Wizard's Alley

by James Haddock

  “Stop.” He fell from the throne, holding his chest. The Royal Physician rushed to his side.

  “Heart attack," the Royal Physician declared. "The King is dead. Long live the Queen."

  The throne room emptied like the place was on fire. The King's death changed everyone's alliances, and the news spread like wildfire.

  I ported to the secret passageway outside the new Queen's room and viewed inside to make sure she was alone. I stepped through the wall to the foot of her bed.

  "You look much better already," I said, sealing the door to the room.

  "Thanks to you, Sir Wizard."

  "You are about to receive visitors. It seems the King had a bad heart, or so says the Royal Physician. The King has died. Long live the Queen." I bowed to her and concentrated on my vault.

  “Shield-ring.” I took the ring out of my bag and handed it to her.

  “Your last attacker used poison. The next one may be more direct. As long as you wear this ring, it will shield you from attacks.” She slipped it on her finger, and I covered it with my hand. “No one will see this one either, only you or me.” I bowed and ported out of her room. I unsealed her door, just as it burst open.

  “Lady Pamala, the King is dead. He just died, right in front of the whole court; he just fell over dead. The Royal Physician said it was a heart attack.”

  Lady Pamala nodded. "Help me dress; I'm sure I'll be having other visitors shortly."

  I ported back to the Wizard's Sanctum. "Sanctum?" I said, and the apparition appeared.

  "Yes, Wizard?"

  "When a new wizard is caught in your trap to serve, how does anyone know?"

  "A bell tolls throughout the castle. You are then called to present yourself to the King."

  "Queen," I said.

  "Queen?" He looked away for a moment. "Heart attack in front of witnesses. Smooth, no mess. The Kingdom is better off without him, and she will make a better ruler."

  I nodded. "I'm going to get some sleep; we'll toll the bell tomorrow."

  "As you wish, Sir Wizard," he said, smiling.

  "Cute," I said, walking toward the bedchambers.

  ***

  °Sir Wizard, can you hear me?° the Queen asked.

  I awoke instantly. °I can, Your Majesty.°

  °Can anyone else hear us?°

  °No, Your Majesty, just speak in your mind, like when you are talking to yourself. No one will hear, and no one will know we are speaking.°

  °So, I can talk to you anytime day or night no matter where we are or how far apart?°

  °As far as I know, yes.°

  °Good, I like that. It's been so long since I've had anyone I could talk to, anyone I trusted anyway. Where are you?°

  °In the Wizard's Sanctum.°

  °Here in the castle?°

  °Yes, this is where all the wizards that have served the Kings have stayed. For them it was a prison of a type, albeit a nice one.°

  °What do you mean?°

  I told her how each wizard was compelled to serve the King and his wishes until the wizard's death. Then another would be lured into servitude.

  °That's terrible.°

  °It won't happen again; I broke the compulsion and enchantment.°

  °Good, can I come there?°

  °I'd have to teleport you here, as there is no direct route through the passageways.°

  °I see. Okay, I'm ready.°

  °You mean now?°

  °Yes, I need to talk to you.°

  °You are talking to me.° I smiled.

  °I mean face to face.°

  I viewed her room, sealed her door, and then ported into her room. "Would you like to talk here?" I asked.

  “No, I don't feel comfortable here. Take me to your sanctum.”

  I nodded and ported us to the sanctum's main room by the fireplace. “Have a seat, Your Majesty, would you like something to drink or eat?”

  "I am rather hungry. Since no one is trying to poison me anymore, I feel like eating," she said.

  "Then let's go to the dining room and have something." I offered her my arm, and we went into the dining room. Sanctum had a meal waiting for us.

  She smiled. "You are quite the host." She took a seat; I poured us watered wine, and we ate.

  "Will you always wear that mask?"

  “I'm sorry, Your Majesty." “Casual clothes.”

  "Much better. Tell me, Sir Wizard, may we call each other by our names when we are here, safe in this sanctum?"

  "If that would please you, it would be my pleasure."

  She nodded. "It would please me. My name is Pam."

  "The name I use here is Hue."

  She frowned. “But that is not your given name.”

  "No, but I don't know my given name, if I ever had one. I was abandoned on the streets. Hue Magenta is the name I chose, and one of the names I use in public."

  “What did they call you on the streets?”

  I chuckled, "A lady shouldn't talk like that." She smiled. “I came to think of myself as Scraps, and sometimes Master Gray.”

  “Scraps?”

  “Yes, all I ate for years were scraps, and all I ever wore were scraps. So, I became Scraps, until I was strong enough to do better than scraps. Now, I'm Hue Magenta the Wizard.”

  She nodded, tilting her head to the side. “Hue fits you. So Hue, are you the Castle's Wizard?” I took a swallow of wine, thinking. “Before you answer, I need your help. There is no one in this castle I trust except you. You saved my life with no thought of gain. There is no one in this castle loyal to me. I stand alone. Will you stand with me, Hue?”

  “Pam, I am not really this Castle's Wizard. But I will stand with you, my Queen, and help you any way I can.”

  She smiled, and a tear ran down her cheek. She reached out, taking my hand and held it.

  “Thank you, Hue. I have been so alone since my mother died. I have no one, and now the entire world will be knocking at my gates seeking a marriage. The whole thing makes me sick to my stomach.”

  I raised my glass. “Then we shall meet them together, and the world doesn't stand a chance.”

  She laughed, “Well said, Sir Wizard, well said.”

  I smiled, and we drank a toast.

  Chapter 16

  "You knew they murdered your mother, didn't you?"

  "I suspected."

  "It was your stepfather, and then your stepbrother killed him," I said.

  "What a lovely family," she said, looking at me. "And he had a bad heart."

  "As bad as they come," I answered, looking her straight in the eye.

  "Besides, he was having his henchman poison you. They got better than they deserved; their deaths were quick. Tomorrow, the rest of the castle will know you have a wizard in your service. The bell will toll, and I will present myself to you in the throne room when you call me. Then, we'll start separating the sheep from the goats. When we are finished, only those loyal to you will remain." I raised my glass again. “To Queen Pamala, long may she reign.”

  We moved back to the main room by the fireplace, drank mulled wine, and talked of insignificant things. She fell asleep in the chair by the fire. I watched her for a while, considering her. She was not a beautiful woman, but she was nice looking. She was also smart, and from what I could tell, kind and humble.

  Just before dawn, I woke her. "Pam." Her clear green eyes opened. "It is almost dawn; I must return you to your room."

  She nodded and stretched. "That was the best sleep I've had in forever,” she said, and I smiled.

  We ported back to her room. “You will probably move to the Royal Quarters today.”

  She nodded. "They'll dress me up and sit me before the court, so they can see their new Queen."

  "True, but I'll be at your side. And before you sit before your court, have all the staff gathered in the throne room to swear fealty to you. Not long after you take the throne, I'll appear in grand fashion," I said, smiling. I bowed and ported back to my sanctum.

&n
bsp; I ate breakfast and made myself ready in my Royal Wizard robes, or at least the illusion of them. I got tired of waiting and ported down to the secret passage and watched the events unfold. There were over a hundred servants in the castle, and they were all gathered in the throne room.

  “Toll the bell sanctum.” A deep bell tolled and resonated through the castle. A hush fell over the crowd.

  Queen Pamala waited a few heartbeat beats, and then, "Sir Wizard, present yourself."

  I ported into the throne room with a flash of bright purple light and a thunderclap, bowing before Queen Pamala.

  "My Queen," I said. My voice was deep and resonated through the castle like the tolling of the bell.

  "Sir Wizard, your timing is fortuitous; I have need of you."

  I bowed again. "The King is dead; long live the Queen."

  She nodded. "Take your place at my side, Sir Wizard." I moved to the right of the throne and stood looking over the wide-eyed crowd with my purple eyes.

  °Nice entrance.°

  °I wanted to shock them.°

  °I'm sure you did; I knew you were coming, and it scared me.° She turned to me and nodded.

  I took one step down. “All who would pledge fealty to Queen Pamala, take a knee.” They all did. “All who would swear fealty to Queen Pamala, “and to me,” say, I so swear.” They all did. “All who have lied, halo red, and do not rise.”

  °Tell them all who spoke truly may rise and return to their duties,° I said.

  “All who spoke truly may rise and return to your duties, and thank you,” the Queen said. Twenty-three remained kneeling.

  I looked at them. “Give me the knowledge that I want.” I now knew all their secrets—whom they worked for or who paid them for information. There was one that was a Royal spy from a neighboring Kingdom; I'd send a message with him.

  °I have all the information I need from them; we can send them back to their masters, letting them know we know about them,° I said.

  “Spy remain kneeling,” I commanded.

  “Return to your masters and tell them we know all about them. The next time I'll send Royal guards to get them, and I have a large dungeon. You are dismissed,” the Queen said. They all but ran out of the throne room.

  The spy stayed kneeling. “You, Sir Spy, come forward," I said. He came, head bowed, and knelt before us. "This is a spy from North Landing, sent to keep an eye on us,” I said.

  "So, Sir Spy, John ‘The Good’ does not trust us?"

  "He did not trust your stepbrother, Your Majesty."

  "Point taken; I didn't either. Return to my cousin and tell him he has nothing to fear from me."

  "Yes, Your Majesty."

  "Travel safe, Sir Spy."

  "Thank you, Your Majesty, and long live the Queen."

  I felt the crossbow's bolt leave the crossbow. Time slowed, as it headed toward the Queen. Out of reflex, purple lightning struck the bolt, destroying it.

  “All crossbowmen freeze.” I ported them to hang in the air before the throne.

  “Give me the knowledge I want.” Two of them were traitors but did not know it of each other.

  “These two, work for Robert ‘The Red’ from South Landing. They had orders to kill the King or Queen, if they were about to be discovered."

  “Why?"

  "He thinks the Kingdom is weak and ripe for the taking. They have been building up their army in preparation of taking it." I ported them into cells in the dungeon, naked.

  I set the other four down. “Forget.”

  “Return to the Captain of the Guard, and report that the Queen has disbanded the crossbow overwatch. Have him place you back into the normal guard rotation.” They saluted and left. “They won't remember a thing that happened here this morning,” I said.

  She nodded. “When we call in the Royal Court, can you tell those who are not loyal to me?"

  “Yes,” I answered.

  “Good, that will save us some time.”

  “Before we call them in, let me make some changes.” She nodded.

  I focused my mind and lined the floor and walls with white marble with purple veins running through it. I turned the throne into pure ivory with gold filigree. I placed a charm on the ceiling so you could see the sky.

  I turned the door into steel with scenes of battle upon them, highlighted with gold. I placed a charm on the room for anyone who entered and was not loyal to us; it would halo red around their body.

  “Now you will see who is not loyal to you haloed in red. But I think we should keep that information to ourselves, to keep up appearances.”

  “I agree; let's bring them in.’ The Royal Court came in, half of them haloed in red.

  °I knew there would be some, but not this many.°

  °They will stay red when they are in our presence.°

  She rose, and everyone bowed, “Tomorrow the King will be entombed in the Royal Crypt. Afterward, you will all return to your homes, and I shall be in mourning.” She turned and left the room, and I followed. No one made a sound as we left.

  We went to the Royal Apartments. “What's next on the agenda?”

  “We need to assess the condition of the castle and its fortifications. We also need to look into the Royal Treasury and our supply warehouses.”

  I viewed through the wall.

  “Freeze.” I ported the Captain of the Guard into the room with us.

  “And apparently we have another spy.”

  “Give me all the knowledge I want.”

  “Robert ‘The Red’ again,” I said. “They have also been bleeding your treasury, granary, and supplies warehouses dry.”

  I placed a compulsion on him. “You will hold a formation for all the soldiers, guards, and everyone the Queen has not yet seen in the courtyard. You will ensure everyone is accounted for. Do you understand?” I asked.

  “Yes, Sir Wizard.”

  “Do it now.” He left to carry out my orders. "We might as well take care of all this today." I sealed the main gates and all other exits from the castle.

  “Robert ‘The Red’ is getting on my nerves,” she said.

  “Mine too, but I think we can tie a knot in his tail.”

  “How so?”

  “Let's see what the good Captain does for us first."

  An hour later, the rest of the castle personnel were in formations, or otherwise, gathered in the main courtyard.

  We stepped out on the balcony. “Truth.”

  “Everyone loyal to Queen Pamala “and to me,” raise your hands.” Of the over three hundred, all but fifty raised their hands.

  “All of you who did not raise your hands, form up on the Captain and move to the east side of the courtyard.” The fifty moved to the east side. “Who is the ranking man left in that group?”

  A man stepped forward. “I am, Sir Wizard, Lieutenant Jones."

  "Lieutenant Jones, keep the castle guard up and running. Do a good job, and you might make captain."

  "Yes, Sir Wizard."

  "Return everyone to duty, Lieutenant Jones." Everyone went back to work except the fifty.

  “Would you like to go down and see what we have, Your Majesty?”

  “I sure do,” she said.

  Looking at the fifty, “Cooperate freely,” and I ported us down.

  “So, Captain, how many of these men work for Robert ‘The Red’?”

  “All of them, Sir Wizard.”

  “Really, does he pay well?”

  “Not really, Sir.”

  “How long have you been working for him?”

  “Five years.”

  “What has been taken from us and moved to South Landing?”

  He thought a moment. "I'd say two-thirds, Sir."

  "Two-thirds of what?" I pressed.

  "Of everything."

  "Two-thirds of our treasury, two-thirds of our granary, and two-thirds of our supplies?"

  "Yes, Sir."

  "I see. There’s a vacant hill that overlooks South Landing. Bald Knob, they
call it. Do you know it?"

  “Yes, Sir Wizard.”

  “Good. Everyone wait here.” I ported the Queen back up to the Royal Apartments. "I'll be back; you wait here.”

  "Be careful," she said. I nodded and ported to the treasury.

  It was mostly empty. I ported to the supply warehouses and the granaries, and found the same there. Then I went back to the fifty.

  When I was ready, I concentrated and opened a port to Bald Knob. We all moved through.

  “Thank you all.”

  “Forget what happened, except that you want to go home.” They all turned and started walking toward South Landing Castle. I looked toward the castle.

  “Shadow Wraith.” I ported to the highest point of the castle and dropped into the wall.

  I viewed down into the treasury vault. No one was there, but it was warded. I neutralized the wards and stepped out of the wall. I would make this expensive for Robert “The Red.”

  I concentrated: “Half to the Midway Castle treasury vault,” and half was gone.

  “Half of what's left to my vault.” The other quarter went to my vault; he'd have to live with his quarter.

  I viewed up to the throne room. No one was there, so I viewed to find secret passages. Once I found them, I ported into them and walked the passages until I found the Major Domo of the castle. He was alone in his office, so I sealed the door.

  “Give me all the knowledge I want.” I now knew where all the siege and grain supplies were.

  I went to the siege storage warehouse and ported two-thirds of the supplies back to Midway. I did the same to the granaries and ported two-thirds of the grain back to Midway. At once, I felt a wizard approaching. I removed the Shadow Wraith spell and stood in my wizard's garb, waiting.

  He ported into the warehouse and looked around. “I must admit this is a first, a Wizard that steals warehouses of food.”

  I shook my head. "More like recovering what they stole."

  "Ah, Midway. I hadn't heard they had a wizard that could leave the castle."

  "I'm new in town."

  "Well, as you are new, I'll offer you a chance to return all you have taken and go in peace."

  "A most kind offer, Sir Wizard, but one I must decline. Your King has left my Queen in a bad situation, having stolen all her treasury, siege supplies, and grain."