The Currents of Magic

Chapter Four

"Meyer, are you okay!" said Dobson.

It was nine in the evening, just five hours since the sparring tournament. Meyer had been alone in Healing Ward when Ian and Dobson burst into his room.

"I'm fine," said Meyer. He was about to continue speaking when the half open door of the infirmary room swung forward, and Healer Kelton entered. Meyer fixed his gaze awkwardly on a chair in the corner of the room.

"Fine?" said Kelton. "I should think that's quite the understatement." She turned to Ian and Dobson. "Your friend shattered four ribs, is suffering from internal bleeding and has a torn spleen. It's taken half the Martial Training Healers to keep him in stable condition, and Shaman Allarah herself is coming tomorrow to perform some rather intricate healing spells."

Kelton glared at Meyer before turning her attention back to Ian and Dobson. "Now who gave you permission to be here?"

"Healer Stenton," said Ian quickly. "She told us we could visit Meyer as long as we didn't stay more than twenty minutes."

Kelton narrowed her eyes. "Very well. Twenty minutes."

Ian waited a moment before closing to the door behind her. "So..." he began.

Meyer waved him off. "Kelton's just upset because I didn't wait for my ribs to fully recover. Healer Stenton told me I'd be out of here in no more than two days."

Dobson looked skeptical, but Ian smiled. "Perfect timing. You'll be free just in time for the advancement ceremony. I know how much you love long bureaucratic proceedings."

Meyer laughed. "Don't get me started."

There was a brief silence and then Dobson spoke. "Well, tell us what happened!"

"What did you hear?" said Meyer, steeling his nerves.

"Oh, there are loads of rumors flying around," said Ian. "More than half the recruits were in the village square this evening talking about it. Some say that you picked up Dex and threw him ten feet—"

"Or that you made his sword shatter just by staring at it!" said Dobson.

Meyer felt his shoulders relax as he realized his attack on Dex—not his injury, Lorant's insults, or his collapse—was the object of speculation and curiosity. Still, he braced himself for the conversation ahead.

"What actually happened?" said Ian.

"Well..." began Meyer, but his sentence ended there. Ever since waking up a few hours ago, he had been trying to make sense of his supernatural attack on Dex, yet no matter how he spun it, the incident seemed disturbingly uncanny.

Dobson's face paled into a worried expression. "Some people were saying you killed Dex—you didn't kill him, did you?"

"He didn't kill him, Dobs," said Ian. "Why would you even say that?"

"Meyer?"

"Dex is fine," said Meyer. "The Healers have been talking about him all evening. Still..." he trailed off and his focus turned to the chair in the corner. "I did land a pretty hard hit on him..."

"Well, is that all?" said Ian.

"No, I mean," Meyer hesitated—he couldn't lie to Ian and Dobson. "Something strange happened. I attacked Dex, and when he went to block, his sword shattered. It was like he didn't block me. Then I hit him and he went flying backwards, and the whole time I couldn't really feel what was going on. It was like I was in a sort of trance. I probably sound crazy, but it all just happened, and then Dex was lying on the ground, and I was standing there, and people were calling for a Healer."