Master Wizard

by James Eggebeen

  "What have you been up to?"

  "Not much. Lessons mostly. They have me working with Zhimosom these days. The old wizard is such a secretive one. He never says what's on his mind. He pretends to be weak, but I know better."

  "So, what was it they had you doing just now?"

  "Can't say, but it has something to do with an amulet or something. The wizard we rescued was going to get it when she was attacked."

  "She? Your sorceress?" Yorn asked.

  Kedrik kicked himself. Here he'd gone and given it all away.

  "Can't say. What are you studying?"

  "Amulets and Talismans." Yorn sat forward and the chair thudded on the marble floor. He reached for a book. "What were they looking for?" he asked.

  "I don't know. I heard rumors it was a dragon's egg. Do you know anything about those?"

  Yorn tapped his hand on the table while he thought. "I recall something about dragons. Way back in that section over there." He pointed to another long hallway across the main aisle.

  "Do you think you can find it again?" Kedrik asked. If he could discover something to help Chihon, maybe they would treat him like a grown-up after all.

  "Maybe." Yorn sprang from his chair, shoving it toward the table. He turned for the hallway where he'd said the books on dragons were kept.

  Kedrik looked at the messy pile of books. "Aren't you going to put those back?"

  "That's what they have librarians for." Yorn sprinted off across the main aisle, almost knocking down a wizard who made his way slowly along.

  Kedrik glanced back at the stack of books. Not for the first time, he wondered if Yorn was the type of friend he should have made. He liked the blacksmith, but Yorn wasn't exactly the role model Kedrik wanted. He'd come to appreciate the quiet respectful way Zhimosom had when he spoke to Kedrik, encouraging him to study hard and hold his magic in reserve as much as possible.

  Kedrik shrugged and started after Yorn.

  They searched the shelves until Yorn called out, "Here it is."

  The book was thick and ancient, the covers split and dry, with only the residual magic in the book to keep it from disintegrating when Kedrik and Yorn handled it.

  Yorn flipped through several pages until settling on one of them. "Dragons." He pointed to the drawing of a large lizard with wings. It had several sets of horns sweeping back from its head.

  Kedrik grabbed at the book, but Yorn held it away from him. "I found it."

  "Come on. Put it on the table." Kedrik reached out with his magic and lit the candles on the nearest table. "We can both read it."

  Yorn turned his back on Kedrik. "Show off."

  "I'm not showing off. You have your magic back. You can do it too. Put the book on the table." Kedrik raised a spell that created an image in the air. He recalled the head of a dragon and set it to menacing Yorn.

  "Stop that." Yorn swatted at the dragon's head, but Kedrik kept it up, sending it nipping at Yorn until the blacksmith put the book on the table.

  "Enough." Yorn plopped into a chair and Kedrik sat next to him as he thumbed through the book, making comments at every drawing he saw. Finally, he found the drawing of a dragon's egg. It was shaped like a rock covered in gold lace and jewels.

  "How does a dragon lay something like that?" Yorn asked, pointing to the drawing.

  "Maybe that's why they have an appetite for gold and jewels. They need the gold and jewels for their eggs." Kedrik squinted at the writing beneath the egg. He grabbed at the book. "Let me see that."

  Yorn released the book, and Kedrik leaned in to read the writing. "It says the dragon's egg needs dragon's fire to hatch. I suppose even if there were a dragon's egg, there's no more dragon's fire to make it hatch."

  "Do you really think that's what they found?"

  "That's what Kimt told me when we went to fetch Lorit and Chihon," Kedrik said.

  "And somebody stole it."

  "Yes, but I don't know what they could do with it. Even if they could hatch it, what would they do then?"

  "I don't know." Yorn pulled the book back in front of him. He flipped to the next page and started reading.

  "A wizard can tap into the dragons' magic with the dragon's egg. If the wizard uses too much magic from the egg, it will never hatch." Yorn turned to Kedrik. "Do you think that's why they took it? For its magic?"

  "That's not a good sign. I need to tell someone what we found." Kedrik took the book back and closed it.

  "Who are you going to tell? Chihon?"

  "I'm going to take this to Zhimosom." Kedrik stood up.

  "Hey, can I go with you?"

  "Do you know the way?" Kedrik asked sarcastically.

  "No," Yorn said.

  "Then I'll tell you all about it when I get back." Kedrik rushed out of the library for Lorit and Chihon's study where he could use the Sorcerer's Stone to travel to Zhimosom's abode. He stepped up and gathered his magic around him. He visualized the old wizard's study and pulled himself through the void.

  Kedrik arrived in Zhimosom's study to find the old wizard asleep in his chair, his long white beard draped over the book before him. Kedrik sat down, slid his chair beneath the table, and reached for one of the tomes stacked around the old wizard. He flipped it open and paged through it halfheartedly, waiting for the wizard to wake. He knew Zhimosom would eventually stir, and in his confusion, would assume Kedrik had been there when he'd fallen asleep. After a while, Kedrik cleared his throat to wake the wizard.

  "What..." Zhimosom sputtered, looking around the room as he came abruptly awake. "Ah, Kedrik. Sorry about dozing off like that. What were we talking about?"

  Kedrik suppressed a smile. His plan was working. "We were talking about the dragons."

  "Dragons? What were we discussing about dragons?"

  "Dragon eggs," Kedrik said hopefully.

  "Dragon eggs? Why were we discussing that?"

  "You were telling me what would happen if we found a dragon's egg today. You said they were rare, but that one or two might have survived."

  "Really? I can't imagine why I would have said that. The dragons were long gone when I was just about your age. They departed the realm of man over a millennium before I was born."

  "But their eggs...what if one was found today?"

  "I don't rightly know," Zhimosom said, leaning back. "They never spoke to me about eggs."

  "Who spoke to you?" Kedrik asked. "Did a dragon speak to you?"

  "Several of them, actually. They came back for a bit...well, not came back. They were summoned back, but they never said there were any eggs left behind. If there were any dragon eggs around, they would have to be from the time before the dragons left. From the first age of dragons."

  "What do you mean, the dragons were called back?"

  "Sulrad called them back. He tried to take their magic, but I stopped him...that was when I was hardly more than a lad myself."

  "You stopped him? How?" Now he was getting somewhere. Kedrik knew as long as he kept Zhimosom engaged he would be able to get information from him.

  Zhimosom chuckled. "With magic, of course."

  "How?" Kedrik leaned in, trying to control his excitement and keep his interest level casual.

  "How did I what?"

  "How did you save the dragons?"

  "I changed them...that's what I did...I changed them so that Sulrad's spell wouldn't work on them..." Zhimosom's eyes clouded over and he stared off into space.

  "Changed them? Into what?" Kedrik prompted. He feared Zhimosom would fall asleep on him before he got his answers.

  Zhimosom's head nodded and he jerked awake. "Eh?"

  "What did you turn the dragons into?" Kedrik asked.

  "The Arda'um."

  Kedrik had never heard of the Arda'um. "The Arda'um? Who are they?"

  Zhimosom blinked. Kedrik could see his attention waver. The old wizard's eyes darted to Kedrik and back to his book.

  "Nobody...Nobody..." The old wizard put his head in his hands. "What were we talking abo
ut?"

  "Dragons," Kedrik reminded him.

  "No...No dragons. They're all gone." Zhimosom closed his eyes and was soon fast asleep.

  Kedrik shut the book before him and packed the heavy tome under his arm. He trudged out to Zhimosom's Sorcerer's Stone and climbed up on it. He looked out across the wilderness that hid the wizard's home and imagined the study where he'd spent many a day with Lorit. He pulled himself through the void and the wizard's home blinked out to be replaced by Lorit's study.

  As Kedrik materialized in Lorit's study, a cough came from Lorit's chair. Kedrik tensed up. He was not allowed to use the Sorcerer's Stone except for his scheduled visits to Zhimosom, and this was not one of those times. Kedrik had expected Lorit to be occupied with Chihon and Kimt, not sitting in his chair relaxing.

  "Going somewhere? Or should I say coming from somewhere?" Lorit asked.

  Kedrik turned to face Lorit. He tried to look suitably chastised and sorrowful. "I was just visiting with Zhimosom."

  "Visiting? A social call?" Lorit stood up and turned to face Kedrik. He looked exhausted and he was spattered with blood.

  "Yes. Sometimes it's pleasant just to visit."

  "No other motive?"

  "No. Just a visit."

  "Then why are you carrying one of his books?" Lorit clucked his tongue. "You know that wizards can tell the truth of your words. Care to try again?"

  Kedrik suppressed a shiver. "I went to see him to ask about the dragon's egg."

  "What do you know about the dragon's egg?"

  "Kimt told me that the dragon's egg had been stolen when she asked me to help."

  "What did Zhimosom have to say?" Lorit tapped his foot on the floor.

  "He was mostly asleep, but he said there were no more dragons. He also said he'd met the dragons, but they never told him about any eggs. How could Zhimosom talk to a dragon? There haven't been any of those around for a millennium. He's not that old, is he?"

  "He said he met them?" Lorit stopped tapping his foot. He put his hands on his hips.

  "He said he met them, that he changed them into the Arda'um, to protect them."

  "What!" Lorit folded his arms across his chest. "What did he say?"

  "He said that he'd changed them into the Arda'um. Who are the Arda'um?"

  Lorit didn't respond. He grabbed Kedrik by the arm and pulled him toward the Sorcerer's Stone. "Come with me."

  Lorit shoved Kedrik onto the stone. "We're going to see a wizard."

  Chapter 29

  Lorit materialized in Zhimosom's study right behind Kedrik. Zhimosom dozed in his chair behind an open book, his long white beard flowing down to cover the pages. It was musty and dusty and Lorit felt like he was going to sneeze. He wondered why the wizard didn't use magic to clean his study or at least let his cleaning woman in there once in a while.

  "Zhimosom!" Lorit called.

  The old wizard slowly opened his eyes. "Ah, Lorit. When did you get here?"

  "I just arrived. Kedrik tells me he just had a nice chat with you."

  "Kedrik?" Zhimosom squinted at the young wizard. "Why, yes. We were talking about...what was it we were talking about?"

  "Dragons," Kedrik answered.

  "Dragons?" Zhimosom scratched his chin. "The dragons were long gone when I was a lad."

  "Kedrik says you transformed them into the Arda'um."

  Zhimosom looked confused. "Transformed them?"

  "Yes. Kedrik says you told him you transformed them into the Arda'um. Is that true?"

  Zhimosom's bushy white eyebrows piled up in the center of his face. "How could anyone do that? They are magical creatures and quite powerful in their own right, immune to wizards' power."

  "Not all wizards' power," Lorit said.

  "Not all wizards' power," Zhimosom sighed. "I had no choice. I was no more than a lad. Sulrad was killing them and stealing their magic. The only way to save them was to transform them into the Arda'um so that the command spell he used to summon them would no longer work."

  "See," Kedrik interjected.

  Lorit threw Kedrik an angry look. "Was there no other way?"

  "Sulrad used the Charm of the Joiner to command the dragons. The spell he employed worked on their shape. I changed their shape, and then I froze the Charm so it could only be used for that one spell. Unfortunately, that spell was the one Sulrad used to command them. If they were ever allowed to transform back to their normal form, he would be able to summon them again. By transforming them, I defeated the Charm of the Joiner and protected the dragons."

  Lorit sat down heavily in the chair across from Zhimosom. "I hardly believe it. What else did you forget to tell me?"

  "Isn't that enough?"

  "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner? Why did you let Sulrad live?"

  "That is my shame. I let him live because he and Rotiaqua had their life forces and magic joined long ago. Because of the bond I share with Rotiaqua, I am also connected to them. Killing Sulrad would amount to suicide on my part."

  "So, it was self-interest then?" Lorit asked. Had the old wizard let Sulrad live because he wanted to live, too? Wasn't four hundred summers enough for him?

  "Not for myself. For Rotiaqua. And I'd do it again given the same circumstances. I couldn't kill Sulrad while she is tied to him. It would be the same as killing her."

  Lorit felt the love the old wizard had for his partner. They had shared the bond for centuries and were closer than a married couple. That was what it was like with him and Chihon. Maybe that's what she wanted from him. To sacrifice everything for her. He would, he just hadn't told her that. Perhaps it was time that he did.

  "Lorit?" Kedrik interrupted.

  "Sorry, I was just thinking." Lorit turned to Zhimosom. "Tell me more of the Charm."

  "I froze the Charm of the Joiner so it could not be used for anything but commanding a dragon. Sulrad has been picking at that spell for these four hundred summers. He hasn't found out how to break my spell yet." Zhimosom chuckled.

  "But he's tried."

  "He's tried often enough. Not lately, though. He's growing tired of the game, just as I am."

  "So tell me about the dragon's egg."

  "There are none."

  "There's at least one. Chihon had it in her hands."

  "Hold out your hands," Zhimosom said.

  Lorit held out his hands. Zhimosom grasped them and traced a spell in the air above Lorit's palms. Lorit's hand glowed as if covered with a thin golden lace. The veins of gold pulsed, then faded.

  Zhimosom released his hands. "I was certain that there were no more dragons' eggs."

  "What does this mean?"

  "This is not good. Where is the egg?"

  "Tass has it. She's probably taken it to the temple in Veldwaite or back to Sulrad...How bad is it?"

  "How do you think I sealed the spell on the Charm? I used dragon magic. If they have the egg, they may be able to break the spell and release the Charm. Then Sulrad can use it to command them once more."

  Zhimosom shook his head, and then placed his face in his palms. "I can't hold on much longer," he mumbled.

  "What do you mean? Hold on?"

  "I can't hold the spell much longer. The dragons may well be released even if the temple doesn't break the spell on the Charm. I'm growing tired and old. It takes almost everything I have to maintain these spells."

  Zhimosom looked up at Lorit. His ancient eyes were full of tears. "This is the final burden I was to pass on to you as head of the council. Someone needs to maintain the spell on the dragons and the Charm. You are the only one strong enough to do it."

  "I'm not that strong right now," Lorit said. "Chihon has been injured and lies near death in the Wizards' Keep. I didn't even have enough power to travel here on my own."

  "Then, my boy, I fear all may be lost."

  Zhimosom hung his head again. "Please leave me now," he muttered. "Let me rest."

  Lorit left Zhimosom to his regrets. He needed magic and he had little of his own, so h
e soaked up as much magical energy from Zhimosom's Sorcerer's Stone as he could. He'd been so weak since Chihon was injured and now he felt better, but nothing like his old self. He let Kedrik pull them through the void and back to Amedon, then thanked him and sent him to his studies.

  Lorit found Chihon resting on Kimt's bed. He sat next to her and stroked her hair. "Feeling better?"

  "A little. It looks like you've recovered some of your magic."

  "I've just been to see Zhimosom. He told me about the dragons and what he did to them."

  "What did he do?"

  "He transformed them." Lorit saw the look of surprise on her face. It was good to see something there other than pain.

  "Into what?" she asked.

  "He transformed the dragons into the Arda'um." Lorit chuckled.

  "What? Du'ala is a dragon?"

  "Yes, she is." Lorit shook his head.

  "What else did Zhimosom have to say?"

  Lorit shifted on the bed and took Chihon's hand in his. Her magic was weak, so he infused her with some of his. She relaxed slightly at his touch.

  "He said that his spells on the Charm of the Joiner and the dragons are weakening. He fears he may not be able to hold on much longer."

  "What will he do?"

  "He intended to pass the burden on to me...to us." Lorit released her hand. His magic was almost depleted now that he'd passed it on to her. There was no way he could take on the burden that Zhimosom held. He couldn't even travel on his own anymore.

  "But?"

  "With your condition, there's no way we can maintain a spell like that. He'll have to hold out a little while longer."

  Lorit wondered what he could do without his magic. He would have to rely on Kedrik for much of this, and that was not a comforting thought. The boy was powerful, but he was a little too eager to use that power. That often led to arrogance, and arrogance led to abuse of power, and that was something Lorit wanted to avoid at all cost.

  "I have to get the egg away from the temple," Lorit said. "If they use it against Zhimosom...I'm not sure what could happen."

  "But you're too weak to go up against them."