Chapter 197: The Birthday and the Rainbow Tower

Alex wiped away the sweat from his brow and slipped the messenger construct into its big, wooden box. Completing it had gone down to the wire which meant he’d finished up late the night before, but it had been worth it. Since he’d finished so late, he’d only had time for a short practice with Summon Elemental Beetle, a bit of time to just start his assignment for Magical Botany, and then he’d flopped into bed for a few hours.

This morning, he’d been up at the crack of dawn test flying Selina’s present and luckily, there hadn’t been any problems…none with the construct, at least.

He’d been doing the test flight on a deserted beach when a group of Watchers suddenly appeared out of nowhere. They’d appeared so abruptly, that it’d made Alex wonder if they’d been using invisibility spells to hide and watch him. Then they’d called him over and begun questioning him for what felt like hours before finally flying off and disappearing as abruptly as they’d appeared. It was pretty unnerving.

Hopefully, it wasn’t a bad sign of things to come.

After he was satisfied that the construct was working the way he wanted it to, he’d carefully packed the gift back into the box, then begun the walk back to the insula.

‘Today should be a good day,’ he thought. ‘The Lus need to see that there’s more to this city than monsters, secrets and demons…and Selina deserves a nice birthday. Not one that’s scary or dangerous.’

He hoped that fate, chance, the deities or whatever controlled things would give them a break.

“Weeelcome to the home of He Who Broke the Drought!” their enthusiastic tour guide cried as he greeted them outside the tower. “Welcome, my friends, to the Rainbow Tower of Noarc! My name is Busby and I’ll be your guide to the life, and towering- ” Busby gave a broad self-satisfied grin. “-achievements of a very important figure in the history of Generasi.”

The tall blonde man waved his hands and points of light shot from his fingers. Pops and flashes cracked through the air like smokeless miniature fireworks.

Selina—among a group of giggling, excited children—clapped happily at the display. Some of the older kids remained stoic, trying to appear cool and unimpressed.

Alex and Mr. Lu were clapping as loudly and enthusiastically as the children, of course, drawing the eyes of everyone on the tour. Other adults had smiles plastered on their faces, but they seemed tense. Their eyes were darting around, looking for signs of trouble.

The city guard and elite battle mages were everywhere; they’d surrounded the tower in a perimeter that didn’t allow people through without catching one of their sharp gazes. There were also folks ‘casually’ sitting on benches nearby, or flying by on various means of flight while watching their surroundings with the same trained caution he’d seen in Theresa and The Watchers of Roal.

Hidden sentries in plainclothes maybe?

Alex tried to put them out of his mind: they were there to look for the summoner…but there was something about the entire secret military presence that put him on edge.

At least the Lus didn’t seem to be paying any attention to it. Then again, they weren’t exactly strangers to the presence of soldiers with what they’d all been through in their last days in Thameland. Maybe they’d gotten used to it. In any case, he was glad they looked like they were having fun…even if Theresa looked like a nervous cat in a room full of angry dogs.

“Relax.” He leaned in beside her, whispering in her ear.

“It’s hard when it feels like half the military of a wizard city’s here,” she whispered back.

If her parents heard the exchange, they didn’t say anything.

“I have to say…” Mrs. Lu gaped up at the tower. “…I can’t believe this was built by people. It looks like something out of a fairy story.”

The Rainbow Tower rose high into the sky—about a hundred and fifty feet according to the information plaque outside—and was constructed entirely of copper and glass. Glass blocks coiled around the copper walls, and the entire tower shone in the morning sun. It seemed to glitter like a warm, brown diamond.

“The copper of the tower acts as a conductor for lightning,” their guide said.

Some on the tour gasped, looking up at the sky nervously.

Busby laughed. “You will have nothing to fear from Noarc’s tower folks, the copper has been magically treated so that no one will be shocked while touching it. In one of his original plans to create a more accessible weather controlling magic, he thought to channel natural lightning through this copper tower and power a magical item that would then control the weather. Unfortunately—after many tests—he found that the conversion process was too inefficient to properly power the mighty magics. But, it did leave us with this beautiful monument to his power and genius. But come, let’s go inside.”

The tour guide led them through two massive copper doors straight into the confines of the tower. The doors—like the rest of the structure—gleamed as though the copper was brand new.

Gasps of awe swept through the crowd, and for a moment, it seemed the visitors had forgotten the tension filling Generasi. The air within Noarc’s tower had a muted rainbow tinge to it. Faint colours shimmered all through the interior as light passed through the prismatic glass bricks that dotted the wonder of architecture, and shattered it into its component parts.

Alex remembered a lecture in Magic Lore where the professor had taught them about an ancient theory that said mana could be split into several ‘colours’ like the rainbow, but that had been disproven roughly one thousand years ago. Since then, the more modern understanding of affinities for certain kinds of magic had been discovered, leaving the idea of magic being controlled according to colour, behind.

The room itself was what looked to be a…well, Alex thought it would be a welcome room, but it had actually been one of Noarc’s massive workshops. Intricate machinery crafted of copper, gold and other magically and electrically conductive metals rose around them like giant shining spiders. Towering bookshelves filled with ancient tomes wrapped most walls, and the ceiling was decorated with a map that looked odd: there were no defined land masses or waterways on it, just a sea of blue with different equations recorded all over.

Alex recognized symbols for wind direction, pressure and speed.

“Above, you’ll see Noarc’s sky-map,” their tour guide pointed upward. “It gives a picture of the average weather patterns of the entire world during Noarc’s time, averaged from a full year’s worth of reports. Through detailed and in depth information gathering, Noarc wrote the book on the ripple effects of changing weather patterns, which is why weather controlling magic is so heavily regulated by the government of Generasi today.”

Theresa pointed up at the map and whispered to Alex “What’s it say the weather for Thameland was like?”

Alex looked up until he found where Thameland would be on the world map. He snickered. “What else? Mostly cold, wet, and rainy.”

Mrs. Lu chuckled. “No surprise there.

Busby gestured around the room. “As you can see, Noarc wasn’t really one for guests and most of the tower is devoted to various workshops and workrooms. The top of the tower contains his living quarters, which we will see at the end of the tour.”

“Excuse me?” Selina put up her hand.

“Why yes, my little friend?” he said, bending slightly to bring himself closer to her height.

“I’m not little, I’m eleven today,” she said with all the pride of a child turning one year older.

Mr. Lu snorted. “Look at her excitement,” he whispered. “There’ll be a point in life when getting older’s just a signal that more back pain’s coming your way.”

“Now, now don’t scare them, Zimo,” Mrs. Lu whispered back.

“Oh wow, eleven years old today.” Busby grinned. “Well happy birthday to you, little lady. And what is the birthday girl’s question?”

“We learned in class that copper turns green when it's exposed to air long enough,” she said. “Why is this copper still so shiny?”

“Ah, that’s a very good question. You see, the magic of the tower runs a light current of mana through its structure, which reinforces it and prevents the air from making it turn green with verdigris. It’s the same magic that stops lightning from coursing through anyone standing inside the tower during a lightning storm.”

“Wow,” she said. “I’d love to build something like this one day.”

The guide chuckled with good humour, but Alex knew his sister meant what she’d said. He wondered how the man would react if he knew she’d helped build the massive, four-armed golem that was standing behind them.

The tour through the tower was wonderful: the perfect escape from the pile-up of work that Alex had gotten himself stuck in, and also a wonder-filled impression for the Lus. Theresa’s parents were soon gawking at everything the same way their daughter had at all the city’s magic.

They were even more amazed as Busby talked about Noarc’s journey through discovering various aspects of weather, and the magic needed to alter it. Selina and her friends were walking around with that barely controlled look that children got as they fought the urge to run around in excitement. She peppered Busby with so many questions, they were like raindrops in a thunderstorm, but he handled each one with cool and friendly grace.

During the final part of the tour, they reached the upper floors where Noarc’s private quarters were. They had been built to mimic the peacefulness of a starry sky. Retractable screens blocked the expanse of glass and copper to lower the light, while warm magic lamps gave the space the feeling of a tranquil evening. The domed ceiling had a raven coloured background, magically enhanced to resemble a cloudless sky filled with twinkling, shooting stars. On a western wall, a mana powered waterfall stretched from floor to ceiling with waters that glowed a sea blue, then disappeared when they reached the basin, and reappeared at the top, rising and falling in an endless cycle.

The cool, low tones of music rose from another magical device, mixing with the sound of water, adding to the peaceful feeling. Finally, a white bed floated in the center of the room, shaped like a thick, layered cloud. It faced the curving southern wall which was free of screens, granting a clear view from the soaring tower of the magical city and the ocean beyond.

“I can’t believe magic can build things like this,” Mrs. Lu murmured. “I’ve heard stories about wizards turning everyone in a kingdom into newts, but…they only seemed like fairy stories.”

“It surprises you what people can do with magic,” Theresa agreed. “But you get used to it after a while.”

Mr. Lu glanced back at the towering form of Claygon. “Forgive me, but I don’t believe you.”

“Behold, today you saw the Rainbow Tower of Noarc, but now I show you the Rainbow Tower of Selina Roth!” Alex roared as his Wizard’s Hands lifted the cover off the cake he’d baked for Selina’s special day.

The children sitting around the massive stone picnic table Alex had rented for the outdoor celebration, actually squealed with excitement. Selina’s green eyes sparkled like emeralds.

Alex had created a fancy three tiered apple cake using the recipe he’d gotten from Thundar, it was covered with a butter frosting that was coloured—using various fruit extracts—like the many colours of the rainbow.

Even the Lus, Theresa, Khalik, Thundar and Isolde—the cabal had been invited, but decided to come by once the festivities had returned to campus—looked on in amazement at the cake. Alex wondered if cake was the main reason his three friends had shown up…of course, he’d wouldn’t ask them that to their faces...yet.

As everyone dove into the birthday cake, for the day, young laughter filled the air. They turned the beautiful ‘rainbow tower’ into a ruin of sliced cake, crumbs, and frosting on children's faces, but that was the best way for a cake to end up. Even Thundar grudgingly admitted that Alex’s cake was almost—but not quite as—as tasty as the apple cake he’d baked for their Festival of Ghosts banquet.

With the tower annihilated, the children were soon running around chasing each other, or playing games on the grass, while the adults watched in that half-suffering, half-contented state that came from being involved with too much cake.

“If you’ve been eating like this all this time,” Mr. Lu groaned in a pleasant half-stupor. “How come you don’t weigh as much as milk cows?”

“We don’t eat like this all the time,” Alex groaned.

“And we exercise together,” Theresa groaned proudly. “A lot.”

Silence hung in the air.

“Oh dear,” Isolde murmured.

Theresa turned white as a sheet. “No no, not like that! Not like that! Isolde, I’d expect that kind of thing from Thundar, but from you!?”

“Hey!” the minotaur and noblewoman yelled in unison.

“Resent that; just what kind of classless guy do you think I am?” Thundar grunted. “Actually…don’t answer that.”

“And I shall have you know that I merely did you the favour of pointing out that your wording was suggestive!” Isolde announced. “I in no way meant to imply-”

Mr. and Mrs. Lu burst out laughing halfway through Isolde’s words, laughing to the point of turning red in the face.

Alex smiled. This. This was the impression of Generasi and their life here he wanted them to have. Not of monsters and demon summoners, but of fun, magic, wonder and family.

Toward the end of the party, it was time for presents.

Which was always Selina’s favourite part of all of her birthdays.

The first gift came from Mr. and Mrs. Lu…and caught Alex completely off guard.

“Every young Thameish man or woman needs themselves a good, dependable knife,” Mrs. Lu said as Alex stared, slack-jawed at the curved blade. “You’re growing up, and it’s better to be armed, than empty handed in this world. Plus, it’ll be useful for tasks and chores.”

“Really?” Selina beamed, and Alex realized that she probably never stopped wanting a knife. “Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Lu!”

The young girl threw her arms around Mrs. Lu’s neck, hugging her tightly.

“First rule of using a knife,” the older woman grunted. “Don’t tackle anyone holding a knife!”

Selina pulled away, apologizing. Her eyes met her brothers, but quickly looked away. He wasn’t sure what he’d say to her. He might not have wanted to give her a knife—though he’d been prepared to compromise—but he wasn’t jerkish enough to take a present away from her. Theresa could teach her how to use it and maybe he could approach it like the rules for lab work, strict safety first.

Prince Khalik gave Selina something he’d gotten from one of the local toymakers in Generasi: a scale model of City Hall that she would have to build, complete with the dragons and the great dome.

Thundar gave her another gift from the same toy shop: this one was a tiny model of a maze. Once the toy was put together, you could tilt the whole model and try to run a ball through it without hitting any obstructions.

“We minotaurs might not have anything to do with mazes,” he chuckled. “But I figured you’d like one.”

“Thank you, Thundar! Thank you, Khalik,” she cried, hugging them both. Khalik laughed while Thundar awkwardly patted her on the back.

Theresa’s gift was a dress that looked like a simpler version of the one Selina had worn to the patrizia’s ball.

Isolde gave her coin…and a book.

“This book on the beginner’s craft of wizardry might suffice to give a window into what your studies will consist of…and the coin is to buy yourself a gift that you—being on the cusp of womanhood—might enjoy,” she said with a prim tilt to her chin.

“She had no idea what to get her,” Theresa whispered to Alex.

Finally, Alex gave her the messenger construct.

He could barely hide his own excitement as she unwrapped the box then opened the lid. Selina gasped and her eyes bugged out of her head so much, it looked like they were going to go rolling onto the grass.

Most of the guests were smiling.

“Is….is this a statue?” she murmured, examining the construct closely and looking at the realistic feathers he’d crafted. “It’s a falcon!”

“It’s more than that, Selina,” he chuckled, pulling out a piece of paper. “Why don’t you give her this?”

He stepped away, walking at least forty feet away.

Looking at her brother with confusion and anticipation, she held the paper up to her new gift.

Clink.

Selina began squealing and jumping up and down when it suddenly came alive and took the paper from her with a talon. The young girl gasped when the falcon-like construct took to the air and soared away, delivering the paper to Alex, then hovering in front of him while he folded it and gave it back.

“It’s a messenger construct,” Alex shouted. “Complete with internal power source, and self-guiding magic. I know how much you like Najyah, and now you can send messages to anyone you want.”

“Thank you! Alex! Thank you!” she cried, running over and hugging him.

He had to admit, that made him feel pretty good.

Of course, an instant later she ran off to play with the construct, completely forgetting about the person who’d made it.

Chuckling to himself, he started to walk back to join the party when he noticed Mr. Lu heading toward him and giving him a subtle wave.

“Can I talk to you for a moment, Alex?” the older man asked. “Alone?”