Ascendant (8 page)

“
It is a nice view up here.
”
The man said.
“
But it seems like a lot of
trouble to go through just to see the sights. Why, you have gotten your new
clothes all dirty! You
’
ll
have to change into something presentable before you meet the Regent, of
course. So, whatever made you climb out onto the roof? Your shoulder is still
healing, it would not be good to have you undo all my hard work.
”

Koren could
only stare open-mouthed at the man, his eyes almost popping out of his head.
How could this man have walked along the ledge, and onto the roof, as if he
were strolling down a country lane?
“
Sir,
are you, are you a
wizard
?
”
Koren asked fearfully.

Paedris held
up his right hand, palm open. A ball of flame appeared, floating above his
hand. He winked at Koren, and the flame went out.
“
I
’
m terribly sorry, where
are my manners today? I haven
’
t
introduced myself. I am Lord Paedris Don Salva de la Murta, chief wizard to the
royal court of Tarador. I am the only wizard in the royal court, actually, but
chief wizard sounds so much more impressive, don
’
t you think?
”

Koren nodded
silently.

“
And your name is?
”

“
K-Koren. Koren B-Bladewell.
Sir. Of, of Crickdon county.
”

The wizard
held out his hand to Koren, who shook it warily.
“
Pleased to meet you, Koren. Now, why were you
out on the roof? Take a deep breath first, and calm yourself, I
’
d hate for you to roll off
the roof now.
”

Koren didn
’
t trust the wizard, who
had likely pulled Koren out of danger so he could be thrown into the dungeon,
which was the proper place for a poacher, bandit and kidnapper.
“
I heard two women talking
when they thought I was asleep, Sir, they said I am a poacher, and that I was
trying to kidnap that girl because I
’
m
a bandit. I am
not
a bandit, and if this Duke didn
’
t want me hunting in his
private woods, he should have posted signs.
”

Koren had his
arms crossed, and had such a look of determination on his young face that
Paedris burst out laughing, and almost rolled off the roof himself.

“
I don
’
t think it is funny. Sir.
”
Koren said indignantly.

“
Posted signs! Ha ha!
”
Paedris said, wiping
tears of laughter away from his eyes,
“
The
Duke should have posted signs! Oh, I haven
’
t
laughed like that in a long time. Too long, I think. Thank you, Koren. And you
are quite correct, if Duke Yarron wants to keep people out of his woods, he
should post signs. I shall have to tell him that.
”
The wizard
’
s shoulders heaved as he chuckled.

“
I
’
m not in trouble for
poaching?
”

“
Trouble? Goodness, no, you
’
re not in any trouble.
”
Paedris considered the
tray of pastries that he had balanced on his lap.
“
You must be hungry. I
brought these sweets for you, but I find myself to be tempted. Especially by
these,
”
he
picked up a fruit tart that was piled high with fresh whipped cream,
“
they are my favorite.
”
The wizard took a large
bite, and came away with his nose, mustache and beard covered with cream. He
grinned at Koren, and looked so ridiculous that Koren had to laugh, despite his
fear.
“
Here,
take a pastry before I spill this off the roof.
”

Koren reached
out carefully and took the smallest pastry on the tray. It had been so long
since he
’
d
eaten anything sweet, except for berries and wild apples. And the season for
those was gone by. He bit into the cookie slowly, keeping a sharp eye on the
wizard the whole time.

“
Well, Koren Bladewell, I
think you had better tell me how you came to be living in the wilderness by
yourself. Where are your parents?
”

Koren bit his
lip while he tried to think of what to say, how much to tell. He couldn
’
t lie to a wizard, from
the stories Koren had heard about wizards, they were great and terrible, and
fond of turning people into toads, or frogs. The truth tumbled out of Koren
’
s mouth, he told the
wizard of Crebb
’
s
Ford, and his family being banished from the village, his parents leaving him,
and how he had made his way south, living in the wilderness, trying to stay
ahead of the winter.
“
I
’
m not a bandit, sir,
really I
’
m
not, I was only trying to help that girl. Sir, I know I
’
m a jinx, and I don
’
t want to be a danger to
anyone, don
’
t
want to be any trouble, sir, I promise I won
’
t be any trouble at all, so now that I
’
m better, I
’
ll be on my way? Please,
Sir?
”
Without
his pack, he didn
’
t
know how he was going to survive, but it was best he got out of the castle
before the Duke changed his mind. Or before there was an
‘
incident
’
in the castle, and the
wizard realized what a dangerous jinx Koren was. Wizards, Koren was sure, knew
all about jinxes.
“
Sir?
Can I go now? I won
’
t
be any trouble, sir, I swear. Please, sir?
”

It was the
wizard
’
s turn
to stare in surprise. He needed a moment to catch up to Koren, the boy talked
so fast that his words were a jumble. Paedris had never considered the
possibility that this boy would not know about his own magical power! The boy
had been exiled from his village, and abandoned by his parents, because they
thought he was a jinx. Paedris knew the
‘
incidents
’
which caused people to
think Koren was a jinx were actually signs of Koren
’
s inability to control his
magical power, the magical power the boy didn
’
t even know he had! When the wagon was
rolling toward the mill, Koren had willed the wagon to
stop
, and
stop
it did, along with everything else around him, including the unfortunate mill
’
s water wheel. Until Koren
learned to control his ability, he would be dangerous.

Paedris wished
he could tell Koren why he wasn
’
t
a jinx. But he couldn
’
t.
No thirteen year old boy who knew he had immense magical power could resist
using it, and Koren was far too young and untrained to control his immense
power, not even with the help of a master wizard. Such a boy would be a
constant target of Tarador
’
s
enemies; if they could not kidnap Koren, they would try to assassinate him. No,
the only way to keep Koren safe was to hide his magical power from the world,
even from Koren himself, until the boy was old enough to control his own power,
and could protect himself from his enemies.

“
Sir? Master wizard? Lord,
uh, Murta?
”

“
Huh?
”
Paedris realized he had
been silent for some time, contemplating what it meant that Koren didn
’
t realize he was a wizard
himself.
“
Oh,
call me Paedris, please. Or, Lord Salva, when we
’
re in public. La Murta is my home village,
far away from here. Koren, you may leave here any time you like, but I think
there has been a very great, a terrible misunderstanding. No one thinks you are
a bandit, or a kidnapper, in fact, the room you were in was Duke Yarron
’
s personal study, you are
the Duke
’
s
honored guest in his castle. You are a
hero
. That girl you rescued is
Ariana Trehayme, crown princess and heir to the throne of Tarador.
”

“
P-princess?
”
Koren had heard the women
say the name
‘
Ariana
’
, but he never thought she
was
the
Ariana. Even in tiny Crebb
’
s
Ford, people knew the name of their crown princess.
“
She is that Ariana?
”

“
Yes.
”
Paedris nodded.
“
Whatever the people of,
what did you call your village, Crab Ford? Whatever foolish thing they thought
of you there, here you are a hero.
”

“
But I
’
m a jinx.
”
Koren sputtered,
disbelieving his change of fortune.

“
Bah!
”
The wizard snorted in
disgust.
“
There
is no such thing as a jinx, and don
’
t
you forget that. Trust me, wizards know about these things. You are not a jinx.
”

“
I
’
m not a jinx?
”
Koren asked hopefully.

“
No. Never have been 
There is no such thing, it is a silly superstition.
”

“
And I
’
m not in trouble?
”

“
Goodness, no, not at all.
”

“
And the princess thinks I
’
m a
hero
?
”
Koren almost couldn
’
t get the word out of his
mouth, it sounded so strange.

“
Quite so. I think you are
a very brave young man. That was a rather large bear, and you faced it alone,
unarmed?
”

“
It was a large bear, sir,
and I, well, I couldn
’
t
think of anything else to do.
”
Koren considered the wizard
’
s
words. Could his life truly be changing, for the better?
“
What will happen to me?
”
He asked in a whisper.

“
Well, let me think.
”
The wizard popped another
fruit tart in his mouth.
“
There
might be a feast in your honor, if you feel up to it. Listening to many tedious
speeches, of course, that is the part of being a hero that never seems to make
it into the legends. Then there will be much wearing of scratchy clothes that
don
’
t fit
properly, and having to remember which fork to use at dinner-
“

“
There is more than one
type of fork?
”
Koren asked, surprised. He was used to eating with a knife.

“
Oh, yes, there are a
frightfully large number of forks, all with their own purpose. And different
types and sizes of knives and spoons, also, and you will have to know which
type is proper to use, or it will cause an
immense
scandal. Later, when
you have grown tired of being celebrated as a hero, you can come live with me
in the royal castle, if you like. It just so happens that I am in need of an
assistant at the moment. The pay isn
’
t
much, but-
“

Koren
’
s gasped in surprise.
“
I would be
paid
?
”
Who paid a boy to serve
as an assistant? Most of the boys Koren knew of who served as apprentices
earned no pay, and often a boy
’
s
parents had to pay to get their son such a position, to be trained in a trade
such as blacksmithing.

“
Er, well, yes Would you be
interested in such a position?
”
Paedris glanced sideways at Koren to see the boy
’
s reaction. The only way to keep Koren safe,
was for Paedris to watch him constantly.
“
As
my personal servant, as it were.
”