The next day dawned dreary, but warm, and by lunchtime the sun had dared to show its face again. With the clouds parting and the threat of a little rain completely passed, Paddy was doing some work outside the chapel. A little gardening, because that always relaxed him, but also some reading and internal organising of future events at the church. Routine things, really. Not much happened on Tuesday mornings.
No sooner had the school bus trundled its slow way around the corner than Sean showed up, pelting around the church to where Paddy was sitting with his book, breathless and grinning. That bus hadn't even been Sean's; he and his mother lived more than a few blocks away. The teenager must have caught a ride with someone, or else leaped off his own bus the instant he could and ran here as fast as his little legs could carry him.
He found the dirt-bike waiting for him outside on the grass. Paddy was stronger than he looked, especially when he had all morning to move the bike, and - he suspected - the bike was unnaturally light due to its magical makeup.
"You're friends with sorcerers?" came Sean's greeting as he stumbled to a halt in front of Paddy's chair.
And, because Paddy had promised to explain everything later, he did. As much as he was allowed to, and as much as Sean could handle. Nothing about the Archangels, although he did mention he knew a living skeleton, and he did have to confirm it was possible to believe in both magic and God at the same time.
"They called you Paddy Steadfast," said Sean, by way of a latest question.
"They did," Paddy agreed.
"Is that a sorcerer's name? Have you taken on a sorcerer's name?"
Paddy hesitated. He didn't want to scare Sean with the truth about controlling names, which left the explanation a little harder to come up with than it should have been. "Yes and no," he answered eventually. "It's not a sorcerer's name. It's my name. It is a name I chose based on sorcerers' traditions, however."
"Can anyone learn magic?"
"Not anyone, no. Anyone can learn to ride a magical motorbike, though. They should be along any minute now."
no subject
No sooner had the school bus trundled its slow way around the corner than Sean showed up, pelting around the church to where Paddy was sitting with his book, breathless and grinning. That bus hadn't even been Sean's; he and his mother lived more than a few blocks away. The teenager must have caught a ride with someone, or else leaped off his own bus the instant he could and ran here as fast as his little legs could carry him.
He found the dirt-bike waiting for him outside on the grass. Paddy was stronger than he looked, especially when he had all morning to move the bike, and - he suspected - the bike was unnaturally light due to its magical makeup.
"You're friends with sorcerers?" came Sean's greeting as he stumbled to a halt in front of Paddy's chair.
And, because Paddy had promised to explain everything later, he did. As much as he was allowed to, and as much as Sean could handle. Nothing about the Archangels, although he did mention he knew a living skeleton, and he did have to confirm it was possible to believe in both magic and God at the same time.
"They called you Paddy Steadfast," said Sean, by way of a latest question.
"They did," Paddy agreed.
"Is that a sorcerer's name? Have you taken on a sorcerer's name?"
Paddy hesitated. He didn't want to scare Sean with the truth about controlling names, which left the explanation a little harder to come up with than it should have been. "Yes and no," he answered eventually. "It's not a sorcerer's name. It's my name. It is a name I chose based on sorcerers' traditions, however."
"Can anyone learn magic?"
"Not anyone, no. Anyone can learn to ride a magical motorbike, though. They should be along any minute now."