Foundling Wizard (Book 1)

by James Eggebeen

  They sat patiently most of the afternoon before Lorit’s name was called. He rose and headed towards the Patroller. When he reached the door, the Patroller lowered his spear, once again barring entrance. “Just you,” he said, pointing to Lorit. “You have to wait outside,” he said, looking at Chihon.

  “Why must I wait here?” she asked.

  “Are you a victim or a witness?”

  “Neither,” she replied.

  “Please, wait there,” he said, once again indicating that she should take a seat on the bench.

  “I won’t be long,” Lorit said. He reached out and squeezed her hand as he gently guided her towards the bench. “Wait for me.”

  The Patroller raised his spear and opened the door for Lorit. As Lorit stepped into the room, he called out “Lorit! Witness!” The patroller closed the door behind him with a solid thud.

  The judge sat behind a large desk that rested on a platform at the front of the room. Next to the judge, there was a seat in a boxed-in enclosure. At a table facing the judge, sat Ryvor. His legs were chained together through a loop of iron embedded in the floor. His hands were chained together through a large iron ring built into the table.

  “Lorit. Witness. Please take the stand,” the judge said as he waved Lorit to the stand.

  Lorit crossed the room and stepped into the witness stand. He quietly took his seat, looking at the judge. He’d never been in a court room and didn’t know what to expect.

  The judge looked him over slowly. “Lorit?” he asked.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Your Honor,” the judge said. “My name is Hatith, but you address me as Your Honor.”

  “Yes, Your Honor,” Lorit replied.

  “That is your name?” the judge asked.

  “Yes, Your Honor. My name is Lorit. I was witness to the attack on Ryvor’s family.”

  “Are you in any way related to this man?” he asked, pointing to Ryvor. “A cousin? The son of some distant relative?”

  “No, Your Honor, I’m not.”

  “You witnessed the actions of Emundo and Rakkun that precipitated the actions of Ryvor?” the judge asked.

  “I did, Your Honor,” Lorit answered.

  “How did you come to be present when these actions took place?”

  “Ryvor was kind enough to offer me a ride on his barge. I was headed this way and encountered them several leagues south of here.”

  “Please, describe the actions of Emundo and Rakkun for the court,” the Judge requested.

  Lorit described how the brigands had stealthily made their way onto the barge and held Ryvor’s daughter at knife point, how they had tied the family members to the chairs, and how they had used the amulets to subdue the man and his sons. Lorit left out the part where he’d used his powers to escape, implying rather that the magic of the amulets somehow simply faded over time.

  The judge seemed inclined to believe the story as he told it. Cheap street-grade magic was subject to some unreliability, it seemed.

  The judge dismissed Lorit as soon as he’d finished his witness. As Lorit left the witness box, the judge rapped his gavel on the desk and said, “I will render my ruling in a moment.” He took a drink from a large flagon that had appeared on the desk, beside him, during the proceedings.

  Almost immediately, Hatith grabbed his throat with one hand and his stomach with the other. He doubled over, coughing and wheezing as he collapsed on the floor. Lorit jumped up from the witness box and rushed over to the man. He could smell the acrid smell on his breath and knew that the judge had been poisoned.

  Lorit rolled him onto his back, extending his senses to encompass the judge. He was careful to extend his shields to protect the two of them in case of attack, but also to prevent any of the priests from detecting what he attempted.

  He reached out until he could feel the poison in the judge’s system. He could see it as a malignant dark green color flowing from his stomach to his extremities, spreading rapidly. Lorit grabbed at the color with his power, slowly forcing the dark green from the color of decay towards the bright cheerful color of spring.

  “Bring some fresh water,” Lorit called out to no one in particular.

  He continued his examination and intervention. As the color lightened, the judge seemed to relax a little and the wheezing lightened. A Patroller arrived with a flagon of water. Lorit helped the judge sit up as the Patroller held the flagon to let him drink. As the cool, clear water flowed into the man’s body, Lorit could feel the poison dissipate.

  The Judge sat in repose for a bit, finally catching his breath. He reached up towards Lorit, indicating that he felt he was strong enough to stand. Lorit extended his hand and helped the judge back to his seat.

  “Thank you, young man,” Hatith said. “I don’t know what happened, but I think I owe you a debt of gratitude.”

  Lorit headed towards the doors when Hatith stopped him. “I think I’m ready to rule now,” he said. He stood and looked at Ryvor.

  “This young man describes a situation where a man and his family are accosted, tied up, beaten, threatened and mistreated by a pair of bounty hunters,” he proclaimed. “While this court does condone the practice of bounty hunting, we do not condone the violent tactics used by the two men in question.

  “In the matter of Ryvor for the murder of Emundo and Rakkun, I find that the man Ryvor acted out of defense of his family,” he said. He sat once again and banged the gavel. “Release the prisoner. You are free to go.”

  “Thank you, Your Honor,” Lorit said.

  The Judge thanked him and turned to the clerk to prepare for the next trial.

  Lorit walked over to the table where Ryvor was being released from his chains. Ryvor rubbed his wrists as soon as the shackles were off. He stretched and twisted his body to relieve the cramps from sitting bound for the entire day.

  “I thought you were gone,” Ryvor said. “What happened?”

  “They have Ardser in the jail,” Lorit answered. “We were on our way out of town when the Patrollers grabbed him. We found out he was going to be turned over to the priests and that you were to be judged today.” Lorit turned and headed for the doors.

  “How are we going to get Ardser out of jail?” Ryvor asked.

  “We’re going to get him out of the temple tonight,” Lorit answered. “I have done this before, and I think that is our best option. I needed to get you out of here today, or else Ardser would have to go through life with no Pa.”

  As they emerged from the courtroom, Chihon stood looking from Lorit to Ryvor. “Ryvor?” she asked.

  “Yes,” Lorit replied.

  “Ardser looks just like you,” she said. “I’m Chihon. I’m helping Lorit get Ardser to Amedon.”

  “Thank you for your help,” he said.

  Ryvor turned to Lorit and said, “And thank YOU for your help. I don’t know what I would have done without your assistance today.”

  Lorit, Chihon and Ryvor sat patiently in the square, waiting for the sun to set. They sat under the same tree where Chihon had waited for Lorit to return from his earlier foray.

  “Do you think he’s in there or did they already take him to the temple?” Chihon asked.

  “I don’t sense him in there. That means they’ve probably already moved him.” Lorit stood up and shouldered his pack. “I think it will soon be time for Evening Prayer. That’s when I’ll enter the temple,” he explained.

  They walked the few blocks to the temple, waiting across the street. Families dressed in their finery entered in small clusters as carriages dropped off more.

  “How will you do this?” Ryvor asked Lorit.

  “I have a spell to make myself invisible to all but the priests,” Lorit explained. “Even then, it does shield me from them so that they will not feel my power. They will be able to see me if I’m not careful. That’s why I want to go during Evening Prayer. The priests are usually occupied. They won’t be looking around. There are a lot of people going into the temple. One more o
r less won’t be noticed if we do this right.”

  He chose a family that had just been dropped off by coach. There were two adults and two young children, a boy and a girl. “There,” he said pointing. “That’s my entry escort.”

  Lorit raised his shields and scurried up behind the family. He patiently waited for them to present themselves to the guard for access. He slipped behind them as they entered the temple and immediately headed off to look for Ardser.

  Lorit couldn’t feel the power that he’d come to associate with Ardser. He wondered if the temple shielding were preventing him from locating the boy. Maybe he was being held in a cell as Lorit himself had been not long ago.

  He scoured the halls looking for the room where they were detaining Ardser. The temple layout wasn’t quite the same as the two previous ones Lorit had surveyed. Eventually, he located a door that felt like the chamber where they’d tortured him.

  He wondered if they’d tortured Ardser in the same manner. Surely, the boy had no knowledge that held much value to them. He hoped that they’d been merciful and that Ardser hadn’t had to endure the ordeal Lorit had at their hands.

  He tested the door and found it locked. Lorit concentrated this time foregoing a key altogether. This time, he simply reached inside the lock and unlocked it with his powers. The door screeched on rusty hinges as he pushed it open. He stepped inside and shoved it closed behind him, hoping no one had noticed.

  The room was pitch-dark with the door closed. Lorit felt around the room until he located a candle. He reached out with his power and lit the candle raising it high above his head to illuminate the room.

  The room bore much similarity to the one in which he’d been interrogated. On the table, he saw someone’s bound hands and feet in manacles attached to the table. The figure lay stills making no sound or struggle. Lorit approached and lowered the candle to get a better look.

  The dim, flickering candle light fell across the figure.

  It was Ardser.

  He lay there motionless; no sign of pain or discomfort showed on his face.

  “Ardser,” he whispered. “Let’s get you out of here.”

  Lorit looked around the room for Ardser’s pack. He spotted it lying in the corner, crumpled up, with its contents spread across the floor. He started to place the items Ardser’s mother had carefully stowed back into the pack.

  “Good thing your pack is here,” Lorit said. “I’d hate to lose all this stuff.”

  Lorit continued to repack Ardser’s provisions. “Your Pa is fine,” he said. “I know you were worried about him. The judge let him go after I saved him from poisoning,” Lorit explained.

  He returned to the table and started to unfasten the manacles. He paused when he felt nothing, even when in contact with the boy.

  “Ardser?” Lorit asked.

  He leaned in close and listened for any sign of the boy’s breathing.

  Nothing.

  He felt his neck and then his wrist.

  Panic rose in Lorit. His body ached with the recollection of what the priest had done to him while he was captive. He’d gambled that Ardser would be able to endure it as he had. Maybe the boy wasn’t strong enough. Maybe he’d passed out under the torture.

  Lorit placed his ear on the boy’s chest. He listened for any sign of a heartbeat.

  There was no evidence of life. The usual exuberance and sparkle was gone. His charge, so quick with a joke or a crack, lay there still and quiet.

  Lorit tore the manacles from the boy in a rush. He rolled him onto his side to examine him. There was no sign of a wound or any injury. Lorit pressed on Ardser’s chest and heard a wheezing sound. He placed his head on the boy’s chest to listen for a heartbeat again.

  Still nothing.

  Lorit shook his staff and screamed in rage. “What have you done to him?” he bellowed. “He was just an innocent boy!”

  Lorit grasped his staff and passed it over the supine form of his friend.

  He tried to visualize the light green forces of life flowing back into the boy. He reached out with his senses to grasp the power of the fires that burned along the perimeter of the temple and the streets. He pulled with all his strength, trying to force life back into the body.

  He visualized the boy rising from the table, how he would sit up and thank him for saving his father. He pressed this image of the smiling eager boy into the cold lifeless body before him. Lorit could feel the power channeling through him as he directed every memory of the boy into the body. He imagined the spring green color of life coursing through the silent veins, just as he had with the judge.

  Nothing happened.

  Lorit gave one last scream pulling the power from all around him in one last ditch effort to revive the boy. The lights along the temple entrance flared and died as he siphoned their power through his staff. Lorit felt himself growing weaker with each passing second. He kept up the effort until he was barely able to hold his arms aloft.

  Finally, exhausted, he lowered the staff. He struck the body in frustration. “Why did you have to die?” he demanded.

  Lorit heard the sound of muffled shouts coming from beyond the door. He gathered his composure and struggled to pull himself together. The door began to move just as he reached for it. He quickly extinguished the candle, plunging the room into darkness.

  Two guards rushed in, carrying lanterns that cast wildly swinging shadows across the lifeless body of Ardser. Lorit realized, almost too late, that he’d dropped his shields. He quickly reestablished them and waited for the guards to move into the room and out of the doorway. He hurried back into the temple proper and found a dark corner. He scurried into the shadows, where he hoped no one would see him as he once again dropped his shields.

  He was exhausted. The effort he’d expended just to hold his shields to avoid the guards had almost done him in. He stood there, resting, until he felt that he’d regained at least some of this strength.

  He waited at the edge of the crowd, trying to fit in with the milling, confused mass of adherents. He listened to the temple patrons as they speculated about him.

  “Why did they interrupt Evening Prayer?” one little girl asked.

  “I don’t know, Sweetie, but it must be important,” her father answered.

  A guard entered the room and took up station in front of the entrance. He was immediately rushed by the patrons demanding an explanation.

  “What’s going on?” they demanded. “Why the interruption?” another asked. “What’s happening?” still another voice clamored for information.

  “There’s a rogue wizard loose in the temple,” the guard said. “There’s nothing to fear,” he explained. “Father Taiez will be here soon. He will handle this.”

  “Are we in any danger?” one young boy asked.

  “You are perfectly safe,” the guard assured. “There’s nothing to fear.”

  Lorit tried to make his way to the door without giving the impression that he was headed in that direction. He made his way through the crowd trying to make it look as if he was trying to get close to a friend or family member. Eventually, he made his way into the crowd nearest the doors.

  The Temple guards stood abreast the doors, with their spears blocking the way.

  “Please, wait just another moment,” the first guard said. “You are all quite safe here until Father Taiez arrives. He will answer questions to your satisfaction.”

  Father Taiez rushed in, slightly disheveled and out of breath. He was an older man with a birdlike demeanor, tall, thin and bony, almost undernourished in appearance. He strode into the room and raised his hands to command the attention of the crowd.

  “Please, everyone, there is nothing to fear,” he said. His voice was rich and powerful and had an immediate calming effect on the people milling about the room.

  “There is nothing to fear,” he said once more. “The guards will shortly open the doors. When they do, I ask that you exit single file, in family order. I will examine everyone as they dep
art.” He motioned to the guards, who stepped aside and opened one of the doors leading to the avenue.

  The light from the fires outside flickered as the guards re-lit the lamps. Flickering light streamed in, illuminating the room and its occupants with an uneven glow. “Single file, in family order,” Father Taiez reminded them.

  Lorit stepped aside as the first family approached the doorway. He could see the hesitation in their steps as they approached the doorway. When nothing unusual or sinister happened, more families gathered to take their turn.

  Father Taiez stood beside the line, holding his staff high. As each person passed, Lorit cold see them hesitate briefly, then resume their march for the door.

  Lorit could think of nothing but to try and walk freely out of the temple along with the next family. He stepped in line behind the family he’d entered the temple with.

  As he approached the door, an overwhelming sense of fear and self loathing battered him. In his weakened state, he had to stop and compose himself. The priest reached out and grabbed Lorit by the arm to steady him. “Are you alright, my son?” he asked.

  Lorit recalled the technique he’d used to defeat the amulet of dur. He told himself that he was doing nothing wrong, he wasn’t trying to escape, simply stepping outside for a breath of fresh air. He could feel the pressure lighten as he repeated the mantra. He straightened up and took a deep breath, feeling slightly stronger, less ashamed.

  “I’m fine, Father. I think I just need some fresh air,” he said.

  The priest gently guided him on his way saying, “You are safe my son, go in peace.”

  Lorit stepped out of the temple and immediately felt the pressure of the priest’s magic dissipate.

  He felt drained, as if all of his energy had been poured into the lifeless body of Ardser leaving him nothing but an empty shell himself. He slowly walked over to the waiting Ryvor and Chihon.

  Chihon rushed over to him. “Are you alright?” she asked. She lent him strength, taking his arm around her shoulder and helping him across the street. Ryvor followed closely.