The elf just rolled his eyes and sighed. “My apologies. I should have said Master Cedric Thornback, Honorable Wizard (if there ever was such a thing) and Head of the order of Dark Arts.”
Keegan still looked puzzled. “Why did you call him ‘Old Seedy’?”
Looking somewhat amused, Kust explained. “Well you see, it all started innocently enough. When the Council passes a decree, all of the wizards place their initials at the bottom of the scroll. Cedric of course would place his initials ‘C.T.’ in big bold letters so most of the clerks and scribes started referring to him by those. It started out as ‘C.T.’ and then gradually became ‘Old C.T.’ and finally ‘Old Seedy’ because for one thing, it suits him. He always looks rumpled and worn, never lights the fire in his chambers – for Ancients’ sake you’d think it would kill the old man to buy a decent set of robes for a change!”
Somewhat relieved, Keegan attacked a sandwich with more vigor. “Mmph…sorry….Ah, where exactly are we?” he asked between mouthfuls of food.
“We are just within the fringe of Ebonwood, at the base of the Dragonsback, a range of mountains that spans the length of this continent. Normally the forest is a place anyone with an ounce of common sense would avoid.”
“I didn’t really have much choice in the matter,” said Keegan, somewhat resentfully.
“Yes, yes, I know; you were dropped here by the courier dragon. By chance, do you know what his reward was? It must have been significant, for him to willingly breach his contract with the Council.”
“Freedom, I suppose,” said Keegan. “This guy in dark robes did something that made the amulet snap in half and burst into flames.”
“Did he, now,” muttered the elf. “That would certainly be worth the risk, though I doubt he’s truly as free as he thinks. If I know anything, Old Seedy put a curse on the unbinding spell that will bring the dragon into his service forever.”
“Why would he do that?” asked Keegan
“Because he’s sneaky, underhanded and well, evil - most of the dark wizards are like that, you know. Besides, a dragon in your service would be very useful.”
“But why is he so intent on me not reaching the Council? I’m not even a real wizard!”
“Lord Thornback will do his best to eliminate anyone he perceives as a threat, be it real or imagined. You just happen to be the most obvious one at the moment.”
Kust got to his feet and brought his two small hands together with a surprisingly loud ‘clap’ and the remains of their dinner vanished in a puff of smoke. “Now lad, we need to get you North before the Council convenes. On your feet! You’ve got a long way to go.”
Keegan stood as well, brushing the crumbs from his robes. “Can’t we just fly or conjure a gateway, or something?”
“Old Seedy can’t know that I’m helping you so, no, we can’t use magical means to get there faster - you’re not supposed to know magic very well yet, remember? I am to act as your guide only, so I will start you in the right direction and then come back to check on you from time to time,” the elf replied. “Now, you need to follow the path through the forest towards the North until you come to the White River. Once you reach the river, you will come to a small village where you can purchase transportation. There will be a transit station where you can buy a portal ticket to the capital city, where the Council convenes.”
“Okay, but I don’t have any money other than what I brought from the other side of the Veil.”
The elf took out a few coins and handed them to the young man “This should be enough to get you there. Mind you, I expect your Master to reimburse me once you reach the Council! Now pay attention - the gold ones are Crowns, the silver are Shillings and the small copper ones are called Fens. There are ten Fens to the Shilling and five Shillings to the Crown, got it?”
Keegan took the handful of coins and tucked them away in an empty pouch. “Got it.”
“Well then, off you go! You don’t have much time,” said the elf as he pointed Keegan down the path.
“Hang on a minute,” said Keegan, turning in protest. “Its pitch dark out here. How am I supposed to see the pathway?”
“Use your ring.”
“How?”
“For a light to walk by hold your ring up and say ‘anstrahlen’ or for a bright light say ‘solarus,’ mind you though, that last one would blind a troll. To extinguish the light, just say ‘umbra.’ Now why don’t you give it a try?”
Keegan glanced at Kust, then down at his ring, and said “Amstrelun.”
The elf shook his head and gave a deep sigh. “No, no, no; ‘An-STRAH-len.’ Now try it again, only this time like you know what you’re doing.”
Somewhat annoyed, Keegan tried again by pointing his ring towards the path and saying clearly, ‘anSTRAHlen’ as Kust had instructed him. This time he was rewarded with a blue ball of light about the size of a baseball hovering just above his hand. Keegan muttered ‘solarus’ next and the ball of light vanished and was replaced with a bright beam that completely illuminated the pathway for a good twenty feet or more.
Kust smiled and nodded his approval. “Much better, lad. Now off with you and try not to get killed - you’re worth fifteen hundred Crowns to me, but only if you’re alive.” With a sharp nod of his head toward Keegan, the elf turned and vanished into the woods.
Just lovely… not only am I lost and alone in a strange place, but now some maniacal wizard is out to kill me to satisfy his political agenda.
It had become quite dark now, so Keegan raised his hand and said “anstrahlen,” and conjured the small blue ball of light again. He stared at it for the longest time, watching as it hovered above his hand, glowing bright enough to see the path ahead but giving off no heat. He stared at the ghostly light until he felt like he was falling inward towards its center. Shaking his head to clear it, he cast one last longing glance at the bright little orb. All of his life he had dreamt about magic and now that it was literally in the palm of his hand, he still couldn’t quite believe it.
Gathering up his fire beetle from the ashes, he set off down the path that Kust had indicated. The path snaked downward through the valley, taking him deeper and deeper into the dark reaches of the forest. Keegan was no longer able to see beyond the sphere of light coming from his ring, which made him feel extremely exposed and vulnerable. Turning his ankle on a loose stone, he stumbled. He reached out in the darkness and grabbed a small tree for support as he pulled himself to his feet. Attempting to remove his hand, he was startled to discover that he could not release his grip from the small sapling! He pulled harder, but it accomplished little. Bracing his feet against the base of the small tree, he pulled as hard as he could, and with a sudden loud SNAP! his hand pulled free. He landed hard on his backside, and was just sitting up when he suddenly heard a loud guffawing off in the dark.
“Who’s there?” he shouted.
The only response was the sound of even harder laughter. Keegan finally snapped; jumping to his feet, he whirled in the direction of the laughter. Pointing his ring toward the sound he screamed “SOLARUS!” and with a sudden jolt a hot, white beam of light shot into the darkness, illuminating everything within a hundred feet.
“Aaaayeeaahh!” came a scream from somewhere in the center of the beam.
“Blinded us, he has!” came a second voice, shrieking in panic.
Unfortunately, Keegan couldn’t see the source of the voices as his beam of light had blinded him as well. Shielding his eyes, he tried to peer into the distance where the sound came from.
“Show yourself!” he shouted in the direction of the voices. “Show yourself and I’ll turn off the light.”
“Curse you! Curse you, all right!” shouted the first voice
“Fine, we gives up just turn down the light!” came the second.
Hesitating just for a moment, Keegan said “Anstrahlen” and the light dimmed considerably, shrinking back into a small orb above his hand. He could now make out a large figure standing in the woods. It had large beef
y hands covering its eyes to shield them from the glare. Suddenly Keegan’s jaw dropped as he took a closer look at the creature. Now that it was near the path he could see the creature had not just one head on its shoulders but two!
“Ya didn’t have to blind us - we was only havin’ a bit o’ fun”
“Who are you?” demanded Keegan “and why were you trying to trap me?”
As the creature shuffled closer, Keegan could see it stood roughly two heads higher than him.
“My name is Grum,” said the left head as the creature gestured towards its chest with its left hand. “And this here’s me brother Grim,” he said pointing to the head on the right.
“Your brother?”
“Aye.”
“But you’ve only got the one body?” said Keegan.
“Aye, so?”
“Well, normally a person only has the one head….” said Keegan carefully.
“Hmph. One might say that you’ve got one head too FEW, boy!” Grum was obviously quite unhappy with the young man’s observation.
“Look, I didn’t mean to offend you. I’m new to these parts and quite honestly I’ve never met anyone with more than one head before.”
The creature folded its great burly arms in front of its chest. “Hmph. Well boy, we’ll overlook it this time. Mind you though, we won’t be taken it so easy the next.”
“Damn right!” said Grim. “You younglings show no respect, asking a stupid question like that!”
“Look, I didn’t mean to be rude. You just surprised me,” said Keegan. “I’ll just be on my way and leave you -- er, the two of you -- to your own business”
Keegan started to walk forward, but noticed that the giant had placed itself squarely in the middle of the path.
“You’ll not be going anywhere just yet,” said Grum. “T’aint often we get visitors down this deep in the forest. Now what might ya be doin’ this far into the woods? Hmm? ’Specially at this time ah the night?”
“I’ll wager two Crowns he’s a poacher!” said Grim.
“Bah! He’s too little to be a poacher, you dolt. And he don’t have a bow, so how’s he gonna kill anythin’ eh?” retorted his brother.
“I’m not a poacher, I’m just trying to get to the river by dawn,” said Keegan.
“The river eh? What fer?”
“I need to get to the Council before it convenes.”
“Ha! Why should the Council give a bent fen about a scrawny youngling like you?”
“This wasn’t my idea - I was summoned, okay?” said Keegan in an exasperated tone.
At this, Grim perked up and looked hard at Keegan. “Summoned? You was summoned, was you?”
“Yes,” Keegan replied tersely.
Grim leaned over and whispered something in Grum’s ear that Keegan couldn’t quite catch. Whatever it was Grum obviously didn’t seem to like it, as his face took on a dark, angry look. He glared down at Keegan and hissed between his clenched teeth.
“YOU was sent for by the Guardian, wasn’t you?!”
With a sudden giant step forward, the creature brought the back of it’s hand down hard across Keegan’ face, landing him unconscious at the base of the tree he had just unstuck himself from minutes before.
###
Chapter 9 – A Friend in Need
The High Council Hall was surprisingly nondescript, given that it was the seat of the ruling body for the magical world. Apart from the drab surroundings, its size was the first thing one noticed, as it appeared much larger than the castle that housed it. In the center of the Hall was an enormous granite table shaped like a twelve-pointed star, only with a large circular hole in the center. Within the center swirled an eerie, semi-translucent mist-filled pool with a glowing blue-white crystal floating about ten feet above the surface. Arranged around the table at each ‘point’ of the star were twelve chairs. Nine of the chairs were for the elected members from each of the three different sects of magic, while separate chairs were reserved for the three permanent members of the Council. The table, composed of three overlaid triangles, was itself was made from three different colors of granite. One triangle was Black, for those representing the Dark Arts, one was white for those of the order of White Magic and one dark grey for those avowing Neutrality. The triangles were situated in such a way that the points alternated colors.
The members of the Grey sect were typically the most influential, as the other two orders were diametrically opposed to the interests of each other. Whenever the Council had to vote on a decision or law, it was typically the Grey members that were forced to break the Council deadlocks. Three chairs, more ornate than the others, rested on a raised platform. These were the places of honor reserved for the permanent members of the Council. The Council was led by the Chancellor, a position elected by majority vote of the twelve. Once the Council made its choice the decision was final, for anyone who tried to interfere risked the wrath of the Oracle.
Worried about his grandson, Phineas had come to the Council chambers to think. The Council was adjourned for now and he knew there would likely be no one there to disturb him. He leaned back in his Council chair and stared at the Oracle; a large crystal about the size of a soccer ball. It was glowing a deep blue-white and hovered directly over the misty pool in the center of the table. Once summoned by the death or retirement of the current Chancellor the Oracle would remain until the new Chancellor took office. After the confirmation of the new leader, the orb would ascend through the chamber and out the roof, taking a permanent place hovering above the central tower of the castle. Phineas supposed this was to satisfy the Oracle that the Council’s decision was honored. No one quite remembered when or how the Oracle had first come into being, though there were those who believed it was the remaining essence of the Ancients left behind to oversee the Council.
One of the ornate mahogany doors opened with a cavernous creaking sound and Alexander Ducat, the head of the order of Grey Wizards walked in.
“I thought I might find you here Phineas,” he said as he took a chair next to the Guardian. “Still trying to decline your place in the spotlight?”
“No, my friend, not this time. I fear that the Council would not take kindly to being refused three times in a row. Besides, I’ve always wanted to wave that little silver wand under Cedric’s nose, just to see if he can really shoot flames from his nostrils,” he said with a sad smile.
Ducat chuckled. “Now, now, I don’t think Old Seedy is quite that talented, yet. Mind you though, I think he wouldn’t hesitate to try and snatch the wand for himself if he could find a way past the big blue-white menace up there.” Ducat leaned back in his chair and gazed upward at the crystal, watching it spin slowly above the mist. “So, when will your apprentice be here?”
“That, Alex, is an excellent question,” said Phineas. “It would seem that Cedric has determined to test the boy’s mettle and make sure he measures up as a candidate before being introduced to the Council as a whole. The courier dragon dropped my grandson in the wilderness, on the edge of Ebonwood. The beast never returned, so I am assuming Brimstone’s freedom was the price paid in return for the favor, though Cedric denies this.”
The Grey wizard cut his eyes around at his friend. “I’m not sure I like the sound of that, Phineas. Cedric has lusted after power for years, but that’s awfully brazen to kidnap an apprentice.”
“My grandson’s life is at risk, Alex. The boy only recently learned of his heritage and knows nothing about magic. I should never have entrusted his safety to a courier; I should have had Acamar escort him. Now I am powerless to intervene.”
“What do you mean?”
“Unfortunately, the guidelines spelled out in the Council Bylaws are a bit vague on the subject. The Guild Rules do not offer any clarification either, I’m afraid. As Guardian, I must simply bring my chosen apprentice before the Council for approval, where his abilities will be tested. If one follows a loose interpretation, Cedric is within his rights to test the boy.”
“What if we were to bring the matter before the full Council for discussion?” asked Ducat.
“I doubt it would get very far. Cedric’s order will back him and he wields a great deal of influence over certain members of the Grey order; a few skeletons that haven’t been exposed to the light of day, that sort of thing.”
“So how do you ensure that the boy arrives unharmed?”
“Technically I am not allowed to interfere, Alex.”
“Technically?”
“Technically, Alex. Let me assure you that I am doing all within my power to ensure Keegan’s safety. If my grandson is harmed, Cedric will regret it,” said Phineas in an ominous tone.
Alexander stood and placed his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I’m certain this will work itself out, Phineas. I look forward to meeting your new apprentice, my friend,” he said with a smile as he turned and left, returning to his chambers.
Phineas stood and stretched. He would do well to return home and rest prior to the Council gathering, he thought. If his grandson did survive, it would be a stressful meeting indeed. With a last glance at the Oracle, he turned and left for the Transit Gateway that would take him home.
###
Chapter 10 – An Unwilling Accomplice
Nisha soared over the main castle courtyard, admiring the sparkling central fountain and the beautiful flowers that were bursting from every corner. There were times when she definitely did not mind being bound in the form of a raven; times like this when she was flying over everyone else, she felt almost free. Today was actually her anniversary - it had been fifty years ago today that she stood before the Council and was found guilty. She had been sentenced to become a civil servant for a period to be determined by her Master, who was to oversee her rehabilitation. She was currently indentured as assistant to a Lord of the Dark Arts, the current head of the Sect of Dark Wizards. She was at least grateful that the Council had allowed her to use her natural animal form - if her master had been allowed to have his way she would have ended up as a snake or lizard or some other unpleasant creature. She continued circling the garden until she saw her Master, Cedric, standing in the shade of an ancient, twisted oak tree. She angled toward him and, putting aside the urge to defecate on his head, touched down lightly on the small statue next to him.
The Guardian's Apprentice (Beyond the Veil) Page 6
