Journeyman (A Wizard's Life)
Journeyman
A Wizard’s Life
Book 2
By Eric Guindon
Books by Eric Guindon
A Wizard’s Life:
Apprentice
Journeyman
Master (coming soon)
The Prophecies Triptych:
The Reluctant Messiah
An Unexpected Apocalypse
False Messiah
Seven Tribes:
The Spear’s Point
The Orc’s Warning (Coming Soon)
Text copyright ©2013 Eric Guindon
All Rights Reserved
CHAPTER 1: TRAVELLER
Red, alone, and now a Journeyman, Benen regretted not having spent more time working on shape-shifting while he had been pupil to his master.
As one of the most difficult forms of magic to use and understand properly, he felt woefully ill-equipped, with the little knowledge he possessed, to figure it out on his own, but he would need to do so in order to return himself to his proper colouring.
His current red colour was the result of a lesson his sadistic master had inflicted upon him. The change of colour was thorough, including even his eyes and hair. The whole had been effected through shape-shifting; the spell had changed him into a red version of himself.
Benen’s experiences with shape-shifting had not been positive thus far. One of his most recent attempts had almost transformed a rat’s tail into an independent human-shaped person — not the intended result at all!
His last use of shape-shifting had been to kill the creature he had thought was his master.
Their relationship had never been good, eventually getting so bad that Benen and the aforementioned rat had plotted his master’s death.
In the final confrontation, Benen had used his poor control of shape-shifting magic against what he had thought was his master. The creature had changed in random ways, throwing it into confusion and allowing Benen the opportunity to stab it with a knife — repeatedly.
Now, Benen needed to be able to use shape-shifting to resume a normal appearance and all his attempts thus far had failed.
During the day, he walked in the random direction he had chosen after he had left his master’s tower, hoping to find a village or other inhabitation. At night, he camped and worked on shape-shifting for hours before going to sleep, taking advantage of the times the requisite constellations were in the sky.
The key to shape-shifting was the set of stars that made up the Great Sky River. This constellation lent the power of flux and change to wizards who knew how to exploit it. Combined with an appropriate partner constellation’s power, it could be used to perform shape-shifting magic.
For his needs, Benen thought he needed to partner the Great Sky River’s power with the Builder. This constellation governed humans and their works, so it made sense to him that it would be the means to return a red human to a more conventional set of colours for that species.
Unfortunately, his attempts kept failing.
Near the end of Benen’s third day of walking and searching for signs of habitation, he spotted smoke on the horizon. He reasoned there must be one or more houses not too far in that direction and became desperate to appear normal. There was no telling how villagers would react to his current appearance and Benen did not relish finding out.
He camped early and worked with renewed vigour on his shape-shifting.
It was no use.
No matter how he worked the spell, it did not change him back. In fact, it seemed to do nothing at all.
Benen screamed in frustration and cursed Oster, his former master, for having taught him the art of magic so poorly.
Eventually, he calmed himself and did something that he had previous avoided doing; he tried shape-shifting himself using a different constellation as a partner to the Great Sky River.
Benen knew this was dangerous.
If he changed successfully into something else, he might not be able to change back, given that he’d had no success with changing himself into a proper-coloured human so far.
As the second constellation for this experiment, Benen chose the Pinnacle. It governed magic of the sky so he reasoned that it would be correct to use it for shape-shifting into a bird.
He focused on the two constellations, made the appropriate gestures for shape-shifting magic and said incantations associated with the magic involved. As he did this, he pictured himself changing to a majestic eagle.
When Benen finished casting, he felt the power of the magic coursing through him, burning in his veins. This was a good sign. Then this feeling ended and he was still a human being. This was a bad sign.
Benen sighed and moved to get his bedroll, ready to give up for the night. He only had time to take two steps before violent seizures threw him to the ground. A new, sharp pain erupted in his chest and, in moments, the head of an eagle burst from it!
He experienced a strange sensation of doubled perception then: Benen was Benen, but he was also the eagle. He could see through the eagle’s eyes and control its actions. As the eagle, Benen wanted to be free from the man-shape holding him down. His human self, in the back of the eagle’s mind, reeled with pain as the eagle tore him apart. Then the human body died and Benen became solely the eagle and he felt this was right and proper. Around the eagle, the human shape was melting and evaporating, leaving behind only its clothing and possessions.
The eagle Benen took off and flew, revelling in the power and speed provided by his wings.
Although the eagle instincts and identity were strong within the shape-shifted Benen, he was still himself and, as he flew, he gradually asserted more control over his new body. When he pushed this too far, he found he forgot how to fly, so he quickly let go of some of his domination over the eagle.
When he had the perfect balance established, his eagle self was relegated to the governance of the body’s movements and actions, carrying out the will of his human self.
Benen found this relaxing once he got used to it.
Lost in this, he let the eagle follow its instincts, which led to Benen eating his first mouse. It happened so quickly he had not even been aware that he was diving for the small sign of movement he had spotted on the ground. Part of him was revolted, but the other part rejoiced at the meal.
This episode did snap the human Benen out of just enjoying the ride. He willed his eagle-self to return to where he had left his possessions. Once over that spot, he searched for signs of human habitation in the direction he had seen the smoke at the end of the day. His eagle eyes had no trouble finding the village.
He flew over to it, moving much swifter than he would have on foot, and scouted the place.
It was a small village, smaller even than Oster’s Gift — where he had lived before he was taken apprentice by Oster himself.
Satisfied, Benen returned to his possessions and landed. He wanted to be a human being again, but he was not sure how to do this. For one thing, he could not do the hand gestures required for magic, for another he could not speak the incantations.
He knew these were optional, but without them he would be ravaged by the magic. To forgo these measures was to risk his life. Still, he did not have much choice.
This time when he cast the shape-shifting spell, Benen partnered the Great Sky River with the Builder constellation. It had to be the right combination!
In his head he pictured himself as he should be: a human, Benen-coloured, as he had been before his former master’s spell had made him red. He felt the magic come into him and it burned like a fire throughout his body. The sensations overloaded his nerve endings, the pain reaching a crescendo and knocking him out.
#
A growl woke Benen. Even with his eyes closed he could tell that it was daytime now.
Although he feared the pain that was sure to accompany any movement, Benen feared whatever had growled more. He decided to get up and be ready to defend himself all at once; to face all the pain and just get through it without pause. Benen gritted his teeth and sprang up to his feet, eyes wide.
Every muscle ached when he did so and he almost fell over again as spasms went through his body. Worse was his sight, the light felt like spears in his eyes. He knew he had to defend himself so he held on to consciousness with all he had. Squinting, he managed to see what was in front of him; it turned out to be a dog.
Was it a wild dog? Was it going to attack? It still growled menacingly, but it sounded more wary than angry.
Then he heard a voice.
“You’d best put your clothes on first, boy, if you intend to get into a fight with my dog,” it teased.
Benen had been so focused on the threat of the dog that he’d not noticed the man standing nearby. The comment about clothing reminded Benen of the night before and he took a second to glance down at himself: he looked like all his parts were in order and in the right amounts. Best of all, they were flesh coloured. He would have been deliriously happy about this small success in shape-shifting if he was not right then in terrible pain and naked in front of a stranger and his dog.
“I apologize,” he croaked to the man. “I have had a difficult night.” Benen pulled on his trousers, every movement a new journey into previously unexplored pain.
“That much is obvious,” the man’s voice had a friendly mocking edge to it. He got his dog to calm down while Benen finished dressing.
Getting a good look at the stranger for the first time, Benen saw he was a tall, weather-beaten, blond man in his forties, dressed in hides. He looked like a hunter or a trapper. Nearby, a hand cart filled with game confirmed Benen’s assessment of the man. The dog was a brown hunting hound. It was wagging its tail now that its master had reassured him.
“I’m heading to your village, boy. If you will help me with the cart, I’ll share some breakfast with you,” the man offered.
Benen thought that sounded good and, saving his throat, nodded his assent. They settled down together and the man produced a skin of water he handed to Benen. Wasting no time, the young wizard uncapped the skin and took a few swallows of the water. It tasted brackish, but it was a wonderful balm to his poor battered body. He felt more like himself within a few minutes.
As they shared a breakfast of jerked meat and berries, the man introduced himself as Enek. Benen shook his hand and told him his name.
“Have you been drinking mogo juice, Benen?” Enek asked him seriously. “I know it’s quite a ride, but it’ll kill you, you know.”
Benen did not know what mogo juice was, but it seemed Enek felt it might explain Benen’s state, so he nodded.
“Well, you’ve probably learnt your lesson,” the hunter said. “Just remember, there are plenty of safer pleasures to be had.”
“I quite enjoy ale,” Benen declared.
“Ha! Yes, who doesn’t?” Enek smiled companionably. He got up and patted Benen on the shoulder. “Let’s get to walking and I’ll buy you a tankard when we arrive.”
They talked as they walked. Benen found out Enek had a cabin in the deeper woods nearby and made his living trading pelts and meat with the people of this village and a few others. He was a friendly man, perhaps lonely from his time spent alone while hunting. Enek did most of the talking and Benen just enjoyed listening. He found that he too had been lonely; Enek was the first stranger he had met in years. Most of his life Benen had only had his master the wizard and Orafin the rat as company. He realized suddenly that he would soon be meeting many people all the time; the thought was both exhilarating and frightening.
The closer they got to the village, the more farmers’ fields they crossed. They greeted Enek warmly from wherever they were working and ignored Benen, who did not mind. He was enjoying just hearing their talk and seeing country folk going about their everyday lives. The sights and sounds were so like those of his childhood, he revelled in the melancholy feeling rising within him.