I’m convinced that my parents have lost their minds. Though, it is quite possible they never had minds in the first place. As I sit here, they parade a bunch of servants in front of me in the hopes that I will choose one to tutor me in the magic arts.

  They’re dirtying up the rug.

  Prior to them being paraded in here like a woman being paraded before her would be suitors, it was a gorgeous emerald rug. Now there are clumps of dirt and mud and the entire room has been ruined. If the emerald rug is destroyed, what good is the maroon curtains? If I don’t have the maroon curtains, then having the hand carved teak four post bed is entirely pointless. The maroon and emerald duvet turns into an obsolete decoration and my room no longer is my room.

  What a shame.

  “Lucias, if you would please make a decision.” My footman sighed, exhausted. I slowly turn my gaze to him. Did this servant just insist that I hurry up? He lowers his gaze and stares at the floor.

  I turn back towards the line of people in front of me, though I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to discern from this. Several servants stood before, all in what I can only assume was rags. Sure, nothing appeared to be worn or destroyed, but the quality of it left me wanting, wanting to throw myself from the second story window.

  “How do you assume I choice a magic tutor by simply staring at a line of peasants?”

  “Sir, the individuals who stand before you were hand chosen by your parents. Each of them has shown great aptitude in the magical arts, and your parents have recognized that, alas they leave the final decision to you.”

  I push myself out of the chair and slump over to the line of people. I stand face to face with the first individual. She stood nearly as tall as me. She was obviously quite plain, since she was not of nobility, but she wasn’t inherently bad looking.

  “What is that I see there?” I slowly lean in, is that a hint of facial hair that I see?

  “Are you a man or a woman?

  “I am a woman, obviously.” She growls. “Are you a man, because based on what I have witnessed thus far, I don’t quite believe that you are.”

  “Oh the gall that you have. I do appreciate those with a little bit of gusto.” I clap my hands together excitedly. It’s far too often that people don’t actually approach me with truth. They would rather craft a storm of lies and deceit in the fear that I would somehow lose my cool. The reality is, I could not care less about most people. Whether they admit it or not, I find them to be beneath me. So, the truth can’t hurt when it’s coming from lesser people.

  I turn towards the footman,

  “Her, I choose her.”

  “As you wish sire.” He bows and motions for the rest of the servants to vacate he room.

  “Not without him.” The woman grabs the arm of a teen boy standing next to her. “I will tutor you, but not without him.”

  I stare at her, and then at the boy at her side. He appeared to be deal younger than her, and looks as though he may be once step away from dying of famine. He has dark hair, tanned skin, and his clothes hung on him as they would a clothes hanger. I suppose a man of his position couldn’t exactly afford to purchase clothes that fit. Such a shame.

  “What makes you think you have the right to give demands?”

  “Was a demand given? Or were you given a choice between a rogues gallery of peasants and servants in which you were to choose would be given the privilege to tutor you? You made a choice and I return with my own stipulations that would make me agree. You absolutely have the power to choose otherwise.”

  She doesn’t blink. She doesn’t waver. She maintains eye contact and doesn’t look away. She believes that she has the right to stand on a level playing field with me. I do find her fascinating. I again turn towards the boy. I suppose that choosing him may a be a small price to pay if it means I have won the prize that is this woman. She is a diamond, and I wish to own it. I think she will give me a great deal of entertainment.

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  “Deal.”

  “Hitha.” The woman motioned towards herself, “and he is Herc. If you cared.”

  I didn’t.

  ****

  “Magic is omnipresent, just as much as the air we breathe. It is a representation of how the universe functions, and the arts are how to we learned to manipulate those functions to our will. Yet, you can’t seem to manifest even the slightest bit of magic. I thought nobility was supposed to be superior to the peasants and slaves?”

  Hitha looked down her nose at me as I failed yet again to even accomplish the most basic of magical tasks. This servant thought herself better than me.

  “Because I am.” She smirked, obviously having read my mind. I wanted to talk back, but it wouldn’t do any good. For everything I had to say, Hitha always had something in return. I cross my legs and turn my attention away from her to her… I don’t know what to call him. Her servant? Her friend? Can peasants have friends? I’m not entirely sure they have social connections in the same way that we do.

  He, as opposed to me, was extraordinary with magic. I hate to admit it, and I would never say it out loud, but he was. As I sit here failing miserably, he is reading a book while simultaneously pouring me a cup of tea with magic. He didn’t even need to raise his gaze to make the tea, it’s as though he could reach out and touch it with his mind and that was enough for him.

  “Let us start at the beginning again I suppose—”

  “How does he do it?” I motion toward Herc who finally deigned to look up from his book to actually pay attention to me.

  “How do I do it? Have you ever read a book Sir Lucias?” He chided. Who does this child think he is?

  “I am quite well read I would have you know, Herc.”

  “Clearly not well read enough.” He turned his attention away from me and continued reading his book. What could possibly be so important in that book that he would place it above me? I go to move out of my chair and Hitha pushes me back down.

  “Having read great literary works are great for politics and theatrics, but it will not teach the way the world functions.” Hitha spat at me.

  “Clearly you have no concept of what great literary works are then. Society functions based on the actions of people, and those literary works depict that. Art mirrors society, or are you too ignorant to understand that?”

  “And would your supposed great works state that nobility is inherently more intelligent and talented than the servants in their employ?”

  “Obviously. It is mere fact.”

  “And yet Herc stands before you proving that to be wrong. He is a magical prodigy and you are… well not that. Which means that your so called belief that nobility are inherently and biologically more adept than those who weren’t lucky enough to be born into wealth and nobility is nothing more than a fallacy.”

  “Take that back!” I attempt to stand up and she pushes me back down again.

  “Oh, acting like a child now? Why because I scolded you? Told you you were wrong? You aren’t nearly as well read as you believe you are. Herc on the other hand, is. He has studied the way the world exists naturally, not the way you nobility believe it to work, but the way it actually works. The way the gods intended it work when they created it. Society is not a mirror of the natural law of the world, magic is.”

  “Idiot.” Herc says under his breath. Hitha smiles but doesn’t shift her gaze away from me. I roll my eyes, there was nothing I could do in this moment. I sigh.

  “How does he do it?”

  “Vibrations. Everything in the universe vibrates, that’s how I do it.” Herc closes his book and walks to the tea cart. He starts pushing it towards the door when he stops and turns back towards me.

  “Would you like more tea sire?” He smiles softly at me, but it wasn’t a nice smile. Something sinister about it. I didn’t know what, but he was probably making fun of me. What made these two servants think they could speak to me like this?

  “Well, since you haven’t responded I am going to assume no. You should probably drink more water anyway, your skin is starting to look a bit dry.” Herc spins around and walks out of the room.

  “So, let’s start at the beginning again. Perhaps what he just told you will have some effect, though I assume not.” Hitha sighs and motions for me to start from the beginning.

  ****

  “That is the home of the Diviner.”

  “It appears that it is.”

  At the present we are standing in the town center watching the home of the Diviner burn to the ground. Every attempt to douse the flames only backfired and caused the flames to burn even brighter. Whomever started this fire seemingly knew exactly what they are doing.

  In front of Hitha and myself stood Herc, his arms crossed and a smirk on his face.

  “And what do you presume I do about this?” I turn towards Hitha.

  “What exactly you do you mean sir Lucias? What could you possibly do about this? Why would you presume that you had to do anything at all?” Hitha smiled and turned back towards the burning house. It’s clear to me that Herc started the fire. Was this not obvious to everyone? Was Hitha not as intelligent as I had presumed.

  “I—” I begin and she immediately cuts me off.

  “Sir, no one knows who started the fire. It could simply be an accident.”

  “Can you at least tell me why?”

  Hitha leans closer to me and lowers her voice.

  “Herc is the son of the Diviner. Well, was.” Hitha almost chuckled when switching to the past tense but quickly stifled her laugh.

  My mouth falls open as I stare at her. This man, this… Magician just killed his own family.

  So, wait a minute? This man wasn’t a peasant? He was religious royalty? I’ve been had.

  Thanks for all the follow.