A Dragon In the Palace

by William King

  The next day I repeated the exercise and cast the spell easily. Then I had to rest. I’m not sure that it took any less time to recover this time but it felt as if did.

  As I recovered, Mistress Iliana talked about the theory of spell casting, repeating a lot of the things that Master Lucas had told me. I did not feel insulted by the repetition. My teachers wanted to make sure all of this was driven into my head.

  I was able to cast the spell again in the afternoon. Mistress Iliana was particularly impressed by that.

  “Most apprentices would be flat on their back for a day at this stage,” she said. “You’ve already got to where you can repeat the exercise without too much strain.”

  I was, of course, tempted to go for the third casting. It did not work. A haze of weariness settled upon me and I could not visualise the glyph perfectly. I knew enough this time not to try and repeat the casting. I simply relaxed and thought about other things. Mostly I thought about Lady Alysia.

  I also thought about where all of this might end up. Did I see myself becoming a war wizard like Mistress Iliana? Or would it be possible to be a healer that Master Lucas? Which would be better?

  To a boy my age there was a certain glamour in being a war wizard. I had seen Mistress Iliana exercise her power in the most dramatic way and I wanted to be able to do that.

  At the same time, common sense told me that putting myself in harm’s way, something that she had to do, was not the path to a long and fruitful career or life for that matter. The way of the healer was a route to security and wealth and something else too, something I was surprised to discover that I craved. Respectability was the word I fumbled for.

  Wizards are not trusted by the mundani. It’s as simple as that. But of all wizards, healers have the best chance of fitting into normal society. They provide something people need. When someone is sick they forget their prejudices. They just want to be cured. And that was something Master Lucas was capable of doing.

  At that time, I had no real idea of the full extent of his power but even lacking that understanding I saw people wanted to keep on his good side. And they trusted him. I suppose if someone is healing you, it helps win trust. People need to believe in you if they are going to place their lives in your hands.

  When I was not thinking about such things, I thought about Red. He grew by the day. Not by huge amounts but there were visible changes. His scales were thicker and more distinct. His eyes were a deeper red. His wings appeared stronger. He could stay in the air longer and he seemed able to focus better.

  It was as if my return to health had positively affected him. His personality was changing as well. He stayed still for longer and when I concentrated on my magic, he remained silent. I was grateful not to be distracted but I also started to wonder whether he was experiencing something of my reverie over our link. My worries about what the connection might do to the pair of us slowly receded. It was the thoughtlessness of youth.

  Over the next few days I repeated the spell again and again, always perfectly. I grew stronger and more confident all the time. On the third day Mistress Iliana informed me that we had been summoned into the presence of the Duke.

  I immediately felt very self-conscious. Mistress Iliana inspected my clothing yet again as if she did not quite trust me to be perfectly turned out in the regal presence. Fortunately, I was not too grubby and Red had not ripped my tunic too much.

  We made our way through the Palace. This time we entered a building I had never been in before, a large central fortress.

  Elder signs covered the great arched doors, worked into the wood in metal. A line of guards flanked the steps to the entrance. More loomed at every doorway and every crossing in the wide passage we walked down.

  At the end of that corridor people crowded. They were of all sorts, men dressed like wealthy merchants, children dressed like street urchins, folk who looked like beggars and those who looked like peasants.

  “Who are all these people, mistress?”

  “Petitioners seeking justice from the Duke,” she said. The crowd parted before us, intimidated by my mistress. She walked with absolute confidence that people would get out of her way, even those who looked wealthy and self-important and had quite clearly been waiting for hours. No one paid any attention to me. I was just the boy who followed in her wake. The guards nodded to her as she entered.

  Inside I saw the Duke’s throne room for the first time. The chamber had an enormously high ceiling. From it depended flags and pennons. Mostly they belonged to the Duke’s house but there were others in different patterns. One showed a blue dragon. One bore a rampant lion. On another a wolf’s head snarled. I was sure I had seen the one that bore a gryphon on the journey I had made with Mistress Iliana. Another, a red hawk on a black background, belonged to the man who owned the land upon which my father’s farm stood. It took me a moment’s consideration to realise that these were all of the Duke’s vassals. Their pennons fluttered as a sign of their allegiance.

  Inside the throne room more guards and more people crowded. Servants came and went, bearing drinks and messages and scrolls. Men in the yellow robes of priests watched and prayed. Suits of armour that resembled the ones in the Glass Wing occupied niches in the walls. Even in his throne room the Duke was guarded by angels. It was a sign of divine favour.

  At the back of the room, where no one could get behind it, an immense throne stood on a dais. On it sat Duke Marco. He was not dressed in a simple tunic today. He wore elaborate robes which must have been very hot when he was outside the cool of this shadowy chamber. Round his neck was a stole of white fur. On his head sat a crown of sungold in which was set a glowing sunstone. Near to his right hand lay a sceptre also tipped with a sunstone. Leaning against the side of the throne was a sheathed sword.

  It was not to the Duke that my eyes were drawn though. It was to the girlish figure of Alysia sitting beside him on a slightly lower step.

  The Duke finished passing judgement as we approached. A fat man nodded gratefully. Another somewhat better dressed fat man looked sullen but attempted to smile ingratiatingly. A chamberlain dismissed them both with a sweep of his sceptre.

  The Duke saw Mistress Iliana, smiled and beckoned for her to come forward. He turned and said something to the Chamberlain who immediately began to clear the chamber.

  Soon all of the petitioners were gone. There were only servants and guards left along with the Duke and my mistress, Lady Alysia, and a bunch of other important looking people. I wondered what was going on.

  Mistress Iliana took me by the left arm and propelled me forward. When she was certain I was capable of moving under my own power she let me go. We presented ourselves at the foot of the dais and she performed an elaborate bow. I bowed as deeply as I had been taught to do whenever tax collectors came. The Duke said, “I’m glad to see you both this morning.”

  I wondered why I was there.

  “Thank you, Your Grace,” I said. Mistress Iliana looked pleased so I guessed that had been the right thing to say.

  “I understand you have been making spectacular progress in your studies,” the Duke said. As he did this, all eyes turned to inspect me. Suddenly I was the focus of attention. My skin crawled. I wanted to sink into the ground and vanish. Unfortunately, I had not yet mastered that form of magic.

  “Thank you, Your Grace,” I said. If he had offered to have me beheaded on the spot, I would probably have said the same. My mind was completely empty.

  Sensing my shyness and fear, Red took refuge under my arm. His head peeked out and occasionally he hissed at one of the strangers as if telling them to leave me alone. At least there was somebody on my side.

  “I have never seen a wizard display such talent so young,” Mistress Iliana said. I felt Master Lucas’s gaze on me at that point was almost as if there was a burning beam of light coming from his eyes.

  “I’m very pleased to hear this,” said the Duke. “I understand that you can give us a demonstration of your powers.” />
  “What?” The word came out but fortunately it was silent. To others it must have just looked as if my mouth moved.

  I felt a surge of terror the like of which I had not felt before. It had something to do with all of these people watching me in the presence of this powerful and important man.

  Why had Mistress Iliana sprung this on me? Sweat ran down my back. My face felt flushed. I wanted to run for the door. As if she understood this, I felt Mistress Iliana’s hand land on my shoulder and her fingers squeeze the muscles there.

  “My pupil is able to cast the spell of light,” Mistress Iliana said. She spoke slowly and clearly and I understood that she was not talking to the Duke. She was telling me that I was supposed to cast the spell.

  “That is true, Your Grace,” I said. My voice came out squeaky. Master Lucas’s apprentices stared at me with their noses held high. They were not impressed by my performance. They were taking pleasure in my embarrassment.

  “Please,” the Duke said. “Demonstrate.”

  I understood that I was supposed to cast the spell there and then. All of my former mastery fled from me. My mind went totally blank. I tried to conjure up the image of the glyph. But all I could see was the Duke’s face and his cold blue eyes as he stared at me.

  I felt the grip of Mistress Iliana’s hand on my shoulder. I saw the look of expectation on the face of Master Lucas and contempt engraved on the faces of his apprentices. The silence went on for an eternity.

  Everyone waited. Then I saw Lady Alysia, her face full of expectation and belief in me.

  I closed my eyes and conjured up the image of the glyph and I said the word. I felt as if nothing was happening but I heard people gasp.

  When I opened my eyes a halo of light surrounded me. Lady Alysia looked pleased. Master Lucas smiled broadly. His apprentices turned their noses even higher in the air but I could not help but notice that they were looking directly at me. Mistress Iliana let go. I held the spell in place for a few moments.

  “Well done,” Mistress Iliana said. “You may stop now.”

  I erased the glyph in my mind and the light faded around me. Suddenly there was a buzz of conversation.

  “Most impressive,” said the Duke. He clapped his hands together and everyone in the room joined in the applause.

  A wave of pleasure swept away my earlier embarrassment. For a moment I revelled in the approval. It felt like a drug, like the rush I got from the elixir Master Lucas had given me. My face flushed and I looked down at the ground.

  Red made a small barking sound as if he was laughing and rose up on my shoulder standing on two legs and put his claws together while he flapped his wings. The Duke laughed and everybody present did the same. Red revelled in the adulation as much as I did.

  “Very good,” Duke Leo said. “I am pleased to see two such talented individuals in my service.”

  He turned and said something to one of the Chamberlains. The servant departed from the room immediately. I wondered what was going on.

  “I thank you for this demonstration but now I have business,” the Duke said. “I fear there may be a riot if I give over any more of my time to this. There are people outside awaiting my justice.”

  It was well and tactfully said but it was quite clear we were dismissed. Mistress Iliana bowed.

  I bowed too. When I rose I saw that Master Lucas had stepped forward and was saying something to the Duke in a confidential manner. The Duke nodded his head.

  Since we had clearly been dismissed, we turned to go. As I did so Lady Alysia gave me an almost imperceptible wave with her right hand. I did my best to return it. Red wagged his tail and flexed his wings.

  We strode back towards the doors which had been thrown open once more and the petitioners watched us. There was intense curiosity, almost a hunger, in all of the eyes that looked at us. They had heard the applause and the laughter and were wondering what we had to do with it. This time several people paid attention to me. And more were paying attention to Red as he sat on my shoulder. We walked down the corridor. I heard a voice behind saying, “Wait!”

  We turned and I saw that Master Lucas almost running to catch up. He was beaming. When he got to us, he said, “That was the most impressive thing I’ve seen in a long time.”

  I thought about all of the magic that this old man must’ve worked and I found that hard to believe. “Thank you, Master,” I said.

  “For one so young, to be able to work such magic so quickly, it’s incredible.” He looked at Mistress Iliana. “Are you sure you have not been tutoring this young man in secret. Can it really be true that he has only been learning for a matter of weeks?”

  “It is nothing but the unvarnished truth,” Mistress Iliana said.

  “Incredible,” Master Lucas muttered. I was actually starting to believe he was impressed although I could not see anything so amazing about what I had done compared to the things I’d seen both of these wizards do.

  “I have given the matter some thought,” Master Lucas said. “I believe I would like to train this young man in the art of healing and I would like to start as soon as possible.”

  “Very well,” Mistress Iliana said. “Let us discuss it this evening.”

  “I look forward to it,” Master Lucas said. He clapped me on the back and said, “You have a very bright future ahead of you, young man.”

  He was almost skipping as he walked away.

  “What just happened there, mistress?” I asked out of the corner of my mouth. I spoke softly because I did not want anybody to overhear us.

  “Not now,” Mistress Iliana said. “Save it for later.”

  I could barely contain myself as we made our way back to our chambers. As soon as we were within the rooms, she invoked the wards, and said, “You did very well today, boy. But don’t let it go to your head.”

  “I am unlikely to do so with you here, mistress,” I said.

  “We shall see,” she said. “You certainly impressed Master Lucas.”

  “I am at a loss as to understand as to how.”

  “He told you. You might find this difficult to believe but it’s not every day somebody walks into the Palace and is able to cast a spell after less than a month of tuition. I would go as far as to say that it is unprecedented. I certainly have never heard of it happening before.”

  “Is that true, mistress?” I asked. I was overcome by what she said otherwise I would never have dared spoken to her in such a way.

  “I’m not given to speaking falsehoods when it is avoidable, boy,” she said. “You are undoubtedly talented.”

  She looked to Red, “as the fact that you woke that small creature testifies.”

  She glared at him with some suspicion and I wondered why. I was still elated. I felt as if I had passed through some great ordeal. It was not the casting of the spell made me feel that way. It was being in the presence of so many important people and being the centre of their attention. At the same time, I missed it. I missed it in the same way as I missed the blue elixir. There was something addictive in being the focus of so many eyes and I did not yet know how to ward myself against that.

  “Very good,” Mistress Iliana said. “You performed extremely well but still we must continue with your tuition.”

  “If I may be allowed to question before we do so, mistress?”

  “You may.”

  “Will you allow Master Lucas to teach me?”

  She smiled at that. “I would like nothing better. You may learn some of the old man secrets. It’s not every day that he offers them up.”

  “What do you mean, mistress?”

  “You work well with light, boy. You may become a healer. He certainly seems to believe so. If you can do that and work war magic at the same time, you will become a famous wizard. You will far outstrip your teachers in the long run. But that day is not yet here. Let us return to our practice.”

  Of course, that merely left the question burning in my mind, but there was no avoiding it. I settled down
at my desk and I returned to trying to cast the spell.

  It was only then that I realised that I did not feel nearly so tired as I ought to have. It seemed almost as if in all my excitement I had forgotten to be drained by the spell.

  As I studied the glyph and preparing myself to cast it again there was a knock on the door. As always, Mistress Iliana did not appear to be surprised by it. She did not do her normal trick of saying enter before the knock came though. She waited until it was completed.

  The Chamberlain I had seen speaking to the Duke earlier came in, carrying a small red pillow upon which something glittered. “If I may, Mistress Iliana,” he said. “I have here a small token of the Duke’s esteem for your pupil.”

  Mistress Iliana raised an eyebrow and indicated that he should come closer. He walked up to me, went down on one knee and presented the pillow. On it lay a silver chain from which dangled an amulet of some sort.

  “Don’t dilly dally, boy,” Mistress Iliana said. “Take it, in the name of the Light.”

  I snatched up a medallion embossed with the symbol of the Tower and Sun. When I held it up to the light Red made a leap for it. I barely managed to jerk it away.

  “Put it on,” Mistress Iliana said. I did as I was told but that did not stop Red from inspecting my shirt in the hope of finding his new treasure. Mistress Iliana stared at me and once again I sensed I was supposed to say something. It took me a few moments to work out exactly what. “Please tell the Duke I am very grateful for his gift,” I said.

  “I shall be certain to do so,” the Chamberlain said. He appeared to consider things for a moment then added,“sir.”

  He rose smoothly, bowed to Mistress Iliana, gave me a small inclination of his head and turned and departed.

  “You are high in favour, boy,” my mistress said. “That symbol marks you as being a member of the Duke’s household. It is a sign of great trust. Try not to lose it.”

  “But why, mistress? I have done nothing to prove myself worthy of his trust. All I did was cast a spell that is but a trifle to you or Master Lucas.”