by Jaxon Reed
He scratched his head, then shrugged his shoulders. He went to his knees, dipped the brush into the bucket and began scrubbing flagstones.
Behind him, heads poking out from a doorway. Three wizards silently pulled back into the library. Oldstone closed the door softly. He, Greystone, and Darkstone approached the large table in the room’s center.
Darkstone said, “I should probably tell him there are easier ways to scrub the floor.”
Oldstone shook his head. “No, the lesson is always more powerful when one figures it out on one’s own.”
She smirked at the thought and said, “I noticed you changed the looks of your servants again.”
Oldstone nodded. “Indeed. Adolescent boys need as few distractions as possible, if they’re going to learn anything.”
“You don’t think that making Cutie that ugly will be distracting? She’ll scare him.”
“It will be far less distracting than her usual looks would have been, for him.”
Greystone said, “So, we are all agreed this boy is wizard material?”
Oldstone said, “He has an uncanny ability to immediately grasp whatever spells he sees performed. This boy shows extraordinary potential. He can also name unknown spells, a highly unusual talent. If he matures and develops the way I think he will . . .”
He trailed off while looking inward. Then he blinked and noticed the other two staring at him patiently.
Oldstone continued. “If he grows the way I think he will, he may rival even some of the first wizards.”
Greystone’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. He said, “I thought each generation of wizards grew weaker.”
“So did I, until recently. I’m beginning to think after our experiences with Darkstone here, that power may ebb and flow over time. Things may be cyclical, rather than continuously degrading. And if so, our next round of wizards may be much more powerful than we are accustomed to.”
Darkstone said, “That makes sense. Since the Creation of the world, we’ve only had what? Three or four generations of wizards at most? We won’t know for sure about cycles and patterns until a few thousand more years have passed.”
They talked a while longer, until at last Greystone bid the other two farewell.
“I need to see how my village is doing. Then I shall check on Trant and Margwen. Hopefully they are working on producing an heir to the throne and getting their kingdom in good shape.”
With a final wave, he cast Globe of Transport and stepped through. It faded behind him.
Oldstone turned to Darkstone and raised an eyebrow as she tarried.
She tilted her head in the direction of Kirt. She said, “Will he be staying in my old room?”
Oldstone shrugged. “I have several rooms. It is a castle, you know. You are always welcome here, if you’d like to stay in your old room.”
“Thanks. I think I need to find a place of my own, though.”
She hugged him then and he tensed, unused to physical contact and surprised at the sudden display of affection. Then he loosened up and patted her on the back.
When she let go she said, “I think I’ll fly away, rather than cast a globe.”
He nodded and watched her walk out the library door.
In the hallway, Kirt paused in his work and looked up as she passed. Her eyes twinkled at him.
“I’ve been where you are right now, you know. Cleaning this very floor in this same hallway.”
He raised an eyebrow at her, skeptical and questioning at the same time. She grinned back at him, certain that he would figure it out. She opened the big double doors to the castle and stepped outside.
-+-
Hours later, flying through the air, Darkstone spied a misty spot on the horizon far north of Refugio in the Ageless Isles archipelago. She turned to avoid it, certain that Mist would use his power to try and sap her flying ability if she came too close. Besides, she had no desire to return.
Instead, she began searching for other spots of land. She glimpsed another distant island and flew until she could swoop down to look it over. It was nothing more than a spit of barren rocks. She left quickly and continued searching.
Her second island proved unsatisfactory too, but at last she found what she was looking for on the third one. Fresh water bubbled from a stream in the middle of a small craggy island.
She landed nearby and dipped a hand in the stream, taking a sip. The water tasted good. This would do nicely, she thought.
Extending her senses, she looked for evidence of people. No one lived within miles and miles. The nearest inhabited island was far away to the south. She doubted anyone came close, save perhaps a handful of fishermen on rare occasion.
Satisfied, she threw her fist up high in the air. Light exploded all around her. Instantly, the island disappeared from human sight. If someone offshore had been watching, they would now see nothing but ocean where the island had been before. Nobody would ever find this small bit of land again, not without her help.
She cast a translucent dome above it, and the air inside warmed considerably. The sky above her turned blue, and the sun reached down to kiss the land.
She spread her arms out wide, and topsoil appeared in a thick layer over the rocks. Pulled up from deep below, rich dirt spread out like ripples in a pond. Putting her long-neglected nature magic to work, she carpeted the land in bright green grass and blooming flowers. Then she began planting trees, which quickly shot up and stretched to their full heights.
When at last she finished, the little island looked beautiful, like a wretched beggar girl all cleaned up and wearing a bright new dress. It stretched out green and inviting in all directions, giving off a lustrous springtime glow. And it would be permanently springtime, on her island.
She felt tired, but happy. Now, she had one more thing to make.
Concentrating, she waved her hands back and forth in gentle circles, and black smoke came from her palms. The smoke arced up and out before her, then coalesced and took the shape of a man.
When she finished, Ruford stood before her, smiling.
“My princess,” he said. He embraced her and kissed her warmly on the lips. She took a deep breath of his perfect scent while enjoying his lips and his tongue.
When they broke apart she smiled up at his perfect eyes and said, “At least you won’t grow old and die on me.”
Together they held hands and walked along the shore of her new home.
The End
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Dramatis Personae
Anabella - Nanny to Princess Margwen of Coral, and her Lady in Waiting.
Atta - a Princess of Crystal, seventh born child of King Aldwald and Queen Etta.
Bartimo - a young merchant from the Ageless Isles, twin brother to Bellasondra. Husband to Phanissa.
Bellasondra - a young merchant from the Ageless Isles, twin sister to Bartimo, and Stin the Thief’s love interest.
Cookie - a facsimile servant for Oldstone, working in the kitchen of his flying castle.
Cutie - a facsimile servant for Oldstone, working in his flying castle.
Dally - a dwarf, wife of Crown Prince Pudge, of Norweg.
Darkstone - at first a wizard who went rogue from the Council of Magic. After killing him, Mita subsequently took the name Darkstone when she claimed the stone for herself.
Deedles - a wizard’s cat, she chooses to accompany Princess Margwen, mostly.
Dirt - a simpleton thief who lives in the Hidden Woods.
Dudge - a dwarf, the second born son of King Nudge and Queen Frum, and second in line to Norweg’s throne.
Emmit - a Coralian doorman working in the Emerald Palace.
Endrick - usurper of the throne of Emerald.
Ermina - wife of Finero, she helps run one of the wealthiest
Houses in the Ageless Isles.
Finero - head of one of the wealthiest houses in the Ageless Isles.
Florio - head of one of the merchant houses in the Ageless Isles.
Frum - Queen of the dwarves.
Garreth - Captain of the Coastrunner.
Greystone - a wizard. His specialties include area manipulation.
Gustaff - High Priest of Emerald.
Hassetta - Phanissa’s nanny. A servant in the Finero household.
Helsik - a member of the Shadow Council in Emerald.
Jam - a bare knuckle fighter in Kathar.
Keel - King of Coral and the Ageless Isles, married to Kita, father of Margwen.
Kirt - an urchin from the streets of Ruby City.
Kita - Queen of Coral and the Ageless Isles, wife of Keel, mother of Margwen.
Leddia - widow of Palento and head of one of the oldest and wealthiest families in the Ageless Isles.
Loadstone - a wizard. His specialties include manipulating the weather.
Lok - an evil dwarven wizard.
Mandross - runs the Mystic Bank.
Margwen - Princess of Coral, fifth born to Keel and Kita.
Mist - it is unknown who or what Mist is, only that he controls a magical island upon which all wizards face their trials. If they pass the trials, they may claim a wizard stone.
Mita - Princess of Crystal, fifth born of Aldwald and Etta. She became a battlemaiden, and then a wizard.
Nippit - captain of the guard from Ore Stad, in Prince Pudge’s royal retinue.
Nudge - a dwarf, King of Norweg.
Oldstone - chair of the Magic Council. His specialties include advanced facsimiles and levitation.
Phanissa - daughter of Finero and Ermina, wife of Bartimo. She hails from one of the wealthiest families in the Ageless Isles.
Pick - a dwarf and personal aide to Crown Prince Pudge.
Plank - a dwarf from Port Osmo, serving as a courier for Prince Dudge.
Plinny - sometimes known as Plinny the Giant, a pirate formerly aboard Wavecrest.
Pudge - the Crown Prince of Norweg, firstborn to Nudge and Frum.
Pywot - a dwarf, innkeeper at the Tin Hammer in Port Osmo.
Quartzstone - a wizard and one of the “Troublesome Trio” who did not show up for the Battle of Greystone Village. Originally known as Snell.
Redstone - a wizard. His specialties include nature magic.
Ribber - a bare knuckle fighter in Kathar.
Rufus - a facsimile prince, used first by Mist during Princess Mita’s wizard trials.
Sober - a dwarf, a guard in Port Osmo.
Stin - a thief, originally from Coral. He has used several aliases. Among pirates he went by Steck and was often called Lord Fortune.
Stumpy - the leader of a caravan, on the road from Kathar.
Syphon - a master criminal residing in the dungeons beneath Coral Castle.
Tempolius - an agent in Coral City, he’s known for being able to find people and things.
Thanden - a sprite who has turned evil.
Tisha - daughter of Leddia, in Refugio.
Tomlin - Captain of the Guard for Princess Margwen of Coral.
Tonggus - the owner of the Tortoise Crawl pub in Kathar.
Trant - King of Emerald, firstborn of Tren and Karla.
Tun - a young dwarf from the Farmlands, now a captain in the Port Osmo guard.
Veeroy - a pirate sailor formerly aboard Wavecrest.
Windthorn - a duke by the name of Chedwick, from the Ruby Kingdom.
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