The Last Wizard of Eneri Clare (11 page)

The beast cleared his throat and tried again, “I wondered if perhaps ye might be a wizard?”

“Who are you and why on earth would you ask such a question?”

“I am Stewart. I live nearby, and am known in these parts. I mean ye no harm, sir, and quite frankly, I ask because ye… well… ye
smell
like a wizard.”

“Oh? And have you had occasion before now to actually scent one?” Tvrdik countered, dodging the question.

The dog hung his head, “Well, not exactly, but ye see there was once a very fine wizard who lived in that house ye just passed. My grandsire, Angus, served him as friend and helper for years. He raised my dad and all of us pups on stories of the old wizard’s life and ways. He described everything in such detail – all the sights and smells, words, and deeds he remembered, and adventure after adventure until they were second nature to us. That particular wizard vanished many years ago, and my grandsire is gone now, peace to his soul. But I’ve spent my life hoping to meet one myself. I’ve made a study of the subject, and I feel confident that I could recognize one, should he come along…,” the dog raised his eyebrows in a hopeful expression.

At that moment, Tvrdik remembered Angus, the distinguished and loyal wolfhound who was Xaarus’ constant companion. After Xaarus disappeared, no one knew what became of the dog either. The young mage made a decision and motioned Stewart closer, speaking to him conspiratorially, “Well, to tell the truth, I also served the wizard who lived in that house as student and apprentice. I remember your grandsire Angus well, for I lived there myself for several years.”

“Why, then ye
are
…,” the dog’s tail began to wag.

Tvrdik laid a finger to his lips, “Shhhhh! Yes, I am, but I hope you can keep a secret. The lady Jorelial Rey would not like it to be widely known just yet that there is a wizard at Theriole again.”

Stewart stiffened. “Sir, my family have never been accused of idle gossip or tale-tellin’. Ye may rely on my discretion.”

“Good. I felt sure I could,” the young mage replied with a bit of an amused twinkle, “I am here to accomplish certain things and if everyone knew of my presence, there would be far too many distractions.”

“I quite understand. Still, I am gratified to meet ye in the flesh, sir.”

“And I am delighted to make your acquaintance as well, Stewart. I confess I have not encountered too many of the talking beasts in my travels, aside from your grandsire and a horse or two. Are there many of you hereabouts?”

Stewart sat in the middle of the path and regarded him, head tipped to one side. “Well, now I must beg yer discretion as well, good sir, for there are quite a few of us in these parts. But for various reasons, we tend also to keep our heads low.” He continued in whispered tones, “There are many humans about who are not honorable in behavior or intention.”

“I understand. What sorts of creatures make up your fellowship, if I might ask?”

“You may. We are quite diverse. Dogs, cats, mice, rats, birds, horses of course, mules, squirrels and raccoons, foxes and wolves, even a turtle…”

“Well met, then, friend. I may in future have need of your services in a matter of great importance. How may I find you again when I know more? Who is your master?”

Stewart bristled, “Sir, I have no master! I am my own dog.”

“I meant no offense. I only wish to know how to contact you again in the future. And I was under the impression that most canines preferred to mingle their fortunes with humans, trading their good counsel and companionship for hearth and food.”

The dog relaxed once more, “And so they do, no offense taken. I come from an old and proud family. I fend for myself well enough and I have not yet found a man I thought worthy to be called
ma
ster.
”

“Bravely said,” responded Tvrdik, reaching out his right hand. “Come, let us part friends. I shall look forward to meeting you again on this path.” Stewart placed a paw firmly in the wizard’s outstretched hand.

“I can be found nearby most any time, and I should be glad to observe at close range the work of a genuine wizard, or to be of any service I may. I fear my grandsire would haunt me if I failed to offer. What is your name sir?”

“I am called Tvrdik.” He shook the paw and released it.

“That’s a very odd name.” The dog cocked his head again, “What sort of a name is that anyway?”

Tvrdik shrugged, “It is
my
name.”

It did not take the young mage very long to regain the palace grounds and gardens, and when he got there, he was surprised to find himself humming. It had been an interesting morning, and he was already beginning to feel less of a stranger here. As he crossed into the fragrant gardens, wondering how best to pass the time until the sixteenth hour, he saw a young woman sitting alone on a bench surrounded by statuary and flowering shrubs. She was leaning back on her hands, her face, eyes closed, turned up to the sun. He paused and stared at her, thinking he knew that face, the rivulets of red hair, the slim grace of her... why, it was the girl from the courtyard the night before, when he had been waiting for his interview! She had been there as well, pacing and looking anxious, waiting for someone or something. He had been too preoccupied then to interfere. Perhaps, feeling as expansive as he did now, it would be a friendly gesture to approach her. He strolled over to the seated girl, looked down at the serene face, and cleared his throat. Green eyes fluttered open in surprise.

“Pardon me, m’lady. I hope you do not think me too forward, but I recognize you from last night in the courtyard. We were both waiting outside the Hall of Audience. You seemed at the time to be in some distress, and occupied as I was with my own affairs, I neglected to offer my services. That was ungracious of me. I thought perhaps to remedy that oversight now?”

She smiled, an open, dazzling smile. “Sir, you did no wrong. In fact, I was waiting to see Lady Jorelial Rey, and there was nothing you might have done to ease the passing of the minutes, I was that impatient.”

Tvrdik’s face fell. “Lady Rey? But indeed, then, you did not have your turn, for I was also awaiting an audience with her, and was next to be seen.”

The girl shook her head. “In fact, it was my betrothed in conference with her as you waited, and I was only impatient for his return with her answer. You see, he went to ask for my hand in marriage.”

“Marriage! You seem young for a step of such gravity…” Tvrdik was amazed at how quickly this style of courtly banter came back to his tongue after so many years of near muteness. The words seemed to flow from his lips with more ease than when he was eighteen. Perhaps he had picked something up from the many books he had read during his time as a hermit, as there had certainly not been any opportunity for practice with actual people. The girl was meanwhile unfazed by his comment, but kept her smile and her warm, friendly manner.

“You must not confuse the greenness of my years with the steadiness of my heart, sir. It is set on this course and glad of it.”

“Then fortunate is the man who receives such unshakable devotion from so fresh and lovely a source. I congratulate you both, assuming the news was good?”

She shrugged, “Good enough for now. My Lady Regent seems to be favorably inclined towards our suit, but has not yet said yes, or no, with any certainty, nor allowed us to set a date to move forward with our plans. To be fair, she also must address plans for the election of a permanent regent and for a coronation in the upcoming weeks. We must be patient that she will remember us when these weighty matters are passed.”

“I see. But I am surprised you must wait upon her pleasure. Do the powers of an interim regent extend so far into the personal affairs of her subjects now?”

The girl threw back her head and laughed a merry, expansive laugh. “Why yes, they do, sir, when the interim regent happens to be my older sister, and only living relation.”

Tvrdik was taken aback. He took off his glasses and squinted at her, “Your sister? Why, surely you could not be …. Delphine?” A cloud crossed her face for a moment. Tvrdik realized his mistake too late.

“Do you know me, sir? Should I know you?”

“Umm….uh…why no, not at all. It is just that I used to live near here as a youth, and spent a great deal of time at court with my family. When I was last here you were a tiny child of four or five, the apple of your father’s eye. I can hardly believe so many years have passed, and that you are so well... well grown.” Okay, that was fairly dunderheaded. But she seemed to accept it without question.
It is
, he reflected,
after all, only a
slight bending of the truth.
She rose from the bench, regaining her smile and touching his arm.

“Well, let me take this opportunity, then, to welcome you home, and wish you joy of your stay, even if these are confusing times. Did my sister treat you with proper courtesy?”

“Oh yes,” he nodded, adjusting his glasses back on the bridge of his nose. “I owe her a debt of gratitude. In fact, I will be seeing her again later today.” The cloud was back – another mistake, but she recovered almost at once.

“My,” she said, her smile a tiny bit less broad, “you must have important business indeed. We have always been close, my sister and I, but I rarely see her myself these days, except to wave at her as she runs by.” Delphine’s tone changed then, and she spoke with less formality, “I
so
feel for her. She is not a person who seeks power. I am sure she is not enjoying herself in the slightest. In fact, I worry that she is not taking care of herself amidst all the comings and goings.”

Tvrdik heard the sincerity in her voice and really liked the girl, “I shall say I saw you and that you send warm regards,” he offered.

The smile came back. On impulse, she took him by the arm. “You are most kind. Have you had lunch yet? Come along. If I can find Mark - that’s my fiancé - you must join us at table. He is a very gifted poet and harper, perhaps around your own age. He would like to meet you, I am sure of it.”

“And I him,” the young wizard replied, allowing her to escort him toward the palace. And truly, he did look forward to a nice, unpressured meal with other young folk with whom he might have something in common. He would have to be careful, though, with what he said and how much he revealed about who he was. It seemed a shame that deception would siphon some of the delight out of making new friends, but it couldn’t be helped.

Mark proved easily found, and the three of them sat down in the refectory to a delicious meal. Tvrdik, finding himself hungry, tucked into a heaping plate of savory goodies, while listening to Mark and Delphine chatter away about their hopes and dreams, how they met and grew close, and their plans for a school. They were a charming, intelligent couple, and their enthusiasm was contagious. Tvrdik found the idea for a school especially intriguing, wondering if there might even be a place for him, perhaps teaching, or in the library. In the presence of these two, the future looked so exciting that he wished with all his heart for everything he knew about the coming travails to prove false, so that he could just come back to court and begin a normal life with friends and honest labor and the comforts of a home. At this moment he couldn’t really remember why he had stayed away so long. And now, it broke his heart to think that the future Mark and Delphine imagined might never come to pass. The idea was unthinkable. He would simply have to succeed.

For his part, he told them some innocent fiction about growing up in Theriole as the son of a foreign ambassador who had been recalled to his homeland when Tvrdik was eighteen. And now, he had returned on business of state, concerning the coronation, or trade agreements, or water rights, or some such. Mark and Delphine were so open and a-political that they accepted everything he said at face value, and did not ask the kind of revealing questions a more savvy companion might have. In any case, he kept directing the conversation back to them and their plans, in which he had a genuine interest. When they parted company, Tvrdik was smiling so hard he thought his face would crack. The whole experience was a new one for him. Even his relationship with Ailianne and Benjin had been based more on the circumstance of being isolated together than on mutual choice. And they had all been so serious and focused, even competitive, during the years they spent together.

Musing thus, he happened to hear the bells of the tower announcing the hour.
Dragonsbreath!
He had not realized how much time had passed in amiable conversation.
I have just enough time to prepare for
my interview, and to find my way there.
Concentrating on recalling the pattern he had walked that morning, he headed back to his room. Only a few wrong turns and switchbacks later, he managed to locate the chambers he had been assigned, washed, tidied himself, and gathered a few things he might need. Then, it was down to the Main Hall again, this time without any errors, across the courtyard to find Warlowe at his post and ask directions to the north tower. Back across the courtyard, and through almost the entire length of the complex, Tvrdik hurried to the oversized corner turret, no one stopping him to inquire after his business, or even glancing his way. He supposed he might have made himself invisible, but there seemed no need. It was normal for courtiers to be travelling through the castle delivering messages, or en route to meetings. The young mage blended right into the castle’s bustling activity.

Once at the tower, there were several stories of curving stone stairs spiraling up and up, as far as he could see. The north tower was especially tall, so when Tvrdik at last arrived at the trap-door which would allow him access to the roof, he was out of breath, and it was approaching the sixteenth hour. He lingered there a moment at the top of the stairs to calm himself, collect his thoughts, and straighten his clothing, then pushed the trap open and climbed through…and almost bumped straight into the enormous nose of a green dragon, who was regarding him with intense curiosity. Tvrdik’s heart skipped a beat as he clambered out of the stairwell, let the trap door shut, and fell immediately to one knee. He had never in his life been this close to a real dragon, but there wasn’t time to hesitate now. He began his composed address: