The Apprentice Sorcerer: The Caldronian Guild

by Andrew G. Wood

  Chapter 9.

  Rumours that a captured sorcerer was being held in the building, were rife amongst the apprentices in the guild, although it was also clear a few were on edge. This was especially the case, as many of the more senior Caldronian magicians and soldiers had left Surmont a few days earlier. It was clear to the younger members that something was going on, although quite what, no one was quite certain, but that had not stopped them gossiping about the possibilities.

  Having been at the guild for a few weeks, Leo had settled in well, although his relationship with Mia seemed to blow hot and cold. One minute they were holding hands and sharing a small kiss, the next she was telling him what he should and should not be doing, ordering him around as if she owned him. Leo was not quite so keen on her when she was like this, and in some small way, it reminded him of how he used to be treated. This confused Leo, and now when she was trying to lecture him, he found himself making excuses to be somewhere else.

  The lessons with Aryan had progressed, and after many hours of practice, the group of apprentices could now produce protective shields, although all with varying degrees of success. Corey appeared to have mastered the trick best of all, being able to muster a shield almost instantly and holding it. The others were a little more hit and miss, and even Leo could create and hold one, but he found it hard to maintain the concentration required to maintain it. He was okay, until his mind had to think of another task, and as soon as he did, his shield always seemed to fluctuate and die away.

  As a result of their success in shielding, yesterday they had been given their first lesson in creating energy bolts. Rather than using one of the many rooms in the guild, they had gone outside, after Aryan had told them this was due to apprentices having a tendency to cause damage when indoors. As a result, a section of garden at the back of the main guild buildings, was sectioned off for this very kind of practice.

  Once more, the apprentices had shown some successes during their first attempts. Several target dummies were positioned some hundred paces away for them to aim at, and it had been Ewan, the youngest of the group, who had managed to strike one first. The blast had been a rather weak one, but it was still a hit nonetheless, with the youngster immediately looking to Mia for her approval. Jake had also had a little success, managing to fire off a bolt of energy, although his aim was a little wayward, and had ended up hitting the wall behind the dummies. Mia had naturally been the first to scoff at his inability to fire straight, until Mason had stepped forward and told her that at least Jake could fire a bolt, which was more than she could. Leo had tried to remain natural, despite Mia’s attempts at dragging him into it, after all Jake and Mason were his friends too.

  Today they would attempt energy bolts again, and so the group walked outside into the warm morning sunshine, and headed for the practice area. Corey and Amber appeared to be getting on well, as they walked hand in hand together, something Mia did not miss, and decided to emulate with Leo. He felt her warm soft skin encapsulate his fingers and give them a slight squeeze. He looked to see her smiling at him, and then passed her to see Ewan frowning at him. Did the youngster really have a thing for Mia? He almost chuckled at the thought.

  They were not the only ones to have seemed to have paired up, as he noticed Jake and Mason appeared to be getting on really well, although they were obviously not holding hands like he and Mia were. Ben and Alexa also looked content to be in each other’s company, although it was clear there was nothing more than a normal friendship between them. This meant the odd one out was Ewan, who had taken to following Leo and Mia around, and although he thought it mildly amusing, Mia did not.

  Aryan was already awaiting their arrival at the practice area when they arrived, and once more, the Master ran through the procedure they needed to follow. Before he allowed them to start, he made sure each was aware of the repercussions of trying this type of magic outside of lessons time. "This is only to be used under the Master’s supervision," he said firmly, looking each apprentice sternly in the eye, before continuing. Only when he was satisfied that they all understood, did he gesture for them to proceed.

  Once more, it was Ewan who struck the first blow, as a small bolt of energy shot from his outstretched hand just hitting the edge of a target. The youngster looked over to Mia, to see if she had spotted him succeed, and grinned when he noticed that she had. Leo had yet to connect to his power source, as Ewan fired off another bolt, although this one missed all the targets.

  Aryan stood beside Leo, "Trenton tells me you had a slight accident with a sheep the other week."

  Leo simply nodded, "Just a bit of one," he chuckled remembering the mess he had caused.

  "Well whatever you did then, try that now."

  Leo nodded, trying to think what he had done to cause the sheep to explode. Thankfully, he was not the only one struggling with the concept, as a few of the others were still attempting their first strike. Ewan on the other hand was doing nicely, and making sure both he and Mia were watching his success.

  Both Jake and Mason scored the next hits, with two congratulating each other on doing so. Aryan added his own “Well done boys,” before asking them to calm down a little. “Keep focusing on the task in hand,” he added as both boys grinned at each other, before nodding their heads and apologising.

  Leo grimaced as he watched Mia watching Ewan, was she suddenly interested in the youngster now he could do something better? He knew he could do this if he tried, and with a new focus he took a deep breath and tried to clear his mind, which was not easy when he knew Ewan was showing off to Mia. He released the flow of energy from his source, and as he felt the surge down his arm and to his hand, as he thrust it forward as he had been shown. No bolt emerged. Instead, a solid beam of raw white energy shot from his hand, as two of the targets were simply blown to smithereens in an explosion of white light. The pieces of timber target flew skyward before dropping back down to the ground, as Leo puffed out his cheeks, “Oops,” he uttered.

  He quickly released the flow, and looked to see everyone staring at him, and could still hear the small pieces of timber landing behind him. He turned back and looked to see a cloud of dust and smoke, where once there had been practice targets.

  "How was that?" he asked Aryan a little gingerly thinking he was probably going to be in trouble. The Master simply stood there gaping at him, as did the other apprentices.

  "Whoa!" Mason said looking just as stunned as the others, as Jake held on tightly to his arm.

  "Can you do that again?" Aryan asked

  Leo shrugged, "I presume so, I’m not sure exactly what it was I did to be honest."

  "You don't feel drained at all? I doubt most of us have that much energy to release," he added. Leo shook his head, explaining he felt completely fine. "Would you like me to try again then?" he asked.

  After a few moments thought Aryan nodded to the affirmative, and gestured for him to do so. Only this time Aryan told him he would place a weak shield around the target, as he wanted to try something out. Leo turned to look at his friends, and was not sure why they were suddenly al looking at him differently. Leo tried not to think about everybody watching, and faced his target before steadying himself. He felt deep inside at the source of his power once more remembering how he had achieved it earlier, and after drawing upon his reserve, he aimed and thrust his hand once more at one of the remaining targets, as another beam of raw energy fired out. There was a flicker of light as the shield put up by his Master proved to be no obstacle at all, and another of the dummy targets exploded into hundreds of pieces. A scattering of timber and splinters were thrown up into the air along with more clouds of smoke and dust.

  Aryan once more enquired how Leo felt, and once again, he replied he felt fine. It was clear to Leo and the other apprentices that their Master was surprised by what he had seen. Aryan stepped nearer and wrapped a protective arm around Leo, and asked him to stand aside, "I don't want you to practice any more, just yet," he said. Leo naturally thought h
e had done something wrong, and just nodded his head, looking a little sorry for himself.

  He endured watching for almost an hour, as the other apprentices practiced their own skills, as each eventually managed to fire off some form of energy bolt, although, with varying degrees of success. Ewan appeared to be able to fire at a rapid rate, albeit still slow compared to somebody of more experience, whilst Corey was slower, but his energy bolts caused a little more damage to the targets. Each of his strikes caused a scorch mark on the timber, which Aryan thought was about the norm for someone of his age and experience.

  The Master finally called a stop to the lesson, as he noticed one or two of his apprentices were waning just slightly. He dismissed the students a little earlier than usual, telling them they could have a bit of extra free time; Leo however, was asked to remain behind. Mia was about to argue his case, but thought better of openly dissenting against one of the Masters, and as a result, Leo was forced to watch Ewan walking off alongside Mia, though he was thankful Mia did not appear to want to hold his hand.

  Only when the others had gone did Aryan turn back to Leo and explain why he had kept him behind. "I have never seen such power in one so young before Leo," his Master told him. "If you feel up to it, I would like to show you off to a few people." Leo nodded he was happy with that. "Excellent. Come with me," his Master asked.

  Aryan led the way, and Leo obediently followed nervously behind, now worrying slightly that he might not be able to do the same thing again if asked. They entered a doorway at the back of the guild building that Leo had never even noticed before, as it led them into a narrow corridor, and then down a series of stone steps. They passed through two gates, both heavily guarded, before emerging at another set of steps, although these were a little wider than the earlier ones, and as they ascended, he noticed the elaborate metalwork on the handrail.

  The corridor suddenly became much brighter and everything just looked that bit more expensive, and noticing his confusion, Aryan explained they had just passed under the Guild gardens and were now technically inside the palace. Although they did not travel much further onwards, as Leo was guided into a small room.

  He was told to sit and wait, which he did, as he watched Aryan disappear off down a side corridor and leaving him by himself. Whilst he was alone, he walked around the small room, looking at the paintings on the wall, and stopped in turn at each one, scrutinising them closely. He had always wished he had been granted the ability to draw and paint, but whenever he had tried the picture never looked like the subject he was drawing. Several of the pictures he looked at were by the same artist, and all of them of animals. He wondered how long it must have taken them, to painstakingly depict every small detail. His friend Alec from the Literary Guild was quite good at drawing, as he had sketched a picture of Leo and given it to him as a gift, which he had duly hung above his bed in the dorm. Leo actually thought it a good likeness, but Mia for some reason did not like it, but then again he thought Mia did not like many things.

  He had lost complete track of time, and was unsure just how long he had been left alone in the room. After realising he had looked at every painting twice over, he decided to sit in one of the soft cushioned chairs and stare at the burning lamp that hung from the centre of the ceiling. He quickly sat up straight as he heard a host of footsteps nearing, and his first thoughts were that they were coming for him, although that proved incorrect. He watched on as a dozen or more warriors and four sorcerers sprinted past the open doorway, and continued off down the corridor.

  He was beginning to think Aryan had completely forgotten about him, and was considering making his way back to the guild. He stood and poked his head around the door, looking both ways up and down the corridor, and was about to head off when he heard a few shouts and decided to investigate. He gingerly walked a few paces out of the room he was told to stay in, before peering down a side corridor.

  He saw the black robed figure of Aryan, exchanging bolts of energy with a man he had never seen before. The powerful blasts went back and forth between the two men, each occasion striking a well-timed shield. Leo was uncertain of what was going on, and could feel panic setting in. The man caught sight of him looking and raised his hand, and Leo watched on as two blasts of energy were sent his direction.

  Leo dived to the floor instinctively rather than raise a shield, as the second bolt just caught the sleeve of his robe. He could smell the singed material as he rolled over, and looked up quickly where he could see the man laughing. Aryan was still keeping him busy, firing intermittent bolts between shielding, although it was clear the stranger felt confident in bettering the Master.

  "What's going on?" Leo eventually asked as he tried to get back to his feet.

  "Escaped prisoner Leo, now get back," Aryan snapped, releasing off another attack, "I cannot shield both of us," his Master added.

  "Where are the bloody guards?" Aryan gasped.

  "I saw them running off down the corridor," Leo replied, just stood there making himself an easy target.

  Leo looked up at the man attacking Aryan, and thought he was going to be fired upon again. He quickly steadied himself, ready to take evasive action once more if and when the need arose, and his theory proved right as another two bolts flew his direction. This time however, both were simply blocked by his Master protecting him with a shield. The barrier glistened slightly as the bolts of energy merely fizzled out against it.

  "Leo, get out of here. Go fetch help. I told you, I cannot keep shielding us both," Aryan shouted, glancing over to his apprentice, before quickly returning his gaze to the enemy sorcerer.

  Leo nodded, and stepped back, unsure of what to do, before he then wondered if perhaps he could help. Without giving it another thought, he sourced his power and thrust out his hand, just as he had done a little earlier during the lesson. A beam of light surged forward, as he watched his targets shield momentarily block his strike.

  The corridor fell silent as what remained of the man's body, slumped to the floor as tendrils of smoke slowly drifted upwards to the ceiling. Aryan turned to Leo, "I told you to go," he snapped.

  Leo's head dropped, "Sorry Sir," he said feeling a little sullen. A stampede of men then rushed around the corridor, and both uniformed warriors and robed sorcerers pushed past both Leo and Aryan. "You got him," one of the sorcerers said turning to the Master. Aryan just nodded and turned to face his young apprentice.

  He placed a comforting arm around Leo and patted him lightly on the back. "I am sorry Sir," Leo reiterated.

  Aryan sighed, "No, it is I who is sorry," he said. "In fact I should be thanking you," he added before gesturing for them to walk forward, this time, leading him further into the palace.

  Leo thought he should explain the reasons for not being in the room he was told to stay in, when Aryan told him that he was just on his way back to find him, when he walked straight into the escaped prisoner. Leo told him that he had seen the guards run by the door to his waiting room, just a little earlier. "Bloody useless sods ran straight past us," Aryan chuckled seeing the funny side of what had taken place, “At least you’re safe,” the Master added.

  Leo noticed the corridor ended abruptly, as in front of them were three sets of doors, all with guards positioned outside. Aryan explained that they would now be entering into the main part of the palace building, but made sure Leo understood a few things before they proceeded further. Certain protocols had to be followed, and that if Leo wanted to speak he must wait until told to do so. “Just stay close to me, and you’ll be fine,” Aryan added noticing he was probably panicking the boy more than helping him.

  Chapter 10.

  Leo’s stomach told him it must be getting quite late, as he and Aryan were made to wait for what seemed an age. The pair of them sat on a couple of plush cushioned seats along a corridor, outside a pair of very ornate looking double doors. Two burly looking warriors stood motionless beside them, staring blankly outwards, although quite what the two were looking at Leo
was unsure. Whilst they had been waiting, he had tried to follow their eye line and work out what it was that held their gaze, but each time he tried it appeared they were looking at nothing more than the wall at the far end.

  After several sighs, and even more rumbles from his stomach telling him that he had probably missed his evening meal, the doors finally opened. The figure in the doorway wore the black robes of a sorcerer, but Leo also noted the gold crest on the man’s sleeve, meaning he was the king’s. The man waved a hand their direction, and Aryan stood, “Come on Leo, that’s our call,” he said with a smile. Leo thought it was about time, but naturally kept his opinion to himself, and followed his Master in through the open doors and into what was a brightly lit room.

  His eyes quickly looked around, as he noticed a large burly warrior stood ahead of him, dwarfing the finely dressed man at his side. “Bow your head,” he heard Aryan whisper. Leo quickly glanced to his right and followed the movements of his Master, lowering his head just slightly. He was not sure how long he needed to keep his head lowered so waited for Aryan to lift his before eventually doing the same.