Jaikus and Reneeke Join the Guild

by Brian S. Pratt

  Glowing orb to dispel the night

  Bright as a hundred watt light.

  From you no heat need I feel

  Go and travel as I will.

  With the last word, he stretched out his hand and a glowing orb, cool and firm to the touch, formed on his hand. He smiled in satisfaction and placed the orb on a nearby stone. Unlike his previous spells, after the initial surge of power, there remained a very slight draining of power. Guess the orb needs a continual source of power, like a light bulb, in order to keep working.

  With the orb’s illumination filling the cave, he noticed many bones lying scattered across the floor. Must be the lair of a predator, or used to be. Not feeling secure until ensuring that he was definitely alone, he took the orb and held it aloft as he moved deeper within the cave. It didn’t extend much farther and the end was soon reached.

  Aside from a collection of bones twice that of what had been encountered near the entrance, it was deserted. From the lack of animal musk and no fresh kills, James deduced that the cave hadn’t seen an occupant for some time.

  Feeling better, he returned to the front of the cave and concentrated on the orb, dimming its light so it was not quite so bright. Reaching into his backpack, he took the fish left over from lunch and sat by the cave’s entrance. Pulling out the book taken from the waiting room, he read more as he ate. A lot of what it said made sense. It wasn’t a textbook on magic, just an overview to get started.

  By the time he was done eating, daylight had faded. Behind the clouds, the sun was nearing the treetops. Yawning, he realized just how tired he was. Replacing the book within his backpack, he made ready for sleep.

  One of the things mentioned in the book was how it took a mage’s concentration to keep a spell active. It occurred to him that when he fell asleep, the orb would very likely go out. Not wanting to wake to complete darkness, he worked on a spell that would enable the orb to continue glowing all night, even while he was asleep. Coming up with the words, he concentrated on his desired effect and then cast his spell.

  Glowing orb,

  Soothing light,

  Maintain thyself,

  ‘Till morning’s light.

  With the final word, he again felt the surge of power, but this time it felt as if he was being sucked dry. Unable to halt the outpouring of power, he felt a tremendous amount pouring from him, the effect of which left him greatly weakened. Gasping as his knees buckled, he dropped to the floor and panted heavily until the spell ran its course. Dots danced before his eyes as he fought to retain consciousness.

  The battle was touch and go for a few anxious moments, but he managed to refrain from passing out. Lying on the cave floor with barely the strength to keep his heart beating, he came to the realization that there may be a limit to what he could do with magic.

  The orb sat on the rock next to him, still glowing, unchanged. The constant, minute draining of power felt earlier was now gone and the orb no longer required his concentration to keep going. Happy that he managed the spell but not about the effect on him, he realized he would need to be more careful in what he attempted before it killed him.

  His strength slowly returned, and when he felt able, crawled to his backpack. He pulled it beneath his head and finally gave in to the weakness.

  Awakening in the middle of the night, it took some time before he became aware as to what awakened him. When his eyes finally focused, dread overcame him as he realized that he was no longer alone in the cave. A wolf had entered and stood not three feet away, sniffing the glowing orb. Visions of meeting the same fate as Seth brought panic. Hoping to scare the wolf away, James concentrated and said very softly:

  Orb of soft soothing light

  Flash to brilliance bright.

  The orb flashed momentarily into a brilliantly, blinding light. At the same time, James sat up and let out a savage, primal scream as he waved his arms wildly. The wolf jumped two feet off the ground, turned and raced out of the cave with a yelp. That spell, so soon after weakening him earlier, left him light headed and dizzy.

  Using his spear to steady himself, he managed to get to his feet and look out into the night. There in the rain he found a dozen pair of glowing eyes staring back at him. Using what little strength he had left, he held his spear aloft and yelled at the wolves, but they failed to react.

  Now what? He leaned upon the spear for support. You’re in a pickle for sure. Still drained from the earlier spell, he didn’t feel like he could afford to do much magic. Can’t make myself any weaker or I won’t be able to defend myself should that become necessary. Thinking for a second, he reached down for a small stone, and as he prepared to throw, said,

  Little stone, little stone

  With speed of a bullet

  Hit that wolf’s hide

  And go right through it.

  With the last word he threw the stone at a pair of eyes. There was a crack in the air as the stone shot forward in a sudden burst of speed. A loud, sickening thud along with the sound of snapping bones told the tale as a pair of glowing eyes vanished. The rest of the pack broke their immobility. Yelping and howling, they fled into the night.

  Dots danced before his eyes; James sat and rested his head on his knees, panting. Too much. No way can I do any more. If the wolves came back tonight he would be a dead man for he had nothing left. Remaining awake turned out to be an exercise in futility. He was simply too exhausted. Trusting to fate, he lay down with head on backpack and quickly passed out. Sometime in early morning, the rain stopped, and when the first rays of sunlight entered the cave, the glowing orb vanished.

  A rustling near his head startled him awake and he sat up quickly, fearful that the wolves had returned. He discovered instead a small dog similar to the one that had made off with his dinner earlier. The animal looked straight at him, still and unmoving.

  “Boo!” James cried loudly frightening the dog, and caused it to run from the cave.

  His head felt like it was about to crack open and he was quite shaky. Using his spear for support, he climbed to his feet and shouldered his backpack. At the mouth of the cave, James searched for any indication that the wolves were still in the area. It was with much relief that he found the clearing vacant. He did, however, see the one he killed and the hole in its chest where the stone had struck. To his utter shock, the back half of the wolf had been blown away by the force of the impact. Sorrow for the wolf came over him even though he knew the wolf, if given a chance, would have had him for a late night snack. Keeping an eye open for any of its pack-mates, he made his way back toward the stream and continued westward.

  The rains had swollen the stream. Its water rushed pell-mell over rocks in its bed. More berry bushes provided a morning snack as well as sufficient quantities to resupply his pack. His strength slowly returned throughout the morning and by noon, the headache and shaking had vanished.

  He continued to follow the streambed. Sometime after noon, motion from downstream brought him to an abrupt halt. A shiver coursed down his spine upon spying a wolf standing amidst the trees, watching him. He bent over and picked up several stones, placing all but one in his pocket. Looking back toward where the wolf stood, he readied to throw the stone, but the wolf was gone.

  For the next several hours, wolves could be seen amidst the trees, pacing him along his side of the stream. Every time he paused to take one out with a stone, the wolves melted back into the forest. Their intermittent howls were a force of fear and he quickened his pace.

  By this time, the stream had swollen to twice its size; several tributaries having joined with it. The stream was now more of a river, with a width in places that exceeded twenty feet.

  James encountered another large tributary cutting across his path. Standing upon a grassy knoll on the far side, a wolf stared James down. Reaching into his pocket, James took a stone and cocked his arm back to throw. Forming a visualization of the stone striking the wolf with great force, he repeated the incantation used back at the cave and threw. />
  Before the stone flew from his hand, the wolf let out a spine-chilling howl. Several answering howls erupted from the trees all around and broke his concentration resulting in the ruination of the spell. Without the power of magic behind it, the stone flew wide and landed in a bush several feet wide of the mark. Wolves burst from behind bushes and trees.

  James turned and fled toward the river. Their growls and snarls gave swift speed to his flight. The wolves closed fast and his flight was cut short as he was forced to turn toward them, spear held out. Swinging the weapon to and fro, he was momentarily successful at keeping the wolves at bay.

  “Back!” he shouted, fear tingeing his voice with hysteria.

  Doing his best to ward off their attacks, he backed slowly until his feet entered the coolness of the water’s edge. A wolf darted in and only a quick thrust of the spear prevented the animal from sinking its jaws into his leg. Over a dozen wolves were arrayed before him along the shoreline. For the moment they appeared content to merely watch as he backed farther into the river. The coldness of the water and the terror of being torn apart kept him from maintaining the calm needed to formulate spells.

  Two steps, three, he slowly put distance between himself and the wolves. At step number four, as if by some unseen signal, the wolves rushed him en masse. He spun with his spear, using it like a quarterstaff. For a time he managed to strike the onrushing wolves with the broadside of the spear. He managed to stab a few; but they were beginning to wear him down. He still had not fully recovered from the night before.

  With his legs slowly losing feeling due to the coldness of the water, his footing became treacherous. He slipped on a loose stone under the water. Having to thrust his spear into the riverbed to remain upright he was unable to maintain his defense.

  Seeing its chance, one wolf rushed in and nipped him on the leg, tearing a three inch long gash just below the knee. Blood flowed freely from the wound and the pain was intense. With the wolves now smelling blood, James was certain this would soon be his end.

  He regained his balance and thrust with his spear at the wolf that bit him, driving it back. His swings became ever increasingly slower and less powerful. Never having been athletic, his arms quickly lost the endurance to wield the heavy spear.

  A large wolf leapt for his throat and James brought the spear around just in time, piercing the wolf’s chest. Though dead, the wolf’s momentum carried it forward and slammed square into James, knocking him backward into the water. The wolf’s dead weight settled upon him and nearly prevented him from raising his head above the water.

  In panicked desperation, he struggled to remove the wolf but it was far too heavy for him to move in his weakened state. Three more wolves entered the water and moved in to finish him. Barely able to keep his head above water, James struggled to remove his spear from the dead wolf. As the spear came free, a growl drew his attention to a wolf less than a foot away. Even as he swung the spear point toward the wolf, he knew it would be too late. The wolf leaped…

  Thwock!

  An arrow took the wolf in the side. Mortally wounded, the beast thrashed in the water.

  Looking over his shoulder, James stared across the stream in disbelief to where a man stood with bow in hand. Another arrow grazed the side of a second wolf that had been coming in for the attack.

  “Come on. Move! Stay there and you’re going to die.”

  With the prospect of surviving this ordeal once again a reality, renewed strength filled his limbs. Taking hold of the wolf pressing him into the water, he gave out with a mighty groan and the carcass came free. As the dead animal sank beneath the surface, James used the spear to aid in gaining his feet.

  A wolf’s painful cry heralded another arrow having found its mark as he waded through the water toward the far side. His wounded leg only made traversing the slippery, rock-filled bed more difficult. Though progress was slow, James reached the shallows just as his leg gave out altogether.

  Letting fly another arrow, the man put an arm under James’ shoulder and helped walk him from the river.

  James gave his benefactor a weak “Thanks” before collapsing into unconsciousness.

  Three

  _______________________

  Disoriented upon awakening, his first thought was that he was laying abed back in his room after coming out of a particularly vivid dream. Unfortunately, reality set in and memory returned; and so too did the pain. It wasn’t a dream.

  The room bore little resemblance to the one where he spent the majority of his time the last few years. The walls were fashioned of lengths of timber set horizontally like in a log cabin. There was very little in the way of furnishings, merely the bed, a night stand and a chest with clothes folded neatly across the top. His spear and backpack rested in the corner next to the chest with his clothes. Clothes?

  Lifting the covers, he discovered that he was naked as the day he was born; the only exception was the bandage that covered the wound on his leg where the wolf had bitten. Not sure how he came to be in this place, he did vaguely remember someone at the edge of the stream who helped him fight off the wolves.

  Daylight filtered through a small window in the far wall. The soft pink tinge in the sky beyond indicated that sundown must be approaching. Or could it be dawn? Beyond the window came the sound of wood being split with an axe. A slightly off-key whistled tune accompanied the chopping.

  Lying quietly, he listened to the whack, whack, whack for a short time before the chopping stopped. Footsteps were then heard making their way around the cabin. From the other side of his bedroom door came the squeal of hinges in need of oiling, followed by the thudding of wood being dumped into what James envisioned was a wood-box.

  After an anxious moment of silence during which he strained to hear what was going on, nervousness filled him when footsteps started coming toward the door to his room. He listened with growing trepidation as they drew closer.

  Will he be friend or foe? Praying for the one who approached to be counted among the former but fearing he may be of the latter; James glanced toward the spear leaning against the wall. For a split-second, he contemplated going for it, but then the footsteps stopped just outside the door; the opportunity had past. He watched with apprehension the turning of the door handle.

  In walked the man who had been at the river. Seeing James awake, he paused just within the door and gave him a disarming smile.

  “Finally awake, I see. You slept all night and through most of this day. I bet you’re hungry. Yes?”

  He was in his mid-forties, about six feet tall with brown hair, and quite muscular. Nothing fat about him, he was in very good shape. Dressed in woodsman’s attire, he had a clean if not stylish appearance. Earlier apprehension was soon alleviated by the man’s friendly demeanor.

  James gave him a nod. A loud rumbling from his belly answered the question. After a moment of silence, he asked, “Where am I? And who do I have to thank for my life?”

  “As to where you are, you are here, in my cabin. My name is Ceryn and I am the Forest Warden in these parts. It was lucky I came along when I did. That wolf pack would have had you for dinner for sure.”

  “Ceryn?” James said, hoping to have pronounced the name correctly. “My name’s James. I appreciate you saving me.”

  Ceryn’s grin widened. “Glad I was there to help. You can rest for a little while longer. Supper’s cooking and will be a few more minutes before it is ready.” He gestured toward the clothes upon the chest. “I cleaned them a bit, washed out the worst of it. If you have the strength and wish to get dressed, you can join me in the other room. If not, I’ll bring a bowl in here.” He waited for James’ reaction. When none was forthcoming, he mumbled, “Strangest clothes I’ve ever seen,” then turned and without another word closed the door as he left the room. Soon, the sounds of what James’ grandfather called puttering could be heard coming from the outer room.

  Not really having the energy to leave the comfort of the bed, but not wanting t
o eat dinner naked beneath the covers either, James gingerly sat and swung his legs over the edge. The movement caused the throbbing in his leg to increase. He remained sitting for a few moments to gather his courage before braving the pain and stand.

  It’s not going to hurt that bad.

  Coming to his feet proved how wrong he was. The pain was the worst he’d ever felt in his life. It took every ounce of fortitude and willpower he possessed to cross the ten feet to where his clothes lay. As soon as he came within reach of his spear, he took it and used it for support. Doing so did much to relieve his discomfort.

  He found that his clothes had indeed been cleaned. He proceeded to dress himself in his “strange clothes.”

  Once clothed, he brought his backpack to the bed and sat. He took inventory of what remained of his meager possessions. Everything was there except the book explaining the workings of magic. He did a visual search of the area where his backpack had been, but failed to find it. It occurred to him that he could possibly have lost it during his flight from, and subsequent fight with, the wolves. But that didn’t seem likely. The backpack had been closed tightly throughout the ordeal and remained closed now. Could Ceryn have taken it? James didn’t want to believe that of his benefactor, but what did he really know about the man?

  Deciding to take things one step at a time, he returned his pack to the corner. He hobbled across the room with the aid of his spear, opened the door and peered through to the outer room.

  Beyond he found a room three times the size of the one in which he awoke. In the center sat a wooden table with three chairs. One wall held several shelves containing plates and other cooking equipment. Set against another section of wall was a simple wooden desk atop which papers lay in haphazard fashion. An inkwell sat near the stack of papers with a quill lying beside it.