Hamilton Swoop, Wizard of Green Ridge (21 page)

Hamilton frowned. “So, a dead end?"

"Not entirely. Silibus suggested that Argus contact the head of the history department at Seabrook University. Their records go back farther than the Guild's."

"Seabrook, huh? That's in Drayene, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"What about the other three sets of runes I sent to Argus? Did he mention any progress with them?"

"I almost forgot. Yes. He said the runes on the wizard's cloak were a protection spell. He said the wearer would be totally safe from any kind of blow with one exception."

"Fire?” asked Hamilton.

"Well, he said heat. How did you know?"

Hamilton took another shallow, put the mug down and stood. He extended his arm and poked his finger through the burned hole in the side of the cloak.

"What happened to the cloak?” asked Amil.

Hamilton sat back down. “I had a disagreement with an assassin."

"A Guild Assassin?"

"Yes. Someone took out a silver contract on me. I canceled it about twenty minutes ago."

"How do you cancel a silver contract?"

"I killed the assassin."

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Hamilton prepared for bed. A stain on the carpet was all that remained of Zip.

Whiskers jumped up next to him and asked,
I don't understand. Why didn't you just blast that man with magic?

Hamilton scratched the cat behind her ears. “Because magic doesn't work that way. Life is a form of magic, I suppose. The effects that magic have on it are limited. I can't kill directly with it."

But you stabbed him with a magic wand.

"I stabbed him with a stick. Magic had nothing to do with it."

What about the fireball you sent into the building across the street?

"I suppose that it could have killed him, actually, I sorta hoped it would kill him, but the fireball was just that. It wasn't directed at him—at least not his, er, life force—so much as it was directed at a place. If he happened to be in the same place..."

A bit to the left
, Whiskers instructed as Hamilton continued to scratch the cat's head.
Didn't you say that you had all sorts of protection spells on the door? How did he manage to get in?

Hamilton stopped scratching the cat and tried to stroke his missing beard. “I've been wondering about that myself. Cardin said something about taking precautions. He said he knew that I was a wizard, but one without talent has no defense against magic unless, unless he got some help from some one that had the talent."

Don't stop. Please, under the collar?

Hamilton resumed scratching Whiskers and then continued, “The thing is, very few wizards bother to learn mask spells. What would be the point? No wizard would ever use magic against another wizard. It is forbidden by the Guild."

And yet such spells exist?

"Yes. There are several in the third book of the Trilogy."

Why?

"Because every one with talent is not necessarily a member of the Guild,” replied Hamilton.

So Cardin had some help, huh?
purred the cat.

"Seems that way, but it doesn't do much to answer the question of who helped him. Either Topaz or Diamond ... or one of the other wizards."

Thalia Sprite, for instance?

Hamilton angrily pushed Whiskers off the bed. “Don't be ridiculous. Why should she want to harm me? She cares for me."

Are you sure about that? Who was she working for before you asked for her, ah, assistance?

"Diamond, but she said that she didn't like him."

And you believed her, right?

"Why would she lie?"

Whiskers walked off into the bedroom leaving Hamilton alone to ponder his own question.

Early the next afternoon, Hamilton went downstairs and stood outside the inn waiting for the afternoon coach from Drayene. The pre-spring sun poured down on him. The coach arrived thirty minutes late and bore no passengers.

Hamilton called up to the coachman, “No riders?"

The coachman climbed down from the boot. “Nope. Jes cargo, this trip. Thought I was gonna have this purdy young missy ridin’ wif me. She was waitin’ fer the coach when I pulled inta Drayene, but after I changed the horses and packed the cargo, she was gone. Funny thing too. I think one of these bags,” he said as he unloaded the items from the back of the coach, “was hers."

Hamilton watched as the cargo was unloaded. He spotted Thalia's bag. “I'll take that."

"Sorry, mister, but I jest can't be givin’ away other people's belongings. I'll have to take this back to Drayene."

"The woman works for me."

"I s'pose that you got some way of provin’ that?"

Hamilton reached into his pocket and produced a ten royal note. “This enough proof?"

"Works for me,” grinned the coachman. He accepted the note and handed over Thalia's bag. “I've got a few other items of lost cargo you might be interested in,” he added, but Hamilton was already headed into the Arms.

Once back in his room, he dumped the contents of the bag on the table. Then he went through them. Aside from the clothes and female accessories, her money and Guild ID, there seemed to be nothing of consequence. He sat down with the empty bag in hand, frustrated, when he noticed a sleeve on the side of the bag. Holding his breath, he reached in and withdrew an envelope. There was writing on the front. The words ‘No Topaz’ were scrawled on it in Thalia's hand. On the back of the envelope was a Wizards Guild seal. Hamilton spoke the proper words that deactivated the seal. Then he broke it and opened the envelope.

He had hoped that it would either explain Thalia's absence or provide information on Topaz. It provided neither. He read:

"Greetings to Master Citrine, the following is the information we have regarding one Master Diamond, Guildmaster of Central City.

Born: Charles Dickers in Westchase, Cantia on the winter equinox, 4216. Schooled at the Cantia Wizards Guild. Elevated to Master Wizard status (Diamond) in 4233. Talent rating: 93—Verified on the Modulus-Kincara scale.

Transferred to Central City in 4236. Elevated to Guildmaster, Central City Guild, in 4238 which is his current status.

Addendum: Received notice from one Argus Klich, Runemaster, Central City Guild, of possible improprieties attributed to Diamond during the brown plague year 4237. Note suggested that Diamond had somehow weakened the protect spell on the Guild which led to the death of several of the older Master Wizards. Later investigations were not able to verify this accusation. Other rumors of improprieties, although not verified, have caused the Drayene Guild to flag this file for follow up.

Signed and sealed this day, Master Feldspar, Guildmaster, Drayene Guild of Wizards and Magic Users."

Hamilton's hand was shaking as he returned the note to the envelope. Diamond was not what he appeared to be. A talent rating of 93 was very high. Becoming a Master Wizard at 17 was almost unheard of. He was a lot more than he appeared to be, but why? What was he after?

He let the envelope slip from his fingers. What about Topaz? And more important, where was Thalia?

Hamilton concentrated and sent out a call to her. Though communication was not possible, he hoped that he could, at least, sense her presence. There was no response.

He got up from his chair and went into the bedroom and removed the wand from the pocket in his cloak.

Whiskers noticed and asked,
Where's the girl?

Hamilton returned to the main room with the wand. He placed his hand on Thalia's clothing, held the wand high, and sent out a second call. He could feel the raw energy of the wand flow through him. Again, there was no response, but this time, Hamilton could sense her energy. At this distance, even aided by the wand, he was unable to read any thoughts, but at least he knew she was alive. Hamilton allowed himself a sigh of relief.

Whiskers entered the room and asked,
Hello! I asked, ‘Where's the girl?
'

"Somewhere in Drayene. It looks like she was on her way back, but then never got on the coach."

Maybe she found someone more interesting than you in Drayene.

"Damn it, cat. Shut up. She was at the coach station in Drayene. Her bag was packed and put onboard. When the coach was ready to leave, she had disappeared."

Maybe she changed her mind?

"Then why would she send all this stuff back? I may not be an expert on women, but I do know that no woman would abandon all these things.” Hamilton pointed to the pile on the table. “Something must have happened to her. I know that she's alive, but that's about all."

So what are you going to do?

"I'm going to Drayene to find her, of course."

What about that baker? Didn't you say you were to meet with him tonight?

"He'll have to wait.” Hamilton went into the bedroom and packed for the trip.

Whiskers followed him in.
Have you considered the possibility that this is a trap?

Hamilton paused. “If it's a trap, I'll have to be careful, but I've got to go.” He went back to stuffing things in his bag. As an after thought, he also packed the copy of the fourth rune set.

Well, what about me? Are you going to take me with you or are you just going to leave me here? I'll starve if something happens to you.

"Somehow, cat, I believe that you could survive anywhere. However, I'll have Roscoe bring you food every day while I'm gone."

Whiskers flicked her tail.
Every day? How long will you be gone?

"As long as it takes. With luck, two days. Without it ... well, I just don't know, but don't worry, you will be all right. Roscoe will see to that.” Hamilton, bag under his arm, walked to the door.

Wait!

Hamilton turned to look down at the cat which had just run up to him. “What?"

Take care, Old Man. Come back safe.

Hamilton mentally checked his sarcasm meter.
Nope
, he thought.
Not a quiver on the needle
. Then, to Whiskers, “Thanks, cat. I appreciate that."

In the lobby, Hamilton gave Roscoe a ten royal note to feed and provide water for Whiskers each day and to clean up the bathroom floor. Then he headed to the stables.

Bethesda saw Hamilton walking toward him and asked,
Fast ride?

Hamilton replied,
Very fast and long. Are you up for it?

Ready. Ready. Ready! It's boring in the stable
.

Hamilton saddled Bethesda, strapped his bag to the saddle, and soon was on his way to Drayene. The road to Drayene, the main city of the kingdom, was well marked and was both wide and well preserved. Hamilton was in a quandary as Bethesda galloped toward the capitol. One of the precepts of the Guild was about using magic in public. Aside from festival demonstrations, magic's use in public was frowned upon by the Guild. It was reasoned that demonstrating their powers in front of the public would cause the townspeople to become resentful. Riding a horse at fifty miles an hour might qualify. The road to Green Ridge was empty. The road to Drayene was a different story. It was a much more traveled road.

Hamilton waved his darkonium wand very gently and Bethesda accelerated as his hooves lifted a few inches off the ground. His powerful legs continued to beat against the air.
Faster. Make me go faster
!

The outskirts of Central City rocketed past and soon gave way to farms and open country. Hamilton strained his eyes as the wind blasted into his face. He watched for fellow travelers on the road ahead. Each time he spotted one, he had to rein in Bethesda to a more normal pace. Then he had to wait until they were out of sight before firing up his spell again. About a third of the way through his journey the road started to twist and turn as it ran through a pine forest. Hamilton brought Bethesda back to the earth again. The pace slowed as even a steed as powerful as his could not gallop forever and Hamilton had no intention of running his horse into the ground. While the horse could run forever with the magic assist, without it Bethesda was subject to the same limitations as any horse.

About three hours along the road, they passed the Drayene coach on its return trip from Central City. The driver waved as Hamilton rode by.

With the snows melted and the sun now shining, signs of the approaching spring became evident. Trees and plants were showing their first signs of reanimation with light green colored spouts popping everywhere. Hamilton, however, was less mindful of the scenery and more concerned with the time. He again tried to contact Thalia, but again there was no answer. He could still sense her presence which maintained a glimmer of hope.

After another twenty minutes of his slower pace, he decided to ignore the Guild rules and said to Bethesda, “Ready to fly?"

Yes!
Hamilton made the appropriate gesture and intoned the spell and once more they were racing toward Drayene.

Soon they were clear of the pine woods and the road straightened. Hamilton adjusted the spell so that Bethesda's hooves were almost touching the ground. The few travelers they passed still stared in amazement as Hamilton raced past them going faster than any horse should be able to. Hamilton realized that it wasn't so much the speed that was amazing them as was the silence. A further modification to the spell produced the hoof beats that had been missing. Hamilton had other spells that could have clouded the minds of the onlookers into believing nothing was amiss, but they all took too long to perform.

He flew along the road squinting into the gale force wind when he brought the horse back to earth.
Aw, must we slow down?

"Whizzing by a few lone travelers is one thing. Who would believe their stories?” Hamilton thought to himself, but up ahead on the road was a caravan of at least 40 people including several wagons and one very strange cart that seemed to be moving on its own. “What kind of magic was this?” Hamilton asked himself.

As they approached the caravan, Hamilton could see smoke issuing from a chimney at the rear of the cart and decided that it was mechanics rather than magic that powered the thing. Magic wouldn't have been nearly so noisy. He pulled Bethesda to the side of the road allowing the group to pass. The horseless cart rumbled by belching wood smoke into the air and making a terrible racket. Bethesda snorted,
Disgusting!