Master Wizard Read online

  MASTER WIZARD

  ©2020 JAMES EGGEBEEN

  This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of the authors.

  Aethon Books supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

  Aethon Books

  PO Box 121515

  Fort Worth TX, 76108

  www.aethonbooks.com

  Print and eBook formatting, and cover design by Steve Beaulieu. Artwork provided by Lee Kent.

  Published by Aethon Books LLC.

  Aethon Books is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead is coincidental.

  All rights reserved.

  Chapter 1

  Lorit stretched out his hand to Chihon and took hers, searching her mind for the place where she saw the boy being held captive. He recognized it immediately. The temple of Ran in Veldwaite. He'd been tortured there himself and knew every square inch of the place. He called to mind the smell of smoke from the torch set in the wall above the altar, the stench of dried blood from the previous sacrifices, the damp stones that collected the morning dew. He recalled the faint sounds he'd heard while bound to that altar, how he could make out the footsteps of the priests occasionally walking past the room where they had held him captive. They had often left him alone to think about his predicament, and those footsteps had terrified him the most. He had never known if they belonged to a priest passing by on routine business or if they signaled that the torture would soon begin again.

  Lorit tasted his own blood as the memory of his torture came flooding back to him. He recalled every detail of his ordeal in that room. It was all a part of the travel spell, but it renewed his hatred of the temple, and that interfered with his magic. He calmed his anger and made the altar room real. He grasped his magic, strengthened his connection to Chihon, and pulled.

  The study dissolved around them and was replaced by the cold stone walls of the altar room in Veldwaite. The slight wrenching of the travel spell was over quickly.

  Sturdy rope bound the boy to the altar by his hands and feet. He lay there on his back, robe spread open to expose his flesh to the priest. He was about fourteen summers in age, just when magic awakens in a boy. He was thin for his age with sandy brown hair, hazel eyes, and a sharp nose. The priest passed his staff across the altar, and the boy arched his back as his muscles spasmed with pain. He moaned through clenched teeth, but no words came from him.

  The priest leaned in. "I will have your magic...with you...or without you. It's your choice." The priest's shaved head and black robes with silver piping marked him as a High Priest of Ran.

  Lorit glanced at Chihon. Was it possible the priest hadn't noticed the sudden appearance of a wizard and sorceress? Was this the new High Priest of Ran in Veldwaite? One so weak in magic?

  "I think that's enough." Lorit stepped out of the shadows, raising his shield.

  The priest paused his ministration and looked up at Lorit. "I've been expecting you." He raised his staff and advanced.

  Lorit glanced quickly at Chihon, signaling her to free the boy while the priest was distracted. The priest's magic pressed in on him. It was dirty and twisted; a mixture of all the power the priest had absorbed from his victims. It would have been easy to incinerate the priest where he stood, but Lorit had been admonished that killing priests would foment a war that he could not win.

  Lorit strengthened his resolve, raised his hand, and created a fireball. It appeared as a violet sphere of lightning, twisting in on itself, spinning and spitting sparks.

  He held it ready, watching the priest.

  Waiting.

  The priest raised his staff and lightning leaped from the jewel in its head, piercing Lorit's shields. Lorit's fireball shattered in his hand, sending a cascade of violet sparks flowing across the floor before vanishing.

  Lorit took a step backward until his back was against the rough cold rock wall. A sharp stone stabbed him through his robe. He winced and stretched out his hand, creating a second fireball. This one was even smaller and more innocuous-looking than the first. Would the priest believe this was his best effort? Lorit tried to look frightened and weak as he threw the fireball at the priest.

  The priest raised his staff, and lightning flashed out to intercept Lorit's fireball. Lorit pinched his eyes shut and braced himself as an explosion filled the chamber with a blinding flash and a deafening crack. The impact pressed him against the wall.

  He saw the flash through his closed eyelids. The priest would be momentarily blinded, and his magic impaired for the few heartbeats that Lorit and Chihon needed to get the boy out of there.

  Lorit sidestepped the stunned priest and dashed for the altar. He threw his arm around the boy as Chihon severed the last of the bonds. Lorit grasped Chihon's hand and reached out for the comfort and familiarity of their study. Before the priest had a chance to recover, Lorit drew Chihon and the boy through the void to Amedon.

  The boy slumped between Lorit and Chihon as they materialized in Lorit's study. Lorit lowered him into a chair while Chihon rushed from the room. The boy was alive, but he needed the attention of a healer if he were to stay that way. It was bad, worse than Lorit had expected. They had really worked the boy over. Lorit hoped he would recover.

  "What happened? Where am I?" The boy opened his eyes and looked about in a panic.

  "You're in Amedon. You're safe." Lorit tried to calm him down. Boys rescued from the temple took a while to realize they were safe. Lorit didn't want him hurting himself before he came to his senses.

  The boy looked at Lorit and blinked. "Who are you?"

  "I'm Lorit." Lorit grasped the boy's forearm to reassure him. "You're safe. They can't harm you now."

  "The priest!"

  "They're gone. You're safe." Lorit said. "What's your name?"

  "Kedrik." He sat upright, but Lorit gently pushed him back down.

  "He can't hurt you." Lorit hoped his firm treatment would help calm the boy. He didn't want to have to use magic or physical force on the lad to keep him restrained until they could administer the healing potion.

  The door opened, and Chihon entered bearing a chalice.

  "Drink this," Chihon said. "It's specially formulated to restore you to health after your ordeal in the temple." Chihon held Kedrik's head in her hand and raised the chalice to his lips.

  After a first tentative taste, Kedrik gulped down the entire chalice without as much as a breath. "That was good." Kedrik panted. "What was it?" He stared at Chihon as she carefully placed the chalice on the side table.

  "A special potion from the healer. It will restore your strength." Chihon turned back to Kedrik. "Are you feeling better?"

&
nbsp; Kedrik's eyes remained fixed on the chalice.

  Chihon reached up and cradled his chin in her hand. She turned his face toward hers. "Are you feeling better?"

  Kedrik reached up and put his hand over hers. "I'm much better now. Thank you."

  "Good." Chihon stood. "If you will excuse me. I have to go get the healer. One who is more knowledgeable in these matters than I."

  Kedrik's eyes followed Chihon as she turned and walked from the room. His gaze remained fixed on the door after it shut behind her.

  Lorit grabbed a footstool and sat across from the boy. "Kedrik."

  Kedrik's eyes remained focused on the door.

  "Kedrik," Lorit said softly. "She'll be right back."

  Kedrik ripped his gaze away from the door and focused in on Lorit.

  "Kedrik. Tell me about yourself." Lorit hoped that getting the boy talking about himself would take his mind off the priests and their torture.

  "Not much to tell. My folks run a shop in the market. Ma makes potholders and cooking utensils from cast-offs she gets from a seamstress. Pa makes wooden spoons and ladles. He forages in the forest for wood and carves them himself."

  Kedrik fidgeted as he spoke of his father. "I help him carve, too. I'm almost as fast as he is. Someday I'll be just as good." Kedrik hung his head. "They sold me to the temple." He sniffed back tears and peered up at Lorit. "Am I ever going to go home? Will I see my ma again?"

  Lorit patted the boy on his knee. "We'll send word to your folks that you're safe here."

  "But...what will happen to me? I thought I was supposed to be trained as a priest. But then they..." Kedrik's eyes filled with tears.

  "You'll be trained as a wizard. This is where everyone with the wizard's power eventually comes."

  There was a knock at the door.

  "Come in," Lorit called out.

  Lorit knew without looking who was there. The healer Kimt was one of the rare sorceresses who lived in Amedon. Her golden hair swept back from her face in a ponytail that dropped just below the collar of her royal purple robe. Her bright blue eyes sparkled with mischief that made her look like a girl of seventeen summers even though she had been the chief healer in Amedon for several times that.

  She strode confidently into the room, carrying a tray packed with vials and an assortment of small bowls which gave off an acrid odor with a hint of vinegar and ammonia. She set the tray on the table near Kedrik and knelt down. She peered at his face. "How are you feeling?"

  Kedrik turned to look over his shoulder at the door through which Kimt had entered. Kimt took his chin and gently turned his face back toward hers.

  "How are you feeling?" she repeated the question slowly.

  "Better," Kedrik replied hesitantly.

  "Good. The potion Chihon brought you will help you recover from the torture and the stress of traveling here by magic. You should repeat it several times a day for the first moon that you're here."

  Kimt stood and reached out her hand. "Stand up. I need to get a look at you."

  Kedrik ignored her hand as he stood and twisted around to watch the door as if someone or something was about to enter. Kimt took his shoulders and turned him to face her. She grasped his robe and lifted it up.

  Kedrik grabbed at the tattered robe and tugged it back in place. "What are you doing?"

  Kimt brushed his hands away and lifted his robe once more. "I'm looking for any marks, cuts, or bruises that need attention. The temple torture is not only magic. Sometimes they use other means." She tapped his hands. "Lift your arms so I can get this off."

  Kedrik raised his arms and let Kimt remove his robe. He stood there, bare-chested, arms at his side, shaking slightly in the chill of the room.

  Kimt examined the boy's chest and then turned him around. Several long thin marks ran across Kedrik's back. Some looked fresh, others looked older. The bruises were in various stages of healing.

  Kimt glanced at Lorit and shook her head.

  She turned Kedrik back around to face her. "What happened to your back?"

  "I'm clumsy," Kedrik said. "I bang into stuff a lot. The woods are a dangerous place to forage."

  Kimt handed Kedrik his robe. "You can get dressed."

  Kedrik pulled his robe back on and tugged it in place.

  Kimt turned to Lorit. "He looks to have survived the temple with no permanent damage. I'd like to see him every morning for the next few days, just to be sure he's healing well."

  She mixed a paste from several of the bowls on her tray, filling a small jar. She sealed the jar and handed it to Kedrik. "Put this on the open wounds for the next three days. Then bring the rest back to me."

  Kimt packed up the ingredients on her tray and turned to Lorit. "Send him to me right after the morning meal."

  Lorit shot her a questioning glance, but she just shook her head ever so slightly. Maybe she didn't want to talk about the scars in front of the boy.

  "I'll look after him," Lorit said.

  Kedrik followed Kimt with his eyes and remained focused on the door after she left. "Who was that?"

  "That was Kimt. She's a healer."

  "Are there many women in Amedon?"

  "No, hardly any at all. Chihon and Kimt are the only women here."

  "Why is that?"

  "Very few girls have the power awaken in them. Fewer still survive and learn to control it."

  Kedrik wrinkled his brows. "Why is that?"

  Lorit shrugged. "I don't know. It just seems to work out that way. Most of the wizards are just like you: young boys that have the power come awake around their fourteenth summer."

  "Why did you bring me here?"

  "There used to be a lot more wizards here in Amedon, but the temple has been killing off young wizards to take their power, or turning them to the priesthood. I've been trying to rescue them and bring them here for training."

  "So, I'm going to be a wizard?" Kedrik asked.

  Lorit laughed. "You're already a wizard. That's why the temple sought you out. But you're untrained. We'll take care of that."

  "How did I come to be a wizard?"

  "It's in your family, somewhere, no doubt. There's usually a wizard somewhere in your family line if you inherit the power. Do you have any relatives who have special gifts?"

  "Not that I know of. But then, it's just me and my ma and pa." Kedrik looked at the floor when he mentioned his father. There was something there that the boy was avoiding, but Lorit didn't want to push him too soon. There would be plenty of time to get into things like that later. For now, Lorit needed to get Kedrik accustomed to the keep.

  "Let's get you settled in. There are a few people we need to see. They'll get you matched up with a more senior boy for lessons and find you a place in the student dorm."

  Lorit turned Kedrik toward the door. He would assign someone to watch Kedrik closely for the first few days. The treatment he had suffered at the hands of the priest was traumatic, but something about the boy's home life wasn't right either. Kimt would take care of Kedrik, and the boy's teachers would help out, too. It looked like Kedrik was going to survive his physical ordeal in the temple, but the emotional scars were another matter altogether.

  Chapter 2

  Lorit and Chihon sat before the hearth filled with a roaring fire. Hangings depicting wizards and their accomplishments from days past covered the walls, and various objects from their travels were scattered about the room. Lorit was never completely comfortable in the suite provided to them as members of the Wizard's Council. He was more at home on the road than in Amedon, but he was getting used to being in Amedon for council business.

  The flaming logs in the fireplace popped and threw sparks into the air. Lorit caught them with his magic and twisted them into shapes and figures for his own entertainment while he waited for Kedrik to arrive. He wished that he had more friends here in Amedon. Being a powerful wizard and part of the ruling council tended to isolate him and made the other wizards somewhat restrained around him.

  At
least he had Chihon. He glanced over where she sat reading a book on healing spells. Her long brown hair fell over her shoulders in curls as she squinted at the pages. She looked much the girl of twenty summers with no outward evidence of the trials she had endured along with him on their way to Amedon.

  He reached out to her through their magical connection. "What do you think about the boy?"

  "Which boy?" she asked without looking up from her book.

  "Kedrik. The one we rescued from Veldwaite."

  "I think he'll be fine. They all are. He's no different."

  "I'm not so sure about that. I get a strange feeling about this one."

  Before Lorit could finish his thought, there was a knock on the door.

  It was Kedrik. He was out of breath and disheveled. Someone had given him a gray robe that was too large for his frame and hung off him a little too loosely, but Lorit knew Kedrik would soon grow into it.

  "Sorry I'm late." Kedrik rushed in and bowed to Lorit, then Chihon.

  "Don't worry about it. This is just an informal chat." Lorit tried to put the boy at ease. He motioned Kedrik to take a seat.

  "How are you getting along?" Lorit asked.

  "I've started my classes, and I've been assigned to the student quarters...everything is going well." Kedrik sat heavily in the chair. His robe twisted around his legs, and he almost tripped. He grasped the garment and pulled at it, finally settling in.

  "You sound like that may not be the complete truth. Are you missing your folks? Your home? A girl?" Lorit wanted to get a feel for the boy. Talking about his home should open him up a bit. He was still concerned about the scars on Kedrik's back, but it was obvious the boy didn't want to speak about them.

  Kedrik blushed. "No girl. Not much to tell. My folks are pretty normal." He fidgeted with his robe, leaned forward, and looked from Lorit to Chihon and back again.

  "The other boys told me about the two of you," Kedrik said. "They say that you're paired...Will I be paired with someone, too? Will I get to choose her myself?"