The Last Wizard of Eneri Clare

by April Leonie Lindevald

  On this day, the three of them attended to all who came in need in the space of a few hours, stopped for a brief lunch furnished by the reliable Mrs. Praeger, and headed out to the fields, where maneuvers were already beginning. Tvrdik was grateful for the lack of patients today, as, while he felt obligated to make himself available for healings, he did not wish to be absent from the field on the day Corbin Maygrew and General Boone were coming to review the troops. As they approached the crowded gaming fields, the mage was deep in conversation with Andrus and Delphine about a challenging case they had encountered. So, at first he did not notice the change that occurred the moment he stepped on the field. Startled by the uncharacteristic quiet which greeted his ear, he looked up from his conversation to see every individual in the Legions of Light - man, woman, beast and magical creature, many hundreds that day, row upon row – all standing at attention before him, still, silent, eyes fixed on him as if waiting for something. Confused, he looked around for the object of all this attention, and then settled his regard on Delphine, hoping for an explanation. She obliged, “It is a gesture of honor and respect. They have all seen or heard about the remarkable victory you engineered just two days ago. They are recognizing you as a great leader.”

  “What do I do?” Tvrdik whispered, taken off guard and near panic.

  This time Andrus answered, “You must acknowledge the gesture, and release them to continue their work.” Tvrdik searched the faces of his companions for more, but they would only smile. He squared his shoulders, took a deep breath, let it out, and stepped onto the field, facing the rows of waiting warriors. His eyes scanned the sea of faces looking to him with trust, and hope. Humbled and overwhelmed, he gripped his wizard’s staff for support and sank to one knee, head bowed. The field erupted in cheers. Delphine, looking on, shook her head, thinking his response so charming and unassuming, typical of the gentle man she had come to know over the past few months. It was good to know success hadn’t changed him one jot. While Tvrdik wasn’t looking, she raised both of her hands high, behind him, and waved at the assembled troops in a gesture she hoped would encourage them to return to their labors. Comprehending, they ceased their shouting and whistling, and turned back to the business of the day. Tvrdik, raising his eyes, saw that practice was resuming, and pulled his long frame up from the ground, using his staff for support. With a sheepish expression, he turned to Andrus and Delphine.

  “Do you suppose that was good enough?” he asked.

  Delphine grinned, “It was…unexpected – rather original, even. And, it will do nicely.” She took his hand and gave it a squeeze. Then, spotting Mark, she moved off with Andrus to find their respective units.

  Tvrdik strode out toward the benches on the sidelines, where he could watch what was going on. It wasn’t long before he was joined there by Jorelial Rey, followed by a very agitated looking Corbin Maygrew.

  “There you are, mage! I’ve been hoping you would appear. You know, what you folks have done here is remarkable: so many creative ideas from so many sources, and many of them do make a great deal of sense. Boone is already out there with the Lady Brendelle, refining technique, or some such. But, I am most fascinated with this ‘secret weapon’ of yours. It’s quite impressive how you’ve trained everyone in manipulating it, but I can’t for the life of me figure out what it is, or what it is supposed to do. Can you explain it to me?” Maygrew was referring to the giant, polished, shield-like accessories that many of the legionnaires were wielding in their varied maneuvers.

  Tvrdik patted the seat beside him, inviting Lord Maygrew to settle there. Jorelial Rey had already climbed to the spot on the mage’s other side. She was listening to the conversation, but her eyes were on the field, watching what Boone was doing with the troops there.

  “It is really the centerpiece of our campaign, Lord Maygrew,” Tvrdik began, “but you haven’t seen it in action yet, as its true function can only be released through magic. It will be my task in the coming weeks to infuse every one of those pieces out there with special spells and energetic signatures. I haven’t done it yet, as, to be frank, I am not at all sure they can be turned off once activated, and that seemed a little too dangerous for practice.”

  “You, yourself, must activate each and every one? That seems a daunting task, especially if you get little notice of an assault. There must be thousands of them.”

  “There are exactly a thousand, to be precise, and at the moment, there is no one else capable of that sort of magical work. But I am sure that once I get the hang of it, it will not take long. I’ve made myself a prototype, with which I have been working, and I am fairly certain that they will do what they are supposed to do. Although, I will admit that the results are a bit unpredictable…”

  “But, what are they supposed to do? They look like great, shiny shields. Is there more to it than protection?”

  “Well, of course, they have that benefit too. They can be quite effective as a shield against conventional weaponry. They are strong, light and resilient, and we are training the Legions in regular defensive moves with them. But that isn’t their primary function.”

  Lord Maygrew rolled his eyes in frustration. Tvrdik laughed and stood up, gesturing to Praeger, who was not far away. “Hallo! Praeger… Praeger! Would you please bring one of those over here? Yes, that’ll do. Just bring it up, thanks.” Praeger, deducing what was being asked of him, trotted in from the field and up into the stands. He handed his own ‘weapon’ over to the mage, and stepped back to watch what was going on. The Lady Rey’s curiosity seemed piqued as well, though she already knew Tvrdik’s intentions for these tools.

  It was, in essence, a very large oval shield: lightweight, gently concave, with a padded handle behind. The surface that would face away from the operator, however, was polished until it shone like a mirror.

  “My goodness,” Maygrew quipped, “I can see my reflection in that. Hair could use a bit of a comb. Hope you aren’t planning to embarrass Drogue’s mercenaries to death.” He chuckled at his own joke, and Tvrdik smiled.

  “Well, not precisely sir, but you are not so far off the mark. Pardon me a moment, and I will demonstrate…” Tvrdik sat, and laid the shield across his lap, mirror side up. He placed his hands on it, closed his eyes, and began muttering some sort of incantation in a language no one could quite make out. In just a moment, as they all looked on in amazement, the entire oval began to glow and pulse a bright sapphire blue, radiating outward from the center where Tvrdik’s hands rested. The mage’s eyes snapped open, and he lifted his hands, carefully turning the shield over in his lap. “There, now, that one’s ready. It is my contention, sir, that our most powerful weapon in the present struggle is truth, plain and simple. Therefore, I have infused this shield with the sapphire blue energetic ray of truth, and placed within its structure the intention that it should reveal to anyone who regards themselves in its reflective surface only the very core truth of their being. That could manifest in a number of different ways, but, from what I have learned in my studies, it is very likely to stop just about anyone in his tracks.”

  Lord Maygrew’s eyebrows drew together, “That’s a remarkable notion, young man, but a little esoteric. I’m not sure I grasp how such a weapon could interrupt a charging warrior with a spear, or stop an adversary with a sword who is bent on cutting off my head.”

  “Are you willing to put it to the test?”

  “Why not. I have nothing to fear.”

  Jorelial Rey, glancing back and forth between the two men, thought that Tvrdik’s expression seemed almost mischievous, as he rose, and said, “Alright then.”

  Without warning, he flipped the shield over, holding it up so that Lord Maygrew faced full on its reflective blue surface. All the cocky sureness drained from Corbin Maygrew’s ruddy face in an instant, and was replaced by a look of surprise. His eyebrows arched upward, and his eyes grew wide. His jaw dropped, and his mouth seemed to be moving, but
no words formed. For a heartbeat that seemed an eternity, he looked as though he could not tear his gaze from the vision truth afforded him, even at the cost of his life. And then, he threw his hands up in front of his face, blocking out whatever it was he saw, crying out, “No more, mage, no more! By all that is precious to you, I beg you, lower the shield.” Tvrdik did not wait for a second request. He flipped over the shield and laid it on the bench nearby, face down. He then joined Jorelial Rey at Maygrew’s side. A crowd of curious onlookers were beginning to gather. Boone was heading in from the field at a run, sensing that something was wrong. The Lady Rey had reached Maygrew first, taking him by one elbow and supporting him to a seat. She leaned in to him, “My lord, do you need assistance? Are you hurt?” Tvrdik was at the other elbow in a flash, concern on his pale features. When Lord Maygrew finally lowered his trembling hands, there were tears streaming down his affable face and soaking his grey-streaked beard.

  “Ye gods!” he finally uttered in a hoarse whisper, “Remind me, young mage, never to spar with you again. There is something in you of your master. I never could best him in an argument. Somehow, no matter how clever I thought myself, he always had me come away the fool.”

  Tvrdik smiled, “You are no fool, sir, but a man of courage to put this tool to the test. I pray that one day, if what you say is true, I may count you as close and cherished a friend as my master always did, and still does.”

  Jorelial Rey intervened, “My lord Maygrew, are you well?”

  Maygrew made an odd sound like an attempt at laughter, through his tears. “I’m sure I will be. Give me a moment.”

  “But what you saw,” she persisted, “was it…was it…so horrible?”

  “Heavens, no! It was …so very beautiful, that I could no longer bear to see it.”

  “Say again?”

  “What I saw was, I think, some version of myself, only perfected, shining, shed of cowardice and petty grudges. No more fear or self-doubt, no meanness of spirit. The vision beckoned to me, and somehow, I was ashamed, deeply ashamed, knowing that this paragon was who I was destined to be if I could but strive a little harder, reach a little further. The experience was so profound, so many emotions and longings, I never wanted it to end, and yet I could not bear it.”

  Praeger, standing by, could not help exclaiming, “But, milord, it were naught but a few seconds.”

  Tvrdik smiled, “…and, during those seconds, my lord, could you have sliced anyone’s head off, or stuck a spear through them?”

  “Good heavens, that would have been the furthest thing from my mind. No, I don’t believe it would have been possible.”

  “And so…”

  “I take your point.”

  Jorelial Rey made sure Lord Maygrew was comfortable on the bench, while Tvrdik went on, “You are a man of character and integrity, my lord, a good man. What you saw was not so far removed from the reality of how you conduct your daily life, and yet the vision held so much power over you. For those who are so much further strayed from the potential of their spirits, who have descended so far into darkness and despair, and have perhaps been violent and deceitful and corrupt, the experience may be far more of a shock. They might, in some cases see themselves as the shriveled, ugly thing they have become, or see the beautiful soul they have corrupted. I believe in most cases, it will be enough to turn our adversaries from their course.”

  Praeger, listening, gulped hard, an expression of horror on his thin face, perhaps imagining the visions he might encounter on the oval shield. Boone had arrived in time to hear this last discourse as well, and it was his voice, that of experience, which now spoke out, “Master Wizard, even if your theory works for the most part, those few hard cases who remain unaffected can still do a lot of damage…”

  “That is why we have plans to attack from many different angles and in many different ways. If one strategy fails, our hope is that another will succeed.”

  Boone asked, “Won’t the warrior who is stopped by this…this truth-mirror simply recover his wits in a little time and rise to fight again?”

  Maygrew shook his head, “No, no. I think I can safely testify that confronting that shield is a life-changing experience, the effects of which do not soon wear off.” He still looked pale, and his eyes were swollen with weeping and rimmed with dark circles. “In this, at least, it is quite an effective weapon.”

  “Would not the advancing army just adapt, and learn to cover their faces?” Boone persisted.

  “Perhaps, but they have never encountered anything like this before, so we have the element of surprise. Blinded, they won’t be very impressive fighters, anyway. And, also, the blue ray has a way of drawing the eyes to its magic. In the most difficult cases, I believe I can set the shield’s intention to do more than reflect…but I get ahead of myself there, and will not speak of that just yet.”

  Maygrew was beginning to regain his color and composure. He put a hand on Tvrdik’s shoulder, “You have me convinced, mage. I am almost afraid to ask what other surprises you have up those big sleeves of yours.”

  He smiled as he spoke, and Tvrdik responded with a good-natured quip, “A few perhaps. But, then, a wizard doesn’t have to reveal everything, now, does he?”

  Maygrew clapped him on the back, “I like you, sir. And I am very glad you are on our side. I think you had better get busy activating those shields.” He rose, nodded to Jorelial Rey, and took Boone’s arm, “Let’s get back out there on the field where you can teach these amateurs a thing or two about wielding these blamed things.” Boone glanced at Jorelial Rey and also gave her an almost imperceptible nod, but one which meant the world to her, and the two of them went off to join the training exercises. Those who had gathered to watch Lord Maygrew’s encounter, and its aftermath, seeing that all was well, drifted back to their activities. Tvrdik yelled, “Hey, Praeger, look sharp!” and tossed the glowing shield. “Yours is fully functional now, man. Be very careful with it.”

  Praeger caught the weapon, but held it as if it were made of boiling lava. “Sir, perhaps, some sort of fabric sleeve, or veil for these’d be prudent? Just a precaution, so we don’t go around tormenting one another by accident?”

  Joreliel Rey chimed in, “That’s a terrific idea, Master Praeger. That way, we can be prepared in time without courting disasters with the activated ones.”

  Praeger beamed at her, “I’ll run and speak to my Maihre about it right away, then, shall I? She’s bound to have a good idea on it, and could probably round up some of the older folk and women, them as won’t be fightin’ on the fields proper, to get them workin’ on it.”

  “You do that, friend.” Jorelial agreed, “Tell her to use the palace credit lines to purchase fabric and such, and pay wages.”

  “Hey, Praeger,” Tvrdik added, “Ask her nicely. We already have her working hard on my birthday.” He laughed, and Praeger waved in comprehension and hurried off, carrying his own weapon far more gingerly than he had before.

  Tvrdik sat down on the bench again. “That was a good idea. I have been concerned about having a thousand of these things out wreaking havoc with our own warriors, but Maygrew is right – it’s time I started finishing the job.”

  “That little demonstration was risky, but impressive.” Rel said. “I knew what was supposed to happen, but seeing it in front of my eyes was quite another matter.”

  “I am a little sorry to have put him through that, but it seemed the only way to convince them it wasn’t just a useless toy. I was pretty sure it wouldn’t do him any real harm…”

  “Oh, no. I think, in retrospect, it was a good experience for him, and for others to witness.”

  “Aha. Would you like to try it out next, then?” Tvrdik goaded.

  “Me? No thank you. I would never want to be confronted by any deep truths about myself.”

  Tvrdik’s eyebrows raised, “What an unexpected reaction, Jorelial Re
y. I can’t imagine what you would be anxious about. I was under the impression that you were a pretty transparent, no-nonsense sort of person…”

  Now it was her turn to crook an eyebrow, “You’d be surprised. I am, in truth, very complicated and private.”

  “Oh!” he quipped, in mock surprise.

  “In any case,” she sighed, “keep those things away from me, thank you very much. But, changing the subject, Lord Maygrew may seem a gregarious sort, but he does not often give easy compliments. I think he is being genuine about coming to like and respect you.”

  “I suppose that’s a good thing, though he has yet to call me by my name.”

  “Can you blame him? No one likes to be humiliated in public.” They laughed together like old friends, and then, Tvrdik sighed, slapped his thigh, and said, “Well, if you are going out there, why don’t you spread it around that our warriors can take turns bringing me their shields for activation. I will do as many as I can today.”

  “Do you think that’s wise? Before we have the covers?”

  “I think Maygrew is right, and I had better stop procrastinating and get started, so that we are not caught again unprepared.” Jorelial Rey nodded, and headed out to the field. Maneuvers only lasted until mid-afternoon that day, when the summer sun became too oppressive to bear. But the young mage sat on his bench until sundown in deep concentration, and poured the blue light of truth into four hundred and fifty shields that day.