Rising of a Mage (8 page)

“Ah well, I believe you have the ability to accomplish this and so I would assist you, but would you mind telling me why you are making this coat?”

“Well, sir, Mariah’s birthday is in two months. She is my best friend and I wanted to do something special for her. I could have the stitching completed by the end of the week; I would like to cast the enchantments before her birthday.”

Gabriel noticed that he had said enchantments, which he took to mean that Anwar intended to place other enchantments on this coat, which he must have been able to figure out already. He did not mention it. “Well, as to the enchantment of this coat, creating a magical item is extremely draining on a wizard. It leaves you weak, and the recovery is not short. I will indeed help you.”

He walked to a shelf in his office that held a number of scrolls. He took one down and handed it to Anwar. “Study this scroll, memorize it exactly. You may copy it if you want, but remember its effect on you when we have completed your coat, and do not use it lightly in the future. I would suggest that you start a book of spells that you can study and will not master, and I see this as the first for you to add to it. Before you leave my apprenticeship I will give you another that you can use to protect your spell book and bind it, so that it cannot be destroyed by fire and will only readable by a spell of your choosing.”

Gabriel thought he saw an excited smile start to form on Anwar’s face, but it was gone just as quickly.

“Thank you, sir.”

“Well then, you have two tasks to work on. In these next six weeks you will master the enchantments so that you can cast them perfectly, and you will study the introduction of battle spells and we will practice those. I believe that it may be some time after the creation of this great gift you are creating before you’re ready to practice magic. You will most likely be spending most of your time studying new spells before we are able to practice any. As for today, here is a blank spell book. Go copy down this scroll, and then study that book in your hand and tomorrow we will begin practicing your first battle spells.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Anwar bowed slightly and headed back to his room.

The first thing he did was copy the spell from the scroll into his book. As an apprentice he was allowed access into the wizards’ library and he had found the two other enchantments he intended to cast on Mariah’s coat, and copied those into his new spell book. It was his spell book. When he was finished he spent the rest of the morning memorizing the first enchantment, and then he went to meet Mariah for the midday meal. After that he studied his book on combat magic until Mariah came to get him for their daily training session. As Anwar and Mariah walked into the training ground, they saw two of the older students already there. They walked up to Mariah and Anwar and asked if they would like to spar. They were both in the Wizards’ guild school and Anwar knew neither had much aptitude for magic, but they were both pretty big. One was nearly as big as he was, and the other was a couple of inches taller and nearly as broad. These two never trained in the training grounds. They only trained with the guild guards, and Anwar had heard a number of the students over the last few weeks saying they would like to see a match between these two pairs. It seemed these students had taken that as a challenge.

Anwar smiled. Pride can get you into trouble, he thought. They took up their positions in the ring opposite each other. Anwar saw that a crowd was already beginning to form. The two pairs spent fifteen minutes sparring; each pair scored numerous hits but Anwar and Mariah were getting the better of their opponents. After fifteen minutes, the larger of the two looked right at Anwar and said, “So, would you two like to make this a duel.” Anwar looked at Mariah who just smiled up at him. He shrugged his shoulders.

“Sounds like fun.”

They took their appropriate positions across from each other. The other pair came in hard, the big one coming in with a high and wide swing at Anwar’s head. The smaller of the two came in low at Mariah’s legs. It was an effective attack, if predictable. Anwar pushed his staff out in front of him sending the attack high and away, as Mariah jumped over the swing and kicked her opponent in the stomach before she came down perfectly balanced. And then they were fighting. Anwar and Mariah parried and defended in perfect unison. If one went to block a low swing the other was already blocking the high. They left nearly no openings. After a couple minutes of blocking and parrying, the opponents were fighting as fast and hard as they could. Anwar knocked a sword thrust high. Spun around Mariah who leveled a sword thrust into Anwar’s neck. His hands were still high and he could not get them down to defend. Mariah’s opponent thought he had her with a slash toward her neck. It never landed. Anwar’s came down on the top of his head. Both opponents had suffered what would have been killing blows. The big one stood, arms out, with Mariah’s sword at his neck and the other lay on the ground trying to collect his vision and wiping tears from his eyes.

Mariah smiled at the big one and said, “That was fun! We would be delighted if you came back again.”

As she turned to walk to her water, the big one swung angrily at her back. Anwar’s staff connected with his mouth and he landed on his back. Mariah turned around and looked at Anwar, whose face now read anger and a lot of it. That looked scared her, and she hoped she never saw it directed at her. She watched the man Anwar had just hit roll over to his belly, and got to his knees, spitting out three broken teeth in the process. “I think it’s time for you to go,” Anwar told them, his face again showing nothing. They watched the pair stumble to their feet and walk out of the training grounds. Anwar and Mariah walked over and collected their things before heading back into the guild.

As they walked back toward their rooms, Mariah said, “I was planning on making a stew tonight, if you would like to join me?”

“After winning this victory you choose to punish me?” he joked.

“You just shut your mouth… . you… my… . my stew will be better than whatever they’re serving in the common tonight.”

Anwar was smiling at her. “I’m just giving you a hard time. What time should I plan to indulge in this great feast?”

“I started it this morning; it should be almost ready, but my roommate always has that Ysac in our room. Is it ok if we take it to your room?”

“Ah well, if you carry my staff, I’ll carry your slop.”

She punched him in his arm, which no doubt hurt her hand more than his arm, which was nearly the size of her waist.

“Do you mind if I bath in your room?” she asked. He just shrugged his big shoulders. When they were in Mariah’s room, he set his staff on her bed and grabbed the mitts next to the fire place. They really were whispering and giggling. She came out of her bathing room with a bar of soap and a towel, grabbed some clothes off her shelf and picked up his staff. He reached into the fireplace and picked up the pot, and then followed her out of her room. As they walked to his room, he asked, “How can you live in there? All that whispering and giggling burns my ears.”

“I told you.”

When they were in his room he set the pot in the fire place and waved his hand and a small fire sparked under it. Mariah went to the bathing room. He pulled out the book and the scroll from the library and started studying the spells. The enchantment from the scroll would be fairly simple, but the one from the scroll would be the hardest and he knew would drain him considerable. He was not sure if he was even strong enough to complete it successfully. He couldn’t tell Master Gabriel about all of the enchantments, because he was willing to push himself much farther than Master Gabriel did, and even he was not sure if he could do all of these. Some of the components were rare, and it was going to take most of the coin he had saved to purchase them. As she walked out of his bathing room wearing only a towel, he looked up at her and smiled. Yes, she was worth it. As he walked past her into his bathing room, he looked back at her.

“Hey, Riah! You can move in here if you want. There is room for another bed, and I don’t know how you can live in there with those two whispering and giggling so.” Then he walked into the bathing room and closed the door. The whole room smelled of her and he felt himself swell. He had acted as if it was no big deal, but now his heart was racing. What would she say? When he finished his bath he he grabbed his light bed pants off the hook. He didn’t need a shirt; he wasn’t going anywhere else tonight. He walked out and dropped his dirty clothes in the basket next to the door. She was sitting at the little table reading. Two bowls of stew were steaming and there was a cup of water next to each. He sat down and waved a hand over his cup and frost appeared on the side of his glass. She took his glass and said, “Thank you”. Then she replaced his with hers. He cooled this one as well. He had never drunk really cold water unless it was in the middle of winter, but, after drinking it that way with Master Gabriel, he knew that was how it should be.

They ate in silence; neither had the courage to bring up what was weighing on both their minds. They finished eating and both returned to their studies. Anwar had memorized the first scroll he would use to imbue Mariah’s coat, so he practiced the incantation a hundred times. Then he went to the scroll Master Gabriel had given him and did the same. When he was finished, he set both of the scrolls on a shelf and went to his bed. “I’m going to get some sleep. I am exhausted,” he said. This was not uncommon; they spent most nights studying together in his room. He usually fell asleep watching her study or she would pack her things and head back to her room while he was lying there. Tonight, however, she closed her book, walked to his bed and slid under the covers with him. With her back to him, she said, “I think I will begin my stay here tonight. I will only impose on your bed tonight and will have mine brought in tomorrow, if that is ok.”

He smiled; a weight lifted. He put his arm around her and fell asleep.

In the morning he talked to Master Gabriel about Mariah moving into his room.

“It is not allowed for students, but she is Master Gibbins’ apprentice now. I don’t see that it would be an issue,” he said, with an accusing smile. They talked about combat spells and spent the morning practicing the magic bolt. Then Master Gabriel showed Anwar how to create a simple magical shield that would stop magical attacks, but not any special or elemental attacks. Anwar practiced it a couple of times and then Master Gabriel would throw magic bolts at his shield and he would fire bolts back at Master Gabriel’s. It was draining business. The shield itself was simple enough but, when the bolt hit, Anwar would feel the pull. He practised limiting the pull each time his barrier was hit, and was getting comfortable with how little each attack drained him. But, after a while, he felt the drain start to wear on him. They stopped before the midday meal. “Have you mastered the incantation to imbue Mariah’s coat?”

“I have, sir.” He demonstrated.

“Good I want you to stop using magic for the next three days. Let your energy restore itself so that you are at full strength. In three days we will create your item. I have gathered all the necessary components. You will bring whatever else you need that day with you. How is the stitching coming along?”

“I just started this morning, sir.”

“Ah yes, well, it may be wise to work on it in the study and leave it locked in a chest there. Now that Mariah is going to be living with you. You wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise now, would you?”

“Thank you, sir.”

“I will leave you to study on your own until then. We are creating it early so you will have time to recover for the Dual Duelz. Unless you would prefer to wait until after. A week may not be time to recover.”

“I’ll be ready in three days, sir.”

Anwar returned to his room, gathered the panther and rabbit hides from under his bed and took them to Master Gabriel’s study. He had already cut them to pattern and now he began stitching them together. For the next three days Anwar studied the spells he would use to create Mariah’s coat. He went in to the market to get the components he would need to complete the other spells. He was wrong about them costing everything he had saved. It was more, but the shop owner knew he was Guild Master Gabriel’s apprentice and sold it to him for what he had. Mariah spent these nights in his room. She had her bed moved to their room but had slept in his bed with him each night.

On the morning he was going to create the coat he woke up early. Mariah was still asleep. He checked and double-checked his list and made sure he had all the components. Then he practiced each spell one hundred times. He went to Master Gabriel’s study and pulled the coat out of the chest. He held it up. It really was one of the nicest coats in the city. It was a jet black coat with a snowy trim at the top of both pockets. The inside of the pockets were lined with the same white fur. Master Gabriel walked in and paused.

“That is truly the finest coat I have ever seen. The look of it will nearly match the greatness which it contains.”

Master Gabriel led Anwar down a hall into a casting chamber. A large stone table stood in the center of the bare room. Anwar set the coat on the table, then Master Gabriel handed him a small sack containing the components for the first casting.

“Well, go ahead then, boy. Set out whatever else you’re planning to use. Best have everything prepared. I will not stop you, but you may have to tolerate the counsel of your mentor.”

Anwar smiled; of course, he knew. He took out another sack and laid the components on the table, and then pulled out the final sack and started laying out the components of the final and most difficult spell. “Those would be used on something very difficult… testing even my own ability, son. To cast whatever spell you are planning after casting the other two could be very dangerous. Again, I will not stop you, but I would advise against that third spell whatever it is.”

“Sir, I know that once I have finished these spells I will not be able to add or remove any of them, so I must get everything I can into it at once before the magic is sealed.”