The High-Wizard's Hunt

Chapter 4

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The Hunt

Crouching in the shadows behind a large, fallen tree, Osric, Kenneth and Toby watched a boar rooting through the underbrush in the distance. They had spent the greater part of the day in silence as they followed various tracks, searching for prey. It had given Osric time to reflect on the last month and what it meant to be High Wizard. Truth be told, he was not too comfortable with the title the dragons had assigned him, but at least they were not calling him Turgent like the eagles. He was troubled by the pressure he felt from the dragons and eagles for his future. Yet the hunt brought relief to the building tension, and he reveled in the simplicity and honor that came from it.

Kenneth stood up slowly and drew the bowstring back. Osric recognized the familiar focus in his friend’s eyes when he activated his Hunter’s gift. Osric held a silencing spell on the bowstring and Toby readied the same spell for the arrow in flight. If they could keep the sound from reaching the swine, they could drop their prey without it panicking and causing more pain than was necessary. Fear and pain are the last things they wanted to gift the honored prey with on its last day.

Osric knew the moment Kenneth was notched in and ready. He had felt the same feeling himself since acquiring the gift. It was like the arrow found its own groove for the ideal flight path to its target. Kenneth released the arrow, straight and true, and the bowstring was silent. Toby’s face scrunched in concentration as he focused all his efforts on silencing the arrow’s flight. It hit true to its mark, and the animal dropped.

“Great job, men. Let’s go show it some appreciation and end its confusion.” Osric stood, feeling good about the drop. They ran to the side of the animal laying in the snow.

“Oh, thank Archana! I thought I ate a bad berry and was going to lay here until I died!”

“Are you in pain, my friend?” Kenneth was always concerned for the comfort of his kills.

“It’s Garron, hunter. And no, I felt a pinch, but I thought something bit me, is all. This isn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I have been feeling pretty old lately. At least now, I know I won’t rot.” Garron chuckled nervously.

Kenneth examined the wound and smiled.

“Straight through the spine?” Toby’s question showed more admiration than inquiry.

“Yes, just a pinch was the goal.” Kenneth bowed in respect.

“Is the killing going to hurt,” Garron asked.

“No, my friend. You can’t feel anything below your neck. It will be like falling asleep.” Kenneth located an appropriate vein and readied his dagger.

“Oh, good,” Garron visibly relaxed, “I like falling asleep. It’s like getting to go on an adventure where you are in control of everything.” Peace came over his face.

“Your sacrifice is greatly appreciated. Now, what can we do to honor you?” Osric wondered what being on the other side of the hunt had been like for his parents, and he choked back a tear.

“Tell my wife I won’t end up at the bottom of a cliff like her brother.” He laughed.

“Deal.” Osric and his companions all shared a chuckle at Garron’s timing with his sense of humor. “Are you sure we don’t need to bring her food or anything else?”

“Oh, no. She’s bigger than I am, and the sucklings don’t need anything either. They’ll miss me, but be honored just to know how I went.”

“Where do we find them?” Kenneth stuck the tip of the dagger in and life slowly poured from the wound.

“Straight east, follow my tracks just over the rise and you will find them next to the cliff face.”

“Thank you. You will be feeding several needy people. Nothing will be wasted.” Kenneth set the dagger on the ground.

“You were right. I feel tired.” Garron yawned. “Tell my wife I want you to have the ring I nearly choked to death on. I hear that prickly fruit goes well with swine. Have your cook use some.”

“Don’t you worry, we have the best cook for miles ready and willing to feed people.” Osric knew that nobody but James would do for Garron.

“Good,” another yawn, “no cloves, they make me sneeze and I hate the smell.”

“Anything you want.”

“It was an honor meeting Hunters like you.” Garron’s last sleepy words before falling into his final sleep brought a smile to each of them. They bowed their heads in respect for several long moments.

“I’ll go see to his family. Meet you guys back at camp?” Toby broke the silence.

“Yeah, thanks, Toby. I’ll truss him up and we’ll head over there.” Kenneth cut a long branch from a nearby tree and began tying Garron’s hooves together to bind him to the branch. They would be able to carry him between their shoulders and still have one man to serve as a lookout.

“I guess I will watch from the tree line and make sure we don’t end up as the hunted.” Osric strolled away, feeling good about the hunt. He pulled the wand from its pouch at his right side. The wait would give him time to practice with the wand and one of his newly discovered abilities.

He sat on a large stone to relax and began lifting rocks with the wand. There was nothing special about the spell; levitating objects was simplistic enough to be mastered by small children. However, Osric had never been able to watch the flow of magic as it manipulated something until recently. He couldn’t explain how he had obtained the gift, but he suspected it had something to do with Bridgett’s amulet. He spent a great deal of time in her presence, along with Gus, possibly Archana’s greatest Wand-Maker, and somehow Osric had acquired Gus’ innate ability, amongst many others. One of the most perplexing events that had occurred was Osric gaining the ability to become invisible, after only a brief, violent contact with a Paun. How he came to possess so many gifts, when everyone on Archana was born with only one, was baffling.

As if that were not enough of a mystery, his power had been fluctuating lately, and it was stronger yet again as he cast levitation spells on the rocks. To be fair, he did not yet have a full understanding of his new gifts, never mind the ability to control them. It was possible that his inexperience with the various types of magic could be affecting his ability to perform even simple spells.

Luckily, his own natural ability had remained reliable. He knew how to use his Portentist gift, and could do so in his sleep; it was natural, comfortable, and even a bit boring. The Wand-Maker gift was different. It allowed him to see the strands of magic that flowed from Archana and through everything living in the world. The ability had opened up a whole new realm to Osric’s eyes.

Osric was finding himself ever more excited by the prospect of examining magical artifacts. He had recently developed a strong desire to view the anti-theft charms on the vendors’ carts. A million other curiosities caught his attention every day, but at the moment he was fascinated to find out what he would see with the gift when he performed a simple spell.

Igniting the Wand-Maker gift, Osric peered into the wand and then lifted the rock again. Power flowed through the wand like water. He followed the soothing waves from the wand-tip back to his shoulder and down his body and watched it pouring out of Archana like a fountain in reverse. The brilliance of the light shocked him as he fixated on it. It covered his body in a majestic glow that sent a shiver up his spine. It was beautiful, awe-inspiring, and breathtaking. Osric stood and ran to where Kenneth was tending to the carcass.

“Wait,” he panted as he slowed to get a good look, “I want to see something.”

“What is it,” Kenneth backed away.

“Just a curiosity.” Osric looked hesitantly at his friend. “This whole ‘Wand-Maker’ thing just has me wondering what I’ll see everywhere.”

Osric turned his attention to the swine and activated the gift again. The ability allowed him to peer within the body of the boar and see the magic within. Expecting to see the Garron’s gift, he was shocked to find nothing.

“I don’t understand?” Osric backed away and looked at Kenneth.

“You’re going to have to be a bit more specific. It’s ham.” Kenneth looked perplexed.

“No, that’s not it.” Osric shook his head. “I can’t see his gift.”

“And?” Kenneth shrugged.

“Well, it should be there. Think about it. Why did the eagles pull out of interaction with walkers?” Osric cast a curious glance in Kenneth’s direction.

“They didn’t want to have to live by the rules of the hunt?”

“No, they didn’t want their Chronicleer gift to make its way into our lineage.” Osric clapped his hands in excitement at the realization.

“And I am sure this is going to make sense to me sooner, rather than later.” Kenneth arched an eyebrow at the implied significance of Osric’s statement.

“Follow me.” Osric shifted eagerly as he explained. “We have the hunter’s code so that all can be hunted to nourish another creature. The code allows for Archana’s inhabitants to be fueled by our flesh; we serve a purpose in death. We were always taught that the hunt also allows future generations to gain our abilities. Our blood carries our gifts from one generation to the next.”

“Yeah, I know. I watched the same fire tellings as you when we were boys.” Kenneth was growing impatient at the prolonged explanation.

“Well, if we are to pass anything on from the hunt, then there should still be magic within us after we die!”

“So, you’re saying that everything we were taught as boys is wrong?”

“I don’t know what I am saying, but I can’t make sense of what I am seeing. I’m sure Gus would have something to say about this. I need to talk to him and see how they are doing anyway.” He sighed and went back to his rock while Kenneth finished lashing Garron to the limb.

Osric cast several different spells as he waited, watching the magic as it danced in his newly enhanced vision. Each spell brought a different vibrant color coursing through his body. It was new and exciting, and he reveled in the gift as he examined the colors of the life that surrounded him.

“You ready to go?” Kenneth stood behind him, loaded for the trip.

“Yeah,” Osric stowed the wand, “Toby is probably back in camp already.”

*

“There you are,” Toby said as Osric and Kenneth rounded the bend into camp. “I thought I was going to have to come after you. Here,” he tossed a ring to Osric, “this hunt was your idea. I think you earned that for the relaxation we were afforded.”

“Thanks.” Osric examined the ring in his hand. “I’m honored that Garron would want me to have it,” he said as he slipped the ring on his finger. “It fits perfectly.”

“What was the holdup? You get lost out there?” Toby grinned.

“No, Os here felt like examining half the world with his gifts.” Kenneth nodded.

“You know what it was like when you were young and getting to know your gift? Now imagine that tenfold. I have a lot to learn these days, and I have to take advantage of any time I can to study them.” Osric winked and vanished from sight. Toby’s eyes went wide and Kenneth shook his head, amused. Toby jumped back as his sword was drawn from its sheath and waved in midair before him. Osric reappeared, grasping Toby’s sword and handed it back to him. “I need all the practice I can get.”

“I must admit, I still don’t understand how this happened. We all get the one gift, and this lucky bastard is swimming in them.” Toby feigned a jab at Osric’s chin.

“Hey, I can’t control all of them, and the See-er gift seems to choose the most inopportune moments to rear its head. It’s not all fun and games in here.”

“The man with a room full of gold, complaining about the lack of space in his house.” Kenneth laughed.

“Funny,” Osric growled, “you try it and see if you like everyone looking to you for answers, poking and prodding you every chance they get.” The forest was thinning as they approached the last stretch back to Stanton.

“Ah, I would just poke back. And if they asked me for answers, I’d send them to you.”

“Not to interrupt, boys, but I think we have a problem.” Toby stepped in front of Osric and pulled the two men to a squat. “Look!”

Osric followed the gaze as he perched at the tree line. The streets of Stanton were filled with uniformed soldiers with the familiar mark of the Wizardly Union’s golden wand standard emblazoned on their breastplates. Threads of brightly colored embroidery, representing strands of magic, were woven through the heavy hooded, black cloaks of each man, recognizable even in the distance. The men appeared to be merely loitering in the streets, but their presence was unsettling.

“By my buried bones,” Kenneth exclaimed quietly. “Why are the Kallegian here in such a large number?”

“I’m not sure, but I don’t think we should be walking into the town without some idea of what they are doing here.” Osric looked to Toby for confirmation of his thought.

“I agree. This whole thing seems odd. Something isn’t right here.” He looked at Osric. “The Turgent’s elite force, right here in Stanton? Are you getting anything from them that would indicate why they are here?”

“No. I would have to be closer to feel any significant pull from my gift.” His eyebrows raised, “Actually, I don’t know why the others didn’t give me some kind of warning unless this is a harmless passing by of troops.”

A crack of a stick sounded behind them and they turned, startled. A unicorn stood alone, next to a tree, watching them. Osric stood slowly to approach the animal and felt the familiar forward movement and falling that came from the traveling spell. After a brief moment, he was able to shake the disoriented feeling, and he realized they were no longer on the outskirts of Stanton. He looked around, shocked at his new surroundings, and met the equally confused expressions of Toby and Kenneth.

“Archana’s bones, Osric. Why did you cast that spell and bring us here?” Toby exclaimed. “Unicorns are harmless.”

“I didn’t do it.” Osric shrugged. “I don’t even know where here is.”

“It wasn’t me either.” Kenneth stood and looked around. “I recognize those buildings from my trip with my father when I was young.” He pointed in the distance at a grand city. “I think that’s Rowain!”

“What?” Toby shouted. “How did we end up in the capital city?”

Osric surveyed the town from the distance, trying to think through the events leading up to their traveling across the human realm to the capital city. After a moment’s contemplation, he thought he knew who had cast the traveling spell. Why they were brought to Rowain, however, was still a mystery to him.

“I think it was the unicorn who sent us,” Osric said.

“But they don’t speak. I thought that was a spoken spell that takes you places when you say it,” Toby argued.

“That’s the way it works for us,” Kenneth answered with an addled expression.

“I am starting to wonder if we know a whole lot less about magic than we think.” Osric took a mental step back to try and make a plan.

He didn’t know why they would be in Rowain, and there was nothing he could do without first learning the purpose of being there. He was still worried about the arrival of the troops in Stanton, and he wished he knew more about the situation back home. But it was obvious that they were not supposed to be in Stanton, or the unicorn wouldn’t have sent them away. It was a puzzle he had no answers for, but he thought he had a plan.

“All right, we need at least one of us back in Stanton to be my eyes and ears.”

“That’s me,” Toby answered. “I can’t just leave my family alone with all those Union folk.”

“Good. I’m just going to pop into my home and grab my spell book so it doesn’t end up in the wrong hands. Then, when I get back, you can leave, and Kenneth and I will poke about in Rowain to see if we can figure out why we were sent here. You remember the spell, right?”

“The basic words of it, yes. I will jump about a bit here and there while you’re gone to practice. You explained the concept well enough earlier.” Toby looked a bit nervous.

“I’ll be right back.” Osric focused his mind on the room where he kept the book. “Eo ire itum.” He vanished as Kenneth and Toby watched, and he reappeared in his own home a moment later.

The book sat perched on the shelf where he had left it. He grabbed it and then walked to the window. Osric peeked through the drapings to get a look at the street, careful not to cause any movement. The Kallegian men were leaning against houses and studying the people that walked through the streets. They wore a distinct expression of trouble on their faces that made Osric nervous. It wasn’t the time to investigate, and his Portentist gift was warning him of significant danger. His innate gift, which he had been born with, warned him of moments of significance both positive and negative. The sensation was familiar, and he couldn’t mistake the message he was currently getting from the ability. He stepped back from the window and spoke the spell again.

“How do things look there?” Toby asked anxiously as he approached Osric.

“They are watching for something, or someone. I can’t really tell, but I did not want to be spotted so I got out as fast as I got in.”

“Hearing you say the spell made it a whole lot easier. I think I have a good enough grasp on it to get there. Do you need anything else from me before I go?” Toby asked.

“No. I think you will be safe, just approach from the woods with the meat. Tell them the two of us stayed to keep hunting.” Osric looked behind Toby, “Where did Kenneth go?”

“He didn’t feel well, so he just went behind that tree to sit down.” He motioned to his right at a large maple. “I’ll be off then.” He closed his eyes in a terrific display of nervous concentration, “Eo ire itum,” and vanished.

Osric chuckled at the display and strode towards the tree.

“You all right over there?” Osric approached, ready to leave. Kenneth wasn’t sitting, but rather leaning with his head against the tree and facing away, as if he had fallen asleep while standing. “We can wait till tomorrow if you need some rest. Wouldn’t take long to build a tent if you need it.” Osric felt the sensation of his gift activating, indicating an event of importance, but he couldn’t see anything around them.

Kenneth didn’t move so Osric gave him a nudge to wake him. Kenneth turned slowly and then quickly grabbed Osric’s face in both hands and looked up with sheer white eyes that drew Osric into another time, another place.

Osric felt shackles around his wrists and ankles, and he could hear a muffled voice from his left. He felt a cold, wet wall against his bare back as he opened his eyes in the vision. He shivered in the dim, cold room and strained against his bonds. He noticed a table in the center of the room reflecting pale light from candles mounted on the wall across from him. He heard a familiar cough from his left and Osric turned his head to see Kenneth stretched out on the wall only a few strides away. Kenneth’s face was swollen, and several gashes on his abdomen implied that he had been whipped fiercely. Osric tried to call out to rouse his friend, but his cry was stifled from something stuffed in his mouth. The door on the other side of the room opened. A tall, slender man grinned maliciously as he entered, accompanied by two guards in hooded uniforms that obscured their faces.

“Now, I think I have convinced you both that sarcasm will be met with pain.” The man looked at Kenneth’s unconscious body and then back at Osric. “I need you to tell me about your wand.” Osric recognized the wand the man held as his own, and blackness filled the vision. Kenneth’s voice thundered in the dark, distant and oddly resonant.

The High-Wizard’s heart will break or blight, casting success onto dark or light. When knowledge shared of knowledge gained is won, cast not the common eye upon the stone. First lay the stones from under ground to sky, then shift the sight and weave the flow of time. Build the order, Aranthians arise.

Osric’s vision returned to normal and Kenneth slumped to the ground. Osric caught him and lowered him gently. What in Archana was that? Osric thought to himself. The implications of Kenneth’s vision and prophecy sent Osric’s mind reeling. The vision seemed so real, and the prophecy so disturbing, that Osric was sure he had not imagined it. He could still hear the words echoing in his head. If Kenneth has somehow acquired the See-er’s ability, I really need to contact Gus. He took out his wand and focused.

“Gus, take out your wand, quickly!”

“What in blazes do you want me to hurry for, boy!” Gus’ diaphanous image appeared, hovering in the light cast by the tip of Osric’s wand.

“Kenneth is a See-er!”

“No, he is a Hunter. Even your poor mind should be able to tell the difference.”

“He just grabbed me like the old woman on the dragon deck, and I saw another vision and prophecy. Trust me, I didn’t mistake an arrow for a prophecy.” Osric saw the image of the grassy meadow behind Gus and grabbed Kenneth’s arm. “We are coming to you! You can see for yourself!”

*

“No, wait!” Gus screamed in a panic, but it was too late. Osric had spoken the traveling spell and Gus felt an impact in the air around him as they appeared on the ground behind him. Osric and Kenneth lay coiled up, shivering as they fought for warmth in the trap they didn’t realize was waiting for them. Gus peered at the trap with his gift, hoping there was something he could do to save them, and he screamed as loud as he could in the empty field for Fallon’s help.