Vault of Silence (The Hidden Wizard Book 2)

by Vaughan W. Smith

  "No, not generally. Now they aren't the friendliest folk, but generally politer and by the book. Something must have really stirred them up." John heard footsteps nearby and turned to look at who was approaching. "Speaking of which," he said and stepped forward.

  Vincent looked over and noticed a female guard approaching.

  "Hello again blacksmith, how are you?" she said. She flashed a smile that Vincent was certain was purely false.

  "Same as before, busy. To what do I owe this pleasure?" John said.

  "I realised I was a little harsh earlier, and wanted to come apologise. You have been a trusted partner to the guard for a long time, and I didn't give you due respect. To explain my actions a little more, I would just like to add that we're under a lot of pressure. It doesn't excuse my actions, but I hope it provides some context," she said. John looked to be swayed by her words, but Vincent was more sceptical.

  "That's good of you, not enough folks take responsibility for their actions these days," John said.

  "Absolutely. I don't think I was properly introduced to your colleague before," the guard said.

  "Vincent, nice to meet you," Vincent said, offering his hand. The guard took off her gauntlet and shook his hand. Her grip was firm, a little too firm. Vincent was used to strong shakes, and with his strength could crush a hand if he wanted. But he was surprised.

  "Tanya, nice to meet you also. You are new here?" she said.

  "Yes, he joined recently, helping me get through the additional work. He's been a big help," John said.

  "Been in town long?" Tanya said.

  "Not that long. Looking to pick up some new skills and work on some more interesting pieces. I've done enough horse shoes for a lifetime," Vincent said chuckling. Tanya smiled but continued her questioning.

  "Of course. Have you seen anything suspicious around? Maybe you've left things where they shouldn't have been?" she said.

  "Can't say I have, it's been quiet here. John, have you seen anything left where it shouldn't be?" Vincent said.

  "No, everything's been where it should. I even double checked today just to make sure," he said.

  "Of course. I just need to make sure I leave no stone unturned, this is quite a high-pressure environment right now," Tanya said. John nodded sympathetically.

  "Tell me about it. I've got huge orders to fulfil, and no time to do it. The work is detail orientated so it's incredibly time consuming," he said.

  "I understand. Please think about it and let me know if you hear anything. You can come to the guard station and ask for Glinda," Glinda said.

  "Will do. Thank you for coming back, I really value a good working relationship with the guards," John said.

  "And we value your work too. Good day," Glinda said and left.

  "What did you make of that?" Vincent said.

  "She's had to change her tune, probably due to someone higher up getting annoyed. She was almost convincing, but you could see through it all."

  "I agree completely. She clearly could care less about you but had to come back and be politer. One to watch out for."

  "Wise words. You had enough for the day?"

  "Yes, if you don't mind I'd like some time to explore the city and rest." Vincent scanned the background and took note of the direction in which Glinda had left.

  "Not a problem, you've done a day's work anyway. Let me get you a few gold to enjoy yourself." John reached for his pouch.

  "No, I insist. If you're really adamant at the end we can figure something out. But for now, I'm happy with the experience. It's invaluable," Vincent said.

  "As you wish. Have a good rest, see you tomorrow," John said.

  "Thanks, you too," Vincent said and returned to his work area. He put everything away and changed clothes.

  "If I rush I can catch up to her," Vincent thought. He was worried about not seeing Celes again, and decided that Glinda was his best avenue. He jogged along the street, trying to catch sight of the guard again. She wasn't headed towards the guard station, but in the opposite direction. He considered trying to follow her, but decided that it wasn't the best idea. Being direct would suit him better.

  Once he was within range he shouted.

  "Glinda, have you a moment!" Vincent said. The female guard stopped and turned around. She had an annoyed look on her face, but forced it away when she saw Vincent.

  "Yes, of course," she said.

  "Great, I was thinking about what you said and thought of something that may help. I did see a woman around the other night. I didn't think anything of it, but since I saw her more than once I remembered her face. It could be nothing but..."

  "That is a fantastic lead. Let me think for a moment." Glinda seemed to stare off into space for a while. Suddenly she refocused on Vincent. "Would you be able to recognise her if you saw her?" she said.

  "Absolutely."

  "Come with me then, we could definitely use your help," Glinda said.

  "Happy to help," Vincent said with a smile. The guard walked off with purpose, and Vincent followed close behind.

  "Do you have this woman in custody?" Vincent said.

  "No, but we have a suspicious woman that is our main suspect. You could provide the additional verification we require," Glinda said.

  "This is not good. What is Celes mixed up in?" Vincent thought to himself. It could be a coincidence, but it really seemed like they had Celes and wanted to confirm she was the one they were after.

  "That strange pause and look from the guard, maybe that's what they look like when they communicate," Vincent thought. It was a good theory, and they suspected the guard was Tainted. Now he just had to think about what to do if his suspicions were right. He was definitely walking into a dangerous situation.

  He mused over that thought as they walked. Vincent noticed a disruption up head. There was a shape moving fast through the crowd of people. From the reactions of the people shifting and complaining it was coming towards them. Suddenly a shape broke out from the crowd and leapt at Glinda.

  It was a tiny girl with short brown hair. She tackled Glinda and the guard caught the girl and swung her into a more comfortable position.

  "Baby girl, I'm working right now. Where's the rest of your friends?"

  "Over there with the teacher. They're talking about the trees, it's so boring!"

  "If you pay attention you may learn something interesting. I have to escort this gentleman somewhere, so please rejoin your friends and I will see you after work!"

  "Sorry," Vincent said, shrugging his shoulders, and apologising to the young girl. She responded by playfully poking her tongue out at him.

  "Alright, I guess I can do that. See you later!" the girl said, jumped back to the ground and tore off with fantastic speed back through the crowds.

  "She's quite energetic, that's good. Such a nice age," Vincent said.

  "Thanks. I take it you have kids?" Glinda said.

  "Just the one. But he's older now, doing his own thing. No more running hugs," Vincent said with a chuckle.

  "Yeah those can't last, can they?" Glinda said. Her tone of voice had changed, and she was silent for the rest of the walk.

  "Maybe we've all misjudged her," Vincent thought. What would an ordinary person do when put in an extraordinary situation? What if she had to play along to keep your daughter safe?

  "He's with me," Glinda said, and Vincent broke out of his inner thought. They were in front of a manor house with a large gate and guards.

  "This looks like trouble," Vincent thought. He started to focus on the job ahead.

  Glinda led him down a side passage and into the house. Vincent could tell the house was home to a very important person. It was richly furnished and had extremely elaborate floorings and paintings.

  "I hope she's here," he thought.

  "In here please," Glinda didn't even look at Vincent while she opened the door. He stepped inside and saw it was a drab grey room with no furnishings. He could see Celes sitting in the corner. He rushed ov
er immediately.

  "Did they hurt you?" he said.

  "No, I'm fine. I refused to talk so they threw me in here. I think they were planning something else, but they suddenly changed their minds."

  "Good. When you didn't return, I told the guard that I saw a woman sneaking around so that they would bring me in. It worked," Vincent said softly.

  "I see you recognise her, perhaps even know her?" a sarcastic voice said from the doorway. Vincent looked up and saw a well-dressed man in ornate robes addressing them. Glinda had retreated into the corridor and had turned to leave.

  "And who might you be?" Vincent said.

  "None of your concern," he said.

  "He's a councillor," Celes said.

  "Corrupt official? That's a bit of a cliché, isn't it? Couldn't help yourself?" Vincent said. The councillor pursed his lips but suppressed an outburst.

  "I'm quite pleased. We have the spy and her accomplice in our custody. Wraith will give a lot to have his hands on you," the councillor said with a dark laugh. He continued to smirk then slammed the door. Vincent stood up and examined the room. It looked solid and the door was heavy and metal. There was a keyhole though.

  "Do you think you could pick this?" he said to Celes.

  "Probably. But I don't want to try just yet, we haven't gotten the information we need."

  "That councillor runs the show around here?"

  "Looks like it. That guard reported in to him, she's a piece of work, isn't she?"

  "I had thought that too, but we ran into her daughter on the way here. It showed another side of her. Maybe she's just caught up in this?"

  "But she's Tainted, I know that for sure." Celes looked adamant and quite irate.

  "Yes, but do you think that's by choice? Especially with a daughter to look after," Vincent said.

  Celes started to speak, but stopped. She looked thoughtful. "I hadn't thought of that. You could be right," she said.

  "I think I am, at least on this. Do you have a plan?"

  "Yes. Let's appear like we can't escape, and see what they have in store for us. They appear quite confident, they didn't take anything from me," Celes said.

  "Sure, we can give them a hard time if they are asking for it. I just hope we get something out of this."

  "Did you have anything better to do?" Celes said with a laugh.

  "I don't suppose that I do. At least we're here together." Vincent was all jokes and comfort, but he didn't feel right. These people were more dangerous than they appeared. But for now, he would wait, and see what opportunities were presented.

  24

  Sand and Water

  Alrion followed Ashra out into the oasis.

  "As you know, this is all an illusion. I'll demonstrate," Ashra said. He snapped his fingers and the lush scenery disappeared and was replaced by the desert, some rubble, and a stone wall.

  "It's still amazing to see," Alrion said.

  "Yes, it's a neat trick. But very difficult to do. We're not going start with that, and we may not even get there. But at least I will help you understand the principles at work and how to get started with manipulating water. The first thing we need to do, is to tap into your senses," Ashra said. He said down on the ground and directed Alrion to join him.

  "It's really hot," he said.

  "It is, but it's not dangerous. Your reaction to the heat can be managed, it's just another sense. Something that will come easier once you complete the Vault of Silence." Ashra paused for dramatic effect.

  "Can you tell me more about that?"

  "No. Concentrate on what we are here to do. Place your hand on the ground like this," Ashra said, demonstrating by placing his own palm on the ground.

  "Done."

  "Now there is a large reservoir of water below us, but it's deep. You need to visualise a drop of water falling from your palm, through the earth and re-joining the water below. Imagine that single drop rippling through the calm surface of the water, and sounding like the toll of a high-pitched bell," Ashra said. Alrion concentrated hard but struggled to do so. The only water he could imagine leaving his palm was his sweat from the extreme heat.

  "I can see that you are struggling. I'll help a little," Ashra said. He snapped his fingers again and a large tree put them in shade. Alrion felt cooler and more focused immediately.

  He focused again, visualising the droplet of water passing through the layers of earth and dripping into a large reservoir. He could hear the bell-like chime of the water echoing in the space and his mind filled with the awareness of the body of water.

  "Yes! That's it. Draw it up into your palm!" Ashra said.

  Alrion didn't know how to do that, but he could imagine it. He pictured himself scooping a handful of water and saw it materialise in his hand. "Wow! My hand is wet," Alrion said with surprise. He lifted his hand and saw the water below it sink back into the ground. He felt the wetness of his hand, and was amazed. "But how? Can anyone do that?" he said.

  "No, you need Spark for that. But the heavy lifting is done by your mind and visualisation. How are you feeling?" Ashra said.

  "Refreshed, which makes me wonder where this shelter came from," Alrion said, looking around.

  "It's all in your mind," Ashra said, snapping his fingers. The shade and shelter vanished and the sun was beating down on Alrion again.

  "Do you believe that I can create shelter and destroy it with merely a thought?"

  "No." Alrion could almost believe it though. But he would have felt silly to admit that.

  "Then how did I do it?"

  "An illusion?"

  "Precisely. But how did you feel when I did it?"

  "I felt like I was cooler, sheltered and I could focus better," Alrion said.

  "Exactly! And yet the same amount of sun was hitting you, and the ground was just as hot. But your perception changed. So, you felt more comfortable. Let that sink in," Ashra said. He stood up and paced around the area. Alrion was amazed by the revelation.

  "Seems like there's a lot you can do with illusions," Alrion said.

  "There certainly is. But they are very difficult. We'll only be able to lay down the groundwork before you leave."

  "Why?"

  "I can't keep you long, a day or two at most. And we also need to work on other things. For now, I want you to fill this bowl," Ashra said. He retrieved a plain circular bowl and placed it down in front of Alrion.

  "Fill it with water?"

  "Yes, you can draw it, so let's gather it," Ashra said.

  "Sure, let's give this a go." Alrion concentrated once more and began the visualisation.

  Hours passed and Alrion had finally filled the bowl.

  "I feel like I have sweated enough to fill it twice over," he said.

  "You also lost some to the heat of the desert," Ashra said.

  "That makes me feel a bit better."

  "Good. You did well, now drink it and let's move on." Ashra pointed at the water.

  "Drink it? Isn't that a waste?"

  "Do you see any other water around here? We can't have you fainting on me," Ashra said, laughing. Alrion drank the water, and it seemed particularly refreshing.

  "You can work on that more as you travel, but water is an essential element in many different spells. Next, we will work on earth manipulation. You need to understand how to use it, and how to counter it," Ashra said. He walked away and made a motion with his hands like he was pulling up the earth. A small mound of dirt piled up in front of him.

  "This should be easier for you. It's developing an affinity with the earth, then using force to manipulate it. You seem to be pretty good at using force through the air, this is just a different application," Ashra said.

  "Sounds sensible," Alrion said.

  "It is. Try it now. Focus yourself and gather up a pile of dirt like mine," Ashra said. Alrion looked at the ground and gathered his Spark, fuelling the fire within. He sent his force at the ground and imagined drawing out the earth into a mound. However, the opposite happened.
He managed to fling the dust everywhere. He could hear Ashra laughing amidst it.

  "That's an effective escape tool, but not quite what we were after. Pull, not push," he said.

  "That's what I was trying to do," Alrion said. Annoyed with himself.

  "You need to think about what you are doing, and not just assume that a simple change in your thinking will alter the result," Ashra said patiently. Alrion thought over what the older wizard had said, and decided to try again. He broke down his actions into smaller steps. It was working. He could sense that the process was working differently, and slowly but surely, he created a small dust pile.

  "That's better. See what I mean?" Ashra said.

  "Yes, there are fundamental steps that are different that I didn't alter the first time."

  "Yes. Your instincts are good, but you can't shortcut everything. But you see this pile, it's not useful. It has no strength of structure," Ashra said, kicking his pile of dirt. It dispersed without effort. He focused again and created a small wall of the same height.

  "Come and examine this," he said. Alrion walked over and felt the wall with his hand.

  "It's solid," he said.

  "Good. And what else?"

  "It's not as dry, is there water within it?"

  "Good. The sand and dirt here is so dry it is harder to maintain forms with it. A bit of water to bind it works wonders. Now you try to build a wall," he said. Alrion looked unsure, but looked back down at the ground and started to concentrate.

  He started to assemble the pile of dirt, and placed his hand on it to assist with drawing the water. And it worked, but not the way he had hoped. The water pooled into the middle of the pile, muddying it, and not assisting with any structural integrity.

  "That's quite a common problem," Ashra said.

  "How do I fix it?" Alrion said.

  "Less water and more distributed. You need to find a way to draw the water with more finesse. A pool of it doesn't help, as you can see."

  "Is there a trick to it?"

  "Of course, but it's something you need to puzzle out," Ashra said. He disassembled his wall and created himself a chair to sit in. He sat back, crossed his legs, and watched Alrion work.