Chapter 1
The Apprentice
Kal sat in his darkened room after dusk staring blankly at the inside of the crystal orb as it swirled with smoky light. Hummingbird Mansion (the book) lay face down on the bed beside him.
Candles burned brightly in the darkness whipping and dancing to the breeze coming through his open window.
He was clumsy and young with dark hair and sharp features. Kal’s beady eyes glistened next to the candle’s flame.
A door opened deep within the tower, the master had returned from his supply shoppin, Kal thought. Kal could hear footsteps down on the main floor.
A booming voice shouted up from the stairwell below. “Kal Anton! Get down here and scrub these floors. The world won’t wait for you boy! Work needs to be done and you’re wasting our precious time!”
Oops I knew I forgot something, Kal thought to himself. “How the heck does he do that?” He muttered to himself under his breath. He scrambled out of his bed; his legs were numb and wobbly from sitting for long hours reading his book. Masters voice always seems to come from inside as well as outside of my head.
His spectacles flew into the air as he tripped over his own heels and fell flat. Kal looked up mumbling, “Dang blast it!” Scrambling back to his feet he snatched up the spectacles and placed them on his beak of a nose. His legs were sore from the fall as he started down the long spiral stretch of staircase from his room on the fourth floor of the high tower.
The high ceilings of each floor were dimly lit by candlelight. He rounded the staircase, each level of the tower was a circular room stacked with books, manuscripts, logs, maps, grimoires and ancient tomes. Most common people of Aerth were not literate. Only the wealthy or those people found to have gifts were educated in reading. Kal was fortunate enough to have been raised by a scholarly priest.
Chamberlain stood at the bottom of the stairs. He was a short fat blob of a man standing five foot six inches in height, dressed in a mass of robes leading up to a tight high collar that bent to both sides under the weight of his double chinned grin. He stared at Kal Anton, who was descending slowly down the stairwell on long, scrawny legs.
Chamberlain’s greasy unkempt beard lay on the front of his robed chest with remnants of bread crumbs lying about in it.
He could see that Chamberlain was always forcing the image of a typical wizard: robes, pointy hat, and long gray beard. Chamberlain is in need of a shave or maybe he’s trying to hide the flab folds of under that bristly crumb infested beard. He thought sarcastically to himself.
Kal’s eyes were like black shiny dots against a pair of small white eggs, as they stared down at the wizard.
Chamberlain gazed up with glee, like a small plump unwanted child looks to a new found friend.
Kal was scrawny and boy-like with oversized ears and a large pointy nose at over a head taller than Chamberlain at six foot four inches. He was lanky, awkward and too thin in appearance (almost anorexic) to be standing next to the round muffin-shaped Chamberlain, Royal Seer to the Prince Kaliff in the country of Culhain.
Chamberlain tried to act serious as he furrowed his brow downwards and cleared his throat. “There is much work to be done here Kal; you appear to be slacking in your duties.” He stated in a gruff voice as he pointed out to the star-filled sky outside. His voice squeaked and changed as he coughed in his hand. “Okay, now go. Unload the rations from the wagon. And then you can be off to bed. We have much work tomorrow, training is very important.” Chamberlain said folding a parchment under his arm and walking stoically over to a cluttered bookshelf where his ponch of a belly knocked a drinking glass onto the floor. He then squeezed the parchment in between some other papers that were stacked into a cluttered unorganized mess.
Kal straightened up, “Master, shall I clean it up?”
Chamberlain responded as he tossed a dirty towel down on the spilled area, “No. No, my boy, go ahead and get the sacks out of the wagon. You will need your rest for tomorrow’s session.
Kal stepped out into the moonlit night the air was crisp and cool with autumn leaves littering the ground everywhere. He smelled smoke from wood burning in distant fireplaces. Kal walked to the wagon. Crispy leaves crunched underfoot in the cool breeze his face was chilled. Autumn was here. He carried sack after sack into the dark storage room where he stacked them one after another into a neat pile.
Chamberlain, seeing that the apprentice was tired and finally done grabbed Kal by the ear gently and patted him on the back of the head saying, “Okay now, good sir! It’s off to bed with you. Good night.”
His legs felt like jelly as half-crawled up the stairs on his hands and feet. He plopped himself into bed, peeling off his glasses. He closed his eyes and faded into the darkness with the warmth of the hearth’s burning embers glowing in the fireplace. His blurred eyes closed into a state of deep sleep. Feeling the soft comfort of his bed, he curled deeply into the thick fuzzy blankets and darkness turned into dream.
Kal stared over the guardrail of the stone fortress wall. Off in the distance he could hear screams of agony and tortured cries screaming out for help in the darkness below. A war raging like no other before it, magic entered its ugly face onto the battlefield. The smell of scorched corpses rose up from the smoking fields. Electricity shot out of the hands of black skinned Druii’ battle mages. They called the storms and forced lightening down onto the enemy soldiers, their psychotic eyes intent on collecting the souls of their victims. Their spirit stones were humming and pulsating with the power of the dead. The Druii’ carried the glowing crystals embedded in leather straps that hung over their shoulders and around their waists. Fire erupted through the air as catapults launched burning missiles into the ranks of the soldiers below. Body parts littered the field as heavy, steel plated soldiers trampled the bodies of the fallen into a liquid squish underfoot.
Why are they fighting? Kal thought. He felt his intestines recoil as he struggled against the vomit in the back of his throat. He turned his head to avoid the sight of carnage below, when he heard a swish followed by an audible crunch and a squish. He crooked his back from the instant pain; thick, salty warmth filled his mouth as he looked down at his chest. The pain ripped through him, revealing the point of a steel dagger poking from his sternum. Blood spilled from his mouth. It gushed and sprayed from the hole in his chest.
As Kal began to convulse from the pain and loss of blood, shock set in. His knees curled forward touching the ground. He felt the sharp points of talons ripping into his scalp to hold him up.
“Guess you found what you were looking for, mage?” A raspy serpentine voice spoke from behind him.
Helpless, his body crumpled as he was thrown head first into the stone wall. In the same instance the dagger was removed from his back. He slid, scraping his face along the rough stone. Unable to move with his head cocked sideways on the ground, he stared at a hard black boot. It pulled back and then sprang forward into his mouth three times knocking out his front teeth before everything went black.
Moments later he was lifted in the air away his lifeless body. He felt no pain as he looked down at the empty vessel that lay slumped in a pool blood. A musical voice with the beauty of an orchestra soothed him saying, “You have done well, my son.”
Whap, whap, whap! Kal jerked his head to the side stinging in pain from three rapid slaps. “Ah!” He screamed. Outraged, he opened his eyes to a shiny bald head.
The bald stranger’s piercing blue eyes stared down at him in disgust and then with a heavy accent screamed down at him, “Lazy bum! Get up you bandy-coated Dingeree!” c
Kal jumped from his bed. Sweating profusely and hyperventilating, he grabbed at his chest with one hand and felt for his teeth and face with the other. He was groping about like a madman. No holes. Teeth! Thank God! He thought to himself. He stumbled in shock from the lucid dream knocking over his bedside table, which held his glasses and a glass containing last night’s drinking water that simultaneously hit the wooden floor along with his face. The reading glasses went flying across the room, hitting the wall. They bounced across the floor, cracking one of the lenses as the drinking glass shattered into a spray of shards. Water splashed across the wooden floor. A large red knot rose on his right brow as he rolled into a sitting position. Dizzy, he began feeling around on his hands and knees for lost glasses. Everything was a hazy without his glasses on. He crawled across the floor feeling carefully for his glasses and trying to avoid the sharp broken glass that lay everywhere.
If I can’t find my glasses then . . . I won’t be able to read Hummingbird Mansion today!” He thought as he gritted his teeth at the thought of missing out on his book and not being able to continue the saga of Lady Hummingbird, the mystical enchantress, and her lover, Lord Blackthorne. Kal was secretly a hopeless, fickle romantic. He was addicted to romance novels, hoping one day that he would be the knight in shining armor, that he would be the one to save the beautiful maiden. One day I will find a love of my own. He scurried on all fours head first into a hard black boot, and he screamed, “Not my teeth! Ah!”
Magister Chamberlain, the fat man with his stubby round tree trunk legs and his cauldron of a belly, looked down at Kal with a silly grin.
Kal could blurrily make out those pearly whites glinting back at him.
“Looking for these?” Chamberlain asked as he waved the glasses in front of the fallen apprentice. Then Chamberlain took a step back and thought to himself, something is wrong here at least more than normal. He looked at Kal, deeply concerned. Sadness was in his eyes, he asked, “Is everything all right Kal?” The large man looked at Kal sympathetically.
Kal stretched his long legs and wobbled into a standing position, he thought to himself sternly, I must be strong! I will not show weakness!
Chamberlain looked down at the glasses and spoke, “Allow me fix these, they appear to be cracked.” Chamberlain whispered an incantation under his breath. The glasses made a sound as if they were cracking again. When he handed them to Kal the crack was gone and replaced by a fixed lens.
Kal looked at Chamberlain sternly and said, “Thank you for fixing my lens master. I had a terrible nightmare. It might be something important or . . . it may be nothing at all.”
Chamberlain looked sternly at Kal again, taking a deep breath before he uttered to his apprentice, “Look, son, if anything ever bothers you, then you need to be honest and tell me your concerns? I’m not a mind reader, you know.” Chamberlain scrunched his lips to the side smiling whimsically while giving Kal a sideways eye roll and continued, “You don’t have to play tough guy with me, lad.”
Kal thought to himself, I’m not a mind reader! Who does he think he’s kidding here! He looked at Chamberlain more relaxed and stating, “I’m fine, master. I just need a few minutes to get myself fixed up, and then I will be downstairs for my training.”
Chamberlain gave the boy a quick nod and started down the stairs to the ground floor of the tower. “Don’t take too long.” He echoed up from the winding stairs below.
Kal returned to a small desk in his room that sat in the corner. Everything was neatly placed and organized. (This was kind of a pet peeve of Kal’s, chronic organizer.) He retrieved a black journal from the desk drawer and began to recount the images from his dream the night before. He had never experienced such realistic effects in any of his dreams or nightmares that he could remember. He felt the knife; he could still feel the sting on his face from the man’s hand that had slapped him. And what the hell is a bandy coated Dingeree? He thought to himself. The notion immediately caught him off guard by his own ignorance as he went one floor down to the library to retrieve a book.
Kal walked down the stairs into the library. The room was surrounded on all sides with fifteen foot tall book shelves. Four tall shelves extended through the middle of the great round room. The ceiling was built so that a person could easily read during the daylight hours with windows lined with mirrors that were small and rectangular arranged in various placements around the top of the room. They in turn reflected off of the mirrored ceiling. Reflected light filled all areas of the room throughout the day. He found the book he was looking for a few minutes later entitled Known Flora and Fauna of the Aerth.
He opened the book and located the fuzzy culprit, a Bandy Coated Dingeree.
Next to a picture of an abnormally large skunk-like creature, he read:
Also known as the Mephitidae Band o’gale, a species of stink badger known for its size and predatory appetite. Like most skunks the Dingeree has the ability to spray a noxious cloud of stinking toxin from scent glands located by its tail as a defense mechanism. The Bandy Coated Dingeree is found only in the scrub lands of northern Kiem Zimbala, a large province on the south and east side of the continent. (People often refer to this territory as the wild lands.) The Bandy Coated Dingeree is a large predator. The largest known in the skunk badger family, it can weigh up to 400 pounds and often preys on both wolves and coyotes. Its thick coat and four-inch claws make it a vicious predator capable of killing large animals. Records have even shown the smelly creature capable of killing small bears and frequently humans and other sentient races. Dingerees are survivors, and when in need they have been known to dine on carrion. Able to digest most anything without becoming sick, their scent can be smelled from up to two miles away and when in proximity, the horrid stench can cause disorientation and even unconsciousness to its victim. The odor of the Bandy Coated Dingeree is said to be the worst smell in the world.
With that small bit of information in mind Kal thought to himself, so I’m a huge stinking skunk badger . . . ! He was perplexed at the irony that it was even real. What a nasty beast! He thought to himself.
Kal then returned upstairs. At the very least he was sure that today was already unique and like no other day he had ever experienced.
He dressed himself in his brown robe and put on his belt with its many pouches and various bags for reagents. He had no idea what all these things would be used for. There were items in small bottles like, eye of bat and tail of newt. He put on his hard black boots before trudging the distance down the four flights of stairs to ground floor where his training would commence.
There were five upper floors in the tower. The ground floor was the largest level of the tower besides the dungeon (The one place Kal had never visited, Chamberlain never spoke of the dungeon and Kal had only seen him entering the doorway leading there on one occasion in the past six months of his apprenticeship). The ground floor was composed of the kitchen, dining area, meeting chamber for guests and visitors and of course the laboratory. The lab was comprised of bookcases, a desk, and many tables both large and small stood in various places around the chamber. Scrolls and other items littered the tables. Crystal balls and crystal shards of all shapes, sizes, and colors could be observed in display cases along one of the walls.
Vast numbers of bottles lined a series of shelves. A number of strange flowers and herbs along with animal parts bottled and corked in jars and vials for incantations yet to be performed. A jeweler’s anvil and small forge sat beside the chamber fireplace.
The second floor was Chamberlain’s master bedroom. A huge bed with a canopy sat against one wall, and surrounding the entire room were Chamberlain’s private ledgers and journals which detailed his exploits in the field of orienteering, magic and foreign cultures. Kal thought to himself as he surveyed the room. Chamberlain was a sturdy and stalwart man at the ripe old age of fifty-eight. (At least that was the age he always told everyone. Kal surmised that he was actually older than this and kept his age a secret for the purpose of possibly one day courting or even as a means of keeping his employment.) Chamberlain had traveled all across the continent into different lands and had experienced many things in his life, truly a man of many talents.
Kal continued down the stairs. Every floor had a fireplace (some might call it a hearth) to provide heat to every level of the tower. (It was the apprentice’s job to supply wood for each floor.)
The third floor of the tower was a library full of just about any book one could imagine. Chamberlain had gathered many books during his travels to the foreign realms, some were written in different languages. He fancied himself able to speak in many different tongues, and what he didn’t know, he would take the time to learn from the natives during his visits.
On the fourth floor of the tower were the guest room and the current home and chamber of Kal Anton. Kal’s chamber was neat and tidy, containing a few texts on his choice of mysticism. Elemental Conjurations for the Beginner was the title on one book, another titled Daily Meditations for the Magus, and of course Kal’s sappy romance novel, Hummingbird Mansion. Who could forget that one!
The highest and last floor of the tower was called the Gateway Chamber. It was affixed with a marble stone altar at the center of the room encircled by etched runes and magical rings. A heptagram (seven sided star) and pentagram (five sided star) among others were etched into the obsidian floor leading inwards to the altar. The obsidian was said to have been brought all the way from the cliffs of the northern crags. Some say the crags were magical and everything within the valleys of the crags had special magical properties. On the outside of the great circle were item racks for ceremonial items and weapons; sword, dagger, staff, drums, flute, wand and various other items placed on racks and hooks along the walls. Kal was always afraid to step foot into the room, not wishing to disturb any magical presence that may have been waiting inside the circle and invisible to the human eye. Kal had never witnessed this room being used at any time during his stay here (six months).
He came finally to the ground floor. His taste buds were set ablaze by the smells of bacon and eggs. The blinding yellow orb which could only be the rising sun as it crawled up over the western horizon as seen through the large picture window showcasing the dining area. Chamberlain loved his food, and others could see how it loved him back.
“Breakfast is served!” Chamberlain announced with a booming voice.”
Always echoing in my head, how does he do that? Kal thought to himself. Chamberlain handed him a plate filled with eggs and bacon, and freshly buttered toast from homemade bread. “A meal fit for the mind of a student; may this meal bless you with intelligence and strength in your bones for the day to come,” Chamberlain said as he saw the gluttony surface in Kal’s face. Kal’s mouth watered at the thought of this wondrous meal.
“May I say a prayer over this meal master?” Kal asked.
“Kal I don’t worship your god (Jehovah), but I have no problems with a prayer. Please go ahead and pray to your god. Every man has a right to their beliefs in this great country of Culhain.” Chamberlain responded.
Everyday Chamberlain cooked him meals like nothing his palate had ever watered over before. Kal began reaching his hand to Chamberlain who looked down at his hand at first pausing and then smiled as he reached out his hand and grasped the hand of Kal who then lifted his other hand to the sky and began to pray, “Lord Jehovah, Father of all things. You are greater than all things, you are first lord. You are the most holy lord and we thank you for this meal. We thank you for all the wonderful things you make in our lives. The wonderful people like Master Chamberlain, Thank you for him and what he’s given to my life lord, watch over him and protect him God. One more thing before we close this prayer God, I pray that Edgar Chamberlain will meet and befriend you as I have lord. Amen.”
Chamberlain wiped a tear from his eye, “this apprentice was truly special, like a son.” He thought.
“This god, Jehovah is how he is called here in Culhain is a mystery to me Kal? How did you come to know him?” Chamberlain asked.
Kal scarfed the food down like a man who hadn’t eaten in weeks. He paused for a moment chomping food in his mouth. Bread crumbs flew from his orifice as he said, “This breakfast is incredible Master! You deserve nothing less than the title of Chef well among other things. Thank you for these great meals!” Kal exclaimed with joy.
I was born a follower of Jehovah, my parents were missionaries.” Kal stated proudly as his eyes watered up. He was both sad and proud of the sacrifice his parents had made, but he said nothing further.
“Your parents must be very special and I am impressed by the way you talk about your God. I may try to learn more about him myself, but from what I have seen there are not many books about him. Stories of Jehovah were handed down from generation to generation. To date there is said to be only one book that is kept in a small fortified village close to the border of Al’Akbar in Kiem Zimbala. The book is said to be watched over by a group of devout monks and priests. Followers of Jehovah are scarce, but there are some villages in Culhain that are dedicated to his worship and praise. Kiem Zimbala has several northern crag settlements that are built around the worship of your god, even some fortified townships in Al’Akbar that I have heard of.” Chamberlain recounted. “I may have to get to know your deity better my young apprentice, I’ll make a point of getting more information perhaps I can start a log or a journal as well.” Chamberlain said.
Kal thought, Well obviously he has tried to study or read about the Holy One.
“Today, we will take more steps into your understanding of the elements,” Chamberlain explained. “I sense a fire burning inside you my boy, and today is the day we let it out!”
Kal looked at the master with bewilderment. What does he mean by that? He thought to himself. Bah! He’s just trying to get me motivated, he finished his thought.
“All right master,” Kal said as he finished off his plate. “Shall we get this day underway,” Kal stated as he stood up from the table looking down at his pudgy master.
Chamberlain looked up at his apprentice with serious eyes and said, “Kal Anton, today will be your first true day of real magic.” Before Kal could say anything, Chamberlain continued, “We will see over the next few weeks what your true gift is, Kal, so be patient with the exercises that lie ahead. These practices will show us what you are attuned to in the magical realm._
Kal looked at him as if to question and then paused so that Chamberlain could speak.
And he (Chamberlain stood in front of Kal at the table) began to speak. “Understand magic like all things is a balance of nature, the elements, time and space. Whenever energy is expended to benefit you or create an effect, then the forces that are made to balance that effect, and sometimes, depending on the task there will be a price to pay. Sometimes it will be physical fatigue other times it can even mean death to the user. He stated with a serious look and tone to his voice. “Events in time can be altered, but the end effect may not be totally changed, making time the most dangerous magic of all to use. When we change the fabric of time, everything leading to or away from that point can be altered, creating a new form of fate and sometimes (Chamberlain said clenching his fists) opening gateways to other realms where evil can find its way in. I caution you young mage, be careful how you use your powers. Everything has a price.”
Chamberlain then paused before continuing as he caught his breath. “And with that in mind, let us begin. All right, Kal, now that you understand the basic rules, you must also understand that the greatest feats of magic involve the sacrifice of sentient life or a contained soul, either your own, someone or something else’s. These practices are often considered dark, and invariably sometimes evil,” he stated in a serious tone.
Then he paused for a moment, thinking to himself, a sandwich sure sounds good right now. He rounded the table and grabbed a loaf of bread and a knife. “This is why magicians use reagents. It’s kind of our way of getting around the whole sacrifice thing,” he said as he began cutting the bread into slices.
“You see these reagents or objects take the space of things that might be or would have been used in the past to create the effect we desire. In other words, the spell you are trying to cast,” he said as he grabbed a slab of cured beef from the ice box and began cutting it into slices. He then grabbed a pickle and sliced into fine slices. Then he grabbed another larger pickle and threw it out onto the table, uttering some strange archaic words: “Boo hoo! Foooo too’!” The giant pickle began to bounce and wiggle as two pairs of legs, two large and two small, erupted from the pickle. Then a pair of two bulbous eyes bubbled up in front of the two smaller legs, as the pickle transformed itself into a green warty toad. The green warty toad began hopping around and hopped right up to Kal and looked him in the eye. Kal looked at the toad questioning its existence, thinking to himself, is it real? Is it still a pickle? I can’t . . . Just then the pickle exploded in loud squish. Pickle flesh and juice burst out from its body, splashing all over Kal’s face and lap.
“You might want to change your clothes. It kind of looks as though you wet yourself,” said Chamberlain, chuckling at the awestruck apprentice.
“What have you done?” Kal asked.
“Why it was nothing more than an advanced transmutation, my good man, nothing more than a physically animated illusion.” Chamberlain stated.
Kal looked excitedly at his master and said, “I can worry about changing later sire. Let’s just get started!” his anxiety grew by the minute as he considered the thrill of casting his first real spell.
“Now that’s the kind of enthusiasm I like to see!” Chamberlain said as he slapped a sandwich into Kal’s open hand. “You see, my boy, most illusions don’t last very long before they expunge themselves, and that’s why they don’t require as much energy as the other varieties of spell craft,” he said as he dug into a drawer and pulled out a long tallow candle and placed it on the table before Kal. Chamberlain snapped his fingers. “Nak! Kay! Cock!” He shouted, and a white flame shot out from his finger as he pointed at the wick of the candle, setting it alight.
“Okay, Kal, now it’s your turn,” Chamberlain said as he pinched the life out of the flame. Chamberlain then winked at his student, thinking to himself, “He’ll struggle on this one for sure. Maybe I’m being too hard on this young whelp.” Chamberlain smiled sarcastically at his student as he crossed his arms and nodded.
Kal stared, thinking, what’s he grinning about? This guy thinks he’s so funny! He began to concentrate; he could feel a tremendous heat rising up from his center, focusing his thoughts. Okay, he performed a physical gesture creating friction between his thumb and pointer finger and focused his thought on heat . . . well, in theory. Kal’s forehead wrinkled and his eyebrows scrunched with concentration as he continued thinking. Then it came to him. I need to make this my own personal gesture. His face turned tomato red, the blood rushed his brain. He thought to himself, as hot as the sun! Hot as the sun! Fire!! Fire!! Raging fire! As Kal began rubbing his hands together and then opened them, he felt the hair on his hands disintegrate into white smoke.
The burning white orb manifested itself in between his outstretched hands, instantly melting the candle into a puddle of wax as it raced towards the awestruck Chamberlain, who reacted with uncanny speed, Opening his palms as if to catch a ball, he uttered, “Phosphor, me tot!” Nothing happened; the orb continued slowly moving towards him, he said it again: “PHOSPHOR! ME TOT!! eh. . . . PHOSPHOR ME TOT ALOT!” He yelled out frantically. The orb came to a halt hovering between the seer’s chubby hands. The heat was horrible. The burnt flesh smell acrid to the nostrils as Chamberlain quickly ran with the orb hovering between his hands.
Kal looked on in horror, shocked he was unable to react and fearing for the master’s life. It got the better of him.
Chamberlain leaped across the room (a feat not often seen by a man of his size) with the orb close to his hands as he pushed the orb down into a wooden bucket submerging the orb under the water. A loud hissing spewed forth bubbling water over the brim of the bucket with the noise growing louder like a steam pot squealed loudly! Then, without warning the bucket exploded, spraying splinters of wood across the room along with steaming boiled water as it hit the floor and splashed onto their boots.
The orb was gone, but the burnt wood and flesh smell remained. Chamberlain ran quickly to the ice room near the kitchen to put ice to his hands. The smoke and steam dissipated out the open windows and up the stairwell. The mage (Chamberlain) pondered at this turn of events. This is no ordinary power, enough so that he may even be one of the Returned (a legend about one of four spirits of the elements whose very souls were destined to return to Aerth reincarnated during times of need when the fabric of time and space required reparations). Of course there were others who might also return and those he did not speak of. Chamberlain spoke loudly as he walked up the stairs from the basement. “By the gods boy you don’t mess around, do you, son?”
Chamberlain looked around in confusion until finally he found Kal leaning back against the wall unconscious. Must have fainted, _ Chamberlain thought to himself. Well, he thought to himself, that was quite a feat, lad, quite a feat indeed!
Kal slumped against the wall, his energy completely drained by the spell he had unknowingly cast. He awoke an hour later exclaiming, “Master!” As he looked around distraught, he thought to himself, “Oh, God forgive me! I’ve disintegrated the Master!” He quickly got to his feet and began scouring the tower for his lost master. Running without a thought of his own fatigue, out of breath, he reached the fifth floor of the tower and stopped dead with fear, afraid to step foot into the gateway chamber.
He boldly stepped into the room, the light glistened off the magical runes carved into the marble surface, and shadows appeared to move about the room reaching around objects like tendrils of black smoke. “Master?” He asked in a low voice. “Are you there?” He asked. Out of the corner of his eye he could see a soft glowing orb. It hovering there, then it faded into the wall melding into the hard stone. Kal left quickly, that’s not a place for me, he thought to himself as he approached the bottom level of the tower.
He rushed down the stairs on fear and adrenaline. Sweating and out of breath he sprinted outside, just in time to see the master bending over plucking a plant from the garden he kept to the side of the tower.
Mortar and pestle in hand he began grinding a salve as he incanted, “Heal so le’ mee ho . . . .” A poof of smoke rose up from the concoction.
For a moment it smelled like pig feces, Kal thought to himself, remembering the pig farm he grew up next to as a youth. Kal wondered where he gets these words. They seem so silly.
“Master, where do the words come from?” He asked.
Chamberlain wiggled his mustache answering, excited over this inquisition. “Very inquisitive, Kal, an impressive question for sure. The answer is that everyone who practices magic has a different experience. For me the words are like a whisper in my head, and as you know, I am a linguist, that’s part of my creative side. Magic is like the Arts; only those who have a vast imagination can cast spells. It takes a special person with special abilities. Be proud of yourself, knowing that we magicians are some of the rarest of all people, more rare than even shoe cobblers.” Chamberlain stated. Blinking his eyes painfully as he began rubbing an ointment into his burnt palms. “No worries, son.” He said, seeing the guilt in Kal’s face. “In a few days the burn will be completely healed, and we’ll have nothing but the story to tell about how my apprentice almost burned down my tower.” He chuckled under his flapping peppered beard at the young man’s concerned look. He looked at the young man thinking, this poor lout doesn’t even know his potential as an elementalist, and his abilities are nothing to play with. We need to work on control more than ever! “Okay, Kal, let us continue,” Chamberlain said as they walked back inside and sat down at the table.
Chamberlain and Kal went throughout the day performing exercises designed to focus control and concentration (like moving a candle flame up and down and side to side). Chamberlain put Kal through a series of tests designed to determine his two major aptitudes. After several hours Chamberlain determined that Kal was definitely a fire elementalist and that he also had some gifting with divination, he thought. Mages could use other arts, there was nothing written in stone saying one could not practice some healing magic or any other of the fields of study. One thing was certain; divination was the weaker of the two.
Kal was frustrated by the end of the day, and both men had expended more energy than they could muster.
His strength was sapped. Chamberlain was to worn down even cook supper, so they began feasting on cured jerky to supplement the meal. Shortly after, Chamberlain plopped himself down on the couch in the meeting chamber, exclaiming to Kal, “Well, boy, I’d say your talents were highly impressive today. Let’s just hope you can get a hold on that power of yours, and maybe you’ll be something besides a tower wrecker!” he chuckled as he nodded off to sleep.
“Goodnight, master,” Kal said as he staggered tiredly up the stairs and plummeted into his bed.
Kal stirred awake some time later recognizing the dim morning light and feeling as though he were being watched. As he turned over on his side, he flinched away as he peered into the huge, overhanging belly of Master Chamberlain. “Master?” Kal asked as he grabbed his spectacles. Kal scrolled his eyes upward to see the grinning peppered beard staring down at him again with glee. Chamberlain stated proudly, “By golly, you are the first out of ten worthy and some unworthy apprentices to ever show such power over any element! Never in my time have I seen such potential as you exhibited yesterday!” He paused and then said, “You are beyond natural in your ability, Kal. You have something special coursing through your veins that sets you aside from others I have taught.”
Kal’s foggy memory recalled the events of yesterday as near tragic! He could have killed the master by accident, and here stood Magister Chamberlain gloating over near destruction. “All I remember was trying to light the candle, and then it was like something someone had knocked the wind right out of me.” Kal stated.
Then Chamberlain spoke, “My boy, you did more than light a candle yesterday! You melted that poor candle into a puddle of wax!” He was so excited he began shaking is fist. “You created a white orb of fire so powerful that it burned under water until it blew up my water bucket!” Chamberlain was ecstatic saying, “Look, Son you have a gifting with such fortitude that I have no choice but to report your ability to the High Arcanist Council.”
Kal looked at Chamberlain with some concern saying, “I don’t want you to do that sire, please.” Kal, knowing the stories about the Arcanist Council, became concerned at the fact that the council was known for performing their so-called tests on anyone who showed any form of prowess in the field of magic. True, they catalogued anyone known to use magic, but if an inquiry were written to them concerning his ability, he was afraid of what kind of things might transpire during their so-called testing of him. “I’d rather not make an issue of this with the High Council, sire. Please, just leave me to the standard cataloguing that they would normally do.”
Chamberlain looked seriously at Kal and retorted, “But, son, you know not of what you speak. The High Arcanist Council is the most elite of all wizards; elementalists, sorcerers, summoners, enchanters, and diviners in all the land of Culhain. Turning away from they’re tests would make you just another number. Don’t you want a chance to sit on council?”
Kal scratched his head and said, “Um, mm, no, I’m nothing special. I’d rather just stick to the masses, sire, so please do not write them the letter of inquisition.”
Chamberlain gave him cross look thinking to himself jealously, Damned whelp! He doesn’t know what he’s talking about! It’s been a dream of mine to sit on the Council for years, by the gods! He doesn’t realize the amount of wealth and power handed to such a position! He stopped his thoughts there and reflected to himself, well, maybe it’s not what the lad wants. Perhaps he prefers the simple life. Nothing wrong with that I suppose. As Chamberlain paused in his thoughts, Kal could see the gears in Chamberlain’s head turning in contemplation.
“Well, then, I’ll respect you for your thoughts, young Kal. No need to worry. We’ll just keep this our little secret, no need to get the High Council involved, but honestly, you may decide you’ve made a mistake down the road, son.” Chamberlain said with a somber look. Such talent, such a waste! He thought to himself.
Master and student set themselves to work that day for many days to come for several months focusing Kal’s skills in divination and fire. However, the time was growing near, and soon Chamberlain to meet with prince Kaliff for their yearly meeting. The gateway chamber would soon be open foretelling the fate of Prince Kaliff and his lands. There were only a few months left before the Opening (the ritual used in the gateway chamber to foretell an individual’s future).
Two months had gone by and Kal had excelled with his studies learning a great amount about fire, and in contrast struggling badly with the art of divination. Chamberlain worked hard with Kal, trying to get his attention and focus on the tools of basic divination (cards, oil on water, rune stones, bones, and scrying). Kal failed miserably as a seer, day after day he tried to meet Chamberlain’s expectations only to flop. He finally gained some composure with the deck of cards. Fifty percent of the time he could predict the weather. “Will tomorrow be sunny or cloudy?” He would ask. The more he worked with the deck of cards, the better he was becoming. At least he could forecast the weather, well . . . sometimes. Chamberlain thought to himself with a sly grin.
Chamberlain looked at him sarcastically and asked, “Well, is it raining tomorrow?” Kal shuffled his cards, drew three cards from the pile, placed them face down, and then turned them face up one by one. “Well, looks like cloudy with no rain master,” Kal said as he smiled sheepishly.
Chamberlain looked at him with a serious stare. “Kal,” he said loudly. “It’s been eight months since you became my ward, and all you do is performing card tricks or burn things.”
He then looked at his apprentice re-thinking what he was about to say, trying to push aside the scorn he felt for his student’s lack of interest in divination. “But, I suppose your other talents more than make up for that. I am very proud of you, son. You have more of a gift in the art of fire than any other I have ever seen. Please promise me to use great discretion with that. You know, try not to blow up any small towns or cities with your anger.”
Kal shook his head, “Master you have been a great teacher. You need not worry about anything, sir.” He said with care in his eyes. As the end of another day closed, Kal settled down into the soft feather mattress, and his eye lids sank down, closing the blackened vault of his mind.
He dreamed into the night, his fickle heart getting the best of him. Love was in the air, Lady Hummingbird’s bosom heaved in awe and delight as her lover, Lord Blackthorne, crossed the Deep River Bridge on his mighty black stallion, Miramoore. Kal Blackthorne sat high in the saddle atop his jet black steed Miramoore. Blackthorne positioned his eye brows into a gallant stare of ecstasy at the beauty of his fine lady. Feeling her every voluptuous curve with his mind’s eye, he strode forward with the prancing gallop of his mighty steed. His loins throbbed at the thought of her luscious body. As he hopped from his horse, he raced to her in a collision of lustful embrace, their paths met. They went down to the ground laughing with joy and nestled in a thick quilted picnic blanket beside the sheltered gazebo in Lady Hummingbird’s private woodland. He began to whisper sweet nothings of a sexual nature into her ear as she wiggled her breasts free from her brazier.
Just as he was about to taste the sweet fruit of delight, he heard the leaves crunch loudly behind him as the hard brown leather boot intentionally stepped loudly to be heard. Lady Hummingbird shrieked as she struggled, her breasts back into the brazier. Kal turned with a look of dismay at the bald man destroying his dream “No! Not again!” he thought, staring up at the man with the scarred forehead, the same man who in the last interrupted dream slapped him so hard he felt the sting the next day. Becoming further angered, he yelled out as he stood from his lover’s blanket, thereby forgetting to tie his belt back on and hence losing his trousers, he cried out, _What the . . . ?” Kal felt the embarrassment well up in his face like hot steam as his head reached its boiling point. He quickly knelt down to grab his trousers to pull them back up.
The stranger stared at him like smiling hyena and said, “Oye mate. Don’t stop on account of me! I like to watch a good pony show!” Cackling with laughter he went on to say, “Good on ya!” again speaking in a thick accent akin to Kiem Zimbala.
Kal awoke in anger so angry that he flew forward tumbling headlong off the bed and rolling to a sitting position. “Who are you?” He yelled before he could think. Sweating profusely, he found his way to the bedside table and his glass of water. As he reached out for the drink, his hands were shaking so badly they knocked the drinking glass to the floor shattering into a million pieces. He slapped himself in the face with his hand yelling, “Damn it!” He crawled back into bed, it was still dark outside. He calmed himself down. Before he fell back to sleep, he thought to himself, I don’t know who he is, but one thing is for sure. I hate him! The rest of the night was uneventful. Unfortunately, Lady Hummingbird did not return to her hero’s side that night. Instead a soft layer of darkness invaded his mind, and his slumber was restful.
