The Last Wizard of Eneri Clare (50 page)

Mark and Delphine had earlier gone to the river behind The Cottage and collected Ondine, along with a few of her feistier compatriots, and placed them in a special pool which had been arranged on the field especially for the naiads. They had then gone back to Theriole and were now arriving with King Darian and his nanny in tow. Just behind them walked the Praeger family, followed by a veritable crowd of citizens from the city, and its nearby farms and villages. Many had already been Tvrdik’s patients, and had brought their friends and families.

It was Delphine mounting the dais with the little king that finally snagged Jorelial Rey’s attention: spotting Darian clutching her sister’s hand gave her a start. She rose and made a small bow to the boy, “Good day to you, Your Majesty.” Then, aside to her sister, “Delphine, is this wise? Is he safe out here?”

“Relax, Rel. There are four dragons lined up just behind us – how much safer could he be? Mark and I thought he was old enough to be aware of all that is being done on his behalf, and of all the people willing to risk their lives in order to insure his future. Someday, when they are singing ballads about this day, perhaps he will remember.”

Tvrdik scrambled to his feet and bowed low, “Your Majesty.”

Darian let go of Delphine’s hand and took a step closer to the mage, his pudgy face puckered in a frown, “Are you a
real
wizard?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I am
your
wizard.”

Darian’s fingers reached out to touch the smooth staff that Tvrdik held fast, “I should very much like to see some magic. I have only heard tell of it.”

Tvrdik met the boy’s eyes and saw in them the eager curiosity of a child, as well as the shadow of the heavy responsibility this child carried. He felt a pang of sympathy wring his heart for this boy, who could not enjoy the carefree days of a shopkeeper’s son. “Your Grace, we are about to begin now, but at your leisure, I shall be glad to come to you and demonstrate a few of my magical skills.”

“Very well.” The boy seemed disappointed. Tvrdik smiled, reached out behind the king’s ear, and brought out a little live newt, which he handed carefully to Darian. The child’s eyes were huge with amazement. “You must be gentle with him, Your Grace, and always have your nanny check behind your ears before you go out.” Darian nodded and backed away toward Delphine and his nanny, cradling the little amphibian gingerly in his hands, an expression of awe on his face. He turned and ran toward Delphine, to show her his treasure, but then stopped and turned back to the mage, addressing him in his piping voice, “Thank you for helping us, Master Wizard, with our coming war. We are most happy to have you on
our
side!”

Tvrdik smiled and bowed again, “I am ever at your service, Your Majesty. Do not worry. We will prevail.” The little boy nodded, and hurried back to Delphine, who conducted him to his seat, while his entire attention turned to the little creature in his hands. Tvrdik looked up to see Jorelial Rey gazing at him with a peculiar expression. He raised his eyebrows in response, and shrugged. But the interchange had pulled them from their insular focus on the dais. Both of them now turned to look up and out at the field for the first time.

“Holy…!” Jorelial Rey could not even finish her exclamation, no words being sufficient for the wave of astonishment she felt as she took in the scene before her eyes. Tvrdik fell back in his chair with his mouth open. He pulled off his spectacles, wiped them on his sash, replaced them on his nose, and continued to stare, no sound at all finding its way past the lump in his throat. Technically, it was still some minutes before mid-day, but what they were looking at was already much bigger than anything they might have anticipated. Hundreds and hundreds of eager faces were turned towards them. Most of the seats were filled, and more folk were still streaming in through a gap in the trees. Dragons, beasts, magical creatures, sprites in the pool, men, women, children, elderly people all assembled together on the green field, and birds circling overhead. It was an audience they could only have imagined in their dreams, and eerily quiet, as almost everyone present practically held their breath in anticipation and respect for the gravity of the matter at hand. All that could be heard across the vast field was the creaking of tree branches in the wind, the swish of an occasional tail, a splash now and then, or a stray cough. An almost mystical tension gripped the place and everyone in it. It was as if everyone knew they were present at a world-shaking event, and did not wish to sully the moment with ordinary conversation. Sparks could almost be seen and tasted in the charged summer air.

Still speechless, Tvrdik reached over and gripped Jorelial Rey’s hand, squeezing it hard. She turned to meet his eyes and saw a tear sliding down his pale cheek. For a moment they could only communicate with their eyes. Then, Tvrdik gave a ragged little laugh, turned away, and said, “Praeger warned me that word spreads like wildfire in these villages. The man knows whereof he speaks.”

“Are you nervous?” she asked. He shook his head, wiping his eyes beneath the glasses with the back of his hand.

“I have never in my life felt more connected to my destiny than at this moment, Jorelial Rey. I feel energized, and alive, and blessed beyond measure.”

“Just tell them like you’ve told it before. You are what they all came to hear.” Tvrdik nodded, and she continued, “When it is time, I will introduce you…” He nodded again, and stole a glance over at Delphine, who was positively beaming at him as if her face would break, Darian playing intently with his new pet in her lap. Somehow, he knew not when, he had been transformed over a few short weeks, from an obscure, uncombed hermit, to a figure of importance – a leader. This was the moment then, when all eyes were on him, and he either convinced them to follow him down the dangerous uncharted road where he was about to lead, or not. Yet, he felt peaceful, certain, confident, as if some force he could not name buoyed him up in his endeavor. He was ready.

The stream of arrivals slowed and finally halted. Latecomers searched for seats; some sat on the grass with the animals. It was time. Jorelial Rey stood up. Tvrdik quickly wove an enchantment to amplify their voices, so that everyone present would hear every word clearly without having to strain at all. All eyes were on the Lady Regent, as she began.

“Friends, citizens, loyal subjects of the Crown, welcome! Honored guests: dragons, unicorns, magical beasts and nymphs of the waters, a hearty welcome to you as well, and thank you all for coming here on this beautiful day. Most of you know me. I am Jorelial Rey, of the honorable family Rey, and I am the appointed Regent of this kingdom of Eneri Clare, on behalf of King Darian III.” She indicated the little blond boy on her sister’s lap, who smiled and waved on cue, and a cheer went up from the crowd. “We all have been blessed to live in a kingdom that has long prospered in peace, and has tried to offer its citizens fairness and opportunity. But, in recent times we have wept together over tragedy after tragedy. First came the unexplained disappearance of Xaarus, perhaps the last known wizard in all the world, and beloved by all. Then, we faced the untimely death of my own father, Gareth Rey, a great man, whose good counsel and compassion were well known throughout the kingdom. And worst of all, the terrible loss of our king and queen, still in the bloom of youth, leaving us with an infant in the royal seat. With the election of a permanent regent, and a Coronation, we have striven to take back our destiny, and to shape it into a vision for the future….a future all of us can be proud of.

“But friends, there is at least one among us who does not share that vision. Lord Drogue, till now a respected member of our community, desires a future where he alone is ruler over all. He would have power, and wealth, and personal gratification of his every whim, at the expense of law and order, and at the sacrifice of the good of every other citizen in this realm. What he could not win by craft and seduction, he is determined to take with might and violence. He does not care if, in the process, he destroys lives, lands, and institutions, until little of value will even remain to be ruled. We have no intention of allowing this petty tyrant to triumph in his illegal and immoral designs, nor of letting him destroy what it took centuries to build. We say to him, “We have a King, a legitimate heir to the throne, and we have elected a government that will bring us securely to the time of his reign, and we do
not
bow to bullies and usurpers.”

A deafening roar went up from the stands, and, inspired, Delphine stood up and held little Darian high, so that he could be seen by nearly everyone present. The beautiful little boy responded with a cheerful wave, and the crowds erupted with spontaneous shouts and applause. Even the dragons, unicorns, and sprites were caught up in the emotion of the moment, splashing, pawing, tossing heads, and swishing tails. Delphine resumed her seat, the laughing child returned safely to her lap, as Jorelial Rey lifted her hands for silence.

“If there is one thing, however, which I have learned in my brief months as regent, it is that nothing is ever as it seems to be. It turns out that putting a stop to Drogue’s ambitions is not only essential to preserving our way of life
now
, but also key to what may occur generations in the future. The very fate of some of the races represented here today, and the quality of life in our future may depend entirely on our actions today.
And
, there is a complication – a catch, if you will. The question is, how do we best go about turning back the tyrant? What methods do we use? The answer is so surprising that we are uncertain of finding enough companions to join us in our fight. We come to you today to make our case, in the hopes that many of you will see its wisdom and choose to throw your lot in with us. But there is only one man who can truly explain to you what that entails and why; the one man who convinced me, who brought me information about what was to come, which I scarce believed, but which has all come true thus far. He will speak to you now, and will tell you a story so amazing, so incredible, that you will doubt that it could ever have happened. And yet, I am now certain that all of it is true. After you hear his story, there will be a call to action, but to action such as you have never before imagined. We ask you simply to hear with open minds and open hearts. Judge, then, for yourself, without pressure or fear, whether it is right for you to be a part of our movement. It is my great privilege now to introduce to you all our new Court Wizard – mage, healer, student and apprentice of Xaarus the wise, Tvrdik!”

As she finished and gestured to him grandly, there was a small measure of applause and cheering from those who already knew him. Tvrdik rose from his seat, steadying himself with his tall oaken staff, and strode forward on the dais. He looked around at all the faces before him, faces eagerly awaiting his remarks, curious to learn who he was and what all the mystery was about. He turned back for a moment to Jorelial Rey, who smiled and nodded to him, and something she had said just moments ago flashed through his mind, “Just tell them like you’ve told it before. Tell them your story…you are what they all came to hear.” Turning to face the assembled crowds of men, women, and creatures, he began.

“Long ago, a mighty wizard made his home in a peaceful kingdom, where he was respected and beloved by all who knew him, and even by many in far-off lands whose lives had been touched by his good works. Despairing that he might be the very last of his kind, he searched far and wide, and found three young people with talent for the mage’s profession, two boys and a girl. He took them into his home and cared for them, and taught and trained them in the wizardly arts…”

So he opened, and continued in this manner, telling the story – his story – as if it were a bedtime tale. And there he had them. From the very first sentence they were his, listening with rapt attention to all the wondrous twists and turns, impossible occurrences, and magical synchronicities. They listened because it was a good story, and because they wanted to know what would happen next. Certainly, the simple truth needed no further embellishment to hold an audience, so rich it was in plot. And, as he rehearsed the major events yet one more time, they seemed so far off that even he doubted whether he had ever actually lived them. But the story had no ending, as they were all about to write the next chapter together. Every soul in the arena was leaning forward to catch every word. No one could hear a falling leaf in the breathless stillness that permeated the air. He took them through almost all of his adventures up to that point, and when he had brought them right to the present, and their fears of imminent attack, he was able to do something more this time. He was able to show and describe for them exactly what he had in mind for resisting Lord Drogue’s armies. He spoke of many ideas he had been mulling over for weeks in his mind. He transmuted items before their very eyes. He made the entire dais and its occupants go invisible to the audience’s eyes for minutes, and then allowed it to reappear. Finally, he was able to publically unveil for the first time his prototype weapon, demonstrating for the entire assembly how it could theoretically function. By the general chorus of ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ coming from every part of the field, he was heartened that his presentation might have been enough to rally support to their cause.

Tvrdik explained that he would personally help to train anyone who committed themselves to becoming a part of the resistance force, a force they were calling the Legions of Light, because it was created to push back the threat of darkness, not with more instruments of darkness, but with light, and love, and hope, and truth…and perhaps a clever trick or two. Anyone who joined, however, would know the risks involved, which were real and substantial, and would have to sign an oath that they promised not to intentionally harm another living being no matter what the circumstances. Only then could they together create a powerful enough vision to derail history as Xaarus was experiencing it now, and shift it to an alternate track. He told them all that he knew the level of faith that would take, and that he could give no guarantees except that the Lady Regent, the Lord Tashroth, he himself, and a number of their friends would hold firm to the pledge, and would be right there fighting beside them. He invited any and all input, welcoming any ideas of novel stratagems that could be added to their arsenal. And he ended by pointing to the corners of the field, where Mark and Bargarelle and Verger and Warlowe were already setting up small tables where they would be recording the names of those who wished to sign on today. He blessed all of them and thanked them for coming. Then, with nothing left to say, he turned and walked back to his seat, lowered himself into it and closed his eyes with a sigh.