The Tomes Of Magic (6 page)

The Archwizard looked over at Melissa. She had been much quieter since the dragons had returned. There was a part of Rolin that understood it, but the rest of him wanted her to explain it to him. He sighed as he looked at the others that had been brought to the council. Janessa was still strengthening the Gloomvale Isles. Paul and James were gone as well. Each had been sent on a mission by the Council and had yet to return. The dragons had also called forth several of the local lords. Rolin knew that the dragons needed more support to combat the Holy Order, but he couldn’t quite understand why a deal would benefit the rulers. There were mercenary leaders that had answered the call as well. They were the latest of the dragons proposed alliances. Rolin and his colleagues had watched as thieves, warriors, assassins, merchants, blacksmiths, militias, nobles, and the Enchanters came to the meetings to discuss terms of alliances. He was surprised to find the dragons even considering bringing in outside help, but not so surprised at their failure to secure much assistance.

*

“You will be faced with a painful split-second choice sometime during your wanderings in this town. Be on your guard lest you miss the task,” the final voice was female.

Emily hadn’t noticed before, but there was something familiar about each of the voices. She stared off into the distance, not even paying attention to what was around her. A hooded figure ran into her and she felt something slip free from her belt.
I don’t remember putting on a belt
, she thoughts as she looked down. The fact that her money purse was missing hit her quickly. “Thief!” She yelled as she started after the purse snatcher. Her staff flashed forward and one of the cobblestones on the road rose several inches. The thief tripped over the stone and rolled forward. Emily pulled her staff back toward her body, bringing a burst of wind to pull the robber toward her. The burglar turned to run, but a nearby guardsman grabbed the figure’s arm. He pulled the hood back to reveal a female no older than fifteen. Emily gasped, partially at the age of the perpetrator and partially because of the three money purses that had fallen to the ground.

“Hold a moment,” she called after the guard.

“What is it, milady?” The man asked as he turned to face Emily.

“I will deal with this one.”

“As you wish,” the guard bowed low as he spoke.

The Wizard-in-training placed a hand on the young girl’s shoulder and started to lead her down the street. She ignored the stares from strangers and continued to lead the girl away from the onlookers.
They have no business listening in on our conversation
, she thought as she glared at the crowd. The two ducked down an alley and stopped a few feet from the main street. Emily sighed and pulled back the hood she hadn’t realized she was wearing. The girl looked up at her with a shocked look on her face and then quickly dropped to her knees. Emily gave her a quizzical look before telling her to stand up. The girl stood up to a slouch and glanced from side to side. It seemed to Emily that the girl would bolt at the first chance she had. She cleared her throat and waited for the young teen to look up at her.

“Thievery is not tolerated, especially not for one as young as you,” Emily said.

“I’m almost fifteen!” The girl protested.

“Put your talents to something more productive. I only stopped that guard because of your youth.”

“Yes, milady,” the girl stared down at her feet as she spoke.

“See here,” Emily held up her money purse, “I will give you some gold, but only if you promise to give up the life of crime.”

“I was only trying to help my family, nothing more.”

“Next time, do it in a legal manner. You are quite skilled, I am sure somebody will have a job for you.”

The young girl nodded and took the coins before leaving. Emily noted that the teen acted as though she hardly believed what had happened. She sighed and left the alley shortly after the girl. A large man stepped out into the street and grabbed hold of the teen. “Gotcha!” He said. The grin on his face made Emily uneasy. She was certain that this man had something in mind for the girl, but she knew not what it was. The man pulled the girl down the street and Emily followed at a distance. They wove through the crowd until they arrived at a guard post. The man shoved the girl toward the guards and began telling them something. Emily quickened her pace so that she could get within earshot. The two guards stared at one another and then looked back at the man.

“Are you daft? I said that I want my reward for finding this thief,” the man stepped closer to the guards as he spoke.

“No need to get upset. We weren’t told there was a reward for catching this urchin,” the guard replied without backing down.

“I mean to see that reward!”

“Nonsense, I already handled the situation,” Emily said as she stepped forward.

“We are terribly sorry, milady. This man will be removed from your sight if you wish it,” the guard who spoke bowed low and the other one quickly followed his lead.

“I’ll not have it!” The man roared as the guards grabbed hold of him.

The teen bolted as soon as she saw the opening, causing Emily to shake her head. It mattered little, she had a test to take and she had to stay alert. Something about the keep continued to draw her attention. She walked past the guard post and up the stairs toward the courtyard outside the keep. Several guards bowed low as she passed them on her way to the keep. It was a grand structure with numerous gardens surrounding it.
This would be a fantastic place to live
, she thought as she got closer to the keep. The doors swung open as she approached them. Guards on either side of the door bowed as she passed them. A man dressed in fine clothes stepped into the middle of the room and cleared his throat.

“Her majesty, Queen Emily of Galimdor!” He announced as she entered further into the room.

His words gave her pause, but she continued into the room. She wondered if there was a King in the picture or if the Wizards had only known of her more distant past. The room was just as she would have imagined if she were really Queen. Each wall was lined with tapestries, some signifying the Wizards, others Galimdor, and a few she did not recognize. Several advisers were waiting for her near the throne. They all appeared to be annoyed that nobody had seen them earlier. She nodded to them and they bowed in return. Her instincts told her to take a seat on her throne. The only problem was that there were two thrones. No matter how hard she tried to figure it out, she couldn’t work out which one was hers.

“Ah, you’ve arrived,” she instantly recognized Paul’s voice.

“Yes, I have. The advisers appear to want to have a word with us,” she replied.

“Mostly you, I’m sure. They don’t often like my answers.”

She held back a laugh and allowed him to take her arm and escort her to her throne. He kissed her on the cheek and took his place at the throne next to hers. It became obvious that she was the one who was truly in power. Paul had taken the smaller throne, signifying that he was less important.
Paul and I as King and Queen
, she thought as she listened to the first of the advisers. He spoke of a grain shortage in the southern kingdoms. She could tell that he wanted to raise the prices, but she quickly denied his request. Paul nodded in agreement and motioned for the next man to approach. The next three advisers asked similar questions and Emily disappointed each of them. She glanced at Paul and he was smiling at how easily she had ruined the day of each of the snakes. The final advisor bowed low and paused a moment before addressing her.

“Milady, the Holy Order has threatened to attack the town of Korvant if we do not surrender the children born with the ability to use magic. Their threat seems to be real this time,” the man tried hard to hide his anger.

“Fools! They will not get away with this!” Paul yelled as he stood up from his throne.

“Hold a moment, dear. We can’t just refuse them. We need to try for peace. Tell them that I am coming to meet them as soon as I can leave,” Emily spoke with dignity and grace in spite of the fact that she was seething inside.

The room around her began to change. Much to her surprise, it did not return to the empty room as it had many times before. Instead, she was standing inside of a tent that was littered with maps and other scrolls. Paul was looking over several of them at once. She let out a sigh and started to head for the exit when she was interrupted by a man in plate armor. He had a white tabard with a large hammer symbol on it. There was a small letter in his hand. He handed it to Emily and then turned to leave. “Show some respect,” Paul muttered when he noticed the man failed to bow before leaving. Emily rolled her eyes and started walking over to him. She read the letter aloud so that he could know its contents as well.

“Your willingness to discuss this matter pleases me. Although I must warn against any attempt at diversion or stalling. My men are prepared to conquer Galimdor over this matter,” it was signed by the Grand Cleric Bartholomew.

“Imprudent little man. He thinks he can bully us into giving up those innocent children. The Wizards can train them just fine. I am ready to ride to battle at your word,” Paul’s eyes shone with fury.

“Perhaps we should meet before striking with our swords. Come, I want you at my side for this meeting,” she waved Paul toward her.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world, my Queen,” he put an emphasis on “my” when he spoke.

She smiled at him before turning to leave the tent.
I mustn’t let my imagination run away with me
, she thought,
though this may be my only chance to be with him
. She shook off the thought and hoped that the real Paul would mirror the feelings of this one. The two traveled the short distance between the camps and took their seats at the small table set forth for the discussions. They could see Grand Cleric Bartholomew and his small group of guards coming down from the Holy Order’s camp. It seemed that the leader of the Holy Order wanted to bring some backup for his bullying tactics. Emily gritted her teeth and promised to herself that she would not allow them to bully her. It surprised her for a moment, but she was beginning to understand why they had left her alone for the past two months. She had often envied Paul for his ability to stand up to others, but now she was exhibiting those same traits.

“I see you’ve brought your lapdog,” Bartholomew said as he sat down.

“And you’ve brought a whole kennel full,” Emily replied.

“Only as many as I felt necessary. I intend to leave with a promise from you about these children. It is far too dangerous to let them learn magic from anyone other than the Holy Order.”

“I will allow no such thing. You will see our kingdoms at war before you see me surrendering innocent children to the likes of you!”

“A pity, I had hoped it would not come to this,” Bartholomew turned to address his men, “Kill them!”

Paul pushed the table onto Bartholomew and then leaped up from his seat. He pulled his sword and stabbed at one of the cleric’s guards. The Holy Order camp erupted in cheers as their army charged down the hill. Emily stood up slowly and raised her staff into the air. She slammed it into the ground with as much force as she could muster. The ground where it struck began to crack and the cracks quickly widened and multiplied. Paul jumped backward as the earth began to swallow up the guards he was fighting. The earth shook with great force as the cracks expanded into massive crevasses. Emily smiled as the majority of the Holy Order troops were swallowed up by her spell. The room around her quickly changed back to the empty one that she had originally entered. She felt as though she were supposed to exit the door she had entered from and headed for it. On the other side of the door, she met with several Wizards.

“Well done, Emily. There are not many who complete all five tasks. The first four are designed to test your ability with magic, though it could be argued that the fourth plays into which group we will place you into. It is, however, the fifth test that solidifies your group. Do you have any guesses as to which group we are placing you in?” The eldest of the Wizards, Kadegar, asked.

“I don’t know enough about them to make such a guess,” she replied.

“That is nothing to be ashamed of. We have decided that you are to be placed in the Royal Wizard group. Though you could fit into multiple groups, we thought this one to be best. Welcome to the Isle of Magic.”

*

Janessa waved off her servants and slumped onto her bed. The demands were getting to be too much for her. Between the dragons and her people, they had a new request almost every day. Even Rodric’s pledges to assist her in her work were beginning to grate on her nerves. She hadn’t felt the fool when she accepted leading her people, but now she was beginning to wish she had passed on the offer.
I should be free to roam the lands
, she thought as she lay on the bed. She let out a sigh when she heard the knock on the door. “Come in,” she said as she rose from the bed and straightened her attire. It had taken weeks for them to convince her to wear something befitting of a royal. That was still something she was getting used to. Her old position gave her the freedom to choose her own attire. Being the Queen of the Gloomvale Isles felt more like a chore than an honor.

“I know you ordered that we not disturb you, but something has come up,” one of the servants, a young man who seemed afraid of her, was peeking out from behind the door.