The Chronicles of Brendan Earle, Apprentice Mage.

Partnerships

Day Thirteen

Accession: Sample 199

Accession justification:

Relationships. They are for so many purposes. I must amass data.

She asked me (this was several drinks into the conversation) if I’d ever thought about it. Silly question for a man, I told her, it’s the single most thought about thing in the male universe. And what had I thought about it, she wanted to know? Bit coy, bit nosy. Well, I said, the French always say pour l’amore ou pour le sport. Looking at me, forty, fat, fading eyesight and falling hair, and it would have to be for love of my alliteration. And love was not an option on my table.  If any woman looked at me with lust, I told her, I’d be denigrated by her obvious lack of standards.

 She seemed to buy that one and didn’t realise how much of it was a lie. My conviction was total that any woman looking on me with an eye for a casual tumble would have to be a complete dog herself. Don’t get me wrong; I know a woman could go for the man inside this old body, but I own a mirror, for God’s sake.

They do not live in different worlds outside, so it must be their experiences of one world which account for the divergence in ideas. How to know if this perspective is common? It does not agree with ideas held by others, but none of them see the same world. I need to gather more data. Some changes in game parameters may be needed.

Rebecca

The next morning the train was still where we left it well after daybreak. I was the one who should’ve scattered the herd, but I could see the Sileni and Pheres out in their camp, showing no signs of setting off; having arguments instead.

After a bit, a group of them came out waving a white flag. I manifested Roland and sent him back to the house to get the others. Phil and I went to see what was going on.

We gave them medallions and they asked us to shield the place so no one would know what they’d said. Then they told us they didn’t dare return without delivering the supplies or their villages would be destroyed. They’d worked out they couldn’t get past us so they wanted to suggest a compromise. We could put rot spells on the food they were carrying and then let us go. They’d say that we must’ve done it while the herd was scattered and they hadn’t any way of knowing that, not having any Mages with them, so had continued to deliver.

What more could we want?

James

So there was me, sent off on what struck me as a right fool’s errand and no mistake. Off at first light, through the nearest Gate and into town with a shopping list that had me near dead of embarrassment. I’d never gone back for less than a week, but this one had me on a turn-around that’d see me on the other side for less than two hours. I’d be back before nightfall was the good part, but I’d be knackered going through the Gates twice in a day.

Kayley

Niall had me off to see the Head of the Gard’s Duergars to send a message out to all parts requesting supplies for a special project. I’d never heard anything like it before, but Niall had a spring in his step and a gleam in his eyes that I hadn’t seen for a while. So what, I thought, he’s winning this war using ideas Mitchell never had. The casualty rate was something Mitchell would have given thanks for. Perhaps this was another piece of genius. And besides, there was something more to that gleam that I found I liked to see. The man looked surer of himself than he had for days and he was looking at me. I know a look when I see one.

Phoebe

One of our raiding groups came back just after breakfast. It sort of stopped everything that was going on for a while ‘cos of the good news and the bad. The good news was that the Sea Wolves had succeeded in taking back the Sword of Bey. A joint raid with Mages from South and East Gards and ships of Sea Wolves had raided the Warg fort that was holding it.