Azerick heard the wizard start making the strange mumbling sounds and hand gestures he had the day he conjured the huge, watery hand to grasp and dunk him repeatedly in the fountain. Azerick sprinted across the room and into the passage in the blink of an eye, a slender willow rod in hand. He swung the switch, interrupting the wizard’s casting by laying a great red welt across his exposed, wrinkly buttocks.
The wizard let out a great howl as fiery pain lanced across his sensitive posterior. “Damn you, boy! I have had quite enough of this foolishness, and I will suffer no more abuse from you. Now let me down this instant!”
“I think not, wizard. You are under my control, and we will come to terms before I decide to let you go.”
“Think you that it is so easy to trap a wizard do you, boy?” Allister queried with a chuckle. “I’ll show you what it means to have a dragon by the tail.”
Before Azerick could even think of raising his switch for a second strike, the suspended wizard whipped his hand in a rapid gesture and spoke a single word. Azerick found himself unable to move as if he had been turned to stone.
A shimmering wave like the heat reflecting off the desert sand limned the wizard. Another string of words and gestures turned the wizard upside right, floating a foot off the ground, the rope no longer wrapped about his feet.
“Whip me like a disobedient mule, will you?”
The willow rod flew from Azerick’s grip, wielded by an invisible hand. He felt fire erupt again and again as unseen red welts rose across his backside.
“Now, boy, I’m going to release you, then we are going to sit down and have a talk like civilized gentlemen. I know that may be a difficult act for you to play, but I expect you to do your best, and I will tolerate no more of your foolishness.”
Azerick found he had regained the use of his limbs and shot the wizard a glare before walking over to the table and sat down. Fresh pain lanced across his whipped backside, but he would not give the old man the satisfaction of showing any sign of discomfort. Allister took a seat across from him and studied his face for a moment.
“Tea’s done, would care for some?” Azerick asked his guest.
“So long as it agrees with me better than the wine did last night,” Allister said, lifting an eyebrow in accusation.
Azerick merely smiled and poured the tea into two plain cups.
“That was quite a performance you put on. The tainted wine, the rat, nearly getting me in a duel for a Lady’s honor.”
“I do try my best at whatever I do.”
Magus Allister got up and studied the books on Azerick’s bookshelf then inspected the exquisite alchemic set resting on the crude table. He immediately revised his opinion that the boy was illiterate.
“That’s quite a set you have there. Do you know how to use it?” the Magus inquired.
“I have been able make it suit my purposes, and yes, it is quite nice isn’t it? I was surprised to see such shabby equipment in the quarters of a powerful mage like yourself.”
“It serves me well enough, but you have brought up the very point I wished to discuss with you. My door was warded to give me a warning and an unfriendly greeting to anyone who opened it that had no business within, and I would know how you managed to get past it.”
The magical portal leading to the surface expired, throwing the room into a gloomy dimness. Azerick lifted the glass off the oil lamp sitting on the table and rubbed the wick between his forefinger and thumb. A small flame kindled between his digits and set the wick alight. He returned the glass flute to the top of the lamp and trimmed the wick.
“How did you do that, boy?”
“I read your book and followed the instructions. It was not any more difficult than creating or unraveling your little magic traps. Easier even since the book gave pretty good instructions. Really, if that’s all there is to magic, then you have had a lot of people fooled for a very long time.”
“No, there is a great deal more to magic than what you have read in that book. The spells you read were of the lowest order, little more than what any street corner charlatan could conjure up. But still, to have cast even those cantrips without any instruction from a real mage is remarkable.”
“Remarkable, that’s me in a nutshell.”
“Yes, why didn’t I see it before?” the old wizard mused, peering intently at the young man seated across from him with his wizard’s sight and seeing for the first time the powerful aura surrounding all wizards. “You have the gift, boy, and a strong one at that I think. Still, there is no way you should have been able to get past my ward. Granted, I didn’t put much thought or effort into it. I did not think I needed to, but even my most minimal work should have been more than sufficient to keep you out.”
“What do you mean I have the gift? What gift?”
“You have the gift of magic in you. Contrary to what you may think, not everyone who can read can just pick up a spell book and cast spells. A person must have some amount of natural talent to do what you did, and even that would normally require a great deal of training.”
“So what do you want of me now. I assume you’re not going to kill me otherwise you would have done it already.”
“I’m no more a killer than you are, boy, rest easy on that. I have a mind to take you with me back to The Academy. I’m certain I can talk the Headmaster and the council into granting you a scholarship.”
“I’ll have you know I’ve killed men before, so this better not be a trick of some kind.”
“Perhaps you have, boy, but there is a line between being forced to kill to survive and cold-blooded murder, and I don’t see a murderer in front of me. Do I, boy?”
“No, I don’t feel anyone ever died by my hand without good cause, but I’ll let the gods be the judge of that.”
“Oft times they’re the only ones who can. Now pack up what you want and we will be off, assuming you want to go that is. I think The Academy will suit you far better than the streets, no matter how comfortable your home is. What do you say?” the Magus asked.
Azerick considered his options for several minutes while the old mage waited patiently. He had always wanted to attend The Academy, but as a scholar not a wizard. He felt like this was his home, a place where he felt safe. But for how long? How long could he keep his lair a secret? He still had to run the streets to survive, and there laid the greatest danger, the danger of being caught as well as the danger presented by the guild thieves. All it took was for him not to pay his tax before they got tired of trying to collect and made another example out of him.
“I took a crystal from your desk too. Did you know that?” Azerick asked.
“You mean this crystal?” Allister held it up for Azerick to see. “Of course I did. I keep a close eye on all my possessions.”
“What happened to the people who had it?”
“They’ll likely think twice before receiving stolen goods again, particularly magical ones. I gave them a lesson similar to the one I gave you. Last I saw, they were hanging by their breached from a bronze statue of a mounted knight,” Allister said with a grin.
“So it was magical after all?”
“No, but they told me some street rat told them it was when he gave it to them as some kind of payment. I assumed that you expected me to find it and therefore would not have given it to someone you liked. To tell the truth, I didn’t like the looks of them anyway.”
“All right, I’ll go with you,” Azerick said.
Once Azerick packed away his alchemic set, books, and some clothes, Magus Allister conjured another portal to the outside. Azerick could see the streets and the sun through the window or doorway the wizard had created.
“What is that?” Azerick asked, looking at the thing in front of him with a skeptical eye.
“It is a magical gate. One end is here and the other is on the streets above.”
“It looks like it opens just above us in front of the warehouse. Why not just have the other end open on The Academy grounds?”
“There is a pretty strict limit to how far apart the two openings can be," the wizard patiently explained. "The Academy would be much too far away for this kind of spell.”
“I heard wizards can teleport to anyplace they wanted. Why not teleport us there?”
“Teleporting is a risky thing, much too risky for any living thing; particular if you don’t have a fixed, properly prepared place set up to teleport to. Even then, the odds of all of you ending up in the right place, or even the same place at the same time are not good enough for even the most experienced wizards to hazard,” answered Allister. “Now let’s be on our way before this thing wears off. It is not as easy to create as I make it look. It’s enough to make a man tired and hungry, even a man as experienced as me.”
Master and new student stepped through the magical gate and emerged onto the street. The wizard came to a stop and briefly closed his eyes while Azerick stumbled, dizzy and disoriented.
“Try and stand still, boy, and focus on a fixed object. The feeling will pass in a few seconds.”
Azerick did as he was told, and true to his word, the dizziness passed and they continued on their way, the wizard toting his alchemic set, Azerick carrying the worn bag full of books, clothes, and a few personal belongings.
CHAPTER 13
The Academy stood as the apex of human achievement, where the best of their society received the finest education in the kingdom. It was not for street rats. Through the insistent sponsorship of Magus Allister, Azerick was granted a scholarship to attend. The first time he had come to The Academy, he had seen very little of the grounds during the day, but now he took the time to examine it in all its splendor.
The Academy was actually three separate schools. One section was dedicated to the study of magic; one instructed students in martial training, while the other taught purely scholarly pursuits to the nobles and wealthiest of Valeria’s citizens. Martial training included tactics, small and large-scale troop movements, mounted combat using swords, bows, lances, and all manner of martial weapons. The Martial Academy also boasted an archery range, tilting lanes, a large field to practice maneuvers, and a stable. It produced the kingdom’s finest officers and elite military units.
The Magus Academy had their own practice field as well where they practiced ranged and hugely destructive spells. The Buildings and towers were all alabaster white. Several towers came to a point, sheathed with red, fire-baked clay tiles. Glass made up of dozens of huge hexagonal panes capped two of the Magus Academy towers and used as observatories. The two, glass-domed towers housed two of the largest telescopes in the kingdom and used to study and track the moon and the stars.
The three schools maintained their own dining halls, training grounds, libraries, dormitories, and classrooms. The only part of the campus they shared was a large park separating the three schools called “the commons.” The campus was comprised of three massive central buildings where the students from each school took their meals, attended classes, studied in the library, and were housed.
Allister showed Azerick to his room and got him settled in. A staff member issued him bed sheets, a pillow, and blankets as well as two robes that served as the Magus Academy uniform to wear as long as he was on Academy grounds. He was trying on one of the robes when another student entered the room.
“Oh hi, I didn’t know I had a roommate this year. I didn’t have one last year. I hope you don’t snore. I hope I don’t snore! I’ll apologize now for snoring since I don’t know if I snore or not. I’m usually asleep when I’m sleeping, so It’s hard for me to say whether I do or not,” the new boy spouted out nervously.
“Okay,” Azerick said, drawing the word out in confusion. “I’m Azerick, and you are?”
“Oh sorry, I’m Franklin, but my friends call me Rusty.”
“Because of your hair?” Azerick asked.
Rusty was tall, a good six inches taller than Azerick was but probably weighed twenty pounds less and had a head full of bright red hair.
“No, it’s because it takes me a little while to get the hang of things after the summer break…and winter festival break, and spring festival break, and just about any break in school longer than a week. Sometimes my spells don’t go right after I have a break in study, and I set things on fire. When that happens I tell them it’s because I’m rusty, so everyone started calling me Rusty.”
Rusty talked fast and in a nervous fashion, his eyes constantly darting around trying to look at everything at once. “So what’s your favorite sphere? Mine’s fire!”
“Sphere? I don’t know what you mean.”
“You know, sphere, element; like fire, water, earth, wind, or astral.”
“Oh, I don’t know. I don’t have one yet.”
“Really? How long have you been studying? I’ve never seen you at The Academy. Where were you apprenticed before?”
“This is my first time here or anywhere. I’ve never studied magic before.”
“You’ve never studied before? At your age? How did you get in here then?”
“Magus Allister sponsored me. When did you start studying?
“Most of us start at around six or seven years old. Man, I’ve never heard of anyone starting the Magus Academy at your age. The Martial Academy maybe, but it’s going to be hard for you to catch up. You should be an apprentice by now, maybe even a journeyman if you were really good. I’m an apprentice myself, but I hope to graduate to journeyman by the end of the year. You start out as a novice, but don’t worry, I’ll help you so you don’t get stuck with the kids too long.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it.”
“What does your father do? He must be pretty important to have enough influence to get you into the Magus Academy at your age.”
“He was a ship merchant, but he’s dead now. Magus Allister saw me do some things, and I guess it impressed him enough to get the rules bent for me.”
“Well, that’s good, and he’s a pretty powerful wizard around here, so you must have something going for you. Let me help you unpack.”
“Okay, thanks.”
Rusty showed him a small bookcase, table, and desk where Azerick could set up his things and he began unpacking.
“Whoa, where did you get that alchemic set?” Rusty exclaimed when Azerick began setting it up on the table.
“I bought it in town.”
“You must have had quite an inheritance to buy a set like that.”
“I had some money, but it’s mostly gone now.”
“It looks like it’s been used. Did you use it?”
“Yeah, I made a few things with it.”
“You said you never studied before. What did you make?”
The question made Azerick hesitate for a moment. “I made a potion to help a person sleep, help with pain, speed healing, and a type of really flammable oil.”
“Wow, that’s pretty high-level stuff. Where did you learn how to brew it?”
Azerick showed him his book on alchemic theory and practice as well as the book on magic Allister had let him keep. He showed off the few cantrips he had learned from the book to Rusty.
“And you learned all that just from the book without any help? I learned those spells in my first couple years, but I would never have been able to do it without a real Magus to teach me. No wonder Magus Allister brought you here.”
“I just hope I can learn enough not to embarrass myself. I’m still not sure if I’m really cut out to be a wizard or not. I think I would like to be though,” Azerick said.
“I’m sure you’ll do fine. You probably won’t even be in the baby class that long.”
“The baby class?”
“Yeah, that’s what some of the kids who have been here a while call the novices, mostly just the jerks, not me. They act like none of them ever started at the beginning and just instantly advanced to apprentice or journeyman.”
“Are there a lot of jerks in this school?”
“There’s a few. Mostly it’s the wealthy
kids from old families who think they’re better than everybody else. My father is one of the ministers of finance for the Duke, but our money and family doesn’t go back that far. He was just an accountant for some moneylender until about ten years ago, and then he got the ministry position. That’s how I was able to get into The Academy. You have to kind of watch out for them. They like to group up and pick on the younger kids and those whose family doesn’t have much influence.”
“I can take care of myself, but thanks for the warning.” Azerick went to place his book back on the bookshelf and stepped on the hem of his robe. “How can anyone stand to wear these things? There’s no way you could fight in this without wrapping yourself up and falling.” Azerick cursed as he kicked at the bottom of his robe.
“You don’t have to wear it if you don’t want to. It’s only required for graduation and formal occasions. Most people wear whatever they want. Some wear the school robe, and some wear fancy ones made of silk and have all kinds of ridiculous patterns in them like they’re already some high Magus or something. I think they look like idiots.”
“I can imagine.”
Azerick pulled the cumbersome robe off and changed back into his charcoal and hunter green outfit replete with short cloak. It was not the richest-looking clothing, but it was still in good shape. He and Rusty continued talking for another hour or so and quickly became friends. Late that afternoon, a bell tolled from across the common.
“What’s that for?” Azerick inquired.
“That’s the dinner bell. C’mon I’m starved.”
The two wizards-in-training raced down the stairs and entered a large hall filled with benches and tables. They got in line and were served with the best-looking assortment of food Azerick had seen in a long time.
“Look at this food!” the former street rat exclaimed.
“Yeah, kind of an army chow deal here, but it’s not too bad,” Rusty replied, being far more accustomed to eating a richer fare.
Azerick was soon engorging himself and drinking fruit juice. The food made him feel better than he had in a long time. Rusty was doing most of the talking since Azerick was far too busy putting food into his mouth to get any words to come out of it. Midway through his dinner, he felt a tingling at the back of his neck, his street sense alerting him to someone at his back.
The Sorcerer's Path Box Set: Book 1-4 Page 26
