The Mage of the Swordfish

'I'll tell her today!' Leon, son of Baron Zay, took a deep breath of the air, which reeked of ox dung, and grimacing, continued to weave through the carts and their foul offerings on the wide street leading toward the famous port of Perlen. His loose coat billowed behind him, his mage's diploma tucked away, rolled up in his pocket. For him, even the sun seemed to shine brighter today, though the common folk were already grumbling about the sweltering, record-breaking heat as they hurried past him.

Leon had wanted to do this for a long time. It was just difficult, but he could procrastinate no longer. His fellow mages had heard so much about L'Irren that they had even placed bets behind his back, wagering that he wouldn't dare confess his love. Leon, of course, knew about this. Under a pseudonym, he had even bet a penny himself—against his own success. He had won every bet so far, but this time, he wanted to lose.

Upon reaching the harbour, he was greeted by the angry squawking of gargoyle-like seagulls. The Swordfish rocked gently on the water. From a sailor on board, he learned that L'Irren was in a nearby alehouse. By the time he found the girl, he was dripping with sweat. He had been in such a hurry that he'd even forgotten to use magic. Entering, he found her at the bar, locked in loud negotiations with two merchants.

He navigated between the shabby tables, around which sat equally worn-out labourers. They were shovelling yellow soup from chipped plates with pieces of flatbread. Fishbones flew from their mouths. A mug of ale hit the table with a thud; the smell wafted over Leon, making his nose wrinkle for a moment, but his features smoothed out again the instant he saw L'Irren's mischievous smile. She beckoned to him and swiftly brought the dispute to an end.

Leon could still hear the merchants' grumpy tutting as they passed him, shrouded in a cloud of smoke. It stung his eyes, and he blinked, trying to rid himself of the burning sensation. Unlike him, the girl's eyes sparkled with joy as she leaned comfortably against the counter. Leon's stomach tightened as he opened his mouth to speak.

Now or never, he resolved, but the girl beat him to it:

'Haven't gone and given that famous wind elemental of yours a day off, have you?' she asked, looking him up and down.

Leon looked down too; his shirt was mottled with enormous patches of sweat.

'L-L-L'Iri, I j-just...' he began, but L'Irren cut him off with a raised hand.

'Never mind. It's a bad idea!'

'What...?'

'Whatever you came here for, forget it!' she said, dismissively waving her dark hand in front of Leon's nose.

'But you don't even know what I want!'

'Oh, I know exactly what you want...' L'Irren shot back vehemently, but a hand suddenly heavy on her shoulder stopped her mid-sentence. L'Irren retorted vehemently, but a hand suddenly resting on her shoulder cut her off.

It was then that Leon noticed Alberren, the captain of the Swordfish. Even in the grease-heavy air, he maintained his superior smirk.

'I'm against it!' L'Irren insisted. 'His family might even disown him for it.'

'This is a very important matter, First Mate,' the captain said, emphasizing the girl's title in his deep baritone. 'Leo has surely given it a great deal of thought. After all, you must see that he'll be disowned anyway once his engagement is broken.'

'The engagement was intended by my parents as a safeguard,' Leon interjected cautiously, 'in case I didn't complete my mage training, but there's no need for that anymore.' He smiled proudly, but L'Irren only raised an eyebrow.

'Leo, did you get expelled or did you graduate?' Captain Alberren teased in his booming voice.

'I graduated!' he said, proudly flourishing the precious scroll.

'Have your parents heard about your engagement yet?'

'Perhaps they have, but...' Leon began, at which the captain's dark eyes narrowed knowingly.

'And you haven't visited them yet, I take it,' he said, eyeing him. 'Nor have they sent a carriage for you...'

'No, because... because I wanted to settle this myself—'

'Perhaps it's better this way,' the captain said, scratching his dark beard.

'Poor girl, she was absolutely head over heels for you,' the first mate sighed.

Leon's face fell, and he wiped his perspiring brow. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed movement. A short man was slinking between the guests toward the end of the bar. With a heavy sigh, Leon turned back to the conversation.

'I'll give you three months with your family, then your brother will kick you out,' Alberren predicted. 'Because while you were busy with charms and spells, he became the head of the family. And that engagement is costing the Baron dearly; he's lost many a fruitful connection because of it.'

'Why on earth would he disown him?! A trained mage is welcome even in the Royal Court!' L'Irren said, raising an index finger. Her eyes shone sternly. 'In any Royal Court!'

'Where it's easy to get rid of him,' Alberren turned to the first mate sternly, 'one way or another. Courts are dangerous places, full of intrigue, bribery, and...'

'Father!' the first mate snapped, facing the captain.

While father and daughter continued to argue about matters Leon found incomprehensible, the wind elemental whispered to him in its whistling tongue, directing his gaze back to the end of the bar. Sailors were drinking and eating at the far end of the counter. The one on the very end was leisurely dipping a piece of bread into his brownish stew. He didn't notice blunt fingers closing around his purse. With the loot in hand, the thief turned on his heel. He moved swiftly toward the exit, using the other guests as cover.

'The wind hears everything...' Leon whispered, '...and sees everything!'

A whistling sound emerged from Leon's throat, held long and steady. When the dwarf opened the door, the wind surged, catching the fleeing man like a whirlwind. It even slammed the door shut in the process.

At the noise, both Alberren and L'Irren looked up. The dwarf, struggling against the vortex, approached them rapidly, his blonde beard and hair whipping in the wind and obscuring his face.

Though Alberren tried to smooth his own beard, the elemental did not spare him either. Still, a satisfied smile spread across his face.

'I told you!' he nodded to his daughter, then turned to Leon. 'Good catch, Leo—the berth is yours!'

'I beg your pardon?'

'You can put the dwarf down now; after all, he's the one who'll be cooking for you,' Alberren smiled, leaning comfortably back against the bar.

'What?!'

'You asked for it!' L'Irren said, patting Leon on the shoulder. 'You just had to go poking that big nose of yours into everything! I told you it wasn't a good idea, but did you listen to me?!'

'But that's not why I came here!'

'The whole town's talking about how the Swordfish is looking for a sorcerer! Why else would you have rushed here the moment they let you out of that wizard tower if not for that?!'

'Well, to tell you... To tell you... To...'

'Ah, youth is a fine thing!' the blonde dwarf chimed in from beside them. 'The name's Quarryman. Ted Quarryman,' he introduced himself, then bellowed so loudly Leon was certain they heard it out in the street: 'Let's raise a glass to Big-Nose Leo, the new mage of the Swordfish!'

Several people burst into cheers upon hearing this, but Leon's stomach did a somersault.

'What did you call me?!' Leon squeezed the words out of his frozen mouth.

Beside him, L'Irren pointedly avoided his questioning gaze.

'You'll be needing a name,' Ted Quarryman explained, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, 'especially after you've been disowned.'

'That's not why I came here,' Big-Nose Leo whispered, aghast.

Just then, his purse stirred in his coat pocket; a new magic radiated from among the coins. He didn't even need to open the leather pouch to know he was one copper penny richer—proof of yet another successful bet.