The Hedge Wizard

Hump pushed open the door of their new accommodation and Nishari raced inside, sniffing at everything. His eyes drifted over the fine wooden floors and lavish paintings on the walls.

“Well, this is fancy,” he said.

“It’s certainly that.” Celaine strode inside, going to the window in the living room and staring out at the Temple of Sanctum across the river, the great dome towering over everything.

There were three bedrooms, which was small compared to the accommodation they were used to from the Dastons, though Hump certainly wouldn’t complain. This was perfect. More perfect than he could have ever asked for considering they were in a warzone. It gave Nishari a place to stay where she was safe and out of sight, plus the balcony gave her easy access to the skies if need be.

The others had remained at their barracks and would meet them at Count Daston’s estate later. They’d been invited to a gathering to celebrate Marcela’s return to the front lines. What it was really was an excuse for a feast. Not one to turn down a good meal, Hump could hardly say no.

For now, Celaine withdrew their gear from her Belt of Storage—clothes of different occasions, spare shoes, food, drink, and other necessities. They unpacked them and went about setting up the apartment, before feeding Nisha.

It was at that point that Hump knew the little dragon wasn’t going to make things easy.

She sat next to her bowl, filled with meat, staring straight at Hump, pleading through their bond.

“She doesn’t want to stay here, does she?” Celaine asked.

“No she doesn’t.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen her not eat.”

“What do we do?” Hump asked.

“She needs to learn to spend time on her own. I suggest we close the doors and keep her in this room and leave. We can’t reward this behaviour.”

“What if she burns the apartment building down?”

Celaine gave him an unsure look. “She wouldn’t, would she?”

Hump stroked his chin, studying his creature. “You wouldn’t, would you?”

She tilted her head, curiously.

“Don’t give her attention,” Celaine said. “Be stern and commanding, or she’ll never learn. Both with your words and your voice. Time to put that wizard will to good use.”

Hump took a breath, bracing himself. He hated being mean to Nisha, but it had to be done. He formed his intent as if casting a spell and ordered her to remain at the apartment and not to cause any trouble. After that, they left quickly, ignoring her whines at the door as they closed her in behind them. Hump forced himself to remain unbothered, ignoring the pleas through his bond and doing his best to conceal his own emotions.

“That was good,” Celaine said.

“I feel guilty.”

She laughed. “It’s the same as training any animal. They’re good at making you feel guilty, especially ones as smart as a wolf dragon, but she’ll learn.”

It was starting to get dark when they arrived at Count Daston’s lavish mansion. The building was in the military zone on the north side of the river, and signs of that were everywhere. Tall walls defended the property, with a walkway for defending soldiers. The path leading up to the estate was lined with walls too, curving so as to slow down potential enemies and grant defenders an advantage.

The gathering was a feast in all but name, though tame compared to the events Hump had attended in Sheercliff City. It seemed the nobles here at least had some sense, and knew that throwing too extravagant of a party might damper the morale of troops in the current circumstances. Still, it was a grand meal of roasted meats, grilled fish freshly brought in from the harbour, ripe fruit, and interesting baked goods.

Many long tables were spread out throughout the feasting hall. Hump and his party sat together, along with various other knights and warriors, who all seemed far more interested in the Frost Knight, Bud, than the rest of them. Hump was pleased with the lack of attention for the first time in a while. Being away from Nishari, his wizard staff, and in ordinary clothes, he barely looked like a wizard, other than the wand he kept on his belt. It was only a bronze tier item but he’d picked it up in Sheercliff for situations just like this one, where his staff wasn’t suitable.

After the meal, Bud and Emilia split off to greet various nobles that Hump had no interest in knowing. The rest of them went to meet with Teff from Marcela’s party. It had been a long time since he’d seen the hunter, and he was interested in why he’d stayed behind in the fortress after Marcela was injured.

Hump made his rounds. Randall and Madeleine were there, but for the most part they kept to themselves—it seemed the ill deeds of House Ferrand had reached even the very farthest points of Alveron. Count Daston came to greet Hump, enthusiastically saying that they’d need to speak more in the future before departing. A number of nobles and adventurers approached him once word got out that he was the White Flame Wizard of Sheercliff.

A couple of hours of socialising was all Hump could take. He snuck outside, finding him a quiet spot in the dark that overlooked the gardens and tried to recover from his exhaustion.

“I thought I saw you sneak out.”

Hump turned to find Bud in the doorway. “I don’t know how people do this every week.”

Bud snorted. “Once a week would be a slow period. I know people that attend events like this almost daily.”

Bewildered, Hump shook his head. It was a lifestyle he could hardly imagine even after having a taste of it. “Rich people really do have nothing to do, do they?”

“Nothing very useful, no.”

“There are even rich people that manage all the trouble other rich people cause,” Hump said. “A whole system built around humouring a select few. Good food though. And the wine’s nice. I suppose it’s not all bad.”

“I think you’re fitting right in,” Bud said, laughing. “Enjoy it while it lasts. There are few occasions like this out here.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Hump said. “You seen Dylan? I thought he was with you.”

“Someone more interesting came along,” Bud said, grinning. He pointed behind him toward the right side of the room.

There, Hump spotted Dylan at a table with a young woman. They were holding hands.

Hump’s eyes widened. “Who’s that?”

“Katia,” Bud said. “Dylan’s been seeing her for a couple of months. Didn’t he mention it in his letters.”

“Not to me, he didn’t. Why didn’t he introduce me?”

Bud chuckled. “I’m sure he will. She’s very nice. She’s a Chosen of Vesta.”

Hump raised an eyebrow at that—there were very few Chosen of the god of travel. “Now that’s unusual. How did he swing that?”

“You’ll need to ask him for the full story. How about we talk about you and Celaine instead. You both seem closer than before.”

“Us? What about you and Emilia? You were all but finishing each other’s sentences at dinner.”

“We’re closer,” Bud said. “Not close-close, but I think we’ve both accepted that we are engaged, though I have no idea what will come of it. Well? You going to talk or change the subject again?”

Hump frowned, disappointed at the level response. He took a breath. “I don’t know. She cut my hair.”

Bud’s eyebrows furrowed into a bewildered look. “What?”

“You know…” Hump pointed at his head. “She cut it.”

“I… see.”

“Don’t look at me like that! It was flirty, alright?”

Bud laughed, holding up his palms defensively. “Alright! Relax, I believe you.”

Hump rolled his eyes. “And we held hands briefly when she told me off for almost dying.”

“Kelisia give me strength—you almost died again?”

“We fought a lich queen. Just being in the room with her was almost dying. Celaine was being dramatic, you know what she’s like.”

“She’s the least dramatic person I know. You’re far more dramatic.”

“Well, the important thing is, you remember that tale of the merchant maiden I told you?”

Bud narrowed his eyes. “The one you saved from bandits? Yes, I remember.”

“And how I said an injury is the best way to get a girl’s attention?”

“Where are you going with this?”

“It works. That’s where I’m going.”

“Oh yeah. You guys held hands. Things really have come a long way.”

“Oh, shut up.”

They both laughed and took a sip of their drinks. Behind Bud, Hump noticed a man and a woman heading their way, wands at their belts. Wizards? Or perhaps Chosen sorcerers.”

“You know who these two are?” Hump asked.

“Not a clue,” Bud said.

The woman led. Her brown hair hung in ringlets, draping down past her shoulders. She was small—smaller even than Hump—but her presence commanded attention. Clad in a dress of midnight blue, she struck an elegant figure. Silver threads subtly interwoven in the fabric glittered as they caught the light. She appeared similar in age to Countess Daston, both in her features seeming to belong to a woman in her thirties, but her eyes speaking of age far beyond that.

With her was a stern looking man with black hair, streaked with grey at the temples. He was a head taller than the woman, and wore a rich brown robe with a high collar. His eyes were fixed on Hump. They were a chilling blue.

Is he glaring at me? Hump wondered. Surely not.

“Wizard Humphrey?” the woman asked.

“That’s me.”

“I’m Inquisitor Sarielle Talmar and this is Wizard Aldric Bracken. Inquisitor Latris suggested I reach out to you upon your arrival.”

“Good to meet you. This is my friend and party member, Robert Blackthorne.”

“Ah, the Frost Knight.” Sarielle smirked as she looked him up and down. “I’ve heard your name a few times of late. That was good work at the breach.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Bud said.

“I intended to approach you as well,” Hump said. “I’m not sure if Inquisitor Latris mentioned our discussion about an exchange.”

“She mentioned you were looking to purchase some high tier spellbooks. We can certainly discuss that. In fact, I wanted to see if you would have time to come speak with me tomorrow. We’re in need of wizards with some experience right now. I’m sure you’ve heard of the warlocks in the fortress.”

Bud and the others had mentioned it when they’d caught him up to speed, though at the time it had only been a theory.

“I have,” Hump said. “Unfortunately, I’ll be on a quest tomorrow. I won’t be back until…” He turned to Bud, realising he had no idea. “When will we be back?”

“Late tomorrow, I expect,” Bud said. “Maybe the day after.”

“No issue,” Wizard Aldric said. “I’ll have your orders rescinded, Wizard Humphrey. Inquisition business takes precedence."

Hump frowned, caught off guard by the obvious hostility. “I’m sorry, but who are you?”

“Wizard Aldric is of the First Order,” Inquisitor Sarielle explained. “He’s been assisting us with our investigation.”

So, he was a higher-up in the Wizard’s Society. There were few positions above wizards of the First Order. At the very least, Hump was likely speaking to a Rank 6 wizard.

“Apologies, perhaps I should have been clearer,” Aldric said. “I’m a bit of a specialist when it comes to warlocks. I hear you’ve become quite experienced yourself, so I’d be most eager to speak with you.”

“I see. Well, I’m here on a quest from Countess Daston,” Hump said. He pulled his Adventurer’s Guild medallion from under his shirt. “I have no orders. I’m acting independently and won’t be available tomorrow. Once I return, however, I’ll seek you out.”

“I’ll look forward to it,” Sarielle said as Aldric frowned. She turned to Bud. “If I remember correctly, Sir Robert, you’re under the command of Overseer Oswald.”

“That’s right.”

“In which case, was it your party that was assigned the task of destroying the developing node near Rocktower Keep?”

Bud seemed surprised that she knew but nodded. “Yes. I’ve been ordered to leave at first light tomorrow.”

“Perhaps this will work out well after all then,” she said, turning back to Hump. “If you can bring back the intact node, I can guarantee you a spellbook in exchange.”

Hump perked up at that. “What does the Inquisition want with a node?”

“Now that’s my business. The offer is there if circumstances allow. Now then,” she smiled at them both, “we’ll leave you to enjoy the rest of the evening. It was good to meet you, Wizard Humphrey.”

The two wizards returned to the main hall. Hump watched Wizard Aldric’s back, unable to escape the feeling that he’d just been judged.

“Is it just me, or was that odd?” Bud said.

“Very strange. Aldric didn’t like me. Or rather, he seemed to distrust me.”

Bud gave Hump a quizzical look. “You think he might be a warlock?”

“Maybe. More likely he thinks that I might be one. Either way, he’s not our problem.”

“Though he managed to suck any fun out of the evening.” Bud joined Hump on the patio, rigidly looking out at the garden.

He’d gotten strong in their time apart. They all had. Both Dylan and Bud were fourth circle Chosen now, and Emilia was only a step away from manifesting her soul. Yet they were drained. Even here, Bud looked like he was ready for a fight. Talk about the warlocks and dungeon node had clearly pushed his mind back to darker thoughts.

“We’ll get through it,” Hump said. “Together.”

“This time I’m not so sure. You didn’t see it—the infernal harbinger. It was as tall as the walls and carried a great, fiery axe. General Korteg and Count Daston were able to slay the demon but only after it had already caused a breach and killed countless people.”

“But it was killed.”

“One of them was. But this was just the first large assault. Gods know what else waits for us in the Infernal Halls. I don’t want to subject my people to that.”

The situation was clearly dire. This wasn’t just a case of defending the fortress city but protecting all of Alveron. What were they supposed to do against such threats?

He couldn’t help but wonder where gods of the Pantheon were in all this. Even with the threat so great, they refused to show themselves. And now their Chosen were on the frontlines, forced to fight by their king, along with countless soldiers. At least as an adventurer, Hump was there to get paid.

“You’re a good guy, Bud. Nobody is here by choice. Whether you like it or not, they’ll have to fight. At least this way, they’ve got a leader that’s looking out for them. Can’t ask for much more than that in war.”

“You think?”

“I’m pretty sure you know it yourself.”

“You’re here. You have a choice. Technically only Dylan and I must remain here.”

“Forget that for a moment. I’m trying to make a point. You said in those letters that you felt like this is the place you were meant to be. Has that changed?”

Bud’s face twisted into something uncertain. “No.”

“I didn’t think so. We both know that if this dungeon isn’t destroyed, eventually it will grow too large for us to defend against. I’d go as far as to say it’s almost reached that point already considering how close the demons came to overrunning the fortress in the last assault.”

“I can’t disagree.”

Hump nodded. “Eventually, Fort Nordric will fall, just as even greater cities have fallen in the past. Unless we attack first. Unless we carve a path through the dungeon and destroy the core. I understand that you want to protect your company. Just remember that they won’t have anywhere left to go if they don’t fight here. This is the place where the fate of our homes, friends, and families is decided. I’m sure if you’d ask them, they’d think that was worth fighting for. They’d think it was worth dying for.”

Bud turned to him and swallowed. “You’ve gotten good at these lectures. It’s pretty convincing.”

Hump smiled. “Well, I’ve been thinking about the same thing myself. You said that I have a choice. I don’t. Countess Daston told me that she sees a dark future without the new generation of adventurers. While the law may not force me to be here, there are things in Alveron I want to protect too.”