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WIZARD AT HOME

Kale soon learned why Librettowit, the librarian, spent his time with Wizard Fenworth.

In the “castle,” a common room served as the main gathering place. It was the only square room in the castle. The kitchen took one corner of this space. A table and benches nestled close to the oven. On a small rug, a cluster of stuffed chairs made an excellent place to sit in front of the hearth.

To the right side of this huge fireplace, a door led to Fenworth’s bedroom. To the left was Librettowit’s room. The wall across from the fireplace held a double wooden door that led to the outdoors. The door with its beveled glass windows did look as though it belonged in a mansion.

Round windows of various sizes spotted the walls in no clear order. In the middle of each of the remaining walls stood one circular door that lead to a tubular hallway. Along these labyrinths of corridors were round rooms with floor-to-ceiling bookcases, each overflowing with books.

Hundreds of books. Old books, new books. Big books, tiny books. Thick books, skinny books with no covers. Books with leatherlike pages, books with colored pages, books with no pages but pictures inside that moved and changed constantly. In one room a table sat in the center upon which four books lay open. As Kale watched, words appeared on the page of one of these books. When the lines of script reached the bottom, the page turned and new words surfaced on a clean sheet as if they floated to the top of a pond.

In the days while Kale waited for Wizard Fenworth to be ready, she wandered around in these rooms. Each room had one large, comfortable chair and lightrock lanterns to use. Occasionally, she picked out a book from the shelves to read.

She also got lost in these rooms and hallways. The best thing to do when lost in the castle was to find a door to the outside. From the exterior, the castle appeared to be a giant cygnot with a gathering of slightly smaller trees around it. The round hallways Kale walked through in the castle were limbs connecting those trees.

Librettowit had shown her around the maze of halls and rooms.

“Fenworth’s castle is the center of The Bogs,” the tumanhofer explained. “This tree is the oldest living tree in Amara. The trees around are not much younger.” He beamed at his surroundings when he showed her his study room. “Fenworth’s collection of books outshines all others. It is a privilege to be his personal librarian, although he does forget exactly what my duties are from time to time.”

“What are we doing to prepare for the quest?” asked Kale. It seemed to her that they did little beyond reading, eating Dar’s good meals, and sleeping in the hammocks the kimens strung from bookcase to bookcase in various rooms.

“I am gathering information on Risto, his history.” Librettowit peered over his thick glasses. His small eyes examined Kale. He sighed. “There is so very much that can be learned from books. It is most often not necessary to figure things out for oneself. One only needs to read the proper book on the subject. For instance, I am also researching known facts on meech dragons. They are rare, you know, but still there are valuable accounts of them. And I am copying maps to send with Fenworth to aid in the journey. Actually, I will give them to Brunstetter. Fenworth would misplace them.”

“You aren’t going with us?”

“Oh, no. I’m a librarian.”


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Kale tried to corner Fenworth for a talk. He had said a number of puzzling things. He mentioned her mother. No one had ever mentioned her mother. She tried to tell herself that the way crazy things came out of his mouth in no particular order was a sign that she shouldn’t believe anything he said. But she wanted to ask just in case.

The man had a talent for disappearing. She would follow him into a corridor, but he’d turn off into a room or down another corridor. No matter how quickly she ran to catch up, the room or the hallway would be empty.

He could be within sight and totally inaccessible. Sometimes she would see him sitting in the top tree limbs among a gaggle of birds. When she tried to climb that high, the thin branches swayed and bent, depositing her gently on a lower level of the cygnot network. They felt like fingers grasping her clothes and then releasing her when she found secure footing.

Each night Fenworth retired early to his chamber. In the morning he rose before the sun to converse with animals of nocturnal disposition. In fact, he spent a great deal of time visiting with animals who came to call.

All this time, Leetu showed no signs of getting any better.

Kale asked Dar when they would be on their way.

He smiled over the pot he was stirring. “It would be a grievous mistake to leave before the wizard is ready. And since Paladin ordained the wizard to accompany us…” He shrugged and went back to fixing a noontime feast out of the wizard’s surprisingly well-stocked cupboards.

She asked Shimeran.

“No sense in hurrying a wizard,” he told her.

She asked Librettowit.

“No idea. Not going. So not much interested. It will be nice to have the libraries to myself once you and your party are gone. We haven’t had this much to-do in a hundred years or more. Usually, it’s rather pleasant, living with Fenworth. Quiet. Time for study.”

The kimens were no help at all. They contentedly read or joined Dar in making music. They took care of Leetu and played with Gymn. Worry did not seem to be a part of their makeup.

Kale found a whole room full of books by famous o’rants. She took one down from the shelf and started through it, looking mostly at the pictures.

“I think we will wait for Metta to hatch.”

Kale dropped the book, slapped a hand to her heart, and whirled around at the wizard’s unexpected voice right at her shoulder.

“Metta?”

“The minor dragon riding in a pouch suspended from a seventeen-and-a-half-inch thong around your neck.”

Kale moved her hand on her blouse and felt the familiar pouch beneath the material. “Oh.”

Fenworth turned away.

“Wait,” cried Kale.

When he turned back, she took a deep breath and plunged in. “I’ve wanted to ask you questions. What did you mean by apprentice? When will Leetu be well? Do you know my mother?”

“Oh, we mustn’t speak of her. That’s dangerous. When we above mention those below, it puts them in deadly peril. So, of course our lips are sealed.”

Kale tried to protest, but found her lips were indeed stuck together.

Frowning fiercely, she used her talent. You may have stopped my mouth, but I can still mindspeak. Is she alive? Where is she? How do you know her? And my father? Do you know my father, too?

Fenworth for once looked directly into her eyes, and she saw compassion before he covered it with a stern expression.

“Yes, of course, you can be rude and naughty and impatient and cause all sorts of trouble even though you’ve been warned. But you won’t. You don’t want further harm to come to the dear woman we are not speaking of.”

Kale opened her mouth. “You’re right.”

“Now for your other questions. Although we will pretend you only asked two for security reasons, of course. And therefore, we shall now address the first of your two questions. What do I mean by apprentice? I think you shall have to ask Wit. He’s a librarian, you know. He should have a good dictionary somewhere. And the third question: ‘When will Leetu be well?’ First, you must answer my question.”

“I’ll try.”

“Who is Leetu?”

“The emerlindian.”

“I know many emerlindians, my dear.”

“The emerlindian we brought with us. The one who is sick.”

“Four thousand, six hundred, thirty-two emerlindians.” Fenworth tapped one bony finger against the palm of his other hand. “That’s how many I know. Living, of course.”

Kale feared the wizard would get off track, and she’d never bring him back to the subject of her friend’s health.

“Leetu Bends. Paladin assigned her to the quest. She was injured by mordakleeps. We’ve been helping her, but you must cure her.”

“Why would I do that, my dear?”

“Because Paladin said…”

“Oh yes, of course, I do remember something…Where is this Leetu?”

“In your kitchen, in a hammock the kimens put up.”

“Ahhhh.” The wizard tapped a finger to his temple. “I know which one of my guests you speak of. Quiet young woman, speaks nary a word. Rather uninteresting on the whole, but we shan’t hold that against her. Mordakleeps, you say? Nasty.”

He started walking down the hall in what Kale hoped was the direction of the kitchen. She would have had to go out the door and around the castle to the main entrance to find her way back.

After many twists and turns they came into the warmth of the cozy common room. The kimens and Gymn sat on one of the stuffed chairs while Dar read to them.

Fenworth marched across the room and stood beside Leetu.

“Time to get up,” he barked. “Enough already of dwelling on your misfortune. Revolting creatures, those mordakleeps, but that’s behind you now. If you’re going to live, get up and live.”

Leetu opened her eyes, blinked twice, sat up, and swung her legs out of the hammock.

“Hungry, I bet.” Wizard Fenworth patted her rather awkwardly on the shoulder. “Dar will take care of that.”

He turned to Kale. “You come with me.”

He bolted out the front door with Kale scrambling to make it outside before the door slammed behind him. That was another one of Fenworth’s tricks for disappearing. Grateful that the planking around the castle was tightly woven, Kale scurried to keep up without having to mind her steps too carefully.

“I’m going to answer another question for you.” Fenworth stopped and leaned against a tree, suddenly relaxed, as completely relaxed as he had been energized one second before. “Only fair. No, not the one you didn’t ask, because we’ve forgotten all about that one. This is a bonus question, one for free.”

Kale stood panting. She nodded.

“I have been given information that leads me to conclude the probable purpose Risto intends for the meech egg. I know what he’s up to! No good, of course.

“Part of this information comes from Librettowit’s excellent summation of Risto’s past deeds, which reveal his interests. Part of it comes from my informants, various intelligent animals who can get close to almost anyone without that person, Risto in this instance, being aware.

“Risto thinks he can best Pretender.” Fenworth gave a mirthless laugh and shook his head sadly. “That’s the problem all too many times, ambition, pride. In some cases it’s dangerous to want to be better and prove it. Think of me trying to be better than Wulder. Preposterous! Think of me trying to create something. Foolish beyond measure. I am a lowly wizard privileged to use the gifts of Wulder, and then only in the way He designed them. Yet these imbeciles go about doing evil, and if that isn’t bad enough, they try to top each other in just how evil they can be.”

“What is Risto planning to do?” asked Kale quietly. She dreaded the answer, but she wanted to hear it. She wanted to know what they were facing. She didn’t want Fenworth to talk and talk and never get around to telling her.

“He is going to create another race to do his bidding. Pretender has tried seven times and failed seven times. But Risto thinks with the meech egg he has found the secret.”

“Has he?” asked Kale.

Fenworth tenderly put his old hand against her young face, cupping her smooth cheek.

“There is so much you do not know yet. But you are learning. No, Kale. The secret is you must be Wulder in order to create. Risto will fail, but he will hurt many. His failure may very well walk the world like bisonbecks and mordakleeps. Unless we stop him.”

He moved his hand to gently tap her on the shoulder. “But we’ve got some circumstances on our side. Stumbled on the meech egg, Risto did! Stumbled. Doesn’t have your talent for finding dragon eggs. Very few people do. But he stumbled on it.”

“That’s in our favor?” Kale didn’t think Risto’s finding the egg by accident was a good thing.

“Wasn’t prepared, you see. Didn’t have his geese in order. No, I think that’s ducks in a row. Ducks and geese also lay eggs, as do alligators and a peculiar mammal called a platypus. But dragon eggs. So rare. One must be particular about all the details in hatching. Risto had to keep the egg separate and isolated, so it wouldn’t be quickened by a warm-blooded creature. He has many plans to work out in order to succeed in using the energy of the egg after it quickens and before it hatches. Time’s against him and in our favor. Of course, Wulder is for us and against Risto. Of course, we don’t know where the egg is and Risto does. But of course we have friends to help us find it, and Risto doesn’t have friends. Has henchmen, though. Nasty creatures doing his bidding. Slaves he forces. Other things like him who do evil just because they like to. Don’t understand that. Don’t particularly want to.”

Kale tugged on his sleeve. “Will we be in time?”

“Well, now, that is our hope, is it not?”