The Northern Circumvallations By Bea Augustine A new day was coming.

The sunlight was gradually covering the land of Atheria. The county was still asleep, everybody content with the happenings. The princess was almost awake half of the time and the magicians had lots of work to do, most of them were running around, casting spells here and there and, ordering their apprentices to go around gathering special herbs and collecting forgotten words from the students at the University for Language Studies. The princess had told them many things, which were not to be disclosed, however, she had pointed to the North, where the evils had flown away and the magicians knew they had to reinforce their Northern citadels, which before they had just left into a slight decay, never expecting an attack from there. The Northern citadels had a special charm, with their old-fashioned esplanades, covered with gentle moss from the moisture around. Only a few times per month did some magicians go there to have an informal talk and to recall the past from hundreds of years ago, when these places were at their sublimity. There were also long circumvallations, germane to the spirit of the times, which protected the small then county from the bad intentions of the enemies. The magicians kept their history, retold their stories, made the students learn and remember, and taught them to never stop inventing new spells and reinforcing their magic. It was not simply a matter of keeping a book full of magic words, suitable for any occasion; it was now a time, when everyone needed to invent, otherwise they just had to drop out, as it was in ancient times, when everyone just struggled to be a specialist. No one now ever believed in being a specialist, it was absurd, it made even the simplest decisions hard to achieve, with the possibility for hours of discussions and variety of opinions. All the kids were taught since early age to be able to gather the details they needed and only to ask their friends for advice on the outcome of their efforts; still, they were all grown with the idea of the sublime hierarchy of the body of advisory magicians. The advisors had their meetings from time to time, always escorted by their followers, the students and the regular magicians. Everyone was proud to be around and to see their elaborate processions, the splendour of their arrival and the strength that they conveyed. Whenever there were news from the metropolis, all the senior magicians gathered in the largest county square and declared among all the victories or the troubles that they were to deliver. If there was a trouble, they would always point out the decision they had taken and would advise the town people of the necessary precautions. Still, Atheria was strong; many of the people had travelled far and wide, had been to far-away kingdoms and were full of wisdom. The ordinary ones, living calmly from generations in the county, just kept their houses and sustained their well-being. It was now a time when everything was possible, when each one could just choose their way and stay on track. Only historians would tell them about the troubles of the past, about the incessant wars among kingdoms and the fights of some to threaten the stability for all. Still, the arrival of the princess was full of fear, the evils had been seen to try to attack and all the magicians had been there to make them flee; it was a sign that there was a need for revival of the strengthening of the county defence and for a wide-acknowledged degree of consent for actions.