Rat Magic 101

“All right, gather round.”

I saw twenty-four pairs of eyes looking at me expectantly.

“My name is Stanley, and this is my story, well, my story so far. And I hope that, by the end of it, you’ll want to join me.It all began in an alley.”

The target was right there. Easy shot, everything lined up. I glanced at James beside me.

“You ready?” I asked.

He didn’t answer. He never did. James wasn’t much of a talker. Still, he looked like he meant business.

The market smelled like spice and bread, hot and sweet, fighting with the stink of rotting gutters. Hawkers yelled prices at anyone who’d listen. My stomach knotted. I wasn’t sure I was ready, but it was now or never.

“On three,” I started counting. “One, two, three.”

James bolted, quick as lightning, darting between people. I took off a second later, clumsier, drawing way more attention than I wanted. My boots slapped the wet cobbles and nearly slipped out from under me.

James got to the stand first. No one noticed him. He slid behind the vendor and clamped his teeth right into the man’s ankle.

“Oh yeah, should probably mention this. James is the rat on my shoulder. Otherwise, that part would’ve been really strange. Anyway,”

The vendor screamed, and the crowd turned their heads. That was my chance. I snatched two loaves of bread, stuffed them into my shirt, and ran full speed down the nearest alley.

Now I just needed to wait for James to start the great buffet.

Shouts rang out at the mouth of the alley: “Rat! Get it!” and “He’s getting away!”

I only stopped after the next corner, sucking in air, praying the next thing I saw was James without an angry crowd attached.

I peeked out. Crap. James was sprinting for his life, a knot of men behind him. His normally pristine gray fur was streaked with blood around his mouth.

“Hide!” I hissed, trying to be loud enough for him and quiet enough for everyone else. James ignored me, darting closer.

My mind raced. I couldn’t just abandon him. I ran to meet him.

“Who’s that?” someone shouted.“Catch the rat!” another voice yelled.

I scooped James into my hand just as a mountain of a man jogged toward me, barely winded, smiling like he’d already won.

“Great work, kid!” he boomed. “Now kill it or if you can’t, just hand it over and I’ll do it.”

I froze. Others were catching up, their eyes locked on me.

“I… ummm… hello,” I stammered. “My name is Stanley, and who might you be?”

“I’m Martin,” the man replied. “Now come on, I haven’t got all day.”

“Well, you see—” I hesitated. “I’m a rat catcher. I have to show this one to my boss so I get paid. I’ll… kill him later so my boss knows I actually did something.”

That sounded pretty convincing to me.

“A rat catcher?” Martin raised an eyebrow. Some others chuckled. Then his expression hardened.

“Oh, I get it now. Your boss is selling rat meat, passing it off as high-quality stuff. One of those. We don’t take kindly to your types around here.”

He slammed his fist into his palm. “You’ll hand over that rat, or you’ll get to know my unpleasant side!”

I shrank back. This was bad.

“I’m sorry, James,” I murmured, lowering my head.

Something yanked at me, like a hook through my chest.

I could’ve resisted, I knew that somehow. But I also knew if I let go, we might live.

So I let it.

Martin growled, “Okay, you’ll get it now,” raised his fists, and the world blinked.

I appeared in a massive hall. Gold-leaf halos glowed on robed figures in huge paintings; torches flickered over marble pillars and carved angels. The air smelled of incense and beeswax polish. Cool stone pressed the soles of my thin boots.

I stood in a glowing circle, one among nearly a hundred others spread evenly across the room. More people kept appearing, filling the circles. Most looked about my age, though there were outliers: an old man in his seventies stood beside me, and two rows ahead, a baby was bawling like the world had ended.

To my relief, I still clutched James in my hand, though he was more distressed than before.

Then it hit me.

This had to be the Wizardlands. The Summoning. The stuff of legends, only ever whispered about.

And it only happened to people destined to become wizards.

“I’m gonna be a wizard, James,” I whispered, grinning at the rat. “It’s gonna be okay. We won’t even have to steal food anymore.”

James squirmed but seemed to calm a little.

A wizard. Me. Finally, my luck has turned.

When I gave the crowd a second look, I started feeling self-conscious. Clearly, the other would-be wizards had been better off. I was the poorest-looking one here by a mile.

What does it matter? As a wizard everyone starts fresh. Still, maybe clean up a bit.

I tried my best to get my hair in place and rubbed at my face—probably not improving things much, but it was the thought that counted.

The old man beside me had recovered enough to stare wide-eyed.“Why are you talking to a rat? What’s happening? Where are we?”

“uh, hi,” I replied and quickly hid James in my pocket.

Before I could continue, a booming voice silenced the hall. Everyone stopped talking—except the baby, still screaming.

“Welcome, Wizards!”

An old woman in blue robes and a pointed hat strode through the gates. Her eyes, blue as well, caught the torchlight.

“My name is Agatha Blanes, and you are our future, the chosen few of the Summoning. Please stay in your circles for now…”

She stopped, glaring as the baby’s cries echoed. Another robed wizard in green rushed in. They exchanged hurried, heated whispers before the second wizard scooped up the baby and carried it out.

“Apologies for the disturbance,” Blanes said sharply. “We thought the problem of underage wizards had been solved, but CLEARLY SOMEONE MESSED UP!” Her voice boomed, and the whole hall jumped. She smoothed her tone. “We’ll come to each of you in turn.”

“A long, boring stretch of wizard stuff followed. James and I ate some bread. Yada yada. I’ll skip to the old guy next to me.”

“Name and age?” Blanes asked, her voice tired after thirty repetitions.

“Arthur Walts. Sixty-nine. I was a carpenter, but lately my back has—”

“Yeah, yeah,” she cut him off. “Tell it to your trainer later. I’ll perform the ritual now.”

The circle around Arthur flared bright blue, pulsing quickly.

“Wind,” Blanes declared. She placed a glowing blue stone in his palm.

Arthur straightened like a rope pulled taut. His face smoothed; his hair seemed thicker. As he lifted his head, I could see red eyes. Weren’t they brown before?

Maybe I imagined it.

“Go to the counter. They’ll sort you out,” Blanes said, waving him on.

Then she turned to me.

“Name and age?”

“Stanley. Fifteen.”

“Just Stanley?”

“Just Stanley.”

“Fine.”

She focused, and my circle glowed.

But unlike the vibrant, pulsing colors I’d seen for others, mine was a dull gray. It didn’t pulse at all, just a steady, lifeless light.

Power flooded me anyway; every hair stood on end. I felt… everything. The world within two or three meters blurred into fuzzy shapes in my head. But James, James was sharp as a knife. I could feel him clearly, squirming in my pocket, curious but safe.

I reeled back, head pounding, until I managed to shut it off.

Blanes frowned.“Rat,” she muttered. “All I’m getting from you is rat.”

“What does that mean?”“I’m not sure. That’s never happened.”

Her gaze flicked to my pocket, where James peeked out nervously.

“Eeeek!” Blanes recoiled. “There’s a rat in your pocket!”

Gasps echoed across the hall.

Blanes narrowed her eyes, and James floated out of my pocket, squirming in midair.

“No, stop!” I tried to grab him. “He’s my friend! He can wait outside the circle.”

“A rat? As a friend?” Blanes asked, disgusted.

“Well, I’ve only known him two weeks, but he’s the best rat I’ve ever had!”

“There were more? What’s wrong with you? Rats carry disease!”

“No, he doesn’t! You can feel which ones do.”

“You can?” Her tone changed, curious now.

James hovered to the side, and my circle lit up again, still gray, still static.

Blanes stared. “Well, I’ll be damned. Your magical affinity… is Rat.”

James floated back into my arms, and I tucked him quickly into my pocket. He buried himself deep, wanting to hide.

“What does that mean for me?” I asked.

“Unprecedented,” she said. “Come.”

She marched me to the counter. The wizard there wore green. He barely looked up.“What is it, Agatha? Come on, I want to wrap this up.”

“Rat affinity,” Blanes said.

The green wizard blinked. “Rat? As in… the animal rat?”

“Yes.”

“That’s not possible.”

“Turns out it is.”

“Really? Okay then. What should I do with him?”

“I don’t know. That’s why I came here.”

The green wizard frowned, then sighed. “I’ll have to check with Travis.” He vanished into the back.

Blanes shrugged. “Wait here.” She returned to her duties.

Eventually, the green wizard reappeared, two new wizards already waiting in line behind me. “Well, there’s no procedure for a case like yours. So, uh, please wait here. The council is debating your case.”

So I waited.

People shuffled past, handing stones across the counter, getting redirected to various places. By the time the last new wizard had turned in their stone, I was still standing there.

The green wizard gave me an apologetic smile. “Well… my shift’s over. So I’ll leave now. You just stay put I’m sure someone will be with you shortly.”

And then, he vanished too.

Shortly after, the lights went out. What the hell is taking so long?

Bored from all the waiting, I tried my new sense and realized it didn’t care about light: two or three meters of foggy knowing, and like a lantern, James. I pulled him out. He climbed my sleeve and perched on my shoulder, calmer in the dark. When I really focused, I could feel him, his emotions: confusion mixed with comfort at being with a friend. It was way stronger than the vague feelings I’d had before.

I was still marveling at the sensation when the lights flickered back on.

A middle-aged woman in violet robes stood before me, irritation sharp on her face. Her eyes were a deep violet.

“So you’re the Rat guy?” She looked me up and down, spotted James, and sighed. “Clearly you are. Follow me.”

“Hi, Ms. Wizard, I was wondering—”

“Wait with the questions. Most will be clear shortly.”

We walked a maze of corridors, past gilded doors and narrow windows. At last we stopped at a vast door carved with angels and devils locked in combat.

“All right,” she said, voice steady but tinged with regret. She unrolled a parchment and read:

“Council decision number 56884, regarding newly summoned wizard Just Stanley—” She paused. “Dana left that in? Fine. Regarding newly summoned wizard Stanley. The Council has decided, by a vote of sixteen to nine, that the wizard known as Stanley will not be welcome among our ranks. Due to the nature of his affinity, we lack both the knowledge and the interest to train such a vulgar branch of our art. Therefore, the wizard in question is hereby cast out of the Wizard Lands and stripped of citizenship.”

My stomach dropped. “Wait, cast out? As in kicked out?”

She lowered the parchment. “Well, that’s the gist of it. Not fair, but it happens. You can just return to your old life and… enjoy being with rats, I suppose.”

“No, wait, I need to stay here! I’m a wizard now!”

“But,” she added, ignoring me, and pulled out a thick tome, “I’m curious what such an affinity can do. Take this.”

I didn’t move.

“I don’t want a book, I want to stay!”

“Look, I’m sorry. I voted for you to stay myself. But the decision is made.”

The door creaked open, and I felt the same tugging sensation from earlier.

“The book,” she said, pressing it into my hands. “It contains a huge amount of knowledge. Maybe it’ll help you figure things out on your own.”

“No, wait!” The tugging grew stronger. “I can’t” It was unbearable now.

“I can’t read!” I shouted.

Her eyes widened, but the tug tore me through the door and out of the Wizardlands.

“And that’s how I got here. Well, technically I popped up outside the hut first, then walked in, but you get the idea,” I finished.

The hut wasn’t much, leaning walls, a cold fireplace with nothing but gray ash, damp straw on the floor. The air had that mix of old smoke and rat droppings that made me want to sneeze.

Twenty-four rats stared at me from the rafters and corners like I was their evening entertainment.

I spread my hands. “So… yeah. I’m still planning to be a wizard. Seeing as my magic is obviously tied to rats, I figured maybe we could… work together?”