by M. L. Forman
“As interesting as the legends are, I would like to know the story of your nephew,” Alex said.
“Jabez,” Whalen said. “He has the same name as my long-dead brother.”
“I’m sorry, Whalen. I know this can’t be easy for you, but I need to know all you can tell me about him,” Alex said.
“A short story, though the telling may be long,” Whalen replied, but he did not go on.
For several minutes Whalen said nothing. When he did begin to talk his voice was little more than a whisper. Whalen’s story was a sad one, and at first Alex wondered how much of it he would have to relive in his own lifetime. Whalen had become a wizard while still a young man, and had often returned to his home after adventures. He had seen his family die of old age, their children grow and have children of their own. After the first few generations he had not gone home as often. It was hard for him to visit the places of his youth, hard to remember those who had been close to him and were now gone.
Whalen kept track of his family over the years, however, though he seldom visited after the first hundred years. He would from time to time return to his old home, but he never told anyone who he was. He would go as a traveler or a merchant—anything but a wizard. His family remembered that there had once been a wizard in their family, and they were proud of that fact.
After more than three hundred years of being a wizard, Whalen had gone home to see how his family was getting on. When he had visited in the past he had always made sure his family was taken care of. He would sometimes use his magic and sometimes spend some of the treasure he had won on adventures to help them. It was important to him that his family always had enough, and never went without. Alex understood this, but he found it odd that Whalen had kept returning home for so long.
On this particular visit, Whalen had met his nephew, though many generations separated the two of them. The young Vankin’s name was Jabez. Not only did he bear the same name as Whalen’s brother, he also looked like Whalen’s brother. More important to Whalen was the fact that Jabez had magical abilities, and it didn’t take Whalen long to see that Jabez had the makings of a wizard.
So Whalen took Jabez as his apprentice and taught him the ways of magic. More than once he had reason to worry about what Jabez would do with his training. Whalen’s love of his long dead brother allowed him to overlook anything Jabez did wrong, or that might be considered evil. He thought his nephew would grow out of his cruel ways and give up the small evils that were part of his life.
After years of training, Whalen had asked Jabez to take the wizard’s oath and become a true wizard. Jabez agreed to this, as it fit in well with his own plans. Whalen didn’t know anything about Jabez’s secret plans, so he was happy to see his nephew become a true wizard.
“At first he did many good deeds,” Whalen said, his voice heavy with sorrow. “He was kind and generous, and I thought he had become the man that I had always hoped he would be.”
Jabez had gone on adventures, traveled to many lands, and done a great deal of good in all the lands he visited. Whalen had never suspected that anything was wrong, and he never would have known that Jabez had turned to evil—except now Jabez had returned from the dead.
“He faked his own death in Barkia. For over two hundred years I’ve thought him dead, but now . . . now I know that he is alive.”
“How did you find out?”
“Dreams, emotions, thoughts coming into my mind that I didn’t understand. Do you remember when we last met, the thought that came into your mind? The thought that was not your own, and you didn’t know where it came from?”
“Yes, I remember,” Alex said, thinking back to that day.
“It came because I was close to you, and that thought came into my mind. We are linked by magic, you and I. Just as I am linked to Jabez. His anger and his evil sometimes enter my mind, and it is all I can do to push those thoughts out.”
“Do my thoughts and feelings enter your mind?”
“Not often,” Whalen said with a weak smile. “Your mind is more closed to me than Jabez’s. Mostly because of the way you were trained as a wizard, and partly, I believe, because of what you are. Jabez was trained as a normal apprentice, and so our minds grew much closer together than yours and mine are.”
“Was my training so very different?” Alex asked without thinking.
“You know it was, Alex. Most apprentices spend years with their masters,” said Whalen. “You and I spent how long together? A day? Two? You learned almost everything on your own, which is an impressive thing. It has been brought up more than once in the council of wizards, though no conclusions about your remarkable abilities have been made.”
“But you are still my master. Our minds are still linked by magic.”
“Yes and no. In name I am your master, but I think in reality you are your own master. But we’re getting off the subject.”
“Of course,” Alex said, not wanting to press Whalen for answers to his own questions.
“Jabez has returned, and he has turned away from the path of a true wizard. At first he hid his mind from me, but now he doesn’t seem to care. If anything, he has let me feel his thoughts as a kind of challenge. It almost seems that he is daring me to come and find him,” Whalen said, his voice trailing off as he finished.
“I take it from your story that you’ve been in Barkia. You had to find the place where he was supposed to have died.”
“Yes, I was in Barkia. That’s where I stirred up the hornet’s nest.”
“What do you mean by hornet’s nest?” Alex asked.
“I foolishly went to Barkia as myself,” Whalen answered. “I didn’t think anyone would notice, or if they did notice me they wouldn’t know why I was there. Unfortunately, someone did notice me, and they were curious enough about why I was there to keep an eye on me. I suppose you can guess who it was keeping their eyes on me, following me, and even trying to ambush me more than once.”
“The Brotherhood,” Alex said without having to think about it.
“Yes, our enemies in the Brotherhood. I’m certain that Jabez is a member of the Brotherhood. He may even have been part of them when he faked his death and vanished.”
“That was more than two hundred years ago. It’s hard to believe the Brotherhood has gone unnoticed for so long.”
“Oh? I don’t think it’s hard to believe. Consider your last adventure. Nezza had been a divided land for five hundred years or more. We know the Brotherhood was at work there. Who knows how long they’ve been plotting and working evil?”
“Yes, I suppose that’s true. I never really thought about how long they’ve been around.”
“Neither had I. In any event, I discovered that there are a great many more people working for the Brotherhood than you might think. Most don’t know they are working for them, I’m sure of that. Still, there are a fair number of magical people working either with or for the Brotherhood. I had a close call with half a dozen warlocks before I managed to get out of Barkia.”
“Warlocks? What exactly do you mean by warlocks?”
“I mean the worst version of a warlock that you can think of. Powerful magical people trained in the darkest magic. Oh, they aren’t dark wizards, not even close, but warlocks work together when they can. Six warlocks working together are a dangerous enemy, even for me.”
“But you managed to escape them.”
“Yes, I escaped, and led them on a wild chase. I didn’t think they would follow me, but they did. For the last eleven days I’ve been on the run, trying to put them on a false trail before coming here.”
“I’m sure you’ve lost them,” Alex said.
“For now,” Whalen said. “Sooner or later they will show up here in Alusia—I’m sure of that. They know I live here, after all, and they probably know that you live here as well.”
“Do we need to worry about being attacked?”
“No, not yet at least . . . but we’re getting off-topic again.”
Alex
didn’t say anything for a time as he thought about what a group of warlocks might do if they turned up outside his house. A direct attack on him would not be their first idea, they would try to ambush him, or perhaps . . .
“Yes,” Whalen said. “They would attack the innocent and try to draw you into a trap.”
“I’m sorry,” Alex said. “I was just thinking about the danger that might come.”
“You should consider the danger, but I think it would be less if you are not here when they come looking,” Whalen said.
“Of course, but Whalen, if Jabez is at the castle of Conmar, there’s no real need for both of us to go there. I mean, I can take my dragon form, fly to Conmar, and destroy him.”
“If only it were as simple as that,” Whalen said, shaking his head. “You see, there’s more to the story than I have told you. There are things I’ve learned about Jabez recently, things that make this task more dangerous and difficult than I would have thought possible.”
“Tell me, what have Jabez and his friends in the Brotherhood done to make things so difficult?”
“We cannot simply destroy Jabez. He has used some very old magic to protect himself from any attempt I might make. If we were to destroy him as he is, he would simply vanish for a time and reappear in another land. It would buy us time, but it would not put an end to his evil.”
“What magic has he used? How can he be destroyed and not destroyed at the same time? Death is final, Whalen, there’s no coming back,” Alex said.
“The magic Jabez has used links his life force to every person he has ever done good for,” Whalen explained. “I told you, when he was first a wizard he did many good things. Now he has perverted his good deeds into twisted evil. His life force is bound to the people he helped, and to their children, and their children’s children. To destroy Jabez completely, we would have to kill every living thing his magic has touched, or . . .”
“Or?”
“Or we must find a way to cut the magical link between Jabez and his victims.”
“Is there a way to break the link?”
“We—and when I say ‘we,’ I mean you—must use the Axe of Sundering. Only the Axe has the power to break the spell that Jabez has placed on himself and send him to the shadowlands forever.”
“Where is this Axe of Sundering?” Alex asked, afraid that he already knew the answer.
“Jabez has it, protected inside of Conmar,” Whalen said. “How it is guarded I do not know, but I am sure that he has protected it well.” Whalen reached into his bag and pulled out several books bound in black leather.
“What are those?” Alex asked.
Whalen tapped the cover of the book on top of the stack. “Journals. I think they might be helpful to us.”
“Did you write them?” Alex asked.
“Yes, and so did Jabez. While I was training Jabez, I asked him to keep a journal. It is a common practice for apprenticing wizards, a way for their teacher to check up on them.”
“Should I have been keeping a journal?” Alex had written down some of his adventures, and he knew some details about his adventures were recorded in Mr. Clutter’s shop, but he had not kept a personal journal.
“No—I did not ask you to keep a journal because your power was growing so fast. And all the letters you and I have exchanged over the years probably count, wouldn’t you say?”
“Do you think Jabez’s journals can help us find the Axe of Sundering?” Alex asked.
“I doubt that, but they might give you some clues about how and where he has hidden it. The journals can do something else to help you,” Whalen answered. “Memories are often lost or grow distorted over time, as I’m sure you know. These journals, however, hold the truth of what really happened at the time it happened. I am sure that what Jabez and I wrote in these journals will be far more accurate than anything I might remember now.”
“I’m sure they will help me understand Jabez, but we really need to know what his plans are right now. We need to know what he is going to do next, not read about what he’s already done.”
“Yes, but looking at his past will help us guess at his future plans,” Whalen said. “All writers reveal something about themselves, whether they mean to or not.” Whalen handed the journals to Alex. “Read them. Study them. I believe they will help us with our task.”
“You mean our task of sneaking into the castle of Conmar, finding the Axe of Sundering, stealing it, finding your nephew, and using the Axe on him?” Alex said.
“I know, I know. It is, perhaps, an impossible task,” Whalen said, shaking his head.
“While we think about doing the impossible, might I suggest a bath and a hot meal for you,” Alex said.
“An excellent suggestion, and most welcome,” Whalen said, smiling for the first time since he’d arrived. “Keep an eye on the big picture, but deal with the problems at hand first.”
Alex laughed at Whalen’s comment, and went to fix something for his friend to eat. His mind was already working on the problems that had arisen with Whalen’s quest. There were really too many problems to think about at one time. Getting inside the castle of Conmar and finding the Axe of Sundering would be almost impossible, but there was a long way to go before they had to worry about that.
Traveling to Jarro was the first step, but that was going to be more difficult than normal as well. The Brotherhood had been following Whalen, and Whalen seemed to think that they were still looking for him. Traveling through the great arch could be dangerous, as the Brotherhood would probably have someone watching it. Once they made their way into Jarro, then what? Alex didn’t know much about the land of Jarro, so as Whalen’s meal started to cook he took out his magic bag.
Alex had maps of all twenty-seven known lands, as well as maps of many lesser-known lands. His map of Jarro was a good one, better than most, and he unfolded it on his kitchen table so that he could study it as he cooked. Jarro, unlike the other lands Alex had visited, was not one land. Most of Jarro was made up of three massive islands: Eastland, Midland, and Westland. Alex found the great arch marked near the center of Eastland, and on the far side of the map there was also a mark for what had once been the city of Conmar.
“Ah, good, you have a map,” said Whalen, as he walked into the kitchen still drying his hair.
“A good map, but I don’t see that it will help us much,” Alex said.
“Well at least it will give us some idea of where we are going, and how we are going to get there,” Whalen said, helping himself to the food Alex had prepared.
“I’m guessing that Jabez will want to take over all of Jarro at some point. Since he’s based in Conmar Castle, he must plan on starting in Westland.”
“Yes, I’m sure that’s his plan. I don’t know how far along his plans are, but I think it would be safe to assume he has control of at least part of Westland already.”
“At least the area around Conmar.”
“It wouldn’t be wise for us to suddenly turn up in Westland. Jabez will have more than one escape plan, and if we both turn up in Westland he may simply vanish before we have a chance to get the Axe.”
“So where do you think we should turn up?” Alex asked.
“I don’t think we should turn up at all,” Whalen said. “That is, we shouldn’t turn up together.”
“What, then?” Alex asked.
“I have a plan, or at least the beginning of a plan,” said Whalen.
Alex listened while Whalen explained what he thought they should do. Alex thought that Whalen was being overcautious and that his plan would take too long. He thought they should move as fast as possible toward Conmar Castle and attack Jabez. If Jabez ran away, well, at least the land of Jarro would be safe.
“I know this isn’t the way you’d like to do things,” Whalen said. “The thing is, Alex, I know Jabez. I know what he is looking for and what he is most likely to do when we get close. I believe we can get close, maybe close enough to destroy him—if we follow this plan.”
“This is your adventure, Whalen,” Alex answered after some thought. “I’ll do what you think is best.”
Alex arrived in Telous near midday two days after Whalen had left him. Whalen had used magic to travel, opening a gateway in the middle of Alex’s living room and slipping through it into a different land. The first part of the plan was for Whalen to let himself be seen in as many different places as possible. He was hoping to leave a false trail for any members of the Brotherhood who were still looking for him. Alex understood the reason for Whalen’s caution, but he also thought that his friend might be doing too much. If Whalen was seen in too many places the Brotherhood might not bother looking for him at all.
“Details,” Whalen had said. “If you want to make people believe that you are doing something that you are not doing, you need to pay attention to the details.”
Alex wasn’t sure he agreed with Whalen’s comment. He thought that too many details would give the truth away. Still, Whalen had been a wizard far longer than Alex had, and he seemed to know what he was doing.
Walking to the Golden Swan, the finest tavern in Telous, Alex was surprised to find the lobby crowded. It looked like several adventures were getting underway, and most of them appeared to be starting at the Swan. It took Alex some time to get a table and something to eat, and he kept his eyes open for old friends. He didn’t see anyone he knew, however, and the adventurers he did see didn’t pay any attention to him. Some of these adventurers might guess who or at least what he was, but none of them let their interest show.
“Details,” Whalen’s voice said in the back of his mind.
Alex being seen in Telous was another part of Whalen’s plan. He thought it would be a good idea for people to think Alex was off on some new adventure and not suspect that he was really traveling with Whalen. Alex wasn’t worried about what people thought, he was only worried about what the Brotherhood might think. There were old wizards in the Brotherhood, and they would know as much as Whalen did about leaving false clues.
After eating his meal, Alex made his way to Blackburn’s smithy. Whalen had made the point that he couldn’t carry his magic sword as he traveled—it was too well known. But even if nobody recognized his magic sword, it was too fine a weapon for an apprentice merchant to carry.