The High-Wizard's Hunt

Chapter 7

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Power Gained, Power Lost

“Wakey, wakey, wakey, wakey!”

Osric felt a gentle prodding on his right cheek as his senses slowly rose out of the cold, black, painful fog of unconsciousness. There was a playful childishness to the rhythmic vocalization pulling him from his slumber. Osric slowly regained mental awareness of himself and his surroundings, but opening his eyes proved more difficult than he expected. His mind was still dazed, but he managed to allow a small sliver of light beneath his lids. As he adjusted to the sudden brightness, he heard the childlike voice near his ear.

“Hello, Unicorn.” Pebble peered down at him from above with a smile. “You’s wants to play I’s see somethin’ you’s don’t?”

“Pebble, get down from there. Oh,” Bridgett started when she realized Osric was awake as she scolded the prairie dog pup. Osric smiled in spite of the residual effects of the magical attack on his senses and his body. The small, furry face grinned back at him.

Osric watched Bridgett move closer to his bedside, and he sighed gently to see her staring down at him. Just the sight of her brought memories of their time together flooding to the forefront of his thoughts. She scooped Pebble up from the bed and set him gently on the floor.

“Run along and play for a while, Pebble. Osric still needs to rest.” Bridgett glanced back at Osric. “Welcome back.”

“Did Pebble just call me Unicorn, or was I still asleep?” Osric attempted to turn his thoughts away from their past moments together.

“Oh, sorry about that. He has been trying to wake you all morning. He has been calling you and Kenneth Unicorn since you arrived; I think he is obsessed with them.” Osric noticed dark circles under Bridgett’s eyes, and her long, auburn hair was disheveled. She looked as though she had not slept in days. Concern creased his brow as she reached down to feel Osric’s forehead with the back of her fingers. “If I had known he would manage to wake you up today, I would have made sure he did not pester you.”

“I can think of worse things to wake up to.”

“How are you feeling?”

“I’ve had better days.” Osric’s chest ached as he attempted to sit up, and a fit of coughing forced him back against the pillow.

“In fact, you have had better weeks. You have been unconscious for the past fifteen days.”

“Two weeks?” He tried to sit up again, but his body painfully objected to the motion. “What happened? I tried to join Gus in the field he was in and we ended up in a snowstorm.”

“Gus tried to stop you, but you had already spoken the spell. There is a trap that keeps uninvited guests from coming in by means of magic. Perhaps now you will listen when I warn you that unknown magic can be dangerous.”

Osric grimaced at the implication of his carelessness and changed the subject.

“You look tired. Have you been here all night?”

“We have all taken turns watching you while you were out. We knew you would have questions, and we didn’t want you to wake up alone.”

Osric wondered how much of the time Bridgett had sat with him, and the thought of her being in the room lifted his spirits. Then his thoughts turned away from himself to his friend.

“How is Kenneth?” Osric gave in to his body’s demands and rested back against the soft bed.

“He woke nearly a week ago.” Wrinkles caressed her brow while she smoothed the blankets over his chest. “We were starting to worry about you.”

“That’s a brutal protection spell they have here. Why would they need it? The unicorns can’t be killed.” Osric’s parched mouth ached for water, and his stomach growled, although he wasn’t sure he could keep food down. A mug sitting next to the bed caught his attention. He reached for it, and felt the silky, smooth blankets against his entire body. I’m naked! He lowered himself back to the bed too quickly, every muscle crying out in objection. His cheeks flushed as he thought about Bridgett sitting so near him while he lay in bed, naked.

“Let me get that for you. You just rest,” Bridgett instructed him, hearing his gasp for air. She brought the fluid to his mouth, and he drank it slowly, grimacing at the slightly bitter tang of whatever herbs Bridgett had steeped in the beverage. “As far as we can tell, the protection spell is for the Maiden of the Unicorn. None of us really know how it works, but Gus has some theories. He should be here any moment for his watch. He usually brings some food in case you wake up.”

“Did he discover anything interesting?” Osric spoke quickly, pulling the blanket up higher over his bare chest. “How can Kenneth be a See-er too?” He noticed the amulet she wore around her neck, and his mind flashed back to the day at the palace when they met. She had held herself with such confidence and surety of her position as she made her way toward the unicorn. Osric realized that she was talking, but he wasn’t listening to her. He forced his mind back to the moment. “I’m sorry, can you say that again? My head hasn’t seemed to wake up as much as the rest of me just yet.”

“Of course.” She smiled and tipped the cup so he could sip the fruity beverage as she spoke. “I was just saying that I don’t know much about it, but Gus has spent some time examining both you and Kenneth. He thinks he understands what is happening. He wants to talk to you when you wake up. In fact, I’m surprised that he hasn’t been here yet this morning.”

“Maybe I could get dressed before he gets here? I’m feeling a bit exposed right now.”

“Oh yes, I’m sorry.” Handing him the cup, she walked to a chest at the foot of the bed and opened it. “Your clothing was cleaned and put in here.” She placed his clothes on top of the chest. “I’ll try to track down Gus and some food for you to eat. Drink the rest of that.” She indicated the mug in his hand with a glance. “It will help you recover. Take your time getting dressed as you will likely be weak and dizzy.” She smiled at him with a look of relief to see him awake. “We will knock before we come back in.”

“Thank you.” Osric returned her smile as she gathered Pebble in her arms and closed the door.

His muscles felt weak and limp as he slowly set the mug on the bedside table and rose from his position. His legs shook with the weight of his body, and the small distance he needed to cover to get his clothes required most of what little strength he had. Pulling on the breeches and tunic used the rest, and he collapsed back on the bed when he was done. He lay still, mentally assessing each ache and pain in his body and staring at the shadows that danced on the ceiling from the candles around the room. After a time, he heard voices echoing outside his room and growing closer. A knock came at the door.

“Come in.” Osric turned his head slowly to see Gus, Bridgett, and Pebble enter the room. Bridgett set a small, wooden bowl of chopped fruit on his lap, and then she helped him sit up against the pillows.

“Eat up so I don’t have to listen to you whine,” Gus proclaimed as he climbed up the blanket near the foot of the bed.

“You won’t hear me object to that.” Osric began shoveling the food into his mouth as quickly as he could with his shaking hands. It was no easy task, but his stomach made more protest than the rest of his body, so he ignored what he could in order to satisfy his appetite.

“You could have avoided this whole incident if you had only waited a moment more. But that is all behind us now, and I trust you have learned your lesson?” It wasn’t like Gus to skip over a lecture, but from the speed of his chatter it seemed as though he had a desire to get on to more important topics. “I noticed some interesting things in the spell that protects this place. It made me realize that I was missing something in you as well. Thank Archana that you survived so I could verify my thoughts. Soon as you are finished with that, I want you to do something for me.”

“What did you discover in the protection spell,” Osric inquired, slurping a juicy fruit he did not recognize into his mouth. It had a terrific flavor and he began feeling a bit of his strength return as he ate. Or, perhaps it was the effects of Bridgett’s herbs. Either way, he was glad to be feeling the least bit like himself again.

“Well,” Gus arched an eyebrow, “it attacked you with more intensity than it attacked Kenneth.”

“What do you mean? Why would a spell react stronger to me?”

“You are the most powerful Wizard the world has ever known,” Bridgett sat down in a chair across the room and grinned, a hint of teasing in her tone. Osric felt a surge of warmth flood through him as they briefly made eye contact.

“So I have been told.” He set the empty bowl on a stand next to the bed, wishing they had brought him more. “Anyone want to trade for a day? Just let me know.”

“The thing is, the spell attacked Kenneth with greater intensity than it attacked both Pebble and I when we arrived. That got me to thinking about that wand of yours.”

Osric looked around suddenly, wondering where his wand and sword were. He didn’t see them anywhere.

“Where are my things? The book, my wand, my money pouch, my sword?”

“The book and your pouch are in the chest right here.” Bridgett pointed to the foot of the bed where she had retrieved his clothes.

“Your wand is drying, boy. I can’t have you walking around with a Gus wand with that much power, without it looking as good as the others.” Gus stood tall. “I have a reputation to uphold.”

“And where is my sword?” Osric was more concerned about the sword than the rest; it was the only piece he had left of his father. The wand may have a great deal of power, but he could live happily for the rest of his life if someone else had to deal with everything that came with it.

“The lady at the forge saw both of your swords when you arrived and took a liking to them. Once she heard about all your exploits from Kenneth, she wanted to make you a better hilt. She has a fondness for blades. You should see what she did with Kenneth’s,” Gus jeered. “The two of them have been spending quite a bit of time together since he woke. But enough about that, we can figure this out without your wand.” He held out his own wand for Osric to take.

“What do you want me to do?” Osric took the short wand in his hand and held it at the ready.

“I’m sure you remember how to light the tip,” Gus said sardonically, forcing Osric to remember their first argument over the wand back in Stanton. “I will examine you to see if my suspicions are correct. I already performed the same test with Kenneth.”

Osric was surprised to find that he was not as timid about being examined as he used to be. It wasn’t that long ago that he would have argued to exhaustion to keep Gus from peering inside of him. He even had a bit of excitement to hear what was discovered when it was over. That spell must have done more damage than they thought! He lit the tip of the wand and waited.

“Now, that is interesting!”

“I’ve seen what you are looking at, but I guess I didn’t know it was significant. Do you mind explaining it to me?”

“Better yet, give me the wand, boy. I will do the same thing. You look and tell me what you see.” Gus took the wand from Osric and caused the tip to light.

Osric gazed past the surface and watched the dim flow of magic from within Archana stream its way through Gus to the end of the wand.

“Do you see the difference now?” Gus’ voice was full of energy and he perched up at his full height.

“I’m not sure.” He knew that something was different, but he could not make out what it was.

“That in itself is interesting.” Gus chuckled. “It must be easier to teach a child new things than an adult. Pebble would have noticed first thing.”

“You’s is brighter, silly,” Pebble said, as if to confirm Gus’ suspicion as he giggled from the center of the room.

“Exactly! The child has always been a quick study.”

Osric found himself excited to have learned something new. He envied Pebble for having a father who had a lifetime of wisdom to pass on. Gus was no great father, but it was obvious that the two of them complimented each other’s abilities, even with the large age difference between them. He shared the laughter at his lack of insight and vowed to himself to pay closer attention to details.

“Okay, so what does that mean? Why should brightness affect anything?”

“I am sure you noticed the color, correct?”

Osric nodded in affirmation.

“Good, you may not be a hopeless case after all.” Gus sat down awkwardly on the uneven blanket. “The color is the intent of the spell, the brightness is the power.” His paws emphasized the importance of the statement. “I can’t believe I didn’t notice it before. Have you looked at anyone but yourself until today? Ah, that’s not important. Look in me now as I sit here without using any magic.”

Osric did as he was told. He noticed two green spheres.

“That’s the Wand-Maker gift in your eyes?”

“Yes, but look closely. Not at my gift, but at my body. They are tricky to spot because they are almost clear. They look like the heat from a flame. Just a bit of a distortion, like looking through a very thin piece of glass,” Gus spoke slowly and carefully.

Osric moved his head slightly from left to right, trying to catch a glimpse of what Gus was referring to.

“I see it,” Osric bellowed. “What is that? They’re very small, like crystal strands.”

“Yes, that’s a good way to think of it. They are life, boy. That’s what their purpose is anyway. Without them, you would simply die.”

“So what are you trying to show me with them? I mean, is there something special in yours that I should see?”

The door to the room swung open and Kenneth came in, followed by a red haired woman.

“Os,” Kenneth exclaimed while carrying a plate. “They told me you woke and I had to get you some good food. I knew Gus wouldn’t bring you enough for as long as you were out. He didn’t seem to care too much about my hunger anyway. Smoked beef and boiled eggs, that’s the good stuff!” He set the plate on the table and looked back at Gus in defiance.

“Good timing, lad. We can use you for a lesson now.” Gus smirked back at him.

“No, thank you. I was peered at long enough while I was out.” Kenneth backed toward the door, his mood quickly shifting to apprehension as he moved. “Me and Jane,” he nodded at the woman who followed him in, “have plans anyway. I just wanted to welcome Os back to the world of the living.”

“I don’t think so.” Gus waved his wand and the door slammed shut. “Osric will be the one looking this time, and I can’t show him without you here.”

Kenneth frowned, gazing from Gus to Osric and then shrugged.

“Don’t you want to show me how brave you are?” Jane spoke teasingly at Kenneth’s expression.

Kenneth’s chest inflated as he looked at Jane and moved close to Osric, giving him a knowing smile.

“Let’s get this over with as quickly as we can. I have very important plans.”

“Yes, that’s nice.” Gus dismissed the chatter and turned his attention back to Osric. “Now, look at his life strands. Try to ignore his gifts. He has many of the same that you have, so don’t linger too long.”

Osric gazed at the clear fibers that he saw within Kenneth, making sure to note any small difference. It was hard to ignore the gifts. He had several of them, including the See-er ability, and Osric had a hard time with the reasoning behind it. Osric didn’t know what all of the gifts were, but he spent little time inspecting them.

“There are more of them, is that it?”

“Very good.” Gus managed to sound impressed and Pebble clapped with joy.

Osric looked back. He had made an important discovery, or so they seemed to think, but he had no idea what it meant. Nevertheless, it felt good to finally have done something right in Gus’ eyes.

“Do you mind explaining what that means? Does it mean that we can’t be killed?”

“Oh, and then you have to go and say something like that.” Gus hung his head. “I thought it would be obvious, but I guess I will have to simplify things a bit. The life strands are your power. With more strands, comes more power. In fact, that may be the reason you were attacked so vigorously by the shield surrounding the grove. It attacks with more force than is applied to it by magical means. This may be the reason you were affected so, but it may also be the reason you survived the encounter.”

“Why would you be focusing on all this anyway?” Kenneth’s question was tinged with impatience. “I’d rather you be telling us how in graves we both have all these gifts!”

Jane gasped at the expression, but smiled behind her hand.

“I’m sorry, but you have been focusing on the life strands in me for a week, when you should be figuring out why I have acquired more gifts.” A vein stood out on Kenneth’s forehead as he spoke.

“If you have any idea how it is happening, Wand-Maker, I would be happy to listen to whatever wisdom you can bring to the conversation.” Gus stood and inched himself closer to Kenneth with every word.

“Stop fighting.” Bridgett pushed Kenneth backward, glaring at him, until he took a seat in the corner of the room. Kenneth continued to glare over at the bed, looking as though he would strangle Gus if only given the opportunity. “We need to focus. Nothing like this has ever happened before, as far as any of us know, and we need to figure out why it is happening now.”

“That’s right,” Gus calmed himself, “we know a lot less than we thought just a short time ago. I am as much a student, again, as you are.”

Osric sat, wide eyed, watching the scene unfold. It was comforting to know that he wasn’t the focus of all the attention anymore. Yet, with all the commotion, he had no idea what he should be thinking, or doing, for that matter.

“I don’t know what is behind your gifts. I am the best Wand-Maker in Archana, yes, but I am certain that we are discovering things that have never been thought of. It may take time, but we will sort through this.” Gus rubbed his forehead with his paw and made his way back to the foot of the bed.

“What am I supposed to be seeing in the the life strands?” Osric tried to pull the conversation back.

“Ah, yes,” Gus cleared his throat, “All of us are born with the same amount of magic. Well, the life strands are that magic. One gift, one measure of magic. You,” he motioned at both Osric and Kenneth, “are actually gaining power each time you gain a gift.”

“Great, one mystery solved.” Osric rolled his eyes. “We still have about a dozen more questions. Why do only Kenneth and I have more gifts? Why are the unicorns sending us to Rowain when we need to find a way to stop a war? Why can’t we see a difference in my wand? And why in Er’amar’s wand are the Kallegian in Stanton?” Osric swore as his frustration grew.

The room grew silent as he spoke. Osric looked up to see each of his friends avoiding his gaze. Something in the way they avoided looking at him, staring wide eyed at each other, made for an uncomfortable silence that caused him worry.

“What is it?” He looked to Kenneth for an answer, and Pebble crept slowly and stood behind Bridgett’s leg.

“You know it would be best coming from you, Kenneth. The boy wouldn’t believe me anyway.” Gus turned to Kenneth and motioned to Osric with one paw. “He isn’t wise enough to realize just how smart I am, yet.”

“Will someone just tell me; what has happened?”

Kenneth looked wearily at Jane and stepped slowly toward the bed.

“The Wizardly Union has disbanded the Vigiles,” he spoke in a hushed tone.

“What?” Osric’s heart nearly beat out of his chest as he rose up off the bed in one swift movement.