“I just had a thought. I know you are in a rush and all to get to the location of the Wizard Store near Valrytir. But I thought there was something else worth mentioning.”
“What is it?” Vincent had a cautious and almost annoyed tone to his voice. Celes almost laughed.
He’s so suspicious of Falric, it’s adorable.
“There are some ruins near here. An outpost that used to be a staging area for wizards. Granthion established it, but it’s been abandoned for a while. It’s not from here, and since you’re on a trail that’s quite old, maybe there’s something there?”
“It’s worth considering.” Vincent looked to Celes.
“The place isn’t destroyed, right?” Celes asked.
“No, no, no. The Wizard Store is protected. Not sure what’s left inside, but it’ll be safe to enter. I think there’s a Wizard Gate there too as well, but that’s of no consequence since you can’t use it. And I wouldn’t even know where it went.” Falric trailed off.
“How do we find this place?” Vincent said.
“When you leave town, follow the path north and look for a dirt track. It will lead you to some old ruins above the town. Good spot, it’s a real shame.”
“What exactly happened?”
“I think it was Blight attacks. Due to the sensitivity of the location, it was decided to not reinforce too heavily in case the Blight took an interest in it and started to poke around nearby. As far as I can tell that all worked because there’s been no activity since.”
“Great. Fancy a stroll?” Celes said to Vincent.
“Certainly, I thought you’d never ask.”
“Off you go then. I’ll tell Alrion hello from you both,” Falric said with a chuckle.
“And tell him we will see him soon. When he’s ready,” Celes added. They finished their goodbyes with Falric and Caleb and left the building.
“I’ll miss him,” Celes said.
“Miss him? The wizard? He was gone and presumed dead, and now he’s back. I don’t think it’s possible to miss him in these circumstances.” Vincent grinned at her.
“True. Very logical.” Celes smiled back. They hiked up the path out of town without much chatter. Celes was deep in thought and enjoyed the quiet.
How will we ever find this wizard? The trail is over twenty years old. And until recently nobody even thought to look for him.
Celes sighed deeply and kept walking. Vincent glanced at her but said nothing. Soon they had finished the long winding climb and were on the main path.
“Now the hunt begins. Keep an eye out for this dirt path,” Celes said.
“Sure. Maybe I’ll spot it first.”
“In your dreams.” Celes pushed further ahead.
I’m glad he’s cracking jokes, like the old days. This whole thing feels so aimless. But I’ve had slimmer leads than this before, we need to follow it along and see what comes up.
Celes kept looking for the dirt track, conscious of not wanting to miss it. She also wanted to beat her husband and find it first. It was silly and meaningless, but it also focused her. There was value in that. For the most part, the path was lined with dense shrubs. But that’s where the danger lay. The path could be overgrown and easily passed over.
Vincent started to slow.
“Shouldn’t we be spotting this path soon? I feel like we’ve already come so far already.”
“Probably. I’m worried that the path will be overgrown and hard to spot.” Celes focused less on the surroundings, and more on the path itself. All she needed to see was evidence of a dirt track beginning. The rest would come after that. Celes looked past where Vincent was standing and saw something interesting. She jogged over, pushing past her husband. There was definitely something.
“There’s potential here.” Celes could see that the edge of the path was unusually dirty and dusty. She forced back the bushes and could see something different starting.
“Vincent, over here, help me with this.” Vincent walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Stand back please.” Vincent had his scabbard angling forward, ready to remove his sword.
“Certainly.” Celes stepped back to give him room. Vincent drew his sword in a smooth motion, slicing through the main bush. He followed it up with three more precise strikes then cleaned his sword on his cloak. He kicked one of the fallen shrubs out of the way and grunted.
“I think you’re on to something.”
“Not going to clear away your mess?”
“I wouldn’t want to detract from your find.” Vincent winked at her. Celes groaned.
“Always with an excuse.” She rushed over and dug the fallen greenery out of the space. Vincent had hacked away just enough to reveal a dirt track. It looked old, and largely worn away.
“I think that’s it. Congratulations!” Vincent bowed.
“You should have known better than to challenge me, I’m the best at finding things.”
“Oh I know, I just thought that this would be faster.” Vincent grinned at her. Celes smacked him playfully on the shoulder and started striding down the path.
“At least we know it’s completely abandoned. This path was well hidden,” Vincent said as they walked.
“You were worried about it being inhabited?”
“The Blight are always a concern. You weren’t worried?”
“No, I have you to deal with them.” Celes changed her tone and talked more seriously. “I really didn’t think about it. Am I losing my edge?”
“No, I just think you’re more balanced than you were. Logically, there was no reason to worry about this place being infested with the Blight. It’s certainly seen better days though.” Vincent pointed ahead. Celes followed his gesture and saw the ruins. A tall tower sat at the back, with a few buildings in various states of disrepair littered around the space. A tall stone wall extended around one half of the site and had crumbled away from the other. Only littered stones remained.
“Which building do you think holds the Wizard Store?” Celes said.
“Likely the tower. Wizards love them for some reason.”
“Is it because they think they’re above everyone else?” Celes quipped.
“Couldn’t have said it better myself.” Vincent chuckled. “Well, to be fair I don’t actually know the reason. Maybe it has something to do with how their powers work. Maybe they need to see their targets.”
“Maybe. Let’s start with the tower then.” Celes started off again, Vincent keeping pace with her. Nature had started to overgrow a lot of the stonework, giving it an ancient look.
“I think some of this damage was deliberate,” Vincent said, pointing to a charred wall.
“By the Wizards or something else?”
“Not sure. I don’t know who else can wield fire on this scale.” Vincent paused to examine the wall further. Celes pressed on.
“This tower looks in good condition, considering.” It seemed to be resistant to the worst of the decay and overgrowth. It almost looked like the tower had taken on the look to blend in.
Don’t think such ridiculous things, it’s not alive.
Celes stopped in front of the door. It was large and wooden and appeared to be intact.
“Time to give your medallion a spin?” Vincent said.
“Of course.” Celes removed the medallion and rapped it on the door two times. Nothing happened. Vincent nudged her with his elbow.
“Celes,” she said. There was silence, then suddenly the door creaked open.
“It still works. And it needed my name as well.”
“Must be the additional security around here. Maybe there’s something of value inside,” Vincent said. He pushed the door open and waited for Celes to enter.
The room inside was almost pitch-black. Celes felt around the walls and found a metal bracket with a lantern. With a little effort, they were able to light it. Celes held up the lantern and looked over the room.
It was similar in structure to the last Wizar
d Store they had visited, but it was in complete disarray. Books were everywhere, shelves knocked over, and there were some broken chairs and other furniture.
“This place looks, I would say ransacked, but the books appear to be here still.” Celes stepped around a pile of books and investigated the room.
“Very odd. Let’s find the ledger.” Vincent navigated around to the bench, looking inside. He retrieved a dusty book and placed it on the counter.
“Let’s see who last visited.” Vincent opened the book and Celes joined him, looking over his shoulder. She accidentally knocked over a pile of books on her way.
“Don’t worry, they’ve survived worse,” Vincent said without looking up. He was carefully flicking through the pages.
“There’s us.” Celes pointed to an entry.
“Exactly. The previous one is…”
“Branthor.” Celes looked at Vincent. Her husband shrugged.
“That’s not surprising. Maybe he came here after his transformation began? That might explain the redecorating.” Vincent cast his eyes over the room again.
“That seems plausible. Let’s see who else visited.” Celes pulled the book closer and scanned through the entries herself. There were a few names she didn’t recognise, in addition to Falric.
“Nothing noteworthy in recent times. Let’s go back and see if our mystery wizard paid this place a visit.” Celes flipped through the pages, taking care to review the entries.
“Ah-hah!” Celes pointed to a place in the book.
“You found him?”
“Aydan. Not long after he signed into the last place.” Celes looked at Vincent with a triumphant smile.
“Looks like your trail is here. I wonder if there’s anything to suggest where he went next.” Vincent leaned back slightly and appeared deep in thought.
“Hang on. There’s an asterisk next to the entry,” Celes said. Vincent looked up sharply.
“Oh, that’s different. I wonder what that means?” He refocused on the book. Celes looked at the page, there was nothing else to explain it.
“Why don’t you try the beginning of the book, maybe there’s a guide or explanation of the notation?” Vincent said.
“Of course!” Celes quickly flipped to the first page and skim read the contents.
“How to read this ledger,” she said as she read. She used her finger to trace the words until she found what she wanted.
“To make an entry as having additional commentary, use an asterisk. Add your note in the Observations journal,” Celes quoted.
“Falric never mentioned that,” Vincent muttered.
“No, he didn’t. Maybe he doesn’t know?” Celes rifled around through the nooks under the bench and pulled out several books.
“This is it.” Celes slammed the book down on the counter, unable to contain her excitement.
“Maybe don’t destroy the book in the process,” Vincent said. Celes ignored him and opened the book and started reading. There were quite a few comments throughout. Each one had a date and a name associated with it. But no details of the person who recorded the comment.
“It’s just a matter of finding the right one,” Celes said. Suddenly she found it. Without any delay, she started reading out the entry.
“Suspicious visitor today. I scanned the log to see his reported name and was surprised to notice that it was the old language. Wizards are never given these as a name, which further cemented my suspicions. Gareth thinks I am being overly cautious, but there is something not quite right with this one. He does not come across as having much Spark at all, yet he can read from any tome in our library. When questioned about his purpose, he just deflects any questions and responds with as little as possible.” Celes paused and looked up at Vincent.
“This is our wizard. Maybe there’s something about where he’s going.”
“Maybe. Keep reading.” Vincent looked as hooked as Celes felt. She didn’t think it possible, but her excitement increased even more.
This trail is still here, you just need to know where to look. And we’ve got it!
“In case he returns he has long dark hair and average build. Green eyes and above average height. Whilst I was unable to ascertain his next destination, I did overhear him muttering something about the desert. I am going to send messages to my colleagues in other Wizard Stores along that route to see if they can learn anything. It may be nothing, but I have a strange feeling and I can’t ignore it.” Celes stopped reading.
“This sounds right. It would make sense for this wizard to be interested in the desert, and the Vault of Silence. He had no trouble following Alrion’s journey. Maybe he already did something like it before?” Celes couldn’t quite read Vincent’s face. It was a mix of confusion and concern.
“Perhaps. It’s a good lead. I doubt we will find much else of value here.” Vincent waded into the mess of books, picking through some at random.
“Didn’t Falric mention a Wizard Gate here as well? What’s that?” Celes said.
“I’m not too familiar. But they’re supposed to be a means of travelling around.”
“And you didn’t think to mention these before?”
“I’m no wizard! I don’t know how they work, or if they still work. You should be grilling Falric instead!” Vincent sounded annoyed.
“Oh, that’s fair enough. Let’s try to find it.” Celes looked at Vincent to see what he thought. He frowned.
“I don’t quite understand why, since we can’t use it.”
“But maybe Alrion can?” Celes could see Vincent thinking it over.
“I suppose we can look. I can’t find anything else here, and we can at least verify if it’s been obviously broken or not.”
“Great. Let’s go.” Celes turned and started towards the door. Vincent sighed and followed closely behind.
They emerged into the ruins, Celes looking around.
“I wonder where that Wizard Gate is? Do you think it’s big?”
“I assume so.” Vincent looked over the rest of the buildings. “None of these look in as good condition as the tower we just entered. Maybe it’s here somewhere?” Celes nodded and started circling the tower. Nothing jumped out at first, but after stopping and staring at the rear she noticed something.
“Look here.” Celes stepped forward and touched the surface. There was a very faint outline of a door etched into the stonework. The charring of the stone and other dirt and debris made it almost invisible.
“If that’s a door, try your medallion again.” Vincent walked up until he was shoulder to shoulder with Celes and peered at the prospective door too. Celes retrieved the medallion and rapped it against the door outline. Light started to shine around the outline of the door, and the wall started to rumble and move. The stonework swung inwards, revealing a staircase.
“Onward and upward!” Celes said.
“As you wish.” Vincent waited for her to start ascending before he followed. The stairs were incredibly narrow and quite dusty. But all things considered, they were in good condition.
“No lanterns in here,” Celes commented.
“I suppose they didn’t need them, what with being wizards and all.”
“Seems plausible. Doesn’t make this climb any easier.” Celes pushed on, taking care to ensure each step she found solid ground before continuing. As they progressed the darkness started to lighten slightly. Even though there were no windows.
I wonder what’s up here? Maybe it’s causing the light?
Celes let her mind search for answers while she continued to climb. Soon the light became more obvious, and she could tell it was a pale blue glow.
“Something glowing up here,” she said.
“Good. Let’s see what it is.” Vincent sounded close behind. Celes rounded another corner and stopped dead. Vincent almost fell into her.
“Look at that.” Celes stepped into the room, mesmerised by the sight. A stone archway sat in the middle of the room, blue light illuminating its edges.
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br /> “I’d say it’s still working.” Celes approached slowly, Vincent joining her.
“What can you tell me about them?” she asked.
“Not much. Obviously, it looks like it is active. Maybe even used recently?”
“Where does it go?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. I think they can be single or multiple destination. But I don’t think you can just go wherever you want.”
“Predefined options then?”
“That’s what I’m thinking. My father never used one with me, so I don’t have that experience to pass on.” Vincent looked deep in thought. Celes walked closer, examining the stone structure.
“It looks like there are two distinct destinations. Don’t you think?” She pointed to some markings, one at each end of the arch supports.
“Yes, it looks like there’s an East and West option.”
“Didn’t that note say that Aydan was heading to the desert? That’s East.”
“Yes, you’re right. Do you think he used this?”
“Why wouldn’t you? If I was a wizard I certainly wouldn’t walk around if I had access to this.” Celes leaned forward, staring into the blank space filling the arch. She touched the stonework describing the East option and it suddenly started glowing.
“Look! I’ve selected a path.”
“This is not a good idea. We don’t know where it goes, and if it goes into the desert that’s a big risk. Valrytir is the opposite direction.” Vincent looked concerned. He took a step backwards.
“What if…” Celes whispered. She withdrew the wizard medallion and dangled it in front of the gate.
“What are you doing?” Vincent said.
“I’m seeing what we have to work with.” Celes slowly swung the medallion toward the gate.
“You’re really sure about this?” Vincent said.
“If it works, we need to do it. This is the only way I can help Alrion right now.” Celes stepped closer. She gripped the medallion tightly and thrust it into the gate.
“Why do you think that’s going to work?” Vincent said.
“Clearly this thing is already active, it just needs a trigger. If it worked for the regular door, why not this as well?” Celes looked back at Vincent and winked. He sighed.
Soul of Light (The Hidden Wizard Book 4) Page 18