Creators Guild: A Wizard's Beginning (20 page)

             
"I don't know much. You can look in the section of history on the Ullman realm, there should be something there."

             
He thanked him and left to start looking for any information on Reclamon that he could find. He was harder to find information on. The fact that the Ullminin's didn’t keep a great deal of records on the fishing ships made it more difficult to track. He did find a record of his birth, but nothing on his death.  Most of the men that worked the ships were not recorded as being dead, especially when they were lost at sea. That kept hope that they would return home someday.  He imagined this is what happened to Reclamon.

             
The one historic fact that he did find was that of three generations of great prosperity in the fishing industry.  Knowing that the ring was made for this purpose he made the assumption that Reclamon was not the last one to have the ring.  He figured that Reclamon had passed the ring onto a son or shipmate before his death. This only proved that it would be a little harder to find the necessary information that he needed.

             
The Ullman's did keep a record of all the ships that left for sea with a log of everyone that was on the crew, to be able to notify family if they were lost at sea or known to have died.  As well as ships records were logged on each return voyage to keep the records of deaths and financial gains.  This was found in the archives of the basement of the Library of the Ancients, located in Shrelak.

             
He started to look for some more information on the ring of water.  He was hoping he would be able to find its origin. It took him several days of searching; having to be careful not to let anyone know what he was looking for.

             
He finally found a book that helped him, "The Legends of the Sea of Alinor." It was a myth of the sailors and fishermen that sea mages lived in the sea to protect the ships. The most powerful of all was named Madriaic which meant mother of the sea.  It was fabled that she fell in love with a mortal man, although his name was not mentioned he had the suspicion that it was Reclamon.  That would explain how he was able to come into possession of such an item.

             
He knew he had to get to Shrelak as soon as possible to find the records of Reclamon on his voyages. With any luck he would be able to find who he had passed the ring onto.  For now he would have to wait, deciding it was too late now to look for any information on any of the other marklons.

             
"Yes master, he seeks what you have been looking for," he heard someone say.

             
"Watch him; do not let him get too close to the truth. I must have those items," spoke the raspy voice.  He shivered because it sounded too close to that of the Dark Lord in his dream.  When he walked out from behind the bookshelves he saw Uma, he was a patlin but Roland didn’t know him very well. There was no one else around, so he figured it was just from the lack of sleep and the worry that someone was watching him, trying to find out what he was doing.

             
The next few weeks he was heavily involved in his magic lessons. They were becoming harder each day. Petron was pushing him to his limits taking away from his study and rest time by adding additional lessons as well as additional chores.  He was told that it was necessary for him to be physically as well as mentally exhausted before he was able to take his final test as an apprentice. By being in this state a person’s reflexes and mental aptitude becomes considerably slower.  This would better show how someone would react when found in a stressful moment.

             
Roland was finally able to get some time to study; his final tests were scheduled in three days. This didn’t give him much time.  He spent the next few hours reading through the marklon history book. He found the source of the staff of wind.  It was made by a wizard from the elf realm. Having their main fortress built in the trees they feared the wind would cause mass destruction.

             
There was little known from the history books, as the elves generally kept to themselves.  They thought the other races to be inferior because they didn’t live as long as they did.  Looking through the books on the elf history he did find the name of the wizard that supposedly made it. He was called Macrano, the staff itself came from the rarest of woods called the whisper wood, light as a feather yet strong as steel.  From the lack of information that he was able to find, he feared he would have to travel to the elf palace to find what more he needed.

             
The next item on his list was the amulet of earth; it was believed to have been created by a troll wizard. The biggest problem with this was the trolls were practically extinct; the few remaining lived in the dark wood.  All the other races left them alone, mostly for fear of being killed and eaten. At least that seemed to be the story every mother or father told their children to scare them into obedience.

             
The trolls themselves were a great nation at one time. They were the best farmers and cultivators on earth.  Many kings would hire them to tend and create masterful gardens. The amulet was created for the purpose of controlling the ground.  They were able to make small mounds for natural defenses, as well as remove obstacles to create the perfect setting.  The belief and history also claimed that it could make someone become part of the earth, such as a plant or rock, thus disguising them.

             
This ability afforded the trolls a great deal of protection, especially in the tribal wars in the third age when it was made. The humans and elves were trying to bring them into a great war.  The trolls didn’t believe in fighting, as the humans did.  For the final marklon Roland thought it was best to get some more information from the wizards themselves. He remembered something from his lessons on the mystical islands. He was hoping that one of them would be able to give him some more information on it. He figured that would be the only place they would keep such a valuable piece of magic.

             
With the recent friendship he had gained with Petron he decided that he would be the best one to talk to about the crown. On his way to the headmaster’s office a large group of wizards ran past him. Everyone was moving out of the way. They were heading in the same direction as he was. Now interested in what was happening he picked up his pace. Some of the wizards were standing in front of the doors, surrounding the two guards, as he got closer to them he noticed the guards lying on the ground both in a pool of red liquid. It took him a few minutes to realize that it was blood.

             
He walked quietly passed the two groups of wizards; they were talking amongst themselves so they didn’t notice him. He could barely make out what they were saying; all he heard was they were dead.  When he walked into the room he hid behind some of the large pillars, slowly working his way to the group of wizards that were standing around the head masters desk.

             
He could hear them talking and looking at something, he saw Petron with his head on his desk. He stood there horrified at what he was seeing. Everyone in the room jumped when Petron almost jumped out of his seat gasping for air, his face slowly turning pink again.  The wizards quickly surrounded him asking questions.

             
In the midst of all the chaos he had missed something; a small box was sitting on Petron’s desk. At first he didn't recognize it, and then he remembered where he had seen it before. It was the box that he kept the book The Terion Chronicles, he left the room almost at a run, by the time he reached his room he was out of breath. His face was as pail as a ghost.

             
He tried to figure out who knew that the book was there or if Petron was reading it when he was attacked.  Most importantly who had attacked him? He knew it had to be someone inside as no one in the outside world knew where this place was. He stopped now fearful for his own life and those around him. The worst thought was that someone in the house had joined the Legion and had told them where they were.  If this were the case he knew he was in more danger than everyone else.

             
He left his room in a frantic search for one of the wizards that he trusted. He hadn't seen Maglin around for several months. He knew that he was sent out to find more young men and women to train.  His first thought was to find Wizard Terinal. He seemed to be the easiest to talk to out of all of them.  It took him several hours to find even one wizard. He thought he had heard someone saying that they were all in a council meeting trying to figure out what had happened.

             
He decided to wait outside of the large meeting hall, as did many of the others. The tension was high, even after several hours of waiting. Most of the people were huddled in small groups talking quietly about what had happened. Everyone in the room jumped and it became dead quiet as the large doors began to open, the tension growing stronger.  Wizard Petron was the first to leave the assembly hall, flanked by three other wizards on each side. He could see the power emanating from each of them.

             
"Today we witnessed the first attack on the house of learning in over three ages," he stated, an audible gasp from everyone was heard. "The power of the Dark Lord is growing stronger each day; we feel he has penetrated our defenses through treachery. Let it be known that whomever it is that has been touched by the Dark Lord and now walks our halls will be found, judgment will come swift and hard."

             
With that said he turned back around and walked back into the assembly hall. Roland was able to get close enough to the doors that had remained open that he saw Terinal. Against his better judgment he called out to him hoping that he could talk with him before they closed the doors again.  It appeared that luck was with him. Terinal walked over to him, gesturing the guards to hold the doors a minute more.

             
"Terinal, please forgive me for this, but it is very important that I talk with someone," he said. It was hard to talk because his mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton.

             
"What is it apprentice?"

             
"I need to know a few things, will you please tell me?"

             
"I will if I can, what is da mater?"

             
"When Wizard Petron was found was he dead?"

             
"No, just wounded very batly, dew ya know sometin about dis?"

             
"No, no I, I, well it's just that I was able to sneak into the headmasters office when nobody was looking and I saw him laying there like he was dead. But that is not the worst of what happened. There was a box lying on his desk, well it had a book in it that was very important, I was just wondering if he still had it."

             
"What book was it?"

             
"The Terion Chronicles."

             
"I see, ow did yew know he ad dis book?"

             
"I was reading it, and after the incident with you it was found in my room. At the time I didn't know what it was, but Wizard Petron has told me about the bringer of light prophesies, and how he thought that I was this person.  If this is true and if the Legion now knows where we are, well I'm afraid for my life."

             
"I see, let me talk wit Wizard Petron, see if he remembers what happen tew da book. Go back tew your room an wait for me dere. I don't know how long it ill be but don't talk tew anyone else until I come see you, dew ya understan?"

             
"Yes Terinal, and thank you," he turned and went back to his room, still unsure of what was going on but then it appeared that nobody really did.  The crowd had thinned a little, most of the servants were returning to their neglected chores, each one eyeing the other suspiciously.  "This news may cause more problems than it's going to fix," he thought to himself.  It wasn't until much later when he realized in all the confusion that he was not able to get any information on the crown of probability.

Chapter 12

Secrets and Warnings

             
he night was one of the longest that Roland could remember. Terinal came back to his room later that night to let him know that the book was indeed missing. They had instructed the cleaning staff to tear the house apart. There was noise everywhere as people were looking for the book that had been taken. He got up and went to wander the halls knowing full well he wouldn’t be able to sleep.  He felt as if something was missing, tickling the back of his mind.  Frustrated that he was unable to figure out what was so vitally important.

             
He figured the one place that he could find some peace would be in the library. That thought was terribly wrong; half of the servants and apprentices were coming through the library. He went to look for Telm, hoping that he would be able to find some quiet in his personal study. But to his dismay Telm was nowhere to be found.  He figured now that it would be impossible to find anything with the library now in total disarray. He continued to walk through the house thinking now might be a good time to try and find Ty.

             
He had never been in the servant’s quarters, so being unfamiliar he wandered around aimlessly. Looking in the different rooms for Ty, it never ceased to amaze him how big the place was, from first site it only looked like a Nobel's estate, but he believed now that it was larger than even the largest of castles.

             
The servants’ quarters where not nearly as nice and grandiose as the wizard's but he had to admit they were in far better condition and a great deal more comfortable then the apprentices’ rooms.  He found a large dining hall with large tapestries. Most were depictions of men fighting battles next to a wizard, each one bringing their own talents to the wars.  He saw figures of men that he didn't recognize by site but from his studies could place them in their own part of the world.

             
One of the tapestries showed a large forest with a great castle on top of it. He figured that was the elf kingdom, as he walked closer to that one he felt something strange. He felt he knew the men depicted in the mural, it drew him closer with an almost physical force. Entranced in the image he didn’t hear the person behind him, watching from the shadows, waiting for his opportunity.

             
The figure came toward him, slowly and quietly as if walking on air. Pulling a dagger from his hidden belt and raising it to strike at him. Only by chance he saw a glimmer from a golden chalice on the table that caught his attention and he realized there was someone behind him. Quickly turning around he caught the assailant by the wrist, the blade of the dagger now only inches from his face. With no one around he thought that this was the end for him.

             
Polmo volan aqma pretlin ar dreme matren toreiea
, was all that came to his mind. He yelled it out, feeling the power of the elements overcome him.  As the words left his mouth the man let out a scream as he was thrown back, his body freezing leaving only the dagger hand hanging free, the ice not being able to touch it.  He laid there on the ground, breathing heavily.

             
His heart feeling like it was trying to burst out through his chest.  He watched as the man in the ice slowly started to disappear, fear and amazement freezing him, not letting him move.  It wasn't until the man had disappeared that he could move. The only thing left was the hand holding the dagger.

             
He jumped as it fell from the block of ice hitting the floor with a thud. He sat there still shocked and terrified for what seemed like hours, trying to figure out what had happened.  Wondering who or what this thing was and why it was trying to kill him. Even more confusing was how he cast that spell.  Not knowing what to do he found a large cloth and decided to take the hand and dagger to the Petron. He didn't dare touch it, especially after seeing that it held off the spell he had cast.

             
As he came to the infirmary he could feel the tension. All the wizards present in the house were gathered around, some going over the inventory of the headmaster’s office. They were taking a careful log of everything, and what it was used for. Others were checking the logs of all the occupants of the house. Where they were from, what affiliations they had, and where they were. He overheard that some of the people had left after the incident, but he was too preoccupied with what he had to do to think about that.

             
He only trusted few people to the secret he now carried with him. He wasn't sure if he had killed the being and if he did, if he would be allowed to stay. He was so close to advancing to a patlin.  The doors were heavily guarded by several patlins, all looking weary from exhaustion and worry.  He wanted to avoid as many people as possible, so he walked quickly and quietly keeping his head down. He figured the less attention he brought to himself the better.

             
He was glad to see that Wolnen was one of the patlins standing as sentinels at the door. It made him sad to see such a dreary and tired expression on the face of someone generally so happy.

             
"Wolnen, I beg your pardon, but," he said quietly, "I need to see the headmaster."

             
"Apprentice, he is in no shape to take visitors, you will have to wait, I'm sorry," he replied. He could hear the strains of pressure and tiredness in his voice.

             
"Wolnen, I know the headmaster is not well, but I must see him, it is a matter of urgency," he looked up at him as he spoke. The fear and anxiety that he was carrying with him must have shown. He could see Wolnen start to break down, worry on his face as well.

             
"Very well, stay right here. I will see if he will accept you," he said, stepping through the closed doors. He could hear the mumbles of speech but was unable to make out what was being said.  To him it seemed like hours before Wolnen reappeared through the doorway, his face more relaxed. "You may come in, but be advised the headmaster is still weak, the healing that has taken place has drained him immensely, so be quick."

             
He was admitted into the room, escorted by a wizard he had not previously met. The room was darkened to allow the headmaster to rest, only a few candles were burning to allow the others to move about without aid.  As he came to the bedside of the headmaster he saw how week and pale he looked. He had to fight back the tears of pain and anguish, as well as embarrassment. After seeing him he thought what he had was of little consequence and could have been taken up with someone else.

             
"Apprentice, it’s good to see that you are alright," he said with a small smile.  "I was afraid that they had taken you."

             
"No headmaster, I’m alright, I’m sorry to bother you at this time but I needed to show you something."  He uncovered the hand and dagger. It looked even more morbid in the dim candlelight than it had at first.  The lights of the candles played tricks off the dagger, showing intricate patterns up the blade. He was surprised he didn’t notice them before.

             
"I was attacked, in the main dining hall of the servants, I don't know who or what it was that attacked me, but I cast a spell, and he was carried back, frozen and then disappeared. I don't know how I did it, but the magic was not able to touch the knife or the hand that held it, and this is all that is left."

             
"It’s good that you brought this to me tonight," he said, raising a hand. A few of the other wizards came forward.  They carefully wrapped the dagger and hand back up and took it away, the headmaster whispering something to one of them.  "I will need to speak with you again soon, after I have had a chance to rest. I am going to place a few patlins with you at all times. If you need any other assistance I will make it available to you, what happened tonight has never happened before, and I'm afraid it may happen again. I need to rest now, so please get some rest yourself."  With that he closed his eyes.

             
Roland stood there for a few more minutes, more scared now then he had been, did he need such protection, wasn't he safe.  One of the wizards came up to him, gently leading him out of the room.

             
He was taken back to his room, accompanied now by a two patlins. He could tell they were not happy with the assignment of having to baby sit an apprentice when there were so many more important things going on.  He couldn't get the look of the headmaster out of his head. The utter despair and defeat, never before has the house been penetrated in such a manner.

             
The rest of the night was spent tossing and turning in bed, every time that he would fall asleep he would have nightmares of the man trying to kill him.  The man was getting closer each time.  Every time that he would look into his eyes, he could feel the darkness taking over him, as though it was engulfing his very soul.

             
He would wake in fits, his breathing heavy and labored, sweat soaking his pillow and blankets. He would look around, the dim candlelight playing with the shadows.  He could not get back to sleep, the fear taking control of him.  With nothing else to do he set about looking through the room. Although he had been living in the small cramped room he decided to look around, see if he could find anything of interest.  Anything had to be better than sleeping and it was still many hours before the sun would rise.

             
His mind continued to go back to the times that he spent with Rien. How they would laugh together and work on the different spells.  He would love to sit and watch as the light played off her eyes, hoping that the time would never end.  He knew that he had fallen in love with her.

             
He was taken from his memories by a movement caught out of the corner of his eye, next to the fireplace.  He walked over and saw a slight displacement in the soot, as though a brick had been recently moved.  He reached up and touched it, feeling it give way a little. He continued to push when it fell out of its spot in the wall. He could see there was a hidden hallway.  It didn't surprise him that there would be hidden corridors in this place. The wizards always seemed to know what was going on and when.

             
Now that he knew this was here, he had an idea. He wanted to get out of the room and with the two standing outside of it he couldn’t go that way. The only way that he knew was to find a way to get behind the wall.  He tried a few more of the bricks but none of them seemed to move, and now he was getting discouraged again.

             
He went back over to his small table, putting his head in his hands, feeling a headache coming on. He started to rub the sides of his head, trying to think of a way to get through this.  He knew he couldn't break the wall it would make too much noise, and if he used magic, he was sure the two outside would be able to sense it.

             
If only he had been able to go through the advancement ceremony before this happened he would have a little more leverage to work with. But then again he would probably have some wizards outside his door instead of the patlins.

             
There had to be a way of getting behind that wall he thought, he went back over to the fireplace to take another look.  He looked around more than just where he had displaced the stone, searching the entire thing. The only problem was the fire grate was in the way.  He tried to move it, but it kept getting caught on something.

             
He got down on the ground and found that one of the legs went through the floor, it was so covered in soot that he had never seen it before. He brushed the soot away to see if he could see where it went and how to move it.  He shifted it a little in the slot, revealing a hidden door at the back of the room.  He went back through it, taking a candle off the dresser. It was very dark and breezy so he figured that it had to lead outside somewhere.

             
He followed the corridor, winding every which way. He felt as though he had been walking for hours, yet he didn't seem to be getting anywhere. His candle was almost gone, and there was no sign of light anywhere.  If the candle went out now he would be lost and probably never found.  The further he went he could smell the dust and dank of a place that had not seen the light of day for ages. The breeze that he felt when the passageway opened had long since disappeared, leaving a musty smell.