Saint Joseph School

Kara closed the book in front of her and slid it across the table to join a stack of other ones, and buried her head in her arms. As always, she had learned nothing, no clue as to the origin of her powers, the one thing she wanted to find out more than anything. Even after all the time she had spent here, looking for answers, she had found none, not even a lead. It was beginning to look like she may never know the truth. Maybe I should give up, she thought. I've been at it for a long time now; maybe I should forget about it and just accept what I was given...

She ran a hand through her hair in the back, feeling a slight tingling sensation in that hand. It was the one fact that had been discovered by MAGI back when she was being studied by them, the only clue to her power's existance. The healing energy that spread through the rest of her power originated at a point near the back of her head, flowing outwards to the rest of her body. It was concentrated outward in a few points, most notably her hands and the spots on her back where her white, feathery wings had grown in overnight one day. But this spot at the base of her skull was the only part where it concentrated inward. It was definitely coming from that point, but there was no source. No markings, no sigil, no enchantment or focii. It was as if the power were coming from nowhere at all...

She sighed and started to go through the next book, skimming the pages for useful information. Her eyes stopped on a passage, one within a catalogue of various known artifacts. She read the passage aloud to herself, "The Seeking Laurels: A set of golden laurel leaves created by the mage Oremor. While wearing the leaves, the wearer can immediately know the path of any magical energies encountered by the wearer, and is given a vision of the source. The idea behind the laurels is that if a spell is cast upon the wearer, it can be quickly and accurately traced back to its caster, revealing their identity and location even if hidden. Unfortunately, it does nothing to protect the wearer against the spell that was cast, so the wearer can be easily incapacitated and unable to act on the knowledge gained. For example, an easy counter to the laurel's ability is a simple memory charm, causing the wearer to forget the information that was just obtained."

Kara looked closely at the crude illustration of the laurels and thought, This is it... this could be the answer! If I wore these, I'd find out where the healing power is coming from! But where would I even find these things? She scanned the entry again, but it made no mention of the laurels' location, or if they even existed anymore. All she had to go one was the name of the mage who had created them: Oremor. Returning all her books to the shelves, she left the library in a hurry to find a pay phone; if there were anyone who could help her track down a mage...

Dialing the phone, she waited for a few moments, and eventually the line picked up, the voice on the other end greeting her, "MAGI, this is Azuria."

"Azuria!" Kara exclaimed. "It's Kara Rose!"

"Hello, Kara," Azuria said, her voice brightening slightly. "How is Saint Joseph treating you?"

"Oh, it's great," Kara replied, smiling. "I'm learning a lot, and the people here are very friendly."

"Glad to hear it. Is there something I can help you with?"

Kara said, "Yes, one thing. I'm trying to find something called the Seeking Laurels. They were made by a mage named Oremor, and I think they might help me find out where my powers are coming from..."

"Hmmm," Azuria said thoughtfully. "I've never heard of the Seeking Laurels. Oremor, on the other hand... yes, I know who he is, but if you're looking for him, I don't think you'll like the answer..."

"Why?" Kara asked. "Who is he?"

"He's a member of the Circle of Thorns. If he has the laurels, I don't believe he'll be willing to part with them so easily."

Swallowing, Kara said, "I... I understand. But I have to try. I have to." She took a deep breath and continued, "Okay... Where do I find him?"

((to be continued...))

This is too dangerous, Kara thought... I shouldn't be here; I should turn around now while I still can... Despite her common sense protesting, she proceeded further into the cave, the light of the sun being replaced by the luminous glow of fungus along the cave walls. Oremor wouldn't be far inside, or at least that's what Azuria had told her. She was thankful that the mage wasn't actually in Oranbega, or there would be no way she could approach him alone, but according to Azuria, he could not even leave his own cave due to some wards placed around it long ago. Even so, she knew she would be extremely vulnerable here, and hoped that the old wizard was not in a hostile mood.

Before long, she came upon a simple stone doorway, through which she could see the flickering of candlelight. This is it, she thought. Gathering her courage, she peered through the doorway. Inside was a simple chamber of stone that had been converted into a lab; the walls contained shelves hewn out of the stone, and were lined with books and jars of various spell components. A table in the center of the room had handwritten pages scattered around and utensils for scribing scrolls. The far side of the room contained an altar with a circle of lit candles and glowing runes etched into the surface. A fire pit was dug into the wall like a fireplace, with a tall wooden chair facing it.

Oremor was sitting in the chair; she could tell by his arm on the side, even though the chair was facing away from her. Cautiously approaching from that side, she tiptoed around to get a better look. He had a book open in his lap and was obviously in deep concentration reading it... but on another glance, she noticed he was not reading it, but instead was asleep. The old wizard's long white beard ran down onto the pages, and his thick white eyebrows sagged down over his eyes, a barely audible snore coming from him.

Kara hesitated, unsure whether or not she should wake him, or if she should take advantage of the opportunity and look for the Seeking Laurels while he was asleep. Her good nature got the better of her, and she reached out, laying a hand on his green-robed shoulder and whispering, "Pssst... Oremor...?"

The mage stirred, blinking a few times as his eyes opened, revealing the familiar glow that most members of the Circle of Thorns possessed. It took a few moments for him to notice Kara, and he reacted suddenly, the book falling out of his lap as he tried to sit up quickly. Kara quickly said, "Wait, wait, I'm not here to fight! I just want to talk!"

Oremor paused to consider this, staring intently at the young girl, and finally demanded, "Who are you?"

"Kara Rose," she replied. "And you're Oremor, the mage?"

With a barely perceptible nod, Oremor settled back into the chair, though his eyes did not leave her. "What do you want? I'm very busy," he told her.

Kara took a step back to give him some room, and said, "I'm looking for something you made a long time ago. The Seeking Laurels. Do you remember them?"

Oremor stared up at the ceiling for a moment, running a hand through his beard, and said, "Yes... yes, I do. Rather much of a failure, they were. Why in the name of the entities would you want them?"

"Because," she explained, "I think they could help me in something. You say they're useless, but they could be exactly the thing to give me the answers I've been looking for."

Getting up from the chair, Oremor brushed past her and walked over to one of the shelves, rummaging through it. He spoke as he did this, "I've still got them here somewhere, yes. But why should I help you?"

This was the question Kara was fearing the most. There really wasn't a reason for Oremor to just hand it over, and she knew he would have some sort of unreasonable request before he would give it to her. Taking a deep breath, she asked, "Is there anything I could get for you in return? Anything you want?"

"Well," he said, stopping his search for a moment to run a hand through his beard again thoughtfully, "there is one thing you get for me, since I am unable to leave this cave..."

"What is it?" Kara asked.

Oremor looked away from the shelf and focused his eyes on her, then said, "A cheeseburger. It's been years since I've had one."

Kara blinked, "That's it?"

"That's it," he affirmed. "Bring me one of those, and the laurels are yours. I don't even want them anymore, useless piece of junk..."

Kara felt relieved, and smiled a little, "It's a deal. I'll be back shortly!" She turned and left the chamber, jogging quickly back the way she came. Well, he was rather strange, Kara thought, but if that's all he wants, then... Even as she left the cave, taking back to the skies and heading for the city, she wondered if someone would lend her some money to buy a cheeseburger...

((to be continued...))