Ardeen, Volume 1: The Circle of Magic

by Sigrid Kraft

  “First you have a big mouth and now you show the white feather!”

  “What were you thinking of, cripple? Apologize to Sir Orten!”

  His missing hand bothered Eryn enough himself. He didn’t need to have it rubbed in by others.

  “I don’t apologize for the truth. Or do you really think you have to do extra exercises with the bow as a reward for your great skill with that weapon?”

  Who actually started the fight was hard to tell. But soon they were all brawling on the ground in a big huddle of bodies and extremities. At the archers’ yard, it was rare for anyone of a high rank to come by, but now as luck would have it...

  “Stand apart, recruits!, thundered a gruff voice, which had the effect of stopping the young men in their tracks.

  Sir Oswold himself, commander of I Company, and a number of his staff officers waited menacingly to one side. The five men got to their feet and quickly formed a line.

  Damn, was the collective thought of the battered recruits, who, dirty and slightly scratched, did their best to stand to attention.

  It seemed as if Sir Oswold wanted nothing more than to kill them with his looks. “What were you up to?”

  Even before anyone could give an answer, he continued: “To be honest, I’m not really interested in the why. Officer, all five will go to the pole and there’ll be ten lashes for each of them. And you, recruits, report afterwards to your own troop leader about this incident.”

  And get an extra reward – thanks very much!

  Incredibly, Askir felt called upon to open his mouth:

  “Sir Oswold, may I explain the situation?”

  An ice-cold glance hit Askir: “You may not, recruit. And now get out of my sight!”

  Next to him, Eryn heard Ravenor trying to suppress his laughter.

  The punishment was anything but a pleasure and afterwards they had to report to Sir Galden. With sore backs, they made their way to the commander‘s office. Ravenor said: “This time it is your story. You can report to him.”

  Eryn didn’t like the idea: “You are better with words. You should do it!”

  Ravenor was pleased: “That’s true. But I’ve already chalked up so many offenses that it’s enough for Sir Galden to see me to be sick to his stomach.”

  That certainly was an argument. Nonetheless Eryn wasn’t keen to do the reporting. “Let’s throw the dice. The loser has to do it.”

  Ravenor grinned: “Do you know what, cripple. You’re almost one of the team.”

  “Don’t call me cripple, you arrogant jackass!” Eryn flared up.

  “Calm down. We’ve brawled enough for today,” Ravenor said good-naturedly, thumping Eryn on the shoulder.

  That marked the beginning of an ominous friendship for all kinds of superiors.

  They threw dice and Ravenor lost. So he reported briefly, and to his amazement, Sir Galden added no further sanctions.

  Once they had left the office again Ravenor said: “I almost had the feeling Sir Galden wanted to give us a commendation for beating up the lordlings. You know, our commander also comes from humble stock and had to work his way up the ranks.”

  Ravenor headed for the dormitory but Eryn still had to go back to the stores, where Harkon was waiting for his return. The scholar was busy in the work-shop and he reacted surprisingly calmly to Eryn’s story, which the latter related quickly, glossing over the details.

  Once he had reached the end of his narrative, Harkon nodded in agreement: “Coincides approximately with my observations. You should know that I have already watched the whole episode. And now please hurry up so that we can finish our workload for today.

  So, he’s been observing me, it dawned on Eryn. Not too keen on that.

  And now and then reads your thoughts. Because it is my head, too, that I’m putting on the line if you mess things up. So you’d better drop that sort of behavior in future!

  Master Lionas had sent Eryn to tidy up one of the storerooms. On his way there, he met Harkon and the scholar asked him to bring along one of the caskets filled with crystals for bewitching later.

  “Look for it at once so that you don’t forget it. And check if the crystals are really inside.”

  “Yes, I will.” Harkon is a synonym for conscientiousness and control. That level of precision is most unhealthy.

  Eryn trotted off. No one else was in the storeroom and he walked straight to the shelf. As he had organized all the boxes recently, he knew exactly where to search.

  I’ll become Master of boxes and of organization long before I become Master of magic, he thought, amused and took the casket from the shelf. Rather useless to check it again, but... Eryn opened the lid and a green light blinded him, and with the light all his memories came flooding back.

  Harkon you’re a damned careful person. But if you really keep your promise now then I’ll thank you till the end of my life.

  “I keep my word,” Eryn heard Harkon say behind him. “But you won’t be able to remember what you owe me. Now pay attention. This is my plan: Go to the last room at the back of the building and take care that no one notices you. Of course, you must look constantly into the crystal... because of the memory spell. I have to go now and organize an alibi for myself, and then when I come back, we’ll start. Have you read the book ‘Copy spells of Healing Magic’?”

  Eryn confirmed that he had and Harkon added: “That’s good. Makes it easier to create an ironclad alibi. Do you have a copy of it in your locker?”

  Again Eryn nodded: “Yes.”

  “Fine, I hoped you would. We have to sell the high mages a plausible story, something that you could have come up with yourself. Even so, I fear they won’t buy it. I’m off now. See you later, and don’t stop looking into the light.”

  Eryn followed Harkon’s instructions to the letter. This small chance was better than anything else he could hope for during the years to come.

  Harkon probed, but no one was observing him. Although he felt really tense, he forced himself to go without haste to the classrooms.

  Master Calwas was in the room, preparing for the following lesson. Harkon was extremely nervous, though he was careful not to let on.

  Exactly as I expected.

  “Master Calwas, would it disturb you if I sat back there in the corner to do my research?”

  Harkon had done this before, so his request didn’t arouse suspicion. “I’d never hinder the studiousness of a scholar. To be honest, I would rather talk with you about higher magic than to bother myself with the beginners’ class. Always the same. The same mistakes, the same questions and most of the fresh bloods are by nature clumsy.”

  Harkon smiled in agreement. “Shall I make you a tea before it starts, Master?”

  “That would be nice. The usual sort.”

  Harkon bowed respectfully. “Certainly, Master.”

  A few magical spells and the tea was ready. Harkon let one cup float towards Master Calwas. The other, he stood on his desk, half concealed behind a shelf. The students had already arrived for the lesson, so Harkon collected some books, sat down and opened them. He concentrated on the open pages to hide his real thoughts. This time it was extremely hard for him.

  Master Calwas especially was the expert in scanning, reading thoughts and other observing and spying spells. That’s why he is a perfect alibi. But I have to keep my concentration on the studies. What is not thought about can’t be discovered. And Harkon being who he was, had planned everything down to the last detail.

  The lesson began and Master Calwas lost himself in the materials. Harkon now cast the spell as inconspicuously as possible: an illusion of himself as he sat at the table, studying, turning a page of a book from time to time and scribbling down some notes. It was a perfect image. Then he made himself invisible and slipped away silently through the side-room and from there, outside.

  Back in the storeroom, his nervousness subsided a little. This tension is awful. But Eryn helped me, and I always keep my word. Besides, the magical aspect o
f the task intrigues me.

  While passing by a shelf, he grabbed the prepared hand of a three-fingered lizard, before continuing on to meet Eryn.

  “Has anything out of the ordinary happened?”

  “No. Are we going to start now? This green light is making me dizzy.”

  Harkon nodded, but then he remembered that Eryn couldn’t see him. So he said in a lowered voice:

  “Yes, we are. But you have to know one thing first: I can’t give you a human hand. Just a lizard’s hand with three fingers. You’ll be able to use it just like a normal hand, though.”

  Eryn was perturbed: “Why not a human hand?”

  “No one would even begin to believe you had the skills to create a new one yourself. And besides, I can’t do that myself, yet. To copy and mirror your own hand is damned difficult. Not to mention that taking the hand of a dead person would attract a huge amount of attention and would easily be traced back to me. But I organized this piece of lizard quite a while ago and no one noticed. So, you can have a lizard’s hand or no hand at all. It’s up to you. We can stop at any time.”

  Hastily Eryn replied: “No, anything is better than this useless stump.”

  Now, step by step Harkon explained the spell and instructed Eryn in what he had to do. Finally they began. Harkon wove through Eryn, using the young man’s magic and guiding it, while Eryn opened his circles as they had discussed, never taking his eyes off the green light.

  Harkon numbed the stump to make sure Eryn felt nothing. I would like to have a look at the stump and what’s happening there. But I won’t endanger the success of this undertaking.

  So Eryn reined in his curiosity. What felt like an eternity later, Harkon said: “So, it is done. Now I’ll take away the numbing, and you move the hand and tell me if there are any problems. But don’t take your eyes off the light.”

  Yes, the damned light. I’m almost blind. I wonder if I really will forget this green light when the casket is closed again. Green, green, green!

  The numbness vanished and Eryn felt his new hand for the first time. It was different. Rougher. And the fingers stuck together strangely. No, there are only two fingers and a thumb! But I can move it. I have a hand again!

  The feeling was indescribable. Eryn opened and closed the fingers. “It hurts a little,” he noted.

  Harkon laid his hands over it. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of that. A little bit of fine-tuning. Better?”

  Again Eryn moved the fingers. “Yes, much better. So far, so good. A little bit stiff, that’s all.”

  “That’ll become better in time. So, we’re finished, then.”

  “And what happens now?” Suddenly a paralysis spell hit Eryn with full force and sent him into a deep sleep.

  Sorry, but it was necessary to make you fall down. It’s supposed to look as though you passed out on your own.

  Harkon closed the casket with the green crystal and let it vanish into his pocket. Afterward, he made himself invisible again and sneaked back into Master Calwas’ classroom. Cold sweat soaked his armpits and his heart was hammering wildly against his chest. Master Calwas was still answering his students’ questions and supervising them while they tried to create magical eyes.

  So many eyes and no one truly sees anything. Ironic. I hope nobody will suspect me. If the old mages squeeze out my memory, I’m done for.

  Finally, the class was over and the students left.

  Master Calwas leaned back and sighed: “Still assiduous, scholar Harkon?”

  Harkon pretended he hadn’t noticed that the others had already left.

  “Time passes by so fast. I was so completely caught up with a problem that I forgot everything else. I have to go bewitching crystals with Eryn now!”

  “How is he doing? Master Lionas is still giving him one-on-one tuition.”

  Drily Harkon replied: “He is very skilled, but his level of knowledge is minimal. You shouldn’t expect any miracles in these few months. At least he is interested and willing to learn.”

  The old mage commented: “Glad to hear it.”

  Then Harkon took his leave and went to the storeroom.

  Of course Eryn is not here.

  Harkon prepared everything as normal and then waited a while. After twenty minutes had passed and Eryn still wasn’t there – no wonder – Harkon telepathed Master Lionas:

  “Where’s Eryn, Master Lionas? Is he still with you?”

  Naturally Eryn was not, and five minutes later, an upset Master Lionas came through the door. “Where might he be? The boy will get me into hot water!”

  “Aside from being late – where is Eryn supposed to be right now, Master?”

  “In the storeroom, sorting out things. But I’ve already looked there.”

  Harkon’s next helpful idea – learned by heart – gushed out: “Do you think he’s crossed an officer and the men of the V have sent him for punishment? I can go there and ask, if you like.”

  Master Lionas agreed and sent Harkon out to check. In this way, the frantic search for Eryn began. They looked all over the store again, and it didn’t take long before they found the sleeping figure. Quickly, the paralysis was removed and the astonishment at Eryn’s new hand was great. In the inquisition that followed, all the Masters scrutinized Eryn’s memories, but no one was able to detect even the faintest hint of what had transpired.

  There was a blank in his memory for a certain period of time, a phenomenon that sometimes occurred if a strong spell ran out of control. But nobody really believed in that theory completely. So the next suspicion was that someone must have helped Eryn. The mages suspected one other as there was no one among the students capable of such a difficult spell...

  In the end, the matter went to the Prince, and His Highness summoned all three mages to the citadel to read their memories himself. This was considered very impolite among mages, not to mention humiliating. On the other hand, it meant that the Prince could free them of any suspicion, putting an end to the mutual recriminations. What had really happened, however, remained a mystery for all but one.

  Eryn’s situation changed only in that Sir Galden drily explained to him: “Now that you are completely fit for service, there will be no more shirking, even if that means spending less time in future with the mages and more with regular drill. And before you try to pester me with your complaints: That’s an order from His Highness the Prince himself!”

  Indeed it was an order from the top, for the Lord of Naganor was concerned that the good-natured mages didn’t have Eryn fully under control. The young man should therefore find no more time for unobserved experimentation, no more messing around with spells whose outcomes he was completely unaware of.

  Eryn himself wasn’t especially fussed about the new orders. The only thing that mattered to him was to have a hand again, a circumstance that put him in a wonderful mood. The hand is not very beautiful. Rough, green skin and three clumsy fingers ending in pointed claw-like nails. But it is strong and moves in all directions, just like a real hand.

  10. The Wine Cellar

  Eryn was lounging about lazily on his bed when the door opened. For a moment, he thought about leaping up to stand to attention just in case a superior walked in, but it was only Ravenor, and Eryn relaxed again.

  “Can you make a bit more noise?”

  Ravenor ignored the grumbling and burst out: “I have a dead certain plan. We’ll feast like the Gods.”

  Eryn gave his mate an inquiring glance and Ravenor continued secretively: “At night we’ll sneak into the provisions store of the kitchen and help ourselves. No more standard grub. We’ll have meals like the lordly Sirs.

  He’s finally lost his mind, Eryn thought. “Sure, we’ll go to the kitchen and help ourselves to the food and afterwards we’ll just walk straight over to the pole. I wonder how many lashes that will be worth? A brilliant plan.”

  Ravenor took a chair and sat astride it. Then he gave a nervous glance towards the door, just as if he suspected someone would come in
and expose them at their plotting.

  He lowered his voice: “Listen. You know Halfe the kitchen boy, don’t you? The night we’re on watch, he’ll leave a door open. And after the watch changes, we’ll accidentally pass by the building and find that open door. We get in and out in ten minutes and if we happen to be caught by surprise we say: We noticed the door was open and were just doing our job. Seeing if everything was all right... or something like that. And then we’re out of the woods.”

  Eryn frowned: “Hmm, and you really think that someone will buy that story? You know we’re not exactly the commander’s favorites. And anyway, why should Halfe help us and risk his head? Because if we should discover the door ‘accidentally’, then he’ll be for it, and even a kitchen boy isn’t that stupid. Though I must admit some of them are quite oafish.

  “Such judgmental words from the mountain savage,” Ravenor teased.

  Eryn countered the verbal blow with a real swipe at Ravenor, but his mate blocked the punch and went on:

  “Listen in amazement to my genius. Halfe has fancied a girl for some time now, Gyswen, one of the maidservants, rather pretty and not at all interested in Halfe. I’ve known that for a while, so during my last watch at the small gate, when Rhyenna, my lovely half-sister passed by, we talked and she boasted that she could now do love potions. You know, she has the Violet talent.”

  Eryn sighed – he remembered rather well the game the little girl had played on him with her barely nine years of age: “Yes, I know.”

  Unperturbed, Ravenor continued: “If you ask me, she is really talented. But the old goat, His Highness Prince of Ardeen will never as much as acknowledge one of his bastard children, let alone support them.”

  Bitterness oozed out of Ravenor whenever he spoke of his begetter. The disappointment persisted briefly and then Ravenor returned to his great plan.

  “Well, Rhyenna boasted about this and I teased her. Then I had my brainwave: Why not help the poor Halfe boy? If he gets his girl, I reckon his gratitude would be beyond measure. So I begged Rhyenna to produce such a potion for me and she was at once hooked on the idea. I suppose she’d like to test it herself. Well, I took her concoction to Halfe, and you wouldn’t believe how suspicious such a simple soul could be. But with a lot of patience and with silken tongue, I persuaded him at last.”