Wizard's Education

by James Eggebeen

  He lowered his hands and stood smiling at her, no longer attacking, but watching her carefully. "I’m glad I did not have to kill you."

  "What's going on?" Chihon was disoriented by the sudden recovery of her memory. Why was she here in the temple? Wasn't she here with someone?

  Chihon felt a burning pain on her back that reminded her of the fireballs she'd just thrown. It hit her from behind and stuck there, spitting sparks, trying to work its way through her shields. She turned to see Tass standing behind her with her hand out. Another fireball was spinning and contracting in it.

  "What is the meaning of this?" Why had Tass suddenly turned against her?

  "If I can't turn you, then the next best thing is to kill you," Tass spat. "I've spent all this time trying to get you to take the magic of one of these creatures. If you won't do that, I'm not letting you get away alive."

  Tass threw another fireball. This time, Chihon was ready. She raised her hand and deflected it easily. She felt a surge of power from Lorit. Their connection was back, and she could feel him as if he were by her side. She drew on his power just as she had since they met. With the combined force of the two of them, it was almost child's play.

  She reached for the life thread of the old woman who had been her companion and guide for all this time and pulled. Tass should have dropped like a sack of roots, but instead, she vanished in a sparkle of light.

  "Did you kill her?" the wizard asked.

  "No, I don't know what happened. She just disappeared." Chihon looked from the light cloud of smoke that stood where Tass had been and over to the wizard.

  Hatther walked over to the spot where Tass had vanished. "She's gone. There's a lingering feeling of a travel spell. I wonder where she went."

  Hatther escorted Chihon back to the inn. She was tired and wanted someone to talk to, now that she was free of the spells. She explained how she had lost her memory from the time they were at the castle in Veldwaite. Her memories since then were vague and indistinct.

  "Tass put a compulsion spell on you and a memory spell. The compulsion kept you from remembering your true past. The memory spell made you think the memories she was feeding you were real."

  "How did you break the spells?"

  "I didn't. I was prepared to kill you." He took a swallow from his glass.

  "What?" Chihon was confused.

  "When you walked into my shop, I recognized you for a sorceress and a powerful one. I was intrigued about why you were masquerading as a priestess. I had to find out. I followed you and observed."

  "And what did you find?" Chihon asked.

  "I found out that Tass is a priestess, and you were under her spell. I had to set you free or kill you. While you were under her spell, I could have killed you easily, but I wanted to see if I could free you.

  "I wasn't making much headway with you, and I was going for the kill when the mini dragon blasted you. Just then, I felt a surge in power. It was like you were suddenly connected to something else." He shook his head. "Something very powerful."

  "That's Lorit, my partner. I was unable to find him since Veldwaite, but suddenly he was there."

  "You're free now."

  "I remember everything. I have to get in touch with Lorit."

  "I'll leave you to it," Hatther said. "If you need anything, you know where I am." He stood to leave. "May fortune smile on you."

  Back in her room, Chihon reached out to Lorit and soon felt the familiar tingle of contact. He had felt the power drain as she fought the wizard. She told him she was safe now and that she missed him. She smiled at his concern. Now that they were back in touch, it looked like everything was going to be better.

  His image appeared in the room before her. It solidified and filled out as if he were actually there with her and not leagues away. She wished he were there in the flesh so she could tell him everything about her adventure and catch up on his.

  His image was so real that she felt she could reach out and touch him. She tentatively extended her hand. When her hand touched his, she felt not the misty ethereal contact, but flesh and bones. It was him. He was here.

  "I learned how to travel," Lorit said as he turned to her.

  She rushed to him and threw her arms around him. "Lorit! I'm so glad you're here, you won't believe what I've been through." She was so relieved to see him.

  She caught him off guard, and he almost lost his balance. She squeezed him so hard she thought she was going to break his ribs.

  He hugged her back, his hands grasping her thick temple robe. It felt good just to hold him and realize they were finally reunited.

  She leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "I missed you so much. I never felt right without your magic. It was like a part of me was missing."

  Lorit's hand found its way to her clean-shaven head. He caressed her scalp. To Chihon it called up the guilt at everything that she'd done. Her bald pate was a symbol of all of that. "A part of you is missing," he said.

  "Don't. It reminds me of what I did," was all she could say as she pulled his hand away.

  "That's over now," Lorit said. She felt him dig deep for his magic. He lifted his hand to her head again, and she felt a tingling that grew into an itch. Her scalp prickled, and she felt the warmth as her hair quickly grew out and down to touch her shoulders.

  She ran her fingers through it, reveling in its thickness. She held him tightly once again. "I really missed you." She was content just to hold on to him, hoping that they would never be separated again.

  Chapter 12

  Lorit and Chihon stopped in Nebrook as they made their way to Amedon. They hired a room at the Humble Plumb, a moderate inn with reasonable accommodations. They planned to stay there for several days and then depart.

  Lorit was still worried about Zhimosom. He wanted to secure the council's help, but he didn't know how to contact them directly. He asked Rotiaqua to gather them in Zhimosom's study so he could make his plea. At the appointed time, Lorit sat at the table in their room and focused his will. He appeared in Zhimosom's study almost without effort and felt the power draw from him as Chihon appeared beside him.

  "Ah, there you are," Rotiaqua said. "We've been waiting for you."

  Lorit looked around the room. It was filled with wizards, many of whom he had yet to meet.

  "These are Maomran, Awbelser, Neussul, and Koaleing." As Rotiaqua introduced them, each nodded his head at the mention of his name.

  "Pleased to meet you all," Lorit said. "I am grateful to be here."

  "We are extremely pleased to see the young sorceress back with us," Awbelser said. "I trust she is well after her adventures?"

  "I am well," Chihon answered for Lorit. "We have had a chance to rest up and are now eager to be on our way."

  "We have determined that it was a priestess who was behind your abduction," Rotiaqua said. "The woman you know as Tass is a highly placed priestess in the temple."

  "Did she get away?" Lorit asked. He had heard the story from Chihon and worried that she might try something else if the woman was still alive.

  "We presume so," Rotiaqua said. "We don't have spies in Quineshua itself, but we would have heard if a high-ranking priestess had been killed. Priestesses are just as rare as sorceresses are."

  "Have you located Zhimosom?" Lorit pressed them. "Is he all right?"

  "We are still searching," Neussul said. "We will contact you if your help is needed."

  "We want to help in the search. What can we do?" Lorit wasn't going to let anyone dismiss him that easily.

  "We feel the best course of action is for you to take a ship to Wradon, then travel overland to Midian. We have contacts there that can provide you with assistance before your final leg to Amedon," Rotiaqua said. She drew the route out on a faded map in the book before her.

  "You want us to travel by ship?" Lorit asked. "The last time we traveled by ship we didn't have such a pleasant voyage."

  "Do you have a better idea? Do you want to make the trip across the
Plains of Grass?" Neussul asked.

  "Why can't we travel there by magic? I made it all the way from Friega to Derig. We could go straight to Midian by magic." Lorit was already upset with their tight-lipped explanations, and now they wanted him to take the risk of traveling by ship, where he would be weak and vulnerable.

  "Go ahead and travel, then," Neussul said. He looked at Lorit defiantly. "If you have the power, then by all means travel." He folded his arms across his chest.

  Lorit reached out to Chihon and tried to visualize their destination. He had no idea where they were going besides a point on the map.

  "Where are we going? How do we get there?" Lorit asked.

  Neussul chuckled and Rotiaqua held up her hand. "You can only travel somewhere you have already been or have seen. You have never been to Midian, so you can't travel there."

  "Why was I able to travel to Chihon, then?" Lorit demanded.

  "You have a connection to Chihon. That was what guided you to her. You could not have traveled to her without that. You will need to make your way to Midian over land. There's a wizard there who can help. He is closest to your path as you make your way to Amedon."

  "Why don't we just come to Zhimosom's study?" Lorit asked. He'd seen Zhimosom's study often enough. He could travel there.

  This time it was Rotiaqua who laughed. "Zhimosom's study is a lot farther from Amedon than you could imagine. You'd never make it to Amedon from his study."

  "So, we have to travel by sea." Lorit didn't like the way the council always had a reason for him to follow their plans.

  "You must. Magic, after all, has its limitations." Rotiaqua glanced at him with a stern look. "I trust this time you will build up enough reserves to handle whatever comes along?"

  "I will spend the time until we embark storing what energy I can. I don't like it, though." Lorit remembered the pain and humiliation he'd endured at the hands of Captain Bukelach, on their last voyage. He did not want a repeat of that incident.

  "I'm confident that you have grown stronger and wiser, and you should have no problems on this trip."

  "What are you doing about Zhimosom?" Lorit demanded. "What about the prince?"

  "That is why we are gathered here," Rotiaqua said. "We are looking...for both of them."

  Neussul interrupted, giving Rotiaqua a sharp look. "The council has business."

  "There is one more thing before you go," Rotiaqua said. "Awbelser?" Rotiaqua nodded to the wizard in dark blue robes.

  "The princess has begun her journey home to Veldwaite," Awbelser said. "She is still under a spell that we have not been able to penetrate."

  "I was not able to remove that final spell."

  "It still surrounds her," Awbelser explained. "She is acting contrary to her free will while under its influence. She must be freed of the spell that ensnares her. It is unclear what part she may yet play in your endeavor."

  "What do you mean?" Lorit asked.

  "The princess you met and traveled with was acting under a compulsion. She was not herself," Rotiaqua explained. "If we can lift that final spell, she will be free to exercise her own will once again. Until then, she will continue to act as an agent of the temple. The final spell must be broken."

  Lorit looked around the table. He saw their resolve. He didn't think he was going to get any more out of them, but he had to try. "What about Zhimosom? There must be something you can do."

  "We are doing all we can," Neussul said. He waved his hand and broke the connection. With a sudden jerk, Lorit found himself back in the inn.

  The next day, Lorit inquired about ships headed to Wradon. There were none in port at the moment, but the harbor master told him that ships arrived every few days, depending on weather and the wind. If a ship ported that was heading to Wradon, he would send a boy to let Lorit know.

  Lorit and Chihon decided to spend some time touring the city. On their last trip, they had been in a hurry and missed out on the sights. Nebrook was famous for its tourism. The city had avoided any conflict through its strict neutrality position. It sold its textiles to any and all buyers and did not favor any one kingdom over another.

  In the center of the town was a large bell tower. It rose high above the city, to stand above even the tallest buildings so that one could look down on the entire city and surrounding countryside. It was claimed to be sixty-five spans tall, requiring twenty flights of stairs to reach the balcony at the top. Every five flights there was a different dining establishment or a shop catering to the locals and guests.

  Lorit and Chihon climbed the stairs in bursts, resting at each level to admire the view and the scenery below. When they reached the top, Lorit could almost make out a distant city across the Freshen Sea.

  There were several large spy glasses near the wall that would afford the tourist a closer look at whatever caught their eye. One of these could be hired for only a small fee. Lorit wanted to see if he could recognize anything across the sea and approached a young boy sitting next to one of the unoccupied glasses. "How much for a look?" Lorit asked.

  "Four coppers for a half hour of viewing."

  Lorit reached into his pocket and pulled out the requested coins. He handed them to the boy and stepped up to the glass.

  "I'll go get us a drink," Chihon said. "All that climbing has made me thirsty."

  Lorit looked through the glass at the town below. He could make out the inn where they were staying. He located the wharf where the ships would port. The long wooden docks stretched out into the water, sheltered by the thick stone walls that made up the breakwater. The harbor was deserted at the moment, but when a ship arrived, it would be bustling with activity.

  There was a tap on his shoulder. "Sir, the bells are about to ring," came the voice of the youth.

  Lorit was engrossed in the view and ignored the youth. He could see for leagues across the land or sea. He searched the mountains to see if he could find one of the cities perched on the stone cliffs.

  "The bells?" came the voice again. "Sir. You'll want to cover your ears when the bells ring."

  Lorit swung the glass out over the water, heedless of the warning. This high up, he could just make out the buildings in the city across the Freshen Sea. It really wasn't that far across the sea, he reminded himself. It was just slow going when the winds weren't in your favor.

  The unexpected peal of the bells tolling was so loud, it was painful. Lorit threw his hands up and covered his ears. The bells rang a short phrase and then tolled the hour. It seemed to go on forever.

  When the sound died down, Lorit's ears were ringing, but he returned to his viewing, not wanting to miss anything before his allotted time ran out.

  "Where's your staff?"

  Lorit could hardly make out what Chihon said, having yet to recover from the assault of the bells. He was preoccupied, gazing out at the landscape below. He waved his hand off to his left. "It's over there."

  "No, it's not."

  Lorit pulled his eyes away from the glass. His staff was gone and so was the youth who had rented him the glass.

  He panicked.

  Where was the boy? He'd only taken his eyes off his staff for the briefest of moments. "Where did he go?" Lorit looked all along the wall that guarded the edge of the tower.

  "I didn't see him. I was getting drinks," Chihon said, holding up a flagon of watered ale.

  Lorit looked around frantically for the youth, but there was no sign of the boy or Lorit's staff. He tried to relax and extend his senses. He saw a faint trail of magic leading toward the stairs. It had the same color as the magic of his staff.

  "He stole my pack," someone cried from around the tower. Lorit ran over to find a woman pointing toward the door. "He stole my pack."

  The youth who had rented Lorit the glass disappeared down the stairs. Lorit dashed after him as fast as he could, pushing his way through the tourists. As he crossed the threshold and began the descent, he could just make out the youth ahead of him. The boy rounded a turn of the tower and disap
peared below.

  "Prohibere ubi sunt," Lorit said, holding his hand out, willing the boy to stop. He heard footsteps continue and raced after the boy. He rounded the bend to find an old couple sitting against the railing. The woman was tending to the man who had a gash on his head.

  "He just shoved him down and ran right over us," the woman said.

  "Are you all right? Do you need help?"

  "My husband's been injured," she said.

  Lorit looked ahead at the stairs. He knew if he stopped to help the man, the boy and his staff would soon be out of the tower and gone. He looked at the old man. Blood seeped from beneath a rag he held against his forehead.

  Lorit looked once more down the stairs. He didn't want the boy to get away. He turned back at the man. "Here, let me see."

  The wound was bloodier than it had a right to be. The old man had hit his head on the brick and cut it, but the wound was not as serious as it appeared. Lorit held his hand over the man's head and let the power flow from him into the injury. He pictured the blood stopping and the skin knitting together to close the wound.

  A slight golden glow emanated from beneath his hand as he imagined the healing process progressing. The skin was clean now and the scar fading. He probed the man for evidence of further injury. He had been bruised in a few places, but nothing was broken, and there were no more cuts or scrapes that needed attention.

  He reached down. "Here, let me help you up."

  The man was light as a feather and no trouble for Lorit to lift. He steadied himself against Lorit, accepting his help.

  "Come on. The top's not far," Lorit had resigned himself to help the man and allow the boy to escape with his staff. He was worried about it, but the man had been in danger, and he knew he could track down the thief and his staff later.

  "Thank you so much, young man," the woman said.

  "Don't mention it. I was after that thief. It seems he has as little regard for people as he does for their possessions."

  The top was only one flight of stairs away. They reached it quickly to emerge on the platform. Chihon stood near the doorway as they stepped onto the deck.