The Last Wizard of Eneri Clare (61 page)

“Don’t ye even stir from yer bed until yer body has a chance to recover, sir. We’ll do our best not to disturb ye. Ye can come and get me any time ye’ve a mind to have a bite to eat. Seems to me, ye’ve earned at least a day off.”

Then, attempting to appear quite casual about it, he mentioned, “Oh, and next Monday, the day the trials were to be held, happens to be my thirtieth birthday. Not a big deal, but the Lady Delphine suggested we might celebrate with a bit of a picnic right here on the grounds, if the weather holds. Would that be convenient, if I asked a few friends over, Mrs….?”

He was interrupted with a squeal of delight from the woman, “Your
birthday
? Oh, my heavens. Isn’t that wonderful. Nothin’ like a birthday for bringin’ folks together. Why, of course, we’ll make a really special day of it.”

“Please, please, don’t go to any trouble. Just a quiet little…”

“Nonsense. Yer thirtieth, did ye say? How exciting! A good old-fashioned birthday celebration would be just what we’re all wantin’ now. Let’s see…”

Stewart turned to the wizard and winked at him. Tvrdik sighed, “Well, you and the Lady Regent, and the Lady Delphine…”

“And me!” interjected the dog, reminding him of the designated committee members.

“…and Stewart can put your heads together and do whatever you will. I’ll just keep the day open, shall I, and you let me know where and when my presence is requested.”

Mrs. Praeger stopped bustling and looked at him with a frown, not knowing whether to take him seriously. Tvrdik was quick to salvage the moment, “Only kidding. Of course I’ll be delighted with anything you all plan. It will be a wonderful day, and many thanks.”

After that, the young mage insisted on going out alone to find Ondine, and wouldn’t hear of taking any companion, a decision that no one seemed pleased with. He tried to reassure them, “I’ll be fine, no worries. I won’t be gone long, and I’ll have my mage-light.” As if to illustrate his point, he pulsed the ball of glowing bright light over his head. “You’ve all been wonderful, but I need a little solitude to collect my thoughts, and I promised I would thank our naiad friends for all they’ve done. Everything is fine. You can go to bed without a care, and I’ll see you all in the morning. Thank you so much for the delicious pie. You really do spoil me, Mrs. Praeger. Good night.”

Still hesitant, the Praegers bid him goodnight, Lynette with a final hug around the neck, and retired to their completed quarters at the back of the house. Stewart came over and licked Tvrdik’s face once. “Take good care o’ yerself, sir. Ye were a hero today, and we’re all that proud o’ ye.” The dog circled several times on the rug before the massive hearth, and settled down for the night with a gusty sigh. Tvrdik reached for his staff, wanting it at his side always, now, and, adjusting the ball of mage light to a softer level, he headed out into the night, closing the door with care behind him.

There was a moon out, not quite full, but the path was well illuminated, and deserted at this late hour. As much as he craved the company of his new friends, there were times when the breathing-space of solitude seemed essential. After so many hours of intense, disciplined focus on the inner landscape of his mind, the rest of the evening seemed too loud and crowded and chaotic. He was probably just tired, but this walk in the clear night air felt somehow calming and refreshing to him, as he made his way along the riverwalk to his special secret culvert on the bank. He was fairly sure he could summon Ondine there, even at this hour. It was a little difficult finding the way through the bushes in the semi-dark, and a little less appealing to be pushing through shrubbery which might be crawling with nocturnal creatures, but with the help of the moon and mage-light, he found his way through to the flat rock, the gentle ripple of the moving water, the whisper of the trees, and the musical hum of cicadas. Checking the rock to make sure he wouldn’t be sitting on anything unpleasant, he lowered himself down, knees drawn up to his chest, and back braced against a boulder. He laid the oak staff down nearby, and reached his long arms around his knees, clasping his hands together. In this childlike pose, he sighed deeply, and tipped his head back to see the stars circling in their dance overhead. Sometimes they seemed to call to him as he watched them with a kind of nameless yearning. Tonight, they seemed to pulse brighter, as if smiling down on him in approval. But, of course, that was but a trick of his imagination.

He lowered his eyes in the soft light and looked around. The place had a certain silvery beauty at night, very different from its daytime charms. He sat for awhile, and just let the feel of its peace wash over him. His mind drifted to other times and places, and he found himself thinking of Xaarus, especially of the brief weeks they had spent together in the ancient wood, completing his education. It had been so good to spend real quality time together, just the two of them, talking and learning and working toward a goal. He felt himself wishing that his old Master could be there with him now through the events to come.

“Oh, but I
am
with you,” a voice partly in his head said, and he turned to see Xaarus’ distinctive profile. The Master was sitting beside him, as real to him as the stone at his back, or the leaves that brushed his face. Tvrdik turned his gaze back to the river.

“It isn’t the same.”

“I know. But it
is
something.”

“True. I am glad you are here. I wanted to thank you for all you did to help me hold that projection, and to support me today. I know it probably cost you a great deal, working for such a long time from such a great distance.”

“I tried to help where I could, son, but to be quite honest, I did very little. You did it all yourself.”

“Tashroth helped too, and I am happy to report that we succeeded. We made the entire palace invisible, and we confused and fooled those ships, so that they couldn’t find us. And then, with a little organized help from the water nymphs, the unicorns, and the dragons, we harried and worried them until they turned tail and fled back to their own ports without so much as a single blow being exchanged. Did we make a difference, Master?”

“You tell me. How did the Palace Council react?”

“Corbin Maygrew cancelled the trials. He said he was won over by today’s stunning success, and would make it his mission to convince anyone who still harbored doubts. General Boone apologized for his skepticism, and promised to help teach the Legions battle strategies.”

“Why, then, you made an enormous difference. You have proved what a little ingenuity can accomplish. By the dragon’s egg, you have gathered everyone together at last under one standard. A few weeks ago, all of this would have seemed impossible.”

“But, will it be enough to tip the balance in the end?”

There was a pause as Xaarus considered. The old wizard sighed, “I can’t promise you that yet, but I tell you, Tvrdik, that you have already exceeded all my hopes and expectations. What you did today was like the mother bird creating a diversion to keep her fledglings safe from harm. You thought of it yourself, you executed it with great skill, and you protected all of Theriole, as if it were your own nest. You have proven yourself a fine wizard, my boy. But I must tell you that you won’t be able to keep them out of harm’s way forever…”

“Why not? Isn’t that what I was sent here to do?”

“Tvrdik, this might be difficult for you to understand, but, to really tip the balance and shift the events of the future requires a change in the beliefs and behavior of a large number of people. You have made a spectacular beginning, convincing so many to even entertain a new way of thinking. But, your most challenging moments still lie before you, because the real battle will not be waged against Lord Drogue.”

Tvrdik stiffened, “What do you mean?”

“Oh, do not mistake me; Drogue will never back down, and he will engage you. But the more desperate conflict will take place within the individual hearts and minds of each and every one who has agreed to participate in this great, historic experiment.”

“I don’t understand.”

“It is the battle to stay true to one’s professed ideals and beliefs – to align with the highest aspects of one’s nature, and to resist falling into old patterns of behavior when the circumstances are most grim, the hour darkest, and the cost most high. You may
think
you know what you believe now, but I tell you, even you, Tvrdik, will face temptation, and will have to fight to master it.”

“But, if I cannot even be sure of myself, Master, however can you expect me to keep everyone else from betraying their principles? It is an impossible task.”

“You lead by example, my son. You must overcome your own weakness, and then, with compassion, remind everyone else of the highest vision they have for themselves, and hold them to it. You will know what to do. I have great faith in you…”

“Well, perhaps you should not have quite so much faith. Why did you not explain
this
to me ages ago? I thought I was striving to defeat Lord Drogue.”

“You are fighting to preserve the identity of a kingdom, yes. But also to preserve its soul, and the souls of its people for centuries to come. I could not reveal the nature of the real task at hand earlier, because you would not have understood. But now….I wish I could make it easier on you, boy, but if anyone can succeed, it will be you.”

“Master, it is so much to consider…”

“You’ll figure it out, and I’ll be in and out to help you when I can. By the way, happy birthday!”

“I was right then; the sixteenth, is it? I wasn’t sure…”

“Don’t you remember, we used to use those dates for astrological studies, and sometimes we had a little celebration? I just wanted you to know I would be thinking of you as you cross this important threshold into a new phase of your life. Stay well, my boy. Hold tight to your vision, as you did today, and know you are never alone…”

At that moment, a cold splash hit Tvrdik square in the face, startling him. And, when he wiped his eyes, Xaarus was gone, bare rock and shimmering air where he had been. But turning his head toward the river, he almost jumped to find himself face to face with the very person he had come to this place to find. “Ondine,” he breathed, his nose inches from the little blue face, cocked to one side, lovely eyes narrowed. She was hovering in the air just before him, and then, with a
sploosh
, she dropped back into the water. Tvrdik adjusted the glow-ball a little closer to the spot where she had submerged, and brightened it a bit. The curly blue head reappeared.

“Lovely Man, it is night time. Are you well?”

“I am very well, my girl. I came to find you and thank you for your excellent work today. Everyone at Theriole is talking about how you and your friends saved the day. The Lady Regent sends her most heartfelt gratitude and admiration.”

Ondine leapt up, somersaulted and pirouetted in delight. “
You
do a great thing, Lovely Man. I see. Hide everybody good, make nasty ships go home. But they stubborn – keep coming. I watch. Cannot let them pass. I say, ‘Naiads, help my friends. Talk to water. Push bad ships back where they come from.’ We do well, friend?”

“Oh, Ondine, you did very well. If you had not acted as quickly as you did, they might have found us out after all, and there would have been a terrible battle. Please thank the water for us, will you, and all your friends, too. You were a vital part of our victory today. A lot of important people came over to our side after our success. We proved that, working together, we could achieve our goals without violence. An awful lot of good came out of this day’s work.”

Ondine was beaming, her blue-silver gleam intensified with pride and joy, her slim form in constant motion. “So happy to help, Lovely Man. Could feel people on ships – dark and scary. I do not like them. Taste bad, like poison. Make them go away, leave us in peace.”

Tvrdik leaned forward, “Now, dearest, you know I am certainly not criticizing, and I didn’t actually
see
your work, being… well, being occupied elsewhere. But, I was told it might have been a teensy-weensy bit more powerful than we needed. Is that true?”

She frowned, then giggled. “Maybe true. We act fast. We feel angry – put our powers all together; make one really big wave. We are surprised how tall it goes, too.”

“I understand. Why, you surprised everyone with your awesome strength today. But, you will be careful the next time, won’t you? We didn’t intend to drown anyone, and you might have hurt yourselves, or the people in the palace.”

She sounded a bit defensive, “We do not hurt palace. We aim at ships. Why you worry about men in ships? Very bad men – come to hurt you. Very stubborn.”

“I know. You’re right, of course, Ondine. But, we all took a vow to try not to harm anyone, yes? We just wanted to scare them away, and we did, didn’t we? Thanks to you, and the dragons, and the unicorns.”

“And
you
, Lovely Man. You make powerful magic. I see…okay…we practice smaller wave, not drown bad people. Why you say, ‘next time’? They go away.”

“Yes, but, my dear, we expect they will be back. Maybe not in ships next time, but we are far from finished. They will return, bigger, stronger, and more clever, and we will have to face them once and for all, and convince them that it is not in their best interests to try and steal this kingdom.” Ondine frowned again, and muttered something almost inaudible. Tvrdik asked, “Did you say something, dearest? I couldn’t quite make it out…”

She shouted back, “I say, you should have let us drown them. Not come back to bother us.”

The wizard’s response was patient, as Xaarus’ recent words flashed through his mind. “Now, now, I know that would be tempting – after all, we didn’t start this whole thing, did we. But it isn’t what we agreed to. We frighten them, convince them, harass them, defend ourselves from them as best we can, every way we can, even try to change their minds. But, as much as possible, we try not to kill anyone. Then we would be just like them, understand? And then
we
would be the ones who tasted like poison. We are trying to represent a higher road.”