fear for the king. I changed my clothes, intending to go back out to the rose garden to see if I could be of any assistance, but first I stretched out on my bed, just for a moment.
The next thing I knew, I woke up, ravenously hungry, confused at finding myself fully clothed. My magic lamps, which I turned on yesterday afternoon, were still burning, though natural daylight made them seem pale. The angle of the sunlight through my window showed it was long after Gwen usually brought my breakfast.
I swung my feet to the floor, then remembered. If no one had come, then that meant-
I didn’t know what it meant. I was afraid to probe for the king’s mind because I might not find it. I brushed a hand across my hair and found my shoes, then opened the door to the courtyard.
Assembled in the courtyard, in a semicircle around my door, were most of the people from the castle. As my door swung open, a shout went up. “The Wizard! Hail the Royal Wizard! His magic has saved the king!”
I concentrated on the important point. “The king’s alive?”
“Yes, and he’s not just better, he’s completely better! He’s stronger than he’s been in months, in years! You saved him! You saved him! Our Royal Wizard saved him!”
They had clearly been preparing themselves for hours while I slept. I didn’t even begin to know what to say.
And then I saw King Haimeric himself, coming across the bridge to the courtyard, arm in arm with the queen. I had never seen him so vigorous, or her so beautiful.
I ran across the cobblestones to greet them. Not even bothering with the formal bow, I dropped to my knees before them.
The king took me by the shoulders to pull me up. “Let’s not have any of your modesty, Wizard,” he said with a laugh, “when you’ve just saved my life!”
I was still stronger than he was and remained determinedly kneeling. “I had nothing to do with saving your life.”
“After your long night’s vigil of magic? They told me your light was never extinguished all night.”
Even though I knew that my orders that he be moved into the rose garden and be given fresh soup could not have saved him, it hardly seemed worth explaining that I had spent the night not in magic but in sleep.
“It was the chaplain,” I said. “Even the best magic cannot save human life, when that life is truly draining away, as I fear yours was, sire. Only a miracle can save a man then.”
“The chaplain?” said the king in some surprise. “I’ve spoken to him, of course, but he said nothing about a miracle.”
“He’s showing Christian humility,” I responded, “but he spent the night in prayer, and he interceded for you with the saints.”
The people around heard me and, after a murmur of surprise, seemed to believe me. However, it did not seem to make them feel any less favorably toward me.
“Then we have both the best Royal Wizard and the best Royal Chaplain a kingdom could have,” said the queen. “We were all just going to go to the chapel for a service of thanksgiving to God. Won’t you join us?”
“With greatest pleasure,” I said, scrambling to my feet and brushing off my knees.
IV
I was sitting in my chambers, quizzing the Lady Maria on the first points of the Hidden Language, when a knock came at the door.
She was not doing well on the first-grammar. Her enthusiasm for learning magic was as high as ever, and I think she really wanted to study hard, but she seemed distracted.
Maybe, I thought, she was the only other person in the castle, besides me, still to be worrying about the king. A month after his recovery, he seemed to be growing even stronger. After a week in the rose garden, he had moved back into the castle, so far without any ill effects. But I still sometimes felt that lurking sense of evil and worried that he might weaken again. Or maybe the Lady Maria was not worrying about anyone else, but only about the three gray hairs I had spotted that morning among the golden curls.
“Come in!” I called, thinking it might be Gwen with tea. She often brought a pot if I had someone visiting in my chambers, but if she were jealous and checking up on what I and the Lady Maria were doing she certainly gave no sign.
But it was the constable. I was surprised; he rarely came to my chambers.
“Excuse me, sir, I hate to interrupt you and the lady, but there’s a —
Maria jumped up. “I can’t concentrate this afternoon anyway,” she said, before I could tell the constable to have this mysterious person wait a few minutes.
“Shall I see you later today?” I asked. But she had rushed out already. “Show him in,” I said to the constable.
“Excuse me, sir, but he wants you to go outside.”
Shaking my head, I went out, stopping only long enough to put the magic lock on my door, and followed the constable across the courtyard to the main gate and the bridge.
Waiting on the bridge was an unmistakable figure: tall, lean, with a tall red hat and a long white beard. It was Zahlfast.
I rushed forward, hands outstretched to greet him, and although he tried to give me a look of stern dignity I could see a smile already lurking at the corner of his lips. That was why I had chosen to write to him.
“Welcome to Yurt!” I said inanely. “Come in! Did you have a good trip? Are you just stopping by, or can you stay for a while?”
He returned my handshake vigorously but resisted being drawn into the castle. “It’s such a beautiful day,” he said, “and there won’t be many more this fall. Didn’t I see a little garden over there where we could sit?”
We proceeded to the rose garden, where only the queen’s rose bush, of all the bushes, was still blooming. I continued to chatter to hide my surprise at his arrival.
“I was glad to get your letter,” said Zahlfast when we were seated on the bench where the king often sat. “Is your king still sick?”
“Oh, no. He was cured by a miracle a month ago.”
Zahlfast shot me a sideways look, then looked away. “Good,” he said and then added, “We never talk much about miracles at the wizards’ school.”
This of course I already knew. “The chaplain cured him. The chaplain’s my friend,” I added, feeling the same need to justify my friendship that I had felt with the old wizard. I started to say, that is, I think he’s my friend, but decided not to raise doubts.
But I should have remembered Zahlfast was the sharpest of my teachers. “You sound somewhat dubious about this friendship.”
“Not dubious. But he had insulted me, and I insulted him, and I tried to apologize but, in a way, he wouldn’t let me-especially since, I’ll admit to you, I’m almost in awe of him after the miracle.”
“Don’t stand in awe of those who deal with the supernatural,” said Zahlfast as though making a key point at the front of the lecture hall. “Wizards too can deal with forces beyond the natural, indeed have the special training to do it. And always remember, those who can heal with supernatural aid can always sicken.”
Abruptly he changed the subject. “Anyway, it sounded from your letter as though you might be lonely, so, as I was flying in this direction anyway-” I was surprised to realize he was having almost as much trouble feeling at ease as I was. He was still my teacher, but this was my kingdom, and I was no longer a student. “It really wasn’t time yet for your first checkup-”
“My first checkup!” I cried, devastated. “You mean you go around checking on us after we leave the wizards’ school? No one ever told me! Or is that just one more thing I missed?”
“We don’t tell the young wizards,” said Zahlfast with an amused smile he tried to suppress. “In fact, many are checked and never even know it, at least for some years. But I knew you were sharp enough to guess it wasn’t just friendly interest in seeing an old student that brought me here, after I got your letter.”
