by Aaron Thomas
The mention of the legend made Joahna excited. Kilen felt them pushing for him to ask the question. Here, amongst the greatest wizards, Kilen would surely find the answers he sought about what he was.
“What was the Dark Army?”
Ray shook his head. “The wizards only tell us what we need to know. They have their secrets and it is not our job to know them. We are here to protect them, to listen to what they want us to know, and to carry out their less desirable tasks. I don’t want you to misunderstand me. The wizards here shape the world. They have saved it more times than we can know. If you stay here for any amount of time you will hear the problems of the world, and the lengths they go to save it.” He pointed to a bed behind Kilen, “Get some rest, we will talk more tomorrow.”
Kilen started to strip his clothes as he listened to the voices in his head. “We must tread lightly If they do know what a spirit wizard is, it may be something they fear. You may ask with a line of questions that explore how to fight them, but not one that says you are one,” Joahna cautioned.
Kilen climbed into bed and found that sleep came sooner than he thought it would.
**********
The time Kara spent in the tent watching over Twilix was becoming tiresome. Kara was not exhausted, Brandon saw to that, but she was becoming bored. The only people she had been able to talk to since arriving were Twilix and Mary. Mary was off to war with her friends. Her brother was on a secret mission for the king. The only other person that she could talk with was now in an sort of transient sleep.
Twilix’s ailment had been slowly overcoming Kara’s ability to keep the ice at bay. Brandon said it wasn’t a problem, but Kara was unsure he was being truthful. The bed had started to accumulate icicles clinging to the bottom. Hour by hour they became small columns of ice connecting the pallet to the ground. The ice now surrounded the bed and crept around Twilix’s form like a casket that was swallowing her whole. Kara held the flames over Twilix, which required her to stand over the wizard at all times of the day. Her legs ached and she knew that it wouldn’t be long before they began to give out on her.
Kara squatted a few times to stretch her legs. Brandon brought a plate in through the tent’s burnt tent flap. Smoke had stained all the objects in the tent and her guards had removed all the books and adornments she had earned. Brandon said it was not her fault, but that he wanted to save the books for when Twilix was finished growing. He sat the plate of food on Kara’s bed and she began to eat.
Brandon used a funnel to get Twilix to drink some broth. He held her head up off the ice block as he poured gulps of broth in her mouth. She swallowed on her own but showed no response to either person in the tent. Kara could tell she was changing by the size of the clothing that she wore. Her dress was shorter and the material around the chest and arms was becoming too tight. The changes were small but Kara could tell Twilix was starting to age into the form of a woman.
He finished pouring the broth and he placed his hands on her forehead. Kara saw his eyes turn a vibrant green.
“It won’t be long now,” Brandon said. “We will only have to keep her alive for a couple more days. How are you holding up?”
He stood and and looked around the tent, picking up plates and bowls left from the last couple days.
“I have to stand over her now. I am barely keeping the ice away. I thought about melting the ice under the cot to make up some time but I'm not sure how long it will help.”
He smiled at her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
“For one so new to being a wizard, you are doing excellent. Do whatever you think is best. Remember not to get too close to her skin and be sure to melt the water away from the bottom up.”
Kara nodded her head and bent down low. Small spurts of flame shot out of her hands and started to melt away the bottom of the ice altar on which Twilix now lay. Brandon patted Kara on the back. She thought it was weird having a man touch her bare skin, but this is what she would have to wear for a while. She felt the rush of energy flow into her. She always felt strange when she was being rejuvenated by Brandon.
Kara continued to work on the ice as Brandon watched carefully. She felt her legs stretch and she started to relax the muscles. She knelt and made herself as comfortable as she could while she cleared the rest of the ice from the ground. The wooden legs of the cot were left untouched. A thin layer of ice protected them from being burned.
Kara then laid down on the ground and reached her hands under the block of ice that was hanging from the cot. Her hands became a flame, cooking the ice from underneath. After being bored for so long she found some entertainment watching the drops of water sizzle on her skin. The steam cleaned away the dirt from her face and water started to stream away from Twilix as she worked.
She hoped that the time it would take Twilix to build back up the ice would enough enough for Kara to get a decent night’s sleep. With only a finger’s width of ice left underneath Twilix, Kara stopped her efforts. Brandon again patted her back and re-energized her. She smiled and Brandon looked at her with his eyebrows furrowed.
“Are you okay?” He said, taking a step back.
Kara smiled back, “I’m fine. I think I will get some sleep now while I have a moment.”
She sat down and Brandon stood with his back facing the doorway of the tent.
“I am not sure that would be a good idea with your shoulders sparking they way they are. You might catch your bed on fire.”
A confused look came over Kara’s face and she looked over at her shoulder that was indeed letting off random sparks. She raised her hand and her fingers flickered flames on and off. She stood, startled by the loss of control.
“I’m not doing that! Well, I am but I’m not meaning to. I’m not angry!” She looked pleadingly to the king’s adviser. “Help me! I don’t know why it’s doing that.”
She moved around the small tent with flickers coming from random parts of her body. “I’m in control. I’m in control,” she chanted as she moved around. She even started to breath heavy to try and control it like she had with her guards in the dungeon.
“Kara, if you are unable to stop this I will have to move you to the dungeons for our protection.”
Kara turned on the wizard and flames shot up all around her, catching the tent on fire. Brandon escaped out the door and Kara followed. The four guards jumped to their feet. Each one sprayed the tent with ice and water, leaving the tent in shambles. The men turned their efforts on Kara, a fully energized Fire Wizard. The ice and water had little effect on her. She watched as their attempts turned to steam.
“I will not go back down there!” She screamed at Brandon.
“I didn’t say you would!” He snapped back. “I need you to control it so I don’t have to!”
It took a moment for the words to sink in. The flames died back, but the flickering still remained. Tears sizzled and steamed on Kara’s cheeks as she cried.
“I can’t stop it,” she said in a whimper.
The three guards had swords drawn and were standing ready to attack. She knew if given the chance the three would not give mercy to even a newborn baby if it were a Fire Wizard. They hungered to eliminate the threat. She stared nervously between Brandon and the three men now surrounding her. She took a step towards Brandon to apologize and the men started to attack.
“STOP!” Brandon commanded.
The earth shook and only Brandon remained upright. He came to kneel beside Kara sobbing on the ground.
He said to her, “I know you cannot control it, but that doesn't mean you are not dangerous. Kara… I think you are aging.”
Chapter 8 - Ice
The sun on the side of the white tent made for a very bright morning. The light seemed to splash the inside of the tent, leaving no shadows to be found. Bowie took a moment to lay on his pallet before he put his feet on the grassy ground. He heard Auburn and John calling out orders. Auburn seemed to be more harsh with her words than John. Bowie hurried and got ready. The
way John and Auburn were talking, there seemed to be a commotion in the camp.
Bowie walked out of his tent and knocked over a soldier standing at his door.
“What are you doing there?” Bowie asked.
The boy scrambled to stand and put back on his black hat.
“Sir, I was told to guard your tent. There are two guards on the wizard’s wagon, one on your tent and, one on the scouts tent. Although, they didn't seem to stay longer than a few hours.”
Bowie straightened his own hat and left the soldier at his tent. Obviously John had been hard at work.
“I see. Carry on then.”
Bowie walked through a camp that was bustling with work. Fletchers ran all over and archers on horseback in groups of four came in and out of the camp. Bowie was assaulted with the smells of freshly cooking foods. He walked past one of the fire pits and was handed a plate full of meat, beans, eggs, and an apple. He accepted it as he made his way to the large apple tree, giving shade to a fire pit. When he approached, he found that Auburn had made her fletching site at the fire pit. Fletchers were working fervently, making arrows. Each did their part then handed their product to the next, all seated in a circle.
Auburn smiled and made one last pass around the circle to inspect each man’s work.
“They are doing well,” She said. “We found a whole field of strange plants that made the most perfect arrows. They were only a short walk outside of our camp. Do you think Wizard Ria had anything to do with it?”
Bowie nodded, taking a bite from his apple. He pointed in the direction that he and Ria had gone the night before. He stopped chewing and held his hand in front of his mouth.
“Did Ramos send word when he would be ready for me to make another purchase?” he asked.
Auburn nodded, “He already came by and dropped off some supplies. I told him we may be able to help the town some more. John and I sent more hunting parties out. There are now five groups of four, all riding the new horses. So far, they are finding a lot of game. We have more meat than we can possibly eat. We take a portion to feed your men, and the rest is going into town. Ramos is collecting the meat in barrels and salting them for the king’s army. He is trading us supplies for all that we can bring in. I told John that if Ramos gives us all the supplies in town, the king might be pretty angry. ”
“Didn’t I tell you to ask before you made any decisions like that again?”
Auburn looked down and nodded her head without raising her eyes to look at Bowie.
“I thought that I should find a way to keep him from wanting to kill you. At least this way Ramos will have something to offer the king,” she said.
“Yes, well. How are the arrows coming along?” Bowie questioned.
She moved around the fire pit taking an arrow from each of the fletchers. Bowie followed and watched each fletcher continue their work.
“Each man has a job. We have some men just collecting shafts or making arrow heads. Some of the men strip the turkeys and other birds the hunters bring in for their feathers. One man glues and ties on the feathers with the string and hands it to another. He puts in the arrow head. Another puts in a knock. For each group of three fletchers, there is a man to keep supplies stocked near by. It is working quite well,” Auburn said pleasantly.
“How many completed arrows do we have?” Bowie said, picking up an arrow from the stack and inspecting it.
Auburn answered quickly,“We have already made about a hundred arrows, and it was a slow start, making sure to get supplies ready before we began. It should go quicker now.”
The arrow was decent quality but inferior to his own. Improvements to make his own would have added extra steps to prepare the arrow shaft. It would probably double the amount of time. He would teach Auburn and let her do what she could to improve it.
As he inspected the arrow, he saw Alexander, the Wind Wizard, approaching John. He needed to confront the wizard about some training for the imbuement he kept in his wrist guard. He dropped the arrow back onto the pile and made his way to John and Alexander.
“You were supposed to teach me on this trip. What good is an imbuement if I can’t use it?” Bowie demanded.
“It will still have to wait for another time, but I did come to see you and Wizard Ria. The guards at her door said I was not allowed inside. I decided that instead of killing them, I would come and tell you to remove them from my way.”
The wizard displayed no hint of sarcasm in his voice, yet chuckled and whispered something under his breath as he walked away towards Ria’s wagon.
Bowie looked at Alexander, trying to figure out if he was being sarcastic or not. When he couldn't decide, he said, “I put those guards there because she exhausted herself making arrow shafts last night. Perhaps I should go in and see if she is up to seeing you?”
The wizard talked to himself and ignored anything that Bowie said. He stopped at the door and waited. The two young guards looked nervous at seeing the wizard again.
“You did well, go and join the others. We will take it from here,” Bowie said dismissing them.
The two guards looked relieved at being released from standing between two wizards. Alexander stood waiting, still mumbling to himself.
“Well, are you going to check on her?” He said finally. Bowie didn’t think the wizard had heard him so he was startled by the question. Bowie knocked and heard Ria on the inside telling him to enter.
Bowie removed his hat and reached for the door.
Alexander smiled, “Good, yes. Remember your manners.”
Bowie smiled, at least Alexander wasn’t entirely crazy.
“Ria, I have Alexander the Wind Wizard here to see you,” Bowie called out to the wagon’s closed door. He heard Ria moving around inside of the wagon.
“Come in Sergeant, and bring the wizard with you.” Her voice seemed to be in high spirits and fully energized.
Bowie opened the door for the wizard, who was still gathering his folds of clothing.
“Good morning, Ria. How are you doing today?” Bowie said, standing in the doorway.
“I am feeling very well.” She turned to look at Bowie. “Did you bring those items I told you to look after?”
Bowie nodded and handed the small pouch containing the numerous earth imbuements to Ria. She turned her back to the wizard but Bowie could see her dropping the beads from her hand one at a time into the bag. She held up an open hand to Bowie and smiled as she tucked it away in the cupboard that the plants hid.
Ria said, “To what do I owe the pleasure, Alex?”
Alexander closed the door behind him, “It seems I’ve upset the king. I wish not to get skewered today so I have come to report word on the Weapon Bearer. I was hoping you would be able to get the message to the king.”
“Alex, I am under the direction of Master Crescent here. He is using me to the extent of my abilities. It seems he pushes me so hard, I am confined to my quarters to rest most days. If you wish to send a message to the king, you had better give it to Master Crescent to deliver.”
Alexander tapped his fingers on the table, still looking at Ria who was now slowly pouring tea for the three of them.The wind wizard took a sip of his tea and grabbed a berry out of the bowl on the table.
“You always have the best tasting fruit,” he said, grabbing another. While chewing, he pulled out a piece of parchment.
“Your friend seems to be doing well,” he said, glancing at Bowie. “Last I saw him, he found the Elder Wizard’s camp. I was unable to follow inside, but he didn’t come back out. I would assume that he is in negotiation for their help.” He wrote while he spoke. “Take this to the king and hand it to him yourself. Tell him that I will do as I please, and if his tasks are in alignment with my own, he may get some use out of me. You will make that clear.”
Bowie nodded and reached to take a cup of the tea that was offered. He drank while he waited for the wizard to finish writing on the parchment.
Alexander spoke while scribbling, “Wh
en I leave, I will resume scouting the Fire Realm troops and report back to the king when I feel it is necessary.”
Bowie replied, “I will tell him everything and give him the parchment. But I won’t be able to give it to him for a couple more days.”
“When you do it is for you to decide. I also want you to have this.” The wizard flicked his wrist and a small arrow appeared in his hand.
“This is one of the most basic weapons of a wind wielder. In order to learn to use it, you must first learn to control the wind. Controlling the wind is easy, stopping it is hard. Go somewhere with lots of trees and leaves. Find the peace in your mind and quiet yourself. Feel the wind blowing, and eventually you will see it. When you can see the magic, open your eyes and watch. Only when you see the wind can you begin to push it to your will. After that, I will teach you, if you haven't already taught yourself before I find you again.”
Bowie’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, “Wait that’s all you’re going to teach me? Go and feel the wind?”
The wind wizard ignored his comment and stood. Taking a couple more berries and tucked them into a cloth hidden in his pocket, Alexander smiled as his head scraped the roof of the wagon.
“Ria, it was a pleasure, as always,” he said. “I hope to see you again soon. Make sure that this young man does not work you too hard. He has a reputation from the training fields for demanding excellence.”
Ria smiled and collected the tea cups, “You are welcome to stop by any time you need to chat, Alex. Please, visit often.”
