The Node [On Hold]

The Node - Chapter 6

Deed having been done Bertrand and Bodwyn made their way through the chattering crowd of magii who occasionally stopped them to offer their congratulations or to 'warn' them of what they already knew. This of course being the fact that the stasis on the lower floors had been lifted.

Bertrand thanked those who felt it necessary to remind him and made sure to let them know that he had been aware of the consequences before taking action. He was slightly annoyed that some of the senior staff seemed surprised at the news.

Did they think so little of him?

He shrugged it off reminding himself that he was smarter than most people gave him credit for.

Bertrand the Vibrant, though jovial and light-hearted, took his tasks very seriously. Anyone who took him at face value might think him to be too lax for the position of Archmage but then again: would Reginald have chosen him if this were true?

Even Reginald the Stern couldn't say that there had been a more suitable candidate for the apprentice position back in the day. Reginald had very high standards and even though the two never saw eye-to-eye they had a kind of grudging respect for each other.

Arriving at the office he noticed from the corner of his eye that Bodwyn was studying him like he was wont to do when the aide thought his master wasn't aware he was being watched. One of the many habits that had earned him his nickname 'The Raven'.

Annoyance still fresh on his mind Bertrand gave the younger mage a look that told him they were perfectly aware.

Bodwyn smirked briefly as his face belied his embarrassment at having been caught.

"You seem concerned is all."

"Yes?" Bertrand asked the simple question without expecting or waiting for an answer.

"Well it's not important anyway. Some people out there just need to learn to think before they start flapping their gums." He left it at that.

Bodwyn didn't think to pry any further. No time to do so anyway because by now they had arrived at the top of the staircase that lead down to the (previously sealed) lower floors.

It was dark down and eerily silent down there. Bodwyn motioned toward the steps.

"Should I go take a look?" A mixture of emotions played across his features as he posed the question.

The gloom on the staircase did not look inviting. A smell came wafting up the stairs. It was heavy, thick and very familiar to Bertrand: pipe tobacco.

It smelled almost fresh as though the pipe in question had only just been put out. His former master Archmage Reginald the Stern used to smoke almost continually. The scent brought back memories of his own apprenticeship; good ones and bad.

He looked back at Bodwyn and shook his head. If anyone was going down there it would be him.

Now that Reginald had awoken once more it was best he was greeted by someone he actually knew. The older mage had a bad habit of attacking when he thought someone had entered his quarters without permission.

"I will go. You wait here,"

He pulled a candle off his desk using a telekinetic spell and lit it with a mere thought as it bobbed in the air beside him. Bodwyn stood back to allow for enough space to pass by.

Bertrand took a deep breath then descended slowly. It had been ages since he had been down here. All the books and random things strewn about the former Archmage's desk that were being revealed by the candle's glow seemed like old friends.

Reginald the Stern, though very particular in other ways, was not a tidy man. He was the only one who could find anything in this mess. Young Bertrand had spent much time searching for items among the stacks of stuff, strange devices and foreign objects.

He paused momentarily in the middle of the first room. This was just the office so he did not expect to find him here. The floor below him however was the personal living quarters where Reginald would have laid himself to rest awaiting his succession.

Bertrand directed the candle to float above his head as he hovered at the top of the second set of stairs. Trying to shine some light in to the depths he saw and heard nothing.

Steeling his resolve he willed himself to walk down exuding a casual air as though he were perfectly comfortable coming down to meet his old master after all these years.

The light spread through the room as he made his way down. Old portraits decorated the walls on either side. The wardrobe closest to him was flanked by a mirror and for a heart-stopping moment Bertrand thought he saw someone directly beside him. Realizing his mistake and silently scowling at his reflection he breathed a sigh of relief and moved further in to the area where the bed used to be.

"Well??" A familiar voice suddenly demanded from somewhere nearby.

"Bertrand Firestorm; did you mess it up!? In all my years...!" The voice growled in the darkness as Bertrand knees went a bot weak.

He heard the hurried rustling of fabric then saw Reginald stalking toward him as they got closer to the room's single light source.

"Uh," Bertrand fumbled for words. Having memories of a person haunt you was decidedly different from having the actual person in question staring you down.

"No, sir. It worked as intended."

In his mind he added 'Three hundred years ago.'