Creators Guild: A Wizard's Beginning (6 page)

             
"Roland, what I'm about to tell you is to be kept secret. You can’t even tell your family or closest friends, even if you believe you can trust them with your life," he said, stern yet respectful.

             
"I swear by my own life, and the life of my father."

             
"Very well then; you must listen and pay close attention to what you are about to hear. Any questions I ask, you must reply quickly and honestly, do you understand?"

             
"Yes."

             
"I told you before that I am a wizard from the Sovereign Order, have you ever heard of them?"

             
"No sir."

             
"We are the users of White Magic. When the world was created we as a people were lost.  We had many struggles and a difficult time with survival.  The great creator saw this and granted a few people with the gift of magic. The power was pure and elemental, to help with the survival of the people. A few chosen from every race were called together and given this opportunity with a vow to use it only for good.  The power was based on four basic principles.

             
First is Honesty, to be able to control the magic you must be honest at all times, this means to tell the truth as you know it, and to be fair to everyone.  Do not judge people for what they are, but for who they are inside.

             
Second is Integrity, you must have impeccable integrity, so as not to be influenced by the Dark Lord, for he too can control the elements.

             
Third is Charity, you will come to a time in your life when you must give of yourself freely. Helping anybody at any time when they need it.  This may seem like a simple task, but let me warn you now, self-indulgence and pride are the greatest of evils for someone like us.  To give of yourself freely, in the end will allow you to see all that is good.

             
Fourth and foremost is Discipline. Once you learn how to harness the power of the elements to the degree which can be done, it takes great discipline. Both the mind and body must be disciplined so that you don’t take on too much power, and to know when and how to use it.  This is the hardest thing to learn, because if people know who we are they will be tempted to find ways to make us abuse our abilities for their own gain.

             
Remember these words that I have told you this night, for they are what will control your life from this time forth.  Do you have any questions about what you are about to take upon yourself?"

             
"Not at the moment, that is a lot to remember, so when do I start learning?"

             
"Have patience; remember to start disciplining yourself now in self control."

             
The conversation lasted a little longer, but both were tired so they decided to retire for the night. The next few days they were unable to travel very much because of heavy snows. They had been traveling in a south easterly direction and the snow began to come faster and thicker. Fortunately they were traveling on the horses or they would already be up to their wastes.  They found a cave to rest in for the next few days as the heaviest of the snows continued to come down.

*      *       *

              "Master I have failed you, the boy has gotten away and he lives," whimpered Marcolin.

             
"Indeed, what happened? He was a young boy, with no knowledge of magic, or so you told me,” replied the dark voice, penetrating into Marcolins’ mind, tormenting him.

             
"He.. He had no knowledge; there was someone else with him. All I know is whoever it was that was with him controlled the magic."

             
"Very well then maybe I shall let you live to serve another day, please sit and have a drink."

             
"Thank you master," he said. 

             
As he took his seat the floor beneath him opened, dropping him into a dark cavern.

             
"Well that was a waste of a slave now wasn't it," came a voice from the shadows of Maglons throne room.

             
"He was a waste, and now he will have time to think of his failure for a very long time.  This is a secret that only two people know of now, it is a hole in time, or better said, a place where time forgot. It has no end that I know of, and because time forgot this forsaken hole, time does not pass as we know it. So as I said he will have a very long time to think of it. He will wait until the Dark Lord decides he is ready to take the miserable soul of the man."

             
"What is it you would have me do now father."

             
"Apparently, he has been found by the Order. Assuredly he is now under their protection; however we must find him, before he goes into hiding. I leave it to you my child, find him and bring him to me by any means that you must. Preferably alive, but if dead we can still consecrate his body to the Dark Lord, he can still serve his purposes."

*      *       *

              "We’ll stop here for a few days,” Maglin said, “Roland, the next few days are going to be difficult for the two of us. Tylon, from you we will need complete silence; we need to be undisturbed. I am leaving you in charge of taking care of the animals as well as the camp, do you both understand me?"

             
"Yes sir," they both replied. Both had grown used to Maglin being short with them, each night he would take Roland just outside the camp and teach him.  He was helping him to remember all the important information he needed to know.

             
"Tell me what are the five elements of magic, and what do they stand for."

             
"Earth is the essence of all that grows; with it a wizard can bring new life to the driest of ground. With magic it can be altered to destroy living things as well.  I vow to never use it to destroy innocent lives, and to protect mother earth.

             
Fire, friend and foe as it gives us heat, but it can also destroy what has been created.  With it a wizard can cleanse a person or the earth giving way for new life to form. It is the key element of magic to heal, for with fire comes purification, and with purification comes healing.  I vow to never use it to destroy but only for the purposes of good.

             
Wind, with this a wizard can assist in the toughest of tasks. Wind appears to be the lightest, but it is deceitful because it is the strongest.  I vow to use wind with caution, for I know it can destroy, and even the smallest of creatures depends on wind, as do I.

             
Water, this is a cleanser like fire, and creator like earth. It is also a way to look into the soul of a person, to find their true appearance.  Water can be a barrier for we cannot survive in it long as the creatures of the sea do.  I vow to treat water with the respect it deserves, for it can kill.

             
Probability is the strongest of powers. It can bring the past to life, and bringing the future to pass. To change an item with this is to change the destiny of all who it touches.  I vow to protect myself from probability and all that is associated with it, if I use it, it is only for the purpose of learning."

             
"Very good, tonight we’ll be doing something new. Each person has a personal element with which they are tied to, and generally this will be their strongest element of magic.  Most people are tied to the physical elements, very few to probability.  Tonight we will test you for this. This exercise will take a great deal of your strength and much patience.  To begin you must find your center, the very core of your personal essence.  You will know when you find it when you can feel nothing around you. You will feel as though you are one with all the elements.

             
Once you have reached this stage, you will feel a pull; you must follow this feeling with your mind.  It may feel like you have been gone for many hours, however you may only be gone but a few moments.  Also there is something very important to remember. Anything you see or hear while in this trance you must try to remember. It’s usually something very important for your own future.  Do you understand?"

             
"Yes, I believe so," he said, reluctant to try.

             
It took him about a half an hour to finally get his nerves calmed down enough to concentrate on what he was going to do. He sat there with his eyes closed trying to concentrate before he started to feel the calm and peace inside. There was a sense that someone was there to guide him, even though he couldn’t see them.

             
He finally found his center, and as Maglin had told him, he could feel himself slipping into the elements. It was the strangest feeling, loosing oneself in what seemed to be oblivion.  He soon found the peace that he was told about, and soon after came the small pull. It wasn’t strong, nor did it feel like something physical, more of something pulling at the back of his mind.

             
He slowly opened his eyes and he was back in his bed on the farm the sun just coming over the mountains. He thought to himself that he had just woken up from a dream.  When he got up he was already dressed.  He went out to the barn where he knew his father would be taking care of the animals.  He walked over to talk to his dad when he heard a women's voice behind him.  He quickly turned to see a tall slender woman, someone who looked just like his mother, carrying a small child in her arms.

             
As she walked towards them they started talking, she was bringing him their son. For a minute he was shocked, they were talking about him, he felt odd inside and it scared him a little. When his mother walked right through him as though he wasn’t even there it broke the trance he was in.  At that moment he knew it was not a dream and started to concentrate on where he was, he remembered Maglin telling him to follow the pull.

             
He never realized how difficult it would be to leave his family like that, but he knew he had to find whatever it was he was looking for.  As he turned to walk away the whole world spun, making him nauseated.  When it finally stopped he was at the town festival that had just ended. He saw Ty and Bethamine talking, both of them seemed to be extremely sad. There were traces that they had both been crying. He decided to get closer to see if he could see what the problem was.  They were talking of him and his father, as if they were dead, killed by an attack from a pack of wolves.  He didn’t understand this; he and his father were both alive; they had won the attack.

             
He started to run trying to somehow communicate with Ty and Beth, the thought came to him that maybe he was dead and he just didn't realize it.  With that thought a deep despair crept into his heart, weighing heavy on his mind.  In the far reaches of his mind he knew it was not true, once again shaking off this new vision he was having.

             
As he turned around again, the world spun again, the dizziness brought him to his knees with the desire to vomit.  Once the spinning stopped he was in some place he had never seen before, it was a giant castle, made from beautifully crafted granite.  He decided to enter the castle now and use to the fact that nobody could see or hear him, he felt safe.

             
The inside of the castle was lit by giant lanterns hanging on the walls. The tapestries were the finest that he had ever seen. The floors were lined with carpets, and the halls were adorned with many fine trinkets.  He reached the throne room; the doors stood twenty partels high, arched at the top.  They looked as though they had been made from the finest of redwood trees, carved by a master carver. The mural was depicting what seemed to be a great battle with the victor standing on a giant hill. The looser appeared to be falling, the face contorted in what looked like the worst of pain.

             
The doors looked too heavy to be opened by a single person, but all that stood between him and entering were two guards. Neither was wearing any armor, their clothing seemed to be made of fine cotton, dyed a crimson red, and on the front was what appeared to be a crest. A man holding a scepter with a crown a few inches above his head, while he was standing there in amazement at the beauty of the place a small party approached. The crier announced them as Prince Trention and the Lady Bethamine of Nevel.

             
He turned his head and caught a glimpse of the party that was now coming down the hall, walking next to the prince was Bethamine. She was dressed in the most elegant dress he had ever seen. Made from the most beautiful blue silk he had ever seen.  Her hands and neckline were traced in a white lace, the gown made to fit her body snuggly, with too low of a neckline for him. But it did accentuate all her finer qualities, while masking any imperfections.   He was a little surprised to see she would wear something like that.

             
As they came to the door both the guards pushed on a single door, they swung open wide, with seemingly little effort.  He walked into the room with them, looking around. In the middle of the floor was a giant symbol, an exact duplicate from the one he saw in his dream.  The room was brightly lit from the giant windows on either side.  The throne sat on the far side of the room; from the doorway he couldn’t see who sat on the throne. He could see that the thrones were made from gold, embedded with many jewels.