The Young Magician

air.

‘Come in,’ Orrell’s voice called from inside.

Master Glim led the way, pulling his cloak tighter around him. Despite the clear sky and sunshine, there was a chill in the air.

Inside, they found a large courtyard, around a central stone well and surrounded by blockish buildings all constructed of roughly-hewn stone. Orrell was waiting beside the well, talking with some of his men. The others were searching elsewhere within the keep. It was a tightly enclosed space, but could probably house thirty or forty men at a pinch. There was room for only the most necessary of facilities: a kitchen, dormitories, a small washhouse and the like. It was probably first built as a lookout station, meant for keeping watch over the valleys around.

One side of the courtyard appeared to be where the animals were kept, with a small roof and a rail for securing horses against the wall. Saddlery and feed lay beside, but there were no animals to be seen.

‘See what you can find here,’ Orrell told them. ‘My men are searching the buildings, so wait for them to give the all-clear before you start wandering around. There’s some blood over there.’ He pointed to the stable area. ‘Perhaps you can tell me something so I know what the hell has happened here.’

The magicians went over as a group, milling about with their dark robes hung about them. It was a dull and cloudy day-deathly quiet. Samuel felt a trickle of sweat run down his brow.

Lomar squatted by the dark stain that marked the hay.

‘Is it a man’s?’ Master Glim asked.

‘I don’t know,’ Lomar shrugged, touching the stuff and smelling his fingers. ‘It’s not from a mage. It could be horse blood.’

‘What could have happened to them?’ Keller asked, looking at the others, but no one replied.

Goodfellow was looking thoughtful, as usual, peering up at the keep walls. Narrow platforms were positioned shortly below the top, so that defenders could stand and protect themselves with bow and arrow. Wooden ladders led up to them. One was broken, lying at the base of the wall in haphazard pieces.

Something caught Lomar’s eye and he stood and inspected the horse-rail. ‘Look at this.’

He touched a strip of leather that had been pulled tight around the rail. It was a rein, snapped, as if the animal had panicked and broken its tethering. They all looked to each other in puzzlement.

‘This does not seem to be a normal occurrence,’ Tailor said. ‘This whole place, I mean. Something frightful has happened here.’ Yesterday, Samuel would never have thought the man could have looked so fearful.

‘Anything?’ Captain Orrell called over.

‘No magic,’ Lomar called back. ‘But something strange.’

‘I’ve seen it,’ Orrell returned. ‘There are plenty of strange things here. There’s a few horse teeth on the ground over there, as well-freshly knocked from the gums.’

They went back over to Orrell and stood in a group with him and a few of his men.

‘Do you have any ideas?’ Master Glim asked him.

Orrell shook his head. ‘It’s still a mystery. I can only surmise that somehow, someone came in here and slaughtered everyone and everything and then dragged all their corpses away without us seeing-or else someone went to great expense to make it look that way. There’s nothing living left in this keep-no men, no horses, no pigs, no chickens-nothing. There are blood stains here and there, but not enough for the men who were supposed to be waiting here. I just don’t know who could have done this and slipped out without us seeing.’ Captain Orrell then turned to Samuel. ‘It looks like someone’s taken care of your revenge for you, Magician.’

‘I hope not,’ Samuel returned darkly. ‘I was looking forward to it.’

Samuel was somewhat surprised that the captain knew of his vendetta. Did the Royal Guard have information on everything they did?

‘What about the well?’ Goodfellow suggested. ‘Could someone have used it as a route, travelling along to another opening?’

Orrell nodded. ‘It’s possible. Someone is already fetching me some lanterns and then I’ll send a man down to take a look. It’s conceivable that assassins came up through the well-assuming it leads somewhere-and for some reason I cannot fathom, dragged all the animals and bodies out the same way.’ He eyed the size of the well. ‘With considerable difficulty.’

‘Secret passages, perhaps?’ Eric suggested.

‘I’m looking into it. Can any of you use your magic to look for passages or tunnels or the like?’

Tailor nodded. ‘We can do it.’

‘I’ll start over there,’ Keller added and they began their spells at once.

‘Samuel,’ Master Glim began. ‘Can you and Goodfellow scan the back of the keep? We’ll search inside the buildings.’

Samuel nodded. He was about to leave when a soldier came running over. It was the man called Valiant. He began whispering to Orrell.

Finally, Orrell turned to the magicians. ‘They’ve found someone-a magician.’

They hurried past various groups of Orrell’s men, each dragging out stoves and smashing at cupboards, looking for passages. They were taken to a building at the very rear of the keep and into a room that appeared to have been a study at one time. Desks, chairs and papers were strewn across the floor as if a struggle had recently taken place.

‘This is how they found it,’ Orrell mentioned.

Three of his men were waiting at the base of some stairs and Orrell led the way up. Samuel pushed in last, into a cramped area that held stores and wooden boxes. A ladder led up yet again and Orrell was already climbing it, past another couple of his men. Voices could be heard echoing in the roof space above.

Samuel entered into the small attic. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust, as the only light shone through cracks in the shutters.

‘Wait downstairs,’ Orrell told one of his men, who pushed past them all and went back down the ladder.

Sitting on the ground was a chubby man, wearing magician’s robes, but he was clearly not a magician. Samuel could tell this at once for his aura was thin and dismal-as with common folk.

‘This is Master Sebastian,’ Orrell informed them. ‘He seems to be the only survivor.’

‘He is no Master,’ Samuel said at once and Master Glim gave him an urgent hush, look. The man, Sebastian, was looking at each of them with wild eyes.

‘He was a Master, Samuel,’ Lomar told. ‘He has lost his power.’

‘How is that possible?’ Eric asked in disbelief.

‘Quite easily,’ Lomar explained in hushed tones. ‘He has gone mad.’

The man, Sebastian, began to blubber into his hands, shaking his head and with tears streaming down his face.

‘Calm now, Master Sebastian,’ Master Glim told the man, squatting beside him.

Sebastian began to speak through his chattering teeth, but his words were incomprehensible.

‘He was sensible for a short time,’ Captain Orrell disclosed. ‘But now it seems he has broken down again.’

‘Did he say what happened?’ Samuel asked, hunched over in the tiny space.

Orrell shook his head. ‘Apparently not.’

Sebastian suddenly leapt to his feet, making everyone gasp and step back with surprise. He launched himself off the ground and struck his head on a roof beam, then fell back onto the floor and began squealing, clutching his injured head. Master Glim and Lomar looked to each other with concern.

Sebastian looked up at them with watery eyes. ‘You are the ones that Ash sent,’ he stated.

‘No, we’re not,’ Master Glim replied. ‘Tell us, what happened here?’

‘Oh, yes you are,’ Sebastian went on, scratching frantically at his chin with all his fingers. He then pointed sharply to each of them in turn, almost accusingly. ‘He told us you were coming. I’m sure you are the ones.’

Master Glim looked to Lomar. ‘The Council sent us,’ he explained and Sebastian burst into giggles. ‘Do you find that amusing?’

‘Yes!’ Sebastian declared through squinting eyes and laughter.

Master Glim was losing his patience and so Lomar took over the interrogation.

‘Where is Master Ash?’ he asked in a patient tone, but Sebastian only giggled all the more. ‘What are you doing up here, Master Sebastian?’ he asked.