Diary of a Conjurer

Tale of the Four Wizards:

patriarchs of the realm

A collection of short
stories.

DIARY OF A CONJURER

D. L. Gardner

Tale of the Four Wizards:

Patriarchs of the Realm

Diary of a Conjurer

D. L. Gardner

These stories are the sole work of

D. L. Gardner.

No portion may be copied or used in any form
without the consent of the author.

@ 2016 D. L. Gardner

ISBN-13: 978-1533003171
ISBN-10: 1533003173

Library of Congress Control Number:
2016910209
CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, North Charleston,
SC

Information may be obtained by
contacting

9385 Olalla Valley Rd SE Port Orchard WA
98367

All characters are
fictitious and any resemblance to any place or person purely
coincidental. More works by the author as well as video and audio
are listed on the author’s website.
http://gardnersart.com

Edited by:

Vikki Becker/Enchanted Editing

Cover art:

D. L. Gardner

Image Credit: NASA and The Hubble Heritage
Team (STScI/AURA) Acknowledgment: N. Scoville (Caltech) and T.
Rector (NOAO)

Prologue:

The Age of Taikus

Fire fought flame, and flame blazed across
the heavens. The torrential downpour filled the sea and the waves
sought to subdue the endless battle. Tonight was the end of all
wrath and injustices that had been swelling like a tsunami against
the island of Taikus. Tonight the keen wit of the Wizards parried
the evil thrust of the Sorceresses. Magic against devilry stormed
the isle and not one inhabitant escaped its terror, for all were
armed in each of their powers, and all powers collided against
their opposites. The explosion was fierce, but in the end, wisdom
prevailed. In the end, defeat came more in spirit than in
suffering.

That is, until the war was over.

For if the treaty had been signed, the House
of Wizardry’s wisdom would have granted amnesty to the women,
seeking only submission from the rebels, obedience from their
children. Their powers would have been suspended as a punishment,
but also as a rein, for too long had their malcontent spread as
gossip across the land. Their life had not been as horrid as they
presumed, from a Wizard’s point of view. If the treaty had been
signed they would have continued a normal and pleasant life on the
island of Taikus, free to buy and sell, to roam the lush
countryside, and to have children. The meadows would have grown
green again; the woods tall and stately, and peace with their
neighbors across the waters would have been maintained. Their only
concession would have been a back seat in politics.

But the Sect of Sorcery, led by the wicked
Hacatine, held its corporate tongue until the entire congregation
of officers waited in the marble halls of Telamande to add their
signatures. When she was handed the pen, Hacatine held her hand
high and with a loud cry, gave the signal. A windstorm of arrows
filled the room and found their resting place in the heart of every
man-warrior there, slaughtering them mercilessly.

The house was in turmoil. People rushed
toward the fallen, weeping. Voices roared in both protest and
exaltation as confusion prevailed.

Elegant, slender, and clothed in black silk,
hair like threads of silver falling gracefully past her waist,
Hacatine approached the golden platform, her hand raised in victory
as though the silence that followed crowned her queen.

“Wizards take note.” She wore a twisted smile
on her face as she scanned the audience. People huddled over the
dead warriors and waved their fists at her. Shouts of profanities
and hatred rang loud, but her army, robust women clad in leather
armor mingled amongst the crowd, their bows drawn, daggers and
swords on their belts and strapped to their boots, ready to
strike.

“You’ve kept the island of Taikus captive too
long,” Hacatine shouted with a laugh, but her continence turned
grave. “Faithless you’ve become. The seas and the power of the West
could have been at our command but you’ve been lazy and complacent.
Like babies. You call yourselves mighty but you’ve refused to fight
the Winds of that world, making concessions and allowing the voices
of its strength to pacify your minds. What is that magic to us that
it should take precedence over your wives and your children? The
Sect of Sorcery, the armed women of Taikus, demand retribution for
your treason. Today you, oh great and powerful Wizards,” She let
the disdain in her voice resonate against the marble walls before
she continued. “Today you are defeated by your own flesh. The Sect
will rise in power. We will sail to the West and rule tyranny over
mankind with a closed fist.”

The women archers raised their bows in
response and shouted in triumph.

“Taikus, take note. You have a new ruler, one
who seeks your prosperity.” She led the rumble of cheers, though it
was unclear if there were other supporters besides her army.
“Because the Sect has now been declared victorious, I hereby decree
that every male that lives in Taikus possessing the corrupt and
treasonous powers of wizardry will be executed, and every male
child will immediately this day be made a slave until his magic is
stripped away.”

Tale of the Four Wizards

Silvio

The Departure

“Hurry,” Claudia whispered. “Hurry
before they find you.”

Silvio’s bare feet sunk deep into
the sand that glowed under the night sky, calves tense as he
trudged toward the water.

His friends picked up the last of
their belongings on the shore. A moment later all four of them
pushed their skiff into the sea, piling their blankets, bows,
lances and arrows as far into the bow as they could rest them. The
salty foam of the breakers tickled Silvio’s toes as the waves
receded, beckoning the lad to follow.

Silvio turned to his mother.

“
Don’t look back, my boy.
Just hurry and stay away from the silver tide. Hacatine’s eyes are
keen and she’ll see you in the moonlight.” The woman stepped
forward.
Her cloak hid her eyes but Silvio
could still see the sorrow that streamed down her cheeks. With
trembling hands, she placed a delicate chain over his head and it
fell around his neck, weightless.

“She’ll take all the power on
Taikus, yours if you stay. Even mine. I’m giving you my magic,” she
said.

“
Mother,” Silvio protested.
He tried moving from her hold, but it was too late. A warm
sensation tingled through his veins as the magical glow of his
mother’s sorcery eased from the tips of her fingers into his flesh.
The
sorceress power felt alien to Silvio,
being a magic of vision and sight, rather than of wisdom like his
own wizardry. She sealed the transfer with a kiss.

“No one can ever steal my magic
from you. With it, you are like a chameleon. Like the branches of a
stately fir, your arms will spread. Your eyes will see everything
that goes on around you, but no one will see you. You will be
nourished by the air you breathe, and in your guise you will find
peace. Use the magic sparingly. If you hide with it too many times,
you’ll arouse suspicion. Hacatine knows sorcery all too well, and
she knows the magic of each of her subjects, mine included. If she
suspects I’ve protected you, she might also guess your whereabouts
just by the nature of the spell. That would endanger both of us.
Now go. Go to the far lands. Don’t return as long as Hacatine is
queen. She’ll kill you if you do.”

When he opened his mouth to
protest, she touched his lips with her fingers. “I would rather
give my son to new lands than have him tortured by the witch. Don’t
argue.
You won’t convince me
otherwise.”

Silvio’s comrades were already in
the boat, bracing their oars in the sands of the shallow water to
keep from floating away.

“Go,” she whispered again.

They embraced.

He feared all he had left of
her was t
he memory of her standing on the
beach—that, and her magic as they rowed over the waves and out to
sea.

“
So! Her
e we are.
Four teenage conjurers sent
adrift from the island of Taikus, running from our homes like
outlaws. To where, no one knows,” Silvio said as they rolled over
the breakers.

“
It’s a sad thing too. The
island needs us
,” Kaempie said.

Silvio and his four friends
held the last of the stabilizing powers Taikus would ever know.
They were the only ones left of their kind. The Sorceress Queen
Hacatine had stripped the magic from the men of the island and left
them helpless. She had slaughtered many of her victims. It was to
Hacatine’s benefit to wait for each Taikan boy to ripen into
maturity so that every bit of their power was ready for her
harvest. Tonight was the night planned for Kaempie and Reuben’s
coming of age ceremony but they all knew it was more likely the
night of their death. Silvio eyed the older boys as they settled in
the crowded skiff. Kaempie rolled up his sleeves, lifted the oars
from under the gunwale and nodded to Meneka. Kaempie was the oldest
of the four and the one that Silvio looked up to.

“
We’ll take our turn at the
oars, two of us at a time,” Kaempie said.
“Meneka, you and I will row first, and then Reuben and Silvio.
We’ll need mine and Reuben’s strong arms to keep us on
course.”

“Ha!” Meneka sneered. “Strong arms?
Is that right? Do Silvio and I look like Taikan women?”

“Taikan women are stronger than you
think, Meneka. Their powers are secret and capture the mind. Don’t
belittle them.” Silvio mumbled, glancing briefly at the chain that
glittered on his chest. He closed his cloak, holding the cloth
tightly together.

And of course
Kaempie’s right,
Silvio thought, but he knew
better than to argue that point with Meneka.

“Still and all, I’ve grub to barter
that my arms are just as strong as theirs.” Meneka glared at
Kaempie.

“Would you care to wrestle to prove
us wrong?” Reuben asked, a wry smile on his face.

“Not in a boat, please,” Silvio’s
green eyes darted between the two. He barely knew Reuben, but he
had always thought of Meneka as a troublemaker. “You’ll drown us
all.”

Meneka snickered.
“Spoken like a true wizard,” he said. “One who
doesn’t know how to swim.”

“I hate the water.” Silvio shifted
on the wooden seat. “And I don’t plan on becoming part of it
anytime soon.”

“We’ll get farther without
quarreling,” Kaempie interrupted. “All of our lives are at risk
right now. Look, the full moon rises.”

He was right. To the east, behind
the island of Taikus, which was now just a dark mass against an
even darker sky, was the faint golden glow of a moonrise.

“
If we don’t reach the
shadows of the northern shores of
Bandene
before daylight, Hacatine will spot us and we’ll all be dead. We’ll
ride the current to Alisubbo and follow the coast from there. Row,
Meneka. Show us that awesome strength of yours.”

“And her serpent? What if she sends
one of her messengers?” Silvio asked. Everyone knew about
Hacatine’s water slaves, giant eel-like creatures that slithered
along the ocean bottom, surfacing at her command. No one was quite
sure how Hacatine tamed them, but it was rumored that whenever she
raised her golden dagger a serpent broke the surf and bowed to her
will. With her spells, the witch not only could summons the
presence of the water eels, but could also call forth the Griffons,
giant condors with black hearts and razor talons. With these
servants, Hacatine was able to track whomever she pleased.

“Let’s just hope she doesn’t know
we’ve left until we’ve reached land.” Kaempie mumbled. “Maybe
she’ll think us insignificant enough not to bother tracking
us.”

“
Yes. Here’s hoping.”
Meneka’s tone reeked of sarcasm. It was doubtful that Hacatine
would stop her pursuit of the last four wizards in the world.
Without their power, she could never claim full dominance over the
Winds of the North.

None of them spoke after
that. Meneka and Kaempie rowed in time with each other, their backs
rocking to and fro as they navigated the surf. The wind picked up
the salty spray as the oars tossed water in the air. Silvio slid
off the seat and nestled against the blankets in the center of the
boat, grabbing onto whatever he could to keep his balance when they
hit a surge. Reuben sat next to him, staring at the island they
were leaving behind.