Wizard's Price

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Come on! We're going to miss it!"

"Wait! Lucia, wait!"

"Keep up, Twyla!"

Laughing, Princess Lucia grabbed unto the wooden pole on the corner holding up the dark street lantern meant to brighten the streets when the sun went down. She used it to swing herself around, kicking up the loose fitting skirt of her kalasiris as she did so.

There was no way she was going to let this opportunity pass.

The trailing end of her skirt fluttered out behind her as Lucia sprinted down the street, the front of the cloth was gathered tight into her hands. She had to run between people going on about their daily lives as though they were living obstacles. A few of them cried out in surprise, most of them didn't even realize she was running around them until she had already passed and they could only blink at the bright maroon blur of her clothing.

Her gently curling, midnight black hair had long ago fallen from its band. A band that she knew Twyla had in her hand because she had already called out once for Lucia to stop so she could fix it. The princess would not, however, so her hair flew back behind her, free and unfettered except by the dangling, clear gemstone that hung over her forehead. That piece bounced with every step, threatening to go the way of the band.

Lucia didn't care. Her bright gray eyes sparkled in eager anticipation. She couldn't keep the smile from tugging at the corner of her full lips. Her breasts, small as they were, couldn't bounce very well as she ran, but the full curve of her hips was emphasized by the cotton cloth of her kalasiris pressing against her body from the speed of her sprint.

She wasn't missing this. She had missed it the last time he had come because she had been sick and unable to leave her bed. However, this time she couldn't have felt more alive. More energetic. He was coming back to the city, and he very rarely left his tower.

The Wizard of the Tower, Rune. Though he was technically a citizen of Luceria Ostia, he tended to stay in the Easton Tower, far away from the city gates. Lucia had only ever seen him a handful of times, and all of those he had only spoken to her parents. He was the Great Wizard of Luceria Ostia, he only had business with the king and queen. Lucia and her little brother were not yet his concern.

So the rare times that he did come to the city, she couldn't keep herself from getting excited. She was a huge fan of his. An admirer really.

The Great Wizard Rune. Protector of Luceria Ostia. He was barely a couple years older than herself and already he had more responsibility than she could imagine. Her destiny was to marry a nice husband and bear him his children. Rune was able to leave the city and see the world on his own whim. He could perform great magick spells and do wonderful deeds! His was a life of adventure and interest.

Oh, how she envied his freedom. And admired his selfless dedication to the people. He had her father's responsibility with none of her confining rules. She could not even imagine the sort of life he must lead. Away in his tower. Away from society's suffocating expectations.

So whenever the odd day did come that he visited the city, Lucia could not resist herself but to seek him out. Often, she could not do much more than watch him work. He rarely stayed longer than to cast whatever spell he was performing that day. Afterwords, he would sometimes report on his success to her father, but only if Boreas had asked for his aid.

That was no the case today. Rune had sent word that he would be performing this spell to ensure the health of the Iifa River on his own. The Iifa river was the only reason that Luceria Ostia was able to survive. The arid landscape around them grew only tough trees that provided no nutrition. It was the river that gave them fish. The river allowed them to grow fruits and vegetables. The river allowed them to travel to other places to trade.