Ferron
Arminio stepped through a portal into Archmage Ferron's study in the late afternoon. The room was cool, despite the heat of the summer in Europe. The walls of the large room were paneled with white marble slabs, and it was supported by six pillars.
“Good afternoon, Arminio.” Ferron put the quill back and stood up from his chair to greet the visitor respectfully. “Please, sit down.” He pointed to the centuries-old visitor's chair in front of his desk.
“Good afternoon, Ferron, thank you.” The fire mage accepted the offer and placed his hands on the sleeveless red robe.
“What can you tell me about Mrs Berger?”
“Glandera Berger, 19 years old. She lives with her grandmother Gladis Forster, her mother Hilde and her brother Arno in Webergasse. Among the miners, she is known as a quartz prospector because she found the quartz veins in the mine.”
Ferron raised his eyebrows in surprise.
“Before that, she lived in a hut below Chattenberg on the edge of the forest, on a tributary of the Eder. She never went to school and has been working in the mine for three years to support her family and enable Arno to train as a blacksmith.”
“He had to go to school for that,” Ferron nodded approvingly. “That's expensive in the rural district.”
Arminio agreed with him: “Yes, but she is working hard so that he can realize his dream.”
“Where is her father?”
“Georg Berger died four years ago, according to the parish register. Her mother Hilde barely has time to spin wool and sell it at the market, as she also has to look after her confused grandmother. Money is tight. That's why Glandera works in the mine.”
“Your mother is unmarried? Is Glandera married?”
The fire mage shook his head. “No. There's no aspirant clamoring to have to feed the whole family, either. She lives in seclusion.” Arminio glanced at the bookshelves and back before he began to enumerate: “Every day, she struggles to feed the family. The foreman is a sneaky scoundrel. She avoids us mages because she's afraid she'll disappear. And she fears that you will punish her for meeting you. Her life is characterized by fear.”
The arch magus raised his hands in defense. “She ran into me completely unintentionally.”
“And she has touched you without asking and is afraid of the consequences. She is ignorant, neither educated, nor does she know how to handle her feminine charms.” In typical Italian fashion, Arminio spread his arms. “You know me, I'm curious: do you want her because she's pretty?”
“No,” the earth mage shook his head, “I have another reason. Have you noticed that she's using magic?”
Arminio raised his eyebrows in surprise. “She did hard men's work yesterday and today. No one with magical abilities would do that voluntarily.”
The earth mage nodded and was silent for a moment. “Good, I ask you to keep the following information quiet for now: I think she's an Incantatrix.” Ferron's irises turned gray and he shared his memories. He told him in detail about the collision with Glandera.
“Unbelievable!” Arminio made the combination in no time at all, while his eyes glanced back and forth. “This energy of lightning. Do you mean she's an untrained earth mage? What would that mean!” He lent forward and propped his elbows on his legs. “Why didn't we notice her earlier? Was she tested with the wrong result?”
“I'd be grateful if you could find out for me.” The chair scraped across the floor and Ferron stood up. “I have to get going. A dam is threatening to burst in Egypt.”
Arminio also stood up. His hand formed a horizontal eight and a blue-violet portal appeared. “I'll get back to you later.”
