《The Great Magician》


 Chapter 1: A Magical Reunion

    Chapter 1


    ¡°What in the Holy Mother¡¯s name are you doing up there, Zavel?¡±


    Zavel Felshrike looked up ¨C well, down, to be perfectly precise ¨C at the familiar voice¡¯s owner, a figure in a thick brown hooded robe and a crooked wooden staff in hand. A priest.


    ¡°Why hello there, Halyes. Welcome to my humble abode, I¡¯ve been expecting you.¡±


    The figure sighed loudly, removing its hood and revealing a young, bald man with the slightest hint of a beard upon his chin. ¡°No you haven¡¯t, Zavel. We haven¡¯t spoken in a year, and I know it¡¯s not true.¡±


    ¡°What makes you so sure? After all, you haven¡¯t seen me in a year,¡± came Zavel¡¯s quick retort.


    ¡°Okay then, I¡¯ll presume you meant to welcome me in this state,¡± said Halyes, leaning his staff against the wall. He paused, glancing at the various items strewn around the room. Playing cards, pieces of paper, piles of chains and rope. He returned his gaze to Zavel. ¡°So tell me, what are you doing hanging upside down, bound by the feet with lock and chain, wearing only your underwear?¡±


    ¡°Practicing, Halyes. All great magicians practice their art for years.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re already a great mage, Zavel. The youngest and greatest of our time, Zavel of the Eternal Flame, archmage at twenty-three. The saviour of Amnesnard. The one who brought down the Dragon God with a single spell.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, all trivial things. I was just a great mage, Halyes, but no longer, for now I will be a fantastic magician as well!¡± Zavel said with eccentric fervor, even for him.


    ¡°That makes no sense whatsoever, Zavel¡ª¡± said Halyes, before realising that his partner in conversation wasn¡¯t listening anymore. ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t ignore me!¡±


    The chains around Zavel¡¯s ankles jingled as he reached up and fiddled with the thick lock holding them together. Sweat dripped from his back, and his body trembled as muscles that¡¯d never been worked exerted themselves. After a moment, the padlock clicked imperceptibly, and he crashed to the ground in an unceremonious heap.


    Panting heavily, he climbed to his feet and spread his arms wide in a stiff flourish. ¡°Ta-dah! What do you think, Halyes?¡±


    Halyes stared back, bemused. ¡°What am I supposed to think?¡±


    ¡°Come on, humour me a little.¡±


    ¡°The ending could use some improvement. You look too unnatural,¡± Halyes said. ¡°It would certainly help if you weren¡¯t near nude.¡±


    ¡°And?¡± asked Zavel expectantly.


    ¡°And? What else am I supposed to think?¡±


    ¡°My escape, Halyes! How do you think I did it?¡±


    ¡°¡­Key?¡± guessed Halyes, rolling his eyes.


    ¡°No, unless you¡¯re suggesting that I hid it in my underwear.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m suggesting, Zavel.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, a loose end. I¡¯ll do it again with nothing on, then,¡± Zavel said, moving to remove the only thing left protecting his modesty.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare. I will smite you down,¡± Halyes warned, the beginnings of a prayer already upon his lips.


    ¡°It¡¯s not as if you haven¡¯t seen me in the nude before, Halyes.¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ¡°¡­grant your devout servant the strength to punish¡­¡±


    ¡°When we were roommates, back in school. Or when you walked in on me with that girl in Amnesnard and I invited you to join in. Remember that?¡±


    Halyes flinched slightly but continued his invocation with reddening cheeks, his hands starting to crackle with yellow energy. ¡°¡­t-the heretic b-before me, O Holy Mother¡­¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine, I won¡¯t,¡± Zavel clicked his tongue and ceased his taunting. ¡°Tch, your priesthood has turned you boring. Give me another guess.¡±


    ¡°Melted the lock? Froze it and shattered it? Turned it into water?¡±


    ¡°All wrong,¡± grinned Zavel, lifting the intact padlock.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Zavel,¡± Halyes sighed, tapping a foot impatiently. ¡°How did you do it¡­?¡±


    ¡°A magician never reveals his secrets.¡±


    ¡°Why you¡ªthat¡¯s it, come here!¡±


    Zavel immediately ducked underHalyes¡¯ arms as the latter lunged forward, before sprinting out through the doorway.


    ¡°Get back here, you little shit!¡± yelled Halyes as he gave chase, both hands lifting the hem of his heavy robes so he wouldn¡¯t trip.


    ¡°Language, Halyes!¡± Zavel shouted back as he ran along the wide and undecorated corridors of his mansion. ¡°You¡¯re a holy man now, so act like one!¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re a venerated mage! Now slow down and let this priest absolve you of your sins, you bastard!¡±


    They ran and ran, through empty rooms, up and down flights of stairs, eventually ending up amongst the wild, unkempt grass of the garden.


    ¡°Now hold on¡­ just a minute¡­ Halyes,¡± said Zavel, his chest rising and falling with each laboured breath. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t attack an unclothed, unarmed man, would you?¡±


    Halyes eyed him warily. ¡°Unclothed, yes, but unarmed? I don¡¯t think anyone who uses the powers are ever unarmed, Zavel.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re quite right,¡± Zavel nodded, opening his palms dramatically to reveal a set of marbles within.


    ¡°What the¡ªwhere did those come from? Were they in your underwear?¡± asked Halyes, looking almost panicked at the thought.


    Zavel smirked and simply started hurling them at the priest. Halyes flinched as one flew perilously close over his head, while others impacted on his robe and fell harmlessly to the ground. With a cry of frustration, he leapt forward.


    ¡°WERE THEY¡ª¡± he swatted a marble out of the air, ¡°IN YOUR¡ª¡± another swipe, another of the glassy projectiles rendered useless, ¡°UNDERWEAR, ZAVEL FELSHRIKE?¡±


    Halyes tackled Zavel as he finished, and they both tumbled to the grassy earth, with him pinning the offender in question down with his weight.


    ¡°And if I said yes?¡± Zavel asked, looking up at the man atop him innocently.


    The answer came in the form of an inarticulate scream, and Zavel thankfully managed to shut his eyes in time as spittle rained down upon his face. Then, the priest rolled over and collapsed on the thick grass beside him.


    ¡°I regret coming here already,¡± Halyes moaned.


    ¡°Yes, why did you come, Halyes? After disappearing from my life for a year, to join the priesthood, no less.¡±


    ¡°What did you expect me to do, Zavel? You chased usout of your life all of a sudden. I had no choice but to return to the very thing I was travelling with you to escape from,¡± said Halyes. He paused for a moment, waiting for a response. ¡°At least apologise, you arse.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Zavel said softly. ¡°I was having a bit of an identity crisis then.¡±


    ¡°And this is what you¡¯ve settled on? Slinging marbles and escaping being chained up via unknown means? Are you still not going to tell me how you did it?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°Bah, whatever. I¡¯m here to fetch you to see the King, Zavel. That¡¯s what I¡¯m here for.¡±


    ¡°The King?¡± asked Zavel quizzically. ¡°What does that old bastard want with me?¡±


    ¡°To award you a duchy. Surely you already know, they would have sent letters.¡±


    ¡°Oh! So that¡¯s what those grand-looking letters were for. I received a few of them, but never really got around to opening them. I really don¡¯t have an interest in becoming a duke, though. It sounds like too much work¡­¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Halyes said. ¡°I don¡¯t think you can refuse the King, to be honest. How many of the letters did you get?¡±


    ¡°Five of them, I think. Maybe more?¡±


    ¡°F-five?!¡± exclaimed Halyes, immediately bolting up into a sitting position. ¡°Get up, we¡¯re leaving as soon as you get dressed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going, Halyes. I don¡¯t want a duchy,¡± said Zavel, crossing his arms.


    ¡°That¡¯s the least of your problems now. One doesn¡¯t just ignore the King¡¯s summons five times in a row, you know. At least come with me and refuse it in person.¡±


    ¡°Do I have to?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Zavel.¡±


    ¡°¡­Fine,¡± Zavel huffed. ¡°I¡¯ll go, if only to drill into His Majesty¡¯s thick skull that I want to be left alone.¡±

 Chapter 2: A Magical Escape

    Chapter 2


    ¡°Of course you had to threaten to flatten the entirety of the palace grounds, Zavel. Right to the King¡¯s face, no less¡­ Of course you had to! Look what you¡¯ve landed us into now!¡±


    Zavel shrugged his shoulders indignantly. ¡°Well, how was I supposed to know that the wrinkled old bastard would have us cuffed in nullantium while we were asleep?¡±


    Halyes only groaned and leant his bare back against the bars of the cage holding them. They¡¯d been stripped, and their belongings confiscated by the guards driving the carriage that carried their temporary prison.


    ¡°Of all the ways to be punished, and all the people to be punished with,¡± he moaned again, gazing up at the sky, ¡°it has to be life imprisonment in The Pit, and it has to be with you. Why did this happen to me? Have I not been a good enough servant? Why hath thou forsaken me, Mother?¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be so dramatic, Halyes, we¡¯ll be fine,¡± said Zavel as he inspected the thick magic-nullifying cuffs on his wrists. It was a dull metal, or it would have reflected his boyish features and short dark hair. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since we were last caged up like this, so calm down and enjoy the experience.¡±


    ¡°We had help then, Zavel. None of our allies are coming now,¡± Halyes replied, his voice steeped in resignation. ¡°Even as powerful as you are, we¡¯re not getting out of these.¡±


    ¡°Ah, but remember! I¡¯m a magician as well¡ª ¡±


    ¡°Quiet down back there, prisoners!¡± shouted one of the two guards sat up on the coachman¡¯s seat. He reached back and slammed a palm against the bars, rattling the cage loudly.


    ¡°Leave them be, Brutus. Don¡¯t you know who they are?¡± the other guard warned almost nervously. ¡°It¡¯s the Eternal Flame and his personal assistant! If they do get free, I¡¯d rather not have offended them in some way.¡±


    Zavel coughed, drawing their attention. Pointing a finger to Halyes, he said, ¡°I think you might have already offended one of us, good soldier.¡±


    ¡°P-personal a-assistant?¡± the priest murmured, one of his eyes twitching. He stood, though he had to hunch considerably to avoid hitting his head on the cage¡¯s roof, before grabbing the cage bars closest to the guards. ¡°You think me some sort of servant to this man? Yes, I carried his things while we were mere travellers. Cooked his food. Cleaned up after him when he made a mess. You want to know why? Because this man is the most inept there is! He¡¯s useless outside of his magic! I do everything, and all I get is recognition as a mere servant?! Not even a proper title?!¡±


    The poor men shrunk back as Halyes¡¯ voice continued to rise, his knuckles almost white from gripping the bars. Zavel watched the scene for a bit, satisfied that everyone¡¯s attentions were occupied. He stuck out his tongue, revealing a small glint of silver on its tip. Using his teeth, he flicked it down into his hands.


    Picking locks with nothing but a shred of metal had been tricky when he first discovered the art. Far harder to learn compared to magic, in his opinion. Powerful magic came intuitively to him, while ¡®magic¡¯ didn¡¯t. It required practice, and a deftness of the fingers he never really had, but that was why he liked it. He had to work hard for it.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Pushing the makeshift lockpick into the cuff¡¯s keyhole, he jiggled it around, allowing himself a hint of a smirk when the nullantium restraints finally loosened around his wrists. His eyes glazed over for a split-second as his well of endless, boring power restored itself. Really, what good was it when it couldn¡¯t get him out of simple handcuffs?


    Leaning back against the cage, Zavel cleared his throat, hoping to interrupt Halyes¡¯ rant. It didn¡¯t work, so he raised the now unfastened cuffs and dropped them to the cage floor with a resounding clang. That stopped his friend¡¯s tirade, and all three turned to look at him in disbelief.


    ¡°Gentlemen, the ride¡¯s been a pleasure, but I¡¯m afraid this is our destination,¡± he said, massaging his wrists with a wide grin. ¡°Would you mind returning our things and letting us off this carriage?¡±


    xxxxx


    ¡°You could have at least had them drop us off closer to a town, and not at the edge of some forest,¡± Halyes grumbled, though his tone was much more subdued than before. ¡°Where even are we?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the thought that counts,¡± said Zavel as he donned his travelling overcoat, much to Halyes¡¯ chagrin. ¡°I was thinking you could just invoke the power of your goddess and divine us a way to the nearest bed, for one.¡±


    ¡°And then what? The King will undoubtedly send men after us. You¡¯re too dangerous to be left alone, since he¡¯s decided that you¡¯re an enemy of the Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Tch, what a bother. I¡¯ll leave any would-be attackers to you too, then.¡±


    Halyes held his staff with both hands and leant his weight on it. ¡°Or I could just turn you in and plead for my own freedom. I¡¯m a priest, my Order carries clout.¡±


    ¡°With the people perhaps, not amongst the nobles who run this country. You¡¯re not fooling me, Halyes,¡± Zavel said with a smirk, and the priest scowled.


    Unable to find any retort, Halyes clamped his lips together in prayer. A moment passed as he conferred with the Holy Mother, before he finally spoke aloud with mild surprise, ¡°We¡¯re near¡­ Amnesnard. It¡¯s a day¡¯s walk east from here. It¡¯ll actually not be a bad place to be, all things considered.¡±


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s go then! We¡¯ve got our lives to live, and a spurned king shall not stand in our way!¡± With that said, Zavel spun around and began walking towards the trees.


    ¡°That¡¯s the wrong way, Zavel,¡± said Halyes, shaking his head. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m not going with you. If I make it back to my Order, they¡¯ll hide me and I¡¯ll be safe. Like you, said, I¡¯ve got my own life to live.¡±


    Zavel paused at Halyes¡¯ words, but didn¡¯t turn back to face him. ¡°O-oh. I just thought we could travel together again, l-like old times¡­¡±


    Stumbling forward, he caught himself on the trunk of a tree. He slunk down against the bark with darkened eyes, muttering under his breath.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡ª¡± Halyes started, but immediately froze. His face contorted with confusion, then realisation. ¡°W-what did you do? What did you do, Zavel?!¡±


    ¡°Oh, nothing,¡± Zavel said with a smile, raising his head to reveal the twinkle in his eyes. ¡°I simply asked your goddess, very nicely I might add, if She could loan one of Her faithful servants to join me on my journeys for an indeterminate amount of time. Did She give a reply?¡±


    ¡°¡­She said yes,¡± said Halyes through gritted teeth.


    ¡°And did the Holy Mother give a name?¡± Zavel asked, fluttering his eyebrows innocently.


    Halyes¡¯ answer came in the form of an inarticulate, yet strangely familiar scream.