Wizard's Education

by James Eggebeen

  "What happened? Did you catch him?"

  "He got away." Lorit helped the old man sit at one of the tables and pulled out a chair for his wife. "He ran this poor old man over in his haste to get away. I had to stop and render aid."

  "Are you all right?" Chihon knelt down to examine the old man. She passed her hand over his forehead, lightly tracing the faint scar that had recently been a bloody wound. She stood up and patted the old man on the shoulder. "You'll be just fine. Lorit did a good job on you."

  She looked at the woman seated next to her husband. "Let me take a look at you." Chihon reached out and took her hand, but the woman pulled it back.

  "I am fine, no need to worry about me."

  Chihon leaned down next to her and reached out her hand once again. "Please let me take a look. You may have been hurt in the fall, too. It's better to be sure."

  The old woman tentatively stretched out her hand. Lorit noticed the contrast between them as Chihon grasped the fragile wrinkled hand in her own. He could see Chihon relax and let her senses roam, examining the old woman. Lorit felt it himself as he was connected to her and knew what Chihon was experiencing. The woman had a disease that had invaded her entire body. He was amazed that she was still alive.

  Chihon let her hand fall.

  "See, dearie, I'm just fine," the woman said. She looked over at her husband when she spoke, and Lorit knew it was for his benefit that she hid the fact that she was dying.

  Lorit and Chihon sat at the table with the elderly couple.

  "What brings you up here?" Chihon asked the old couple.

  "We live on a farm a few leagues out. Every year on the first day of spring and the first day of fall, the shadow of the bell tower falls on our doorstep. We always wanted to see the view from the top, but we never had the time or money. This year, we finally made it." The old man reached out and patted the woman's hand.

  "I won't be around much longer," he said. "I'm not getting any younger, and Momma deserves to see this before I die and leave her all alone."

  "The view is breathtaking," the old woman said. "I don't know why we waited so long to come up here. You can see the whole world from up here."

  "Tell me about your farm. Is it just the two of you, then? You must have children, and grandchildren," Chihon said.

  The old woman proceeded to tell Chihon all about herself and her husband, how they met and how they had been married, how their kids had grown up and now they had grandchildren and great-grandchildren. They sat on the balcony listening to the two old folks talk until almost sunset.

  Lorit listened as Chihon drew the happy memories out of the woman by skillfully questioning her at just the right time and listening to her life's story.

  Lorit watched Chihon reach across the table and take the old woman's hand in hers. He could feel her draw power from him. She focused it into the old woman. Lorit felt her probe for the sickness and slowly, carefully, replace the putrid decay with a fresh, spring color. Chihon worked at it while they chatted away. She occasionally looked over at Lorit. He let her know that he was aware of what she was doing and shared his power with her freely so that she could do this for the woman.

  At one point, Chihon rushed the process a little and the old woman said, "I feel strange."

  "How so?" Chihon asked.

  "I don't know, strange. Like I was young again. Isn't that silly, an old woman like me feeling young?"

  "You are young, Mother," her husband said. "You always were and always will be. Why, when I'm dead and gone, you'll be out there with the lads dancing and having a ball. You're as young as the day I met you."

  Chihon kept it up, carefully removing every trace of the disease. Lorit knew it was hard work, and it drained her.

  "You look like you haven't eaten in a moon," the husband said to Chihon. "You must have been starved."

  "I'm fine," Chihon said. "I'm just a little tired. We've had a long day."

  As the sun set, Lorit and Chihon made their way back to their inn. Chihon fell onto the bed and lay there exhausted as Lorit plopped himself into a chair. "That takes a lot out of you, doesn't it?" Lorit asked.

  "It sure does. I learned those healing spells in the temple. They taught me how to sacrifice animals to speed my recovery after I healed a young mother and her child."

  "You sacrificed animals in the temple?"

  "Yes, to speed my recovery. I was totally exhausted after healing a young mother and her child."

  Lori had been so excited over finding her, that he'd forgotten the images of her taking magic through sacrifices. It came back to him in a flash; first she took the magic of the mini dragon, then of Prince Ghall. He felt betrayed. He had almost lost her over his attempt to take the priest's power, yet here she sat calmly telling him how she had used temple spells and accessed temple magic.

  "I can't believe you would do that!" Lorit looked away. He didn't want her to see the anger in his eyes.

  "Do what? Heal a sick child?"

  "No. You accessed temple magic to heal a sick child. You know how dangerous that is. You know where that leads." He tried to control his anger as he turned to look at her. All the rest of the visions had been true. Had he already lost her to the temple? Was this just another trap they had set for him?

  Tears welled up in her eyes, and Lorit could see the hurt he had caused her. He wanted to reach out to her and tell her it was going to be all right, but he couldn't bring himself to. She had flirted with certain disaster. That one simple act could have cost her everything, cost him everything.

  "Lorit. I didn't access temple magic. I used a healing spell they taught me. I never took magic from the temple. They tried to trick me, but I refused. Somewhere deep down inside me, there was something telling me not to."

  She reached out, but Lorit pulled his hands away before she could touch him. He didn't want to feel her touch.

  "Lorit. It was you. Your words kept coming back to me, breaking through the spells. I heard you tell me not to take the magic of the temple. It was your words that gave me the strength to resist, and that's what finally broke their spell on me."

  She reached out for him once again. This time he didn’t pull away from her touch. "You have to believe me. I never touched the temple's corrupted magic."

  "But you sacrificed an animal on the altar in the temple."

  "I did." Chihon hung her head.

  "How is that different?" Lorit asked. He felt for her magic. It was still pure and clean, there was no trace of the temple in her. He knew that whatever she'd done, it had not touched her soul.

  She was sobbing and she hid her face from him. He reached down and gently took her chin in his hand and lifted her head. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she gasped for breath.

  He recalled the way she looked when they were reunited. The bald head and thick temple robes. She had really believed that Lorit had turned, and they were following the temple religion, yet she had fought it at every turn. He wasn't sure he would have been as strong.

  He looked into her tearful eyes and whispered, "I'm sorry. I know you did nothing wrong. I believe you. I was just afraid I would lose you to them if you had. I know how strong the pull of their magic can be, the temptation to take power is hard to resist. I know that more than anyone."

  Chihon looked back at him. "I would never. You know that. Never."

  "I know." Lorit held her until she was quiet.

  Finally, she dried her eyes and said, "I'm drained. Maybe a little rest will help us both recover. I can see it in you, too."

  She curled up on the bed and pulled the blanket around her.

  In the morning, Lorit and Chihon headed to the Market. Under Chihon's guidance, they located the section of the market where the less reputable merchants were located.

  "How did you know where the Thieves' Market was?" Lorit asked as they walked the cramped aisles between stalls.

  "There is one in every market. Some folk don't mind that the merchant did not come by his wares honestly. The
y only care about the price. I learned a lot working with my grandma'am." She reached out and laid a hand on his arm. "Just keep your hand on your pack. If you're not careful, it will be on sale before we get to the end of the aisle."

  "Sir. Madam. Let me guide you to the finest weapons that money can buy," cried a young boy, tugging at Lorit's arm. "I can take you. You will see. The best weapons at the best prices. There is no one better than me to show you."

  "No, thank you," Lorit said, pulling his arm from the boy's grasp. As he did, he bumped into a girl not much older than the boy. She cried out in pain and knelt down. Lorit knelt down next to her, to see what had happened. As he bent over, he felt a tug at his pack and jumped to his feet, expecting to confront a thief.

  Chihon had the young boy by the arm. She nudged the girl with her foot. "Get up." When the girl didn't move, she nudged harder. "Get up, I said. We'll have none of your tricks."

  The girl stood. "A thousand apologies, Mistress. Our father, he will beat us if we come home empty-handed."

  "I would worry more about the Patrollers than your father," Chihon said. She made a big show of looking through the crowd. "I think I see one coming now."

  The boy struggled to free himself as the girl lurched to get away, but she wasn't fast enough. Chihon had the two of them by the arm, one in each hand.

  "I will let you go, but you have to do something for me," she said. "I need to know where the magical items are sold in the Thieves' Market. If you take me there and keep the rest of your friends away, I'll let you go."

  Chihon leaned down and spoke quietly to them. "Don't even try to run. I'm a sorceress and you won't get far." She released them and pushed the boy in front of her. "Let's go."

  Lorit followed Chihon and the children until they reached a rundown warehouse on the edge of the market square. It was guarded by a pair of large disreputable men, who were well armed. The girl said something to one of the men, and he stepped aside to let them pass.

  The interior of the warehouse was no better than the exterior. The building looked to be on the verge of collapse, its supporting beams sagging under the load of years of decay and rot. The aisles between stalls here were not as crowded as they had been in the main marketplace.

  The children guided them to the back. It was dark and dingy. In the corner was a small stand full of twisted, melted figurines and dusty amulets. Lorit looked around the stall for his staff, but he didn't see it, and he could not feel its magic.

  "We're looking for a staff," Chihon said.

  Lorit let her do the talking. She had more experience in the market, and she seemed to be able to get answers where he got only silence. He probed the stall for his staff, but it was not there.

  "Then you have come to the right place, my friends," the proprietor said. He was a young man about twenty-five summers in age. He had a charming crooked smile and a swagger that bespoke his confidence. He reached behind him and pulled back a hanging rug that Lorit had taken for the back wall. Behind it were several staffs, all made of polished gnarled wood. None of them was Lorit's.

  Chihon released the children as soon as they'd entered the stall, allowing them their freedom. She leaned in to get a closer look. "I don't see anything here that interests me." She handled a staff made of a light wood with a poor-quality violet gem embedded in it.

  "Ah, that is one of my better ones," the proprietor said. "It is made of fine wood harvested at the peak of its potency, and the jewel is most rare."

  "Hmmmm," Chihon said. "No, I'm really looking for something better than this. What have you received lately? Anything new, these look rather old and worn. The jewel is poorly cut."

  Chihon reached into her pocket and pulled out a pair of golds. "I'm looking for a real high-quality staff, not this load of rubbish. Surely you have better, or maybe you can take me to someone who deals in real merchandise, not these child's toys."

  "I can take you to another who deals in precious artifacts. He does not sell his wares here in the market. He has his own shop."

  "For this, we would reward you," Chihon said. "Please take us."

  "Follow me." He closed up his stall and headed deeper into the warehouse. He took the staff Chihon had been inspecting and led the way. The place was even more dark and gloomy than before as they penetrated the depth of the structure. He watched Chihon trailing the young man while trying to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity.

  As they squeezed through a tight corner and into a dark aisle, a voice came from above. "That's far enough. Drop the packs and let's have your valuables. Don't try anything and you might live."

  Lorit looked up to see two men hanging from the rafters. One held a knife in his free hand, the other held a dagger in his teeth. The young man who had been leading them turned to face Chihon. "Please hand over your pack. I don't want to have to hurt you."

  Lorit watched to see what Chihon would do. He didn't want to hand over their packs, but he felt that they were outnumbered, and without his staff, he was at a disadvantage.

  Chihon laughed at the young man. She reached out and pushed him. "Don't—mess—with—me," she said, tapping him on the chest with each word. "I'm not in the mood for this."

  He swung the staff at her and shouted. "Get them."

  Chihon reached out and grasped the staff. She dove under it and twisted it out of her attacker's hand, quickly disarming him. "Catch!" She tossed the staff to Lorit. She reached up toward the men in the rafters before they had a chance to react. "Prohibere ubi sunt," she said, commanding them to freeze.

  Too late for them; both men had already released their grip on the rafters. Their bodies were immobilized in mid-fall, and they hit the floor with a thud.

  Lorit advanced on the young man with the staff. "Is there really a shop? Or was this just a ruse to get us alone so your friends could jump us?"

  "There is a shop." The young man cowered, holding his hands before his face.

  "Then take us to it before I have to use this on you." Lorit shook the staff at the young man, who stood up, turned, and headed deeper into the warehouse. Lorit prodded him in the back. "Go."

  As they passed Chihon, she whispered in his ear, "Nice staff-work."

  "You saw that coming, didn't you?" he asked.

  "Yes. He looked dishonest. The deeper we got, the more suspicious I got. I had the spells ready to go and just needed to trigger them."

  "I'm glad you were ready. I was a little unprepared. I feel naked without my staff."

  They worked their way out of the warehouse and a few blocks over. The shop was better maintained than the market. It contained instruments, powders, and more intricate and better-fabricated figurines than the ones in the market. Lorit felt the power of his staff as soon as they walked into the shop, but he remained silent.

  The proprietor was a middle-aged man with a beard split in two. The spiked ends were twisted and waxed together. He wore a pointed hat that Lorit thought looked silly.

  "Welcome, welcome," he said. "What is it you seek? Wait, don't tell me. Let me guess."

  The young man from the market tried to ease his way to the door while they were occupied with the proprietor. "Don't be so fast to run," Chihon said. "We may need your assistance yet."

  "I was just trying to get a bit of fresh air," the young man said.

  "No. Stay where you are," Chihon ordered.

  Lorit walked up to the proprietor. "I'm looking for a staff. This one is poor quality, and I want to upgrade it."

  "Well, you've come to the right place. I have an excellent selection. What price range are you looking at?"

  "Price is no object," Lorit said. "Show me your best merchandise."

  "I have just come into possession of a very fine staff. Let me fetch it. It's exquisite." The proprietor disappeared into the back of the shop and quickly returned. The staff was made of dark wood and had a finely cut jewel in the head. Lorit didn't even need to look at it to know it was his.

  "Do you trade in these items often?" Lorit ask
ed.

  "Not as often as I'd wish." The man laid the staff on the counter atop a large velvet cloth to show off the jewel. "Have you ever seen such a beautiful thing?" He ran his hands over the length of polished wood. He caressed the jewel in the head of the staff. "A staff like this is worth fifty golds at least."

  "How long have you had this?" Lorit wanted to see how badly the proprietor would lie about it.

  "I only just acquired it." He lifted it from the cloth and started to put it back.

  "Can I hold it?"

  "No. Such a fine instrument should only be handled by the one who will wield it. If you are going to purchase it, then you can handle it."

  "Where did you get it from?" Lorit asked.

  "I purchased it from a very powerful wizard. Just this very day. It's a sad tale. The wizard lost his wife, and with her death, he lost his magical powers. He could no longer use such a staff. He left it with me to sell to someone who would give it a proper home."

  Lorit could feel the magic inside him rising. He felt Chihon gathering power to herself, borrowing from him. He tried to act as if nothing was happening while he continued the conversation.

  "I think that I could afford twenty golds."

  "Twenty golds? Why? This is worth a hundred, and I am doing you a great kindness offering it to you at fifty. I could never part with it for less than forty."

  "Forty? Look at the misshapen jewel in the head. It is poor quality, and you're trying to sell it to me as if it were perfect. What do you take me for?" Lorit demanded. He could feel the power in Chihon reach a level he had never felt from her before. He watched as the proprietor started to sweat.

  First, the man's forehead glistened. Soon a few beads of sweat ran down his neck. He reached for his collar and tugged at it. He looked around the store as if he were searching for something, then back at Lorit.

  "Thirty. And not a copper lower. This is a fine staff and well worth the price I asked of you."

  Lorit stood there bantering as the man's skin turned red. He dropped the staff and started to wave his hands about, blowing on them and shaking them through the air. "What's happening?"