The Young Magician

‘But not directly-not yet, and we must do everything in our power to keep it that way or it will be our necks.’

‘As always, we will take care,’ the thin-voiced one stated, ‘but we are in too deep to stop now. Everything is dangerous now and we are beyond desperate. And what about that young upstart? Is he still giving you trouble?’

‘Samuel?’ the gruff voice said with clear disdain. ‘He’s been nothing but trouble from the start. He has potential, I can see, but he is a risk to the boy and those around him. This latest misadventure of his had us up all night. We must find a way to be rid of him before he causes us any further grief.’

Samuel awoke. The immediate relief of daylight greeted him and he let out the long breath he seemed to have been holding. He blinked several times and details began to show through the bright blur around him. He was in a small room, lying beneath the covers of a comfortable bed. There was nothing to determine where exactly he was, or why he was here.

Sitting up, Samuel scratched his head. He felt a small cut there, now well healed over, and wondered where he had received it. Lying on a small stool beneath the window were his clothes, cleaned and folded, and Samuel slipped from the bed onto unsteady legs and dressed. After he had tugged on his boots and stamped his heels onto the floor to wedge them firmly in place, he stepped over to the door, opened it wide and peered outside.

At least I’m still in the school, he thought. Now what’s going on? He stepped out and looked up. The sky was a beautiful blue, traced with a few wisps of perfectly white clouds. Already, the warmth was soothing on his face.

‘Samuel!’ someone called.

‘Tulan!’ Samuel replied, spying the man’s approach between the buildings. ‘What brings you to Cintar?’

Tulan took Samuel’s hand and shook it, squeezing him firmly on the shoulder with his other. A great smile covered his face. ‘You do. I was just passing through, as usual, when I heard you’d taken ill. Do you remember what happened?’

‘That’s what I’d like to ask you,’ Samuel responded. ‘What was I doing in there? It’s one of the Master’s rooms, isn’t it?’

Tulan scrutinised the small cottage a moment. ‘I imagine it’s vacant for the time being,’ Tulan said. He looked over both his shoulders and then his face became more serious. ‘Let’s talk.’

He led Samuel back into the tiny residence where Samuel had awoken. Samuel sat on the bed edge when gestured by Tulan to do so and Tulan himself sat opposite on a delicate, wooden chair.

‘What do you remember happening to you?’ Tulan asked, planting a level eye on Samuel. His moustache was somewhat bushier than usual and a small dark beard adorned his normally naked chin.

‘I had these terrible dreams,’ Samuel began. ‘You know, it’s funny. I can’t remember what happened before that or even how I came to be in this room? The dreams seemed to last forever. Have I been drinking?’

‘No,’ Tulan laughed. ‘Not that I know of, anyway. Do you remember what happened to you in the Burning Oak-that time you were found in your room?’

Samuel nodded. ‘I don’t really remember, but they told me. I was unconscious. I was chanting a mantra of Centring.’

Tulan nodded in return. ‘That’s right. Something similar has happened again. I have only been here a day, but they told me it happened last week.’

‘Last week?’ Samuel asked in disbelief, straining to recall his last memories. ‘How did it happen?’

‘You had completely exhausted yourself of energy, almost to the point of death.’

Samuel swallowed. ‘I feel fine now.’ It was all he could think to say.

Tulan nodded. ‘They’ve been keeping a close eye on you-Master Glim and the Grand Master, especially. The Masters have been taking turns revitalising you, even feeding you. Even some of your friends were helping as best they could. I saw you last night, myself. They’d put a spoonful in your mouth and you’d chew it and swallow, as if you were awake. It was very strange. They tell me it’s a miracle you survived this time. You can certainly count yourself as being very lucky.’

Samuel was astounded and felt terribly embarrassed at the trouble he had caused.

‘You should go and find the Grand Master now,’ Tulan told him. ‘He said that you woke late last night and grumbled about something and then started swearing at them. That was when they finally knew you were going to recover.’

Samuel laughed. ‘Where is he?’

‘I don’t know-probably in his chambers. I usually try not to spend too much time in the school, or in Cintar, as a matter of fact-too many people, too many fools. I’ve a few things to attend to and I’ll come and see you again, but then I must leave quickly.’ As he stood, Tulan offered his hand once again and Samuel took it and shook it sincerely.

‘Until then,’ Samuel said and Tulan nodded and headed out the door.

Samuel made his way across the grounds, trying to be as discrete as possible. He felt surprisingly spry, given how serious his situation had been, which he guessed could be attributed to all the powerful healing spells they had covered him with. A few young apprentices saw him and waved and called out, ‘Samuel!’ He hurried past them and knocked on the door of the Grand Master’s residence.

‘Come in,’ a gravelly voice called out, followed by a hacking cough.

Samuel pushed the door in and stepped into the modest quarters. Grand Master Anthem was sitting on a soft leather seat, dressed in a fine cloak with green, embroidered hems. He was halfway through a thick sandwich and had crumbs in his wispy beard.

‘Ah, Samuel!’ he said. His voice was thin and nasally, as if he had a blocked nose. He put down his sandwich and motioned for Samuel to sit opposite him on a short stool. ‘I was hoping to see you sometime today. I trust you are well?’

‘Yes, Grand Master,’ Samuel replied. He felt as guilty as could be under the gaze of the old man. He swallowed his pride and went on. ‘I’m terribly sorry for all the trouble I’ve been.’

Anthem dismissed the statement with a wave of his aged, bony hand. ‘No trouble, at all, Samuel. We all make mistakes. I hope now you realise why the teachers tell you the things they do. It is not just so they can hear the sound of their own voices. They have learnt from hundreds of years of combined experience and know what is best.’ Samuel nodded humbly. ‘I must, however, warn you to be extremely careful in the future. This is your second chance used. You may not live to get a third. You were as close to death as I’ve seen anybody get and still return- perhaps further. I would have sworn that at times your heart had just given up beating, but you pulled through in the end. You can thank your two friends, the Erics, for that. They were in here with us almost all of the first night when things looked most dire. Those two lads are quite talented and dedicated to you. In the end, we had to virtually drag them off to their beds before they got themselves in the same trouble as you. You can count yourself very lucky. So what have you got to say for yourself?’

Samuel thought to himself a few moments. He wasn’t sure where to start. ‘Do you know about the time something similar happened at the Burning Oak?’ Samuel asked.

‘Of course,’ Anthem responded plainly.

‘Before that night, I was playing with magic. I didn’t know what I was doing, but somehow I had managed to conjure up a little magic just by copying what I saw the Masters doing. I had successfully summoned some mage- lights on occasion, but this one time, I tried a little too hard and I…I summoned something else.’

Anthem raised an eyebrow and leaned forward with interest. ‘Oh?’

‘It was some kind of spirit, all white and ghostly. When it first appeared, it seemed a little confused and it took some time to look around. Then it disappeared into the town. There was nothing I could do.’

‘Ah, Samuel,’ Anthem said, looking gravely concerned. ‘Somehow, it seems you managed to summon something from another realm. This is no small feat and, unfortunately, a very dangerous one, for there are terrible things, indeed, that linger beyond the ether. Some of them, once summoned, can be very difficult to return. You are a talented lad, indeed, for there are only a handful of magicians that can accomplish such a feat and yet somehow you managed without any training whatsoever. You have some special gift, indeed, many special gifts.’ Anthem looked to the window, where the sun could be seen shining brightly outside. ‘These are strange days, indeed…and I know not what to think of them.’

‘I wanted to tell you, because last night-or the night before, I don’t know-I had a strange dream. I was dreaming, but it was not a dream, if you can understand. There were things all around me, just like the spirit I had