The Sword and the Flame: The Forging

Chapter 1

"That's right folks; step right up and pick something you'd like. Maybe for that special girl; something for your wife — an anniversary is a terrible thing to forget. Or maybe you just want to treat yourselves? We have it all, or my name isn't Clay Morrow." 

The people of the small city of Hope gathered around him like he'd cast some kind of spell on them. They slobbered over his trinkets like a starving man would a loaf of bread. The Halfling watched the large jovial man work the crowd, amazed at the apparent lack of control these people showed. Janessa had been sitting there for the past few minutes with her arms crossed, watching him disapprovingly. How dare he do such a thing! It was clear to her that his trinkets were shoddy and worthless. She'd stolen far more reputable items from one of the city's officials just the other day. People like this Morrow fellow gave any respectable thief a bad name. At least, the barrel she sat on was comfortable.

"Still pouting, Jenny? What's he ever done to you?" The voice behind her belonged to Viola, her lone human friend and amateur mage. Viola always dreamed of becoming a great mage, imagining her name being spoken in the same sentence as Mortikye, Grassimore, or Killdare. Fate could be cruel as thus far her dreams hadn't come close to being realized. Only twenty, she wasn't quite old enough to expand her knowledge beyond the most rudimentary of spells. That was what her master, an older wizard named Poumous, told her. He'd been her instructor for close to ten years before she grew impatient enough to attempt a spell that only the most powerful of wizards could hope to use with any success. Her impatience led to half of her master's laboratory being blown apart when she lost control of the magic. Since she hadn't died in the accident, though none could explain why, she'd been sent home for her summer break early with the rest of the students. She had no doubt she'd be welcomed back — Poumous did appreciate the weight of gold in his purse — but she wasn't sure she wanted to go back.

Master Poumous developed a reputation over the years as running his school more like a boarding house than a magic school. In fact, most respectable mages refused to have anything to do with him or his pupils as they were always behind in their studies, due in large part to Poumous' laughable teaching ability. Despite his reputation, Albia Poumous displayed enough for the conclave to allow him to continue. They preferred to clean up his mess instead of having him stay with them in the Tower within the walls of Tagon Keep. With permission to teach his methods, Poumous would collect the gold it cost to maintain the school, without a care as to where or how it was procured.

The latter would've been of great interest to the Conclave had they known one of his students performed as an illusionist to afford the scrolls and spell books needed in Master Poumous' curriculum. Thus was how Viola, a street urchin that carried herself with dignity, could afford such a school. With none better for more than fifty miles and no way to travel aside from her own two feet, she'd take what she could from the good master.

Performing illusions for the masses was how she met Janessa — Jenny to her friends. Viola had been performing when she noticed the Halfling making her way through the crowd. Afterwards, she confronted the Halfling and found her pouches full of valuables. The two hit it off from the start and became fast friends, once Janessa knew Viola wasn't going to turn her over to the sheriff. As close as they were, neither one trusted the other in the beginning. Janessa worried she'd wake to find the city's guards there to arrest her and Viola was as worried that one day her spell components, scrolls, and spell books would all be gone.

Janessa's parents disappeared when she was very young, making her an outcast for most of her life. She never knew what happened to them as rumors spread through her people like wild fire and seemed to have a different twist with each retelling. Some claimed they were arrested while others said they'd been hung for stealing. The third, and the one Janessa decided to be the most likely story, was they just up and left her in the town of Solm.