The Hedge Wizard

In the end, Hump’s haul from the demonstrations wasn’t quite as much as he’d have liked. He’d been right about the Book of Infinite Pages only recording the spells that required a physical spell formation during the casting, which came to a total of three.

Icefang Barage and Cyclone Cage were both Tier 2 spells. The former was very similar to his Rockshot, creating shards of ice out of water vapour in the air, afflicting those struck with a frostbite effect applied to anything struck, while the latter trapped a target within a vortex of wind, immobilising them much like Earthen Grasp. Hump couldn’t see much use for either in his case—he was poor with both wind and water essence, and it was hard to justify them over the spells in his arsenal.

The Tier 3 spell that Gordon had used, however, had some real potential. Sigil of Sanctuary was a defensive ward that dispelled aggression within a few paces of the caster. From the demonstration, it seemed it was based around intent, disrupting offensive spells and clouding aggressive thoughts at the expense of essence.

Hump had to admit, he felt a little guilty for recording this one. All of them were unusual spells, likely passed down through family or masters, as he’d never heard of or seen any of them in stores. It felt like he’d stolen them. He supposed he had. Going forward, he would need to be careful that people didn’t see him using them in case they realised he had a method to decipher such spell formations.

All in all, it had been worth the visit. The connection to the Inquisition in particular might soon prove useful.

The days that followed were relatively uneventful, but Hump enjoyed the quiet. With Sir Isaac assisting with the procurement of their equipment, Hump and Celaine were free to spend their time as they wished. They got the necessities out of the way first—stocking up on more potions than ever, first aid equipment, rope, rations, and other bits and pieces—storing it all safely in a variety of bags that fit easily into the crystals of Celaine’s Belt of Storage.

Each morning, Hump trained with Nishari under the instruction of Keeper Tessa and Igni, learning what Dragon Keeper techniques they could before the two bonded were to depart at the end of the week. It was hard training, for both him and Nisha. Largely, Keeper Tessa worked to enforce the importance of their bond, having them build their mutual understanding and learn to better work together. The tasks sounded simple at first, like being able to coordinate their movements without getting in each other’s way, or directing Nisha through an obstacle course while she was blindfolded, communicating only through their bond. It only took a short time to realise just how much they needed to improve, all in preparation for when one day he rode dragonback.

Come lunch time, Igni would lead Nisha out of the city and fly south where they would hunt together. Hump received vague impressions of the lessons the older dragon instilled in her—how to judge the flow of the wind, where to find the best hunting grounds, how to generate the most heat with her fire—it was all rather difficult for Hump to comprehend with such a vastly different feeling of the world. The dragons were one with nature and seemed keyed into it in a way that he just couldn’t understand.

While they were off hunting, Hump left Tessa and Celaine alone together to explore the city before the keeper left for good. In the meantime, Hump used the afternoons to catch up with Vivienne, and assist with the research into the lich’s books. Each day he ensured he reserved enough essence to withdraw another old tome from Walt’s library, adding them to the pile that he would leave behind in Sheercliff once he left.

It was on the fifth day of Hump’s time in Sheercliff that they finally had a breakthrough. They were in Vivi’s office—a small room in the magical research centre run by Graham—when she finally declared that the first book was useless.

“…Useless in a magical sense, I should say,” Vivienne explained. “The spell here is a ritual used to sacrifice a pig—at least, I think this means pig—to a demon named Kal’draht. Nothing you want to get involved with.”

“Does it do anything?” Hump asked.

“I don’t think so.”

Hump sagged in his seat. “So five days for nothing.”

“Well, not nothing. I believe I’ve at the very least identified the language.” She turned through the book, finding a page that she’d attached a label to, then pointing at a line. “Recognise these?”

Hump looked at the symbols, trying to pick up on what she might mean, when it clicked. He’d seen these before. “These runes are part of the Binding of Thirteen.”

“Yes. Specifically, they are the runes for Power and Control. It appears the language Prince Kassius used to try and control the dragon is the same as this one. Based on the vision you saw of the battle between Irila, her father, and Owalyn, it seems likely that this language belonged to the side that lost the War of the Firmament.”

“So it’s connected to the warlock faction?” Hump asked. “Could this be the language of the fallen god, Uvdar?”

He remembered what Owalyn had said about him—or at least, what the story had said—that he was the greediest of all the gods, and the one to claim the wandering wizard’s soul. But she had made no mention of anything like this.

“It’s possible, but we have no way of knowing,” Vivienne said. “It is said that he betrayed the Pantheon and gifted mortals with his power, which could very well mean he taught them this language, or it could mean he created some Chosen.”

“Sounds plausible though,” Hump said.

“It does, which makes the knowledge you house in the library all the more dangerous. If it were discovered, not only would the Pantheon seek your end, but the warlocks would be after you too.”

“Brilliant. Well, I already knew it was dangerous. I suppose this doesn’t really change anything.”

Vivienne smiled. “The hunt for secrets is always a dangerous path.” She tapped the ancient tome on her desk. “Whatever the case, while it may not be a particularly useful spell, it’s made a good baseline to translate the language. The further I progress with this, the faster all the others will be.”

“Thank you for doing this, Vivi.”

“Are you kidding? This is the greatest find in decades. I should be thanking you. We’ll make progress on this, Hump. It might take time, but it will be worth it. Just imagine the secrets we might find—the knowledge! I’ve not been this excited for anything since my academy days.”

Hump laughed. “I’m glad one of us enjoys this. I’m not sure there’s anything I like less than poring over old books that I can’t read.”

“It will come with time. One day you’ll give your left leg to spend more time reading.”

Hump frowned at that. “I don’t think I would. I’m pretty attached to my legs.”

Vivienne waved his comment off, and they got back to work. He’d had his fingers crossed for a spell that would be of use to him before he left, but this was going to be a slow process, and they had many, many… many more books to go through.

Toward the end of the afternoon, Hump left to his manor for his own training. With no pressure to advance in rank or learn a complicated spell, Hump spent his time honing what he already knew.

That meant the boring stuff—shaping exercises, cantrips, and mid-tier spells like Stonewall he’d picked up from the Daston Library and Wizard’s Society. Already he was getting the hang of it. Earth magic came more easily to him than ever, and he was sure it had something to do with how he’d been one with the essence of earth when he’d brought down the roof of the lich’s stronghold. Stone Golem on the other hand would still take some time. A Tier 4 spell wasn’t something he could learn swiftly.

The note in his spellbook when he’d discovered Wielder of the Winds had made one thing all too clear—his foundation was weak compared to wizards of the past.

He intended to change that.

***

The day of Keeper Tessa’s and Igni’s departure came far too quickly. Countess Daston held a feast in their honour the evening before the pair were to leave. She was still in her wheelchair, not wanting to reveal that she had the use of her legs again yet. They hadn’t been able to speak privately, but she had thanked Hump again for his help.

Following the feast, Hump and Celaine met Keeper Tessa and Igni for breakfast the following morning. Nishari seemed to be able to sense something was going on as she stuck especially close to Igni, pressing up to his side.

“I’m sad to see you go,” Celaine said. “It’s been nice to have someone from home here.”

“We will meet again, Cela, I am certain of it. In the meantime, you must take care of this adorable little one—Nisha, not Hump.”

Celaine laughed.

“I don’t think she needed the clarification, Tessa,” Hump said.

Celaine nudged him with her elbow. “I’ll take care of you both, don’t worry.”

“Uh-huh. Brilliant.”

Tessa smiled at him. “You must keep working on your bond, Hump. You have a knack for it, so I see only good things ahead, but it will still take practice. Remember, there is nothing more important for a Dragon Keeper than their bond.”

“I won’t forget. Well, we won’t forget. Isn’t that right, Nisha?” She tilted her head curiously at him, though he could sense the anxiety in her. “She’s not happy to see you leaving.”

“Aww.” Tessa knelt at her side, running her hand across Nisha’s cheek. “You’ll be alright, little one. Nisha’s really going to come into her own as she gets a bit older—she’ll be a cheeky one, I’m sure of it. You’ll have your work cut out for you. In a year or so, once she reaches her teenage years especially, you’re going to see just how important all this practice is.”

“She won’t be that bad,” Celaine reassured him. “Starfall never caused too much trouble.”

“Hah! Is that right? I still remember her almost setting fire to the market square. And you should have seen Igni—there was no stopping him from flying off into the forest to fight bigger and stronger monsters. Wolf dragons are the most like us of all the dragons, but they are still dragons. They are noble, prideful, and full of ego. You must rein it in if you are to keep her safe.” She scratched Nisha under the chin. “Isn’t that right?”

Bliss. Happy. Content.

“I think she’ll agree with whatever you say if you keep doing that,” Hump said.

Tessa rose to her feet, laughing. “I think you might be right. You will both be fine though, I’m sure. She is a special one. The gold sheen to her scales seems more prominent compared to when we first met in the gnoll encampment. For her age, she is faster, stronger, and better at dragon’s breath than I would expect. It’s possible the essence she was exposed to before she hatched may have affected her.”

“Should I be concerned?” Hump asked. He glanced at Celaine, but she seemed as surprised by the news as he was.

“No. No, definitely not. I believe it to be positive. Only time will tell us what she becomes.”

Hump’s eyes fell on the little dragon as she rubbed against Tessa’s legs, trying to get more attention. She was tiny compared to the fully grown wolf dragon, but even in the last week she seemed to have grown again, reaching waist height. Certainly, too big for him to pick up now, even with his dragon blooded strength. Had the gold become more prominent? He couldn’t really tell, but thinking about it, maybe it had. In the morning sun, light glimmered off the gold tips of her scales, while the rich black lay beneath.

“Whatever happens, I’m sure she’ll be great,” Celaine said.

“Absolutely. You will remember what I told you about when she is ready to ride?” Tessa asked her.

Celaine nodded. “I have done this before, you know?”

Keeper Tessa turned to Hump. “It won’t be long now until you will need to start doing some ground work. Even if you just sit on her back while she walks around, it will get her used to having you there.”

“Best to do that before she starts flying, I take it?” Hump asked.

“Exactly. A fall from the ground won’t be bad—from the air… well, let’s try to avoid that.”

“She’s still a couple of years away from flying with you though,” Celaine said. “Don’t worry.”

“Considering her current progress, maybe not,” Keeper Tessa said. “She may be able to carry you for a short glide in a year or so. At two, you can begin training over short distances. It will be three or four years until she’s large enough to fly properly, and even then, she will struggle with your weight. At about six years old she will reach maturity. At that point, her normal growth cycle will end but she will continue to bulk out, gain muscle, and grow larger so long as she has food to eat.”

“Here,” Keeper Tessa said, holding out a small book for Hump. “Celaine helped me to make this. It’s a book containing the core techniques of the dragon keepers, along with information on how to care for Nisha, and what to expect at various stages of growth. If I’d had more time, there is certainly more I would include, but I think this contains most of the key information.”

Hump took the book with both hands. It was contained within a beautiful leather cover, with a deep brown finish. He unwound the leather binding and opened it, flipping through the pages to see well detailed manoeuvres and combat techniques, including rudimentary sketches.

“This is amazing. Thank you.” He turned to Celaine. “Thank you. This is what you were doing in the afternoons?”

She smiled. “I thought you’d like it.”

“It will not replace proper training, of course,” Keeper Tessa said. “But I do hope you find it useful.”

“I couldn’t have asked for more. My thanks, Keeper Tessa, for this, and for all of your training. I shall study it diligently.” He turned to Igni, meeting the dragon’s purple eyes. Once, that gaze had met him with the iron will of a dragon, but now they were soft and friendly. “I know Nishari shall miss you most of all, Igni.”

The big dragon huffed, blowing out a breath.

“The sun will not wait for us,” Keeper Tessa said. “It is time for us to depart.”

Celaine approached her, grabbing her into an embrace. “Safe travels, Tessa.”

“And you, Cela. You have grown strong, and I am sure that the next time we meet you will be even more powerful than me. Do not push yourself too hard.” She turned to Hump. “Take care, Wizard. The elders asked me to report my thoughts on you upon my return. I shall pass on high praise.”

“Thank you,” Hump said. “With any luck, our paths shall cross again.”

“I’m sure they will.”

Igni lowered his head, leaning forward for Hump to touch his nose. Hump rested a hand there, sensing a connection form between him and the dragon. He saw an image of Drakalyn and the Great Tree. Dragons filled the sky, flying over the forest and around the enormous trunk. Igni welcomed him and Nisha amongst them.

A flood of emotions exploded from Nisha. Excitement. Elation. Sadness.

Elation, Hump responded.

“Are you speaking with my dragon again?” Tessa asked.

“Only saying goodbye.”

Tessa shook her head in disbelief. “I had never heard of such a thing. Whatever your soul manifestation did, it is beyond any of our keepers. No person, not even Yunillia can speak with the mind of any dragon but her bonded.”

“Don’t worry,” Hump said. “I didn’t say anything bad.”

Tessa laughed, climbing onto Igni’s back. With her spear in hand, she appeared as fierce as any warrior Hump had seen, ready to descend from above upon any that opposed her people.

“Farewell, both of you.”

Igni’s wings spread, expanding until most of the garden was in his shadow. With a great flap, he blasted them with wind, heaving himself into the air. The wind churned as he flew higher, until he soared over the Daston Estate and rose over the city. His mouth opened and he bellowed a mighty roar that echoed through all of Sheercliff.

Hump wondered how long it would be until the people of the city heard such a sound again. Looking at Nishari with her gaze fixed upon the quickly shrinking dragon and keeper in the sky, he sensed her desire to be stronger and older. To go where she pleased like Igni. To fight and prove herself.

It won’t be long, Hump thought.