Chapter 29: Don’t judge a baby by where he is!

“Don’t judge a man by where he is, you don’t know how far he has come!”

C.S.Lewis

"Where is he?" were the first words I heard from my grandfather as he burst through the front door.

"He’s fine. He’s resting." my mother replied.

It took my father, what felt like, half the day to find and bring grandfather back from wherever he had been. I was now more or less in control of my senses and able to eavesdrop on the conversation happening only next door.

"Is little Kai going to be okay?" father asked worriedly.

"Yes, yes." replied mother instantly, almost absently, before quizzing grandfather, “You have it?”

On the other hand, grandfather paused before replying, “Yes.” to my mother and to my father, "He’s going to be fine. Just might need to stay with me for a while.

"Why exactly is that, if he’s going to be fine?" questioned father worried, concerned and clearly sounding like he was growing somewhat suspicious.

. . .

There was a long pause, before another, long sigh sounded.

. . .

"Well he’s awoken his magic stat."  explained grandfather bluntly after possibly sharing a look with mother. It was difficult to use eavesdrop at the same time as echolocation, my resolution continued to improve as the skill levelled but it was still easier to use one at a time rather than both of them. I sat up in interest at what appeared to be a controversial subject.

. . .

"His magic stat? As in like a noble or a mage?" questioned my father.

"Right, and if we don’t want him taken away by the Kingdom to join the army or a noble to join their household we need to keep this between ourselves." pointed out grandfather. "He needs to know how to control it and . . . he is far too young to hide it right now, no matter how quick you say he might be."

"Right . . . " replied father before pausing and clearly thinking about the possible consequences of being found out.

“But, why . . .” father started before being interrupted.

"It might be best if Kai and Aleera are to stay with me . . . " he repeated before going on to explain his reasoning, "As I live out on Ash Island in the center of the lake, it is far enough away that no one will be able to find out, or see for a while at least, that he has magic." Grandfather interrupted.

Then having gained control of the conversation again he paused, thinking, before continuing. "If Aliayah says she has some complicated project to do and needs them out the way to complete it. Then I can step forward, to look after them. I've hardly seen them at all in compared to how often your father and mother come around. It would be good to bond have some family time."

Listening to the silent response from my father, my grandfather compromised, "You can come out every day to see them.  You can still teach Kai how to swim and sail.”

“No one has noticed anything yet, won’t a move seem odd? Especially as he is so young, he is barely weaned.” Father seemed to be arguing with himself more than my grandfather.

“Kai will be able to play with Magic without worrying about being found out. But also there are couple of other lessons that he needs to learn. A couple of the skills that will be essential if he’s going to keep this under wraps and continue to live in the town." Grandfather went into more detail.

"What kind of skills will you be teaching him?" demanded father once again argumentative.

"Well for starters, he'll need to learn how to lie." Shrugged grandfather.

"Lie?" father asked surprised.

"Yes. Yes, he needs to learn how to lie. Nobles cheated and lied to get to where they are. That or they were incredibly strong or lucky. Moreover, the majority of them need to continue to lie and cheat in order to stay where they are." Sardonically spelled out. "He needs to learn how to deceive, to be able to hide his magic . . .” and here he hesitated again.

“ . . . just like Aleera does.”

. . .

I could see him pausing further as father turned shocked to look at Aleera.

. . .

"Aleera and . . . Aliyah." he broke off

. . .

before mumuring, "And me."

. . .

There was a stunned silence as Kaius, the head of our household, took in the fact that there was not only one potential mage in the house right now, but four! I was stunned too. I had never not for a moment noticed, seen or even suspected that my family might have some magic skills. Our lives seemed so mundane and ordinary for the medieval times I found myself living in. Why wasn’t magic part of our everyday life? Was it so terrible and dangerous? Barring my disaster of hitting two traits in the same day, compounding the effects of gaining traits magic had been simply . . . magical for me. Everything I had dreamed of being able to do had I the powers of magic which I suddenly did in my new life here.

. . .

“You’re a mage?” quizzed father focusing on my grandfather rather than his wife for the moment.

“Yes, well no. I have the potential to be one but not the training, skills or resources. Kai does too which is why we will have to keep it hidden for him. Otherwise he will be found and bound to a noble house just like I was bound to a noble house before it fell. We need to do this to ensure his and out freedom.” He finished gesturing at all three of them.

"Wouldn’t he be registered as a new noble?" father pointed out.

"No. To be a noble you need Magic, power, land and money. You need all four, else you just get absorbed by another house or robbed of the ones you do have. That’s why we are here on the remnants of the furthest mountain west of the Compass kingdoms western capital. The Ponente Kingdom may be a decent kingdom in general. Better than many for most, but it’s nobles can be as cutthroat as any. Without the backing of a house, I didn’t have the contacts, money or lands to keep my daughter safe. That’s why we fled here, when the noble house I was bound to fell." He continued to explain his reasons to the one person in the room he had left to convince. The one person in the room he had to convince.

“But he could be . . . one day.” Father argued once more.

Again, grandfather paused before replying, "Now with Kai, maybe, one day we can build a new house here but not until we have sufficient resources to withstand the pressure that would come to bear on a new emergent house and even then, it would be safer to stay as we are. There is safety and security in anonymity and obscurity. We are happy as we are, aren’t you happy?”

“Yes but . . . does my father know of you, of us, of Kai?”

"Your father may suspect but he doesn’t know. He is trying to build a house. That’s why he has pushed his sons into so many different professions and maybe one day he will. But to keep your wife, daughter and son safe they need to be older and stronger to weather any complications caused by your grandfather’s ambitions.” Expounded grandfather.

"He knows I am stronger than I look, than I should be and supported your courtship of Aliyah, but I have experienced the rise and fall of politics and it is our distance rather than his caution that has kept him safe as he has moved forward with his plans. Kai cannot be a bargaining chip on the table. To keep your family safe, you have to keep this secret at least for now. Visit every day by all means and continue to swim and play with Kai but he will be safer with me for now." He reiterated leaving my father thinking quietly.

Ending the conversation with my father, he reached into a satchel bag taking out something in his hand, he turned to Aleera telling her to go and pack her stuff.

“Let’s go and check up on him, shall we?”

Then they came to look at me. By now, I was fully in control of my body even if I wasn’t feeling in control of my thoughts. I had 101 questions to ask, but it didn’t look like now would be the time.

"Come on Kai. You can stay with grandfather for a bit. Time to learn some rules on how to behave before you come back to town." He explained as loomed over me.

Then he lent down to place his arms around neck and placed a small amulet on my chest. As soon as it touched my skin I felt it beginning to absorb some of the mana I was producing to make some sort of a shell around us. The he lifted my box, picking up all my worldly belongings and me, before hanging them around his shoulder with a strap.

I was bundled up I carried out the front door, down through the town, to the jetty on the edge of the lake to the jetty where the boats were moored. Grandfather apparently had his own boat and we were piled into it. Mother and father watching, waved us off from the shore.

We sailed across the crystal blue lake towards the island in the middle, Ash Island. Black as soot it rose out of the water covered in trees. I hadn’t realised that anybody lived here but apparently grandfather does. We sailed in silence, lost in our own thoughts, before tying up wooden post and clambering ashore. It was a short walk from there to grandfather’s house. A small house built into the side of the mountain more a cave than a house. Less built it seemed almost carved out of the rock of the hillside.

“Well make yourself at home.” Grandfather gruffly told us.

Aleera had obviously been here before and set about tidying up and squaring our stuff away. Left to my own devices, I started to explore, while grandfather set about getting dinner ready. Once again, I was defeated by the doors. This time it wasn’t just a latch that defeated me. Grandfather had locks. And the doors were locked.

“Take him outside to play.” Grandfather absently told Aleera. “We will talk about how we are all to move forward after supper.”

We left Grandfather fixing food but clearly deep in thought. As we made our way back to the shore to stare at the town across the lake I thought to myself, ‘I’ve come so far in such a short time here but I still know so little.’