The Wilder (The Trouble with Magic Book 1)

by Beach, B. J.

  The others nodded their concurrence, and Detelia touched Karryl’s hand. “During the intervening years Karryl, you will be growing, mentally and physically. You will learn much, and your power will develop, as will your mastery of it. There is nothing to fear. Nevertheless, do not lose sight of the certain fact that somewhere on this world another has been identified and will be trained to oppose you.”

  Karryl locked his dark eyes on her amethyst ones. “So it will be a war.”

  She gave him a disarming smile. “Hopefully it will not come to that, although the thing you have to do may not be to their benefit and they will undoubtedly try to stop you.”

  His eyebrow gave a sceptical twitch. “In other words, if I want it badly enough, and they equally don’t want me to do it, then we’ll more than likely end up fighting each other. From what I’ve learned so far, negotiation won’t an option.”

  Everyone started to speak at once, in an attempt to put his mind at rest, but he ignored them. He threw his hands up as he leaned back in his chair. “That’s fine with me. By the time this whoever-it-is decides what they’re going to do, I’ll be more than ready for them.”

  As Symon began to chuckle, and the others looked at him in surprise, Karryl rested his elbows on the table.”So what’s next then? I think it would be a good idea to have a look in that book, don’t you?”

  * * *

  The black bound volume rested comfortably in his hands as if he had been using it for years. The others watched with bated breath as Karryl turned to the first page. His heart lurched. For a brief moment he thought he was looking at his own hand-writing. The fine vellum was covered in a small but neat and flowing, slightly angular script which, although running close to every edge, was not cramped.

  Symon leaned close. “Can you read it?”

  Letting his eyes move down the page, Karryl frowned and scratched his head. Still frowning he looked at everyone in turn, finally letting his gaze rest on Symon. Throwing his head back with a grin, Karryl released a great chortle of delight. “Yes! I can read every word!”

  The combined sighs of relief were audible. In a parody of Symon’s familiar gesture, Karryl tipped his head to one side. “That doesn’t mean I can understand it, but give me time; I’ll get there.”

  Noting their approving and eager glances, Karryl firmly closed the book and placed it back inside its leather bag. “As much as I appreciate the fact that there’s a lot to be done, I for one am feeling very tired and hungry. Would you all mind very much if we left this for now, and started afresh after the holiday?”

  Symon feigned amazement. “How can you possibly be hungry? You’ve been stuffing your face at the Apprentices’ party!”

  Karryl grinned and raised his forefinger. “Ah! But that was yesterday, and you must admit, I have expended quite a bit of energy since then!”

  A little more time was taken up with a general discussion of how things were to be organised, then Mordas and Kimi stood up to take their leave.

  To Karryl’s surprise, Kimi crossed his arms on his chest and gave a respectful bow of his tattooed head, before reaching out to shake Karryl’s hand. “I feel great honour that I have seen this day, and that I have been chosen from the beginning to play a part in this new saga. When I return to my people I will consult with our wise ones, what name you will be given. No other will have that name, and you will become part of our history.”

  Mordas was less formal and gave Karryl a hug. “Kimi is now your friend, as well as mine. You can rely on him to teach and guide you, as you can also with me.”

  Detelia came to stand beside them, and turned her amethyst eyes on Karryl’s slowly reddening face.”I can personally guarantee that, Karryl. They will be giving you their help and support for as long as you feel you need it, and probably long after that as well. Now, it is time we all had some rest. When the holiday is over and the New Year is truly with us, we can take the first steps on the path to this task we have been given. Until then, I will bid you all farewell and goodnight.”

  The air around her shimmered and sparkled in swirling showers of violet and silver, then she was gone, leaving behind a faintly heady aroma of lilac and honeysuckle.

  Karryl grinned. “Useful trick that. I wonder where she goes?”

  It never occurred to him that one day he might find out.

  Accompanying Mordas and Kimi down the stairs to the door, Symon bid them goodnight, while Karryl returned the leather bag and its unique contents to the small cupboard.

  He was leaning on the table, deep in thought, when the little magician hurried back into the room, briskly rubbing at his arms. “It is certainly cold out there tonight. Nevertheless I must return to the palace, although it felt good to be back here, if only for a few hours.” He looked into Karryl’s pensive face. “Something still seems to be troubling you.”

  Straightening up, his apprentice rubbed his hands over his face, like someone just waking. “No. Well, not really troubling me. There’s just been a lot to take in, but I think I can handle it. Everything that’s happened to me has all been leading up to this, hasn’t it? You know, seeing the things in the museum and the accident after I found the book in the old cottage.”

  Symon gave him a knowing smile, sent the unattached cupboard back to where it came from, then started moving round the room, turning out the lamps. When there was only one small one by the door remaining, he came back to the table.

  Karryl’s next question was not the one he was expecting. “When I was in bed after my accident, was someone messing around with my head, putting stuff in there that I’d need later? Was it Detelia?”

  Symon steepled his fingers and tapped his chin, surveying Karryl from under his bushy eyebrows. “I will be honest with you. Yes, you are right. Someone was ‘messing around with your head’ as you put it, but it wasn’t D’ta, and at the time I knew nothing about it. Had I even suspected then what I know now, I would have felt decidedly more confident of your recovery.”

  Karryl frowned. “Well, who was it then?”

  Symon didn’t answer immediately, but started to move towards the door. After a last look round, he beckoned Karryl to follow him. With the last small lamp turned out, magician and apprentice made their way down the stairs.

  After closing the outer door behind him, Symon looked up at the deep indigo sky, with its scattering of winter stars. “Somewhere out there is a power that neither you nor I can possibly begin to imagine. What form it takes, if any, I could not say. I do know that there are some very rare occasions when it, he, she, I don’t know, decides to give proceedings down here a little tweak. I rather think this has been one of those occasions.”

  Karryl grinned, and swung his foot through a small drift of new snow. “Makes everything seem all worthwhile, knowing that, doesn’t it?”

  Symon chuckled. “Come on, let’s get you home, then I have things to do at the palace. It may not come as any surprise to you, when you arrive home not much later than you would have done. I rather think you noticed when D’ta shifted time a little.”

  Karryl laughed and kicked snow up into the air. “She’s full of surprises. I really like her.”

  From out of the clear air a soft voice spoke. “Thank you Karryl. I appreciate that.”

  Karryl spun round, hoping to see Detelia. Instead, he found himself standing beside Symon, outside his own front door.

  As he stood in open-mouthed amazement, Symon chuckled and patted him on the arm. “She does little favours for people sometimes, you know.”

  Still chuckling, he set off down the path, until he was hidden by its curve. He then took his own unique shortcut to the palace, leaving Karryl to ponder everything which had happened that evening, and the almost unbelievable future which lay ahead of him.

  CHAPTER THIRTYNINE

  Early the following morning, the first rays of a cheerless winter sun gleamed fitfully through the thinning grey cloud cover to cast long blue-grey shadows across the previous night’s snowfall. In a sma
ll clearing within sight of his tower, Symon stood and carefully formed the spell which would dematerialise him and send him swirling in organised chaos through sub-zero temperatures.

  Bearing in mind that despite a travelling time of mere minutes, it would be close to mid-day when he arrived, Symon took a firm mental fix on his intended destination, closed his eyes and activated the spell. It wasn’t absolutely necessary for him to close his eyes. It was just that the way the air shimmered and rippled at the beginning tended to disturb his equilibrium if he watched it. He let his thoughts wander. The rest of him was speeding through the atmosphere in a swirl of atoms which would reassemble themselves as one coherent whole when he reached his destination. He could see nothing and hear nothing, so all there was to do was think. He was not fond of travelling by this method. Even though it was, for the most part, speedy and suited to his needs, he always felt slightly nauseous when he arrived wherever he was going, and while his atoms were adopting once more the corporeal form which held his astonishing mind and incredible powers.

  Thankfully, considering the time of year, his destination was in warmer climes. He also had the comfort of knowing he had been there before. On this occasion he was not expected, and he considered how best to use the short time possibly available to him before he was either sensed or located. If the worst came to the worst, he would then be transported under heavy guard to the palace, there to be interrogated by the Emperor’s finest. At best he could expect to be held for at least a day, and face a confrontation he would prefer to avoid for as long as possible. The best thing that could possibly happen would be, he would arrive safely in Naboria, see who he had to see, and leave without anyone knowing he had even been there, apart from those who needed to.

  If his facial atoms had been anywhere near his mind, they would have formed a smile, as he visualised the image of the person he had come to see, and the place where he had last seen him. These two factors were vital to the success of this long distance form of the spell. Should one of the factors be subject to outdated information, then it was within the remit of the spell to adjust accordingly, all depending on where the practitioner had placed the priority. In this case Symon allocated priority to the person, and sincerely hoped he hadn’t moved to Altanica. Symon wasn’t dressed for it.

  One hundred percent certain he had done his calculations correctly, he pushed the thought aside, confident he would arrive in a large garden, shielded from the eyes of the curious and downright nosy by tall, fragrantly blossomed hedges and large clumps of ornamental grasses, swaying and shimmering in the soft tropical breeze. Symon sneezed as he materialised very close to a stand of tall grasses heavy with pollen, startling a flock of brightly plumaged birds which scavenged the ground for seeds and insects. With raucous screeches and a clatter of wings, they flew up to settle in the branches of a large shady tree, from where they looked down and chattered indignantly at him. The little magician stood unmoving for a few moments to survey the scene, using the pause to ensure that every part of him was behaving as it should.

  A short flit between locations in the same city, or even the same country, held no dangers and was of little concern, but an ethereal transportation through the celestial void was a far more serious matter. Quickly he checked himself over, relieved to find his feet and hands had arrived on the correct sides of his body, and not only that, but the right way round as well. After raising his correctly aligned hands to his face and establishing he still had a mouth and nose, and that they were where they should be, he felt satisfied all was well, and approached the large single storey building which was his destination. He chuckled to himself as he walked, imagining how ludicrous it would be if he had been forced to conduct this meeting with his nose in the middle of his forehead, or his mouth operating from a position somewhere below his left ear. He almost laughed out loud as he visualised attempting to walk with his feet on back to front. So wrapped up was he in his imaginings, he failed to notice the tall, slender, black skinned man, his shoulder length hair worked into dozens of tight beaded braids, who had emerged from the shady interior of the house, and was intently observing the diminutive magician’s approach.

  His deep rich voice boomed across the scented air. “Master Symon! I am honoured by your unexpected visit. You are most welcome!”

  Returning quickly to the present, Symon smiled.

  Small slender hand was enveloped in large slender hand, and both squeezed enthusiastically. “Kulas, my old ally, I am equally honoured that you remember me and offer me your welcome.”

  They released hands and each bowed slightly to the other. The formalities over, Kulas ushered his visitor into the cool interior. “Make yourself comfortable while I fetch us some refreshment. My wife Melana is away visiting for the day, so we must fend for ourselves.”

  Kulas hurried away, and after Symon’s eyes had become accustomed to the dimness he began to look around him. Blinds made of thin closely woven strips of rattan covered the unglazed window openings, effectively shielding those inside from the fierce glare of the tropical sun. Constructed of smoothly dressed limestone, the creamy whiteness of the walls cast its own soft light around the room. To Symon’s surprise, one wall was taken up almost completely by an enormous fireplace, at present clean and empty, while to one side of the polished stone hearth stood a large, ornate wrought-iron basket filled with logs, their resinous aroma scenting the air.

  To one side of the large room, an oval pool was set into the cool blue slate of the floor. From the centre of the pool, a small fountain jetted about two feet into the air, before splashing melodiously over a random collection of small boulders, their natural colours turned to jewel intensity by the clear water, as it trickled over them and back into the pool.

  The room was minimally furnished. In the broad space between the pool and the fireplace, two basket-like chairs swung on closely corded ropes, suspended from large metal eyes set deep into the roof beams. Casting a dubious glance at the chairs as they swung in the light breeze wafting through the open doorway, Symon went to stand beside the pool. Hands behind his back, he gazed down into the water, fascinated as always by the natural colours and striations revealed in the boulders.

  He sensed, rather than heard, Kulas’ return. The tall black-skinned man walked soundlessly on bare feet. He bent to place a large carved and gilded wooden tray on a low, pale green marble-topped table, which stood on other side of the pool. From a large brightly glazed earthenware ewer, he poured a clear golden liquid into two tall, translucent beakers.

  Putting the jug down, he handed one of the beakers to Symon. “I’m sure you remember this. It will refresh you after your journey, clear your head and cool you.”

  Symon reached for the beaker. “I thought it looked familiar when you were pouring it. It must be the fruit cordial, of which I seem to remember consuming vast quantities last time I was in Naboria.”

  Kulas nodded, smiling at the memory, then gestured to one of the hanging chairs, while seating himself in the other. Pushing himself with the balls of his feet, he began to swing gently to and fro. Symon watched him for a moment or two, then grinned.

  Feigning irritation he turned and waved a finger at the other chair. “I don’t suppose you thought to bring a step-ladder, so that I could get into that thing, did you?”

  Kulas threw back his head, and let out a great roar of laughter. Rising easily to his feet, he placed his beaker on the table. Before the little magician realised what was happening Kulas had grasped him round the waist and hoisted him bodily into the suspended chair. His small feet dangling a good six inches above the blue slate floor, Symon swung in delighted disbelief. Picking up his drink, Kulas returned to his seat.

  He sipped and waited while Symon accustomed himself to this new experience, then turned thoughtfully to his guest. “Perhaps now you are settled, you will explain to me the reason for your visit. I doubt very much that you think so highly of me that you would make such a long journey, just for a social call.”

/>   Symon took a sip of his drink, and raised an admonishing finger. “That’s where you’re wrong. I do think very highly of you, and it is for exactly that reason that I am here.” The corner of his mouth quirked, and he looked at Kulas from under his bushy eyebrows. “The fact that you are also possibly the only person in the world who can furnish me with the assistance I need, is neither here nor there.”

  Kulas placed his feet flat on the floor to stop his chair from swinging, rested his elbows on his knees, and stared into his drink, the dozens of tiny beaded plaits falling to curtain his face.

  From behind this curtain, he spoke, quietly and earnestly. “It is many, many years since we have worked together my friend, and it is a time that I wish with all my heart that I could forget, as I expect you do.

  “When you were last in Naboria, this building in which we sit was little more than four walls, an earth floor and a partly completed roof. Now I have a comfortable home, a good wife, and two grown sons of whom I am very proud. I have a good life and a peaceful one. Your arrival after all these years, gives me the feeling that you are about to involve me in something of which I would rather not be a part.”

  Symon opened his mouth to protest, but Kulas lifted his hand and shook his head. “No, my friend. Please hear me out. What we and the others did all those years ago, was no mean feat, and may have changed this part of the world for all time. I gave thanks more than once that you were on my side. After it was all over, your continued friendship meant a great deal to me. In fact, I hurt to my bones when you returned to your own land, but my eldest son was an infant then, and the other only expected.

  “I vowed then to put the past behind me and devote my life to my family. The new emperor who arose from that conflict was a good and wise man. He and his heirs have shown their gratitude by providing the means and the opportunity for us to live a peaceful and undisturbed life. To be quite truthful, I would be very reluctant to involve myself in anything that would jeopardise that. I have not even used my powers for anything since, so the gods have probably taken them from me by now.”