Zaconis - Guardian of Magic

by MJ Schutte

  ‘A ship? What is that?’ Jonathan asked.

  ‘It’s a boat that can cross oceans,’ Al’taish explained.

  ‘Impossible! Nothing can cross the great northern sea! I’ve seen a number of boats in my life, the kind that fishermen use on rivers and lakes, and they would never survive in the rough waters of the ocean!’ Jonathan frowned.

  ‘The boats I’m talking about are much larger. They can hold up to a hundred men and provisions for at least two hundred days,’ Al’taish replied.

  Jonathan was flabbergasted. He had never heard of such a thing.

  ‘I would love to see this ship. Where is it?’ he asked.

  ‘The ship dropped me off far to the north east of here and then left again. I believe it was once called the land of the Northern tribes,’ Al’taish answered.

  ‘Will the ship return?’ Jonathan asked.

  ‘Perhaps. One day, when I have seen everything this beautiful land of yours has to offer, I will return to the place where the captain of the ship left me. Maybe they will return to fetch me. If they don’t, I will petition the King for leave to stay here permanently,’ Al’taish replied.

  ‘Why did you come here from such a far away place?’ Jonathan asked.

  ‘I like seeing new things and meeting strange people. I am simply a traveler,’ Al’taish smiled.

  The conversation died for a while as Jonathan’s focus shifted back to eating. Al’taish followed the prince’s example and also cleaned his plate.

  ‘Gabe, how about something more to drink, please,’ Jonathan called to the older man.

  Gabe already had two mugs ready.

  ‘One ale and one juice,’ he announced.

  ‘Thanks, Gabe,’ Jonathan smiled.

  Although Father teaches patience, Al’taish could no longer contain his curiosity.

  ‘Jonathan, I’ve heard rumors of a great wizard that once lived in your kingdom. Is there any truth to this?’

  He was hoping that the ale would have loosened the prince’s tongue a bit. He concentrated for a moment, pushing a thought into Jonathan’s mind. If it worked, the prince would feel compelled to tell him the truth.

  ‘Ah, yes, the wizard. I suppose you’ve heard about the witch as well. My friend, it is only rumors. Everyone knows that magic and wizards only exist in bedtime stories,’ Jonathan answered.

  ‘What about the elf forest?’ Al’taish pressed.

  ‘Now that is not just a rumor. The elf forest does exist. It is in fact where I have just returned from. Its proper name is the Farasnei Forest but some people believe that elves live there, hence the nickname elf forest. This is of course not true since elves don’t exist anymore than wizards do,’ Jonathan answered.

  ‘I see,’ Al’taish answered slowly.

  Jonathan took a long sip from his ale and said, ‘I suppose I have to get back to the palace.’

  Al’taish immediately decided to see if his manipulation of Jonathan’s mind had worked. He pushed another thought into the prince’s mind.

  The prince leaned close to Al’taish and said, ‘Actually, I’m going to visit a lady friend now. My parents don’t really approve of this so please don’t say anything.’

  ‘You have my word of honor,’ Al’taish assured him.

  Jonathan got up, bid everybody a good night and strolled towards the door. Just before he left, he stopped to talk to Albert. Jonathan watched patiently as the youngster made elaborate movements indicating that he would run as fast as his legs would allow.

  Al’taish noticed that five of the eight royal protectors had already left while the other three kept a watchful eye on him. He remained seated until they had left, then casually got up.

  ‘Al’taish, some after dinner wine for you?’ Gabe offered.

  ‘No thanks, Gabe. I’m going for a stroll to get some fresh air,’ Al’taish replied.

  Without hurrying he walked to the door and stepped out into the cool evening air.

  Like a ghost Al’taish slipped through the night. It was not hard for him to follow the prince. All eight Jonathan’s protectors stayed close to him making it easy for Al’taish. He was glad that Jonathan had sent the horses back to the palace and decided to walk.

  It looked to Al’taish that they were leaving the business district of Weston and entering one of the poorest residential areas. There were plenty of trees and large bushes between the houses and next to the road giving Al’taish lots of places to stay hidden. The prince entered one of the small, run down houses. His protectors immediately spread out to establish a safe perimeter around the house. Al’taish melted into the shadows and waited. He needed to get closer but also knew that patience was critical. Eventually the guards would get tired and then it would be much easier to slip past them.

  He waited until he saw one of the guards sitting down against a tree. Keeping his dark coat tightly wrapped around him, he moved very slowly from shadow to shadow.

  As he crept past the guards he caught a few words.

  ‘No, I think we are here for the night. He likes this one.’

  ‘Well, I still think you should get up. You know the prince’s temper. If he catches you sitting you will be in very deep trouble.’

  Al’taish moved closer to the house. There was a dim light coming from one of the windows. Flattening himself against the wall, just below the window, he listened carefully. A woman’s voice reached his ears, then he heard the deeper voice of a man. Carefully Al’taish lifted himself up just enough to see through the window. The curtains were open just a sliver but it was enough for Al’taish to see two naked people inside. The woman was on the bed while the man was standing with his back towards the window. Al’taish looked only long enough to verify that it was in fact Prince Jonathan. Swiftly he made his way past the half-asleep guards and back to the Mendin Traders Inn.

  Al’taish was deeply disappointed. Earlier when he asked Jonathan about the wizard he was unsure if his little mind trick had worked but now he knew for certain the prince was telling the truth.

  Jonathan stormed into the palace.

  ‘Father!’ he called out.

  King Borac’s deep voice came from the library.

  ‘We’re in here, Jonathan.’

  The prince rushed to the library where he found both his parents.

  ‘Father, Mother, I think we might have a problem,’ he said breathlessly.

  ‘Jonathan! Greet us first before you start chasing ghosts again!’ his mother scolded.

  ‘I’m not chasing…’

  ‘Jonathan,’ his father said quietly.

  The prince immediately stopped talking. He knew that tone of voice. His father had a way of silencing almost anyone by simply saying their name.

  ‘Good evening father, good evening mother,’ Jonathan greeted his parents.

  The older people both rose as Jonathan approached them. The young man gave his mother a kiss and then turned to his father. The king spread his arms. Jonathan stepped closer and the two men hugged each other like only a father and son who love each other very much can.

  ‘How was your trip?’ queen Natasja asked.

  ‘Uneventful, until I got back here. I stopped the Mendin Traders for a meal. Gabe introduced me to a man from a far away land who said he came on a boat big enough to hold a hundred men!’ Jonathan answered.

  ‘I’ve heard of such things. Why is this interesting? Foreigners come here all the time,’ Borac commented.

  Queen Natasja smiled and went back to her knitting. Jonathan was prone to some drama once in a while.

  ‘I think this man is dangerous!’ Jonathan exclaimed.

  ‘Was he threatening towards you?’ Borac asked.

  ‘No, in fact, he was very polite,’ Jonathan answered.

  ‘So why is this man of any interest to us?’ Borac asked.

  ‘He asked about the wizard,’ Jonathan replied.

  He was expecting some form of reaction from his parents but Natasja continued knitting and Borac went back to reading his bo
ok.

  ‘Don’t worry about it Jonathan. There are always rumors about the wizard,’ Borac said from behind his book.

  ‘He tried to use a mind link on me,’ Jonathan said.

  Natasja’s hands instantly went still and Borac slowly closed the book.

  ‘A mind link?’ Natasja asked slowly.

  ‘Yes, a mind link. I think he was trying to manipulate me into telling him something about the wizard,’ Jonathan answered.

  He was happy to finally have his parents’ full attention.

  ‘Where is this man now?’ Borac asked.

  ‘We led him away from the palace so that I could come tell you the news,’ Jonathan answered.

  ‘We?’ Natasja frowned.

  Jonathan did not answer knowing that his parents would not approve of what he and Gerard, his twin brother, had done. As children they often swapped places simply to confuse people, especially their teachers. As they grew older they had perfected the little act.

  ‘Jonathan, you know we don’t like it when you and your brother play that little game,’ Borac said quietly.

  ‘Yes, I know, but we had no choice. I had to get away but still make Al’taish believe I told the truth,’ Jonathan defended.

  ‘Where is Gerard?’ Natasja asked.

  Jonathan averted his eyes. His parents did not like it when they swapped places but they hated it even more when Gerard visited Jasmine. Jonathan often stood in for Gerard at official functions so that his slightly younger brother could spend some time with the young lady.

  Natasja gave the prince a look that said ‘We will talk about this later.’

  ‘Are you certain this. . .’ Borac struggled for the name.

  ‘Al'taish,’ Jonathan helped his father.

  ‘Yes, Al’taish, used a mind link on you?’ Borac asked.

  ‘Yes, father, I am certain,’ Jonathan answered.

  Borac did not question his son any further about it. Although Jonathan could get slightly dramatic at times he would never make up a story like this. The entire royal family was trained from very young to recognize special talents, including mind links.

  ‘You should go to the Justice Hall immediately. They must know about this,’ Borac said.

  ‘I will leave right away’ Jonathan said as he headed for the door.

  A slight cough from his mother made him turn back.

  ‘Goodbye father, goodbye mother,’ he said as he leaned over to kiss the queen.

  ‘Safe journey, my son,’ Natasja whispered into his ear.

  Without wasting more time the young prince left, shouting for servants to pack provisions and get a horse ready.

  ‘I wish he could have stayed for a while,’ Natasja said as she wiped a tear from her eye.

  Borac leaned over and gave her hand a soft squeeze. Words were never necessary between them.

  Al’taish lay on his bed looking at the roof. Disappointment washed over him yet again. He was certain he would find something about the wizard in Weston but now he believed that it was all simply a legend.

  In the dim light of a candle Al’taish could see a spider against the roof. It had caught a large moth and was in the process of spinning a web around it. The moth was struggling for all it’s worth but could not get away from the tiny predator. Strangely, this reminded Al’taish of Dan the farmer and how he died.

  Al’taish shot up. When Dan died he said a single word.

  Desert.

  Al’taish frowned. According to Prince Jonathan the elf forest did exist but he never mentioned anything about a desert. It took Al’taish a moment to remember the name Jonathan mentioned.

  The Farasnei forest.

  Al’taish instantly decided to go there and see if he could find out anything about the elves. If the wizard did not exist perhaps he could find some other magical creatures. He knew this would please Father.

  He gathered his meager belongings and snuck out the window. He was already a fair distance away from the tavern when he turned back. He snuck back into his room, dug in his knapsack and pulled out his last gold coin. He left it on the table, a warm feeling settling on him for not deceiving good people like Gabe and Maria.

  Chapter 4

  Al’taish stood on the edge of the forest looking out over a vast desert in front of him. It was difficult believing that there could be such a lush forest behind him and such a dead place in front of him. He turned and mounted the horse again.

  ‘I think we are slightly lost,’ he said to the animal.

  As he was about to retrace his steps he became aware of two people approaching. He also thought he saw a large black animal between the trees but when he looked again it was gone. His horse gave a nervous snort.

  ‘Good day to you, friend,’ the man greeted.

  The woman lifted her hand in greeting as well.

  ‘Good day,’ Al’taish greeted back as he dismounted again.

  The couple stopped a few paces from him. The man was very tall and muscular with dark hair and a well tanned skin.

  The woman was the complete opposite. She was petite, fair skinned and had long blond curls that hung almost all the way down her back. Small pink ribbons decorated her beautiful blond locks. Her eyes were a deep cobalt blue and had a timeless look to them, as if she had lived for a very long time.

  The horse still seemed extremely nervous, snorting and pawing the ground continuously. The big man gently touched the horse on the side and immediately the animal calmed down.

  Al’taish tore his eyes away from the beautiful woman with difficulty as the man spoke to him.

  ‘It looks as though you are lost, my friend.’

  ‘Yes, it would seem I am. I was looking for the Justice Hall but instead I only found a desert,’ Al’taish answered, gesturing at the dead landscape.

  He noticed that the man’s brown eyes had the same timeless quality as the woman’s. Al’taish found this very strange as both of them looked to be in their late twenties or early thirties.

  The man laughed a little and said, ‘It’s easy to get lost in this forest. The Justice Hall is less than half a day due north.’

  ‘Thank you for the assistance. Are you going to the Justice Hall?’ Al’taish asked.

  ‘No, we’re on our way home to cook these,’ the man replied as he lifted two rabbits for Al’taish to see.

  ‘We might go to the Hall tomorrow. Perhaps we will see you there,’ the woman smiled.

  ‘Have a safe journey,’ the man said as they walked away.

  Al’taish watched the couple disappear into the woods before he mounted the horse and set off in a northerly direction.

  After traveling for a short distance he suddenly had a thought. He turned the horse around and set off after the couple. He was certain that he would catch up to them easily since they were walking. Berating himself for not asking about the wizard when he had the chance, he made the horse run as fast as it could.

  When he got back to the place where he had met the couple he quickly dismounted and looked for their tracks. It took only a short time for him to find it. The tracks led almost due west until they suddenly turned towards the desert.

  Al’taish followed the tracks for a little while longer before he stopped and thought about it. It made no sense that the couple would turn towards the desert. There was nothing there.

  He took a good look around him. Something was not quite right. Although he saw a forest behind him and a vast desert in front of him, something in the back of his mind screamed that he was being deceived. Strangely, a vague feeling of familiarity wash over him. He shrugged the feeling off and continued to follow the tracks, but after only a short distance they disappeared completely.

  Al’taish was confused. He looked everywhere but could not see how it was possible that the tracks could simply disappear.

  Eventually he gave up, mounted the horse again and set off towards the Justice Hall.

  The couple stood watching Al’taish from a distance.

  ‘That was close,�
�� the man commented.

  ‘Yes, but at least we know now that your magical barrier still works,’ the woman replied.

  ‘Magic does not exist. It’s simply an energy field that makes people believe they are looking at a desert instead of a forest,’ the man smiled.

  ‘Yes, my love,’ the woman purred as she slipped her tiny hand into his.

  Al’taish looked at the Justice Hall in front of him. It was an enormous building, almost twice as high as other structures and constructed mostly from stone.

  The large wooden doors stood wide open. As Al’taish approached a guard stopped him and said, ‘No weapons are allowed in the Justice Hall. Please hand over all your weapons for safe keeping.’

  ‘I am unarmed,’ Al’taish replied as he opened his coat for the man to see.

  The guard had a thorough look inside the coat before he said, ‘Very well, you may enter.’

  The inside was every bit as impressive as the outside. There were rows and rows of seats and at the far end was a single large table with two smaller ones in front of it. A magnificent chair, almost like a throne, stood next to the biggest table and was occupied by a woman. Four large wooden beams stood upright at strategic positions providing support for the high roof.

  Al’taish found an empty seat right at the back of the hall.

  He scanned the inside of the hall, as was his habit. There were twenty armed guards standing against the walls and another four flanked the woman in the large throne-like seat. There was also another smaller door on the other side of the hall. Al’taish assumed that it was through this door that the guards and the woman entered and left the building.

  Al’taish looked on the proceedings in front of him. Two people were presenting their respective cases to the woman. She listened quietly to both and after a very short consideration, she seemed to rule in favor of the man on the left. Both men took a deep bow and quickly left. Two more people took their places and each was afforded a turn to speak. This process was repeated a number of times during the day. Every time, the woman made a swift ruling which the parties seemed to accept immediately. Only once did a man attempt to argue but he was escorted from the hall by two guards. Al’taish’s eyes were fixed on the woman in the big chair, so much so that he almost did not notice the small door opening. A man and a woman entered. Al’taish recognized them as the couple who had helped him the previous day. A man that was seated in the front row stood up and made his way to them. Al’taish only gave the man a brief look before his eyes snapped back to the woman occupying the big chair. For a brief moment he thought it may have been Prince Jonathan but the thought quickly passed as he stared at the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.