Wizard's Education (Book 2) (8 page)

"When the sunbeam strikes the statue, there is extra magic. Just watch and wait. She stood before the altar looking down at the rabbit as the sunbeam crept slowly towards the statue.

Chihon thought about what he said as she waited. It
was
just like butchering a rabbit for dinner, wasn't it? Her heart raced as the sunbeam crept towards the statue.

Otana stood beside her, whispering in her ear, speaking the words of the spell she would need to absorb the life force of the rabbit. She could feel his firm grip on her hand as he spoke. As the sun struck the statue, she felt him guide her hand and she quickly pulled the knife across the animal's throat, releasing its blood.

She could feel the life force seeping out. She spoke the words of the spell, and felt the power surge into her. She was suddenly powerful, unbeatable. The exhaustion she'd felt earlier was completely gone. She felt as if she had enough magic to do anything. It was exhilarating and refreshing. She laughed with the pleasure of it.

The next morning Chihon returned to the market with Tass. She wanted to see more of the wonderful place that she'd missed when she'd been whisked away to heal Neuld.

They entered an area of the market that specialized in small animals. There were cages of drab gray rabbits, snow white rabbits, cats, dogs, turtles, and even snakes. There were even a few strange animals that Chihon did not recognize.

A young woman was haggling with the proprietor over the price of a small animal that looked like a mink. She argued that she needed an animal with a fierce disposition and aggressive behavior to heal her son because he was going to be a warrior. As they approached, the woman fell silent. She looked at Chihon as if waiting.

"Yes?" Chihon asked.

"Mother. Which animal is the best to heal my son? He is a little warrior, strong and proud like his father. He fell down from the tree he was climbing and broke his ribs. He struggles to breathe, and he is getting weaker every day."

She pointed at the animals. "I want to purchase one of these to sacrifice at the Temple so he will be healed. Which one is best?"

Chihon was embarrassed because she didn't know how to help the woman. "I'm sorry. I'm just learning, I don't really know."

"Can you heal him?" the woman asked.

"No, I can't heal him. Take him to the Temple. They will know what to do there." Chihon didn't want to think about healing anyone today. She brushed past the woman and continued on.

"Get the mink," Chihon heard Tass advise the woman.

The next stall she came to had a thick red curtain hanging behind a row of cages. The proprietor stood in front of it as if guarding it against thieves. When they approached, he bowed his head and held the curtain open for them.

Tass motioned Chihon into the darkened interior. There were cages stacked along the wall of the tent that contained exotic animals of all sorts. Most of them looked fierce and snarled at Chihon as she peered into their cages. Back in the corner, there was one cage covered with a heavily embroidered red cloth. It stood out from the others, alone on a crate.

Tass lifted the cloth to reveal the animal within. "Here, have a look. But keep your distance."

Chihon peered into the cage. The animal looked like a thick weasel with twisted horns and short stubby bat wings. It lay curled up in the cage, flicking a forked tongue in and out of its mouth. Chihon leaned over to get a closer look, but Tass grabbed her arm and pulled her up short.

The animal lifted its head and focused its eyes on Chihon. It drew in a deep breath, and spat a stream of fire, almost a full span long. Chihon stepped back to avoid the flame, as the air filled with the smell of rotten eggs and swamp gas.

"What's that?" Chihon asked.

"That's a mini dragon," Tass said. "They come from high in the mountains that withstand the Ice Father. They live in caves and crevasses that are almost impossible to reach. They are enchanted and carry their own power, and feed on the magic of the mountains, gathering the heat and steam born in the bowels of the earth. They are very powerful and very valuable.

"They're not pets." Tass replaced the cloth back over the cage. "They're sacrificial animals. The young men hunt them as a test of skill and bravery. They bring them here to sell to the affluent, so that they may be used to power the strongest of spells."

Tass turned to face Chihon. "One mini dragon can go for as much as a hundred golds. Only the wealthiest can afford them."

"What type of spells do they need that they are willing to pay so much?" Chihon wondered at the desperation that would drive a family to spend such a fortune just to improve their chances at a healing.

"The wealthy have more golds than they know what to do with. They desire power and success, or even love, and are willing to trade their golds for it. They often request spells to assure the birth of a son to carry on the family line, or to improve the outcome of a business transaction. Some wish to encourage a liaison between youths that will seal a business arrangement and sometimes even to raise their dear departed."

"Surely we can't do that? Raise the dead? Once someone is dead, they are dead."

"No, we can't raise the dead. But I have heard of a spell that enchanted a slave girl to look and act like the departed spouse of a wealthy man."

They left the market and hired a coach and driver to take them to the Temple in time for lunch. Tass told Chihon she wanted her to practice her sacrificial techniques that evening in order to maximize the life force she could absorb. She'd felt so exhilarated by the last sacrifice that she was eager to experience it again.

Tass and Chihon joined a number of young priests in the dining room. Two of them wore robes, much like her own, but trimmed in green, indicating highly ranking priests. The rest were robed in plain black with white trim; these were students. As she entered the room, someone cried out and the students stood up in unison.

"Good day, Mother," they said in one voice.

Chihon flushed with embarrassment at being called Mother. She was barely older than most of the students and younger than the priests.

She took her seat at the head of the table, beside the chair reserved for the High Priest. The students waited until she had eaten before they started asking questions, all at the same time. She tried to answer those that she knew but was at a loss for many of them. After a while, they adjourned to their own studies.

As the sunset drew near, Tass reminded her that she was to participate in the sacrifice soon. She entered the altar room to find a mini dragon trussed upon the altar and ready for her. Its mouth was tied shut to prevent a flaming expression such as the animal in the market had leveled at her earlier that day.

Chihon could sense the magical aura around the animal. It had a slight gold glimmer to it. It was actually quite strong, stronger than many of the students, undeniably powerful. She could feel it change tint almost imperceptibly as the animal sensed her movements around the room.

The priest came in and bowed slightly to her. "Good evening, Mother. Tonight you will learn how to take not only the life force of the animal, but also its magic. This requires a stronger spell and much more concentration, but I'm confident you will master it quickly.

"To take the magic of the animal you need to feel its life force and how that life force connects to its magic. It draws some of its magic from its home just as we, at times of need, draw magic from the Temple.

"You must locate the center of its magic and separate that from its life force. Once you have done that, you will wait for the sunlight to strike the statue, and then quickly slit its throat, just as you did with the rabbit.

"This time, you will draw the magic into your body as you strike. You will feel it separate from the animal as you make the stroke. Grasp the magic and draw it into you quickly, then return for the life force and absorb that as it seeps from the animal.

"Do you think you can do that?" he asked.

"I think so." Chihon felt the magic of the animal just as he'd described it. She could visualize herself separating it from the mini dragon, wrapping it up in a ball ready to pluck it from the beast.

Chihon felt a twisting in her stomach that she could not explain. Something nagged at her about taking magic from a living thing. Vague memories of Lorit battling Vorathorm came to mind. There was something about taking magic that she felt was wrong.

She struggled to remember what it was that bothered her about this, but she couldn't retrieve the memory. She wished Lorit was here, he would have the proper perspective on this, but she was on her own.

As she reached out to take the knife, something deep inside her cried out. She tried to ignore it as the sunlight slowly approached the animal she was to sacrifice. When the beam of light touched the statue, she pulled the knife out of its holder and held it against the throat of the mini dragon.

Escape

Lorit reached out with his magic to examine the lock on the cell. A slight violet glow emanated from it. He felt out the mechanism, expecting to open it easily, but it was fuzzy and indistinct. He could not see it clearly, and he could not open it. He tried every spell he knew, but nothing worked. The King had strong magic placed on the cell, something Lorit had not yet learned how to defeat.

Without the help of Chihon's magic, Lorit feared he would be stuck in the cell until his fate was decided. He was not optimistic about his future. King Orin was a vindictive and angry monarch.

Lorit reached out for Zhimosom, but was still unable to contact him. He tried Rotiaqua and was barely able to establish a connection with her. She was still in Zhimosom's study.

"They're all lost," he said.

"Who's all lost?"

"Chihon, Zhimosom, Prince Ghall. They're all lost. The King thinks I had something to do with Prince Ghall's disappearance. He threw me in the dungeon."

"What do you mean, Chihon is lost? What happened?"

"We were on our way, but Chihon wasn't Chihon. It was Princess Ukina. Chihon is gone and I can't find her magic."

Rotiaqua held up her hand. "Slow down, Lorit. Explain what happened."

Lorit told her how Chihon had grown ill at the banquet and the Princess Ukina had fooled him by looking like Chihon, how the Prince had gone missing and he had been thrown in the dungeon. He hung his head in shame. "I've failed them all."

Rotiaqua shook her head. "It sounds like someone is trying to keep you and Chihon apart. This is what Zhimosom feared, that you would be prevented from reaching Amedon together. The last thing the Temple wants is a new Wizard and Sorceress pair in Amedon."

"I hoped you might be able to help me out of this," Lorit said. He grabbed the bars of the cell and yanked at them, but they held fast.

"I have almost no power without Zhimosom. All I can do is offer you advice."

"How am I supposed to find Chihon if I can't get out of here? The guard overheard someone say that she was headed to Relynn."

"That sounds like a good place to begin your search, then."

"But how will I get out of here?" Lorit gave the bars another yank and then sat heavily down on the bench.

"You never seemed to have trouble with locks before, what's different about this one?" Rotiaqua chided.

"It’s been spelled. I can’t get it open."

"Surely by now you've discovered how to defeat a few simple spells. I suggest you keep trying. Failing that, you'd better convince the King that you're the best person to find Prince Ghall. If you promise to find his son, he may let you live."

"That's not much of a plan," Lorit said.

"It may be your only option." Rotiaqua's image started to fade.

"Rotiaqua?" Lorit shouted, but it was no good, the Sorceress was gone. He leaned against the cold stone and closed his eyes.

There was a scratching noise at the door. Lorit reached out his senses and felt the lock turn. The door slowly opened and a shaft of dim lamp light spilled into the cell. "Lorit, is that you?" came a soft voice.

"Yes." Lorit rose from the bench and headed for the open door, blinking at the meager light. Standing there holding a lantern was the Chihon who was not Chihon. Princess Ukina was the last person Lorit would have expected.

"Princess, what are you doing here?"

"We have to find Prince Ghall. I'm here to help you escape."

"Why do you think I'd go anywhere with you after the way you've treated us? You tried to trick me. Do you know how much trouble you've caused me?" He hung back in the cell.

"If I don't get you out of here, father will have you hung."

"I'm not sure that he won't if I go with you."

"If you help me find my brother, he won't have a reason to hang you. I'm your only hope. Come with me."

Lorit looked at Chihon's face. He would have to do something about that; it was a constant reminder of her absence. "How can you help?"

"I know a way out of the castle that is lightly guarded. We can sneak out and get away before they come for you in the morning."

"No more tricks?" Lorit was skeptical. How could he trust her after the way she'd behaved?

"No more tricks." She waved him to follow her down the passageway. She had covered the lantern with a cloth to dim the light. There was a tiny hole in it so that only a small shaft escaped to light their way.

The damp dark passages all seemed the same to Lorit. They were built of stones pulled from the nearby river in the same manner as the rest of the castle. As they progressed, Lorit saw roots protruding from cracks in the mortar between the stones. Small white tentacles hung down to grasp at their hair as they walked.

The Princess pulled up short. "Quiet, I think I heard something ahead."

Lorit stopped and reached out with his senses. He could feel a guard sitting at a table in a small room where the tunnels joined up ahead. He probed the room, examining it with his magic for any details. He wanted to find a way past the guard without leaving a trace of their passage.