Groundford was a city that was more than 30 miles south of Chaim's house so we had traveled in a rush. It was no surprise that Chaim was disappointed when he found out that we may have made the journey for nothing.
His friend Tiberius had called him because he thought the sorcerer knew how to heal a boy possessed by demons. And Chaim totally knew how to, but Philip Gary didn't seem to be possessed at all. Every one of us was there - Chaim to perform the healing, Thea and I because it was only fitting that we, as his apprentices, were meant to follow him and learn in a practical way the secrets of trade, and Vits. Well, Vits just seemed to be anywhere Chaim was.
Philip was a young boy. He must have been around eleven years old. He had a feverish look in his eyes and he was lying on the ground, shaking violently. A lot of people were gathered around him. I felt very sorry for him.
"He is not possessed" Chaim repeated for the hundredth time.
But now he added something else "He's having seizures".
Chaim was the calmest and kindest person I've ever met, but he looked plainly disgusted. Not by the boy's struggles, but by the people staring at Philip and claiming he was possessed.
A young woman approached Chaim. She was very pretty but I could see that she couldn't afford to eat well and that she was extremely tired.
"Hi, I'm Philip's mother. I'm glad that you came here" she shook his hand. She was out of breath. "I knew that he couldn't be possessed! He's always been such a sweet boy, but he has a sickness of some sort".
I had a lot of questions and right now I couldn't ask Chaim, since he was talking to Ms Gary. I distanced myself from the crowd and signaled Thea to follow me. Perhaps she could be of help. When we were finally alone I asked "Do you think people here know something about magic? The woman seemed to know what demonic possession was and I guess everybody else back there knew too".
Thea stared at me in disbelief.
"What do you mean? Even though the goverment has set up some laws to restrict magic from being used too much, which by the way I think we're breaking as sorcerer apprentices, magical activity and magical creatures are still common in the Kingdoms. Where are you from?"
"Outwoods" I replied.
Thea thought about it. She pushed her dark hair back from her eyes.
"I remember reading something about Outwoods. It's a town where there's little supernatural activity, perhaps none. I think that's why people just don't talk about it".
"Actually, after we met, Oliver, I researched it" Vits said. "It seems like there hasn't been any form of magic in Outwoods for ages. What's more, it seems like people never talk about magic there, not even those who are old enough to remember the times when it was used more often".
He had approached us while we were talking. I hadn't even noticed.
"Wait, are you kidding?" I asked.
"I wish" he replied. "After the War, which happened mostly due to supernatural stuff that was deemed unnatural by some political parties...well, I'm not really good at explaining, but I think you already know that in wartime a lot of people were afraid of magic, magical creatures and spells. After the War was over, each town decided its own rules regarding to a lot of political issues, magic being one of them. The Corporation Of The Kingdoms is not so united, after all. You see, most towns can't just act like magic doesn't exist - there's still too much of it everywhere. Magical creatures are not hard to find in most countries of our world and neither are magicians, wizards and so on. So in the end Outwoods is one of the very few towns where magic seems to have completely vanished. As you know, it's extremely hard for people to find themselves out of their town as travelling is not as safe as it used to be, so nobody visits Outwoods and reminds people of magic or tells to those born after the War what magic is and how it works, and, after all, why should they?".
"And I'm from Outwoods" I said. "Just my luck. Even though, I have to admit I am relieved that this is the reason that Thea never questioned what we were studying and why. I felt like I was the only one who couldn't understand".
"I had never heard much about magic either before meeting you, but I knew some simple basic stuff. I also knew sorcerers were real people because of the part they played in the War, as you know I have read many books about that subject".
Thea didn't point out how much of a reader she was to make me feel bad, she was just very spontaneous. What's more, I never felt like we had some kind of competition. She was who she was and I was who I was and that was very clear from the start and it was also the reason why we had so much chemistry and why every time we found something that we had in common it was something we were grateful for.
"For a guy that had no idea that magic existed, you were very brave when we met". Vits was thoughtful. "But you could have told me, you know? Now I feel bad, I wasn't very helpful. Now that I think about it, Chaim and I didn't explain it very much to you, I wish I knew then what I know now, we could have approached you differently".
Why didn't I tell him I didn't have a clue about what they were saying? I don't remember what I was thinking, but maybe I was too scared to ask what he meant. And anyway, I always believed in magic even when people around me didn't, so the idea that Vits was taking me to a sort of school where I could learn all that stuff had seemed strange, but it didn't feel that impossible either.
"You live just outside of Outwoods, you should have known people don't know much about magic " I objected.
"Yeah" admitted Vits. "But I didn't know how bad the situation was... and however, some families, like the Blooms..."
Just then, Chaim stepped in.
"I have done my duty here" he said. His eyes were still angry.
"That poor boy. I can't believe the townsfolk thought he was possessed. He just has some sickness". I really meant that, even though I said that mostly to show Chaim that I agreed with him on the matter.
"It's really hard when you have to face people's disapproval and their hate, especially when you don't deserve it" he just pointed out.
His voice almost broke. I suddenly remembered the first time we met - back then, he kind of told me how difficult it was for him to find people that appreciated him and that didn't just gossip about his weird lifestyle. I started understanding why he resonated with Philip so much.
Vits patted gently on Chaim's shoulder. He looked sad and hurt, almost as if he was remembering some past's displeasing episode. I wondered if he knew Chaim back when he was so misunderstood and it suddenly struck me that I had never thought about their relationship before, but it was very clear that they must have known each other for a very long time.
"Maybe it's time to go home" suggested Thea.
I agreed with her, even though I admit I wanted to spend more time in this town, at least to avoid the lessons that were waiting for me back home. However, it was plain to see that what happened today hurt Chaim's feelings and I soon found out I felt very sad as well.
We were just about to head back, when someone tugged at Chaim's sleeve. We all turned to see who the intruder was. Chaim's eyes were still flaming. At the sight of the sorcerer's anger, the boy's face darkened and his smile died on his lips.
The boy was about fourteen years old, he was nice looking and he had chestnut hair and brown eyes.
"I heard you before, when you talked to those men" he said firmly, talking to Chaim. I was getting better at figuring people out and I could tell that he was a very logical and head-strong person. "You're a sorcerer, aren't you?" he didn't wait for a reply. "I am James Leedes and I require your services".
He stared boldly in Chaim's eyes. The man still looked pretty annoyed.
"I mean, if you would", the boy finally shrieked.
"Oh, he would" Vits laughed. He turned to me and Thea and whispered "Who taught this boy how to talk to sorcerers? Doesn't he know we're just normal folks?"
"We? " I asked. "Are you a sorcerer as well?"
I've been having doubts about it for a long time. Even though Vits was supposed to be a teacher, he didn't seem to be able to do anything out of the ordinary. Sometimes the things he said were playful in a way that reminded me of a trickster, but that was just about as supernatural as he could get.
"I am a sorcerer indeed" Vits teased. "I just never use the kind of sorcery I was trained in. I'm no good at it, I would cause some disaster".
The way he said that made it sound like a lazy excuse, but there was no time to think about it: James Leedes was still waiting for Chaim's reply.
It did not come.
The boy wasn't high on himself, that was plain to see, but he was also very proud. If Chaim thought he would grow weaker and ask more politely, he was wrong. James was getting annoyed and his eyes started sparkling too.
"You see, I am an apprentice smith and I think my master is possessed".
"Is this some kind of a sick joke?" barked Vits ."What's your master's name, Philip Gary?"
We soon found out that Vits' humour was wasted on James.
"No sir. Philip Gary is still a child, he is too young to be my master" he said, with a tone that made clear that he thought that Vits was somehow slow.
"Listen, we all wish we could say our boss is possessed" Vits suggested. "I mean, having someone who tells you what to do all the time is pretty hard. But the man is just stressed".
"The man's name is Paul Finnegan" James answered stubbornly "And I am pretty sure he is possessed".
Chaim seemed to remember what we were talking about.
"Tell me what makes you think Paul Finnegan is possessed".
"I admit I never liked my boss" James said cautiously as Vits started grinning. "But I wouldn't make up stories about him, it just wouldn't be right. And I am also aware of what sickness is, I never thought Philip was possessed - I actually know him and his family quite well and I enjoy their company. Mister Finnegan, however, is a different matter. A couple of days ago a man entered our workshop and gave us a weapon to repair. Well, since Mister Finnegan started working on the weapon, he hasn't been the same".
He looked at us with something in his eyes that looked like fear.
"I really mean, he hasn't been the same ".
He raised his eyebrows in an eloquent manner, as to signal to us that there was something to read between the lines.
I didn't get it. Thea looked super serious, as if she was trying her best to understand, but it was plain to see that she couldn't. We needed more information. Vits, on the other hand, looked like he was about to burst out laughing and he was doing his best to hold it in. Chaim looked thoughtful and finally said:
"Please, take us to him".
"I would love to" the boy replied, trying his best to still appear professional even though it was easy enough to see through his mask by now.
James Leedes took us to his workshop, which wasn't very far from the point where we had met. Groundford wasn't a very cool city but at least it was small and you couldn't get lost in it.
"Stand back" roared the boy as he pulled a key out of his pocket.
"Did... you... lock... him... inside?" asked Vits, laughing between breaths.
"But it's been two days, you said" objected Thea with a worried look on her face.
"It's been two days since the possession but I locked him up just for about five hours" the boy admitted, with a guilty voice.
"I won't tell you that you made a poor choice" Chaim reassured him. It just wasn't in his style to make someone else feel bad when it could be avoided.
"But what were you planning to do in case you didn't find help? You couldn't possibly know that we would have shown up".
"I locked him up right about when all the townsfolk started getting excited because someone came up with the idea that Philip could be possessed. I didn't know what they were going to do about it and I surely knew that Philip wasn't possessed at all, but I figured that whatever worked for them could work for me as well".
"That's a lot of people's political party. Whatever works for anybody else" Vits commented.
"You've been lucky" Chaim conceded. "But it could have been much worse. I am not happy that my friend Tiberius thought the boy was possessed - I thought him smarter than that and not so quick to judge" his mouth tightened. "However, I am grateful he called me to deal with it. I spared the boy a lot of pain and humiliation and, even though this couldn't be predicted, I also know how to save Mister Finnegan".
James opened the door. A man immediately jumped out. He was about fourty, with a healthy and strong body. I wondered how James could have restrained him in order to lock him up.
That's when Paul Finnegan started talking, except we couldn't understand what he was saying. And something else was totally off.
Vits was the first one that managed to put it into words.
"Is he supposed to speak with the voice of an old lady?"
"Of course he isn't". James rolled back his eyes. "I told you he hasn't been the same. The old lady is the one possessing him".
"That's insane". Thea looked uncertain. "Why would an old lady want to possess someone?"
"Uhm I don't know" I replied sarcastically. "I could think of a few ones who would like to possess me".
Only when Vits started laughing and Thea was embarrassed I noticed how that must have sounded. Even Chaim was smiling. James, on the other hand, was staring at me like he had not noticed me before and that sounded about the kind of thing someone like him would do.
My cheeks were burning red by now. "That's not what I meant to say".
"Why not?" Vits loved awkward situations and he knew all the tricks to make them worse. "You're very good-looking, I'm sure the old ladies notice that too".
"I'm not" I protested. "And what I meant to say was that when I worked at the bakery we used to have a lot of old ladies as clients and they went crazy over my cakes".
"Not just your cakes" Vits suggested.
I don't know what hurt me most - the fact that Chaim seemed to find it especially funny or the disappointed look in Thea's eyes. She was always a serious person and she didn't enjoy this kind of jokes.
I immediately replied "Even though I regret saying it now, I think the old ladies would possess me to be able to work in the bakery and prepare all the cakes they want".
"Master, please" pleaded James with a small voice. "Help me with Mister Finnegan".
We all looked at each other, trying to figure out who the master was, but Chaim figured out it must have been him just in time to avoid some gross joke that Vits could have done about it.
"Sure" Chaim said with a kind voice. "But first, I have to admit I do not speak the language he... I mean... she... is speaking. I think it's a very old tongue that nobody speaks anymore, but it would be interesting to understand what the spirit has to say, indeed".
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" asked Vits.
"I am" Chaim replied, with no need for further hints.
"I'll go fetch Tiberius" sighed Vits.
"Tiberius?" I asked. "Isn't he your friend? The one who was wrong about Philip Gary? Why would you need him now?"
I really didn't get it, especially considering how badly his mistake had hurt Chaim.
"He is" Chaim replied with a serious voice. "However, he is not always so inconsiderate. He is very clever and there are skills for which he may be needed. I'll be honest with you, it might sound difficult to hear because I know you have never met another one like him before, but there's more than a few - he was born in the Middle Ages and, thanks to potions that I guess are known only to some people, he is still alive. So he knows a lot of things and he also speaks this dead language".
I wasn't so shocked.
After I had spent a while studying magic and witnessing some strange stuff happen, the idea of meeting one of the oldest men alive wasn't so bad. After all, I had just learnt earlier that day that, despite what we people from Outwoods were made to think, the Corporation of The Kingdoms was a very magical place where supernatural stuff was almost ordinary and strange creatures could live.
Vits came back, dragging Tiberius along.
"This man is possessed" Chaim explained to him. "Now, you have a chance to see what someone really possessed looks like. And, no thanks to you, my apprentices can learn how to exorcise people. But, before we do that, I would like to know what the spirit of this old woman is saying".
"Are you sure he won't lie? After he lied about Phil, how can we trust him?"
Surprisingly, this outburst came from James, who seemed to have the best manners in the group when it came to talking to adults.
Chaim didn't look pleased with James' words.
"I trust Tiberius. Maybe, after today, not so much that I would trust him with my life, but in the past I did and he didn't fail me".
"I won't fail you now" Tiberius assured. "I didn't mean to humiliate the boy, I just wanted to make sure I didn't miss anything. If he was really possessed, you could help".
"But it was plain to see that he wasn't" Vits sounded annoyed. "Now, let's just forget it".
"I'm glad I came here" Chaim said. "Not only because we can really help Mister Finnegan, but also because I gave Philip's mother the recipe for some potions that I think can help the boy and maybe even cure him in time".
Tiberius got closer to the blacksmith. The man (lady?) started talking again.
"Okay, I got this" Tiberius said. "This is a vengeful spirit. The old lady is saying that she was murdered by someone she thought was a friend. And, as you have probably guessed by now, the murder weapon was the very same weapon that the blacksmith was asked to fix. Of course, this happened centuries ago. But the spirit couldn't move on and it got stuck in the weapon, until the blacksmith opened it to fix it. Then she found a body that she could possess and she plans to use it to have her revenge. Of course, she still doesn't get that it's way too late now. Her concept of time may be a little messed up, but she's slowly figuring out that things changed around here".
"That's awful" Thea commented.
Her eyes were full of tears. I felt that she was very brave for never feeling the need to hide her emotions.
"I would like to hear her tell her own story, if you don't mind translating" Chaim said. "I feel that if she doesn't let it all out, it will be harder for me to detach her from Paul's body".
To make things easier, I will write here what the lady said in our tongue, even though we needed Tiberius to translate the story for us.
I was the prettiest maid in Groundfort, my name was Amelie. I fell in love with the son of the lord I worked for, who was the Lord of Groundfort himself. I really loved him and I knew he loved me back. Because I asked him and he said yes. But he couldn't marry me, because you see, I was just a simple servant. He couldn't marry someone who wasn't highborn. So, he married the daughter of a lesser lord, Danielle of The Fallen Leaf. I was kept as their attendant but he wouldn't even look at me anymore. I was so desperate that I started losing weight, I couldn't eat anymore what I used to eat before - whatever remained of the meals I prepared for him. You see, I always struggled with eating disorders and now I was in a very bad place. Luckily, I found a friend. Believe it or not, Danielle herself became that person for me. My suffering caught her attention and she said she wanted to be there for me. So, we got to know each other and we became really close. But I still had a secret - I never told her my feelings for her husband. We grew old together and I remained their faithful servant. But one day, many years later, Danielle found out that the lord had lost all his money, since he had made a very poor investment choice. She showed her true colours then - she said she had loved him only for his money. Then she got very angry and she took a weapon that he had in the house for hunting purposes and threatened to kill him. That's when I stepped in, I got in the way and she killed me.
Chaim looked thoughtful. I could see that something was bothering him, but if it was the story, he didn't say it. Perhaps he was thinking about Philip all over again.
"Okay" he said, his mouth tightening. "Let's go exorcise this spirit".
"Come on guys, blow it up" Vits encouraged Thea and me.
"We'll take care of this" I promised. "At least, Chaim will. But we're going to help".
Chaim took Paul Finnegan to a well, just outside of town. We were all there - me, Thea, Vits, James and Tiberius.
Chaim said some words in an ancient tongue - not a dead one, like the one that Tiberius spoke. More like a magic one, a language that sounded very mystical. Thea and I already knew the words: we had learned them in a book in one of our previous lessons. Still, it gave me chills to hear them pronounced by Chaim. They were so powerful. Then, he washed Paul's body in the well and he scattered some herbs on his body and head.
"Let's do some homework" Vits suggested, whispering. "Do you guys know which herbs are good to keep the evil spirits at bay?"
"Yep" Thea replied immediately. "Rosemary, rue, juniper, basil, osha, angelica, copal, garlic and.."
"Marigolds" I said.
"Thanks" said Thea. "I can never remember that one".
When the ritual almost reached its end, Paul seemed to suddenly wake up from the spell and he pushed Chaim aside, knocking him over.
"What the heck" Vits barked angrily. He rushed to help Chaim getting back up.
"There's something wrong with this" Chaim muttered. "I admit, I felt something was a little off, but after Philip I figured I'd take any chance I could get to show you two kids something real about possession. And the ritual always worked. For magicians that practice the good side of sorcery are always way stronger than those who use dark magic, no matter what people might tell you".
"Maybe..." I tried to say, but my voice had trouble coming out. I coughed. "Maybe, we could help".
When Chaim stared at me with a blank expression, I felt panic taking control of my voice.
"I or... or... Thea, we... we studied... and... I think..."
"You couldn't handle it alone" Chaim said, sweetly. "However, you could do what you do best".
I wasn't so sure of this. During the lessons, the subject I was becoming the best at was Spirituality. Particularly, according to Chaim, Mood Reading. It was like reading somebody's mind, only nowhere near so accurate. If I really concentrated and touched a person (the best area was the head or the forehead), I could understand what they were going through. Not the exact words they thought (also because humans don't think in words) but the emotions and, if I was really lucky, a part of their story or something they were planning. It was like half listening, half guessing. I was good at it, which was brilliant considering how bad I was at judging people before getting into sorcery.
"Do you think I could do it?" I asked Chaim. "I'd love to, but I'm afraid the spirit won't let me come near. It just pushed you aside".
"She" Chaim corrected gently. "And maybe she'll let you do it. There's something we missed here and some people just want to be understood".
I gulped and I climbed into the well where Paul was standing. Luckily, it wasn't very deep. I approached the man trying not to scare him or the spirit away. I placed my fingers on his temples.
I heard a loud rumbling and something ripping my stomach apart. Something like a blast that was threatening to blow me up. I saw a pink light.
Then something changed in my mind.
I saw a scene like in a dream, I wasn't there, it was like I was floating outside of my body in a setting that didn't belong to me.
I saw a beautiful woman and I felt the sadness in her heart. But it wasn't Amelie, cause this one was richly dressed. She had a nice life, but she kept thinking how unlucky she was because she had to marry a man she didn't like.
The scene moved forward and I felt the world spinning around me. Now I knew the woman was Danielle and I was watching her getting married to the lord.
Another scene. Danielle finally noticed Amelie and she felt very envious of her purity, her beauty and her love for her husband. She wasn't jealous, she was sad. She wished she could feel it, but she didn't.
Like the spirit had said, I watched the two become friends. Danielle was never sure whether she appreciated Amelie or not, but helping her gave her a sense of purpose.
Another spin that almost made me throw up. I understood it happened whenever I was catching a glimpse of the future in the story, like if somebody was fast forwarding to get to a certain point sooner.
Now I could see Danielle hating her life. It wasn't bad - she was surrounded by nice people and she had everything she could want, but it wasn't enough. She wasn't depressed, I could feel it. She was just bitter.
Then I saw the moment Amelie told us about. When Danielle found out that her husband had lost all of their money. But Amelie wasn't there. I saw Danielle killing her husband and then directing the weapon to herself.
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