Free Branded Mage by D.W. Page B

gather around them waving to Eloen and her soldiers. Many people even called out to them by name. He didn’t know why, but it made him feel better toward Eloen that she was so well loved by the common people.
    After they had passed the fifth or sixth farm a large group of kids surrounded them hollering out for Ballard. The large man slid from his mount way too nimbly for a man of his considerable size.
    “Ballard , can you come play with us today?” a sandy-haired boy yelled out.
    Ballard picked up a small girl who looked no more than seven years old who had come up and grabbed hold of his leg. “I’m sorry kids , today I’m on business. We got a mage to deliver to the duchess if she’s home.”
    “A real mage , like in the stories?” the little girl in Ballard’s arms asked her eyes wide.
    “He sure is Kylee, and I bet a cute little lady like you could even get him to cast a spell or two if you asked nicely.”
    Slipping f rom Ballard’s arms, Kylee ran over to where Thad sat upon his horse, her face beaming brightly. “Mr. Mage would you pleeeeaaassseee do some magic?” The little girl pleaded.
    Looking down at the little girls face , he couldn’t find it in himself to say no. Not wanting to give the kids a poor show he raised his hands high in the air and started muttering nonsense words as he began to concentrate. Illusionary butterflies looking like flying rainbows started popping into existence around the children. At first their stunned awe held them into place but not for long, as they began to chase after the nonexistent creatures.
    Seeing the kids running and laughing brought a smile to Thad’s face. Looking around , he could see the gratitude in not only Ballard’s face, but in the rest of his companions as well.  For the conclusion he brought all the butterflies together and then with a burst of light, a unicorn appeared standing tall and proud. The unicorn looked everyone over then dashed off into the distance.
    The kids jumped up and down around his horse laughing and begging for more. Luckily he was saved by Ballard , who informed the kids that they needed to reach the estate as soon as possible. The kids looked down until Thad promised to stop by and show off more tricks next time he was in the area.
    As they continued along the road , Eloen reined her horse up next to his. “That was a very nice thing you did.”
    “Did you see that girls face? I don’t think a demon could have refused her request.” Thad replied laughing lightly.
    Eloen gave him a gentle smile. “It was still a nice thing to do. The kids go to the school my aunt made for the local farm families. A few of them are orphans just like Ballard was. That’s why he spends so much time at the school when we are home. I think if he could, he would adopt half of them, but right now that’s not a possibility. Maybe if the queen can get some of her changes to become more accepted, one day he might be able to.”
    Thad covertly looked over to where Ballard rode at the front. He had a large smile, and his face was a bit on the dreamy side. He could understand some of the feelings of growing up without parents though in his case he had the mothers of the academy to look after him, and they had always treated him kindly.
    It didn’t take long for the duchess’s manor to come into view. It was only about half the size of the royal palace , but it had shining alabaster walls. Instead of a wall it had a large green hedge circling the entire building making it very inviting from the outside.
    The main door led them t o a large main hall that was richly decorated. The whole place was lit up by three large crystal chandeliers that hung from the ceiling. They were greeted by an older gentleman who bowed politely to Eloen.
    “Is her ladyship in?” Eloen asked the man in a demanding tone.
    “Yes lady Eloen, your aunt arrived home two days ago. If I recall correctly she should be up in her study working her loom.”
    Without another word