The next guild hall I approached was the wizard’s guild. It was my second guild visitation, and I planned to meet with Master Alistair Draconis. He was unknown to me personally, but because wizards swore oaths that bound them to good and lawful actions only, I figured he was a safe next bet.

  The wizard hall was solid white and looked a bit like a tall, narrow shoebox. Its paint was magically kept clean and bright no matter the season, and it was built for serviceability and defense. Even still, its white stone walls reflected the light of day and night orbs with equal ease. It looked like the guild hall was narrower than the others, but it made up for that with a greater length. It reached back beyond the Round’s hilltop and descended several levels toward the city’s great arena. The top of the arena was above the height of the Round but its foundation was lower and closer to the river.

  I noticed that there was no guard outside the wizard guild hall. But if someone was foolish enough to plan mischief with this of all mage halls, the guild made an open invitation available. Wizards took an oath that was secured by their very life and power. A wizard’s honor kept the oath, but it was enforced by magical silver bracers the wizard received and wore upon reaching journeyman status. The bracers could never be removed once placed. I didn’t know the particulars of their oaths or the magic of their Bracers of Obedience, although I don’t think they were intended to be all that secret. I seemed to recall that their vows had something to do with poverty, protecting the innocent, serving justice, or some combination along those lines. They did not seek power, own more than they could carry as a rule, and had the authority to arrest any mage or mundane in pursuit of imperial justice. The fact that we have not had an emperor in thousands of years, or even a king in generations, made no difference. Wizards kept a tight rein on magical practitioners or mundane citizens’ abuse of magical objects.

  Wizards were like magical special forces. They had no limits on magical use and could modify their spells as needed, which included using their life ability to power spells by trading permanent life points for temporary casting points. There was a peculiar relationship among them, clerics and paladins, which I did not know much about. Still, given my training with the knight at the shading tree, I may want to pursue that line of investigation. Wizards were imperial mage peacekeepers, clerics were imperial priestly peacekeepers, and paladins were imperial warrior peacekeepers. Of course, there were rangers who worked outside of cities and had imperial authority to keep the peace across the wilderness. Most other roles of authority rested locally in cities under the rule of local dukes or their vassals.

  I shook my head to clear it. “Stay focused, Gwyd,” I said to myself. Wizards were trustworthy but not to be trifled with.

  After all that mental build-up about wizards, I walked into the guild hall and was a little disappointed. The inside was much like the exterior. It was whitewashed across the walls and ceiling, but the floor stones were shades of gray cobblestones. It was simple but elegant.

  I walked down a long hallway decorated only with portraits of distinguished wizards every few yards on both walls. I noticed one in particular, the seventh from the right, as I entered, and only a few yards before the central atrium. It was a portrait of the mage I came to see, Guild Master Emeritus Alistair Draconis. The painting was of professional quality, although it showed slight signs of fading. He was middle-aged and in his prime, both physically and magically. Still, the mage had a presence even in the artwork.

  I came to a wide spiral staircase at the end of the hallway. It was an intriguing design with two sides that went up, and two central staircases went down deeper into the lower levels of the hall. None of the stairs had railings and seemed to float on air without support. This was the kind of magic I expected in a mage hall. I wondered if the lack of support could be turned on or off as a defensive measure. It wouldn’t surprise me with wizards.

  Walking the last few yards into the formal atrium, I came to a large desk between me and the staircases. It was immaculately clean and in the exact center of the atrium. A thin, balding man sat in a stiff-backed wooden chair. His name tag read Wizard Simplus, Administrator.

  He watched me with unblinking eyes as I approached. I stopped a respectful distance away and bowed deeply. He did not tell me to rise, which was the typical courtesy given to a guest, even an apprentice from another guild. So, I spoke while bent over.

  “I have come to meet with Master Draconis.”

  The mage replied, “He is indisposed.”

  I paused, still bent in a bow. “I have come at his request.”

  “Oh?” Was the only reply.

  I took a deep and calming breath, which was not easy to do in this position. “Yes, lord Wizard Simplus. I beg your pardon. I have a letter from him in my robes if I have your permission to rise and deliver it to you.”

  In a slightly more mollified voice, perhaps because I referred to him by name, he said, “Arise, apprentice, and bring me the letter.”

  “Yes, Lord Wizard,” I answered. I straightened and slowly reached into my robes to retrieve the letter. Everybody knew to move carefully around wizards in case they took your actions as aggressive. They may have oaths that bind them, but they are also the targets of assassination attempts due to both their magical power and many enemies made among criminals and evil practitioners across the centuries.

  He nodded slowly as I retrieved the letter, never taking his eyes off my own, and he tapped the desk in front of him. I approached, set the letter down, and backed up to my original position. My hands were at my sides, and I had to force myself not to twitch.

  He stared at me for a moment longer and then picked up the letter as if I were not there. He appeared to read it twice. He folded it and placed it on his desk, not motioning for me to retrieve it.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  “Master Draconis is indisposed.” His voice dripped with sarcasm. “But I can tell from the handwriting that Wizard Olivia, his wife, wrote this letter.” His voice had softened when he mentioned mage Olivia’s name. There's definitely a backstory there, I thought.

  He paused as if awaiting my reply. I did not know what to say. He sighed and said, “Please remove yourself to the waiting room behind you. I will send for her and see if she will meet with you at her convenience.”

  I bowed deeply and moved in the direction he indicated. Most mage halls had one or more meeting rooms where they could engage with guests who would not be permitted to enter the depths of the hall. Sometimes, they had guests who were visiting briefly and therefore would not need to go through the process of identification by the guild hall orb. I was suddenly relieved. I didn't want to go through that process in Wizard Simplus’s presence.

  The waiting room, Master Simplus indicated, had an expensive colored glass door as its entry portal. I opened it and walked into a comfortable room, perhaps thirty feet square, with three magically lit fireplaces at the center of the other three walls. The floor was white marble, but a dozen colorful rugs adorned it. The walls were mostly made of white plaster, except around the gray, brown, and rose-colored cobblestone fireplaces that extended to the ceilings. A sizeable curved bar took up one corner, and comfortable chairs and couches took up the other corners, allowing for small gatherings.

  The center of the room was occupied by a long, plain wooden conference table. All the chairs were of equal size and plainness except for one at the head of the table, which was more significant. It had armrests and a silver pad that looked like velvet. I sat in what I considered the most inconspicuous chair among equals, to the left of the more elaborate chair.

  I admit that I had expected this to be smooth, and after the meeting with Master Gizmo, I may have had a bit of a high expectation of my self-value. Wizard Simplus ensured that I was reminded of my place in the hierarchy of mages, which was near the bottom.

  I didn’t have very long to wait. A woman in bright white robes and long, straight silver hair entered and approached me. Despite being at least a century old, she was in fine health and appearance. Mages lived twice as long as most regular citizens and often, but not always, aged a bit more slowly. She greeted me warmly and squeezed my hands, taking a seat next to me and avoiding the larger chair. “It is so nice to meet you in person, Gwydion. Your master has spoken so highly of you that I feel I know you.” Her smile was so warm and genuine that I couldn’t help but smile back.

  “You know my master then, Mistress-” I suddenly realized that other than Olivia, I did not know her last name or how she should be addressed.”

  She must have seen the panic on my face because she burst out in laughter. “Lionel worked you over, did he?” She asked.

  “Lionel?” I asked.

  “Wizard Simplus.”

  “Oh, yes. I mean, no. He did nothing inappropriate. I-” And I just sort of drifted off into silence, unsure what else to say since I still did not know how to address her.

  She laughed again. “You should see how he treats the wizard apprentices sometimes.” She frowned. “Never mind. You are a guild guest, and despite your youth, you should have been treated more kindly.”

  She folded her hands before her on the table. “I am afraid my husband will be unable to meet with you. He was summoned unexpectedly to a meeting with the Archmage soon after his letter was sent to you. I am glad I wrote it for him. The poor dear has atrocious handwriting.”

  I tried to decide how to thank her for her time without offending her when she volunteered. “And I apologize that I cannot spend the time with you to learn more about you. " She placed a finger against her nose and continued, “Sharing all my wisdom to help you in your future adventures.” She laughed again, good-naturedly.

  “I have a class that starts in a few minutes, but I can at least offer you my assistance. How might I help you, apprentice Gwydion?” She asked formally but with an ongoing smile.

  I had no idea what her background was, but she certainly seemed kind. So, I explained to her as briefly as possible how I had created the Single Use Spells and was hoping for a spell that could aid me in my travels and future work.

  “Corwyn hinted that it might be something along those lines when he dined with us last week, but he insisted that we hear it from you.”

  Master Corwyn Glimmerblade was my master, and I rarely heard him called by his first name.

  “How about this: I’ll gift you a spell for a silver, gold, and platinum ring. I believe that is in line with what my husband would likely do for the apprentice of one of his closest friends. If it is insufficient, he can contact Corwyn and set up another meeting.”

  “That is extremely generous, Mistress-” I just stared at her for the third time.

  “You may refer to me as Wizard Olivia. That is how our guild etiquette works.”

  “Thank you, Wizard Olivia. It means a great deal to me.”

  “Oh, to be young and starting out again.” She mused. “Then again, those early years, while exciting, were full of a lot more danger than I anticipated, and my magic was so sparse compared with now.”

  She held out her hands. “I am familiar with your Single Use Spell. Please prepare them for me, and I’ll let you get started on your way before I reminisce, waste your time, and make my adepts wait even longer.”

  I fished out a silver, gold, and platinum ring. I had many copper rings, but didn’t make as many of the more powerful rings. I did not expect this level of generosity, and was going through them quickly.

  “The spells I am giving you will be, from silver to platinum, the third mark Counterspell I spell, which will counter the casting of nearly any first or second-level spell in your vicinity and has a chance against even higher-level spells. A fifth mark spell called Nicon’s Restrain Group, which is an area of effect spell that could allow you and your companions to escape a dire situation without doing great harm to others. And a seventh mark spell called Gwydion’s Impenetrable Fortress that will create a temporary structure where you can get out of dangerous weather or protect yourself against an overwhelming enemy attack. It will last up to a week or until you depart it, and once sealed, it cannot be opened or entered without your consent. It could buy you time to figure out a plan of action. Time is often short when you are out in the wild. The spell is our version of the summoner’s series of spells that do the same thing, but our spell has a few nuances that I’ll leave you to discover on your own.”

  I knew of that spell and a few others with that mage’s namesake. He was an idol of my father’s because of his nobility of character, piety, and self-sacrifice for others. I was named after him. Of course, my father had no idea I would turn out to have magical abilities. Or perhaps, given my mother’s history, he had hoped I would. We never really talked about it.

  “Thank you, Wizard Olivia. This is very generous, and I hope to put them to good use someday.”

  She grew more serious. “I hope you won’t need to, but luck favors the prepared. And I think you are off to a good start.” She nodded to me, and just as she stood up to go, she asked, “Have you met with anyone else yet?”

  “Just my best friend’s master, Master Gizmo of the elementalist guild. I thought it best to start early with the wizard’s guild to understand how later meetings might go.”

  She chuckled. “A very diplomatic response. I wish you good luck and fortune, apprentice Gwydion. Go in peace.” And with that parting benediction, she escorted me out of the meeting room and rushed to her classroom of adepts.

  I bowed to Master Simplus, who seemed to appreciate the courtesy but waved me off and returned to some paperwork which now rested upon his previously empty desk.

  I was off to my next meeting, which I hoped would go as well. Sages were easily distracted, and I didn’t see them wanting to spend a lot of time with an apprentice. I expected this to be a quick and boring exchange.

  It’s just at times like this that life jumps up and slaps you in the face. The sage guild was going to be anything but normal…