The Wizard's Council (12 page)

“My apologies for the misdirection.” He heard Rolin’s voice, but the Wizard was nowhere to be found.

“We don’t have time to explain it to him, old friend.” James too, could be heard but not seen.

“Indeed. Paul, it is imperative that you find Janessa and Emily. Tell them we are proceeding with plan B.”

Paul was about to ask a question when he felt a tug on the back of his shirt. He turned to see a small boy, eight years of age at the oldest. His skin was pale, like Janessa’s skin tone, but his hair was jet black. Paul could see the rest of his family approaching from afar. They were just as pale as the boy, only none of them had black hair. There were five of them in all, two boys, one girl, and the two parents. The kid with the black hair was the least timid. Each of his siblings stopped when they reached the sand. Their blond hair was not the only thing that differentiated them from their brother. The rest of the family had less pronounced features.

“Corvath, stay away from the stranger!” The boy’s father yelled.

“He’s a mage, I saw appear out of nowhere,” one of the other children said.

“I assure you that I mean no harm to you and your family. I was sent here to find two of my order,” Paul said.

“Tell us their names and we will send you on your way.” The boy’s mother placed her hands on his shoulders and began to slowly walk him away from Paul.

“One is named Emily, though you probably do not know her. The other is Janessa, she is from the Gloomvale Isles.” Paul stood up.

“Janessa, Daughter of Gloomvale?” She asked.

“I know not what that means, but she is a powerful Wizard of our order. In fact, she is the Archwizard of the Gloomvale
Conclave.”

“Any friend of Janessa is a friend of ours. Come, we will take you to our town. From t
here, we will direct you to the Conclave. Keep your wits about you, pirates have been on the move of late,” The father spoke as though he had encountered the pirates before.

Paul thanked them for their generosity and followed them from the beach into the open plains. Both sides had many questions for each other. Paul, having never left the continent, inquired about island life and the Gloomvale governing bodies. They explained to him how the Isles were ruled
, not by royal line, but by appointed Protectors known as the Sons and Daughters of Gloomvale. The Gloomvale citizens ruled themselves, looking to the Protectors only in times of war and strife. Janessa was the only current Protector as the islanders couldn’t agree on any of the other candidates. Paul was asked questions about magic. He explained what little he knew of it. Less powerful mages use staves, wands, and words, while more powerful ones used their palms. He told stories of the magicians of old who cast powerful spells with thought alone. When pressed about obtaining a power like that, he merely shrugged.

“I’ve heard that strength of will creates unbreakable spells,” The black-haired child said.

“It is possible, young one. I have not the formal training Janessa has nor the knowledge that Emily has, your questions are better served being aimed at one of them,” Paul replied.

Everyone fell silent as they came within sight of the town. The normally peaceful town was partially ablaze. A foreign looking ship was docked in the harbor
, and the flames were worse around the docks than the rest of the town. Paul gritted his teeth and quickened his pace. The others moved to match his pace, but he held up his hand to tell them to stop. He took a deep breath before changing forms. His jaw began to jut out along with his nose, and his entire body became elongated. The others gasped as he shifted into a wolf. It was larger than average due to his frustration and drive. Corvath watched in awe as Paul in wolf form bounded through the countryside with ease. He traveled significantly faster in wolf form and arrived in town within minutes. He tackled one of the attackers to the floor before morphing back into a man.
Pirates
, he thought as he drove his sword into the downed opponent. Three more arrived on the scene to find a fallen comrade and a stranger with a bloodstained sword.

Paul grinned at the newcomers, still looking somewhat wolf-like, and prepared for their assault. They paused a moment before taking a few steps toward him. He laughed as he lifted his left hand.
If they are afraid now, just wait until they get a taste of my magic,
he thought. One of the three stepped forward and was met with a bolt of lightning. He crumpled to the floor as Paul closed in on the other two. Paul slashed low and away, knocking one pirate’s sword aside. He quickly brought his sword up to block a diagonal strike from the other opponent. The armed pirate, slightly taken off guard by the speed of the block, took a step backward. Paul stepped forward after him, parrying a blow from the pirate who had just recovered his sword. Shouting could be heard in the background as Paul launched his attack. His sword crackled as it smacked from one pirate sword to the other, sending a shock through each pirate. The Wizard dispatched the scoundrel on his right before turning to face the other.

“Mangy cur!” A voice came from a street behind the remaining pirate.

“Fight me like a man, you sea spawned peanut brain!” Came another voice.

“I’d fight ya like a man, but you’d have to know what one is first.”

“Sorry to interrupt, but I’ve not heard such a weak battle of words in all my days!” Paul called out as he pulled his sword from the gut of the last of the three pirates.

Two silhouettes danced in the darkness as Paul approached. Neither appeared to be a master swordsman, but both were more skilled than any of the pirates he had just dispatched. He created a small ball of light in his free hand and then sent it forth to illuminate the two combatants. One was significantly larger than the other. He wore a pirate’s coat and pants along with a worn out captain’s hat. His hair was black with speckles of gray in it. The other man was significantly younger, blond haired, and was wearing chainmail. They continued trading jabs as they flailed at each other wildly. Paul moved the ball of light in between them and enlarged it, interrupting their fight. They both turned to face Paul. Both stood unsure of their opponent as they tried to size up the newcomer. Paul shook his head, thinking them both fools.

“Identify yourself!” The younger man said, nearly yelling.

Paul chuckled as he turned toward the pirate. He lunged forward with his sword
, and the pirate parried the blow. The Wizard attacked again and again was parried. His eyes narrowed as the pirate mounted a counterattack. He blocked the blow and then kicked his opponent’s knee. As the pirate staggered backward, Paul lunged at him, stabbing him in the chest. The younger man stepped forward to challenge Paul. With a sigh, Paul shook his head and sheathed his sword. He dodged two attacks before punching the stranger’s sword arm. The man grunted, but did not stop his assault. Paul dodged several times, using magic to augment his speed. After six failed attacks, Paul finally made his move. He dodged to the side and then side-stepped to within hitting range. His fist shot out with such speed that the youth couldn’t even attempt to mount a defense.

“That man was toying with you and I found little difficulty in besting him. Are you sure you want to continue on the path you’ve chosen?” Paul asked as his hand slid down to his sword.

“I’ll fight anyone who seeks to harm my village or its people, no matter how outmatched I may be,” The younger man was still holding his side as he spoke.

“If I intended harm upon your village, you’d be dead in his place.” Paul motioned toward the dead pirate captain.

“Your logic is sound, but how do I know that I can trust you?”

“You don’t, not any more or less than I know I can trust you, but we have to take a chance now and again. My name is Paul.” Paul extended his hand.

“I suppose you are right. I am Samuel.” The young man sheathed his sword before shaking Paul’s hand.

“Well met. Tell me of your troubles with the pirates.”

“They don’t usually attack any of the towns. Not like this anyway. Janessa has always seen them out of town when they try. Things have gotten a bit ugly in her absence, almost as if they knew she’d be gone for over a month. Word has it she was spotted on one of the outer isles yesterday. I guess the pirates didn’t hear that.” Sam forced a chuckle, “They never attacked three towns in two days before. I reckon they’re up to something.” Samuel looked as though he were ready to tell the entire history of the Gloomvale Isles.

“I’ll help in whatever way I can so long as it doesn’t slow getting to Janessa.” Paul spoke before Sam could start in about anything else.

“You know Janessa?” Samuel’s eyes lit up.

“Well enough, she and I are Wizards of the same order now. I can’t say I’ve known her long though,” Something about the young man’s demeanor made it easy for Paul to talk to him.

The two continued their conversation as Samuel led Paul out of town toward the Conclave. There wasn’t a lot for Paul to share with Sam as most of the man’s questions were about Janessa.
I must have spent too much time around Wizards
, Paul thought as the conversation rolled along. It was the longest conversation he had been a part of since Emily’s departure. He learned that Samuel was no more than twenty years old and that he had attempted to join the militia on three separate occasions. The first time he was rejected due to his youth. On the second try, he was so nervous that he referred to the female drill instructor as “mother.” It was a comment he had never lived down. So shot was his confidence that he failed to make the cut a year later. Paul felt sorry for him in a way. He knew well the difficulties of pursuing the life of a swordsman. Though there seemed to be little difference in the difficulties of pursuing magical knowledge, Paul knew he’d never reach the pinnacle of either unless he chose between the two. It was a thought that crossed his mind several times, but each time he was unable to choose one over the other.

“You know the arts and fighting, how is it so?” Sam asked.

“Archwizard Rolin says I have a lot of raw talent for magic, but to reach a greater level I would have to study it alone. They say that few in history can kill with a spell, but I have done so on rare occasions. I know little more than what I’ve heard from them, and they say it takes force of will as well as knowledge of the arcane arts. Knowledge of the arts is not my area of expertise.” Paul looked down at his sword. Until recently, most of his spells merely augmented his fighting abilities. His aptitude for combat magic was high, but the other forms of magic seemed to remain out of reach.

“I’ve always wondered what it would be like to wield magic,” Samuel said, his voice more dull than usual.

“You sound as though you don’t like the topic of magic. Most people are a lot more excited to think about wielding something so rare.” Paul’s eyes scanned the ridges along the road.
Why haven’t we seen more pirates?
He asked himself silently.

“When I was a youth,” Paul attempted to hold back a laugh when he heard the man of barely twenty years speak of youth. “I’m not much younger than you!” Sam nearly shouted.

“I’ve got around ten years on you,” Paul said.

Samuel star
ed at him in disbelief. As far as he could tell, Paul was no more than twenty-one years old, and that was mostly due to his beard. Paul chuckled and shrugged at Sam.
They must be surprised by the looks of Wizards
, he thought. It had been six years since anyone had asked him his age. He had never heard that those who practiced magic looked younger, but not many people discussed magic users. His fingers ran through his beard as he wondered how old he would look without it.
They can’t possibly think I’m as young as he is
, he thought, his mind wandering to the Wizard Council. He sighed as he remembered that Emily was the closest thing he had to a friend and he hadn’t seen her in weeks.

“You never finished your story,” Paul said, the silence finally getting to him.

“When I was ten, my village was visited by a band of traveling mages. Rejects from mage schooling really, they knew little more than cheap parlor tricks that would lose their luster on anyone past twelve. I was fascinated by what they did, always asking questions or trying to figure out their tricks. Eventually, after a month or so, they told me their secret. Each one owned a medallion that allowed them some control over illusion magic. One of them even claimed I could use it for other forms of magic if I trained hard enough. I paid my life’s savings for one, but it never worked. Even Illusion magic escaped me. They convinced me it would take three or four weeks before working. Of course, they were long gone before the three weeks ended.”

“Interesting, do you still have it?” Paul asked.

“I do not, my mother sold it as soon as she found somebody to buy it. Not a woman to be trifled with, my mother.” Samuel stared down at the dirt path.

“How much further?” Paul asked, having lost interest in the story after hearing the amulet was gone.

“Not much, hard to plot the hour here in the Gloomvale Isles, but I’d wager we’ll make it before what would normally be sundown.”

*

Janessa stumbled off the gangplank as if ready to collapse. Emily followed close behind, her head throbbing. They could only guess at the hour as the Gloomvale Isles were lit by an unnatural light. According to legend, the Isles had not always been covered in dark clouds. Some believed they came with the wars of attrition from the old days, others were convinced it was by a power hungry mage, but the most widely accepted tale was that of the two warriors. They were known as Cadrin, warrior of the light, and Damoth, warrior of the dark. Born in the same town on the same day in the same year, their futures were intertwined from birth. Each grew faster than the other boys in town, but the similarities ended there. Damoth was pale skinned with long blond hair and blue eyes while Cadrin had dark-brown skin, short black hair, and deep brown eyes. Where Damoth was thin and lacked strength, Cadrin was large and powerful.