Wizard's Education

by James Eggebeen

  "Yes, I am free."

  "So you are queen. My sympathies for your loss, Your Grace." Lorit bowed low.

  "A dragon has summoned me here with my army. He says you will need my help."

  "A dragon?" Lorit asked.

  "Yes, a wizard and mini dragon came to my coronation and told me to be ready to aid you when you needed me. He told me to wait here and do whatever was necessary. What have you gotten yourself into?"

  "We just escaped from the palace," Lorit explained. "They don't allow men to escape."

  "Perhaps this is why we were asked to come here. Don't worry, Sir Adane is here, and he's a strong fighter."

  Lorit saw the queen glance at Chihon and quickly look away. Before he could ask her what was wrong, there was a shout from outside the pavilion. Lorit ducked out the door to see a horde of Mayst's soldiers flooding out of the city gate. Lorit could see the light in a lone tower, where Mayst stood directing her troops. He could sense her standing there and feel her rage at his escape. She was out for blood and willing to fight through the entire army to get at him.

  Her archers stopped and knelt, letting fly a cloud of arrows that flashed across the face of the moon, obscuring it as they sped toward their target. The soldiers knelt down and raised their wooden shields to deflect the arrows. Lorit raised his magical shields around Chihon and Ukina to protect them, should a stray arrow penetrate the soldiers' defensive wall.

  The arrows hit like hail on a stormy night. The sound of hundreds of arrows striking shields caused such a din, that Lorit couldn't hear the commands Sir Adane called out. The knights returned the volley. Arrows flew high, once again darkening the face of the moon like a cloud.

  The women without the advantage of shields, fell victim to the arrows, although Lorit thought many of them deftly dodged the arrows at the last instant and passed through unscathed. He'd hoped for a larger loss on their side, but any diminishing of the queen's army was a plus.

  The women launched another volley of arrows. This time they were closer and some of the shafts made their way through the shields to penetrate armor and claim their victims. Fortunately, most of the arrows clattered to the ground without inflicting harm.

  The knights were launching their next volley of arrows when the women charged. They drew their swords and ran straight for the knights, screaming as they came, heedless of the few archers able to get off a last shot.

  The women jumped when they were within striking distance of the knights' wall of shields. They threw their feet into the shields. Some held, but most of the soldiers' shields were driven to the ground, opening a path for the women to enter the battle, swords swinging.

  The battle raged on. Lorit thought it would have been over quickly with the women up against the armor of the knights, but the women fighters held their own. He could see them fend off sword thrusts and cuts with almost magical speed. He reached out with his senses to see if there was indeed magic at work here.

  "There." Lorit pointed to the tower where Queen Mayst stood. He could sense a thick silver thread winding its way through the air up to the tower where it split into a thousand tiny threads that stretched from Mayst to the women fighting. There was magic at work, and if he didn't do something about it, the knights were sure to be beaten in the end.

  Chihon took his hand. He could feel her reaching out through his eyes and looking up at the magic. "She's drawing from the pools. She's protecting her fighters from harm, using magic."

  "We have to interrupt that stream. We can't defeat her while she has magic on her side." Lorit felt the power that she channeled from the healing pools and out to her troops. He tried to grasp the thick cord that stretched between the queen and the source behind the tower. He pulled at it, twisting it to his will, but he was unable to affect its course or diminish its strength.

  He touched a thread that connected Mayst with one of her soldiers. With effort, he was able to break it and watched as the woman fell to the next sword thrust that came her way. He reached for another thread and did the same with similar results.

  "There's too many of them for me to break them individually." It was exhausting Lorit's strength to interfere with the queen's magic. He was already weakened and would soon be ineffective.

  Chihon joined her efforts to his, but before they had made a dent in the army, they were both exhausted and had to give it up. The women made a renewed charge on the knights and many on both sides fell to the sword. Lorit could feel the pain and anguish as the dying lay there, bleeding away their life's blood. He had to do something, or they would not survive the night.

  He reached out once more to the healing pools themselves. He could feel the power in them and how it was being directed to the tower. He found a source that was untouched and pulled from it. It felt like the magic he had experienced in the mines beneath Friega or that of the mini dragon.

  It was pure and clear without a hint of corruption. It was refreshing, and he felt his energy level increase as he drew on it. He reached out for the strand that strengthened the tower but he was unable to affect it. Try as he might, it was just too strong.

  He probed the tower, looking for any weakness. It was built of cut stone that was mortared together. There were several arched windows on each face. The roof was a steep peak and was adorned with statues of gargoyles and dragons. The windows shone with a slight violet light as the queen gathered and disbursed her magic.

  He could see the clouds disappear behind the tower, the light of the full moon illuminating them from above with a light glow. He visualized the clouds behind the tower, willing them to be more real, more solid. In his mind's eye, he envisioned the clouds encircling the tower, heavy with water. They cut through the stone that held the walls firm.

  He visualized the clouds taking on more substance, splitting the tower in half, cutting it evenly between the ground and the violet glow emanating from the windows. He felt Chihon join him in his conjuration. The clouds flew across the face of the tower, lit even more brightly than before.

  Lorit could feel the power he directed from the healing pools into the clouds as they became more and more solid. A flash of lightning split the sky, followed immediately by a peal of thunder.

  The flash illuminated the queen standing in the tower. Lorit felt her shock at the violence of his attack, but it didn't slow her down. It seemed to strengthen her resolve as she pushed her troops for another assault. Lorit could hear the clash of swords against shields but remained focused on his task.

  He imagined the clouds becoming solid, solid enough to knock the tower down, solid enough to break the stones from one another. He felt the heavy mist in the clouds penetrating the stone, invading every crack and crevice in the tower, when he realized how they could defeat her.

  "Aqua fieri glacies," he called out, willing the water in the clouds to become ice. How often had he seen water split a pail when it froze? Why did rocks split and fall from cliffs that had withstood a thousand summers? The ice formed in every crack and crevice where the clouds touched.

  There was a terrible cracking sound, and the tower started to crumble. The clouds lit up with the moonlight as the center of the tower exploded in a shower of rock dust and rubble. The top of the tower hung in mid-air as if refusing to accept its fate, then tilted to one side and fell.

  It crashed into the lower section, splitting and shattering the rock walls below as it came down. The thick silver thread that had entered it from the pool flashed and vanished along with the threads connecting the tower to the women.

  Lorit saw the battle turn in favor of the knights as the tower fell. No longer were the sword thrusts ineffective, no longer did the women's arrows fly straight for any chink in the armor. The battle raged on as most battles do, threatening to continue until all of one side or the other were killed, but Lorit felt confident in the knights' victory when he heard a scream.

  He turned to see a bright violet flare and a fireball arched up and out of the debris. It raced through the air and impa
cted with a flash close to the tent where Queen Ukina had departed to discuss battle strategy with Sir Adane. Chihon grabbed his arm and turned him toward the light.

  "It's Queen Mayst. She survived, and she's here." She ran for the tent just in time to see Sir Adane square off with Mayst, as she drew her sword and stepped into the pavilion.

  Lorit saw the faint violet thread that still connected Mayst to the magic of the pools. She was still using magic to power her assault, even though her troops were being decimated.

  "She's after Queen Ukina," Chihon shouted. Lorit knew that Chihon and the queen were still connected magically and worried that if the queen fell, Chihon might be killed along with her.

  Lorit rushed over to the tent to find a wall of magic around it that kept them out. Lorit tried to draw more power from the pools, but he was unable to make any impact.

  He saw Sir Adane within the tent take up a position between Ukina and Mayst. Mayst brandished her sword almost as skillfully as Sir Adane. She struck first, driving a glancing blow that bounced off the heavy wooden shield he carried. He followed through with his own strike, but she parried deftly, catching his blade on her own.

  The sound of clashing steel rang out as they swung, thrust and parried, each one pressing the other hard. Lorit tried to intervene with his magic, but it was not strong enough. All he could do was watch helplessly as Mayst wore the knight down.

  Lorit saw Sir Adane growing weary. His thrusts lost their power, and his parry was getting slower, often taking the hit on his shield when he failed to stop the blade with his own. He would not last long, and then Queen Ukina would surely be next.

  Queen Ukina was hunched down in the corner. She pressed against the shield as if trying to get out. Her lips moved in a silent invocation. She looked up at Lorit with a frightened look in her eye, begging him for his help.

  He pushed at the shield, this time taking Chihon's magic and twisting it along with his own. The shield started to weaken and allowed him to make some small headway into the tent, but stopped him short of reaching Queen Ukina.

  Sir Adane thrust his sword at Queen Mayst with a swing that should have taken her head clean off. The blow halted as it contacted her skin, and the knight slipped at the sudden impact. He faltered ever so slightly, raising his shield to regain his balance.

  This was the opening Mayst must have been waiting for. She quickly came around his shield arm and slid the point of the sword beneath his mail coat and up into his gut. Sir Adane groaned and fell to the ground.

  Mayst turned to Lorit. "You came to see your queen die?"

  "I came to stop you." He pushed the shields harder. They moved but did not budge. He tried to press his magic through the shield to stop her as she turned to Queen Ukina and raised her sword.

  "There should be only one queen." She raised the sword preparing to deal the death blow to Queen Ukina, who remained on her knees.

  Lorit felt the brush of wind past his ear and saw a blurry brown streak flash past. It looped around Queen Ukina, weaving strands of golden light about her until she was encased in its glow. The creature settled to the ground next to Queen Ukina. It was the mini dragon.

  Lorit felt it touch his mind. "Always at your service."

  He grasped the power from the mini dragon and eagerly added it to his own. He pressed the shield that barred him from Queen Mayst. It resisted at first, but when Chihon joined the effort, it shattered in a shower of violet sparks that settled to the ground and died.

  Queen Mayst turned to face him. "So must I deal with you directly?"

  "So it would seem," Lorit said. "What was it that you were so eager to do to me when we last saw each other?"

  "I have something much more enjoyable planned for you now. No simple gelding. That won't do. This time I'm going to geld and hobble you. You can pull yourself around my court on a little cart and beg for food outside my gate."

  She turned to him, swinging her sword almost before she'd finished speaking.

  Lorit barely had time to fend off the blow, catching the hilt of the sword on his staff. He backed away from her to give himself space to get his footing. He raised his staff, trying to get out the spell that he had quickly thrown together to paralyze her.

  She struck again, hitting his staff with such force, she knocked it from his hand. It went sprawling across the sand and landed just out of his reach.

  She came at him, pressing her advantage. Lorit raised his arm to fend off the blow, wishing he still had his staff or, failing that, some sort of shield. As she rushed him, he could feel the power surge through him. It flowed out of his arm and swirled around it, taking on a golden glow. By the time Queen Mayst struck, it had solidified into a shield of gold, yet light and strong.

  Her sword struck his shield and rang out with an off-key note, then shattered into a cloud of fine dust. The queen screamed her rage and threw herself at him, reaching for her dagger.

  Lorit dodged the dagger and dove for his staff. He reached it just as she rolled past him and crouched for another strike. He raised his staff and drew on the power of the mini dragon, mixed with Chihon's magic. He drew from the healing pools, fashioned a spear of light and thrust it at Mayst. She swung the dagger at it but it had no effect.

  There was a bright flash of violet light, and Queen Mayst was gone. Lorit looked over at the mini dragon where it sat contentedly, licking its fur with a tiny red tongue. It looked up at him and shot a short burst of flame that reached almost halfway to where Lorit lay.

  "Now you bring the fire?" Lorit said, shaking his head.

  "Lorit! Sir Adane has been hurt." Chihon rushed over to the knight. He was lying on his side, with his hand over the wound that Mayst had delivered. Red blood seeped between his fingers and trickled down his armor onto the ground, where a spreading pool gave testament to his injury.

  Lorit saw Chihon bend over him. She reached out and covered Sir Adane's hand with her own. Lorit could feel her drawing power from him but was too weak to lend her much.

  "It's not enough," Chihon said. She looked up at him.

  "You can't let him die," Lorit said. Sir Adane had not known that he was saving Chihon when he stepped between Ukina and Mayst, but he had. Lorit could not let the knight die because of him.

  "Please help him," Queen Ukina begged.

  Lorit saw the mini dragon sitting quietly by, watching. He reached out to it with his magic. "Help us, please."

  The mini dragon lifted its head. "What is this man to you?"

  "He's my friend. He has saved my life and the life of Queen Ukina."

  The dragon turned to the queen without saying a word.

  "Please save him," she begged.

  The mini dragon ambled over to Sir Adane. It hopped up onto the knight's legs and waddled his way up, swaying from side to side, wings held high. The mini dragon raised its head and took a deep breath. It looked at Chihon.

  Chihon moved the knight's hands away from his injury. Blood welled up anew, but before much more was lost, the dragon blew a stream of flame onto the wound. The leather armor burned away until his skin was exposed. It bubbled and blistered around the wound as the dragon fire washed over it. After a while, the dragon ceased his ministration and hopped down.

  "Will he live?" Queen Ukina asked.

  "He may." The dragon spread his wings and launched himself into the air, soon to disappear from their sight.

  The next morning Queen Ukina called for Lorit and Chihon to ride with her as they departed. They were provided fresh horses that Lorit realized must have come from the fallen knights. They had left a contingent behind to care for the wounded and the dead, but Queen Ukina urged Lorit and Chihon to hurry.

  "I fear for my kingdom and I fear for you both," she said as they wound their way down a forest path covered in trees that arched over the road. The ancient oaks reached up along the path, spreading their branches across the road and then back down to the ground where new trunks sprouted branches which curved back over the path. They formed a gr
een canopy that provided shade for them as they rode.

  "My spies tell me that the Wizard's Council has been compromised. They do not say more than that, just that it has been compromised and not to trust them."

  "I freed Zhimosom from one trap, but he has fallen into another one. I have not been able to contact him since. Rotiaqua is severely limited in her power. That's why we are going to Amedon. We have to get the council to help."

  "You must be careful in your dealings with the council. I will escort you to Amedon, but I must leave you there. I need to return to my kingdom."

  Queen Ukina explained that her brother had returned and had been detained by the wizard Hatther. Lorit was saddened to learn that another of his charges had turned to the temple. He worried about Ukina but trusted that Hatther would be able to handle a young boy who had just turned. It would be a while before Ghall was a threat to a seasoned wizard.

  When they came to the crossroads where they were to part, the queen pulled up alongside Lorit. "Once you have the council safely restored, please come to Veldwaite. I would like to ask your help in dealing with my brother. I trust you, Lorit. I know you can help."

  Lorit promised to help if he could and gave her a farewell salute.

  "What did she want?" Chihon asked when Lorit caught up to her.

  "She wants us to come to Veldwaite after we restore the council and help with her brother. I would love to see if there is a way to restore someone the temple has turned."

  "Do you think it's possible?" Chihon asked.

  "Maybe. I'm sure they would know more in Amedon." He reined his horse as they headed down the road that would take them to Amedon.

  Chapter 26

  Lorit and Chihon rounded a low hill to see Amedon looming ahead. The most notable feature was the large keep jutting out of the side of the mountain. The keep rose almost to the height of the peak of the mountain to which it clung, slender spires piercing the sky to challenge the clouds that flew by it.