The Missing Mage

by Robyn Wideman

  In the end the rogue mage was stopped, but at a heavy cost. Most of the Order was destroyed, the remaining members decided that the knowledge they had amassed over the years was too great to allow into the world at that time. However, they did not feel that knowledge should die so they hid the last copy of their tomes deep within the jungle south of Hocton Forest, in the hope that one day the information could be used for good. Cyrnic has been studying the journals of the Red Order searching for clues, while making excursions into the jungle to search for evidence. Several months ago, he sent word that he had found a stone tablet that gave vital clues to the location of the missing tomes. The inner council and I were informed of his work. Now it seems King Ganus has also been given this information.”

  “So how do we proceed?” asked Avera.

  “Given the fact that we now have an ally in Morthon, we will keep quiet about this new information. Duke Everet may be your worst enemy, but as long as he is helping us, we shall play along. Tomorrow we shall send out search parties for any missing rangers. Since they are being attacked by mages of some nature we shall be pairing two rangers with a mage.”

  Avera nodded, her brothers plan made sense. “And Cyrnic?”

  “We can only trust a few people now. We will send two groups out that will be looking for Cyrnic. Verin can lead one group and Balthazar another. Until we find out who the spy is we keep all information that comes to Nathan from the duke to the five of us.”

  Nathan was quiet during most of this conversation. He was still having a hard time accepting that the duke would send him a message. Nathan pondered the meaning of him suggesting Nathan keep his hate for the duke alive. Did the duke honestly believe hate was an emotion worth holding onto? Now that circumstances had made temporary allies of Nathan and the duke, Nathan was torn between his desire for justice and revenge, and admitting that the duke’s information would potentially save thousands of lives. Should the one good deed wipe the slate clean, or as the duke had said, should he hate the man no matter what? The moral dilemma made Nathan’s head hurt. When they got home, he would talk to Avera about it.

  The king interrupted Nathan’s musings. “Nathan, go home and get a good rest. We may be calling on you tomorrow to join in the search for Cyrnic.”

  Avera gave her brother a cold stare.

  King Verbon sighed, “Who trained the boy?”

  “His father and Verin… but he is still just a boy,” replied the angry Avera.

  “And what has your brother told you of his skills?” asked the king. He knew his sister’s wrath well enough. The only way to win this argument was to get her to submit to logic.

  “That he is as skilled of tracker as any of his own rangers, and a better warrior than any he knows.” Avera could see where her brother was going with this, but she could not see away around his argument. The kingdom was in peril and needed its best warriors out in the woods looking for the missing mage. She sighed, resigned to the fact that sending Nathan out was the right thing to do, despite her fears for his safety. “At least tell me that you have a plan to keep him safe.”

  King Verbon nodded. “As safe as possible, there’s no way of knowing how dangerous the enemy truly is until we encounter them, but I will send Nathan with Balthazar. There is no more powerful ally he can have.” The king paused, looking at Nathan. “Of course this all is only relevant if you accept the invitation to join the search. I will not force you to join.”

  Nathan was surprised by the praise his Uncle Verin had given, surely he was being too kind in describing him that way, and for both his Aunt Avera and his Uncle Verbon, the king, to say he was too talented to not send out was rather shocking. However, it did not matter. Nathan already considered Balta home, and everyone had been so kind and helpful to him and the girls, there was no way he would turn down an opportunity to repay the favor, regardless of how dangerous it might be. “I would be honored to join in the search,” Nathan replied honestly.

  “Off with you then. Balthazar will be by the house to discuss things with you this evening. Now I must go and organize our rangers and mages to look for any missing rangers. Hopefully the majority of them have made it back safely to the castle.”

  …

  When Ava got to the infirmary, she was met at the door by a guard. “I am looking for Helena Woods. Is she here?”

  The guard opened the door, letting her in. “Down the hall, first door on the left. She is organizing the store rooms,” said the friendly guard.

  “Thank you,” replied Ava before heading down the small hallway into the infirmary.

  She found the door on the left and looked inside. The large room filled with rows of shelves, each laden with boxes for supplies. She could not see anyone, but the room was so large it was no surprise. Ava spoke loudly, “Ms. Woods?”

  A voice replied from behind the second set of shelves, “Over here.”

  Ava walked farther into the room, behind the row of shelves she found a woman, sitting on the ground, rummaging through a box.

  The woman looked up and smiled at her, “I am Helena Woods, and how may I help you?”

  “I am Ava Donalson, Avera Albet sent me to find you,” replied Ava.

  “Hello Ava, Avera and Balthazar have both told me about you. I was expecting to meet you at some point, I hadn’t realized you were so far into your studies with Balthazar that you were ready to begin with me.”

  “Actually, I probably am still not ready, but I am not here just to meet you. I came to inform you that there was an attack on one of the rangers. He is wounded and will be here soon, there may be more rangers hurt as well. Avera suggested I should help you get ready for any incoming wounded.”

  “I hope that there are not many wounded. The last set of attacks by the westerners put a huge dent in our supplies. Come let us get organized, do you know what type of wounds this ranger has?” Helena said, frowning and sighing.

  “I saw him. He has an injured arm, possibly broken. He has some minor cuts, and seemed slightly dehydrated. I brought some of the salves I have been making with me in case you were running short,” said Ava.

  Helena smiled, “Good girl. I heard that Velaina had passed on her knowledge to her son, and that he had passed it on to you. Velaina’s mother’s family were excellent herbalists, and Velaina always made excellent healing potions and salves.” Helena took a closer look at Ava “Have you done any healing before?”

  Ava shook her head. “No. Balthazar has started showing us how to transfer energy into crystals and I have been reading on healing but haven’t done any.”

  “If you are able to transfer energy into a crystal, then you are well on your way. Perhaps it is better that you come to me early. Balthazar may be the most powerful mage in the kingdom, but he is a horrendous healer. He spends little time on the subject. Before the wounded ranger gets here let us do a quick lesson on infusing potions and salves.” Helena paused, grouping her thoughts so her lesson would make sense. “Healing with magic is hard on a healer. It drains your magical energies quickly. It is best to conserve your energy for the most vital wounds that cannot wait for traditional methods. However, we can infuse magic into the salves you have made. When you infuse a potion or salve it works much quicker, and the amount of energy you use is much smaller than directly healing a wound. Let’s practice now. Pull out one of your salves.”

  Ava went into her pouch and pulled out a leaf-wrapped portion of salve.

  “Imagine transferring energy the same way you did with the crystal, it’s very similar. The key is to focus on healing energies. A mage’s mood greatly affects the spells they cast. If you are angry and filled with negative energy when you infuse a treatment, you will transfer negative energy into that treatment, and instead of healing the wound, it will blister and spread like a virus. Healers must have great control over their emotions and strong focus.”

  Ava was surprised by this. “What if I am angry? Will I not be able to heal?”

  “That is where control and f
ocus come in to play. It is possible to be angry and still have positive thoughts. You need to be able to focus only on those positive healing vibes when transferring the magical energy. Breathing techniques and meditation are powerful tools for a healer. You will learn and practice them every day if you want to be a healer.”

  Ava paused at that comment.

  Helena noticed the hesitation. “You’re not yet convinced that healer is a path for you? Why is that?”

  “Well it’s not that I don’t think healing is a great way to use magic, but I want to be able to use magic to defend myself, my family and friends. I want to be able to hold my own if a war comes to us,” replied Ava.

  “Silly child, being a healer does not exclude you from being able to defend yourself. We are not monks, no one here takes any vows to do no harm. I suppose it’s not your fault for thinking this way. But make no mistake, just because I am a woman, and healer does not make me less dangerous as a mage,” said Helena in a firm tone of voice.

  Helena opened her hand, putting her open palm towards Ava. With a small motion, she sent a wave of energy towards Ava.

  Ava was rocked back by the wave of energy. It did not hurt her; it was more like a strong gust of wind that pushed her back.

  “The same magical powers that allow you to be a good healer also give you very strong defensive skills. Often healers in combat create energy fields to help shield their allies or, when an enemy gets too close, to bash them back. If you train under me, you will not have to worry about needing protection. You will be more than capable on the battlefield. Some healers prefer to only work in the infirmaries helping the wounded. Others are on the battlefield fighting and healing at the same time. Each mage makes that decision for themselves. You will have that choice to make in time. For now let’s focus on learning how to use your energies. Now think positive healing thoughts and infuse your salve so we can heal that ranger when he gets here.”

  Ava was impressed, Helena was exactly the type of mage she wanted to learn from. Ava smiled and focused on the salve. She filled her mind with thoughts of healing, good health, and saving lives. Soon she could feel her magic responding to her thoughts. She then transferred that positive energy into the salve.

  When she was done, the salve looked the same. Ava was unsure if infusing process had worked or not. She looked at Helena for guidance.

  “I know, it looks the same. I hear that from all my first-time students. Just wait a second, I will check it for you.” Helena let her hand slide over Ava’s and said a word Ava did not recognize. “Byveta.”

  As soon as she said the word, Ava could see a dull glow around the edges of the salve.

  “That looks good Ava,” said Helena. “Most of my students only get the tiniest amount of glow. You have been practicing a lot haven’t you.”

  Ava nodded. As soon as she and Nathan began lessons with Balthazar, she had been doing extra work each night on that day’s lessons. When Balthazar had explained that magic use was like a muscle, the more you used it the stronger it got, she worked even harder. She knew she didn’t have the same strong magic that Nathan had, but her ability to transfer power was a rare one and she wanted to become as strong as she could. Ava was proud that Helena could tell she was putting extra work in.

  Chapter twenty two

  SHARON WAS CAREFULLY CUTTING a piece of the spider silk when Quinton walked into the war room. Using Nathan’s diamond-dust skinning knife, which he had magically forged to cut vraber skins, the incredibly tough hide of the grotesque lizard-wolf animals that had attacked him and his uncle while they traveled in the north, she was able to make the patterns of cloth that would allow her to turn the silk into armor. As she worked, she could feel the presence of someone at the door. “Are you going to stand there and stare, or are you going to come in?” she said without looking up.

  “I was just watching you work, what kind of material is that?” replied Quinton. He knew about Nathan’s diamond blade and was curious as to what type of material needed such a sharp instrument.

  “Oh, it’s you. I thought Nathan might be back,” answered Sharon, looking up from her work. “It’s spider silk. Colborn Mobley has trained spiders to weave using magic.”

  Quinton came over and inspected the material, he knew Colborn. The mage was only a couple years older than he was, and had always been interested in insects and reptiles. That he had trained spiders did not surprise Quinton in the least. “Very cool, I see why you need Nathan’s knife, this material looks incredibly strong, and it is incredibly light.”

  Sharon beamed. “Yep, it is going to make awesome fighting clothes. It will be as hard to cut as inch-thick leather, yet is lighter than normal cloth. The trick is cutting it. Well, that and knowing a mage who trains spiders.”

  Quinton laughed. “I am never visiting Colborn again. His house used to be filled with creepy reptiles and snakes; it is probably full of spiders now. You know I could put a pretty neat illusion spell on your clothing once it’s done. That is if you wanted, I mean I could if you liked…” Quinton babbled, tongue tied by being around the beautiful Sharon.

  “What kind of spell would it be? Something to make me irresistible to men?” she asked in a saucy tone of voice while giving him a wink.

  Without thinking Quinton replied, “No I can’t do see-through.” Once he realized what he had just said, his face turned bright red. Trying to distance himself from the questionable comment, he went into an explanation of the spell he could put on the clothing. “It’s not an invisibility spell, but it is close. I call it the blender.“

  “The blender?” asked Sharon questioningly.

  Quinton, frustrated at his own inability to speak intelligently around the girl, decided instead to just show her. Taking a piece of the spider silk that she had cut for what appeared to be a sleeve, he applied the magic spell. When he was done enchanting the small piece of silk, he handed it to her. “Put it beside your clothes.”

  Sharon, who planned to do some weapons training that evening, was wearing a pair of green leggings with a tan top. When she put the piece of silk, which had been a light red when she started, beside her top, the material started to change color. Before long, the red seemed almost a perfect match for the tan blouse. She laughed and put the material lower so that it was half on her leggings and half on the blouse. The material changed color again, this time the bottom of the material was as green as her leggings while the top matched her blouse, the middle section was a blend of greens and tans. It wasn’t a perfect match but so close that you would have to look very close to see the difference. “That is very cool, Quinton. Can you make it so I can turn the illusion on and off? I wouldn’t want to be ‘blending’ all the time. I am much too pretty to be hiding,” said Sharon to tease the boy.

  Sure enough, her comment made Quinton blush, again. “Yes, actually it works better that way, if you don’t always have the illusion on it will last longer. And I don’t think you’re pretty at all,” blurted out Quinton.

  “I’m not pretty?” replied Sharon, curious as to what made him say that.

  Quinton closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “No you are not pretty. You are gorgeous, beautiful, enchanting, and intoxicating… but not pretty.”

  The room went silent. When Quinton opened his eyes, he saw that Sharon had stood up, put her tools down, and was looking directly at him. Quinton stood still, and for once boldly looked back at her, gazing directly into her eyes.

  Sharon was caught off guard by Quinton’s words. She had thought he was cute and interesting, but too shy for her. His sweet words and the way he matched her gaze indicated there was much more to the shy boy than she had thought. Slowly she walked up to him until she was almost pressed against him. “Say it again,” she requested.

  “Gorgeous…Beautiful…Enchanting…Intoxicating,” Quinton slowly and clearly spoke in a soft voice. He reached out and took her hand in his. “You are so beautiful that it hurts when I think of you. I have never known someone like you.
”

  Sharon applied a small amount of pressure to Quinton’s hand, returning the caress. She had worried that, after the trauma of captivity, no respectable man would want her. That people would see her as damaged goods. The fact that Quinton thought so highly of her warmed her heart to no end. A small tear formed at the corner of her eye. She smiled at him. She was slowly leaning in to give him a kiss when they heard a sound at the door to Nathan room. They were no longer alone. She leaned in and whispered in his ear. “We shall continue this conversation another time.” She then returned to the table to finish her work. Quinton turned and called out, “Hey Nathan, we are in here.”

  Nathan walked into the war room, Quinton was standing there looking like the cat that ate the canary while Sharon was playing with his knife. I missed something interesting, thought Nathan to himself. Putting the thought aside to ask Quinton about later, he instead asked Sharon how her spider silk clothing was coming along.

  “It’s going well, thank you so much for buying the materials. It would have taken me months to afford enough to make this outfit. Your skinning knife is working perfectly. I can even use the tip to poke holes for the silk thread. “

  Nathan looked at her progress. The knife was working well, but he could see where a really sharp and strong needle would be a better tool. Perhaps when he got back he could make one.

  “Oh, and Quinton is going to put an illusion spell on my outfit when it is done,” said Sharon, showing Nathan the enchanted piece of silk that changed color.

  “Woah, that is neat,” exclaimed Nathan. “How does that spell work?”

  “It is similar to the spells I use to make the paintings, it’s like a coat of magic over the cloth that acts almost like a mirror, but instead of showing an image it picks up the colors near it. Here, let me show you how to cast it.”

  While Nathan watched Quinton work his spell he had a thought, “Would a bloodstone make the spell stronger?”

  Quinton paused and laughed, “It’s only a simple spell, a bloodstone might be overkill, but yes it would certainly make the spell stronger.”