Diary of a Conjurer

by D. L. Gardner

  As the years passed, Kaempie slowly made friends with a certain group of hunters that ventured into his woods. It was through them that Kaempie learned about their village, that the natives remembered Meneka and had taken Meneka's name as their own, calling themselves Meneks. Kaempie would hunt with the men and with his keen eye and steady bow, sent them home with enough meat to feed the entire village.

  One night after a horrendous dragon attack, Kaempie was surprised to see his friends wandering aimlessly in the forest.

  “Didn't you come to hunt? Where are your weapons? Your bows and arrows?”

  “We’ve been banished,” a strong young man stepped forward.

  “Banished?”

  “We've been cast out of our village to survive on our own in the wilderness. The elders believe that our hunting has caused the dragon’s wrath. They say we compromised its sovereignty. I, my young child Vilfred, and these other men and women have been exiled.”

  So remorseful was Kaempie to hear this news that he took the people to his hiding place and together they built a village of their own. The people loved Kaempie and took his name as theirs, calling themselves Kaemperns.

  Kaempie lived with his people until he grew very old. One day, a great wind picked up, shaking the trees, stirring dirt and leaves into the heavens. Then Kaempie heard something familiar—the same voice he heard so many years ago. It whispered a song on the wind, and when it was over, it spoke his name. Kaempie lay down his bow by the campfire, nodded a fond farewell to his friends, and walked into the woods. He was never seen again.

  The Tale of the Four Wizards

  Reuben

  Depart

  Drenched, Reuben stumbled as the waves rushed past, momentarily knocking him off balance again, leaving salty foam racing between his toes. Working the sand out of his teeth with his tongue, he spat the remaining saltwater that had been caught in his throat and brushed his wet hair from his eyes.

  No sign of the skiff, or of Kaempie and Meneka remained, only the rising waves as they receded into the clouds and the dark of night. Chilled by the sea breeze, Reuben fought the tide as he trudged to shore. There he spotted the fluorescent green light of Silvio’s eyes. The two stood side by side solemnly watching the waves pound its death march on the beach.

  They’re gone.

  A cold, empty feeling filled Reuben. His body trembled. “I’m going back home,” he whispered.

  “You’ll die,” Silvio assured him.

  “I’m going to die anyway.” We’re fools thinking we could escape. There’s nothing to gain from this. “Even so, I never should have left.” He didn't regret having obeyed his mother. He respected her concern for his life. Still, he harbored a secret that, had he been honest, would have changed even her decision, a secret that weighed heavy on his heart. Now, with his good friend Kaempie gone, there was no sense in continuing.

  East of the cloud front, the seaport Taikus glowed in the night. The island was not asleep. Lights of Hacatine's ships floated in the dark.

  “If indeed that’s the queen coming this way, I’ll be able to escape back to Taikus unnoticed.”

  “How, without a boat?”

  Reuben looked at Silvio. The boy reeked of magic. Light pulsated through his pores so blazingly that his whole body glowed green. But Silvio seemed naïve to its presence, or at least its importance. “I’ll move east through the woods until I come to the channel of Alisubbo. From there, I’ll swim.”

  “And leave me here?”

  He hesitated to answer. Kaempie wouldn’t leave the young conjurer, but I can't stay here with him. My allegiance is elsewhere. “You can come with me.” Reuben offered.

  Silvio shook his head, his eyes fixed steadfast on the waves. “I guess we’re on our own,” Silvio said.

  They stared at the sea. The roaring tide crashing on the shore beat away the last glimmer of hope either of them had of seeing the skiff again.

  “Then run.” Reuben urged. “Your magic is strong. Follow the coast west to the bay, and then veer north. Meet up with those two.” He nodded toward the breakers where they had last seen their friends. “I doubt that they perished. Kaempie is too good a wizard for such an end. Go. Have hope. My heart lies elsewhere.”

  He rested his hand on the young wizard’s shoulder. There’d be no reason to tell Silvio why he was going back. The boy was too young to understand the turmoil that haunted him, and they barely knew each other anyway. Their eyes met. Reuben gave the boy a nod and a hopeful smile, then picked up his bow and quiver. He walked toward the woods in the direction of the strait of Alisubbo.

  Please go on, Silvio. Don’t be discouraged. You can survive! Make haste!

  Reuben followed the shore along the edge of the forest until rocky cliffs prevented his passage and he was forced to ascend a steep bank. When he reached a flat summit that overlooked the coastline, he turned around and surveyed the beach below. Silvio had gone.

  Good.

  But the sight on the horizon was not so good. Hacatine’s ships had wind in their sails, traveling east of the fog bank. Closer now, it was obvious that her fleet was set for Bandene.

  Run, Silvio.

  His heart leapt. He too must make haste to the outskirts of Alisubbo. There he’d be safe. No Taikan warrior would come near the city known as the Quaking Fortress. Fear kept its enemies away. Throughout history, whenever Taikans had invaded Alisubbo, explosions of great magnitude shook the ground, causing waves of immeasurable heights along the Straits, and floods that ravaged the shores of the island. It was believed that the winds of the north protected that coastal city as well. Hacatine would not invade Alisubbo —not until she was certain of her supremacy. Not until the Northern Winds were tamed.

  Whether he’d be safe or not when he reached its boundaries, Reuben didn’t know. But it would give him time to use his magic to look into the near future and immediate past. Doing so would reveal whether Lelanie was still safe and what course he needed to take. He had less fear of the city of man than he did of Hacatine and what she could do to his family.

  The Thieves

  A moonless time of the night, the storm in the west blanketed the sky, though no rain fell where he walked. Still drops of moisture from humidity mingled with his sweat as he felt his way through the woods. His bare toes curled around the cold rocks and coarse roots of the trail that eventually widened to a road much like those in Taikus. In the daylight, men traveled here. Rollers more advanced than the stone wheels found on Taikus had cut ruts in the soft dirt that he now followed.

  He’d seen the vessels. He and his friends would come to the edge of Bandene Forest to hunt for deer, but occasionally they’d see the odd contraptions rolling on the road. Baskets atop lightweight wheels that were pulled by horses. They carried men, two or three at a time. A wonder to the young Taikans, sometimes he and his friends would hide in the forest just to watch them roll by. Alisubbo’s craftsmen were so much more advanced than the wizards of his homeland.

  But none of his friends had ever set eyes inside the city. Stone walls and iron gates secured it. Reuben wished his nation would attempt peace with these citizens so that knowledge and wisdom could be shared. But Hacatine’s policy had been to conquer, not to treaty, falling short of both.

  Which is why she wants me. The more wizardry she gains, the stronger she becomes. I hate what she does to us. If our child is a boy, then what?

  His hurried, and his mind raced quicker than his feet. His thoughts traveled beyond the Straits, anxiously searching the island for his loved one. It wasn’t until he tripped that he realized he’d forgotten where he was, and by then, it was too late. Stumbling to catch his balance, his attempt failed and instead, he flew through the air.

  Reuben wasn’t hurt when he hit the ground. Gravel clung to his lips as he lifted his face out of the dirt. He spun his body around to sit and found himself surrounded by four men. Laughing, their bare feet nudged his legs as they spoke in another language. Reuben pulled his hair behind his e
ars and looked up. He possessed the magic to translate, but he wasn't quick with initiating his powers when he was confused.

  A tall thin man met his gaze, having dark hair much like his own, but with skin that was a deeper tan, perhaps from the sun, perhaps from a bloodline unfamiliar to Reuben. His hair was shoulder length and he had a moustache that curled slightly at the edges. When he smiled, his teeth sparkled gold, not white like they should be.

  “A foreigner stumbling in the woods at this hour?” the man laughed.

  Reuben’s magic finally afforded the translation.

  “Where’s your money?” the man prodded, nudging Reuben again.

  “He’s poor as a beggar, Paulino. Besides these.” The man held Reuben’s bow and quiver full of arrows in his hands, pulling away as one of the other scoundrels reached for it.

  Paulino kicked Reuben again. “What are you doing here? Hunting, eh? For what? Owls?”

  “No, I’m not hunting.”

  “Where are you from, then? What are you doing here? Artur…” he nodded toward the woods. “See if he’s alone.”

  Reuben was just as curious as to the identity of these people as they were of him. Their dress was unlike the attire worn by anyone he had ever seen. Loose-fitting pants tied at their waists with scarves of color, sashes strapped across their chests and beads hanging from their necks were not the modest garb of the men from Alisubbo. If Reuben could steady his thoughts, he’d be able to see their past and perhaps get a clue as to their origins.

  “I think he’s alone,” Artur called.

  “Ruy, Aldo, get him up.”

  “What are we doing with him?”

  “We’re taking him to camp. He’s strong, young. Should bring a good price, I would say. Clumsy, though.”

  Ruy and Aldo lifted Reuben to his feet and allowed him to stand on his own. “Don’t worry,” Ruy said with a grin. “We’re friendly captors.” When their eyes met, the wizard took the opportunity to shoot his magic into the depths of the man’s mind. Stunning his victim for only a second, he extracted Ruy’s most recent memory into his own thoughts.

  “The officials of the city are looking for you,” Reuben accused. “You’ve stolen some pretty important gold pieces.”

  The outburst caused the others to balk. Paulino drew a knife from his waist, but Reuben released Ruy from the spell and set his focus on the weapon, heating the metal with his will. Paulino dropped it, watching the glowing blade smolder in the grass at his feet.

  Not sure what they would do, Reuben waited as the men regained their senses. Paulino broke into a laugh as he picked up his weapon and brushed the ashes that had clung to it off on his pants.

  “Magic, is it? You come from across the way? The Magic Island?”

  The other two men relaxed.

  “We may be able to do some bartering. Come with us, my friend. Let’s talk.”

  Ruy slapped Reuben on the shoulder and motioned him to follow Paulino.

  The Camp

  They walked through the dark woods, descending toward the eastern shore that faced the narrows, a swift moving channel that separated Alisubbo from the island of Taikus. As the thicket of aspen tapered, Reuben caught sight of the dark shape of his homeland on the horizon, just past the small Isle of Refuge, a stepping-stone between the two kingdoms. An ebony mass of a mountain silhouetted against the night sky, Taikus’ nearness wrenched his heart. Somewhere in those shadows hid his lover.

  He and Lelanie had been meeting secretly for two years, defying the culture that demanded Reuben wait until after his ceremony to take a bride. But if they followed tradition, Reuben would have been dead before they could ever consecrate their love. When the dreaded day of his coming of age ceremony came, when the queen would bleed him of his magic, Lelanie had persuaded him to flee. She promised she would escape to the caves with her midwife when in labor, and wait for him. All the magical powers within Reuben convinced him this was the night.

  The scent of burning wood brought his thoughts back to the trail as they neared the shore. His captors urged him into a small rowboat and took their seat beside him. For a moment Reuben had hoped they would take him directly to Taikus, but they veered east instead, riding the current toward the smaller islet where a campfire glowed in the sand dunes. The boats were beached and Reuben was brought into the settlement where tents circled a large bonfire. Women moved about, the gold of the firelight shining on them as they cooked. Several children played in the dirt. Savory smells of meat roasting reached Reuben, causing his stomach to growl and his mouth to water. He hadn’t eaten all day.

  “Hungry, eh?” Ruy asked as the trudged through the deep white sand. Now that Reuben could see the twinkle in the foreigner’s brown eyes, his smile seemed sincerer.

  “I am.”

  “Come, I’ll introduce you to my wife.” He whistled and waved. The women gave the approaching men their attention and one of the children raced across the beach to Paulino and hugged his knees. “Daddy!”

  Reuben couldn’t help but think of his own child coming into the world as he watched the father and son embrace. Paulino swept the boy into his arms.

  “Rosalind,” Ruy called and motioned Reuben to follow. “We’ve found a vagabond fallen on the road. He needs a meal, eh?”

  “You all need a meal,” Rosalind said. “You were supposed to be back this afternoon. What kept you?”

  “Business in the city,” Ruy said with a laugh.

  “Business my foot. Most like you’re getting us in trouble again,” an older woman interrupted with a hoarse voice as she moved from the closest tent. She scowled at each of them. “You’re hanged men if you get caught, you know. Most like your families will be dangling alongside you. Who’s the stranger?”

  “A vagabond. Haven’t even asked his name.”

  “Could be a spy.” The old woman’s glare remained, as she looked Reuben up and down. When their eyes met he gave her a slight smile that was just enough to iron the wrinkles on her forehead. “Eat up. If you’re a spy we’ll know soon enough. Rosalind, get out your tokens and find out his business. Ruy, there's wood that needs busting up.”

  Reuben’s brow rose. Tokens? When Ruy left to gather firewood, Rosalind took Reuben's arm and led him to a brightly colored blanket near the fire and ushered him to sit. The old woman set a bowl of meat in front of him and handed him flat bread. Paulino and the other men moved on to their families and disappeared into the tents.

  “Thank you,” Reuben said quietly. She only grunted.

  “What's your name?”

  “Reuben.”

  The woman nodded and grumbled again as she walked away. Rosalind sat across from him, spreading her colorful skirt around her, watching him eat. He couldn’t help but notice her beauty, though her stare invaded the comfort that the meal might have brought. He tried to chew quietly.

  She was a young woman, with wavy black hair curled around her cheeks, falling gracefully over her shoulders. Braided into her locks was a string of glass beads and a red ribbon. When he set his bowl down and wiped his mouth with his shirtsleeve, she smiled. Her hands jingled of bracelets as she pulled a leather pouch from around her waist. “This won’t hurt,” she said tossing a handful of tokens in her palms. “Unless of course you’re Navy.”

  “Navy?”

  “The King’s patrol. Can’t have you spying on us. We’ve stayed hidden for too long. We kill spies. But Ruy is skilled with the sword and it will be quick. I doubt you’ll feel much.” She tossed the tokens into the air and scooted back as they landed on the blanket. “The men have a special place where they put the bodies too, so no need to worry about that.” She glanced up, her eyes giving him a once over as though she were sizing him for a grave.

  “That’s the least of my worries.” Reuben inched away from her. Rosalind’s strength, confidence, and now her words, reminded him too much of Hacatine’s warriors.

  She leaned over, inspecting each crude metal coin that lay between them. Symbols were painted on mos
t, several had etchings of animals, and one was white and had a painting of a human face.

  “Oh,” she said. “Oh I see.” She looked up quickly. “You’re from Taikus.”

  She’s practicing Sorcery? With coins?

  He didn’t answer.

  “You’re not too far from home. You miss it.” She brushed some of the coins to a pile mumbling, “hunter, friends. Your friends deserted you?”

  Reuben shook his head. “No. Not really.”

  “Well, in any case they’re gone. You’re alone. Trying to get back home. I see. And this.” She held up the white coin that had the face. Their eyes locked. Rueben tried to see inside of her, but there was confusion in her energy. Not sorcery, but a strange power he was unfamiliar with. “This token is your ticket to a safe passage home. Paulino will be thrilled to know about this! Yes!”

  She stood and disappeared into a tent, returning with another blanket. “I’ll talk to him tonight. Here. Stay warm.”

  Puzzled, Reuben held the blanket in a bundle as she stood over him. “Be glad you can sleep tonight. We’re not going to kill you.”

  That's supposed to bring me comfort?

  In a few moments Reuben was completely alone by the fire. Muffled voices came from the tents as Paulino and his wife put their son in bed and the other families settled down for the evening.

  The blanket that had been given him was exceptionally warm and though the ground was rough, Reuben found himself comfortable as he lay on his back and looked at the stars. The storm had blown westward leaving the fresh smell of rain and the musty fragrance of dampened earth. The waters of the Straits sparkled with reflections of thousands of galaxies above him.

  He lay quiet, his soul anxious from the turmoil of the day, but still there was an underlying comfort knowing that he had made the right decision to go home. With that, and his weariness, it didn't take much for him to fall asleep.