Red Wizard of Atlantis

by Ravek Hunter

  “Does your family trade in goods other than wine?” Havacian asked when they were on the road.

  “Wine is the primary trade. Although they do sell dates, olive oil, and dyes for textiles in the city, but not enough of it to export. Mekali wine is what our grove is known for, and it is well regarded in the Western Kingdoms and as far away as Tarre and the Mouillians.” Qel was proud of his family’s business.

  Havacian began speaking about something regarding the Mouillians, but Qel was hardly listening. His mind had wandered back to his childhood, when his whole family used to come to the estate during the summer months. He was the youngest of three sisters and a brother and was considered the intellectual one of his siblings given his talent for mathematics from a very early age. By the time he reached puberty, he had mastered trade accounting and was working with the accounting staff in the family business keeping the books accurate, although he considered it very dull, tedious work.

  There was one interest Qel enjoyed above all others, and he relished the rare occasions to pursue it during the time before he was taken to the Enclave. He was always fascinated with astronomy and spent almost every night as a youth staring at the cosmos with a telescopic device amplified with lenses and magic. It was a gift from his parents on his seventh birthday. Qel studied the intricate movements of planets and stars across the night sky and kept extensively detailed logs that were likely still on shelves in his old room.

  That was also the time in his life when he started to notice a capacity to visualize and focus with incredible intensity. Soon he was able to perform completely different tasks independently, like writing and reading, to his parents astonishment. It was perhaps only a year after that when his desires involving natural elements began to manifest themselves physically. It could have been something as simple as wishing for a fresh wind and having one suddenly manifest, or he would think to start a fire and a flame would appear at his fingertips. Once he even wished to dig a hole and one appeared where and how he wanted it. He could never conjure anything very grand, like a pet hartebeest, or wings that would let him fly. It was a good thing, considering his age and the fantastical things he would wish for.

  “Do you remember when they took you for Assessment?” he asked Havacian.

  “How could anyone forget a gang of strangers showing up at your door and whisking you off to the Enclave, where the Yellow Wizards poked and prodded at your mind for several days? I was ten, and scared to death.”

  “All those concentration and focus exercises controlling small feats of magic that went on endlessly.” Qel barely suppressed a shudder. “Although I have to admit that I did enjoy the ride on the flying disc. That had to be the most exhilarating time of my life up until then.”

  Even though Qel had known he would be assessed by the wizards at some point, he didn’t know exactly when it would happen. No one ever did. All Atlantean children were assessed at around the age of ten for skills and abilities that might lead them into the temple or the Imperial Order of Wizards. If a child had passing abilities that would soon disappear, they would be sent home. If the wizards detected an attunement with the Atlantean Sea God Pontus, the child would be sent to the priests. If a child had an affinity for the physical arts associated with the elements, then they would go to the Wizards Enclave. His sister, fifteen years his elder, was sent to the Temple and eventually became a respected high priestess of Pontus. Qel was in the third group, and they didn’t even let him go home to say goodbye to his parents. They were summoned to the Enclave, where they shared a few tears and words of encouragement before he was left in the wizards’ care. It was especially hard on his mother. From then on, he would see them three or four times a year if he maintained his studies at an acceptable level. He always did.

  Qel was eventually found to have abilities in line with the Red Hall, and that’s where he was sent. It was an exciting change from the mundane life he led at home, and he embraced it. At the hall, he learned to do new tricks and to control his abilities the first year. It was fun, a young boy exploring a new world. It became much more difficult the second year and each year thereafter.

  Twenty years later, he was going home, and he was no longer a child, the last of his siblings to find a calling. With one sister as a high priestess, a second working as an imperial administrator, a third that handled the distribution for Mekali wine, and his only brother as an architect and builder, his family would now have a Red Wizard to count among them. He hoped his parents would be proud.

  A few hours later, Qel and Havacian were in sight of his family’s estate, which was perched atop a high rocky ledge amid row upon row of vineyards that covered the south and southwest slopes of the hills all around them. A few Atlanteans tended the vines on their floating disks, checking for air flow and water drainage, inspecting roots, and monitoring the health of the crop. Qel knew the work well. These were not servants. They were experts in their field and respected professionals. If servants were ever required, they hired humans to fill those roles. No Atlantean could ever be counted among the servants of any house.

  They followed the tree-lined road through the open gates of the wall that surrounded and protected the main house fronted by high marble columns and the complex of smaller homes and outbuildings behind it. Two Atlantean warriors clad in Aurinium armor hailed them when they came to a stop in front of the house where an older human man stood ready to take their horse.

  “Your business today, sirs?” one of the guards inquired.

  Qel and Havacian dismounted, and he handed the reins of his horse to the stableman. “I am Qellel of this house. Please advise my parents that I am home.”

  The guard smiled. “We have been expecting you, but you do not look like the young boy who left here years ago. Please follow me inside for refreshments while your mother is informed of your arrival. Your father is out of the house at the moment. Welcome home.”

  They all walked through the thick double doors of the main entrance to the house and into a comfortable sitting room where a human servant brought a bowl of water and wash towels for them to clean up. Another servant soon arrived with a flagon of wine, glasses, and a plate piled with olive bread drizzled with olive oil.

  Washing his face and arms quickly, Qel was excited and nervous at the same time. Once his mother acknowledged him as her son and Havacian as a guest, the guards would allow them to freely go about the property. He sat with Havacian in comfortable chairs and sampled the olive bread.

  “I missed this,” he said between bites. “Nothing reminds me more of my home than the freshly baked olive bread and Mekali wine.”

  “It is delicious,” Havacian agreed.

  “Thank you,” a female voice came from the doorway. “It is my own recipe.”

  “Mother!” Qel jumped up and embraced her.

  She hugged him tightly. “It has been too long, child. Are you well?”

  “I am perfectly well. How are you and Father?”

  She smiled. “We miss our children.”

  Qel turned to Havacian, who stood awkwardly with a piece of olive bread stuck to his cheek. “Mother, this is my good friend Havaciante of House Talika.”

  His mother walked over to Havacian and removed the bit of bread to his obvious embarrassment and then hugged him warmly. “I am pleased to finally meet you. Qel has written about you in the few letters we received from him over the years.”

  Havacian placed his hands over his heart in a formal greeting. “It is my pleasure and gratitude for your hospitality, Honored Mother.”

  She sat in one of the plush chairs and motioned for them to sit as well.

  “House Talika is a banking family, is it not?” Qel was sure his mother already knew the answer to any questions she might ask about his friend’s family. She had always been very protective of him, even from afar. Anyone Qel ever mentioned as a friend or associate she would know more about by the end of the day than he would in his lifetime.

  “It is, Honored Mother. For man
y generations now. One of my brothers and a sister will continue the tradition.”

  “Your family is very well-known and regarded in Atlantis. Please convey my respects to your parents when you next write to them.”

  “I will, Honored Mother,” Havacian promised.

  She turned then to Qel. “Your father and sister are out looking after a new harvest of grapes for next winter’s ice wine. They should be in soon. Your old room has been prepared, and a guest room for Havacian is nearby. Will you be staying the summer?”

  Qel looked at his boots. “No, Mother, just a week or so. We are on Discovery and plan to travel the world if we can.”

  “A week?” Her tone was anything but approving. “After twenty years away from home, you will stay only a week? Qellel, I am disappointed. I had hoped we could spend more time together.”

  Qel could feel the guilt mounting. His mother was very good at getting her way when she expertly applied guilt on her children’s consciences. “I’m sorry, Mother, but we have a duty and only a limited time to learn what we need to before returning to the Enclave.” He gave her a besieged look, his counterbalance to her guilt. “But I will be sure to see you much more often now that we are no longer tied to the masters.”

  To his relief, she relented. “Very well, my child, but I expect letters more frequently from now on.”

  “I promise.” He smiled.

  She stood, and Qel and Havacian stood with her. “Go get cleaned up and rested before the evening meal, and we will talk more then.”

  Pleasantries exchanged, his mother left the room, and Qel led Havacian to the guest room before going on to his own. Memories were flooding back with every step, and Qel truly began to wish that he could spend the summer here, but he also knew that it was not enough for him to go back to his family and continue in the role he held previously. Nor did he desire that life anymore. He and Havacian had a plan that would begin in Avalon and then move onto the rest of the world, where they would meet unusual people and experience fantastic cultures. It was an exciting time in his life that he would not squander.

  They would stay long enough to satisfy his mother and learn what they could from the Battle Wizard Traegarlin if he arrived, and then they would be on their way. His mother would continue to guilt him into staying longer no matter how long they were there, and a subtle battle of wills would play out. As the youngest child, she had always babied him and tried to keep him close. If it weren’t for the Enclave, he was sure he would have been smothered. That’s how it stood, he thought. Fend off his mother for a week while learning something useful from a Battle Wizard that might save his life. He wasn’t sure which part of that thought might be the bigger challenge.

  Chapter 6

  Ἀτλαντίς

  Lessons

  “I observed your pathetic attempts to affect the Troll with your feeble fire spells before I saved your skins.” Qel felt himself cringe under the intense gaze trained on him before moving to Havacian. “And you! You might as well have been meat on a stick served up for that creature as much as you did to help.”

  “Well, I—” Havacian began to protest.

  “Be quiet and listen!” the Battle Wizard snapped. “What I teach you over the next several days will save your lives. Neither of you fools has any idea what you will be facing out there in the world. Look at what you had to face only a few leagues out of Atlantis!”

  The Battle Wizard, Traegarlin, arrived at the Mekali Estate just as promised and proceeded to engage Qel and Havacian in a rigorous training schedule. Qel decided in advance not to mention to his family the incident with the Mountain Troll that prompted the circumstance of their meeting. He didn’t want to worry them, especially his mother. Qel explained the Battle Wizard’s appearance as a planned part of their training, and his father was more than happy to welcome an Exalted One as a guest in his house.

  They were gathered in the early morning, a league west of the main house on a flat, grassy plain that abutted the shore of the broad, lazy meandering of the Orseo River that coursed over the savannah from the northwest. It was a cool, breezy day with the scent of field flowers in the air that reminded Qel of his childhood. He recalled memories of swimming with his brother and sisters in the Orseo, camping under the stars at night, and telling stories huddled around a bonfire. Now, here he was, learning how to properly defend himself with his magical talent under the spontaneous tutelage of a Battle Wizard who saved him from a Troll. Despite the cantankerous nature of their teacher, Qel felt good this morning and looked forward to the lessons.

  Traegarlin paused to study them both a moment, and Qel caught his breath. Did I miss something with the distraction of my brief daydreaming? From the absence of sound coming from Havacian, he guessed that he was doing the same. To Qel’s relief, the Battle Wizard continued on. “I will have each of you tell me why you failed with the Mountain Troll, and then we will begin the appropriate exercises. We have very little time, and you two need a mountain of work, so we will get right into it. Qellel, I’ll start with you.”

  Qel was starting to feel like a first-year apprentice again, regardless, he was determined to learn what he could from this man. “I have difficulty drawing significant power quickly. It always comes, but it takes time to build to a sufficient level.” It was always a deficiency for Qel with anything that involved conjuring magic. Master Ampher was never overly concerned about it and suggested that it would come with time and practice. Unfortunately, when it came down to just seconds, defending his life or another’s, he didn’t have the luxury of time.

  “And you, Havaciante?” the Battle Master prompted.

  “I just freeze up.” Qel averted his eyes to avoid compounding the embarrassment his friend must be experiencing with the admission. “I don’t know why.”

  Traegarlin nodded in silent contemplation, as if weighing their disabilities. “Neither of your conditions is unique, and fortunately the solution is the same. I expect you both to put every effort into the skills that I teach you. I will not waste my time. If I believe you are not prepared to adequately defend yourselves on your own, I will send you back to the Enclave for further training.” He looked them each in the eyes. “Yes, I can do that. The Imperial Order of Wizards would far prefer to interrupt your Discovery and train you to live in the world than leave you on your own to die in it. The masters have softened too much over the years and focus far more on the academics than practical survivability beyond the walls of Atlantis. Now let’s begin.”

  The training commenced with exercises that emphasized focus and concentration while enduring stress and distraction. Qel committed himself to everything Traegarlin asked of him. Both he and Havacian were used to the rigorous discipline required in the Enclave, and this would be no different. Qel put every effort into mastering the shortcuts and techniques supplied by the Battle Wizard, and by the end of two weeks of intensive practice, they had made significant progress. Initially, Traegarlin said he would spend no more than a week training them, but by the end, he was so impressed with their progress that he decided to extend the training by another two weeks. Qel was proud that they had impressed the Battle Wizard and grateful for his time. It also pleased his mother that they would be staying a few days longer.

  On the last day, they stood together on a hill overlooking the grasslands, quietly taking in the beauty of the setting sun behind the far-distant Atlas Mountain Range. Without turning to look at them, the Battle Wizard spoke softly, as if to honor the last light of the day, and spoke into the wind. “Your advantage will be in the water,” the Battle Wizard addressed Havacian. “You have the skills and the tools to sink ships and control the waters around you. If you returned to the Enclave to be a Battle Wizard, your place would be on a naval ship patrolling the waters around the Emerald Isle or protecting imperial merchant ships that ply the Primal Sea.”

  “And what about on land? Will I be at a disadvantage then, Exalted One?” Havacian asked.

  “You will be fine in
most situations. You are quick with the lightning and energy bolts—stick to those. Your disadvantage is that you have fewer options on land than you would in a water environment because of the focus of your training.”

  “Now, Qellel.” The Battle Wizard still stared out over the plains. “You have made tremendous progress since I arrived. Your advantage is the huge breadth of tools that you have available to you, whether it’s controlling the environment, utilizing the elements around you, or causing damage to your opponent with fire. Especially fire.” The Battle Wizard did turn then and put his hand on Qel’s shoulder. “You must continue the exercises that I have taught you every day, and soon you will be fast-casting equal to Havacian or anyone. It’s within you to do it. I have no doubt about that.”

  “Thank you for taking the time to train us, Exalted One.” Qel bowed respectfully to the Battle Wizard. “I promise to be diligent and practice what I have learned.” He looked over to Havacian. “I will be more prepared to face those who intend to cause harm to the people that I care about or me.”

  The Battle Wizard smiled; it had an unusual effect on the lines of his hard face. “I believe you will. When you return from your Discovery, find me in the Enclave if either of you has interest in joining our elite group. If you are worthy, I can help.”

  That evening, the Battle Wizard departed. From out of nowhere, his two Atlantean warrior escorts showed up on their floating disks, and without a hint of social grace, they all flew off into the darkness together. Qel was eager to get underway as well, except that he and Havacian had agreed to spend one more week at his home to satisfy his mother and rest after the arduous training of the past three weeks. Under the guidance of the Battle Wizard, Qel was nearly proficient at fast-casting powerful spells in about half the time of when he started. He still needed to cut that time down another half if he was going to be as capable as Havacian. The Battle Wizard also recommended that he learn to utilize the energy of the Source Crystal he wore around his neck. Qel agreed, but it would also require a shift in the way he summoned the power and might, for a while, cost him a little more casting time before it helped. Despite this temporary hindrance, with everything he had learned, Qel felt confident that he would achieve a respectable skill level with a little more time and a lot of practice.