well, we’ve got to untangle their lives enough for them to stay here. We’re also trying to balance it out so that the ice dragons get some of the mages, or at least interact enough with them so people are aware they have a choice between clans.”
Sora had wondered about that. “Surely not every person who was at your gate proved to be a mage?”
“Very few, in fact. Some of them were just wannabes; they had nothing in their family history that made them think they actually were mages. Some of them had the history but didn’t prove to be mages themselves. We sat and talked longer with them, though, got an idea of who else in the family might be a mage. We did end up finding two more this morning though.
“Heh, that was actually kind of funny. It was a mother who brought her daughter in for testing, and then we realized the mom was a mage, too. Surprised the hell out of her. But she ended up staying. I would think it would be hard to walk away from your life and start all over, but…surprisingly, all of our mages do it.”
This didn’t surprise Sora. “It’s incredibly fulfilling, magic. Like no other experience. And there’s something amazing about learning what you’re truly meant to do in life. What your calling is. There are so many people who never achieve that. For the mother, I imagine she’d never thought she would have this kind of insight into herself. Of course she’d feel compelled to stay and see it through.”
Ravi relaxed on the bench, chocolate brown eyes captivating as he looked at Sora. “Is that what healing magic is for you?”
The seriousness of the question surprised him. Ravi had never regarded him so frankly before. And it meant he truly wanted an answer.
He didn’t have a ready one to give. Sora had to pause and really think about it for a moment. And he had to think about how to phrase it, how to say it without giving too much away. These half-truths and evasive answers were starting to wear thin. Sora’s nature wasn’t to lie, and he wanted, achingly, to be completely truthful with Ravi. When Ravi himself was so transparent and open, it made him want to respond in kind. It was difficult to be in this position where he was constrained from doing so.
“My family has always been made up of healers. We are known for it. I think, when I was still too young to really question matters, I learned how to heal because everyone in the family did it. Of course I would do it, too, and I wanted to be just like everyone else. It wasn’t until my late teens that I questioned it, why I was learning and investing so much time in it all. Eventually, what I found was I like the challenge of it. And it’s immensely satisfying to look at someone who was once in terrible pain, knowing it was my knowledge and actions that helped them. That restored them back to the health they once enjoyed.”
“Oh, having a challenge is something I completely understand. You’d think my job would be pretty routine and boring on a day-to-day basis, and yet things still somehow stay just crazy enough to keep me on my toes.”
Sora snorted. “I think that has less to do with the job and more to do with you.”
Lifting his glass, Ravi toasted him. “You are not wrong. Here, eat, I didn’t mean to keep you talking. You probably didn’t get lunch today.”
“A sandwich, but that was eaten on the run. There was so much to teach.” Sora took a bite of the roast first and moaned in appreciation.
“Good, right?” Ravi asked in a knowing way.
“It’s so tangy, like a bite of sourness chased by sweetness. The flavor is amazing, and the beef is so tender.”
“We marinate the beef for days before cooking it. It’s a favorite here, but we don’t always go to the effort of making it.”
“A pity. I would definitely like to have this more often.” Sora took another bite with a sigh of bliss. So yummy. Maybe he could beg the recipe off someone. This was definitely something he wanted to take home with him. “Are you on a rotation here, in the kitchens?”
“Oh, yes. We all take turns. Gunter, when it’s his turn, he buys everyone dinner. He seriously burns everything. But most of us choose to cook. Do you? Like to