A cheery tinkle clinked as Katla pushed the twisted wooden handle and entered the tavern. Fox followed him, raising his head to see where the noise was coming from. The clapper of the tin bell above the doorway was swaying back and forth, its song muffled by an ear-piercing shriek. "Katla! Don't tell me you've been outside in this awful weather. Come right on in, or you'll surely catch a cold."

Behind the enormous bar that stretched along the entire eastern wall stood a plump old lady with hair like straw, drying a beer mug with two ears. She bit her lip and cooed, "Aww, what happened to that poor little wretch you got there, darling? He's all soaking wet."

"I'm not a wretch." Fox looked down at his hands, all covered in mud. He was wet and dirty though.

"Doe meet Fox, my new apprentice. Fox meet Doe, self-proclaimed mother of all Moondalers." Katla patted Fox's back, edging him closer to the tavern lady. "He tripped and fell right into that pool before Corbin's. I think he's gonna need at least one warm apple juice, and one of your famous blueberry pies too—just to be sure."

"Of course. But let me first have a look at his pretty face," Doe said.

Fox flicked a piece of dirt from under his fingernail. He couldn't eat pie like this. "I don't have a pre—"

A wet cloth landed on his cheeks. Too startled to move he stared at the woman while she rubbed his forehead, then wiped his hands clean. "Isn't this much better? Now go sit by the fire, sweetheart. I'll take care of you now."

"O-Okay." Fox trailed Katla towards the other end of the tavern, where a thick log smouldered lazily on the hearth of the fireplace.

The Antler was easily three times the size of Laneby's tavern, yet nearly all of the tables were empty. Apart from him and Katla, there was only one other small group of men, who were drinking a dark brown foamy liquid out of those two-eared mugs. They were chatting quietly while Doe droned on, "... so worried, especially when that terrible thunderstorm moved south a few nights ago. I said to myself, 'Doe, they're grown men. They know what they're doing.' Yet still I feared that a rock would land on your poor heads, crushing you to death." She clutched her chest. "I knew you were back because Phoe popped by for a few drinks last night, but it's so good to see you made it out of The Greenlands in one piece."

"Yeah, the mountain pass wasn't easy." Katla settled in the ash-stained velvet chair near the fireplace and snapped his fingers. Flames in red and orange spiked high, almost kissing the mantel. Fox turned around, his back against the glowing warmth. "Because of the storm, we missed our initial route completely, which meant I had to use Earth Magic again on our way back as well. Next time Badger should come along. Not that I think there will be a next time—not for me anyway."

"Katla, darling, please. I'm glad you're home again, but you know that I don't wanna hear any details about those trips of yours." She approached them with two steaming mugs in her hands and placed them on the glass-top table. "If Ariel thinks it's needed, then I trust his decision with all my heart."

Fox folded his hands around the warm mug. If only this cheery grandmother knew what her friend had really done in Laneby. How many people were dead because of him and that evil Silvermark King? He took a slow sip. It was sweet and tasted of apples freshly picked from the tree.

He puffed out his trembling lip into a pout. The roasted apple had been the last meal he and his friends had shared. He took a bigger sip to drown the sadness before it could spread any further. Something was wrong. He remembered all that, but not Seb being... alive... his friend... the one who was always telling him that he could never be a real warrior.

No, that wasn't it, but it was important too.

"Fly down from your sour cloud, little dreamer, and make yourself at home." Doe placed a plate on the table, containing a huge piece of blueberry pie, and put a fork next to it. "If you want another piece, there's more in the oven. It will be ready soon."

Fox sat down on his knees. He cut off the tip with his fork and brought it to his mouth. The buttery base melted as it touched his tongue, creating a taste so perfectly sweet that the God of Gluttony made him put his fork aside.

Like he hadn't seen food in weeks, he grabbed the piece with both hands and wolfed down the godly goodness until there wasn't any crumb left on his plate. Not wanting to waste anything, he ran his hand over his mouth, then licked off the sticky berry juice.

"That was good, wasn't it?" Katla swirled his mug before taking a quick sip. He fished the candle back out of his pocket. "Now that you're all warm and dry again, why don't you sit over there, by the door. It's almost time for lunch so people will start coming in, causing the wind to enter with them."

"Do I really have to? I don't like it." Fox groaned. "I wanna do something else."

"Like eating more pies?" Katla scratched his thin goatee beard, eying Doe who was standing behind her bar again, chatting to a tall man whose blonde hair was pulled into a narrow tail. "If you manage to do well, we'll play another game."

"Which one?" Fox narrowed his eyes, prolonging the moment until he had no choice but to take the candle again. He wanted to learn magic, but this was such a drag.

Katla leant forward, playfully narrowing his eyes as well. "I can't tell you, can I now? It would ruin the surprise."

"But am I going to like the surprise?"

"Only if you stop this dilly-dallying game right now." He threw the candle, which caught fire midway through its flight.

"Ugh." Fox clutched the candle to his chest to prevent it from falling to the ground. He wrapped his hand around the wax, not making any brusque movement. The clothes would prevent him from harm so he wasn't worried, but he did not want the candle to go out again. If he wanted to be the best magician ever, then this should be as easy as eating one of Doe's pies.

Step by step he shuffled to that lonely spot by the door. He put the candle down, folded his arms on the table and rested his head on them. All he had eyes for was the fire that did... absolutely nothing.

He let out a yawn that was only partly real. To pass the time, he whispered to the flame, "Be good and grow. I want to show Katla what I can do."

The fire obeyed immediately. That part of magic wasn't hard; he had been doing it all his life in Laneby. He gasped. Nobody back home had noticed that he was a magician. "Katla? There's one thing I don't understand about magic."

"Only one thing?" Katla chuckled. "Did you hear that, Doe? The next Grand Master is sitting right here, in your tavern."

She let out a tsk-ing sound. "Don't tease the poor boy. Let him ask his question."

"Yeah, Katla, it's not funny." Fox jutted his chin. He liked Doe better already. "Does your hair always change colour when you perform magic because I've been talking to fire all my life, and nobody ever said anything."

"Now that's a good question. It all depends on what you're doing, and how much magical energy is required." Katla reached for a strand of his own hair. "Just this bit are hundreds of hairs. In total, you have roughly a hundred thousand hairs all over your head. If only a dozen change colour, nobody's gonna notice. Of course, if you have to use magic that requires a lot of energy, hundreds of hairs simultaneously will turn black or white, and then it's pretty hard to miss."

"That doesn't make any sense. I played with fire all the time."

"Playing makes you happy. That's when your magical energy restores itself, and with it, your original hair colour."

"But what happens when people get old and their hair turns grey, or they become bald?"

"Then you can't see how much magical energy they have left," Doe said. She was standing next to Fox, holding a plate of pie. "But this time I have a question for you. Which belly wants another piece?"

"Mine! Mine! Mine!" Fox hopped up and down the chair, saliva turning his mouth into a flooded cave. He wasn't hungry at all, but there was still some space left in his tummy for a triangle that small.

Just as he took the first bite, the door was pushed open. A sudden gust of wind flew in and slammed the candle down on the wooden table.

"No! Stop!" He repeatedly pounded his fist to kill the fire that was spreading faster than ants towards an abandoned honey sandwich.

Whenever he got one out, another flame popped up; even in the sticky heaps of ashes and molten wax. Despite his fists burning with pain, he crushed them all down; one by one. He wasn't going to give this up. Magical fires burn faster than regular ones. Nick had said so himself.

"Katla, darling, haven't you teased the poor thing enough?"

Fox glanced over his shoulder. Katla grinned as their eyes met. As he smacked his hand against his thigh, the ant-fire went out and the plate of pie that had been floating the entire time descended back to the table. "Hmm, I suppose. It's still a good exercise."

"It was you?" Fox folded his arms to his chest. "That's so mean."

"I was just having a little fun." Katla rose from his chair and dug into his pocket, leaving a handful of coins on the glass table. "But, hey, the worst of the rain has passed. Finish your pie. It's time we play a proper game."

"I don't think you know any fun games," Fox mumbled.

He remained seated by the window until the last of the crumbs was sitting safely in his tummy, then he scratched the wax from the table with his fingernails and collected all the dirt in one heap that he brought to the fireplace. His mug of warm apple juice was still half full, so he drank it all before placing his mug and Katla's on the counter. "Bye, Doe. Let me know when you make pie again. My belly will help you to eat it all."

"You're always welcome, sweetheart."

He was grinning widely as Katla shook his head; his lips pinched into a shallow smile. "All finished charming Doe, Fox?"

He nodded. "And finished teasing you too."

After they had taken the wine and the stinky cheese back to the house, Katla took him beyond the city gate and the street of cat statues. Along the way, Fox had tried to guess what game they were going to play. It wasn't tag or hide-and-seek or sprint races, and by now he was running out of ideas.

"Are we gonna go there?" Fox pointed at the vast conifer forest that stretched further than the horizon.

"No, that's His Majesty's forest—never ever set foot there." Katla snatched him by the shoulder and bent down. "You have to promise me. It's dangerous to go there."

Fox nodded. He wasn't going to take his chances if King Ariel was involved. The less he saw of that evil man, the better.

Not much later Katla halted at a large deserted field on which only scorched weeds grew in between the puddles of mud. "Here we are. There's only so much you can do in the city without causing any real damage, so the Council is renting this piece of land. Drake is happy because he gets a steady income, and we have a place where we can practise as much as we want."

"But why isn't anyone else here?"

"Not that many people actively train their magic. It's a shame." He rubbed his hands. "Now for the big surprise... Tell me, do you like playing with a ball?"

"Yes!" Fox jumped up. "Farmer John sometimes gave us one made from sheep bladder, which me and my friends would kick and throw all over town until it broke or was taken away by the river's current."

"Splendid. But have you ever played with one like this?" Katla flicked his fingers, and instantly an orange ball of fire appeared in the palm of his hand.

Fox's eyes turned big. "Doesn't that hurt? Because I can still feel the flames when they touch me."

"Not if you don't let it. We can practice. Open your hands and tell yourself that the fire can't hurt you."

"It can't hurt me." He brought his hands in front of his body. The heat spread fast as the fireball hovered an inch above his skin. He clenched his teeth, trying to ignore the stinging pain that burned his flesh, but retracted his hands when tears sprung to his eyes. The ball fell down onto the field and disappeared.

"Let's try again." The next orange orb was already floating a few feet above the ground. "Show me that you're not afraid of it."

"I'm not afraid."

"Say it like you really mean it! You're invincible." A large flame shot up from the ball to the sky. "No fire can hurt you or destroy you—not even if it were the largest fire in the world."

"I'm not afraid. I'm not afraid of anything!" Fox roared. He had been scared of so many things in his life, but fire had never been one of them. Fire was him, and he was fire. It couldn't hurt him. They were friends, weren't they?

When Katla brought the ball closer, the warm glow was still present; a light sting here and there, but it wasn't that hard to defy most of the burning sensation.

"Okay, now pass it from one hand to the other. Keep an image in your head of how you think it should look."

Fox bit his tongue, fully focussed. A perfect orange orb that couldn't hurt him. The ball rolled from his left hand to his right and back. A peaceful breeze blew through his hair, but unlike the candle, the flames here remained intact.

"Excellent work, Fox. Make it smaller."

"As small as a rock." Before his eyes the ball shrunk until it was the size of a beetle.

"And now big. Bigger than your head, perhaps as big as a house if you can." Katla opened his arms wide.

"A house?"

Laneby's houses had been burnt to ashes, all because of fire; the fire that Katla had created. The painful memory turned into a scorching burn that dissolved the orb. Flames had killed Mother, Father, and Amy.

"What happened?" Katla grabbed his hand and wiggled his fingers above the singe. It disappeared immediately.

"I got distracted." Fox stared at his feet. The man in front of him was a murderer. He was the reason they were dead, and now he was his apprentice.

Katla took a step backwards. "Let's play catch. That will cheer you up."

"I don't know." Fox rubbed his eyes, faking a yawn. "Maybe I don't wanna do this right now. I'm too tired."

"It would be a shame. You're doing so well." Katla blew fire into his hands and presented the blazing red orb to Fox. "Try. It doesn't matter if you fail. I can just create a new one."

"So you're not gonna get angry, ever?" Fox nervously twisted his fingers together. His master was kind too. He had fed him, clothed him, and given him a warm bed to sleep in. And so far learning magic had been more fun than having to work for Father all day long. No shouting or groaning whenever he did something wrong.

"I don't see why I should be." Katla tossed the ball around. As it soared through the air, another one appeared and followed the circular movement. Soon there were six different orbs, all in various shades of yellow, orange, or red. He clapped his hands and all six balls shrunk into one. "Come. Let's play."

"Okay." The flames couldn't hurt him. He stayed close to Katla, just a couple of inches between them, as they threw the ball back and forth. The speed increased, but everything was under control. No pain, only fun.

With each round, the distance between them grew. Katla moved rapidly, firing the ball right back at him without any struggle. Fox dove after every single one of them, not caring if he ended up in the pools. Katla even applauded when he did.

"That's a wide one." Katla slid through the mud. Right before the orb touched the ground, he kicked it with the side of his boot.

Fox jumped up and only just managed to catch the ball. He flung it back so wildly that it flew high up in the sky in a straight line. He sprinted towards it, keeping his eyes on the falling object. The only way to get the ball to Katla would be to capture it and throw it again.

He bumped into something hard and fell down. Katla now lay sprawled on the ground as well. He too had run forwards. Fox giggled as his master turned around and showed his dirt-stained face.

Katla chuckled. "You're such a little rascal. Now I'm all filthy too."

"Thank the Gods that mud is nothing but water and sand." Fox stuck out his tongue. "You said so yourself."

"Did I now?" Katla grabbed Fox's foot, pulling him closer and took him into a playful stranglehold. He scraped his knuckles over his head. "Did I now?"

"You did! You really did!" With his dirty hands, Fox smudged his face in an attempt to get loose.

Katla pushed him away, allowing him to escape from his grasp. "You wanna fight me like a real man? Let's do it. Show me what you've got."

Fox crouched down like a predator preparing to pounce his prey. He leapt up, onto his back, and used his full body-weight to slam him back into the mud. It didn't have the effect he was hoping for because Katla wrapped his arms around him and flipped him over.

In the split second that he loosened his grip, Fox pressed his head against his chest and pushed. He was a wild bull and he wasn't gonna let go. As Katla stepped backwards, Fox hooked his foot behind his boot and kept pushing. The two tottered to the ground.

Katla moaned, his arms falling beside him. "You got me, alright. I surrender."

Fox crawled onto his stomach and stretched his arms high above his head. "Victory! I did it. I defeated you!"

"Yeah, what a fight." Katla panted heavily. "What are you thinking right now?"

"That I can be the best Fire Magician that ever lived," Fox shrieked loudly. Nobody could stop him; not now that he had beaten a man even stronger than Seb. He stood up and watched as yellow flames danced above his hand. If this was what being a magician was like, then Mother had to understand that this was a better life for him than becoming a blacksmith.

"Fantastic job, Fox. Very beautiful indeed. The stronger your emotions are, the stronger your magic will be." Katla let out a groan as he got up. "Let's call it a day. Keep the fire going while we walk back to the house."

"It won't go out this time. I just know it." Fox pressed the flames into his hands, imagining a perfect sphere. "When we get home, can you teach me how to heat the water too? I don't like cold baths."

"Of course. I will teach you everything I know."