Hamilton Swoop, Wizard of Green Ridge (9 page)

"Bless you, Master Citrine. I've no more messages to deliver and the weather is such that I'd prefer to be inside, at least ‘til it lets up a bit."

Hamilton led Quinn to the table. “Take whatever you like. I'm done with it."

Quinn's eyes lit up at the mountain of food. “You're sure?"

"Dig in. Whatever you don't eat will be fed to the animals."

While the Messenger piled a plate with food, Hamilton sat down and broke the seal on the envelope. He removed the single sheet of paper it contained and unfolded it.

What's it say?

Without verbalizing, he read the note to the cat.
Master Citrine, we were able to contact the majority of the wizards and apprentices and they will all be at the Guild hall by mid afternoon as you requested. A carriage will pick you up at two PM. We hope that you will have a solution for us by then. Signed, Diamond, Guildmaster, Guild of Magic Users and Wizards.

I don't think I like this Diamond person.
Whiskers returned to her bowl.

Makes two of us, cat.

By the time the carriage arrived, the rain had let up somewhat, but still fell in an intermittent drizzle. Hamilton put on his coat, packed up Obsidian's things in the box along with the metal cylinder and jar containing the goo he had found in and around the burned house and carried them downstairs. He carried Whiskers under his coat as the cat refused to ride his shoulder in the rain.

Once aboard the carriage, Hamilton opened his coat and Whiskers jumped to the opposite seat. She looked up at him.
Are you mad because Diamond didn't send the girl to get you?

Hamilton put the box on the seat next to him. “Maybe a little, but I suspect that the Guildmaster is just playing some stupid superiority game. Wants to show me he's in charge. If his talent was as large as his ego, he would be a formidable wizard. Let him play his games ... for now. It's not important."

As the carriage approached the Guild, Hamilton removed his coat and donned the green wizard's cloak. He removed Obsidian's wand and slipped it into the wand pocket.

The rain had stopped, but the sky still looked threatening. Hamilton climbed down from the carriage. Whiskers leapt from the floor of the carriage onto Hamilton's right shoulder. “Ow!” he exclaimed.

Forgot my pedicure, didn't you?

With the box under one arm, Hamilton entered the Guild. Thalia was there. She greeted him and then led him down a corridor toward the main hall. Her scent dissipated some of Hamilton's trepidation. “Did Diamond let you know that you will be my assistant while I am in Center City?"

"Yes, Master Citrine. I am honored by this charge and I will endeavor to assist you in any way you require to the fullest of my capacity."

"Did Diamond tell you to say that?"

She blushed and replied, “Yes, Master Citrine, but I would have done so willingly without his request."

"Why?"

"Because you are the most powerful wizard in the Guild."

"Most powerful wizard in the Guild, huh? Listen child, I haven't performed magic in forty years. If I am, as you say, the most powerful wizard here, then I have some serious doubts about the Guild's other wizards. In any case, here is your first task. When you address me, call me Hamilton. That is my name. Master Citrine is a title."

"Yes, Mast ... er ... Hamilton."

"Good girl."

She's still afraid of you
.

The girl, Hamilton, and the cat soon arrived at the double doors of the main hall inside the Guild building. Thalia went to open them, but Hamilton stopped her. “Step back."

She backed up a few feet. Hamilton made a gesture in the air directed at the doors and murmured some words that remained in his memory as sharp and clear as when he had learned them. The doors started to glow with a fierce green light. Then as he snapped his fingers, they opened with a large “pop". “Stay by my side,” whispered Hamilton. Together, they entered the room.

Hamilton glanced about the huge room. It was as he had remembered it with a single glaring exception. During his first visit, there had been over two hundred wizards present. Now there were fewer than three dozen in the room standing around the wide circular table and most of them were younger than Thalia.

He could hardly believe what the Guild had become. His plan, after the spell with the doors, had been to invoke the voc extremis spell which would have magnified his voice ten fold. However, it was obvious that with this crowd, it would not be necessary. No wonder they considered him a great wizard. In the kingdom of the blind...

Diamond rose and bowed to Hamilton. “We welcome you once more, Master Citrine, to the Guild of Magic Users and Wizards. We are grateful that you have accepted this task of freeing Center City from the wrath of, er, Thermite. We will assist you in any way that we can."

This was not what Hamilton had expected. He looked at the faces of those before him. There were a dozen adults who were probably true wizards. The rest were hardly more than children. Even Diamond, who he had expected to be a hard case, seemed honestly grateful that he was here. When his gaze once more fell on the Guildmaster, he asked, “This is the whole Guild?"

"With the exception of Master Topaz who I was unable to contact, this is the entire Guild. I know that it was somewhat larger when you were here the last time, but the Guild has fallen on hard times. The Brown Plague devastated the elder wizards. After that, many of the younger wizards and apprentices left the Guild as well. We are all that remain. Please, Master Citrine, be seated."

It was at this point that Hamilton noticed that everyone in the room was standing. He placed the box on the table, sat down and the rest followed his lead. Thalia sat next to him.

Well, so much for impressing them, Old Man. Judging from all of the children here, I think that I could impress them myself.
Whiskers looked about from her perch on Hamilton's shoulder.

You're right. This is not what I expected.

He cleared his throat. “I wish to thank you all for gathering on such short notice. I also wish to thank Guildmaster Diamond for his assistance. As I told him yesterday, I will do everything in my power to eliminate this dragon problem you have, but if I am to succeed, I will require the help of all of you."

He looked at the faces of the older wizards as they watched him attentively. The younger wizards and apprentices seemed to hang on his every word. Hamilton felt nervous as he was not used to this kind of attention. “As I have yet to see this dragon, I will require all information that the Guild has collected on this beast as well as what has been attempted to eliminate it. I assume that the solutions presented in Dragonis Eliminatus have all been tried and have failed."

Two of the older wizards nodded their heads.

"I thought as much. Still, I must know why these efforts failed. In addition...” Hamilton opened the box on the table, “...I need the help of the Guild Alchemist. Is there a Guild Alchemist?"

"That would be me,” replied one of the older wizards dressed in the traditional black master's cloak. “I am Hardension, Master Alchemist."

"Good.” Hamilton put the cylinder and the blackened jar on the table. “Please pass these to the alchemist.” He gave the jar and cylinder to Thalia and she carried the items to Hardension. The old wizard gave them a cursory glance.

"What am I looking at?” he asked.

"I'm afraid I can't answer that question. I can tell you that the cylinder was found inside a house that the dragon destroyed. You'll note that it glows weakly in the dark which is how I located it in the first place. The jar, I believe, contains some of the material that the dragon expels to cause the fires."

"I will examine them,” replied the old wizard after opening the jar and sniffing the contents.

Once more, Hamilton reached into the box and removed the Orb. Two of the older wizards started whispering back and forth. “As some of you already know, this is a device called a Sorenson Orb. I will let those that know about this explain what it is to the junior Guild members. As to what this particular Orb was constructed for, I don't know. Perhaps Runemaster Argus can shed some light on this as he has been studying the runes that are marked on it."

Argus looked up at the mention of his name. He looked surprised for a moment. “Orb? Orb? Oh, yes. The Sorensen Orb. Remarkable. My assistant and I are looking into this. We should have more information soon."

"Thank you, Runemaster. I will leave it here as this is the safest place for the Orb. Perhaps the Guildmaster will look after it?"

"Of course,” replied Diamond.

"Well then that is all I have for now. Do any of you have any questions?” He looked at those seated about the table. No one spoke.

"In that case, I thank you all for attending. I'm sure I will get to know many of you in the near future. For now, I will take my leave. Come, Thalia.” He stood up, as did the girl. Together, with Whiskers still riding Hamilton's shoulder, they left.

Thalia collected some belongings from her room and then they returned to the inn. As they crossed the inn's lobby, Roscoe intercepted them. “Master, while you were out there was a man looking for you. When I told him you were not here, he left without leaving his name."

"What did he look like?"

"I didn't get a good look. He was sorta tall and thin. He wore a dark hood that covered most of his face."

"That's all?"

"Well, his skin was, well, yellowish."

"Hmmm. This is Thalia from the Guild. She will be staying with me. Please bring up an additional bed."

Thalia looked surprised. “That won't be necessary, Mast, er, Hamilton. I will be more than happy to sleep on the floor or to share your bed."

Hamilton looked down at the girl. “I don't know how Diamond treated you, but when I told him I needed an assistant that is precisely what I meant. You are neither a slave nor a whore and I will not have you treated as such.” Then to Roscoe, “As I said, another bed.” Thalia turned her face from Hamilton and blushed.

As Hamilton and the girl exited the lift and headed down the hall towards the suite, Whiskers ran ahead. The cat stopped, a few feet from the door and sniffed the air.
Something's different, Old Man.

What?

I don't know, but there's a smell in the air that wasn't here when we left.
Whiskers’ fur bristled.

Hamilton looked at the cat. Then he made a gesture at the door. It started to glow a malevolent crimson.

Thalia looked at the glowing door and asked, “What is it?"

"I don't know, but someone ... or something has been inside the suite while we were out."

"Are they still inside?"

Hamilton made another gesture and the crimson glow disappeared. “No."

He unlocked the door and they entered. He turned on the lights. It was obvious that someone had been inside as the room was disheveled. Every place where something could have been hidden had been explored. They entered the bedroom. The mattress had been pushed aside; the covers and comforter were dumped on the floor. Hamilton's pack had been dumped as well.

Thalia looked shocked. “Did they steal anything?"

Hamilton dropped into a chair after retrieving the cushion. “I doubt it. There wasn't anything to steal."

"What do you think they were after?"

"I can guess. The stuff that Obsidian left for me. Most probably the Orb."

You know who did this? Right?
Whiskers walked about in the room sniffing the air.

"Sounds like, from Roscoe's description, that it was that stranger from the shop. The one who wanted to buy a trunk."

Thalia looked confused. She sat down on the couch. “The stranger from the shop?"

"Sorry, girl. You are likely to be hearing some half conversations around here. Whiskers is not an ordinary cat. She can speak to me, but I hear her in my mind. She is also quite a bit smarter than other cats. I, well, sort of inherited her from an old wizard."

"Can she understand me?"

"Yes, but she can't speak to you. Not yet, in any case, but I might be able to fix that. It requires a bit more magic than you currently possess."

Whiskers crossed the room and jumped up into Thalia's lap. She started stroking the cat. “Can you understand me?"

Whiskers looked up and purred.

There was a knock on the door and Hamilton got up to answer it. He motioned Thalia to remain seated. It was Roscoe with the bed. “Put it over there against the wall."

Roscoe dragged the bed to the wall and made it up. As he headed for the door, Hamilton stopped him. “Please locate Amil Quinn for me, boy. Tell him to come here as quickly as possible."

"Yes, sir.” He hurried out on his errand.

Twenty minutes later, Quinn arrived. “You asked that I come, Master Citrine?"

"Yes, I have a message for you to deliver.” Hamilton handed him a folded piece of paper. “Deliver this to Master Diamond at the Wizards’ Guild. If he is not there, find him and make sure he receives this personally. I realize that it is late and that it may take a while. Here're 5 royals. Is that enough?"

"More than enough, sir.” he beamed and rushed out.

What was that all about?

"I want Diamond to place extra protection on the Orb. I don't want our visitor to get his hands on it."

You don't think that he'd try and break into the Guild, do you?

"Probably not, but better safe than sorry."

Thalia, who just finished putting the suite back in order, looked confused.

Hamilton looked at the girl and asked, “What level have you achieved?"

She looked away and replied, “Only level two. Master Diamond said that I should progress slowly. I guess that I'm not a very good student."

"Or maybe he's not a very good teacher. In any case, if you will be staying with us, you should be to be able to understand Whiskers. Would you like that?"

She faced Hamilton with a smile on her lips. “Oh yes, Mast, Hamilton."

It turned out that she was a good student. Within a half hour, she gabbed with the cat.

The next morning, following breakfast, Whiskers made a discovery.
Hey, Old Man!
she called from the bedroom.