The Complete Series, page 107
part #1 of The Hidden Wizard Series
“Exactly. I’m trying to find out his real identity. I believe there’s a clue hidden in the past.” Celes looked at Magnus and gave a small shrug. He started to rub his chin, thinking.
“How odd. Well, I’ve been stationed here for at least twenty years. Chances are, I met him long ago. The name does not mean anything to me off the top of my head.”
“Do you keep notes here in your ledger? He’s appeared in other Wizard Store ledgers, so maybe there’s some information here?” Celes hoped that Magnus would be helpful. This was the first time she’d encountered someone else in a Wizard Store that she didn’t know.
“That’s a fair request. Let me dig it out.” Magnus walked into the corner and searched through a small cabinet. He withdrew a dusty book and placed it on a table for Celes to review.
She flicked through the pages, examining the contents.
“There’s no entry logs?”
“No, since this store is usually occupied there was no need. There should be a notes section though.”
“Let me see.” Celes flipped through the book, sampling different sections to see what was there. She skipped a few that seemed to be inventories of things then discovered a note section. Not all the entries had a date, but enough did so she could figure out the chronology.
“Now we’re close.” Celes tapped a page dated just over twenty years ago. She started looking more carefully. It could be a mention of his name or something suspicious that would trigger her interest. And there it was.
“He was here. The wizard at the time recorded where he was staying, The Innhospitable Inn.”
“That place is an institution, I can’t believe it’s still standing. It’s near here if you’d like to investigate.”
“I may as well.” Celes closed the book.
“Aydan, you say? I’ll keep an eye out for any references.”
“Thanks, Magnus, that’s a great help.” Celes headed for the main door.
“Good luck,” Magnus called out. Celes waved and left.
She found herself on a main street, almost knocked over by a rushing pedestrian. Looking back at the Wizard Store, it was almost invisible. The building was run-down and blended in with the scenery completely. She studied it and the surrounding buildings well just to make sure she could find it again.
Off we go.
It didn’t take long to find the Inn. It was a large establishment with the named painted on the wooden exterior and had lots of people milling around outside. Celes navigated her way inside and was surprised to see it was nicely decorated. In an older style, but well-done. Tasteful furniture and clean floors. She made her way over to the bar and looked at the bartender. The woman had to be in her fifties with her long grey hair tied back and was expertly wiping down the bar and collecting empty glasses.
“Hey, love, what can I get for you?”
“A minute of your time, to indulge my curiosity.” Celes smiled and watched for the bartender’s reaction.
“It’s fairly quiet so I’ll hear you out, so long as you buy a drink after.”
“Deal, I happen to be on the hunt to track down an old friend of mine. I know that he stayed here a long time ago, and I just wondered if there are any clues as to where he went next. I can’t find any trace of him here.”
“How long ago?”
“Twenty years or so.” The bartender laughed.
“That’s some hunt you’re on.”
“It’s important, so if I can dig up anything that would be much appreciated. Do you have any records from back then?”
“Hmm.” The bartender had a think. “Jones keeps ledgers of all those staying. Let me see.” She started rifling through a drawer under the bar.
“No, that’s too new. Nope. Oh, this is probably about right.” The bartender emerged holding a rectangular leather-bound book.
“May I take a look…?”
“Christie. And yes, of course, you can. It’s ancient history, knock yourself out.” Christie chuckled and walked off to serve a customer.
Celes eagerly opened the ledger and flipped through. The system was quite easy to read, it was simply names and dates of check-in and dates of checkout. There seemed to be some additional markings next to some names, presumably to reference something.
This I can work with. Knowing more precise dates might help track down something more concrete elsewhere.
Celes carefully pored through the pages, starting close to where she expected an entry and working backwards. There were so many names, and she was starting to expect that there wouldn’t be anything. But there it was.
Aydan! So, you did come here, and now I know when. What’s this though?
Celes noticed the letter ‘j’ circled at the end of the entry. She looked up for Christie, waiting for the bartender to be free.
“Christie, I have a quick question before I get that drink.”
“Sure. Did you find something.”
“Yes, my friend definitely stayed here. What’s this at the end of the entry? It’s some sort of code.” Celes spun the book around and pointed out the spot to Christie. She examined it for a moment.
“Well, I’ll be. Lucky for you we still use that system of notes.”
“What does it mean?”
“It stands for junk. It’s our way of saying that the guest left stuff behind. We usually keep it for a while, in case they come back. As long as it’s not decomposing or something.” Celes’ heart rate just about doubled. She tried to gather herself.
“Would it be silly of me to think that maybe you still have that stuff?” Christie laughed.
“You know, there’s a chance if it was just shoved in a corner. There are things here that I have no idea where they came from.”
“Make it two drinks and a hefty tip. If it’s at all possible I have to see. This could be incredible.” Celes could see Christie weighing things up.
“I am a bit curious to see if we still have that stuff. C’mon, let’s be quick about it.” Christie waved her over and walked to the end of the room and into a corridor. She rushed down to the last door, opening it with a key from her belt.
“This is long-term storage, I think it’s mostly guest related. If we kept that box, it’ll be here.” Christie paused for a moment. “Good luck, I’ll see you back at the bar. Please don’t make a mess here, it’ll just cause trouble for me.”
“Absolutely, I promise it’ll be like I was never here.”
“Good.” Christie left promptly and Celes surveyed the room.
So many boxes. Better get started.
She began by examining those closest to the door, she wanted to avoid another situation where the thing she needed was near the entry and she looked there last. After checking a few boxes, she noticed a definite trend. A lot of boxes had a big ‘J’ on top and tacked on somewhere else on the lid was a piece of paper with a name. Unfortunately, there were no dates. And none bore the name she needed.
I need to look for dusty boxes, probably up the back.
Celes had a good look and determined that there was a cluster of older boxes in the far-right corner. She carefully picked her way through, making sure she didn’t disturb any shaky towers of boxes. It didn’t take long to look over the boxes. It definitely wasn’t the ones on top.
Here we go.
Celes systematically moved boxes around carefully to examine the ones on the bottom of the stacks, or near the bottom if they were particularly high. It all came down to the last box in the corner.
Please, please be this one.
“Aydan, I’ve got you,” Celes whispered as she read the label. She set the box aside, pushing down the sudden urge to rifle through it.
The box has been here this long, I can wait a few moments before opening it. She focused on setting the room back to what it was, then carefully opened the lid. It was mostly empty. She found a few gems of different types, and some slips of paper. They looked to be receipts, but it wasn’t clear what was purchased. One, however, stood out. It was a receipt from the Valrytir Restricted Library. It was confirmation of a restricted loan book titled The History of The Blight.
This looks interesting. If it’s a restricted library, there’s probably some records there too. I can feel it, this is a good lead.
Celes emptied the contents of the box into her satchel and returned to the bar.
“Hey, any luck?” Christie said.
“Yes, thank you. I couldn’t believe it, but there you go. Just a few papers and some gems, but so interesting.”
“Wow, that’s quite lucky. Glad to be of help. What’ll I get you?”
“Two shots of your best spirit, and some more information.” Celes sat down at the bar. She watched Christie select a bottle and start pouring out shots.
“What else were you after?”
“The Valrytir Restricted Library. Is it nearby?”
“Oh, yes that’s at the end of the main street.” Christie picked up both glasses and set them down before Celes.
“Is it restricted access?” Celes retrieved some coins from her pocket, holding them in her closed hand.
“I don’t believe so, just more security.” Christie was eyeing off Celes’s hand. Celes dipped her hand in again and grabbed a few extra coins. She pressed them into Christie’s hand.
“Thanks again for your help.” Celes threw the shot down, letting the burning sensation pass through her. She stood quickly.
“The other one is for you. Take care.” Celes waved and walked off.
“Thanks, and good luck,” Christie said. Celes quickly left the inn and started down the street.
Much more hospitable than they let on.
Celes could feel the case closing in. She was practically running down the street. It wasn’t hard to find the library, it was a large stone building with an impressive dome on top. She rushed up the stairs and into the massive foyer.
The stillness of the room was a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle outside. People moved slowly and with purpose, and even the staff were quiet with whatever they were doing. Celes located a reception desk and walked over.
“Hello, I’d like your help with something.”
“Good day. How can we assist you?” The librarian looked somewhat disinterested and moved her brown wavy hair off her face. Celes judged the woman was only in her early twenties.
“A friend of mine borrowed a book from here years ago. He wants to read it again, and I’d like to borrow it as well.”
“What’s the book?”
“The History of the Blight.” Celes handed over the borrowing receipt.
“It’s available. You can find it in the stacks.” The librarian handed the slip back.
“Good. But, before I get it, I just need to double check. I need to make sure it’s the same exact one.”
“We only have one with that exact title, although there are similar books.” The librarian seemed annoyed.
“If I could just look at the list of people who borrowed it, then I can make sure.”
“I’m not sure I should do that.”
“It’s nothing, I’ll just glance at the list. I’ll see my friend’s name and I’ll be confident when I take it back that it’ll be exactly the one that he wants. I’d only be looking at the names from a long time ago, nobody cares about the fact that they borrowed a book twenty years ago.” Celes smiled and watched the librarian’s reaction. She seemed to be coming around, despite being uncomfortable.
“You can look at the list while I’m here.” The librarian turned and walked over to another section, rifling through different books. She returned within a few minutes with an old-looking book.
“This is the borrowing ledger. Let me see the slip again.” The librarian checked the slip and carefully looked through the ledger.
“I’ve identified the appropriate entry, as expected. Take a look.” The librarian spun the ledger around and guided Celes on where to look. Celes could feel her heart pounding. She read the name and suppressed a gasp. It wasn’t Aydan. It was a real name.
“Thank you so much, you’ve been incredibly helpful. That’s the exact confirmation I needed. You were so professional as well, I respect your devotion to the library.”
“Why, thank you. I hope your friend enjoys the book as much as he did the last time.” The librarian smiled and Celes thanked her again while she left. She made a show of walking over to where the library books were kept, but once the librarian was distracted, she left the building.
I actually did it! I’ve got you now.
Celes couldn’t believe that she had solved it. Everything was coming together at last.
41
The Way to Valrytir
The Wizard Gate shimmered in front of them, revealing a hot dusty scene.
“Here we go.” Alrion grabbed Lara’s hand and stepped through the gate. The strange sensation that was starting to become familiar washed over them, light and heat and blankness.
The heat was all he expected.
“This is definitely the desert,” Lara said. “I hope you have an idea of where this next gate is?”
“I do, but I also have a theory.” Alrion started walking through the old temple surrounding them. It was largely destroyed, random pillars slowly eroding away, providing little to no shelter.
“What’s the theory?” Lara said as they walked. Soon the temple was behind them, and a barely noticeable path stretched out ahead.
“It needs a bit more time to test. Hopefully, I’m not wrong, or this is going to be a really unpleasant journey.”
“I agree with you on that point.” Lara stopped and pulled out a small flask of water. She offered it to Alrion first then had a sip. They walked on without conversation, the dry heat and oppressive sun was too much. Alrion was content with just walking forward. He knew there were ways to reduce the effect of the heat, but he was happy just moving forward. Not grappling with the environment and just moving through it.
Eventually, he noticed what looked like an oasis.
“Ah-hah!” Alrion said, pointing.
“There’s something familiar about that,” Lara mused. As they walked closer, Alrion noticed a figure standing there.
“Ashra?” Alrion said.
“The very same. Welcome back, Alrion.” Ashra smiled and waved them over.
“I knew you had to be located close to the Wizard Gate here,” Alrion said.
“Lucky for you, even luckier for your mother.”
“You saw her?”
“Yes, I helped her on her way. A most interesting hunt, looking for a wizard by following an old trail.”
“Was she well?”
“Yes, perfectly well, although she would have struggled in the desert had I not found her. She wasn’t properly equipped for it.”
“Where did you take her? Another gate?”
“Of course. Come inside and we can talk more.” Ashra led them into the house and down into the coolest space. He served water and Alrion drained a few cups.
“How is everything going? Are you ready to complete your quest?”
“Did she tell you Falric was alive?”
“Yes, that was a good surprise. Although I admit I half-expected something like that. It seemed odd that he fell so quickly and easily.”
“I’m doing pretty well, I just need to complete my travel to Valrytir.” Alrion poured himself another cup of water.
“He’s lying of course. We had to track back to the Pool of Knowledge because Alrion couldn’t pull the location of the Blight from his accumulated knowledge.”
“Hang on,” Alrion started but Lara cut him off again.
“And when he finally found that out, he also found out that completing the spell will kill him.” Lara stared at Alrion defiantly.
“Why?” he said, not even bothering to hide his annoyance.
“Ashra can help you. He’s probably the wisest wizard you’ve met yet, and he trained you so much in the little time you were here. He’s more practical than Falric.”
“Practical? Because he lives in the desert?”
“Please, be still. Calm yourselves.” Ashra got their attention then focused on Lara. “Thank you for being so blunt. I suspected something serious was up, and I appreciate the opportunity to discuss it.” He then turned to Alrion. “You should thank her for saying what you could not. It is not a sign of weakness to ask for help.”
“I’ll be honest, I’m not sure what you can do to help.”
“You’ve got it all figured out then?” Ashra smiled and gave Alrion a funny look.
“No, but I can figure it out then.”
“That worked well for you before didn’t it, when we duelled?” Ashra started with his gaze on Alrion, but then shifted it to Lara. She shivered noticeably.
“Lara doesn’t have fond memories of that.”
“Well, he did obliterate the area. Lucky you saved us.”
“What’s that got to do with this?”
“You weren’t prepared and acted on instinct. And you lost control. Had I not intervened, it would have been tragic. Are you going to leave the fate of the world to chance?”
“No. I’ve come a long way. I’ve passed all the trials, I’ve cured myself and others of the Blight. And I’ve learned the details of the final spell and where to perform it.”
“And you’re confident then? No doubt whatsoever?”
“Of course not.”
“Then you’re not ready! Nobody is taking away from your considerable achievements. I can see the depths of your knowledge, perseverance, and willpower. But as you have no doubt noticed, having those abilities is not all that is required.”
Ashra is making too much sense. In a way, it’s a relief, but it doesn’t make me any less annoyed. Why am I so affected by what he’s saying?
“You’re right, as much as it pains me to hear it. I’m not confident. I don’t know how I’m going to avoid death. That doubt, you’ve just increased it.”
“Good.”
“What?” Lara said.
“He’s in the right place. Mentally, and physically.” Ashra gave them a mysterious smile.
“What are you planning?”
