A Sorcerer Imprisoned

by Guy Antibes

  “A letter from home,” he said. “Read it while you are alone.”

  Ricky had to laugh. “I’m always alone.”

  Henni nodded, and they both left.

  Ricky stared at the book bag, and then at his immobile arms. He had a flash of frustration since he could not get to the books or the letter.

  ~~~

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  ~

  R ICKY WOKE TO EXCRUCIATING PAIN shouting at him from his foot. He opened his eyes to see Frank, smirking at him, with a club over his shoulder.

  “Unfortunately, my mission to kill you was interrupted,” Frank said.

  “Why the hate?” Ricky said breathlessly through the pain, as the blow to his foot began to subside.

  “Lord Taranta killed my mother. Lady Taranta has promised to kill my father. It’s all your fault.”

  “It’s the Tarantas’ fault,” Ricky said, “and yours. I haven’t done anything wrong. The Tarantas, father, son, and now mother have ruined your life, not me.”

  “If you hadn’t arrived at Doubli Academy, nothing would have happened.”

  “I doubt that,” Ricky said. “Victor would have found other victims.”

  “I don’t care at this point. You won’t be alive tomorrow to complain to anybody.”

  “Is Master Pisan in on this?”

  Frank nodded. “He took the healer to the Kitchens for a nighttime snack. They’ve done it before.”

  Ricky didn’t know what to do. If he stopped time, Frank would still be there to bludgeon him to death when time returned to normal. Ricky knew it was his life or Frank’s. Victor’s friend had betrayed him any number of times. Frank was a dupe. Nevertheless, he was a murderous dupe.

  Ricky froze time anyway. He needed a minute to think. He looked at Frank, ready to use the club to inflict more pain. Frank’s blow to his foot now pulsed with agony. Ricky couldn’t go on with this. He tried another pitch willing his magic to do the opposite of fire, to freeze Frank.

  As his spell wore off, he sang a loud, low note, filling his body with the tone that matched his will, and sent it directly into Frank. A mist appeared on Frank’s chest. The energy drain consumed Ricky, and he couldn’t hold his eyes open any longer and sank back down on his pillow.

  He woke up in a crowded room. Ricky barely had enough energy to open his eyes, but he saw someone carrying Frank out of his room.

  “What happened?” Ricky said. He forced awareness into his mind by blinking.

  “Frank Pestella is dead,” the healer said. “How did you do it?”

  “Dead?” Ricky said. “He was alive the last time I saw him, pounding a bludgeon into my left foot.”

  He looked down to see a bloody bandage around his foot.

  “You definitely couldn’t get out of bed with that foot,” the healer said.

  Ricky looked at Master Pisan, the healer, Warden Sarini, and two guards. His tiny room barely held them all, even as someone dragged away Frank’s body.

  “He always was a bit scrawny at school. Could he have had a heart attack? He was really angry when he woke me up by destroying my toes,” Ricky said.

  “What words did you have with him?” the warden asked.

  “He said Master Pisan had taken the healer out for a night snack, and Frank took advantage of that to kill me. He talked about Lord and Lady Taranta killing his mother and threatening his father, forcing him into the Home so he could take my life. I tried to reason with him, but he just got more worked up and more worked up. He hit my foot, and then I must have fainted.”

  Master Mattia poked his head in the room. “No marks on his body. Valian couldn’t have possibly killed him.”

  Ricky felt a shred of guilt, but he doubted anyone would notice through his expression. Most of his answers came through clenched teeth as he dealt with the pain of his injuries. Now that he was awake, everything hurt.

  He looked at the healer. “Do you have anything for the pain? It’s getting really bad.”

  “Of course,” the healer said. He looked the guiltiest of them all before he left the room.

  “I’ll have more words with you tomorrow.” She looked at the two guards. “Make sure he isn’t disturbed tonight. I heard that Pestella might not have acted alone.”

  Mattia nodded. “If anyone touches the boy, I’ll make sure they regret it,” he said with unexpected virulence.

  The warden picked up the book bag. “Whose books are these?”

  “The library guard gave me some reading. He has me read library books during my free hours,” he said for the benefit of the others in the room.

  Her eyes lingered a bit longer on Ricky. “It’s time for the rest of you to leave. One guard in the room and another outside the door. Only the healer is allowed entry until morning. No students. Understand?”

  They all nodded, and finally the healer returned with a glass filled with a cloudy liquid. Ricky drank it all and let the pain leave his mind, along with his consciousness.

  ~

  The next morning Mattia was the one to wake Ricky up.

  “I know you killed Pestella with your magic,” the teacher said, raising his hand to forestall any objection. “I don’t believe in letting someone kill you and not using any means at your disposal to save your own life. Don’t tell me what spell you used. Whatever it was, it drained you of your energy. Anyone who’s spent time around practicing sorceror knows that much. You could have killed yourself killing Pestella.”

  Ricky had heard the warnings before, but Mattia seemed to understand the dire situation Ricky had faced.

  “Did you get your notices distributed?”

  “I did,” Ricky croaked. Whatever concoction the healer had given him, seemed to have coated his mouth. He cleared his throat. “I did, even Frank, not that he’ll be attending the class.”

  Mattia shook his head slowly. “No, he won’t. I’ll have Siria spend some time with you.”

  “Who?”

  “Siria Lonsi. She is the sorcery teacher that you’ll be working with, once you are ready. She knows some sorcerous healing and might be able to speed up your recovery. The healer has put down young Pestella’s death to natural causes.”

  “Master Pisan—”

  “He was undoubtedly aiding Pestella. I made it clear that he is not to meddle,” Mattia said.

  “Thank you.”

  Mattia just grunted. “I don’t want to know anything more, Valian,” he said as he left Ricky’s room.

  After a breakfast of porridge diluted with a lot of milk or cream, the warden returned to Ricky’s bedside. She pulled out his room key.

  “This is yours?”

  She had to know. Ricky’s heart sunk. “It is.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I rubbed sand to polish it yesterday or the day before. I can’t remember.”

  “Yesterday. That’s when you leveled the pavers.”

  “Yes, warden. So much seems to have happened.”

  She nodded. “I can imagine. This is a modified key. Is that your doing?”

  “It is,” Ricky said. He just couldn’t see himself lying to the warden when the evidence was so plain in sight.

  She leaned forward and spoke softly. “Good, take care of this. I don’t know what modifications you’ve made, but I suggest that you don’t lend the key to anyone else. I don’t want to know how you will use this key, but if it is important enough for you to create, I am sure you have a worthy use in mind. It is something someone in my gang might need someday.”

  “Ah,” Ricky nodded. “Your gang,” he said just as softly. “I will treasure it.”

  She looked at him dubiously. “I wouldn’t go that far.” She then spoke more loudly. “Your sorcery teacher is visiting later today. Mattia said she has some healing experience and has agreed to take a look at you. Is that all right?”

  “It is. I have had too many broken bones. I’ve had sorcerous healing before at the academy.”

  “Injuries from the Taranta boy?”
>
  “Yes,” Ricky said.

  “Then you won’t be surprised.”

  “I hope not.”

  “I’ll leave you to it. Make sure the sorceress heals one of your hands so you can read your old books. The healer said that even with accelerated healing, you’ll still be in bed for days yet. Take care,” she said, patting his head, gently.

  He looked at the door Warden Sarini had closed on her way out. Ricky bit his lip. He had played a dangerous game without knowing many, if any, of the rules. So far he hadn’t quite lost, but was that a matter of time?

  Ricky closed his eyes, trying to compose his thoughts. Warden Sarini had shown him more trust than he deserved. Master Mattia had covered for his use of magic to defend himself, but he felt Mattia might be saving up favors for later. Perhaps he could put Master Pisan out of his mind, for the present anyway. Henni and Kela had given him books to read. He wondered if Warden Sarini had any idea that some of them were from the secret storage room.

  He wished he could talk to Saganet, his guardian, but Ricky couldn’t even read Saganet’s letter that resided in the book bag. His mind was too full of possibilities, and Ricky found he couldn’t do any anticipation. He couldn’t plan any defense. He didn’t have a hideout, which he would have retreated to in Tossa.

  He snorted a laugh. He momentarily forgot that his shantyboat no longer existed. His life as a ‘free’ man had been painful, and now that carried through to the Home, except most of the pain came courtesy of Lady Taranta.

  The healer came in with another draft of the cloudy liquid.

  “Some more healing sleep?” Ricky asked.

  “Indeed. I didn’t get a chance to apologize to all your visitors. I’m afraid I’m responsible for your broken toes.”

  Ricky looked down at the purpled tips of his feet, sticking out of his bandaged foot.

  “At least I’m alive.”

  “A fortunate and timely heart attack. I’ve never seen a boy just drop dead like that. His heart just seemed to stop. Lucky for you,” the healer said. “Drink this. You should wake up in time for your visit with the sorcerer. I’ve heard of her. She studied in Duteria for a few years. Many of the best healing sorcerers have trained there.”

  “Mirano Bespa helped me,” Ricky said as he took a long swig of the potion. “Have you heard of him?”

  “One of the best healers in Sealio, if not all of Paranty,” the man said as he left the room.

  ~~~

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  ~

  H EAT, BORDERING ON PAIN, BROUGHT RICKY OUT OF HIS SLEEP. He opened his eyes as he gasped to see a flaming-red-headed woman touching his injured foot.

  “Sorry,” she said.

  “I’ve been magically healed before, but not with such pain.”

  She frowned. “We can’t have you lying about in that bed for a week or more, can we?” Her frowned turned into a sarcastic grin. “I’m Siria Lonsi, your sorcery teacher. I’m afraid I don’t have the lightest touch. The healer said you’d been treated by Mirano Bespa? You were fortunate. I know him very, very well, and among sorcerer-healers, he is without peer.”

  Ricky finally took a breath since the conversation broke her ministration. “I had bleeding in my brain. He saved my life.”

  Siria nodded and smiled; then she wiggled Ricky’s toes. “They still need a bit of tender care, but now you can walk.” She looked back at him. “Don’t expect me to do internal work. A healer has to have a lot more experience than I have. I fix broken bones and torn flesh. Easy stuff…painful stuff. It’s time I looked at your wrist. Do you want to be put under again?”

  Ricky shook his head. “No, Master Lonsi.”

  “No ‘Master’ for me. Call me Siria, or Mistress, if you have to. Mattia said you’d be helping me teach the others, so consider us colleagues, okay?”

  It was hard to think of the woman as a colleague. She seemed to be about the same age as Warden Sarini, maybe a little younger, but still in her thirties. Now that Ricky had a chance to look at her, he noticed her red hair clashed violently with the light purple jacket she wore over a black blouse. When she moved to check on his arm, he could see she wore tight-fitting black pants.

  He groaned when she removed the sling and bandage that bound Ricky’s wrist to his body.

  “The pain will get worse.”

  “I’ll bear it,” Ricky said.

  She began to move his swollen hand. The pain exploded enough for Ricky to hiss through his teeth.

  “Drink this. The medicine is already mixed in,” Siria said.

  Ricky blushed at his weakness and let her put the glass to his mouth. He felt helpless, even more so with the woman helping him. He let the drug do its thing and slipped back to sleep.

  When his eyes opened again, Siria was gone. His arms were no longer bound, but Ricky felt wrung out. He thought about gaining strength and hummed a scale, finding the tune that resonated with his will. His body responded, and he could feel a bit of strength seep into his muscles. Ricky knew enough to stop. If he tried to give himself too much strength, his power would sap him even more. Professor Dari Calasay, his sorcery teacher at Doubli Academy, had taught him that during the summer.

  He sat up. His broken bones still complained, and his ribs still caught at him when he moved. Siria Lonsi probably didn’t know about those. His eyes went to his book bag. He withdrew Saganet’s letter and struggled to break the seal and open the envelope with weak hands.

  Ricky,

  I hope you are doing as well as can be expected. Merry is nearly recovered from her injuries and is continuing to make her mark at Doubli Academy. The rest of us are carrying on.

  I have some good news and some dreadful news in answer to your questions. Perhaps you might need the good news first.

  Nania Sarini can be trusted. Effie knows her well. Nania was a fellow bodyguard but never could withstand Princess Pira’s demands. She was Effie’s junior in the palace and left after less than two years. She had a sponsor secure the warden’s position as a temporary appointment. Unfortunately, her sponsor has fallen seriously ill, and Effie thinks that compromises the warden's position.

  Nemo Mattia is a former mercenary commander currently working for the Duke of Applia. I’ve heard of him but found out even more. He is up to his neck in Applian intrigue. He was a respected leader and trainer, but no one has any idea why he is at the Juvenile Home. Be wary of him. I am sure he operates to a code of ethics, but his current activities might be stretching that.

  Merry wondered what had happened to the Torris girl. She knew about the parents’ deaths at the hand of a jealous countryman. The Fisttians are known for their tempers. She thinks that no one knew what else to do with a new orphan. Merry thinks she should have decent magical talent, coming from her parents. They weren’t the highest-level performance sorcerers, but Merry’s impression was that they were very creative.

  Leon Pisan is an awful piece of work. My Applian contact has already written me after I informed him of your plight. Watch out for him. If Taranta wanted to hire someone to hurt you, Pisan would be the one to organize an attack.

  I end with the worst one of the lot. Antino Pacci is the Duke’s fixer. He is not to be trusted and must be avoided at all costs. Pisan is a mouse to the Paccian lion. He has been behind assassinations and other unsavory tasks at the bidding of the Duke.

  Ricky sat back. Nothing that Saganet told him surprised him. He had figured it all out before he received Saganet’s letter, but he sighed with relief that his guardian knew his plight as well as he did. There was a bit more to the letter.

  A word about Loria. You said affinity enhances power-linking. Loria has found a new boyfriend. He is a year older than she and the star on the academy’s broomball team. Tomio is tall, handsome, and very rich. He is a mediocre sorcerer, but the rest was enough for Loria. She was swept off her feet and didn’t take long to begin to talk derisively about her ‘former friend’ who currently resides in the Applia Juvenile Home. I’ve heard a
bout their relationship enough in my classes; even Benno had talked to me about it.

  My daughter says that teenage girls can be fickle. Loria dumped you for Benno and then dumped him for you, and now it’s your turn to be dumped again. You’ll have to live without an outside contact while you are imprisoned. Mina says not to lose all hope with Loria, but I say forget about her.

  Now I’ll end with a bit of good news. Effie and I will be traveling to Applia for Winter’s Day. She has an aunt that she’d like to visit. The Home permits visitors, and we will certainly talk to you then. My principal contact in Applia says that all my contacts are in the process of moving, so I don’t have any addresses, but you’ll get one when we see each other as the new year rolls around.

  Merry told me that your birthday should arrive about the time you get this letter in Applia. Happy fifteenth birthday. I wish you could have spent it with us. That will have to come next year.

  Take care of yourself.

  Your guardian,

  Saganet

  Ricky sighed. He had suspected Loria had been distracted by something or somebody, and he was right. That just confirmed what he suspected. He smiled at the thought of Saganet coming to visit. He just wanted to talk to him in a normal conversation. Now he wished that he and Saganet could power-link. Ricky would feel much better about things.

  Frank and his friends did a phenomenal job of beating him up on his birthday. He was in too much pain to even think about it and had forgotten he was fifteen until Saganet had just reminded him. The Applia Juvenile Home had taken quite a bit from him, and Ricky had to fight to keep from resenting it. He always tried to take things as they came, but the Home tested that.

  He lit the letter on the little lamp and watched the paper burn into the metal bin at the side of his bed. At least he didn’t feel quite so isolated. He lifted one of the old books from the bag and found it to be one from the hidden library. The paper was dark around the edges, but he could read the print without resorting to a sorcerous light.