Rogue Magician (The Magician Rebellion) (5 page)

“
I
am sorry, knight-captain. I was not expecting to find out I was fighting side
by side with the great Knight-Captain Kellen. It is quite an honor.” Then in an
afterthought, Byrn gave the warrior his name.

“
You
fought well, Byrn. Not every man would willingly stand against an ogre, but
you're not like other men are you?” Kellen's expression suggested more than his
words entailed.

Byrn
only stared at him questioningly unsure of what the knight-captain was hinting
at.

Kellen
leaned in, “It is alright. I know you are a magician. You've proven your valor
to me. I will not turn you in as long as you remain on the path of right and do
not endanger others.”

If
Byrn was not confused already, he certainly was now. He was no more a magician
than was Kellen. “Why do you-?” but Byrn could not finish. The platoon of
guardsmen he spotted earlier had finally reached them. He did not know why
Kellen thought that he was a magician, but they could not discuss it now. If he
was even suspected of being a magician he would surely be thrown into a deep
dark hole or worse hung in the city's square.

Byrn's
eyes wandered to the west and off in the distance he could see one of the four
spires that marked the walls of Baj, the prison for deadly magicians, a few
hours away on foot. Living so close it was the subject of many scary bedtime
stories and childish dares of Colum's younger citizens. It suddenly felt far
more menacing than Byrn ever imagined it to be as a young boy.

Sane
breathed a heavy sigh of relief. The ogre was dead, but more importantly Kellen
was not. At first he didn't understand the vision of Byrn fighting the ogre
outside the temple of Ashura, but as he relived the moments leading up to
Kellen's death it became clear. It was the last image that stuck most clearly
in the sorcerer's mind of the young man standing outside the temple facing down
the mammoth beast as the sick and the injured-those too weak to help
themselves- looked on. In that moment he knew that the young man was the key to
saving his friend.

Oftentimes,
Sane's visions were not literal and he had to decipher their hidden meanings to
prevent whatever horror his dreams foretold. It was not immediately apparent,
but Sane figured out that Byrn was standing in for Kellen facing the ogre in
his place. He was at the temple of Ashura, the goddess of life, because if he
were to face the monster Kellen would live.

And
it worked. Byrn did not defeat the beast directly, but he was able to give Kellen
the support he needed to come out of the fight alive, unharmed, and completely
unaware of the fate he avoided, but Sane wondered if that would be enough.
There may be more at work here than even his future sight foretold.

Sane
saw Byrn walking his horse to The Sleepy Crow. It's hind leg was broken in the
battle with the ogre, but one of the temple priests who arrived sometime after
the platoon of guardsmen was able to mend the injury well enough so that his
mount could walk if only just barely. The healers were known for being miracle
workers, but there were still limitations to what they could accomplish. Emma
would not be able to support a rider for at least a week or two after suffering
such an injury.

Sane
admired Byrn's persistence. Less than an hour before he was fighting for his
life. Now he was back on task delivering a strange looking book to an innkeeper
as if nothing had happened. The sorcerer briefly wondered if the grimoire had
been of any help to the young rider.

The
grimoire was enchanted with a luck charm increasing the luck of any who held
it. Its main uses were as a collection of spells and knowledge and as a
focusing point for spell casting, but the old sorcerer found a little bit of
luck never hurt when magic was involved. Byrn did not actually touch the
grimoire during the fight, but if Sane was right about his magical talent he
might have been able to draw on the enchantment if he was close enough. That
would explain how he survived the tumble with the horse relatively unharmed and
may also explain how Byrn created the protective shield although Sane was
fairly sure he did that by unconsciously tapping into the blood source and
using the wounded ogre’s own life energy against it.

With
the proper training the boy could become a great sorcerer. Of course, he would
have to hide his identity until he had backing from the king or another high
ranking noble, but Sane could help with that.

The
sorcerer hurried through the back alleys of the city on a route nearly parallel
to the courier’s. He briefly wondered what people would think seeing him
running from one alleyway to the next dressed in the garb of a priest. He
chuckled a little as he climbed over a fence. “Pardon me, miss,” he said
hurrying past a woman doing laundry. She looked up just in time to see Sane
disappear as he rounded a corner in a blur of green. He arrived at The Sleepy
Crow just as Byrn was taking the grimoire out of his satchel.

“
Byrn,
over here,” Sane called rounding the stable and waving his hand, “Byrn!”

Hearing
his name the young man turned and saw Sane motioning for him to come over.
“What are you doing here?” Byrn asked, “If you were planning on coming here
anyway why have me deliver your book.”

“
That
should be obvious. I came to find you... and to retrieve my grimoire,” said
Sane extending his open hand to take the book.

Byrn
handed it over. The battle with the ogre was still heavy on his mind. He
replayed the events in his head. The ogre's tree club was racing to smash into
him. He turned his face at the last second and felt a shudder like a sword
being deflected by a shield. When Byrn looked back to the beast he saw it being
beaten and killed by the knight-captain.

He
thought that Kellen stepped in at the last moment and protected him just as he
had done before, but then the knight accused him of being a magician. The idea
was ludicrous, but nevertheless distressing. Everyone knew that magicians were
evil people corrupted by dark power. That is why they were considered criminals
in most of the known world even going so far as to be eradicated at birth in
some countries. However, Kellen did not seem to mind thinking that Byrn could
use magic. That was a strange stance for someone sworn to uphold the laws of
the land. He wished he could have questioned the knight about it before more of
Kellen's fellow guardsmen arrived.

Sane
snapped his fingers in Byrn's face. “Are you still with me?” asked Sane.

“
I
am sorry. I was-”

“
I
know you were still getting over the shock of fighting an ogre,” Sane cut him
off. “Don't look at me like that. You think that an ogre invading the city and
wreaking destruction among the fair populace does not spread quickly? That is
not something that happens every day and can be quite overwhelming... or so I
would imagine.” He paused not sure exactly how to proceed. Seeing the future as
he did gave the sorcerer tremendous insight on occasion, but he was not all
knowingly. In saving Kellen, Sane set forth a course of events that awoke this
boy to his magical potential. Byrn could no longer be allowed to do as he
pleased. Once he cast his first spell there was no turning back. From that
moment forth, no matter what else happened, he would be a magician and without
training Byrn would unknowingly use magic. The dark gift would seek energy from
the blood source wherever it could.

However,
with training Byrn could focus that power- learn to control it, but he would
never be able to do that living in a domain. Now knowing the risk the boy posed
Sane was honor-bound to report him to the Kenzai, an order of warriors devoted
to the capture and neutralization of magicians in the kingdom. It seemed a sour
reward for the young man's heroism, but it was the safest solution for Byrn and
the citizens of Colum. However, there could be another path that could be
beneficial for both of them.

Sane
stood up straight and his face became very serious. “I am not sure where to
begin or what to tell you. To begin with I am not a priest. The truth of it is
I am a magician... just like you... and I have decided to make you my apprentice.”

Byrn
opened his mouth to speak, but found he could not. He looked as if he wanted to
deny Sane's claim, but something deep down told him the magician was speaking
true.

“
Let
us say I believe you and I am not saying that I do. Becoming a magician's
apprentice sounds like a good way to end up with my neck in a noose.” Byrn
leaned in to whisper to Sane and lowered his voice although there was no one
around. “You realize that you are confessing to be a criminal? I do not see a
Kenzai escort around.” Byrn swung his head back and forth in a mocking search
for the man's escort and found none.

Sane
shrugged, “I have friends in high places. There are magicians in the kingdom
that can move about freely although they are rare. Most are in the service of
noble houses like me, but all have proven their value to Aurelia in one way or
another to earn their freedom.

“
As
my apprentice I could teach you, so that you would not be a danger to others
and have no fear of the Kenzai ever coming for you. You will be in service
under my tutelage, but in time you could be a free man. It is the best offer I
can make and the best you will ever hear.”

“
I
just spent the morning nearly getting killed by a giant ogre!” Byrn did not
mean to yell and seeing people beginning to notice them he immediately lowered
his voice. “If that is what I can expect as a magician, then I do not want any
part of this. This is too much to consider. I just want to forget about this
and continue on as a courier.”

Sane
shook his head. “Unfortunately that is not an option. Your talent with magic
has been revealed. Whether you want to or not you will begin to exhibit more
and more signs until you either learn to control your power or you destroy
everything and everyone you care about. Then you will either be killed by those
you once considered friends or thrown into Baj to live out your days under the
watchful eyes of the Kenzai.”

“
Knight-Captain
Kellen did not seem to care when he thought I was a magician,” Byrn retorted,
“If the knight-captain of the city guard can turn a blind eye, then why not
you?” He crossed his arms in defiance.

“
The
good knight-captain has a soft spot for magicians,” Sane smirked remembering
that was not the case long ago. There was a time when Kellen looked upon
magicians with the same disdain that most people still harbored. “Besides he
was probably not thinking clearly after getting knocked around by that
ham-fisted ogre,” the sorcerer added.

“
I
am sorry, Byrn, but your life is no longer yours to choose and I bare some
responsibility for that although considering your age it would not have been
much longer before your powers started manifesting on their own anyway. So I am
giving you a choice- it is a valuable gift that most of us don’t get. You can
go to a domain and live among other magicians under the watchful eyes of the
Kenzai or become my apprentice and live a relatively free life under my
instruction.”

“
Relatively
free?” Byrn emphasized the
word wondering what Sane meant by that.

“
No
one is ever truly free. Even in death we still serve Kassani.”

Byrn
stared at Sane for several uncomfortable seconds. “What do you have in mind?”

Sane
smiled. “First, I need to visit someone far away,” he said. “Then we get a
group of Kenzai hunters together and find whoever set that beast you fought
lose on the city.”

“
You
think someone could have done that? How?” asked Byrn disbelief crept into his
voice.

“
I
could be wrong, but I think an enchanter did this... and I can tell from your
blank expression that you have no idea what an enchanter is. That is fine. I
will explain on our way back to your home. I assume you need to return your
horse, so it can rest.”

“
Yes,
I will also have to tell my parents that I am never going to see them again,”
Byrn said visibly angry as the realization of the situation he found himself in
began to sink in.

“
No
need to be dramatic,” Sane told him losing his patience. He regretted the
situation he was putting Byrn in, but there was little else that he could do.
However, Sane knew if he could just express the positives of being a magician,
he was sure he could turn the boy around on the idea. “You can still see your
parents from time to time. After a few years I imagine it would be difficult to
prevent you from seeing them even if I had a mind to. Magicians are not bound by
the same limitations as everyone else. This morning I was in Mollifas and now I
am here with little effort or time spent.”

Byrn
eyed the sorcerer warily unsure whether or not to believe him. He was a trained
courier and would know that Mollifas was at least a day's travel from here. The
obvious question would be if it was possible for a magician to cover long
distances so quickly then why were there domains at all? Why was there a
magician prison barely two miles away from Colum? What kept all of them from
simply flitting away in the air like birds on the wind? Sane wondered the same
thing when he was just a boy too.