I went quickly downstairs and stuck my head into Pariset’s office. I told him that we were ready to leave and asked him to have the guard close the main keep doors for a bit. I didn’t think we needed prying eyes watching us leave. He jumped up and followed me out. With a simple hand signal to the guard the doors were shut. I started up the stairs and he saw the girls waiting for me. Still following me he told me to please be careful because he’d gotten quite attached to us. I opened the door leading out to the balcony and the girls stepped through. Pariset looked completely confused but I told him we’d be safe and would be back as soon as we could. Alba, as usual, was the first one in the air. She turned and waved goodbye to Pariset and I thought he almost fainted. The rest of us joined Alba and we headed lower into the river valley and turned east following the river. We traveled about fifty feet above the ground at pretty good clip when I slowed because my eyes were watering. Not a good mistake to start this day off with. I reminded the girls to shield up and did so myself. The soft pop of shields and we were off again. Clipping along at around sixty miles an hour we made the trip to Jaoca village in about twenty minutes. We crept up on the road across from the town at treetop level. Once we were near the road we landed back in the trees and walked out onto the road.
We walked, arm in arm toward the village. I had Isabel on my right arm, Alba on Isa’s, and Chloe on my left. As we approached the village a bell rang and people filled the little square at the heart of the town. We walked into the square and an older man, who must have been the town elder, came forward to meet us.
“Well Met Wizards and thank you for answering our call for help! We are honored to have you here. You are the first wizards to set foot in this place in hundreds of years. I hope that you’ll be able to do as much good for us as history tells us he did back then.” He said in semi-longwinded speech that I’m sure he had practiced all night.
I thanked him for his welcome and told him that the riders that had been sent to us had said that there were many wounded here. He said that they did have wounded and would show us. He then stopped and leaned toward me asking in a conspiratorial tone if the girls should see something like this. I smiled at him and told him that they could wait outside if it was too much for them. I quickly caught Chloe’s eye and she gave a curt nod. He led us to a barn and let us inside. There were about twenty men lying on pallets with all kinds of wounds. Large cuts, scrapes and broken bones. The smell of the place wasn’t exactly sanitary but they were making do with what they had. I glanced again at Chloe who looked slightly ill but determined. She immediately walked over to the man laying to the right of the door and knelt beside him. I heard her asking where he was hurt and he tossed back a light blanket that was covering him revealing a large gash on his leg. I took a step toward her; she shook her head at me and pulled out her wand. I smiled supportively and moved to the next man in line beside her. I turned and saw Isabel and Alba using a leap frog pattern moving down the row on the other side of the barn, healing as then went. I asked the man in front of me where his injury was and he showed me a compound fracture in his upper arm. I cringed and told him that this might hurt. The elder, standing behind me, handed the young man a leather strap that he put in his mouth to bite on. I pulled my wand, to be a good example to the girls, concentrated and the spell activated silently. The bone pulled back through the skin, lined up and then the skin itself quickly knitted. All the while the young man was grunting and sweating. Finally the spell ran its course and the man sat up. He moved his fingers and nearly knocked me down hugging me.
Chloe and I used the leap frog technique and soon reached the end of the barn to join up with Isa and Alba. We looked at our wands and the handles of all of them had turned a glossy white. The rest of mine was solid glossy black and the girls were still mottled glossy and hazy. I guessed that if the fight occurred today that they would also have solid black wands. I didn’t know the reason but spells affected the color of the wands.
We looked down the length of the barn and watched the men getting to their feet. Wives helping and crying with joy, brothers, sisters… the whole village celebrated the recovery of the men. Many of whom they had given up on. I hugged all three girls in a bear hug (or the best someone my size can imitate) and we all grinned from ear to ear watching the happy people. When the barn had emptied enough we followed the crowd out the door. A cheer went up as people remembered the reason for their celebration and the elder had to step between us and the mob that moved forward to show gratitude.
“I believe that the wizards will be with us all day.” He looked back at me and I nodded. “There will be plenty of time to thank them, but please show respect and remember who they are!”
I leaned over and all three girls put their heads next to mine. “Who are we again?” I asked laughingly. I kissed Chloe on the cheek, “I am incredibly proud of you! I know you didn’t want to go in there but you did an amazing job!”
She blushed down to her toes and gave a whispered, “Thank you.”
I turned and scooped up Alba who squealed, “And you! What am I going to do with you? Always in the middle of everything! That was very well done in there. Not a squeamish bone in your body.” I raised her up, kissed her on the forehead and put her feet back on the ground. No blush from her, just an enormous grin.
Now I turned to Isa and hugged her gently. I leaned close to her ear and said, “I have an idea of what to do with you. You were great in there too.” I believe that her blush outshone Chloe‘s.
We wandered over to a shop and sat on the bench in front. The sun was shining warmly and we just sat quietly trying to blend in. We waited for time to pass and at the same time dreaded the dusk that held the threat of attack. We heard the thunder of running horses and heard someone yelling to the crowd, “They said they would come!” The crowd started laughing and moved aside for the riders to come through. It was the men from this morning’s disturbance at the keep. I smiled and raised a hand in greeting. The man was so confused he nearly fell from his horse!
A young boy ran up as they dismounted. “Father! They have been here for awhile now! They healed all the wounded in the barn!” he exclaimed excitedly.
The man walked over to me and I stood at his approach. “You have my thanks, my Lord wizard!” He said. I nodded to the girls sitting on the bench. He bowed deeply and said “And my thanks to the Lady wizards also!” The girls smiled sweetly and nodded.
The man asked, “How is it, my Lord that we left before you and you’ve been here long enough to heal our whole village and sit relaxing in the sun?”
“A wizard does have ways of getting around.” I said cryptically.
I had an idea for another experiment and since we were going to be here all day and there were people around to experiment on this might be a good chance. I pulled Isa aside and asked what she would think about taking on more apprentices. She smiled and said that it would be perfectly fine with her and that the more wizards we had helping to clear the problem with monsters the better. I told her that since we could do telekinesis without wands that I was going to use that to test some of the local young ones for talent. I was going to see about using the barn that we’d emptied for privacy and get permission from the elder before I did anything. She agreed with all that and said it was a good plan, so I started it in motion.
First I walked towards the crowd in the square and caught the eye of the village elder. I signaled for him to talk to me and he practically knocked people down to get to me. I told him that the Ladies and I were thinking of taking on more apprentices, and that I, with his permission, would like to test some of the younger villagers for talent. I told him that I honestly didn’t know who would or wouldn’t have talent but if we found someone with it we would offer them an apprenticeship and a home in Valeview. I told him that before we made the offer to, or tested the young ones we would take it up with their parents.
He thought that it was a wonderful idea and asked how young they would need to be to start an
apprenticeship. I told him that I’ve had good luck with sixteen and under but I don’t want them to young. I don’t like the idea of the girls being turned into babysitters for to young wizards! He agreed and told me he would start talking to parents. I asked to use the barn for privacy for our tests and he nodded agreement again. He moved off back through the crowded square and I returned to where the girls were sitting.
“I told the girls of your plan and they are excited to have more friends that they could help the way that you’ve helped them. I‘ll accept any that you choose also and will do my best with them.” Isabel said before I even took my seat.
As the morning progressed I saw people leave the group in the square and go sit together under the big tree in the center of the square. I then saw the village elder go and address the group. He was just out of earshot so I couldn’t make out what he was saying but after a short speech he walked over to where we were sitting. He bowed and informed me that he had gathered some young people and talked to their parents. I asked him to be in the barn during the testing because, if someone doesn’t pass, I didn’t want angry parents blaming me or saying that I’d cheated them. I wasn’t sure if he agreed because he thought it was a good idea or because he wanted to watch the testing!
I stood up and the girls joined me walking quietly to the barn. The elder got his group and led them over and I had everyone step inside. I hopped up on a chopping block so I could be seen and held up my hands for attention. When it was quite I started the partially formed speech I had thrown together.
“Good morning, everyone! You’ve been told that I’m going to test for magical abilities today. Passing or not passing the test has nothing to do with whether a person tries or not. It’s just like having blonde hair or brown. It’s just the way it is so if a friend or loved one doesn’t pass, just so it’s known, it’s no ones fault. Now, if you would step outside we’ll get this thing started.”
Isabel walked up to me and said, “Very well done! That should help to avoid hurt feelings and angry parents if we have to tell them their kid can’t do magic.”
I nodded and asked her to stand inside the door and have Chloe and Alba stand outside to keep the crowd in check. I moved to the back of the barn away from the door so the waiting crowds’ noise wouldn’t interfere with what I was trying to do. I had the Elder come with me and had him stand behind me out of the way. I then nodded to Isa to let the first one in.
A young boy of about 13 entered. He was quite frightened and walked slowly back to where I was sitting cross-legged on the barn floor. I asked him to sit and he did. I asked if he was scared and he just nodded slowly. I told him that there was nothing to fear and that this would be painless. Either something would happen or it wouldn’t. I told him that if nothing happened that it was perfectly fine and it didn’t mean there was anything wrong with him, just that magic wasn’t his calling. He nodded again. I stood and moved away from him a bit so there was a space of five feet between us. I picked up a rock that I’d carried in from the street and showed it to him. The Elder, off to the side, had his head bobbing back and forth to see this ordinary rock. I told the lad that I wanted him to lift the rock off of the ground without touching it. He wrinkled his forehead and I continued. You’ll try it like this. First you’ll focus on the rock and on lifting it into the air. You’ll then say ‘telekinesis’ to activate the spell. Either something will happen or it won’t. Is that simple enough? He nodded again and stood up. I tossed the rock to the ground between us nodded to him. The boy took a deep breath and stared at the rock on the floor. He stared long and hard at it and I remembered Chloe’s rocket on her first attempt. I smiled and looked up at the roof wondering if a rock would go through it. I then heard the boy say the word and nothing happened. He repeated it. Once again nothing happened. He shrugged his shoulders and said “I’m sorry my Lord.”
I smiled and went over and patted him on the shoulder. “There’s nothing to be sorry for! Some can and some can’t. Thank you for trying!”
He seemed a bit comforted and walked to the door. I shook my head ‘no’ at Isa and she opened the door to let him out and another young boy in. The instructions were repeated, the attempt and the same negative results. He left and was replaced by a boy that was barely a boy at 17. Negative. A young girl of 12 is next. Negative! She left and before the next one is let in I called to Isabel. “Did I do something wrong? Did I give the instructions incorrectly?” She frowned and shook her head.
A 15 year old girl was the next one through the door. I was so discouraged that my instructions sounded a bit flat. I tossed down the rock and she looked at it calmly. Her left hand then went to her chest and my attention was back in the barn! She softly and clearly said ’telekinesis!’ The rock rose smoothly to the top of her head, which was pretty close to five feet. To her credit, she held it there even through the loud gasp from the Elder. She glanced at me and I smiled and nodded. She then let the rock fall back to the floor with a soft thud. I looked over at Isa and gave a nod. She grinned and walked over.
“She seems to be a sweet and very pretty girl. We can have her call her parents to her and wait over by the tree.” she suggested.
“Good idea.” I agreed. I turned to the girl, “Gather you folks and wait by the tree but don’t say anything about what happened in here. I don’t want you having to answer a bunch of questions that you may not know the answers to.”
The girl said ‘thank you’ to Isa and me and with a curtsy turned and left the barn. I looked at Isabel and smiled, “I guess that this talent may be rarer than I’d assumed! I’m now amazed and thrilled that you and your sisters have it!”
Isa nodded, smiled and said, “Let’s just finish this testing so we can move on to planning what lies ahead.”
I agreed and she went back to the door. Two more girls and a boy are sent in and back out with negative results. A young girl with blonde hair, barely older than Alba and with the same energy and bounce came in next. She passed the test, only bobbling a bit. I smiled, sent her to Isa for instruction, and waited for the next one.
A young girl with blonde hair, barely older than Alba… I felt that the world just hit the instant replay button!
“Pardon me miss, but weren’t you just in here?” I asked confused.
“We get that all the time.” She laughed, “That was my sister Emma, and I’m Elizabeth! We’re twins.”
I laughed with her, gave the instructions, watched a repeat of the last performance and sent her to Isa. Isabel was grinning and shaking her head as the girl walked to her, listened, and then out the door.
Two more boys were ushered in and back out with negative results. Isabel walked over and the Elder joined us. She let us know that we were done. I was relieved because that was much more stressful than I’d thought it was going to be. I asked the Elder if he agreed that the tests were fair. He did and commented that it was all so unbelievable that he was going to have dreams about it for months! I asked him to dismiss anyone that might be crowding the front of the barn and to send in the two families of the three girls that passed. I asked Isa to wave Chloe and Alba in so we could all meet together.
Isa and her sisters were back first. Isabel hugged me, laughed, and said, “This almost feels like we had babies!”
The other girls and I laughed but then I said, “We just have to be careful and make sure our ‘babies’ don’t get cocky, think they’re wizards and get themselves killed this evening.” That sobered the mood quite a bit as the new girls and their families showed up.
The new recruits and their families walked into the barn, and closed the door behind them. As they walked to the back of the barn toward us the tension was palpable. I supposed walking up to four ‘wizards’, dressed exactly alike, could be a bit intimidating. I did my best to put them and ease and it was really hard to be scared around Isa, Chloe, and Alba when they were smiling like they were! I explained that the three village girls had passed the test and that I thought I’d be able to teach them
magic. I went on to say that this evening, after whatever events transpired, we’d be going to Valeview and they’d be welcomed if they chose to join us. I’d provide room, board and whatever other care they needed. They just had to agree to listen, obey and work hard on whatever tasks they were given. I said that we’d step away and let them discuss it, but we didn’t get a chance to move. The hands of both fathers shot up. I nodded to the closest and he asked if they would be staying in Valeview for an extended time or if this was a weekend or week long thing. I explained that they should expect Valeview be the girls home. Chances were that the training would take a very long time, to which my three girls nodded. After that, if a situation arose, coming to the village to round them up would be very inconvenient.
The fathers nodded and smiled, the mothers got teary eyed and weepy but they agreed that it would be for the best. I told them that they should pack some things but pack lightly. I’d supply everything they would need. I then faced the new girls and very sternly informed them that they were not wizards yet and if there was a fight this evening they were to stay far away from it. They nodded a bit pale. Being spoken to sternly by a Lord and a wizard wasn’t something that happened every day!
With curtsies and bows they took their leave. I put my arms around my girls and suggested that we go look at where the baddies would be coming from. They sighed and nodded.
As we walked towards the south end of town I laid out a plan. I suggested we spread out in a line. I had Alba on my left, Chloe on my right and Isabel on the end. That way I could help cover the younger two and Isa could cover the east flank. It wasn’t a perfect plan but I hoped it will work. I told them that if things got hairy, to Fly. The only thing they would have to worry about then would be a spear and a moving target as small as they were would be hard to hit! Energy bolt was a tried and true spell with Orcs, I told them. So, use it and don’t worry about hitting them to many times! There was supposed to be an Orc Captain and I would watch for him personally. Lightning was effective against those and they hadn’t learned that one yet. Telekinesis could throw them back if they got to close. I sighed and told them that plan was the best I’d come up with. They, all three, hugged me at the same time. They assured me they’d be fine. I wished I felt that confident.
Vol. 1 - Another Typical Day (The Wizards of Eredwynn) Page 10