It was not long before Master Gizmo returned to his chambers, and Adriana quickly escorted me from the kitchen to a cozy table with two chairs across from each other. He grinned when Adrianna removed the apron around my waist, but he said nothing. After bowing to him, I sat down in a standard wooden chair while the elementalist master sat in a more padded and slightly worn seat directly across from me.

  His eyes sparkled as he said, “Mistress Bond will be stewing over this morning for the next month. She won’t say anything about your visit, you can trust her in that, but it will be a bee buzzing between her ears for weeks.”

  I wasn’t sure what reaction he expected from me, as I was still at a loss about the fuss. I finally said, “Thank you, Master Gizmo.”

  He waved his hands, “Oh, think nothing of it. Under the circumstances, we can skip all the formalities and get to the interesting bits. You are here to ask a favor. I want to hear all about your history and how you came to be so celebrated, and I have a few important things to share with you as you near your journeyman travels.”

  His grin widened a bit more. “I know I have a reputation for spinning a colorful tale, but everything I share during the apprentice class is true.” He paused. “Well, nearly everything. Some of the tales were about colleagues and not myself, but the dangers were very real. Unfortunately, most mages nowadays don’t wander far from their halls. And other than the archmage, bishop, and perhaps a handful of exceptional mages you may meet later this week, you aren’t likely to learn about the risks or the rewards out there like you can from me.”

  From my many talks with Adriana, I knew her master had adventured far and wide across the realm, and his boasts were not idle. “I sincerely thank you, Master Gizmo. How would you like to start? I am at your service.”

  “Let’s begin with your request for assistance. I know it's supposed to be the last thing we do, and only if there isn't an initial offer from me first, but I'm curious about what you have planned. We can start with your ask; you share your background with some polite interruptions from me, and I’ll tell you a few things I think you should know based on what you share, and we can eat along the way. How does that sound?”

  I began to relax again. “That sounds wonderful, master.” I looked over at Adriana with a smile and saw that she once again had her jaws open and a look of stunned surprise on her face. When she noticed me, she turned and hurriedly began to prepare a tea setting before the meal was served.

  I cleared my throat because her reaction began to make me nervous again. “Well, I did not have a specific request, Master Gizmo.”

  “Then share your general request.” He said with a smirk.

  “Of course. Well, I am creating a set of forty-nine magical rings, each a single-use spell, to include as a part of the mage staff I am creating. I have copper rings for-” I searched for the right word for elementalist seven spell ranks, “first and second element spells, silver rings for third and fourth element spells, gold for fifth and sixth element spells, and some platinum for seventh element spells.

  “I am requesting whatever assistance you think is appropriate before departing upon my journeyman travels. I would like to ask if you are willing to cast a spell upon one or more rings.”

  He sat back and steepled his fingers. “So you have overcome the restriction of placing a magical ring upon an object, other than a finger, and have it functional, magically?”

  “Yes, master.”

  “I am sorely tempted to press you about how, but that would break my oath as host.” He paused again and sat forward. He said in a voice more intense than a moment earlier, “Do not allow any mage to force or trick you into revealing these secrets. Your master trusts me, and I trust him. He has saved my life. It’s a story I doubt he would have shared with you under its, ahem, unusual circumstances. I don't encourage you to ask him about it.” He said as he sat back.

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  “Of course not, master,” I said, not knowing what he was talking about but understanding it was a sensitive subject.

  “I am happy to assist you, my boy. I knew that I would before I even met you, and I am beginning to understand some of your master’s pride and also his concerns.” He steepled his fingers again and stared at me intently before continuing.

  “But before committing to any specific gift, tell me something about yourself. Feel free to leave out any secrets or revelations to protect yourself, your master, and your guild. But I offer you my promise and oath to keep anything you share between us and your master.”

  That was a more generous offer than I had expected, so I began talking about my past, including life at the university with my parents, access to magical and mundane book treasures that my father was involved with during my childhood, and how I fell in love with the idea of creating some of the magical wonders that I read about in his books.

  An entire hour passed before I realized it. I had shared some of my goals and fears, my life at home, and lessons with Master Glimmerblade at the enchanter’s guild, and also with Master Sundance and his shoppe.

  “So you are a prodigy in jewelry work and magical gem craft?” He finally asked.

  It was not an entirely inappropriate question, although I was free to ignore it because of its presumption. However, I had grown to like and respect Master Gizmo, and if he was as close to my master as I believed, he might already know this and be gauging my level of trust in him by revealing it.

  “Yes, master. I am a patron of crafting magical and mundane jewelry and in magical and mundane gem craft.” I paused and took a leap of faith. “My third area of patronage involves magical sockets.”

  His eyebrows shot up on his forehead. “My dear boy, you do me great honor and trust by sharing this. I overstepped my duties and etiquette by asking. Even though I was carefully guarded and concerned about you, I was still drawn into wanting to know. I ask you to forgive me.” He stood and bowed to me.

  Master Gizmo, emeritus guildmaster of one of the most powerful and dangerous guilds, bowed to me and asked me for my pardon.

  I glanced at Adriana, seated in a corner, and once more open-mouthed. We stared at each other while Master Gizmo remained bowed. She motioned to me with her hands and said, "Say something, you idiot!"

  “Please, Master Gizmo, there is no need for an apology. You gave me fair warning when we sat down and expressed nothing but kindness and good intentions that I could expect from none other than my own father or masters. I am humbled by your concern for me and beg your forgiveness if I led you to believe I held you in anything but the deepest respect.”

  Adriana pursed her lips, nodded, and gave me a thumbs-up behind her master’s back.

  Master Gizmo sat back up. “Well then, we shall speak no more about it. You have had an amazing life for someone so young. And while you are more likely to remain sedentary as an enchanter, I sense a restlessness in you that suggests some adventuring in your future. Please let me share three lessons that should serve you well on your upcoming journeys.”

  Master Gizmo shared three stories about adventuring, each with a moral lesson about trust, caution, and betrayal. The stories also provided solid information about dungeon traps, interactions with elves, and enough details about goblins that I felt I could write a book. Another hour passed before I realized it.

  At the end of the stories, Master Gizmo stood and said, “Give me two rings, each of silver, gold, and platinum.”

  I stood quickly and fished out two silver, gold, and platinum rings. I had already primed each with a Single-Use Spell per my master’s advice at one casting point each and handed them to him. He placed them down on the table and first retrieved one of the platinum rings.

  “I assume that Adriana can help you with plenty of your copper spells.” He turned to her and said, “Be sure he gets an adventurer’s set.”

  I didn’t know what he meant, but she clearly understood because she replied, “Yes, master.”

  “Now, the spells I am sharing with you came at great peril and far too late for some of my closest comrades. I planned to give you a nice offensive spell, but just before we met this morning, I had a visit from the Bishop. His recent vision suggests that we need to over-prepare this graduating class of journeymen because a storm is coming the likes of which the realm has not seen since the Great Necromancer roamed the land.”

  The Bishop of Keelwell was a hero of the realm and, along with the archmage himself, was part of an adventuring group that defeated the Great Necromancer half a century ago.

  He continued. “This is a seventh element spell also known to us as the outer element or level. The spell is called the Legendary Ward All Elements spell. It will protect you and your companions from any threat from the five elemental forces. Perhaps only next to the spell upon the other platinum ring I am gifting, its power is unrivaled among spells known in this age. Without the Bishop’s insistence, I would never consider gifting such a spell to a new journeyman. In fact, your master has similar spells that are enchantment wards that I advise you to seek out.”

  He continued. “There are more spectacular spells and spells of considerable damage, but this one could save your life and the lives of your companions. It has saved me, and I only wish I had it far earlier in my adventuring life. But we shall not speak of that today.” He said.

  He concentrated and cast the spell upon the platinum ring. It flashed briefly white, then yellow, red, green, orange, blue, and then white again. When he handed it to me, I felt the ring vibrate before calming to stillness.

  That was a powerful spell. If I got a few of those, I’d be set. Of course, magic always comes with a cost…