Page 153 of Cerulean Truth
He hesitated for a moment too long before responding. "No, I didn't. You never translatedwhen you were near me."
Well, that much was true. But still...
"You're telling me this is all a coincidence?" I frowned, my usual skepticism taking hold of my thoughts.
Martin, Julian, the Elder—whatever his name was—answered vaguely, skillfully sidestepping the actual question. "You'd be surprised how often we find other magi in the Human World." He shrugged.
"Yeah, but you didn't find... anyway," I decided to drop it for now. "I can't believe you're here! And you're the Elder! How's that possible?" I exclaimed. "Sorry, I'm simply trying to wrap my mind around it."
He laughed. "Glad to see you missed me," he said, prompting me to turn and hug him again. Our reunion was abruptly interrupted by James’s startling entrance.
His eyes darted from Martin to me, settling into a deathly stare. "Anyone wanna fill me in?" he asked dryly, narrowing his eyes.
"James!" I exclaimed, observing his icy tone but wisely choosing to ignore it. "This is Martin! As in my childhood friend I told you about, remember?"
He shot me a dark look, clearly unamused by the memory. Martin offered his hand to James, who regarded it as if it were laced with poison. Apparently, James’s admiration for his lifelong hero turned out to be rather short-lived.
"This is James Walker," I said, making a face at James to reprimand his rudeness.
"Ah, of course. Dennis Dale’s savior and the hero of Cyclos in the flesh. I've heard many wonderful things about you." Martin smiled broadly, but his sentiment wasn't reciprocated. What the heck was James’s problem?
“And you’re the Elder,” James remarked dryly, his tone sharp. “The oldest magus alive, who just happens to know the newest one, and just happens to visit right when she's found… Are you trying to make us believe that you and her meeting here right now is entirely coincidental?"
I stilled. James's voice was almost unrecognizable—harsh, cold, icy even. It wasn’t my friend (or whatever we were) standing there, but the cold calculated First Offensive. I tried to catch his eyes, but he was too busy staring down Martin and ignoring me.
"Well, I did hear about the oldest maga ever found in the Human World, which intrigued me enough to arrive a little sooner than necessary, but I had no idea it would be my childhood friend. How could I have known?" Martin flashed me a smile. Which I reciprocated. Could’ve been my imagination, but I could swear I heard James let out agrowl.
"Then why are you here exactly?" James interrogated further. I shot him a dark look in return; he was pushing the boundaries of decorum to new levels of disrespect.
However, Martin remained remarkably calm and civilized. "I'm here to discuss the recent uproar concerning the international consensus. You, as the next leader of Cyclos, are well-placed to imagine the catastrophe that would follow if magi start waging war with each other."
James clenched his jaw. Of course he could imagine that, but he obviously didn't care, and was clearly still objecting to Martin’s presence.
"I still can't believe you're really here," I whispered softly. "I'm so glad to finally have some form of a touchstone to my own reality."
"What do you mean by that?" Martin and James asked in unison.
I hesitated, berating myself internally for the verbal stumble.
"Well uhm, it's been quite challenging for me," I admitted, "leaving everything behind, starting anew without anything resembling my former life. It's been tougher than I expected, and the adjustment has been harder than I anticipated." I glanced at my oldest friend, who offered a sympathetic smile,then turned my gaze to James, who seemed to have figurative smoke coming out of his ears.
Perhaps that wasn't my most diplomatic moment. James had made an effort to facilitate my transition smoothly, and my candid comment seemed to hit a nerve. But I was only being honest; the struggle persisted, even six months into the transition. However, I should have expressed my sentiments more gracefully. Then, I got nervous.
“I’ve been struggling with basically everything since I’ve gotten here but I’ve been lucky to have James as my trainer,” I attempted to temper my idiotic blab. But it only got worse. “He’s been very patient with me, and I can be quite challenging as you know.”
Stop talking.
“But James turned out to have the patience of ten very patient people.”
What the hell am I saying?
“Or magi. Not that magi aren’t people. Of course they are people. But not always patient.”
Please, for the love of the gods stop talking.
I coughed. "Anyway, what brings you here exactly?" I shifted the conversation, catching a glimpse of James's hand trembling with anger in my peripheral vision.Seriously? He’s that furious? Why?
"I am here to contribute in every possible way to solidify an international consensus and ensure that every maga or magus feels heard. My objective is to prevent war and maintain peace," he declared.
