The Apprentice to Zdrell

by David K Bennett

  “Now, Jonny, we cannot see these particles with our eyes because they are so very small, but, according to this wizard, someone with a sufficiently developed zdrell sight can perceive and influence them, can actually make something get hotter or colder by controlling the speed these particles vibrate. I want to see if you can do this.”

  “Is that really possible, Master?” Jonny asked dumbfounded.

  “I believe it is. I doubt I could do it, but you have already developed your sight to a level I have never witnessed before. I think you should be able to do it, and I think I have worked out a method for you to make it happen.”

  As usual, The Master had a plan. He first had a series of exercises to help Jonny learn to sharpen his sight so he could see smaller and smaller things down to the level that he could see these particles. Once Jonny could do that, he helped him learn how to control the speed the particles vibrated, and eventually Jonny did.

  It took a lot of time and effort, and many days Jonny felt he was making no progress at all. The Master encouraged him and told him to study other areas when he became too discouraged.

  Months passed, and spring arrived when Jonny finally felt he had a handle on the technique. He found water was one of the easiest things to change the temperature of, both because of its uniform nature as well as because it was easy to see when it changed temperature. Jonny amused himself by freezing small saucers of water and then thawing them to the point where the water flashed into steam.

  Once he finally got the technique down, Jonny found it was not so hard to do. He also found that the easiest way to make something hotter was to steal the heat from the surrounding material. This caused the thing he stole the heat from to get colder, and created the strange situation where he had water boiling in a container that was so cold that ice formed on the outside of it.

  Once he figured out how to heat wood, fire was easy to create. A beneficial side effect of learning to see things at such a small level was helping him to learn to better manipulate wood and other organic materials

  All of this happened at just the right time. The annual wizard’s conclave was held at the beginning of the summer. This year, The Master announced he would take Jonny and have him perform in the apprentice competition.

  The conclave was the event of the year. Wizards from all around came to the conclave to share knowledge, trade, and compete. More importantly, this was where journeymen wizards were presented to the council of elders to be declared master wizards. They had to perform and prove they were sufficiently skilled and worthy to have the rank of master.

  The apprentice competition was really more a way for the various masters to show how skilled they were by the quality of the apprentices they produced. Great prestige went to the master whose apprentice won the competition. Up until this point, Master Silurian had said Jonny was not ready to perform using his talent. Now that Jonny had mastered controlling heat and cold as well as making objects fly, The Master said Jonny had something to show.

  Chapter 33

  Jonny was really excited as he, Master Silurian, and nearly all the journeymen from the castle arrived at the conclave. They had traveled north through Kenton and over the high pass in the Crags of Glondor to arrive in the city of Glondor, where the conclave was to be held this year. Its location rotated each year to make equal over time the travel for the various wizards coming from the entire continent.

  The conclave created a small city outside the walls of Glondor. There were vendors and people dressed in different ways everywhere, somber colored robes, bright satins, and Jonny counted ten different styles of hats in just the first half hour.

  It was very exciting to Jonny, who could only really remember living in Alavar and the castle. He had been born in a small town outside of Kenton, but he did not remember much about it at all. He had never been outside the kingdom of Salaways before, and now he was seeing representatives from all of the seventeen city-states in the continent of Skryla.

  Jonny was also very interested in the way people reacted to his master; each was different. Most of the other master wizards were deferential and some were obviously in awe of him. Others who smiled to his face, but Jonny could see that after he left they looked after him with hatred.

  When he mentioned this to his master, Master Silurian only chuckled. He told Jonny that since wizards live a long time, there were many opportunities to accumulate enemies. He said he assumed most of the wizards Jonny saw looking askance at him most likely were demon workers and The Master was well known for his contempt of wizards who chose that as their primary mode of magic.

  There was so much to see. Hundreds of magician masters, journeymen, and apprentices thronged the grounds. One large segment was devoted to journeymen performing almost non-stop trying to prove they were ready to become masters, so Jonny saw more magic each day than he saw in a typical month at the castle. He saw glyph writers inscribing symbols of power on parchment, wood, stone and metal, and then releasing the power they trapped. He saw war mages demonstrating their fireballs, power lances, and magical shields; amulet makers demonstrating their stored spells; incantationists healing minor wounds; potion makers demonstrating elixirs; diviners foretelling future events.

  There were also Elders, master wizards of great renown, who spoke on various aspects of the ten major categories of magic. The whole conclave was closed to non-wizards (mundanes as they were referred to in a derogatory way) so all things could be discussed. Jonny was not surprised, and was actually proud of how his master was considered one of the most important Elders at the conclave. He also discovered, as he listened to the various lectures and watched the journeyman perform, that Master Silurian was one of the few wizards who was conversant with (and had tried to teach Jonny about) nearly all the different branches of magic. Master Silurian was known as an expert in all the branches except divination.

  The demon summonings were held in the center of the conclave grounds. This kept them furthest from mundane scrutiny, and because that area was a mild depression in the grounds, it helped cut the sound of the screams. Journeymen who were trying to qualify as masters had to perform at least one summoning in full daylight; a difficult task. Jonny stayed away from that part of the grounds as much as possible, but, centrally located as it was, he found it hard not to cut through occasionally. He always regretted it when he did.

  Chapter 34

  “Gentlemen,” Master Silurian began, addressing the ten other senior wizards gathered in the tent. “I have talked with nearly all of you individually, and I hope to not waste your time here. You all know why you are here,” he said, looking slowly around the seated men. “Because you feel as I do about the growing ascendancy of demon magic.” He pointed out the door. “You have all seen it. Each year they grow bolder. They have taken of the center place of our gathering; we have been symbolically pushed to the edge.” He finished the last and looked as if he would spit on the floor.

  “As you say, Silurian,” replied one of the seated wizards, Kentaroth. “These things we already know. This is the third conclave they have held the center place. What of it? They are growing, as we wane. There are now nearly three demon wizards for every one of any other branch of magic. What can we do about it? There are more of them; their path is easier,” he stared at Master Silurian, daring him to deny his words.

  The Master unflinchingly returned his gaze and continued, “Exactly! Their path is easier, for them, but what of their victims?” He held up his hands to forestall their comments. “No. I am not talking about those boys out there, screaming right now. I mean all the mundanes in the land. Most of you are old enough to remember when wizards were admired, as well as respected. Now, because of them,” he gestured towards the tent door, “we are barely tolerated and feared rather than respected; considered a ‘necessary evil,’ or worse.”

  The assembled wizards muttered, but none denied his words.

  Again, Kentaroth, voiced the group opinion. “We like it no better than you do, Siluri
an, but what can we do? Our magic is strong, but it is not as strong or versatile as demons, at least for destruction and power. Why tell us what we already know? You hinted you had another reason for this gathering. What is it?”

  “You are right, Kentaroth. I have two reasons for you being here, the first some of you already know. They,” he said, pointing towards the demon end of the camp, “are not content with their gains. They are preparing to move against all non-demon wizards.”

  Several of the assembled wizards nodded, though many seemed surprised and muttered their disbelief to their neighbors.

  “I know this is something of a shock, but talk to me after if you need more specific evidence, but I, and several of you, have gotten enough detail to believe that they plan to move against us within as little as a year, but surely no more than five, unless they are somehow deterred. You need to be prepared, and we need to work together, or everyone in this tent will fail to live past the next decade.”

  Silence reigned in the tent for several moments, as each contemplated their own situation.

  “You said there were two things, Silurian, what is the other?” Kentaroth asked, breaking the silence.

  “You are right, old friend. I did say two. The other is tied to the first. I cannot say all I wish, but let me say that I might, and I do say only might have found a way to turn the tide against the demon masters.”

  “Out with it then. Do not tease us, Silurian. What have you found that none of us has discovered?”

  Master Silurian allowed his gaze to move slowly over them and then breathed one word quietly, “Zdrell.”

  Angry mutters and shouts greeted his announcement.

  “You don’t expect us to believe, that after all these years, you have suddenly unlocked the ancient mystery?” a wizard named Chardis said angrily.

  “I do not expect you to believe anything I say,” The Master said quietly. “I simply want you to watch the apprentice competition and watch my apprentice Jonny. Observe him carefully, and then draw your own conclusions.”

  Chapter 35

  The apprentice competition took place on the third and fourth days of the conclave. Jonny was one of the last to perform. Apprentices performed in an order based on the seniority of their masters, as well as their master’s opinion of the quality of the magic they would perform. Few, except for the five wizards assigned to judge the competition, paid much attention to the first day’s contestants. In short order, Jonny understood why. Many of the first several contestants merely opened a portal to the demon world, and then hastily closed it, nothing more. Since this was the most rudimentary magic anyone with magical talent could perform, it failed to impress Jonny, or anyone else.

  Fully half of the apprentices entered in the competition performed aspects of demon work. Most did what were called “dry summonings.” In this type of exhibition, no demon was actually summoned. A portal was opened and closed, then the apprentice would repeat his offer and contract, as if a demon was present. The success of the performance was judged in the details of the wording and the appropriateness of the offering the apprentice would have made for the task to be performed. It was not much fun to watch.

  Jonny was much more interested in the apprentices who performed feats using other branches of magic. The highlight of the first day was a boy, not much older than Jonny, who enchanted a piece of wood and small iron bar so that no matter where the piece of wood was placed, the iron bar would lead the holder of it to the wood piece. It was not very sophisticated magic, but it was much more fun, as spectators went to greater and greater lengths to hide the wood piece so it couldn’t be found.

  The second day dawned hot, with a cloudless sky. Jonny worried if today there might be apprentices whose skill might rival his own. The first two apprentices both did dry summonings, but they were for the sort of task only a powerful demon could have performed. Had they actually summoned the demons, they would have been dangerous.

  The next performer took quite a bit of time because he created a complex potion (showing the judges all steps and ingredients) that would nullify poison. The apprentice then proved the efficacy of his potion by giving a rat poisoned food, causing it to die very quickly. He then poured the potion over the food, fed it to a second rat, who ate without harm. The finale came when the boy took some of the formerly poisoned food and ate it himself. This got the first honest round of applause from the crowd.

  Two more apprentices did complex dry summonsings, and they were followed by a pair of apprentices who demonstrated basic war magery. First one, then the other cast basic wizard missiles at a target. Then, the senior boy cast a shield spell while the second cast more missiles directly at him. This got quite a reaction from the crowd, partly because some of the missiles ricocheted rather than burst on the shield.

  Another boy drew a glyph that kept unknowing spectators from entering within ten feet of it, no matter how much the crowd urged them. This was followed by an apprentice who cast ball of flame that went over three hundred feet up before bursting; an excellent signal, even in daylight.

  The last performer before the lunch break was an older apprentice who seemed to Jonny like he was somehow different from the others who had performed earlier. Jonny could not say why, but the sun did not shine so brightly on this young man. He strode to the stage and bowed to the judges.

  “I will be performing a summoning, but it will be live, not dry,” he stated quietly with purpose.

  There was a murmuring in the crowd. The judges exchanged looks at one another. The head judge spoke. “Apprentice, all summonings with offerings must be cleared in advance.”

  The apprentice bowed towards the judges and spoke, “I understand. I am not using another for my offering. I will be providing the pain to the demon, myself.”

  A more profound buzz passed through the crowd. While it was possible for a wizard to both perform a summoning and provide the pain offering, it was almost never done. A single misspoken word could ruin any summoning, and few dared to be distracted by pain while working with a demon. Here was either a very brave, or a very foolish apprentice. By the rules of the competition, the judges could not interfere.

  The apprentice bared his upper body, got out a tine knife, and then opened his portal. He opened the portal as quickly and as easily as Jonny had ever seen it done. He then took the tine knife and began to scrape at just above his belly, all the while incanting an open offer.

  It took only moments for a demon to come through the portal. The binding was done quickly. The apprentice only asked for the demon lift him up as high as the top of the nearest mountain and then bring him down again. The pain the apprentice was applying to himself was sufficient for the demon and the transaction only took five minutes.

  Jonny and the entire crowd were impressed, not so much by the magic, but by the strength of the young wizard in using himself as an offering in a demon summoning. The crowd, Jonny included, gave the apprentice, the greatest ovation yet received.

  There was only one apprentice slated to perform after the lunch break before Jonny, and only one after. The first to perform was another boy who looked strange to Jonny. He was the first boy actually smaller than Jonny in the competition. At first glance he appeared very young until you looked into his face, then he appeared to be much older than his size indicated.

  The boy stepped forward, and in a voice much deeper than seemed possible, announced he would attempt a divination of events which would occur before the close of the competition. This was another surprise for the crowd, which had grown quite large after the lunch break. Divination was the least practiced branch of magic, both because the results were not particularly reliable, and because knowledge of future events was, at best, a mixed blessing.

  The boy seated himself on the stage and began an incantation in Klathar. Watching him keenly, Jonny saw changes through his zdrell sight in the area around the boy, but they were like nothing he had ever seen before. For the first time Jonny saw a color in his zdrell vi
sion. Normally all he perceived in his sight was monochromatic, but now he perceived a golden radiance, with no specific source, surrounding the boy.