Wizard's Alley

by James Haddock

  She stared at the model and then at me. A tear ran down her cheek. “It is wondrous, Hue. I would be honored for you to build this for us.”

  “I would do anything for you, Pam.” She came to me and hugged me, holding me. She turned back to the model. “This part looks out over the seas?”

  “Yes, but the rest of the palace is sheltered from the storms. I’ll charm the palace so no storms touch it.” She stayed in my arms, hugging me.

  ***

  The Colonel arrived, and they brought him to the map room. I had a new map depicting the Kingdom as it now was with all the changes I had made. He studied the map.

  “Where would you suggest we build our new fort, and have you thought of a fort design?”

  He took out a sheet of parchment and handed it to me. It was a drawing of a six-sided fort. The walls looked to be thirty feet high and fifty feet thick. The inner walls were the barracks.

  “How many men did you design this for?”

  “Four thousand,” he answered.

  “Stables for how many horses?”

  “Five hundred.” The moat was fifty feet across and twenty feet deep.

  “Where do you suggest we put this beast?” I continued.

  "Here,” he pointed to a place on the map, “a half mile outside the city.”

  I nodded. “We will also build a shipyard and harbor defense garrison here, built into the cliffs at the harbor entrance. Does that change your proposed placement of the fort?”

  He studied the map for a bit, and we waited. “In that case, let's put it here on the harbor's front at this edge of the city. Then we can cover the city, the harbor, and send reinforcements south if needed.”

  I nodded. “And the old fort?”

  “Use its materials to build the new one?”

  “Alright, your next task is to design the harbor defensive forts. Call up or recruit two thousand men to man our forts.”

  “Will that include manning the Royal Castle?”

  “No, just the others. I'll have the new Midway Fort ready in a few days.”

  “I'll get started on recruitment right away,” he said.

  After he left, the Queen asked, “No castle guards?”

  “Not from them.”

  “Then from where?”

  “Did you know that about a hundred years ago the Royal Castle was guarded by elite, specially trained soldiers?”

  “I did not.”

  “And that the descendants of those soldiers still live here in Midway?”

  “Really?”

  I nodded. “The only reason they stopped guarding the castle was because the King at the time wanted them to murder guests of the castle to start a war.”

  She thought a moment: “The Temple Priest?”

  I nodded, “I bet if we gave them the opportunity to come back honorably, they just might.”

  “Can we trust them?”

  “Yes, once they give their word, they will die before breaking it.”

  “What do we need to do?”

  “I'll go talk to them; we're practically neighbors,” I said, smiling.

  She thought a moment. “Okay, see what they say.”

  “Yes, my Queen.” I ported to my hide, and then walked next door to the temple. I knocked, and after a few moments the doors opened.

  The priest bowed. “How may we serve, Royal Wizard?”

  I returned his bow. “I would like to speak with the Master Priest.”

  “Please follow me.”

  I had been in the temple before—well, the library anyway. I loved the open beam design of the place. They took me through the temple to the training grounds, where the Master Priest was standing under an apple tree. I smiled. He bowed to me and I to him.

  “How may we serve, Royal Wizard?” he asked.

  “We have read that at one time your people guarded the Royal House. Queen Pamala has sent me to ask if you would take up that charge once again.”

  He thought for a moment. “Does she know why we were discharged from that duty?”

  I nodded. “She does. Well, what they wrote about it, which oft times is not the same thing. What was written was your people were asked to murder visitors to start a war. They felt this was dishonorable and would not do it. The King discharged them and would not pay them.”

  “That is close but incomplete. The King had given his word and set us to guard his guest. He then decided to kill them all and invade their lands. The guests were the King and Queen of South Landing. If he had not promised they would be safe under our protection, we would not have stopped him from killing whoever he wanted. Such are the ways of kings.”

  I nodded, “So it would seem. The Queen would not put you in that kind of situation. Even if she was forced to, she would seek your advice on how to resolve the dilemma.”

  “You would trust us with her life?”

  “I know that once you give your word only death breaks it.”

  He nodded. “Trust is a delicate thing.”

  “It is,” I answered.

  “Do you find the view from this side of the wall different?”

  “It looks smaller from the other side,” I said, smiling.

  “Your wards are learning well.”

  “It must be the apples,” I said, and he smiled.

  “What duties does the Queen wish us to perform?”

  “Guard the Royal Castle and, when we finish it, the Royal Palace. We would also like a spy network set up at South Landing and North Landing, not for us to invade, but to keep us informed of any ill intents toward us.”

  “How many guards do you wish?”

  “How many can you send?”

  “Three hundred at the most to guard and several spies in other locations.”

  “The cost if we need all three hundred and the spies?” I asked.

  “What did you think of our library?”

  “Exceptional, the best and most complete I have found.”

  “One thousand pounds of gold per year in advance.”

  “Would you like it in your vault?”

  He smiled, “Please.” I put one thousand and one pounds of gold into the temple vault.

  “The gold is in your vault. Can you have your people ready to take up duties in a week?”

  “I can.”

  “Then I will return in a week.” We bowed, and I ported back to my sanctum.

  That night Pam and I started dancing. After an hour, we stopped.

  “That's enough for your first time,” I said.

  “Thank God, I'm sweating to death,” she said. I took her to the waterfall and pool and walked out under the waterfall. “That's not fair; I don't have one of these in my apartments.”

  “Just one perk of being a wizard.”

  She was suddenly standing beside me under the waterfall, laughing. “Then I guess I'll just have to use yours.”

  I pushed her into the pool. She screamed, grabbed me, and we both fell in. We swam and frolicked for the next hour.

  “Let's go have dinner,” I said. We got out of the pool to a fresh set of dry clothes. “Thank you, sanctum.”

  After we ate, I asked, “Would you like to go build a fort?”

  “Sounds like fun,” she said, smiling.

  We ported out to the chosen location for the new fort, and I concentrated on the size stones I wanted.

  “Stones,” I commanded. The stones started coming from the mountains, and I set the foundations deep. I laid all the stone blocks for the fort, stacking one block upon another. It took more blocks than I would have guessed, but it was a rather large fort. I lowered the moat and filled it with water; it was an impressive sight. I was sure the colonel could get some carpenters to do all the woodwork needed to finish out the interior and all the furnishings.

  Once the fort was finished, we walked the battlements. “What do you think?” I asked.

  “It will do,” she said, smiling.

  I laughed, “Tough crowd.” She hugged my arm, and we continued our to
ur. “I will need to rest for a while; I used a lot of power building this. Let me take you home, and I'll see you in the morning.”

  “Are you okay?” she asked, turning to me.

  “Yes, I'm fine. I just need to rest after using a lot of magic. I'll be fine in the morning.” She nodded, and I ported us back to the castle.

  I had noticed that my magic was getting stronger. The books I had read said the more you used magic, the stronger it would become. It was like working a muscle, strengthening it. But like working muscles, you get tired and need rest. I went down into the earth. My strength was restored faster when I slept in the earth rather than sleeping in a bed. It also seemed more of my power was being drawn from the earth.

  I was rested and refreshed the next morning and back at my normal exercise and study routine. I had breakfast with the Queen, and she was satisfied that I was well.

  Chapter 19

  We gave the colonel a few days, and then went to the fort to see what progress he had made. I ported us to the battlements overlooking the harbor. Our sudden appearance startled a guard, but he recovered quickly.

  “Your Majesty.” He bowed.

  “Inform Colonel Lewis we are here,” the Queen said.

  “At once, Your Majesty.” We walked the battlements, looking over things, until the Colonel arrived.

  He bowed. “Your Majesty.”

  “What do you think, Colonel?” she asked.

  “It's perfect, almost as if I'd designed it.” We laughed, and he handed me a folded parchment. It was plans for the north harbor defenses.

  “Give me some time before you build it,” he said. “Let me get this one up and running first.”

  “I see you found carpenters.”

  “That was the easy part. We could use some wood though.”

  I concentrated on the forest. “Timber,” and fifty logs appeared in the main yard.

  “That should take care of everything,” I said.

  He nodded his head, “It should.”

  “Let me know if you need anything else.”

  “Pay, sir?” he said.

  “Pay?” Pam asked.

  “Yes, Your Majesty, our pay has not been coming.”

  “How much do you need to bring everyone current?”

  “Two thousand golds.”

  Four bags of gold appeared at his feet. “Pay our men, Colonel, I'll find out what the holdup is and correct it.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty, thank you.”

  “No, Colonel, thank you.”

  We ported back to the castle. “Call for the Royal finance clerk,” the Queen ordered.

  It didn't take long for the guards to present the clerk to the throne room.

  He looked nervous, but bowed, “Your Majesty.”

  “Tell me, Sir Clerk, is our army's pay up to date?” the Queen asked.

  “I'm sure it is, Your Majesty. I couldn't say for sure without looking at my account books.” I pointed and his account books appeared at his feet.

  “Look and tell me for sure.” The Queen had a hard edge to her voice.

  He made a show of looking. “It seems we are one month behind in paying our army.”

  “Is your pay current?”

  “It is, Your Majesty.” This guy wasn't very smart.

  °Dungeon° Pam sent to me.

  I ported him into a cell in the dungeon and viewed him in the cell. “Give me all the knowledge I want.”

  “It seems he's been stealing from the treasury for several years and took a month's pay from the army.”

  “Can you recover the money he's stolen?” she requested.

  “As much as he has in his home vault and accounts. We should call the magistrate and have all of his assets ceased.”

  She nodded. “Do it, and get us a new clerk, please.”

  “I'll take care of it,” I answered.

  °Let's go home.° I ported us up to the sanctum.

  We danced, swam, and had dinner. We were both much more relaxed in our evenings together. This was our world, and no one and nothing bothered us here.

  The next morning, I went to the Chief Magistrate's office. “Good morning Royal Wizard, how may I serve?”

  “Good morning, Chief Magistrate, I have some questions on procedures. We are both busy, so I'll be brief. When a person is found guilty of a crime and they are put in jail, what do they do all day?”

  “Nothing; they sit in their cells. Depending on the crime, we have a hard labor mine for the worst cases. The murderers and violent offenders go there.”

  I nodded. “Let me offer a different solution to our problem. I will build you a new prison and make all the inmates cooperative. They will clean our city and do labor all throughout to earn their keep. That will give us more people for the city watch and take away one of your headaches.”

  “I like the sound of it, but how will you make them cooperative?”

  I reached down and gathered a handful of dirt. I concentrated on it, “Form a band with a clasp. Compel the wearer to cooperate and follow instructions and not take the band off.” I opened my hand and held the neckband out.

  “They will wear this neckband; it's enchanted. They will follow legal orders and not cause trouble. You give them rules to follow, duties to perform, and they do them. At the end of their sentence, the band is removed.”

  “I'd like to see it work,” he said.

  I ported the former Royal Finance Clerk into the office. He was dressed all in yellow, our new prisoner's color. “This man was found guilty of stealing and embezzlement from the Royal Treasury. The Queen has confiscated all his assets and sentenced him to five years labor,” I said.

  “You can't do this,” he cried. I put the band around his neck, and he became calm.

  “You will clean every room in this building. When you are through, return here and report to the magistrate for further instructions.”

  “Yes, Sir Wizard,” and he started cleaning.

  “I'm sold,” the magistrate said. “Where will you build the prison?”

  “The old fort will be our new prison. It will require no bars because no one will try to escape or cause problems.”

  “When will it be ready to use?”

  “In the morning.”

  “And the bands?”

  “How many do you need?”

  “Over three hundred.”

  I nodded, “We will have a clean city.”

  We went to the city prison. I made and banded three hundred sixty-two inmates and changed the color of their clothes to yellow. I made my voice so everyone could hear me.

  “The first thing you will do is clean this place from top to bottom. Then you will go to the harbor and bathe. Once you have done that, you will return to your cells for further instructions.” I turned to the guard. “Unlock the cells.”

  He frowned but did as he was told. The inmates got to work. No one spoke; they just worked. The guard watched for a while, shaking his head.

  “I'll have the new prison ready when they arrive,” I told the magistrate. He nodded.

  I ported to the fort and started preparing the fort for its new occupants. The magistrate had the inmates occupy the fort; the whole place was eerily quiet. None of the inmates talked unless addressed by a guard. We did the same thing at the hard labor mines. I sent our traitor there, and he was sentenced to twenty years. Oddly enough, crime went down. It seems no one wanted to clean the city all day wearing yellow.

  ***

  Pam had started staying with me in the sanctum. She said she was lonely in the lower castle, so I made her her own room so she would have everything she needed.

  I woke up early, got out of bed, and ported out to the battlements. I felt down to the granite bedrock and raised it up to the foundation of the castle. I raised the whole castle thirty feet. There was a subtle vibration but nothing more. I closed my eyes, recalling the model I had shown Pam of the palace I wanted to build. I concentrated and raised it from the rocks and cliff face, all in pure white s
tone. I placed a charm on the stone so it would never stain. Satisfied with my work, I was ready for the next step.

  I ported to the temple. Three hundred guards were waiting, garbed in royal purple, palace guard uniforms.

  “They are ready, Master Priest?”

  “They are, Sir Wizard,” he answered.

  I nodded and opened a portal to the lower castle. They marched through and assumed their duties. I ported to the upper palace and readied myself to place powerful wards over it.

  I concentrated on what I wanted: “Protect.” Now no one could port into the upper palace. It would let them try, but it would redirect them to a special dungeon cell to be held until I dealt with them. I had not yet put a walkway to the upper palace, but I was still considering my options.

  I eased back into bed and went to sleep. I heard Pam squeal, and I smiled, “I guess she likes it.” I heard her feet running toward the bedroom, and I readied myself for the pounce.

  “It's beautiful! Take me up there!”

  “What? Before breakfast?”

  “You're a wizard; you can eat anywhere. Take me to breakfast up there.”

  “Let me at least get dressed.”

  “I will too, but you'd better be ready by the time I am.” She ran out of the room.

  I was ready when she was, and we ported up to the balcony overlooking the harbor and the outward seas. She said nothing and just stared. I stood behind her, put my arms around her, and we just enjoyed the view.

  “Marry me,” I said.

  She turned her head to look at me. “You give a girl a palace, and you expect her to marry you just like that?”

  “Well, it is a big palace.”

  She turned back to the view. “I'll think about it.”

  “Okay, I'll sweeten the deal.” With that, I slid a white gold ring on her right pointing finger. “With this ring, you can port up here any time you want. Just think of the palace and the word ‘port’. No one can see this one either.”

  “I'm still thinking,” she said, smiling.

  “In that case, let's go have breakfast.” We went through the palace and out onto another patio; there was a table full of food waiting on us.

  “Do we have servants up here?”