Wizard's Alley

by James Haddock

  "You may go, but don't forget our deal." He nodded and left.

  I put the parchment in my pocket. My wards gathered that I had picked up a crossbow.

  “Crossbow.” It became the perfect crossbow, and I handed it to one of them.

  “Hang this in the training area,” I said.

  I did the same to all the crossbows and bolts, and they were put away.

  I repeated the process with all the weapons. “Swords and knives.” They became wizard-made weapons and were better than anything an artisan could make. There was also a throwing knife. I took it in my hands.

  “Throwing knives.” I fanned out knives like a deck of cards.

  I now held six throwing knives made of a purple metal. I tossed them in the air, and they circled me in the universal pattern. Then my magic shields joined them, both going faster and faster. They became a blur, and then disappeared. The knives went in my bag, becoming a card. I would have sheaths made for them later.

  ***

  I stood in the deep shadows across the street from the Healer's Guild and watched. I looked at the building through purple eyes and saw the wards they had around the building. Having been here many times, I knew they were all weak and would have no effect on me.

  It was well past dark, and the streets were empty. I crossed the street; I was going in the front door this time. I was in a "red” mood, and the Red's memories were right there with me. As I crossed the property threshold, the magic wards attacked me. My purple-shrouded hand brushed them aside.

  Opening the door, I walked straight in. A clerk at the entrance desk jumped to his feet: "You can't…"

  “Sleep.” He fell to the floor asleep.

  I continued to walk deeper into the building. I knew where they were; I could feel them. More wards attacked and were brushed aside.

  I opened the double doors to the main meeting room, and the meeting stopped. "Who are you?" the leader demanded.

  I walked in. "You should at least recognize the people you’ve paid to have killed."

  "Ah, the Healing Wizard, you have no powers in here. We are warded against your kind.” I smiled, but not a kind one.

  “Hold.” The wood in their chairs wrapped around their wrists, holding them fast. They fought against the restraining wood to no avail.

  "I have a few questions; then I will leave." I took out the parchment. “Who wrote you?" I asked the parchment, tossing it into the air. It flew over to the clerk at the desk and landed in front of him.

  I nodded. "You wrote it, but who ordered it?" The paper flew from the clerk and over each member sitting at the table, before landing in the center of the table. "A vote and decision of the board with all agreeing," I said, nodding.

  "You were healing without our sanction, stealing from us. You will be punished or pay ten golds and leave the city."

  "How was I stealing from you? When was the last time any of you were down there healing the poor? I was told you wanted an example."

  "And we shall have one," the Guild Master said.

  "Oh, you'll have one. Of that you can be assured," I said.

  “Hands grab knives.” Their wood restraints released them, and each man grabbed his knife.

  “Clerk, grab pen.” He did.

  “Kill your opponents.” The knives and pen attacked, dragging their owners with them. They were all screaming, shouting, and begging for mercy. When they were through, I was the only one in the room left alive.

  "There's your example, gentlemen." I left the meeting room and stopped right outside the door. I walked down the hall past the library. I had never been interested in anything else but the library, but there was something else here. I could feel it; it was in the basement. I walked further back down the hall where I found the stairs going down to the basement.

  Wards attacked. These were stronger, but I brushed them aside too. I went deeper into the basement and found a vault. It had a large metal door and wards locking it closed. I went around the hall to get behind the vault.

  “View.” The vault held gold, parchments, and enchanted jewelry. A Red memory came to me.

  “Portal.” A hole opened in the wall, and I stepped into the vault. I looked at the parchments. There was no need to touch them; I knew they dealt with dark magic. Necromancy.

  “Ash.” The parchments fell into ashes. There was gold and jewelry all along the shelves. Some of the jewelry was enchanted with healing magic.

  “To my hide.” At once, everything in the vault vanished.

  “Portal.” I opened a portal straight to my hide and stepped through. As soon as I was through, the portal closed behind me. I dropped to my knees, exhausted. I had used too much power at one time and was about to pass out. I needed to rest, so I lay down and sank into the earth.

  I slept in the earth for two days before regaining my full strength. The first place I went was to Mrs. Mimms’ kitchen, and I ate enough for two people. I need to remember this: Use too much power, and you could pass out. Pass out at the wrong time, and you could die. I needed to be careful of that; too many people depended on me.

  I continued to heal those who came seeking help, never charging. The Healing Guild had paid for them in advance. Because of the knowledge I gained from the healer's library, I could heal most everyone who came to my alley. Those I could not heal outright were given a list of herbs to buy to help their bodies heal.

  I had a lot of spoils lying in the open in my hide that I needed to do something with. I wondered if I could put all of it on one of the cards in my bag. I took out a blank card and looked at it, thinking.

  When I laid the card on the pile of spoils, nothing happened. I picked the card up and held it against the spoils. Still nothing. I thought about what I wanted to happen.

  “Draw.” Nothing again.

  “Bag it.” Nothing happened. “Bag it? That even sounded stupid.” I thought for a while, holding the card against the spoils.

  “Store.” The spoils vanished and became a drawing on the card. I smiled and dropped the card in my bag, where it went into the stack of used cards.

  Word spread of the killing of the Healer's Guild Master's Council. I decided I had a loose end that needed to be tied off, and there was only one person who knew about my falling out with the guild. I thought of it as preventative medicine. He was an infection that needed to be dealt with.

  I found him in the back room of his tavern. There was a game of dice in progress. I sat in the wall, watching. When it was his turn, I made sure he made every point. After the fifth time, one man grabbed his hand.

  “You're shooting with fixed dice!” he accused, taking the dice from him. The accuser threw the dice and, with my help, hit the point every time. That was all it took. A fight broke out, and my loose end was taken care of.

  “Apparently gambling is dangerous work.” The Red in me smiled.

  ***

  Because of the knowledge I had gained, I now understood the value of knowledge and education. I needed to hire a teacher to teach my wards the basics of reading, writing, and to do sums. It wasn't much, but it would get them started. When they came of age, I would buy them an apprenticeship into the trade of their choosing.

  I needed to find someone who would fit in with us, but not just anyone would do. He or she would have to care about the children's education and their wellbeing. It would not be cheap, and the Scribe's Guild would surely have something to say about teaching “gutter trash.”

  I went to the Scribe's Guild House. I had some idea of what I was looking for, but I'd have to see who was available to teach. The front hall was empty, as everyone was gathered at the end of the hallway. There was shouting coming from the main meeting room.

  “You have been warned repeatedly about this. You cannot teach students who are not paying. Frankly, this council is tired of your constant disobedience.”

  The man stood stooped before them, supported by a crutch, but was not cowed by the council.

  “What I do on my personal time is
no business of this council. If I want to, at my cost, tutoring a student is my affair,” he replied calmly.

  “That is exactly our business. We are in the business of teaching for profit. If you teach for free, you are taking work from a fellow scribe.”

  “You can't be serious. When was the last time any scribe taught the poor? Not in my lifetime.”

  “That is not the point. Teaching the poor is the church’s purview. This is your last warning. The next time they bring you before us in this matter, we will expel you from the Scribe's Guild. Is that clear enough for you, Scribe White?”

  “It is.”

  The council waited. “You've nothing else to say on this matter?”

  “I have not.”

  “Good, you are dismissed.”

  Scribe White turned carefully to leave; I then saw the reason for the crutch. He had a clubbed foot, which made him slightly stooped. I could tell by the set of his shoulders; he couldn't have cared less what the council had said. I smiled; I liked this scribe. He was my first candidate.

  The council kept their seats and watched him leave. When the doors closed, one said, “He'll be back.”

  “I know, but we have warned him. I can do nothing else. Whatever happens, he's done it to himself.”

  I stepped out on the main street and followed the scribe for a few blocks to get away from the Guild House. I picked up my pace until I was close to him.

  “Scribe White, a moment, please.”

  He stopped and turned toward me. “How may I serve, Sir Wizard?”

  “I'd like to talk to you about a job, perhaps over lunch?”

  “Of course, sir.” We went to an inn and sat down to a meal and ale. Once our order was taken, he asked, “Who recommended me to you, sir?”

  “To be honest, you recommended yourself. I was at the Scribe's Guild House a while ago and heard the council's warning to you.” He looked at me, considering. “Perhaps I should explain the job; then my reasons will become clear.”

  Our food arrived, and we ate as I explained what I had in mind. He listened without a word until I was finished.

  “If I understand correctly, you want me to teach these so called—well you pick a name—to read, write, and do sums.” I nodded. “You realize the guild will not be happy,” he said.

  “The guild is happy when gold crosses their palms; I'll deal with them.”

  He nodded. “And my compensation?”

  “Room and board plus one silver a week. I will pay for all the supplies required to teach my wards. You will teach for one month and then decide if this is something you can commit to long term.”

  “Before I commit, I'd like to meet the students and see where I will be teaching.”

  “That is agreeable.” I paid for our meal and took him to what had become known as “Wizard's Alley.” We went to the front of our practice floor and waited. The children came and lined up as they did when we danced.

  “This is Scribe White,” I said, “He is visiting us today.”

  They all bowed. “Scribe White,” they greeted him.

  He bowed in return. “Thank you for having me.”

  “You may go about your chores now,” I said.

  They bowed. “Yes, Master Wizard.”

  “Eldest,” I said.

  “Yes, Master Wizard?”

  “Show Scribe White our home.”

  He bowed, “Yes, Master Wizard. This way, sir.”

  After the tour, Scribe White returned to me. “Will I be allowed to use the dining area for the classes?” he asked.

  “You may,” I answered.

  “I would take my meals here?”

  “That or I will pay the additional cost of your meals elsewhere.”

  “Where would I be quartered?”

  “I will either pay the rent at the place you now have or make you a place here with us. If you stay here with us, I will build it to your needs. I promise you won't be cramped.”

  “I would like to stay here. To be honest, I hate where I live, but the price was right.”

  I nodded. “Step over here.” At the south end of our alley, I raised his quarters. I gave him a living room, study, bedroom, small kitchen area, a washroom with hot and cold water, and privy. We went inside for him to look around his quarters.

  “I will pay for the furnishings. Don't scrimp; buy quality goods that will last.” I handed him a purse. “If you need more, let me know. Do we have a deal?”

  “We do,” he answered, “I'll start as soon as you have the required supplies.”

  “You will buy the supplies. That way you get what you need to teach.” I gave him another purse of gold. “Again, if you need more, let me know. Their education is more important to me than the gold.”

  “If only everyone looked at it that way. Classes will start in two days, barring unforeseen events,” he said.

  “There is one other thing I would like to offer you, and this I offer to you whether you accept the job or not.” I looked down at his clubfoot. “Were you born with your foot like that?”

  “No,” he said, shaking his head. “I took a bad fall as a child. My family could not afford a doctor, and definitely not a wizard to heal me. They did the best they could for me. I was lucky to keep my foot.”

  I concentrated on his leg and foot. The bone had been misaligned and had healed poorly. It had become worse over time.

  “Block pain, realign, and heal.” There was a popping sound, and his leg lengthened, straightened, and his foot was once again whole. He stared down at his foot; he was now standing flat-footed.

  “Saints above,” he whispered, as tears streamed down his face.

  “Welcome to Wizard's Alley, Scribe White, we are pleased to have you with us.”

  Chapter 7

  I came to understand that knowledge was power. But more powerful than knowledge is knowing how and when to apply knowledge. That is wisdom.

  I started visiting guild's libraries at night to gain the knowledge kept there.

  I started with the mundane ones—bakers, tanners, blacksmiths, jewelers, merchants, moneychangers, and the like. Each library took from a few days to two weeks, and I had to rest my mind between each one. However, it was becoming easier to absorb the books, and I was reading faster. Sometimes it seemed I was not reading at all, just turning pages. My control of the knowledge-gaining spell was increasing.

  Soon, I moved on to the more difficult libraries—the Thieves’ Guild, the Assassin's Guild, and the Magic User's Guild. They covered wizards, witches, warlocks, and anyone who could use magic. The Magic User's Guild was a lot more difficult to get into, with all of their wards surrounding the outside of the building. But once inside, there were few wards. If I had not been able to come up through the earth, I would never had gained entry.

  My procedure was the same: I would view into the library, then go in through the earth and up into the wall. If anyone was in there, I'd put him or her to sleep, take the library books I wanted, and leave. No one was the wiser. I returned every few days to exchange books. These libraries took a bit longer to assimilate, especially the Magic User's.

  I had to take it slow with the magic books. Each level built upon the first. I had the benefit of the Red and Blue's memories to help me along, but it was still slow going, at least for me because of the spell I was using. It took me two months to complete the Magic User's Library, and I felt like I needed a rest before looking for another challenge.

  With my newly gained knowledge, I understood I needed to invest my gold. I needed my money to grow; caring for myself and my wards was not cheap. I went to the money changers and met with Master Bloom.

  “Come in, Sir Wizard, how may we help you?”

  “I would like to open an investment account with you.”

  “I can do that for you. How much were you thinking of investing?”

  “500 golds.”

  His eyebrows raised. “Very good, sir. Do you know where you would like your money invested, or will you leav
e that to us?”

  “I would like to invest in shipping and caravan cargos,” I answered. “I don't want to sponsor the whole shipment, only a portion. That way if they lose a shipment, I will not lose my entire investment.”

  He nodded. “A wise precaution and one we recommend.”

  “I would also like profits from my investment to be reinvested in more shipments, short-term loans, and properties.”

  “You've done this before, I see.” I said nothing. “What name will you use for your account?”

  “Hue Magenta.” He nodded, making notes of my wishes. “I will be by twice a year for an update on my accounts.” I pointed at his desk and a small chest containing the 500 gold coins appeared there. He and his apprentice counted its contents and gave me a receipt.

  “If there is anything we can do for you, please let us know, Sir Wizard.”

  “I will; thank you.”

  I made good returns on my money and kept investments in cargo ships and caravans going all the time.

  I continued going about the city, enjoying the sights and sounds. I would stop into coffeehouses and listen to people talk business. Occasionally, I picked up good tips and would add more money to my accounts to take advantage of them.

  As I left a certain coffeehouse, I realized I was being followed. I didn't need to look around, I knew the exact person who was following me. I headed toward my alley but turned into a different one instead. I kept walking; he followed. As I turned the corner, I ported back behind him.

  “Hold.” The rock under his feet held him. I had been studying the second part of the knowledge gathering spell but had not tried using it yet. Now seemed like a good time to try it. As I walked up to him, I gathered my power.

  “Give me the knowledge I want.” His eyes turned glassy. I now knew that one of the moneychangers had sent him to find out where I kept my money. He planned on robbing me and taking the money back to the moneychanger. Now I even knew where the moneychanger lived.

  “Return, and tell him I have no more money; I invest everything with the moneychangers.” He nodded, slack jawed.

  “Release.” His feet were freed.

  “You may go.” He turned and walked away without looking back. “That was interesting.”