"I'm next," Alrion thought, and he ducked back behind the trees he had just emerged from. He continued to peer through to see what the wizard was doing. He seemed to be watching carefully for any signs of Falric. After he was satisfied, he looked over at where Alrion was hiding. Alrion froze with fear, unable to act.
"I can't fight that," he thought. The black wizard's gaze remained fixed on Alrion's location for a moment, then continued. The wizard relaxed and started walking away, back toward the road. Alrion ducked down and crept away in the opposite direction, trying to stay hidden. Once he had reached the last piece of cover, he stayed in the brush waiting. After he thought it was safe, he emerged to inspect the scene of the battle. There were huge tracts of earth missing or displaced, some appearing molten and still glowing. He avoided those and carefully stepped over to the edge. Below were the lake and the shore, but there was a huge mess of earth and rocks now on the ground. A colossal chunk of the cliff was missing and dispersed down below.
"Falric is down there somewhere. But there's no way he survived," Alrion thought. But he couldn't abandon his friend and mentor. So, he found a way to clamber down the broken cliff, the destruction forging a path for him. He picked up some cuts and bruises on the way, but he arrived at the bottom on unsteady feet. The extent of the damage was even worse up close. He couldn't believe how much rubble was here.
"Better get started," Alrion thought. He wasn't sure where to look, so started moving larger stones that looked like they could roll. It was slow progress and felt reassuring but when he stepped back to survey his progress, it looked like he had achieved nothing.
"Falric!" he called out. His desperation had increased, and time was against him. There was little chance that the wizard would be back. He listened closely for any signs of a response. Nothing.
"I've got to do something," Alrion thought. His frustration was rising. He couldn't help Falric in his time of need. He felt useless.
"Damn it!" Alrion cried out, kicking out at rocks. He latched onto the feelings of doubt, frustration, and helplessness and tried to use them. He felt his Spark and amplified it. Then he pictured in his mind, all the earth and the rocks and the dirt flying away and revealing Falric. He focused all his might and once he had reached his limit let it all out in an explosive push. It was cathartic and freeing. And destructive. He couldn't see due to all the dust in the air. He closed his eyes and waited for it all to settle.
His senses were heightened by his tension and the magic he had just unleashed, and he could feel the dust falling to the ground. His breathing slowed, and panic took over.
"What if the wizard sensed the magic and returned looking for Falric?" Alrion thought. He felt a pit in his stomach, knowing that he would be powerless in that situation. As visibility returned to the area, he surveyed what he had done. Damaged and scattered rocks covered the whole area. But all he had done was remove a layer or two of rubble. There were still plenty of rocks covering the ground.
"How could there be so much?" Alrion wondered as he walked around. He prodded rocks here and there, hoping that he would find a giant nook with Falric lying safely within but he found nothing.
"No!" Alrion called out, softer this time. Despair was rising within him as he realised that Falric was gone. Even if he had survived the fall and the rockslide, he was too weak to free himself and Alrion had been unable to excavate the rocks either. He could do nothing more. Alrion slammed his arm against a nearby pile of rocks, briefly enjoying the release but not relishing the pain. He looked around once more and felt only one thing: alone.
Alrion walked along the shore, looking for a way to return to their camp without having to climb up the rocks. He was also secretly hoping that he would spot something useful on his way but once he passed the impact site, nothing else suggested that anyone was there. With each step away, his heart felt heavier as he walked away from his mentor. He remembered his fear of the black wizard returning, but in that moment, he didn't care.
"How can I be the chosen one, when I can't even help one person? There's no way I can reach the Pool of Knowledge by myself," Alrion thought. He kept walking, unsure of what to do next but knowing he should at least collect their things.
He arrived back at the camp, expecting to see it ransacked and destroyed but it was exactly as he had left it. He carefully examined Falric's belongings, trying to find any clues as to how things had happened. His bag was undisturbed, and his bed had been slept in.
"It just looks like he awoke and went straight to confront the black wizard," Alrion thought. He rifled through Falric's things, looking for anything that might be of use. There was a notebook and some clothes, but nothing of note.
"He already gave me the spellbook," Alrion thought. That would have been the most valuable thing. Alrion packed up Falric's things and left the bag on the ground. Then he did the same for his own belongings. Soon he was staring at an empty campsite, with two bags and a horse tied up. He mounted the horse with both the bags and started to ride away.
He took the long path around, returning to the shore where Falric had fallen. He dismounted and walked on foot to the middle of the destruction. He dug out a few rocks and placed Falric’s bag into the nook.
"Farewell my friend, you deserved better. I am sorry I couldn't be more help. I feel responsible for the whole thing. You were only here to protect me, but you shouldn't have lost your life. I'm not worth it, no matter what that trial said. I can't go on, I can't complete our quest. But I'll return your spellbook to the Academy so that your knowledge will not be lost," Alrion said. Despite his best efforts, a tear dripped onto the bag, and he quickly covered it with more stones.
"This is not right. Why did this happen?" Alrion thought as he walked away. He mounted the horse and turned away, wanting to put the whole thing behind him as fast as possible. He took his time returning to the road, not wishing to injure the horse, then kicked the horse into a gallop.
"Let's go home," he thought. It would mean dealing with the issue of his father having gone ahead, but he would understand. "I'll send a letter when I get to a proper town."
It would still be an adventure getting home, but he just had to retrace his steps. With care, he could do it; it would just take time. He barely even took in the scenery, instead focusing on what he would need to return. He almost didn't notice the lone figure standing on the road ahead. When he did he stopped abruptly, almost falling off the horse. He couldn't see who it was, the shape of the person concealed by a cloak.
His first thought was that the black wizard had indeed found him but after the initial shock, he saw that it wasn't the case. The figure was too short and didn't have the same aura of dread and despair. No, this was someone else. But it was too coincidental that they were just standing there, looking at him. Waiting.
"I guess I don't really have a choice. That's the way home, and that person is in the way. I'll have to go and see who they are," Alrion thought. He nudged the horse forward, and slowly approached the mysterious figure.
"At least since I'm mounted I can make a hasty escape if required." He knew that trouble was up, one way or another.
24
The Return
"Hello there stranger," a female voice said. At first, Alrion didn't recognise it but knew it was familiar. He squinted at the figure, trying to discern more detail about who it was.
"Don't tell me you forgot about me already?" the voice continued, tinged with disappointment.
"Show your face," Alrion said. The figure drew back her hood.
"Lara, wasn't it? I don't really have the patience for your games today."
"Not even to get your ring back?"
"Sorry too late. Don't care."
"That's a big change of heart. Where are your friends?" she said looking around.
"One is dead, the other has gone ahead."
"I didn't expect that..." Lara said.
"Neither did I."
"So where are you heading now?"
"Home.
If you feel like following me again, I can guarantee that it will be a boring trip so you shouldn't bother."
"You don't have the look of someone who completed his quest."
"My quest? What would you know anyway?"
"I've been watching and following. I know your group was up to something. Something important. But it looks like you are giving up."
"Not that it's any of your business, but you're right. But I don't care for your judgement. You are just a petty thief," Alrion said. He nudged his horse forward.
"I am neither of those things," Lara said, tossing something at Alrion hard. He caught it against his chest and looked closely. It was the pouch containing his ring, the one given to him by his father.
"This doesn't change anything. Just leave me alone," Alrion said, pocketing the ring and directing the horse to the side to navigate around her. Lara stepped in front of the horse again.
"That was a sign of good faith. Just talk to me about this. You may think of me as a nobody, but I've followed your trail since Carford and I've seen some crazy things on the way. The more I think about it, the more I realise that something important is happening and I want to get involved. So just talk to me," Lara said. Alrion paused and looked at her. The playful edge from her voice was gone. It was flat and direct.
"Maybe she is telling the truth?" he thought. He wanted to just storm off, but there was something oddly sincere about what she had said. He searched her face for a reason to ride away.
"There's a campsite not far from here. Let's go there."
"Are you going to make me walk?"
"Fine," Alrion said, shuffling forward on the horse and giving her a spot to jump on. She clambered up with ease and held onto him.
"Don't fall off," Alrion said and turned the horse around, riding back to the campsite. He didn't really want to return, but it was the only sensible place and it wasn't far. Lara didn't even try to say anything, which was fine by him. It would be hard enough talking to her as it was, so any break in the conversation was good.
When they arrived back at the campsite, Alrion immediately looked over at where he had spent the night. He could see the impression where Falric had slept. He held back a tear, it was still all so raw. He mechanically dismounted and pulled out a blanket from his pack, and laid it out on the ground. Lara sat down, and he sat next to her.
"So, what are we talking about?"
"What happened here?" Lara said.
"We stayed here overnight. I awoke early, noticing something was wrong. I found my friend Falric battling an evil wizard," Alrion said. He looked at Lara, but she didn't say anything, waiting for him to continue.
"I was frozen, unsure of what to do. Falric noticed me and waved me away, so I hid. Within minutes it was over, and he was buried under the rubble of the collapsed hillside."
"That's intense. Is that wizard still around?"
"No, I think he has left now."
"Is that the same one that has been following you the whole time?"
"How do you know about that?"
"Like I said I've been following, and you have left a massive trail behind you. So much destruction."
"It's not my fault, and that's why we split up. To try and confuse them and stop the pursuit."
"What are they after?"
"I don't know. Either me or what I am after."
"Which is?"
"I don't know if I can trust you."
"Why not?"
"Like you said you have been here all along. You could be part of their plan, and giving me the ring is a ruse to gain my trust!"
"Don't hold back there. Look, I don't know what else I can do to convince you, but let me say this. You're alone, and you're abandoning your quest, whatever it is. Do you really think it's acceptable to do that and make your friend's sacrifice meaningless?"
"What do you mean my friend's sacrifice?"
"From what you said it is clear that he ended the fight before you could intervene to ensure that the other wizard would not go after you."
"It does seem like that," Alrion said, looking down at the ground. He felt worse.
"I've been drifting for a long time. Floating from town to town, taking what I needed to survive, doing odd jobs. Not classy stuff. I didn't know what I was seeking all that time. But now I know. It's a purpose. I've been adrift with no purpose."
"And now?"
"And now I've seen that you are on an important mission and you need my help. I want to help."
"Why do I need your help?"
"No offense, but you're greener than the grass. You've no experience of the world, and despite what you have been doing on this trip you're still new. I have many useful skills, I've been just about everywhere, and I can spot danger coming. I've got great instincts," Lara said. He didn't respond immediately.
"What do you get out of it?"
"I get to do something meaningful. I am tired of wandering aimlessly."
"Where do we go from here? If I agree that is."
"You tell me what we're doing, and we turn around and we hit the trail again. You set the rules of engagement," Lara said, standing up. Alrion also stood.
"I'm tired, and I've been through hell this last day. You're right, in that I was giving up. I feel helpless and alone and like a failure. What's to stop us failing at the next trial anyway?" he said.
"I tailed you here, without being spotted by your pursuers, across several forms of transport and without any of you spotting me except when I baited you. Don't underestimate what I can do," Lara said. Alrion considered her words and paced around the campground. He was unsure. Her help seemed too convenient and unexplainable but since he was about to abandon his task anyway, what did he have to lose? If they failed together, that was her fate for joining him. And if he tried again and failed, it was no worse than abandoning. In fact, it was better because he would have tried.
"I'll tell you a bit more. And if you still want to come I'll take your help. There will be some rules."
"Of course."
"I'll explain later, as required but I guess this is key. As you originally guessed, my friend Falric was a wizard. In fact, he was head of the Wizard Academy. He was also the successor to the wizard Granthion, who cleansed Avaria of the Blight."
"I've heard of Granthion, that's amazing."
"It was an incredible feat. Here's where it gets crazier. I am Granthion's grandson, and Falric was convinced that I have the ability to cleanse the world of the Blight."
"What?"
"Yes, that's right. I know it sounds ridiculous."
"For a wizard like Falric to believe it, it must be true."
"And that's why we were on this journey. There is a place not far from here, called the Pool of Knowledge."
"I've heard of it."
"What?"
"I have an interest in hidden things and places, especially incredibly valuable ones. Don't look so surprised," Lara said. She seemed annoyed.
"I guess in your line of work, it wouldn't be too strange. Anyway, my task is to visit the Pool of Knowledge and see if I can learn the spell required to cleanse the Blight."
"We have to get there!"
"We? You're still up for this? Knowing that there's an evil wizard and potentially every creature afflicted with the Blight out to get us?"
"Of course. I have a stake in this. Not only do I believe in fate, and that I found you for a reason, but also, I have a personal connection. The Blight took my brother. It tore our family apart, and I would not want that to happen to anyone else. If I can help, if I can make the difference to remove the Blight from the world, I will do it. A hundred times over."
"I'm sorry to hear about that. Until recently I never had to deal with the Blight."
"It's fine, but don't you ever try and abandon this quest again. If you do I will hunt you down."
"Deal. However, don't steal anything else from me, or I'll hunt you down myself. And while I may not be as tricky as you, I'm learning a lot of tricks of my own."
"Deal. So, what's the plan?"
"We need to get to Paperton. That's my next lead, as far as I know there will be people there who can direct me further."
"Paperton is not far. In fact, it is the only place of note around here. I'm sorry to say this, but that wizard after you is probably headed there."
"Then I guess we need to hurry along. But there's one thing I need to do before we leave here."
"What's that?"
"I need a new spell, something with a bit more firepower."
"Such as?"
"Fire. I was being pretty literal."
"Oh, right. How do you learn those?"
"I have a book, given to me by Falric. Fire was his specialty, so it seems fitting to learn the basics next. I want to have something else up my sleeve before my next encounter. I've seen firsthand how useful it is in dealing with the creatures of the Blight."
"Can I see?" Lara said.
"Sure, this is it," Alrion said, pulling out the spellbook. As he leafed through it, he gave Lara occasional sidelong glances.
"Look, I promised I wouldn't steal anything else from you. Not that I would try anyway, all the pages are blank."
"Ha, to you maybe. To a wizard, they are full of instructions, diagrams, and other useful information. Falric said that the spellbook was somehow protected magically."
"That's good to know."
"You know not all magic requires a wizard, but that's a talk for another day. This looks promising, basic fire conjuring," Alrion said. He went quiet and studied the pages carefully, leafing back and forth in the same section. Lara watched him with curiosity.
"I've never seen magic up close."
"It won't be that spectacular. Let me concentrate," Alrion said. He closed his eyes and ran through the spell in his head. It was simple really, there was a visualisation aspect but it seemed easy. His Spark could easily start a fire, he had even done it before any training as part of his initial test.
He rotated his hand so that his palm faced up, then concentrated on his Spark. He channelled his frustration and anger at his powerlessness, drawing upon his Spark and expanding it. Then he channelled it into his hand, imagining a flame appearing above his hand, extending upwards. He could feel the heat and hear the whoosh as it flared up.
Pool of Knowledge (The Hidden Wizard Book 1) Page 17