Wrapped in the Past by Chess Desalls

Author:Chess Desalls [Desalls, Chess]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: young adult time travel fiction fantasy
Publisher: Czidor Lore, LLC
Published: 2015-12-08T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

I turn to Balthazar, wishing there was some way to figure out what he’s thinking. I want to know more about what it’s like to be a mage, and, as silly is it may sound, I want to tell him what the holidays are like back home—what it’s like to ice skate and make angels in the snow.

I consider drawing pictures in the dirt and sand, but Father’s warning about leaving a Daily Reminder in the past resonates inside my head, making me hesitate. Perhaps my picture would leave in imprint in the past and change it in a way that would affect the future. This, of course, doesn’t worry me nearly as much as being punished by the TSTA.

Sighing, I search my robes for my velvet clutch purse. I pull free the pins I’d used to attach the handle to my skirt pocket so I wouldn’t have to carry it.

Balthazar watches me with interest as I open the clasp and flip through the clutch’s contents. Slipped between several pound notes, I find a holiday card that my dear friend, Frances, gave me before classes ended for the Christmas holiday. Bright red houses with roofs covered in snow sit below a sky of falling snowflakes. The windows of the houses are golden and warm. Puffs of smoke float from chimneys.

Smiling, I hand the card to Balthazar, eager to see what his reaction will be. He runs his fingers over the card as he studies it. The skin of his hands is dark and smooth, like the planes of his face, which now holds a curious expression. Instead of looking awed or confused at my holiday card from the future, he looks thoughtful. His eyes twinkle as he hands it back.

This was not the reaction I expected. I force a grin to hide the disappointment bubbling up inside me. After witnessing his ability to manipulate the sand and predict the location of errant creatures, I’d wanted to impress him too. I don’t have a pair of eyeglasses like Father to mesmerize the mage or any fancy instruments to trade.

Balthazar squeezes my hand as if he senses what I’m feeling. My eyes open in wonder at his attempt to comfort me. With his hand still covering mine, he raises his opposite palm toward the desert. Sand and dust lift from the ground, hovering in the air until the cloud that forms is much larger than what covered the yacht-camel. Slowly, he turns his palm to face the sky and pulls back his fingers as if inviting the cloud to join us on our blanket.

I gasp when the cloud responds by moving toward us, not wanting to end up covered like the yacht-camel had been. Balthazar tightens his grip on my hand as I move to bolt from the blanket. He shakes his head, the way he did when I wanted to jump from the camel. He’d proven himself trustworthy by warning me about the scorpions, and possibly also snakes which, fortunately, we hadn’t stayed around long enough to discover.

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