The Young Magician

Samuel was spellbound by the sight. The city was twenty times larger than the biggest towns he had yet seen, surrounded by an enormous wall and with a spectacular, many-towered palace clearly visible thrusting up at its centre. It was not just a city-it was a city of cities. Smaller towns in the distance, vast-looking by themselves, were joined to it by lengths of road that scarred the fields and paddocks. A wide river ran from the hills in the east and a bridge spanned it where it was narrowest, giving rise to another string of buildings on the far banks. For all these sights, for all the grandeur of what man had created, it was the great, blue ocean that stirred Samuel’s blood most. It ran from as far as he could see from north to south and stretched out westwards to where the world seemed to somehow bend at its edges and vanish.

Horizon, Samuel thought to himself. He had heard tell of such a thing, but having lived all his life amongst the mountains, he could never have imagined how incredible it looked.

Water spat and foamed just out from the city where the rolling sea heaved upon dark, jutting rocks and the tiny shapes of great ships dotted its surface. Seas of cloth were strung from their towering masts to catch the wind. Samuel could not remove his eyes from the sight as the ships crawled slowly around the bay like ants roving idly around one of Master Kelvin’s flowerbeds. He had only heard tales of the sea, and nothing at all could have prepared him for such a sight. He almost had to remind himself to breathe again, startled back to reality as the wagon struck a bump that threatened to launch him from his seat. They started down the last sloping hillside towards the great city, and the ocean began to sink from view as the city continued to grow and grow before them.

As they crossed the open fields, the great walls of Cintar seemed to loom above them, until they blocked the view of everything else beyond. They were mountainous structures, made of some smooth, pale stone, without any hint of joint or mortar.

‘Everyone must live within the walls,’ Tulan explained, noting Samuel’s scrutiny. ‘This city is the heart of the Empire and no precaution is ignored in its defence. They are many other towns nearby, but nothing may exist on the plain unless it is within these walls. The Emperor is very protective of his home.’

More and more people had joined the road beside them and it only became more crowded as they all pushed towards a single great opening in the walls. All the people around them made a deafening throng. When they reached the open city gateway, Samuel craned his neck right back to look up at the wall’s dizzying heights. Passing through the gates was a spectacle in itself. Samuel would not have believed it was possible to even open and close such monstrous constructions. Teams of soldiers kept people moving along and tried to keep general order, barking orders and yelling at the people, while hoards of officials watched on, vigorously scribbling on their piles of papers.

‘You need a pass to enter the city,’ Tulan explained. ‘There are too many beggars and vagrants inside already. Space is precious in the city. You even have to pay just to visit relatives. It’s the greatest city in all the world!’ he added, gesturing splendidly.

‘But I don’t have a pass,’ Samuel stated with some alarm.

‘We don’t need a pass,’ Tulan explained with a knowing smile and tapped his black cloak in way of explanation. ‘You are magician, Samuel, or at least you will be soon. We can go anywhere in the Empire without question.’ And they passed into the entry way unheeded, almost as if they were invisible amongst the throng.

Passing that threshold was almost like stepping into another world. The air became cold and dark and people and animals alike seemed to drop to a hush, as if they all felt something chill and eerie in that boundary between all that lay within the city walls and all that was kept outside. Samuel kept his arms folded tightly across his chest and looked to the heights above him nervously as their wagon carried them on. Great slabs of stone looked down upon him, set firmly in place as if they had guarded the city for time immemorial.

As they emerged from the tunnel mouth and returned to daylight, the world leapt back to normal and the heat and the noise of the city fell upon them like a crushing blow.

It was a scene of apparent mayhem within the city walls. People, livestock, wagons and goods surrounded them in all directions and the noise was incredible. People were pushing and arguing and the crowd seemed to be surging in every direction at once, pressed up against the immovable barrier of the great wall. Was there a riot in progress? Samuel had to put his hands over his ears, but the din was still far too loud.

‘It’s quite busy here, today,’ Tulan yelled over the noise and Samuel nodded quickly in agreement. ‘But it’s not so bad further along. We just have to get away from the gate.’

Then, as if by magic, the crowd opened around them and Tulan urged the wagon forwards through the throngs of people.

‘Being a magician has many privileges,’ Tulan explained. ‘It can take hours to get through that gate on a day like today.’

They had moved a few streets away before the crowds lessened and the noise became more tolerable. Samuel was spellbound by the sights around him, never imagining that a city could be so much bigger than Stable Canthem. The buildings were mostly square and plain, constructed of stone and reaching up three storeys and more all around, and many were lavish, being brightly coloured and decorated. Large, stone slabs paved the streets and were worn smooth with the countless passing of wheel, hoof and foot. Their horse towed them through a maze of streets, through the clamour of shouting vendors, through squares of spice sellers and sugar merchants, exotic animals and markets of fresh and preserved foods. Great swathes of coloured cloth flapped in the breeze and enormous jugs, jars and urns lined the street-sides, along with many things so strange that Samuel had no idea what they were. Everything imaginable could be bought, sold or traded, or so it seemed, and this was all only from his first few minutes within the city.

‘Take a good look, Samuel,’ Tulan told him, ‘because once you enter the School of Magic, they may not let you out for quite a while. The city has far too many dangers and temptations for a new student.’

On the occasional corner, a few armed soldiers milled about; no doubt keeping a presence to maintain law and order, for if this city was anything like Stable Canthem, it would have more than its fair share of thieves and cutpurses and on a much grander scale.

The quietest areas were those where they passed vast, looming warehouses, or where tradesmen were labouring away in their workshops.

‘Try not to get lost,’ Tulan instructed. ‘And, if you do, just ask for the School of Magic. Everyone knows where it is. I recommend that if they do let you out, you don’t travel the streets late or alone. You should be fairly safe, being a magician, but it’s a big city with many strange people, so it pays to use some caution.’

The School of Magic was itself a walled-off region, although these walls were miniature compared to those around the city. The iron gates-more decorative than functional- lay open and unguarded, almost invitingly. Young men, a few years older than Samuel, trotted over to care for the horse and wagon and carry their belongings, their black shirts and trousers marking them as magicians. Samuel and Tulan climbed down from the wagon and they made their way across the grounds.

‘You must study very hard, Samuel,’ Tulan explained as he led them to one of many ornate buildings, ‘but most of all, I recommend you keep your head down. I’m sure if you just do your best and cause no trouble, everything will go smoothly for you here. The Order has many good people, but also many selfish ones. If you do anything to get yourself noticed, it could make your life here more difficult. I’m not trying to scare you. I just remember what it was like when I was here. I hope you can try your best to be one of the good people, Samuel. The Empire has enough of the other kind already.’

They presently came before a large building with a sturdy-looking wooden door. Tulan pushed it open without delay and they entered a long room, a gigantic study of sorts. Many old men were sitting at numerous long tables, talking or reading from great books, and they glanced over momentarily as the pair entered. A good number of them sported dangling, white beards but, in the manner of the Order, each was groomed to the highest standard, looking wizened and sober.

Samuel squeezed his eyes half shut, for with all the magicians in the place, the room seemed full of sizzling lights. Energy burst from them all and filled the air, like furious brilliant insects swarming around them. Obviously, no one else could see it, or surely they would have been swatting madly at themselves. Slowly, as if his thoughts themselves had sparked some reaction, the light faded almost entirely away and Samuel could open his eyes fully once again.

‘I’ll introduce you to the record-keeper and then I must go attend to my business,’ Tulan said. ‘I’ll not be seeing you again-for a time at least-so good luck to you and welcome to the Order of Magicians.’ He smiled and