The Chronicles of a Scalebound Sage

Freja turned from the door, clasping her hands together to stop from shaking. Her terror was palpable. The girl looked as if she might burst into tears any minute. 

The man, her father, Lord Salstar, walked up to the platform. With every step his anger rose. His face was full of wrath as he stared daggers at Bjorn. Without warning he spun around and slapped Freja across the face so hard she fell to the ground, blood running from her nose. 

“What is this--this thing? You have brought even more shame to my house,” Lord Salstar said, his voice uncomfortably calm for how angry he appeared to be. “Are you trying to embarrass us? I gave you strict instructions. Keep your head down, do not speak my name and do not embarrass the Salstar name. We are dragonkeepers. For generations our family has only summoned and tamed the mightiest of all beasts.” He shook his head in disbelief. “And you-you failure not only have the audacity to, not only be a pathetic wizard, the only one in our family lineage, but now this?” He pointed to Bjorn.

Bjorn pressed himself against the barrier keeping him on the platform. He tried everything in his power to help Freja, but all he could do was claw and hiss, which of course accomplished nothing. He could not believe that the man would come here just to belittle her. Everything in Bjorn just made him want to see just how effective his venom was on that man.

Freja cried. “I’m sorr…”

The man pulled out a wand made from black metal and inscribed with golden runes. It only took a single flick of his wrist and his magic weaved masterfully into a complex array to produce a chantless spell. In an instant a ring of soft light formed around Freja’s neck, choking her. The ring slowly lifted her into the air, just high enough that she had to stand on the tips of her toes to keep from being hanged.

“I don’t want to hear your excuses, I am sick of them,” Lord Salstar stated coldly. “Pack your bag; you have thirty minutes, do not make me wait.” He dismissed the magic and Freja fell to her knees, coughing and gasping for air. “Your magic hasn’t improved in the four years you’ve been here, and your sister isn’t around to defend you anymore. Pathetic.”

The man turned as his wand floated back into its case at his side. He looked at the hissing Bjorn with equal disdain and hatred. He walked to the door, which opened under his magical manipulations. Julie, standing outside, bowed her head. Obviously terrified of the man, she stammered out a greeting. Lord Salstar didn’t even acknowledge her before continuing on his way. As soon as he was out of sight Julie rushed into the room, checking on Freja.

“Are you okay? You're bleeding,” Julie said as she knelt down beside the coughing girl. “I’ll go get a healer or Ms. Dimii.”

“No,” Freja said as she wiped the blood from her mouth. “I have to pack. I’ll be fine.”

“Are you serious? Where are you going? Not with that evil noble hopefully,” Julie said as she helped Freja up to sit her on her bed. “He can’t treat you like this just because you’re a wizard and not a mage. We can get the authorities or something.”

Freja shook her head as she slammed her hand into her thigh. “And they will do what? Arrest him, the Lord? No offense but I don’t know if a human would understand. It is just now how things work here. Just leave me alone. I need to pack.”

Freja stood up and pulled her wand from a cylindrical hoster on her waist. The wand was a gnarled piece of faded wood that could be easily mistaken for a kindling if not for the rather comfortable leather grip. She spoke the words of power to call forth two wisps in the shape of hands. A beginner level wind spell would usually create substantial hands of wind that could interact with the world. Freja’s wind hands, however, looked weak and could not move quickly without winking out. She used the hands to quietly gather her things. 

Julie helped with wind hands of her own, which were far more stable and quick. She was sure to continue her slurry of insults towards Lord Salstar. Some of which were quite creative, and others couldn’t be translated yet as Failsafe didn’t know what they meant. It took only five minutes for Freja and Julie to pack the meager amount of belongings the girl possessed. Most of this time was spent carefully packing up her alchemy equipment. The wind hand carried her books, while she had a single bag full of her clothing and other nicknacks.

“Are you ready to go, baby?” Freja asked as she picked up Bjorn. “Guess you aren’t going to be able to meet the rest of my friends after all.”

“Is it safe to carry him like that?” Julie asked, apprehensive to get any closer. “The containment did tell us he’s venomous, you know.”

“Bjorn is a good boy, he wouldn’t bite anyone. Would you baby?” Freja asked while nuzzling Bjorn.

Bjorn let out an affirmative squawk. He didn’t notice before, but while she held him he could feel the faintest flow of mana coursing through her muscles. She was augmenting her strength with mana in order to carry him, which made sense as she was a pretty petite girl. His tail still dragged on the ground so he wrapped it around her waist, which could help with the weight distribution.

The lobby was full of girls staring out into the courtyard; more and more seemed to be rushing down the stairs to see what was going on. At the top of the stairs to the main lobby Miss Dimii was ordering the girls not to do anything that would embarrass the academy. As soon as she caught sight of Freja and Julie carrying bags she hurried over to them.

“What is going on, Freja?” Dimii asked, she then saw the swelling presenting itself on her cheek. “By the Divines, are you okay?” A gentle blue glow surrounded her hand as she touched Freja’s swollen face. “There.”

Healing magic coursed into Freja and the swelling quickly subsided. 

“Looks like I have to go,” Freja responded as Dimii finished her healing. “Thanks for looking after me these four years.”

Dimii opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a panting boy who inserted himself into their space.

“Freja, Julie, what is going on, why is Lord Salstar here?” Mat asked, trying to catch his breath. “Are those bags?”

“It looks like I’m leaving,” Freja said, choking back sadness. “Lord Salstar came to take me back home I guess.”

“But you just summoned your familiar, why would he take you now?” Mat asked as his eyes darted between Freja and Julie. “We don’t even know what he is yet. Speaking of, is it safe to carry him around like that?”

Freja sighed. “Bjorn is fine and I don’t know why he chose now to get me. Probably because my sister…”

“Oh. Yeah, didn’t mean to bring that up,” Mat said with a frown, scratching his head. 

“I’ll be fine though, I’m just going back home for a while it seems,” Freja said. She tried to smile but couldn’t.

A crash downstairs pulled Dimii’s attention, and she had to deal with a student that apparently tried to get a better view by standing on top of a coffee table. The trio was quiet for a few seconds, each of them struggling to figure out what to say next. Julie then stepped up, placing the case she was carrying on the ground; it was the one with all of Freja’s alchemy equipment. Julie grabbed Mat’s hand and Freja’s shoulder, since Freja’s hands were full with Bjorn. 

“It’s not like this is goodbye, guys,” the red headed girl said. “If you are ever in the Mesha Kingdom come see me. I may not be from nobility or whatever, but my family knows how to cook up a feast. Also Mat has a crush on you.”

Mat and Freja both perked up at the last statement. Their eyes locked for a second before they both averted eye contact. 

Mat stammered, “Wha-Wh-what?” His eyes locked onto Freja, cheeks turning nearly as red as Julie's hair. “Well I… you see uh.” He cleared his throat. “If you're ever in the Force Isles you're always welcome.”

“Oh… That is kind of you,” Freja said. “The invite I mean. Both of you. Thanks.”

After a few minutes the crowd opened when they noticed Freja and her friends making their way to the door. Outside, Freja finally saw why the crowd had gathered. A single figure clad in red was standing next to a massive lesser red dragon. The dragon was Lord Salstar’s familiar, Thrand, and he had a large enclosed carrier on his back with enough room for twenty people to sit or stand comfortably. Freja steeled herself with a deep breath and squeezed Bjorn a little tighter.