turned and stopped just at the front of a small one-story house with the same stone construction, as well as a thatched roof that looked as if it might need to be repaired soon. She quickly smoothed out her clothes, wanting to appear somewhat presentable, then softly walked forward to stand before the front door. She rapped her knuckles against the wooden surface a few times before stepping back to wait, and soon enough, it was opened to reveal a familiar woman in her mid-forties, dressed in an apron with her brown hair tied back in a tight and messy bun. Her eyes were sharp and almost intimidating, a stark contrast to the bright smile she was greeted with upon realizing who her visitor was.

“Ah, Miss Abigail. Thank you so much for coming. Please…”

Motioning for her to enter, the older woman stepped out of the way, enabling Abigail to move through the doorway and into the pleasantly warm interior of the house. The main room was rather spacious, with a small fire pit off to the left dug into the dirt ground that currently had a handful of flames burning just under a large pot that hung above it. The smell of cooked lamb reached Abi’s nose, telling her that it was most likely a stew for her daughter, and as her stomach grumbled, she prayed that the homeowner didn’t notice. The escape from the cold was more than welcome as she pulled her hood back down, revealing her braided brown hair and the crown of colored flowers that she always had intertwined around her head. Abi then turned her bright blue eyes back to the woman and returned the smile with one of her own.

“Of course, Mrs. Kiera,” she replied with a quick bow. “It’s my pleasure. I’m more than happy to help.” Once she rose, she folded her arms behind her back and smiled once again. “Is Tian in her room?”

Kiera nodded solemnly as she closed the house’s door before leaning up against it, the fatigue suddenly clear in her eyes. “She is, yes, but unfortunately she’s not showing any signs of getting better. She started eating last week, but yesterday, she suddenly refused to have any of her favorite stew and spent most of the day sleeping. I’m going to try again…” she said, indicating the pot behind Abi. “...but I’m getting really worried. Nolaria is a nasty thing, and I just…don’t want to lose her, too.”

“Do not worry,” Abi quickly assured her. “She will get through this. You have my word.”

At one time, most would have laughed off her promise. She was, after all, just barely over eighteen, though she had been told plenty of times in the past that her youthful features made her look closer to fifteen or sixteen. Whenever she first arrived in the villages and small towns of the north, she was laughed at or criticized, leaving her with the burden of proving her worth. But every time, she succeeded in showing those around her that she could be useful. And in recent days, convincing people to let her help had become of even greater importance.

Nolaria was a very dangerous disease that had wreaked havoc on Kalkorai for as long as anybody could remember. It had long since evolved to fight back against healing magic and was so contagious and deadly that it had completely wiped out entire villages before. For the last few decades, Ijirian healers had managed to get it under control, but it had once again evolved and the spells that once helped the body to fight it were no longer effective. The epidemic was ravaging the land surrounding the Trovian-Ijirian border and many were dying. Kiera’s husband had already passed due to an extremely aggressive case when Abi first arrived in town and now her daughter had contracted it.

“Thank you,” Kiera said after a moment. “This village cannot thank you enough. Mayor Kassan has already assured me plenty of times that you can do it. I want to believe him, but I’m so scared of getting my hopes up only for them to be crushed again.”

“They won’t be.” Abi spoke firmly, wanting to give the woman as much comfort as she possibly could. “My spell works. It hasn’t failed me yet.”

The older woman didn’t immediately reply and seemed as if she were once again sizing Abi up. Her daughter’s life was in the hands of what most still considered a child, and after already losing her husband, Abi could hardly blame her for being somewhat skeptical. But after so many months in Koraashik, she had already cured fifteen separate cases, with two of them so close to death that most believed all hope was lost. Mayor Kassan was one of them and Abi knew that it was his words that convinced Kiera to have faith.

“Very well,” she muttered. “Then please. Tian will be happy to see you.”

“Thank you.”

With another bow, Abi then turned and crossed the room to the hallway in the back that she knew from previous visits would lead to the building’s bedroom. Hoping the little girl wasn’t still asleep, she stopped just outside the door and gave a few knocks, and to her relief, she heard the weak call to enter just afterwards. Abi then pulled it open and stepped inside where she found a similar sight to the room outside. The floor was made up of dirt and there were a few holes in the roof, resulting in piles of snow scattered around various spots of the bedroom. The beds were made up of straw and there was an old and ratty blanket wrapped around the young girl. They were far from the most ideal conditions to fight a disease and the sad reality was that the majority of the village homes were in similar states. Koraashik was too far away from the southern Great Cities for the government to care and had long since fallen into poverty, forgotten by those in Erika and the Citadel. If Nolaria wiped them all out then it wouldn’t make much of a difference and it was due to that sad nature of those in control that Abi did what she did.

After all, if the rich and powerful of this country can’t be bothered to do anything then somebody has to…and if it comes down to it, I’ll do it for free. The people in this village can’t afford to pay me, and so even if it means I might not be able to buy bread for myself, at least I know that they’re okay. The Citadel doesn't care, so I’ll care in its place.

That was the reasoning that had motivated Abigail to travel around the country ever since she was fourteen. She excelled in nature magic and since the villages of Ijiria were hardly ever educated in magic usage, it meant that very few had a local healer. The recent epidemic only strengthened her determination and it was what set her on her path to creating the Nolaria-fighting spell that she had.

“Good morning, Tian,” Abi greeted with a warm smile. “How are you feeling?”

The little girl of eight years coughed a few times and weakly turned her eyes toward where Abi was standing. Despite her mind clearly not being in an alert state, she still managed to return the smile before coughing again.

“I’m…okay,” she muttered. “Still…sick.”

“Your mother said you didn’t eat yesterday,” Abi replied, shutting the bedroom door before crossing over to kneel beside the bed. Tian continued to cough as Abi reached her hand out to feel the little girl’s forehead, only to find it just as hot as the last time she was over.

It’s really not getting better. She’s got it particularly bad.

“Are you hungry now?” she asked when Tian didn’t manage any response. “You’re mother’s making a stew and I think you should try to eat at least some of it.”

But Tian just meekly shook her head. “No… I’m not…hungry…”

Abi sighed as she began removing her gloves, internally debating how best to cast the spell. The healing spell increased the ability of the body to fight the virus, but if she made it too strong, she would only wind up increasing the fever to an unhealthy level, which could result in the girl’s death. The goal would be to find a middle ground that wouldn’t completely eradicate the disease but would weaken it enough for Tian’s body to fight the rest of it off.

The issue is that she keeps relapsing. Every time I think she won’t need me anymore, it comes back.

“Look, Sweetie, you need to eat,” she explained. “My magic can only do so much. Your immune system has to do some of the work and if you’re not fueling up enough, it won’t be able to do it. So I’ll do my best to make you feel better but then you gotta promise me that you’ll have some stew, okay?”

Tian grimaced, then coughed a few more times, and when next she spoke, her words were weak and sounded like she was holding back tears. “Am I…gonna die…like Daddy?”

“No, absolutely not,” Abi said firmly and without a moment’s hesitation. “Nobody dies on my watch. I promise, Tian. You’re going to come back from this.”

Abigail then rubbed her hands together to warm them up before reaching out and removing the blanket that covered the girl’s body. Tian shivered against the cold and sniffled as Abi gently lifted her shirt up to expose her bare chest.

“Alright, take a few deep breaths,” she calmly ordered and the girl obliged, having already gone through this process a few times before. “Alright, keep doing that.” Abi reached her hands out and placed her fingers against the girl’s skin, feeling the mana within her flowing straight to her fingertips, then softly whispered, “Nolaufero”.

The nature magic that Abi had spent so long studying and refining exited her body and made its way into Tian’s. The girl’s shivering began to gradually stop as Abi continued to utter the incantation, keeping herself completely focused on eliminating parts of the virus herself while strengthening Tian’s immune system. Her eyes were closed so she could visualize what she wanted the magic to accomplish, and as she did, she mixed a little bit of the base healing spell, Benedio, in order to close up any internal cuts or scrapes that may be in her lungs or throat due to the coughing.

“Miss Abi?” the girl suddenly asked, and the healer was pleased that it sounded slightly stronger than before.

“Yes?” she replied between incantations, allowing just a little of her focus to turn toward the conversation.

“Why are you doing this? Mommy said she can’t pay you, so…?”

Abi chuckled softly, recalling when Kiera had asked the same thing back when they first met. “Because if I don’t, you could die,” she answered simply. “And I don’t like it when people die. As a practitioner of nature magic, it is my duty to preserve life. I do not need to be paid. I do not need anything except the knowledge that I helped someone. Do you not agree?”

“But…how do you survive then?”

“I make due,” Abigail murmured. “Sometimes, I help someone wealthy enough that they can pay, and that’s more than enough. I don’t need to live in luxury. I just need to live.”

Tian murmured something softly then, but Abi couldn’t quite make it out due to the concentration she was giving to the spell, but soon enough, the girl spoke again, loud enough to be heard.

“Are you an angel?”

“An angel?” Abi parroted with a laugh. “Oh, not at all. I’m just…Abi.”

“Oh. Well I think you’re an angel.”

With that, Tian fell silent, leaving Abi feeling significantly happier than when she had arrived. While the girl’s words were certainly an exaggeration, she loved knowing that she was making a difference in somebody’s life. Her intentions weren’t purely selfless. While she wanted to use her magic for the greater good, she couldn’t deny that she got a rush of pleasure whenever somebody thanked her or when she knew that her actions meant something to another, and as she traveled between towns, she was chasing that rush to some extent.

Yeah, I’m not an angel. I’m nothing more than me.

***

After casting the spell for another few minutes, Tian perked up just enough to eat the stew that Kiera prepared, and Abi was able to depart their home feeling confident that the little girl would recover. That being said, she was ready to keep returning for as long as necessary until she knew as a fact that the girl was healthy again. Kiera offered to serve her some lunch as thanks but, not wanting to take up any of their food, Abi declined, bid them goodbye, then went out into the market to go check up on Melena’s Bakery and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was open on the day of rest, though Melena herself wasn’t at the counter. Instead, her son was there to greet her and, since Abi had been the one to cure him of his own case of Nolaria, he refused to accept her payment for the bread, and after a few minutes of bickering, they compromised and decided that Abi would pay half price. Content with her two loaves of bread, she then departed the village and headed down the road and into the countryside, whistling as she went.

On the left side of the path, there were fields of snow-covered grass as far as the eye could see, and on the right side, there was a cliff’s edge roughly twenty yards away that overlooked the expanse of ocean that was the Great Orientem Sea. The clouds were much darker and far closer than they had been when Abi left that morning and at that point, she was certain that the storm would hit the coastline by the evening.

Gosh, tonight’s going to be another rough one, isn’t it…

Sighing, her shoulders slumping at the thought, Abi continued to follow the road, not seeing any sign of other travelers, until she finally came to the place she was staying. There was a large farmhouse just a mile off the main road where an older couple currently lived with their two sons. In exchange for lodgings, Abi had used her magic to cure both of the sons’ parents, and had since been using the second floor of the barn as a place to sleep, though that was the extent of her freeloading. She had already insisted upon paying for her own meals, and often went into town to get food at the local tavern, the Red Duck.

The big red barn was just behind the smaller main house and, not wanting to bother the family, she made her way through the snow-covered fields and around back. She had heard countless times that when summer rolled around and the fields were all full of fruits and vegetables that it was one of the prettiest views in all of Ijiria, and she was sad that she would almost certainly move on before then. That was one of the biggest downsides to what she did—getting attached to anything wasn’t smart, for she would rarely be in one place for too long, and thus far, she had yet to return to anywhere she had already been, with the exception of one or two villages she merely passed through.

In many ways, it was a lonely life, but it was the life she chose. She supposed she could have always remained in her family’s home of Uukana, but if she had done that, then she wouldn’t be able to reach anybody else. By traveling, she was able to spread her magic to more people, and at the very least, while she didn’t have anywhere she called home, she knew that her name would live on in the places she helped, serving as her legacy when the day finally came that she passed on.

And that’s payment enough, in my mind.

Grinning at the thought, Abi skipped toward the barnhouse and pulled open one of the double doors with the hand not holding bread, but just before she stepped inside, she froze. Since she spent most of her time in the countryside, her senses weren’t terribly keen when it came to knowing when somebody was nearby, but even an individual as weak as her would never mistake the overwhelming mana source within that barn.

Is there an intruder? Is the farm under attack? But why would anybody attack us? Especially somebody as powerful as this. A mere bandit wouldn’t have this strength, unless it’s some rogue mage, but…

“Oh, I’m sorry, Miss! I don’t mean you any harm!”

As her mind began to go a million miles a minute, a call from the inside caused her to frown. He sounded old, but she didn’t recognize the voice as belonging to either of the farm’s owners, who she then reminded herself wouldn’t have let off such a powerful presence anyway. However, something in the man’s voice calmed some of her fears and, knowing she’d have a better idea of his threat level if she laid eyes on him, Abi pushed the door open further and stepped inside, mana flowing straight to her fingers, ready to attack.

But luckily, she was quick in deciding that she wouldn’t have to.

The second she entered the barn, she caught sight of the individual standing just ahead, and her body was soon assured by that innate sixth sense that he wasn’t there to harm her. Upon first glance, she found that he was no taller than four feet, his body hunched over and his head bald. His features were heavily wrinkled, indicating that he was quite on in his years, and he had a neatly trimmed white beard and mustache. She soon realized that even without her sense, she wouldn’t have felt in danger simply by the comforting and cheerful look in his bright green eyes. He was dressed in traveling gear with a green cloak and a tunic that, even with their distance, she could see was well crafted, and he gripped a finely carved wooden cane in his left hand.

But…he’s ridiculously powerful. So who is he?

“Please,” he said, raising his free hand up as if to show him he meant no harm. “I did not mean to startle you. When I stopped by the farm, Mrs. Coleson informed me that you were still in town and that I could wait here in the barn for you.”

Narrowing her eyes in a suspicion built from years on the road, Abi briefly scanned her surroundings. There were stalls on either side of them, each filled by cows of different colors, mooing as if curious as to what was going on. In the back of the barn, there was a rickety wooden staircase leading up to a second floor loft that overlooked the first—the place that she had been sleeping for the duration of her stay. Not sensing the presence of anybody else, she lowered her hands and allowed her mana to flow back to the rest of her as she regarded the aged newcomer.

“And why are you looking for me? Have we met?” she inquired, not recalling his face from any of her previous stops and knowing that she would have remembered meeting somebody with such a presence.

The man slowly shook his head. “Oh, no, no. We’ve never met, but I’ve wanted to speak with you for quite some time. I’ve heard many things about you—many impressive and inspiring things.”

“Have you?” Abi glanced back over her shoulder, feeling the biting chilling following her through the open doorway and for a moment, she feared closing it just in case her sense was leading her astray. But reminding herself that it had never been wrong before, she reached out and pushed it shut, then turned her attention back to the old man. “And what exactly have you been hearing?”

He chuckled, then eyed her with a look that reminded her of an old grandfather she had once met once. The resemblance did manage to calm her nerves a bit more.

“Well, you see, for the last few months, word has reached me of a young girl with the power to cure the recent outbreak of Nolaria,” he explained. “At first I didn’t believe it given how much trouble we’ve been having in our own efforts to craft a spell to combat the disease, but as the accounts kept trickling in, I decided I had to see for myself.” He hobbled forward, leaning most of his body on the cane, indicating to her that he must have injured his leg. “I’ve been traveling among the northern villages and to my surprise, all the stories spoke of the same woman, and when I asked for evidence, they revealed just how few deaths from the outbreak they had. Compare that to the villages further south and it was quickly apparent that something intriguing was going on. So I ask, Miss Abigail, do you know how to cure the disease?”

After listening to his explanation, her curiosity only grew, and wanting to satiate that curiosity, she relied on the sense and answered honestly.

“To some extent,” she confirmed. “While my spell doesn’t necessarily cure it like some of the spells of the past, it does aid the immune system in fighting it, helping the white blood cells and closing some of the damaged parts of the body. It’s more of a…”

She hesitated in how to describe it, but the man was quick in finishing her thought.

“It’s not a cure, rather it’s a booster for the immune system?”

Abigail nodded. “Yeah, essentially.”

“Ah, I see.” The old man then glanced off to the left where a black cow was staring at him, then smiled to himself and turned back to Abi. “And you created this spell all on your own?’

“I did,” she muttered. “I’ve always been rather good at healing magic, and since those in Erika clearly haven’t seen fit to bother with the poorer villages, I figured somebody had to help them.”

The man suddenly laughed as if she had said something funny, but when she furrowed her brow in confusion, he merely shook his head and motioned for her to go on.

“Well, I went north to Harunhein and used their library to see what I could figure out,” she went on, though not without a dubious expression. “And after a few months of trial and error, I finally succeeded in making something that might work. I wasn’t anywhere near strong enough to fully cure the disease, and I only barely managed to link the magic with an incantation, but in the end, I think it turned out better than I could have hoped.”

“Yes, I would agree,” the man stated, still grinning wryly. “The older couple in the farmhouse told me all about how you helped them, too, and like I said, the death rate in the north has been significantly smaller than the south. That’s clearly attributed to you.”

But Abi was quick in shaking her head. “It’s not just me. I taught the spell to any village that already had a local healer. I’ve only been to a handful of places so if it’s that widespread then the credit can’t all be attributed to me.”

“And yet, those healers couldn’t have spread the knowledge without you first creating it,” he countered. “Am I wrong, Miss Abigail?”

“Er, well…I guess not, but…”

“Then I see no problem giving credit where it is due. Now…” Moving on as if suddenly deciding he was running out of time, the old man changed the subject before she could say anything further. “Who was it that trained you? And for that matter, what family are you from?”

“Um, well…” Abi’s lips tightened, unsure of how to explain her situation and finding herself slightly overwhelmed by this stranger’s constant barrage of questions. “You see, I wasn’t really trained by anybody. I was born in Uukana to a mother that died in childbirth. My father passed before I was born and my mother was just a commoner, lacking a surname, so I’ve always just been Abi. No family name.”

“No family name…or a trainer?” he parroted, and for the first time, the man’s confidence seemed to waver, as if her words genuinely shocked him.

“Yes,” she said. “I grew up in an Uukanan orphanage…one that wasn’t really all that clean or comfortable. I spent most of my time at the library, reading up on magic and spells and whatnot…and I guess since I had nothing better to do, I just taught myself nature magic.  I’m not really anything that special. I just…know things…and I apply what I know. That’s all…”

“And how old are you?” he inquired, but this time she just clenched her teeth.

“I’m sorry, why are you asking all of these questions?” Abi demanded. “Why should I tell you my whole life story when you haven’t even told me your name? Why are you here? What do you want with me?”

“Yes, yes, I’m sorry,” the old man quickly replied. “I should have introduced myself first, but I truly was fascinated by you.” Smoothing out his tunic, he leaned forward in a bow and then gave his name. “My name is Edwar Grunly, Master of Nature at the Ijirian Citadel. It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Abigail.”

When he rose, there was a mischievous smile on his face, and she was certain it was due to the dumbstruck expression on hers as she gaped at him. The words processed in her mind and at that moment, she didn’t have the first clue of what else she should say.

The Master of Nature? He’s…an Ijirian Master?

She had never even seen Erika or the great white tower that was the Citadel, let alone met one of the Masters in person. The Masters of Ijiria were the best of the best, the Empire’s strongest in each of the respective classes of magic. One Master was the equivalent of an army if used in the right conditions and most, she had heard, were pompous and arrogant individuals who lacked any interest in the struggles of the common people, content to live in luxury far up in the clouds. The Masters were respected by the mages of the empire, but Abi had always regarded them with disgust. After all, what she could do was nothing compared to them, so where were they when the country needed them most.

Grunly chuckled when she didn’t say anything in reply then spoke as if he could read her mind. “I must apologize for my more than pathetic response to this epidemic but, to be perfectly honest, I have been doing my best to convince young nature mages to help out since I am no longer in the greatest condition to travel the country.” His smile then turned somber. “I do wish I could do more for the people, but as it stands, once somebody arrives in Erika, it is hard to convince them to leave. Your words were not wrong. Us in the capital have not acted as we should.”

“Oh, um, well, I didn’t mean…”

Even though she meant every word she said, now that a Master was right before her, she found herself wanting to cover her tracks, fearing what might happen if she offended him.

“No, don’t worry,” he said, brushing her protests aside. “What you’ve done is extraordinary. You’re a woman who educated herself and solved a problem Nature’s Master has yet to solve. Imagine what you could do with a bit of proper schooling.”

“Um, I guess, but…” Abi was stumbling over her words, trying to figure out what she should be saying, but before she could even try and ask what a Master could want with her, Grunly answered it.

“I am here because I wanted to see if you were worth my time,” he explained. “And even in just these few words we’ve shared, I do think you could be…”

Then, throwing yet another stunning revelation her way, Abi could only continue to gape at him as Master Edwar Grunly smirked.

“Which is why I would like to personally invite you to attend the Academy of Erika.”