Ascendant

by Craig Alanson

  He needed to escape, now, before those women came back. Or the wizard returned. Slowly, because his shoulder was sore, he swung his legs over the side of the bed, and stood up. He was dressed in some sort of white gown which was too big, it draped on the floor. Over the back of a chair next to the bed were black pants and a gray shirt, in a size that could fit him. He pulled the gown off, and caught a glimpse of himself in a mirror. Surprised, he saw that his left shoulder, where the arrow had been, was unmarked, there was not even a scar. Only a redness, like a rash, remained. How had he healed so quickly? Had the wizard done this? And why?

  Answers to his questions could wait, he needed to escape somehow. He crept quietly over to the door, and put his ear to it. There were men’s voices, talking low. Guards outside the door. He could not escape that way. Next to the fireplace was another door, Koren pulled and pushed, and found it firmly locked. That left only the window. Watching the soldiers atop the stone wall outside to make sure they were not looking at the window, Koren looked out quickly. There was a ledge below the window, just wide enough for him to stand on, and the wall was built of rough stone, for his hands to grip. It was a long way down to the courtyard below. Beyond the thick wall where the soldiers patrolled, there were the buildings of a large town, surrounded by farm fields.

  Koren pulled himself back from the window, trying to think what he should do. The sun was high in the sky, so the ledge below the window was in deep shadow, perhaps the soldiers would not see him. The soldiers were there to look outward, not in toward the castle, weren’t they? If he could get to the roof, perhaps he could find a way down to the ground. Once outside the castle and out into the farmland, he could crawl into a haystack and sleep there, the hay would keep him warm through the night. Beyond that, Koren did not know what he would do. Without his knife and the other things in his precious, lost pack, he could not survive in the wilderness.

  He would go. Anything was better than being hanged.

  The only way Koren was able to inch his way along the ledge, gripping the stone wall as tightly as he could, was to keep his eyes closed His fingers cramped from the strain of holding onto cracks in the stone wall, and his hands became slick with sweat. He inched along, pressing himself against the rough stone wall, until he felt his left foot touch the edge of the roof. Carefully, he crawled onto the roof and lay flat on the hard stone tiles, his whole body shaking with relief.

  When he was able to open his eyes, he was alarmed to see that the roof was only a dozen feet wide, and there were no windows in the flat stone wall facing him. The stone roof tiles were old, worn and flaking away in places, and many of them were slippery with a coating of mold and moss. Koren crawled flat on his belly to the peak of the roof, but the other side was no better, and the sun shone directly on that side of the roof, making it impossible to hide.

  Maybe if he crawled down to the edge of the roof, there would be a pipe, or a stone column or something he could use to climb down to the courtyard. There was no going back through the window, he would never be able to walk along that narrow ledge again, his arms and fingers were still trembling. The only way to see over the edge of the roof was to turn around and slide down on his belly, head-first.

  Koren froze. The roof seemed impossibly steep now that he was facing downward. Slowly, inch by inch, he slid along the roof, trying to ignore the butterflies in his stomach. Reaching the edge, he gathered up his courage and crept forward until his nose was over the edge, and he could see down.

  Impossible. There was no pipe, no stone column. The roof ended in an overhang less than a foot wide, then a flat stone wall all the way down to the courtyard, four stories below.

  Koren tried to slide back up, but his pants and shirt got snagged on the roof tiles, and a tile broke. It clattered along the roof and out into the air, Koren desperately reached for it and caught it between two fingers. There were people in the courtyard, a falling roof tile would have made people notice the boy on the roof, and then it would be straight to the dungeon for him. Carefully, he laid the broken tile on the roof next to him, and then found he could not move. Catching the tile had caused him to slide forward, his shoulders were almost over the edge of the roof. Another inch forward, and he would slide off the roof and fall. His fingers scrambled for a hold on the slippery tiles, without success. Koren closed his eyes, unable to look down.

  “Hello over there!” Called a voice from the same window Koren had escaped through. Koren carefully opened one eye to look, and saw a tall, dark-haired man in a purple robe leaning out the window. “That looks very dangerous. What are you doing out on the roof? Be careful, or you’ll fall off.” The man asked as he stepped out the window onto the narrow ledge. Before Koren’s disbelieving eyes, the man strolled casually along the narrow ledge, not holding onto the wall, with a small plate of pastries in one hand. When he reached the roof, the man stepped up onto the roof tiles, walked over to Koren, and scooped him up as if he were light as a feather. He carried Koren under his arm to the peak of the roof, set the boy down carefully, and lowered himself down next to Koren.

  “It is a nice view up here.” The man said. “But it seems like a lot of trouble to go through just to see the sights. Why, you have gotten your new clothes all dirty! You’ll have to change into something presentable before you meet the Regent, of course. So, whatever made you climb out onto the roof? Your shoulder is still healing, it would not be good to have you undo all my hard work.”

  Koren could only stare open-mouthed at the man, his eyes almost popping out of his head. How could this man have walked along the ledge, and onto the roof, as if he were strolling down a country lane? “Sir, are you, are you a wizard?” Koren asked fearfully.

  Paedris held up his right hand, palm open. A ball of flame appeared, floating above his hand. He winked at Koren, and the flame went out. “I’m terribly sorry, where are my manners today? I haven’t introduced myself. I am Lord Paedris Don Salva de la Murta, chief wizard to the royal court of Tarador. I am the only wizard in the royal court, actually, but chief wizard sounds so much more impressive, don’t you think?”

  Koren nodded silently.

  “And your name is?”

  “K-Koren. Koren B-Bladewell. Sir. Of, of Crickdon county.”

  The wizard held out his hand to Koren, who shook it warily. “Pleased to meet you, Koren. Now, why were you out on the roof? Take a deep breath first, and calm yourself, I’d hate for you to roll off the roof now.”

  Koren didn’t trust the wizard, who had likely pulled Koren out of danger so he could be thrown into the dungeon, which was the proper place for a poacher, bandit and kidnapper. “I heard two women talking when they thought I was asleep, Sir, they said I am a poacher, and that I was trying to kidnap that girl because I’m a bandit. I am not a bandit, and if this Duke didn’t want me hunting in his private woods, he should have posted signs.”

  Koren had his arms crossed, and had such a look of determination on his young face that Paedris burst out laughing, and almost rolled off the roof himself.

  “I don’t think it is funny. Sir.” Koren said indignantly.

  “Posted signs! Ha ha!” Paedris said, wiping tears of laughter away from his eyes, “The Duke should have posted signs! Oh, I haven’t laughed like that in a long time. Too long, I think. Thank you, Koren. And you are quite correct, if Duke Yarron wants to keep people out of his woods, he should post signs. I shall have to tell him that.” The wizard’s shoulders heaved as he chuckled.

  “I’m not in trouble for poaching?”

  “Trouble? Goodness, no, you’re not in any trouble.” Paedris considered the tray of pastries that he had balanced on his lap. “You must be hungry. I brought these sweets for you, but I find myself to be tempted. Especially by these,” he picked up a fruit tart that was piled high with fresh whipped cream, “they are my favorite.” The wizard took a large bite, and came away with his nose, mustache and beard covered with cream. He grinned at Koren, and looked so ridiculous that Koren had to la
ugh, despite his fear. “Here, take a pastry before I spill this off the roof.”

  Koren reached out carefully and took the smallest pastry on the tray. It had been so long since he’d eaten anything sweet, except for berries and wild apples. And the season for those was gone by. He bit into the cookie slowly, keeping a sharp eye on the wizard the whole time.

  “Well, Koren Bladewell, I think you had better tell me how you came to be living in the wilderness by yourself. Where are your parents?”

  Koren bit his lip while he tried to think of what to say, how much to tell. He couldn’t lie to a wizard, from the stories Koren had heard about wizards, they were great and terrible, and fond of turning people into toads, or frogs. The truth tumbled out of Koren’s mouth, he told the wizard of Crebb’s Ford, and his family being banished from the village, his parents leaving him, and how he had made his way south, living in the wilderness, trying to stay ahead of the winter. “I’m not a bandit, sir, really I’m not, I was only trying to help that girl. Sir, I know I’m a jinx, and I don’t want to be a danger to anyone, don’t want to be any trouble, sir, I promise I won’t be any trouble at all, so now that I’m better, I’ll be on my way? Please, Sir?” Without his pack, he didn’t know how he was going to survive, but it was best he got out of the castle before the Duke changed his mind. Or before there was an ‘incident’ in the castle, and the wizard realized what a dangerous jinx Koren was. Wizards, Koren was sure, knew all about jinxes. “Sir? Can I go now? I won’t be any trouble, sir, I swear. Please, sir?”

  It was the wizard’s turn to stare in surprise. He needed a moment to catch up to Koren, the boy talked so fast that his words were a jumble. Paedris had never considered the possibility that this boy would not know about his own magical power! The boy had been exiled from his village, and abandoned by his parents, because they thought he was a jinx. Paedris knew the ‘incidents’ which caused people to think Koren was a jinx were actually signs of Koren’s inability to control his magical power, the magical power the boy didn’t even know he had! When the wagon was rolling toward the mill, Koren had willed the wagon to stop, and stop it did, along with everything else around him, including the unfortunate mill’s water wheel. Until Koren learned to control his ability, he would be dangerous.

  Paedris wished he could tell Koren why he wasn’t a jinx. But he couldn’t. No thirteen year old boy who knew he had immense magical power could resist using it, and Koren was far too young and untrained to control his immense power, not even with the help of a master wizard. Such a boy would be a constant target of Tarador’s enemies; if they could not kidnap Koren, they would try to assassinate him. No, the only way to keep Koren safe was to hide his magical power from the world, even from Koren himself, until the boy was old enough to control his own power, and could protect himself from his enemies.

  “Sir? Master wizard? Lord, uh, Murta?”

  “Huh?” Paedris realized he had been silent for some time, contemplating what it meant that Koren didn’t realize he was a wizard himself. “Oh, call me Paedris, please. Or, Lord Salva, when we’re in public. La Murta is my home village, far away from here. Koren, you may leave here any time you like, but I think there has been a very great, a terrible misunderstanding. No one thinks you are a bandit, or a kidnapper, in fact, the room you were in was Duke Yarron’s personal study, you are the Duke’s honored guest in his castle. You are a hero. That girl you rescued is Ariana Trehayme, crown princess and heir to the throne of Tarador.”

  “P-princess?” Koren had heard the women say the name ‘Ariana’, but he never thought she was the Ariana. Even in tiny Crebb’s Ford, people knew the name of their crown princess. “She is that Ariana?”

  “Yes.” Paedris nodded. “Whatever the people of, what did you call your village, Crab Ford? Whatever foolish thing they thought of you there, here you are a hero.”

  “But I’m a jinx.” Koren sputtered, disbelieving his change of fortune.

  “Bah!” The wizard snorted in disgust. “There is no such thing as a jinx, and don’t you forget that. Trust me, wizards know about these things. You are not a jinx.”

  “I’m not a jinx?” Koren asked hopefully.

  “No. Never have been There is no such thing, it is a silly superstition.”

  “And I’m not in trouble?”

  “Goodness, no, not at all.”

  “And the princess thinks I’m a hero?” Koren almost couldn’t get the word out of his mouth, it sounded so strange.

  “Quite so. I think you are a very brave young man. That was a rather large bear, and you faced it alone, unarmed?”

  “It was a large bear, sir, and I, well, I couldn’t think of anything else to do.” Koren considered the wizard’s words. Could his life truly be changing, for the better? “What will happen to me?” He asked in a whisper.

  “Well, let me think.” The wizard popped another fruit tart in his mouth. “There might be a feast in your honor, if you feel up to it. Listening to many tedious speeches, of course, that is the part of being a hero that never seems to make it into the legends. Then there will be much wearing of scratchy clothes that don’t fit properly, and having to remember which fork to use at dinner-“

  “There is more than one type of fork?” Koren asked, surprised. He was used to eating with a knife.

  “Oh, yes, there are a frightfully large number of forks, all with their own purpose. And different types and sizes of knives and spoons, also, and you will have to know which type is proper to use, or it will cause an immense scandal. Later, when you have grown tired of being celebrated as a hero, you can come live with me in the royal castle, if you like. It just so happens that I am in need of an assistant at the moment. The pay isn’t much, but-“

  Koren’s gasped in surprise. “I would be paid?” Who paid a boy to serve as an assistant? Most of the boys Koren knew of who served as apprentices earned no pay, and often a boy’s parents had to pay to get their son such a position, to be trained in a trade such as blacksmithing.

  “Er, well, yes Would you be interested in such a position?” Paedris glanced sideways at Koren to see the boy’s reaction. The only way to keep Koren safe, was for Paedris to watch him constantly. “As my personal servant, as it were.”

  Koren’s face fell for a moment. Being a servant was very different from being an apprentice. He would not be training to be a wizard. Still, Koren the unwanted farm boy, would be living in a castle and serving as the royal wizard’s personal servant? And anyone working closely with a wizard must learn some magic, wouldn’t they? He, Koren Bladewell, learning to use powerful magic? He came close to fainting and rolling off the roof. “I would have to ask-“ Koren for a moment forgot that he didn’t know where his parents were. What would they think now, their son a hero and soon to be living in a castle? “I mean, until I find my parents, I would like to be your servant, thank you very much, sir. Master Wizard, could you help me to find my parents?”

  Paedris nodded very seriously. “I will certainly try to find your parents, young man, I promise you that. You, uh, to be my servant, and work in the royal castle, you will need to take an oath of loyalty to the crown."

  Koren shrugged. "All right."

  "That means renouncing your current loyalty to the Duchess of Winterthur, and your Baron, uh, whatever his name is."

  Koren tilted his head in disbelief. "My loyalty to the Baron?"

  "Yes."

  "The baron who banished me, for being a jinx."

  "Mm."

  "Which, you say, I'm not."

  The wizard shook his head. "Never have been."

  "I think I will not have a problem renouncing my loyalty to Baron Fostlen." Koren said in a tone bordering on sarcasm, to a powerful wizard he'd just met.

  "Nor the Duchess?" Paedris knew some peasants, deeply attached to the land and the tiny patch of the kingdom where they likely spent their entire lives, could be stubbornly loyal to royal people they had never met. "Your family could have appealed your banishment to the Duchess,
if I understand the law here."

  "Appeal to the Duchess, to rule against the Baron, who is first cousin to the Duchess' husband?" Koren said bitterly, echoing a sentiment his parents had expressed many times.

  "Hmm. I rather see your point there. Unfortunately, Koren, loyalty most often flows only one way, uphill." The wizard pointed upward.

  "What flows downhill?"

  Paedris pursed his lips. "Something that smells bad. And comes out the back end of a horse, if you know what I mean. Now,” the wizard rose to his feet, “I rather think we need to get you inside. You need to eat, I brought a delicious beef soup which is unfortunately cooling off next to your bed. And then you need to rest quietly, instead of scampering around the roof like a clumsy squirrel.”

  Koren looked glumly down the slippery roof tiles, from where he'd nearly fallen to his death. He'd never seen a clumsy squirrel, but then, any squirrel who was clumsy wouldn't live long enough to be seen by anyone.

  “How is the boy?” Carlana asked quietly as the wizard came thru doorway, and shut the door behind him.

  “Apparently, quite well, since he went out the window, trying to escape.” Paedris said simply. The wizard strode to the window, looked outside, and pulled the heavy curtains shut, for privacy.

  “Escape?” Carlana gasped in shock. “Did he fly?”

  “What?” Paedris asked in surprise.

  “What?”

  “You asked if he flew out the window?”

  “You said he was a wizard.”

  “Oh.” Paedris was constantly surprised about the absurd things people thought wizards could do. “No, no, he didn’t fly, he crawled out the window, and onto the roof. Almost fell off, if I hadn’t been there.”