"Of course. The first thing that people usually don't understand is that magic is not just for wizards. Wizards are just the most well-known and complete practitioners. I'll explain that point in a minute. But it should be made clear to you that your mother could use magic with a little instruction."
"Really?"
"Absolutely. There are forces in this world which anyone who has the knowledge of how to do so can summon and use. Of course, the effect is generally quite tame because you are leaning heavily on the natural order of things and not supplying any force of your own. But there you go, that's a common misconception."
"You just need a recipe then?"
"We do like to call them spells, but yes. With the proper instructions available, if you follow them to the letter you can achieve many things. However, this kind of knowledge is not widely available and usually guarded quite stringently because anybody can use it. It is something that Granthion started to combat with the Wizard Academy."
"And that was so wizards could collect and share these spells?"
"Exactly. This leads me to describe the first pillar of magic: Knowledge. With the right knowledge, you can cast spells with nothing else. Or, you can enhance or unlock capabilities unavailable to other people. Knowledge is something very important for wizards, as we need to be able to access and use all types of magic."
"Ok, I understand that. So, that's what I'll be focusing on at the Wizard Academy?"
"Mostly, yes. There will many types of training, but one key thing that sets wizards apart is knowledge so we will be transferring as much as possible to you. That is something you can learn most effectively at the Academy."
"What about other ways of using magic? Are there ways that do not require knowledge?"
"Well, yes and no. Let's just say that knowledge is a pervasive element that usually helps. However, to answer your question, yes, the other two pillars of magic do not necessarily need knowledge. The next one is Will. By force of Will, you can perform feats thought impossible. There are monks who train exclusively in the development of the Will. They can command their bodies and the world around them to behave in different ways. You could argue that there is an element of knowledge and training to this, but there have been examples of those who discovered these abilities with no prior knowledge or instruction."
"What are some examples?"
"They can move objects with thought alone, and break things with their body that should be too strong. They hone the strength of their will to challenge the laws of nature."
"Wow, that's pretty cool," Alrion said.
"It is indeed and has earned them fame as a result. Nevertheless, they must undergo very strict training and mental conditioning to get to that point. It is not an easy undertaking."
"Is it easier for a wizard?"
"It is if they have progressed enough in the other two pillars of magic to support the Will. But, fundamentally, there are no shortcuts. The wizard should be able to do more, but not skip over the development required."
"So, I could just go lock myself in a cave and eventually emerge with the ability to move things with my mind?"
"Not exactly, but theoretically yes. The potential is there if you can develop yourself in the right manner."
"Wouldn't it be easier to use spells?"
"It's all about having the right tool for the right occasion. The most potent magic combines all three pillars."
"What's the third one?"
"Spark. This is the one that we already tested. This is the only one that a wizard cannot learn or train in from nothing. You either have it when you are born, or you do not."
"You could have tested me years ago?"
"Yes, and you would have most likely passed. However, it is better to train wizards later when they are stronger physically and mentally. It is a hard path, but very rewarding."
"What does the Spark do?"
"The Spark is like the fuel that lights the fire. Which is part of the reason the test has been designed that way. It's an easy way to explain the importance of Spark, and why it is key to being a wizard. Spark is innate magic, but you need Knowledge and Will to use it effectively. You could recite a spell to create a tiny flame, but your Spark will fuel that flame into something else entirely."
"That's why I scorched the ceiling."
"Exactly. Your Spark can amplify many different spells; some require your Spark as a key ingredient. Therefore, only those with the Spark can truly call themselves wizards. Since you cannot have mastery over magic without having all three," Falric explained. Alrion listened carefully and thought about what he had learned.
"Let's break for lunch over there, it looks like a nice shady spot," Vincent said, pointing ahead.
"Good idea," Falric said. The three of them pushed forward and tied their horses to a giant tree to one side of the road. A nice grassy area under the shade of the tree looked inviting, and they sat down to eat some of the food provided by Celes.
After Alrion ate, he spoke up.
"Falric, how did you become a wizard?" he said.
"Your grandfather found me. He was searching for new initiates to build the Wizard Academy. He travelled the entire world, seeking out any who were willing and able to be trained," Falric said.
"What were you doing before that?"
"I was studying to be a scholar. Destined for a life with my head in books, researching and writing papers. The funny thing is, that's how it ended up anyway. Only the books were mostly spellbooks and my writing was reports and letters."
"That sounds different to the wizard's life you explained."
"It is unusual. Before Granthion, it would have been unheard of. It was one of the sacrifices required to make his vision of the Wizard Academy a reality. The life of adventure was not for me, as it turned out."
"We're happy to have provided you the opportunity for a mini adventure, right Alrion?" Vincent said.
"And you can thank us by providing a quick magic demonstration," Alrion said.
"Of what? I'm not a performer you know," Falric said, chuckling.
"Just show me the three pillars of magic in action."
"Alright. Let me think for a moment," Falric said, closing his eyes.
"I have just the thing. Let us walk slightly further from the road, just in case," he said, and set off. Alrion jumped up and followed quickly behind, while Vincent took his time following. Falric stopped within a minute and looked around.
"This will do just fine," he said. Alrion watched with burning curiosity.
"First I'm going to start with a very useful spell. This one draws out water from the atmosphere," Falric said. He held out his hand and a small pool of water formed in his palm.
"Wow," Alrion said.
"Next, I will use my will to work with the water," Falric said. The water started to move, drawing up, twirling into the shape of a sphere, and hovering gently above Falric's hand.
"Hang on, what you just did there isn't magic?"
"Technically no, I imposed my will onto the water. The right shaped container would cause it to have this shape, why can't I compel it to do so as well?" Falric said. Alrion didn't have a reply.
"Next, we can spice it up a little bit," Falric said. The sphere of water grew in size and started to crystallise. With a snap, the process was completed and a ball of ice fell back into his hand. He threw it over to Alrion.
"It's cold," Alrion said, laughing.
"Exactly. I used my spark to draw more water and cooled it past its freezing point. And now you are holding it."
"Wow. I see what you mean. Wouldn't it be a good idea to teach people that water spell? So that they can find water when they need it?" Alrion said.
"Unfortunately, the volume is far too small with the base version of the spell. There are much better ways of gathering water, so it's not really worth it. But, for a wizard, it is incredibly useful. You just need the right training and experience."
"You'll have to teach me that."
&n
bsp; "All in good time, that and much more."
"Nice trick," Vincent said as they were walking back to the horses. Alrion threw the ball of ice at him and Vincent caught it. He removed a flask of water from his saddlebag and crushed some of the ice into it.
"Thanks," Vincent said, enjoying a swig of the colder water. Alrion laughed.
"That was a lot of magic just to cool your drink," Falric said with a chuckle. With the demonstration over, they packed up and resumed their ride.
For a time, there was not much to look at on the ride. The scenery was empty woodland to either side of the path, with the occasional track peeling off.
"They probably lead to homes," Vincent commented when he noticed Alrion staring at one. Then farms started appearing once more and signs of civilisation were apparent. Other paths forked off the main road, wooden signposts naming them.
"Not far now," Vincent said.
"To where?" Alrion said.
"Carford. The biggest town around here, and a bit of a trading hub. I think you'll like it," Vincent said. Alrion reserved judgement but was curious to see it. Finally, he started to see buildings looming in the distance. In front of them were large stone walls. They didn't go around the whole town, but blocked off each side of the road a good distance and converged in a peak over the main entry. He couldn't see much past them but noticed a large flow of people, horses, and wagons going in and out of the entry.
"What do you think son?" Vincent said.
"Big," Alrion said.
"Bigger, but this is still small. Just you wait until you see somewhere like Brangtur, now that's big."
"I guess this is big enough for now," Alrion said with a laugh. He looked at the people flooding the road and noticed that they seemed less carefree and happy than those from his village. A bit more stressed, and more purposeful.
There were large guards, clad in chain mail and shiny metal helmets standing at each end of the entry scowling at the people coming in. They had swords at their hips but otherwise didn't seem too threatening. Alrion wondered how active they actually were.
As their horses stepped through the gates Alrion felt a wave of wonder pass over him as he took in the sights of Carford. It was a fitting beginning to his adventure.
6
A Chance Encounter
After the entry, the road opened out into a giant square. There were stalls around the edge of the square, and streets going off in four different directions. There were even a few brass statues littered about.
"Who are they?" Alrion said pointing at the statues.
"Famous warriors from the past. Ones that either governed the town or rescued them from sieges or raids. They are immortalised in brass to commemorate their contribution," Falric said. Vincent nodded along at the information.
"Are there any statues of wizards?"
"Unfortunately, not, wizards don't inspire the same kind of following and support. I think it has to do with what we do. People can understand a man who fights for his people. They find it hard to understand the intricacies of what a wizard does. It isn't always clear what we actually achieve. I think many wizards would not achieve any recognition at all in their lifetime, only future generations would be able to look back and join the dots."
"So, it's a fairly thankless pursuit then?"
"On a grand scale, yes, but don't worry there will be plenty of opportunities for you to make a difference for people and they will know it. But think of your grandfather, he certainly made a big difference on the world stage," Falric said looking at Vincent.
"I can confirm that people knew about him," Vincent said, without adding anything else. As they rode through the square, Alrion looked around at the buildings. They were all bigger than those at Hamley, and many had multiple stories. They were all made out of stone and looked solid and imposing.
"How did they build all this?" Alrion said, half talking to himself.
"Over a very long time," Falric said.
"I can imagine," Alrion said. They pushed on straight ahead, passing through the square. Many smaller buildings started to line the streets, most of them looking like houses. They approached a corner and noticed a huge and striking building sitting there. It had a grand entrance, stables off to the side and a giant shield shaped sign hanging from the roof.
"We are here," Falric said. Alrion read the sign.
"The Sundered Shield?"
"Yes, that's it, there's a great story to this place. I'll tell you once we are inside. Vincent, can you take care of the horses?" Falric said.
"Sure," Vincent said dismounting and retrieving his bag. Once Alrion had dismounted, Vincent threw his own bag at his son's feet and started gathering up the horses. Falric dismounted with grace and shouldered his bag, walking into the establishment.
Alrion bent down and grabbed both the bags, quickly straightening as he balanced the weight. As he rose he bumped into something, and stepped back in surprise. There was an olive-skinned woman walking past. Her short blonde hair and plain clothing surprised him.
"Sorry," she said and kept walking. Alrion watched her go, fascinated. There was something different about her. It wasn't just the way she had dressed, but something about her mannerisms. She soon disappeared into the crowd and he turned back to enter the inn.
The interior of The Sundered Shield was dark, even though a few lamps were strung from the ceiling. There were so many long wooden tables Alrion had trouble seeing the floor and where he could walk. He saw that Falric was up at the bar talking to one of the women working there. Alrion joined him.
"If not three rooms, surely we could get two?"
"We're almost full, we could do two rooms if one of you is willing to pay for a prestige room."
"I'll get that. What's the difference?"
"Nicer furnishings, private water jug and so forth."
"Sold," Falric said, dropping a small pile of gold coins into her hands.
"Excellent. Your assistant can come with me and drop off your bags," the woman said. Alrion wanted to say something but Falric waved him off and handed Alrion his bag as well.
With a sigh, Alrion followed the woman up the stairs. She was dressed in a blue and white dress, and it swished left and right as she ascended. She moved swiftly, her curly brown hair bouncing along as she walked. At the end of the hallway, they stopped and she unlocked the door.
"This is the prestige suite," she said. Alrion stepped inside and placed Falric's bag on the bed. It looked nice but didn't seem that special. Once he left the room, she locked the door and gave him the key.
"Next stop is your room," she said. They returned to the other end of the hallway and she stopped outside a dingy looking door, covered with scuffmarks.
"This is your room," she said as she unlocked the door. Alrion could see how cramped it was, with two tiny beds taking up most of the room. He placed the bags inside and stepped out again.
"Here's your key," the woman said and handed it to Alrion. He locked the door and proceeded back downstairs. He saw his father sitting with Falric in the corner of the room and walked straight over.
"We all settled in?" Falric said.
"Yes, and here's your key," Alrion said, handing it over.
"You keep our key, take a seat," Vincent said, shuffling over. Alrion sat down next to him.
"So how far are we?" Alrion said.
"From the academy? Not far we will get there tomorrow," Falric said.
"That's not too bad."
"Not at all. Although I think your father will be disappointed by how short his trip will be," Falric said. Vincent shrugged.
"I'd like to know more about being a wizard. And you were also going to tell me about this place," Alrion said.
"Ah yes, the Sundered Shield. As it so happens I can do both at the same time. I was involved in the story that gave this inn its name."
"I didn't know that," Vincent said.
"There's a lot you don't know about me," Falric said, a crafty smile on his face.
"This particular town was originally a smaller village, like your home. A group of mercenaries and bandits camped nearby. They were passing through and needed supplies so they performed a few raids on the local villages. Nobody put up much resistance, so the hardened warriors decided to settle in for a longer stay, which was the start of it all," Falric said, pausing to take a swig of the ale in front of him.
"Right, so after a few of these raids, there was a man called Ryder who took issue with the bandits. He was just a local farmer but was sick of dealing with them. But, what could he do? He was just one man. So, he decided to do what one man could do: steal from them. He snuck out to their camp at night, after they had all passed out from drink. While they were asleep he took as much food as he could lay his hands on, and took off with the food and the leader's horse."
"I bet they weren't impressed," Alrion said.
"Not at all. The townsfolk were divided. Some praised his action, some criticised him for making trouble. They decided to eat all the food and set the horse loose so there was no evidence. The bandits came back the next day, demanding answers. But the town denied everything, and they left."
"He got away with it?" Alrion said.
"Well, not quite. You see Ryder felt bolder after his success, and went back again. He crept back to their camp, made sure they were asleep, and started to steal more food. This time the bandit leader was lying in wait and caught Ryder red-handed. Ryder fled, but it was no use. The bandit leader had recognised him. Fearing reprisals, the farmer came to the Wizard Academy and begged for help."
"So, you met him there?"
"Yes, I did. He made a convincing case, but we didn't want to get involved. That would just direct the ire of the bandits to the academy, and we didn't want that. Besides, I believe the role of a wizard should be less direct. There can be a truly incredible power imbalance, and the more we stay out of things the better,” Falric said.
"He left?"
"Not before he stole a shield from our inventory. It was a curious piece, looked completely generic. But, it had a special power. I let him take it of course, curious as to what he would do. I followed him back to see what would happen next."
Pool of Knowledge (The Hidden Wizard Book 1) Page 4