Convergence (The Dragon Within Saga Book 1)

by Roberto Vecchi

  There could be no doubt. The change in Intellos's behavior marked a greater change within his well-defined construct of reality. The only construct alteration sufficient enough to adjust what previously stood as unadjustable was a shift in his highest belief. Bengrako was sure his friend, the Great Wizard of Avendia and Grand Wizard of The Council, no longer held knowledge above all else. For the untalented, this would have been trivial, but for one in his position, poised to shape the continuance of knowledge and its preservation for ages and ages to come, the shift was inexcusable. More than that, it was unforgivable.

  He knew what he must do, but was unsure of his ability to complete it. He must gain entrance to the chamber he witnessed Intellos emerge from over a month ago. Since that day, Bengrako had visited the site on a few separate occasions and attempted to employ some basic magics, but he limited them to detection in an effort to protect himself against magical traps and wards. And though there was a very distant and subtle mark of a magical influence, it was diffusely set upon the entire surroundings and unfocused upon a single defined location indicating the entryway. Bengrako believed this to have been done by design, and a wise design at that. Without a defined point of focus for the wizard to follow, it would be nearly impossible to devise the nature of the magical ward. And though he witnessed Intellos emerge from the exact spot, it appears as though that spot was no longer the chamber’s entrance.

  Perhaps because of his insistence that his skill was equal to his friend’s, or perhaps because he had always been second to Intellos throughout their wizarding careers, he decided to visit the location of the entrance one more time. He had the rest of the morning and early afternoon to spend as he deemed fit. His teaching responsibilities did not resume until after their dining hour. The journey through the halls and down into the bowels of the great structure was one he had grown familiar with, even enjoyed. All wizards on The Council knew the depths of the University, however until now, only one individual knew of the last part of Bengrako's current endeavor. Although he had entrusted Esthinor with his suspicions, he was very careful not to reveal its location.

  As he wound his way around the labyrinth of halls and stairs, eventually coming to their end, he still had some respect for his friend, but for his ability only. Standing directly in front of the location he was sure was the entrance, he formed his detection spell once again. And just like the several times before, all it returned to him was a very diffuse detection. No matter where he focused his spell, its yield was no more identifiable than any other focal point. There was indeed magic here, but it lacked any signature of power. Meaning it was superficial in regards to its complexity and amplitude. By all accounts, it was a juvenile attempt, easily replicable by any of the second year initiates.

  Until now, he had no sense of urgency, but the longer Intellos was gone, the greater the chance he would return. If he returned before Bengrako had convinced enough of The Council to stand with him, he was certain his fate would mimic that which he was planning for his friend. And unlike Esthinor, most of the other Council members were inherently trusting in the position of High Wizard, naturally defaulting to the rigorous selection and vetting process. From somewhere inside, the heavy set wizard developed a nagging feeling that his friend would be returning soon. Right now, the balance was with Intellos; and to change the scales, he needed to gain entrance into the chamber. However, it was protected by magic, and magic whose origin and intent was not known to him.

  His sense of urgency was growing steadily, and as it did so, one option had surfaced from the waves of possibilities within. There was only one way to gain entrance into the chamber, and since he could not manipulate the magic protecting it, he needed to dispel it. There were a few points to consider when dispelling the work of another wizard. Firstly, dispelling, at its basic level, pitted power against power. However, the name itself produced an inherent misunderstanding. Once magic is released, it cannot be removed. In doing so, it would have to be returned to its place of origin, and that was impossible. At least impossible for now as there was no knowledge regarding returning magic to its owner. So to truly dispel magic and render it harmless was a misnomer. Rather, the current mode of dispelling was a combination between creating a shield around the magic and then triggering its effect to harmlessly collide against the shield. As long as the shield housed greater power than that of the targeted spell, its result would be contained and it would be "dispelled".

  The creation of the shield was always the easy part; however, much more intricate was the creation of the appropriate trigger. It had to be specific to the ward. For example, if a ward was created to protect a certain space who's trigger was activated by crossing a certain point, then the only way that ward spell would be triggered would be to cross that line. However, if the same space was protected by a ward spell that was triggered by physical pressure upon the ground around it, one could avoid the trigger by not applying any pressure. This was the dilemma Bengrako faced now. He had no understanding of the trigger. He supposed the ward spell would be activated by gaining access to the chamber, but that seemed almost too easy. That is, if one ever located the entrance.

  And then it hit him. The spell was not to prevent entrance directly, but indirectly by concealing its location. How had he not thought of this before? It seemed so simple. Yet often times, when presented with a complicated problem, we think there must then be a solution equal to its presented complexity. So we do not even entertain the simple explanations because the complex cannot be derived from the simple. Bengrako chuckled to himself and silently congratulated himself for getting one step closer to entering the hidden chamber. However, there was still the matter of the trigger, but his latest revelation allowed him to narrow the focus of his search. All concealment spells were effective only if triggered far enough away to conceal their nature.

  He retraced his steps from where the known parts of the university transitioned into the unknown and reactivated his detection spell from its transition. After a few paces, he identified the location of the trigger. But it did not have the signature of his friend. Its signature was unknown to him. This presented yet a deeper problem, one that suggested his developing conspiracy theory of the current Grand Wizard extended further than his initial suspicion and possibly beyond the individual into the position. He knew the signature of each and every wizard on the council, which left him with no other conclusion than its creator was outside the current council.

  The heavy set wizard worked a spell to shield the trigger which would render the concealment spell, regardless of its complexity, obsolete. With the concealment spell unable to function, Bengrako supposed he would have little difficulty finding the entrance. And as he walked to stand in front of the location he saw Intellos emerge from, he supposition was proven correct. A simple detection spell revealed a door hidden within the stone wall. But unlike all of the other doors within the University, this one lacked a handle. Could it be he would be thwarted by such a simple countermeasure, one without a magical origin?

  "Bengrako, he has returned" Esthinor stated flatly.

  "Where is he?" he stated as he stood examining the location of the doorway.

  "He has just reached the border of our lands. He is on his horse and will reach The University grounds shortly," said the thin wizard. Bengrako stood motionless, lost in his current problem. "Please tell me you are about to enter the chamber."

  "No, though I have made progress. I fear I will not be able to without the assistance of Intellos himself," he said as he turned.

  "What do you propose to do?" Esthinor asked as he stepped forward to examine the door.

  "Nothing. That is nothing different than what he expects me to do. I will be awaiting him as his closest friend as he enters the main door. I will gain his confidence and make sure he suspects nothing. While I distract him, notify the other members of the Council that he has called them to convene under emergency conditions. Tell them he has information regarding the rumor
s of the dark army as it progresses toward the silver empire."

  "Are you sure the council members will believe me. After all, they are nothing but rumors, no doubt created by the war mongering Silver Empire to drive the wheels of commerce and trade in their favor."

  "Yes, they will believe you, and even if they do not, they will have no choice but to convene," he said as he walked passed the thin wizard. "Now it comes to it. Make no mistake, Esthinor, our actions this night will seal the progression, protection, and prominence of knowledge. We cannot falter. We must emerge victorious. For our battle is greater than any of us, and greater than him." He paused before leaving, "Esthinor, tell me, how did you know to find me here?"

  "It was a simple matter of deduction, Bengrako. Nothing more," said Esthinor dismissively as he turned and walked away.

  Bengrako made his way through the winding passageways with haste. It was imperative he meet his friend as he always did, on the great steps leading to the main entrance. It was more of a ritual and symbol of their friendship than a necessity. On all other occasions, the wizards utilized either of the two other entrances located on the side of the great building, but when either Bengrako or Intellos returned from a venture of this magnitude, the respective wizard would use the main entrance. Intellos was the first to establish this, and when asked why he chose to climb the main stairs, all one hundred of them, over the less arduous and more mundane side entrances, his reply was one that Bengrako would never forget:

  "Well, it seems to me that the world is full of the mundane and inconsequential, including the doors we walk though. So often we walk through these doors without regard for the boundaries we are crossing. For me, ascending these stairs, built to a scope well beyond what is required to traverse the designed incline of the building's approach, and then to open the great doors by the only means they can be opened, reminds me that we, here at The University, must cross our doors with an unrelenting understanding that our doors are greater. As such, we carry with us, not just ourselves as we transverse the metaphorical barrier, but the weight of us all. I enter by this way because it is impossible for me to ignore the enormity of this structure, and therefore, the enormity of its responsibility."

  "Keep talking like that, my friend, and you will find yourself wearing the title of Grand Wizard," Bengrako stated.

  In what seemed a very short passage of time, no doubt because his mind was dwelling upon the severity of the coming moments, he found himself standing before the great doors. He waved his hand much the same as he did each time, and the doors slowly swung open as they did each time. He could not help but understand, to a great extent, the boarder he was about to cross. Never before had the Grand Wizard been openly criticized, let alone challenged. And certainly never before had the words "The Severing" been mentioned as a possible action against the office. As he crossed the threshold to stand upon the last step, he momentarily paused, but an internal nudge welled up within and gave him the courage to continue. If things did not progress as he needed, if he was unable to save knowledge itself, then the future of the University would undoubtedly come crashing down, as would the foundations of life in Avendia itself.

  It was not long before he saw Intellos, the Grand Wizard, dismount his horse and hand the reigns over to one of the initiates. Bengrako observed a preoccupation upon his friend's face. He ascended the stairs with a greater weight upon his already burdened shoulders. His head remained declined with his eyes focused on a point a few short feet in front of him. He never lifted his eyes to search for his friend, and his face never broke into the triumphant smile of one who had accomplished a victory. In fact, Intellos seemed quite oblivious to all, even the presence of Bengrako, until he almost bumped head first into him.

  "Oh, Bengrako, you are here! I did not expect you!" Intellos said as he assumed a look of genuine surprise.

  "Intellos, I am always here upon your return. Why should today be any different?" Bengrako replied.

  "Quite right you are, my longtime friend. Quite right you are," when he finished, his eyes seemed to grow distant as if he retreated to a place far within. "But we are not right. Oh, in our arrogance we did see so much, but our sight was limited by it. We thought life was only a mile, and because of it we saw only the mile believing it was the totality of life. But there is so much more! My friend, follow me, I have much to discuss with you."

  "As you wish, Grand Wizard," the heavy set wizard replied evenly. Although hearing Intellos removed any shred of hope that his suppositions were wrong and instinctively created a leap in his level of anxiety. He understood now that his coming confrontation with his friend, his mentor, his leader, was unavoidable.

  "Where are we going, Intellos?" he asked.

  "Walk with me, my friend, all will be revealed in time," Intellos urged as he put his arm around the other wizard's shoulder.

  "Really, Intellos, your demeanor has me much intrigued! Where have you been and what have you found to raise your spirits to warrant this game?" He could tell Intellos was leading him toward the secret chamber.

  "My Dear Friend, you will see, shortly. But we play no game, at least not anymore."

  "What do you mean, 'not anymore'?"

  "Do you remember when you were yet a child, long before you entered The University?"

  "Yes, but to what end?"

  "Do you remember when you used to play games as a child? Games with a specific set of rules?"

  "Yes," Bengrako stated hesitantly.

  "Good! And do you remember that for the game to continue, one had to play by the rules and only the rules. Any deviation from them would create a degeneration of the game to where it could no longer be played?"

  "Yes. Where is this leading?" asked Bengrako.

  "What if you were playing the wrong game?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "What if, and follow me here, what if there was a much better game to play that actually was not a game at all, but the reason you never played it was because no one knew the right rules?"

  "Intellos, did you hear the question you just asked me? What is this about child's games and rules to games that do not exist? Really, My Friend, are you sure you were not infected by a poison while you were away?"

  "What? Oh, quite so! I mean, quite not so. I truly say to you, on this day, I am utterly sane and utterly see. But please, humor me a bit longer. Can you answer the question?"

  "Which question was that?" Bengrako asked again as they continued to progress through the bowels of the University.

  "Remember yourself as a child playing a game for which you constructed the rules. This game was fun and manageable because the rules were entirely comprehendible because you made it according to your own understanding of games. Now, imagine a fellow child comes along and shows you a better game. In fact, it is the best game, and really, the only game. So much so, that it drowns out all remnants of the first game, and all other games. He does not show you all of the rules because that is part of the game as well. But he does show you that during the playing of it, you will forever be changed by the magnitude of its all-encompassing totality compared to all other games. Would you play it, even if just for a moment? Would you play the game even though you did not understand all of the rules and sacrifice everything you thought you once knew about games just to experience it, even if for one moment?” said the Grand Wizard as he stopped to face his friend.

  "Your question cannot be answered," Bengrako answered.

  "Of course it can," he said with a smile, "you need only think of your state as a child."

  "But how can a game be played if not all of the rules are understood?"

  "Because, my skeptical friend, playing without knowledge of the rules IS the only rule!" he almost shouted as he broke into a bellowed laughter.

  "You are not making any sense. What you propose is an impossibility! How can anyone play anything if there is no knowledge to be learned?"

  "What is knowledge except a reflectio
n of what we can see, hear, smell, taste, and touch? But what if there were things existing beyond our senses? Truths that could not be known, and therefore, are not governed by our knowledge of them? What if knowledge is not everything?" Intellos asked with a light inside his eyes.

  "Intellos, Grand Wizard, you border upon the blasphemous! What you are proposing cannot be! Even its utterance, if it permeates to the general populous, could and would unravel the foundation of Avendia!"

  "Easy, Bengrako, please calm yourself and follow me. I am going to show you something that will cause you to challenge your current doctrine as it did mine. I ask only that you remain with an open mind whose orientation is toward something else to be learned. There is another aspect of knowledge that remains unknown to you."