My second story that I've started writing for my best friend

A little back story about this story first: My best friend and I love Sherlock, so we each created our own mind palaces. This is the result of my mind putting my mind palace into a story. Please enjoy!

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Chapter 1

I'd heard the whispers, but I never thought it would happen. The High Wizard was coming down to our palace. Most people would think this a curse, but not me. My mother has confirmed to me that the High Wizard was visiting. She might even be here by tonight. I've been watching the doors from the ramparts since this morning. All I've seen have been the usual. Traders, Merchants, Jesters and the like. So far, I've not seen the High Wizard, but she does have her own schedule...

Wait. Look there. It's her! The High Wizard! This is almost too good to be true! I've been training in magic since I was a child, and I'll finally get to meet the High Wizard that made my training possible. I raced down the stairs, rushed through the halls, and tore through the gardens in the courtyard, stopping at the gates. I watched as the High Wizard walked at her own pace to the place I called my home.

I watched as she stopped along the road to greet and say thanks to the merchants she traveled with. As she walked through the open gates, I gave a deep bow of deference to her. As I stood up, she bowed with respect to me. It was a customary greeting between two adults who've trained in magic, but it still made me unnecessarily giddy. As she stood back up, she looked around.

"This courtyard. it feels small." She says to me as she looks back.

"That would be a consequence of my love for flowers." I reply to her. pointing at the many blooming gardens all around the courtyard. "It's a hobby of mine. I tend to them between my classes."

"Your aura is rather strong enough, don't you think?" she asks me with a quizzical look on her face.

"Not as strong as your own," I say to her, looking down with a smile on my face. I look back up at her and say, "I've been training since I was a child, and I've always aspired to be the next High Wizard."

"Well you might get The Chance. Would you take me to your parents? If you'd like, you can stay during our discussion." She says to me with a smile.

I grin widely and say to her, "Right this way, then." We start walking together, with me leading, to the main entry hall.

The High Wizard and I made our way to the front of the crowd in the main entry hall. The King and my mother noticed the two of us and called out to everyone gathered.

"We apologize, but we must ask that you all take your concerns with you out the door. We have business we must discuss with the High Wizard of the realm."

With a collective groan, and a myriad of complaints, the crowd left the main entry hall to where they needed to be. The High Wizard and I stayed where we were standing.

"Darien. What are you doing just standing there? I said for everyo-"

"Sir, I told him he could stay." I was glad she stepped in. The King waited a few moments.

"Why?" He asked simply.

"Because. I would like to give him The Chance. And he's told me he's always wanted it."

"Since when have you known how to use magic?" He asks me.

"Since I was born, King." I say to him with a hint of both deference and detestation. "And I've been training with it since I was five years of age."

The King waited a few more moments. "So you want The Chance. Well I refuse to allow it."

"That's fine. I only need the approval of my birth parents." This comment from me made him turn a bright red, but my mother was beaming.

"Ma'm, Do you give your son permission to take The Chance?" The High Wizard asks my mother.

"Yes! Yes let him take The Chance, please!" She says to the High Wizard.

"And do you have your father's permission, Darien?" The high Wizard asks me.

"He died before I knew him." I tell her.

"Then it's settled. You will be allowed to take The Chance." She says to me with a smile.

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Chapter 2


The King was furious now. "Then you will not take the throne while I still live, Darien!" He says to me.

"That can be arranged later." My mom says. "His brother still has a ways to go before he's talented or educated enough to take the throne. And his oldest brother will never take it, he's never wanted it."

My mother's comments only made the king more angered. "If you expect to take The Chance, you'd better find a new roof to live under!"

"That will be no problem." Th High Wizard tells The King. "He will be training with stronger wizards, and he will live with them."

I smiled widely. I turned and bowed to the High Wizard. "Thank you. I appreciate being given the Chance." I say to her.

Don't thank me now, Darien. You may be the strongest I've let take The Chance, but you can die just the same as anyone else." She turns away from The King to look at me. "I will oversee the rest of your training personally. From here on, you will refer to me as either Arianna DeVide, or Ma'm."

Yes ma'm." I say curtly as I stand straight. "May I ask. Why do you want to oversee the rest of my training yourself?"

"Because your aura is too strong. Almost too strong for our teachers to handle." She tells me flatly.

One of the many servants of the palace, a messenger, came running into the main entry hall. "King! There's a quarrelsome lot of Geraet soldiers heading to the palace! Head of Guard Uldrun sent me to tell you." The messenger only then looked around at the rest of us. When she saw Arianna, she squealed and ran off, not waiting for The King's orders.

"I think it would be best if we were on our way, Darien. Don't bother packing, you won't need anything." She says as she strides out of the main entry hall.

"King. I think you should teach my brother yourself, if you don't want me taking the throne when I come back." I say to him.

"And who are you to tell me what to do!? And What makes you so sure you'll make it back?" He yells to me.

"Goodbye, King." I say simply as I follow Arianna out. When I make it back to the courtyard, I see Arianna standing at the open gates. "May I just call you Arianna, ma'm?" I ask as I step up beside her.

"Just don't try to get close to me." She says. "How far off are those soldiers?"

"You're stronger than I am, why are you asking me?" I ask curious as to why she doesn't do it herself.

"I'd like to see how good you are." She says simply.

"They're about a mile and a half from reaching these gates here. So put a trap in front of them. Maybe a mile out." I say without hesitation.

Arianna looks over at me. "How did you do that so fast? Your Aura isn't strong enough to do that yet."

"It doesn't matter. Set the trap." I tell her without looking away from the road.

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The knot of Geraet soldiers were approaching the fork a mile and a half out from the gates of the Castle, the Castle told in stories to be the most revered in the lands nearly 300 years ago. Jordan, the newest recruit in the army, with almost five years under the belt, was at the back of the knot with his best friend. Like the rest of the soldiers in the knot, they were playing around and joking. However, unlike the rest of the knot, Jordan also knew how to use magic, not just a sword. In Geraet, knowing how to use magic and being in the army was akin to the highest degree of murder, so Jordan never used it when anyone was around. He never even told his best friend.

Knowing how to use magic, he knew about the trap. But he couldn't tell anyone how he knew it was there, or that he even knew it was there. He couldn't bear to watch as they all got slaughtered, so he just told them to keep going, while he went off to take care of a straggling soldier that wasn't really there. He started striding back the way they all came. About fifteen minutes later, he heard the final scream die out. He walked to the fork in the road where he ditched the knot. He could see enough smoke coming from ahead to realize what kind of trap it was. He nearly gagged. Barely keeping his stomach in order, he said a prayer to the spirits of his comrades.

He walked up the half mile to the pile of bodies. He didn't want to do this, but he had to find out. He placed his hand over the body of his best friend, not touching the burned body, just hovering it over the blacked, cracked skin. He felt the texture of the magic used to do this, only to find that it was already smoothed as if nothing had disturbed the place. He knew this was wrong. No one with that kind of magic should be alive anymore. Jordan stood up straight and used his own magic now. He softened the ground on the sides of the road and pushed the bodies of the knot of soldiers in. They fell as if the ground were just a hole. He knelt back down and let his hand hover over the ground where he just used his magic. As usual, he felt the texture of his magic. Rough, like a patch of gravel, with tufts of grass shooting up.

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Chapter 3


I look over to Arianna. "One survivor. He shouldn't be a problem if we run into him." I report as I look back out to the road.

"Your aura shouldn't be able to tell you that so fast. How are you doing it?" She asks, entirely befuddled.

"Check my aura as I'm using my magic." I tell her. I bring up my hand and open my fingers wide and flat. Five flames spark up around my finger tips and dance down towards my palm. The newly united flame changes to a dark blue color before extinguishing itself.

"Your aura flares excessively when you use your magic. That's not natural, who taught you that?" She says to me, a hint of fear in her voice, dampened by an overtone of courage.

"No one taught me. It's been as such since I was born and started training." I answer as I dropped my hand. "And history states that this is how magic manifested in All wizards at one time. You should know that."

"Of course I do. But Wizards have since lost this innate ability. How have you come to have it?"

"No idea. But I count it a blessing. It helps. And it doesn't backfire on me like it did so often for the wizards of old. It never has, and I honestly can't see it ever doing so." I say to her. I looked farther out up the road and ask Arianna, "Are you rethinking letting me take The Chance?"

"A little bit." She replies meekly. "Your innate ability might be too much for our teachers and trainers to handle. If it were any of the other candidates, I wouldn't be hesitating. But you're already strong enough in your magic without it."

"I got permission from my living blood parent. I will take The Chance." I answer to her quickly and confidently.

"Very well. Come then. We must get going immediately."

"Fine by me." I reply rather distantly.

As we started to leave by foot, the evening bell tolled. The evening bell signaled the closing of the outer front gate. I had to wave the gate guard away before he could close the gate on us. Reluctantly, and with much grumbling, he took his hands off the lever and waited for us to pass under.

Waking up right with the sun, and walking until an hour after the sun was down, it was a four day walk to the training site. We took only one break each day at high noon. We ate as soon as we got up and right before we went to sleep, as well as the one break at high noon. We made it to the training house, where all candidates for The Chance stay, minutes before the day's last meal. I decided to sleep instead. I headed for the sleeping hall alone and flopped onto the only bed in the hall that was undisturbed.