The Hidden Wizard: The Complete Series Read online

  The Hidden Wizard

  The Complete Series

  Vaughan W. Smith

  Fair Folio

  Contents

  Pool of Knowledge

  Prologue

  1. A Wizard Arrives

  2. Family History

  3. The Test

  4. Final Preparations

  5. Wizard Principles

  6. A Chance Encounter

  7. The Wooded Path

  8. A Wizard's Welcome

  9. The White Flame

  10. Destiny

  11. Adventure

  12. Passage to the Mountain

  13. A Disturbance

  14. Inside the Mountain

  15. A New Path

  16. Companions

  17. Under Fire

  18. Regrouping

  19. Boating Accident

  20. Uncharted Terrain

  21. The Bright Caravan

  22. Divided

  23. A New Skill

  24. Fire and Earth

  25. The Return

  26. The Paper Gatekeepers

  27. The Abandoned Gate

  28. The Spark Ignites

  29. One Strike

  30. Baptism

  31. In Dreams

  Vault of Silence

  1. A New Fire

  2. Brangtur

  3. Tracking the scarf

  4. An Unusual Challenge

  5. The Fallen Monk

  6. An unexpected reunion

  7. A Test

  8. Diamonds are forever

  9. Setting Out

  10. In the Shade of a Blaze

  11. Alternate Paths

  12. The Quiet Road

  13. An Old Friend

  14. Going with the flow

  15. Investigation

  16. Dark Tidings

  17. Denied Entry

  18. A New Lead

  19. Enter the Desert

  20. An Important Lead

  21. The Mirage

  22. An Offer

  23. Impending Danger

  24. Sand and Water

  25. Bunkering Down

  26. Key Finding

  27. The Desert Temple

  28. Wavering

  29. Entering the Temple

  30. The Trial

  31. The Vault of Silence

  32. Time and Time Again

  33. A Losing Battle

  34. The Crossroads

  35. Infected

  36. Recovery

  37. A New Dream

  Epilogue

  Spark of Truth

  1. A New Battle

  2. A Kindred Spirit

  3. Left Behind

  4. Path of the Sword

  5. The Healer's Secret

  6. An Unusual Ally

  7. Generals of the Blight

  8. Hunted

  9. A New Type

  10. Renewed Focus

  11. Tracking

  12. A Surprising Foe

  13. Slow Progress

  14. Poison

  15. The Tracker’s Stand

  16. The House of Healing

  17. A Difficult Conversation

  18. Further North

  19. The Divisive Message

  20. The Way Forward

  21. Hidden by Snow

  22. Fast Follower

  23. The Mystical Destination

  24. Family Reunited

  25. A New Power

  26. Faltering

  27. Meeting of the Minds

  28. The Strength of Soul

  29. Sacred Ground

  30. First Strike

  31. Elder Intervention

  32. A Timely Appearance

  33. The Price of Light

  34. Aftermath

  35. Gone

  36. Spark of Truth

  Soul of Light

  Prologue

  1. The Power of Soul

  2. Different Paths

  3. An impossible choice

  4. Investigation diverted

  5. Tracking the Queen

  6. Looming Battle

  7. Fight for a Friend

  8. The Fall of Hurdenor

  9. Fall of the Skull Queen

  10. Backtracking

  11. A Curious Proposal

  12. Uncertain steps

  13. Brangtur revisited

  14. The Messenger

  15. Justice of Thieves

  16. Outmanoeuvred

  17. A Familiar Face

  18. Change in Approach

  19. Capturing the Wind

  20. A Wizard's Tale

  21. The Right Way

  22. The Scholar's Path

  23. The Ancient Trial

  24. Planning the Assault

  25. Split Focus

  26. Reckoning

  27. Succession

  28. The Hidden Gate

  29. The Logical Message

  30. On The Trail

  31. The Scenic Route

  32. Unexpected Return

  33. A Lifetime Ago

  34. Diving In

  35. Closing In

  36. Revelation

  37. The Fellowship Rebuilds

  38. Reforging the Legend

  39. The Making of a Wizard

  40. Startling Discovery

  41. The Way to Valrytir

  42. The Prodigal Daughter

  43. A Heavy Burden

  44. End of the Investigation

  45. The Main Assault

  46. A False Battle

  47. A Lonely Path

  48. Darkness in Numbers

  49. Struggle

  50. The Missing Piece

  51. Soul of Light

  52. The Breaking of a Wizard

  53. Legacy

  54. Aftermath

  55. A New Era

  56. The Return

  57. Dreaming

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  About the Author

  For Hugo

  Prologue

  Granthion awoke with a start. His heart was pumping, and he knew that something was very wrong. He rose from his bed, cursing the aches and pains he felt in his lower back. He could overcome many things, but not age.

  After a moment, he identified the feeling. It was danger, which could only mean one thing. He retrieved the sapphire ring from his bedside table and slipped it onto his finger. He chanted a few words under his breath, concentrating on visualising his target: the matching ring.

  He cleared his mind and let the spell do its work. He started to see images, and with an icy rush found himself looking into a room. He saw his son, surrounded by dark shapes. He strained to look further, to see more details but he could not. The tightness in his chest and physical reaction were now confirmed in his vision. His son had been taken and was in terrible danger.

  “Fool,” Granthion said, including both his son and himself in the comment. His own pride and arrogance had driven his son away. But also, it was his son's foolishness and lack of care that had landed him in this predicament. The trouble was, there was no time to save him. Granthion ran his hands through his white hair, trying to think of a solution. If he didn't act fast, his son would cease to be his son. They would transform him into something else, something similar but not the same. The essence would be there, but people were never the same after the turning. He could not allow that to happen.

  There were many spells at his disposal, but his mind kept going back to one. One he was saving for his final hurrah, his final gift to the world. But it came at a cost, and there was no going back.

  No matter how he approached the problem, this was the only solution. It was his life's work, but it looked like fate was forcing his hand ahead of schedule.

  “Oh well, now is as good a time as ever,” he said. But before he left, there were preparations to be made. Granthion shuffled over to his desk and retrieved paper and a quill. He wrote swiftly but legibly, two letters. One addressed to his new successor and one to his son. After he was done, he donned his travelling robe, packed a satchel with two crystal orbs and took one last look around the room. It was his home, and he would never see it again. Relics from his many journeys littered the room: magical artifacts, books, treasures, and keepsakes. Each one told a different story. But now he had to leave, and forge one last tale. He left the room and closed the door behind him.

  The tower was still and quiet, as the other elder wizards were all asleep. But he didn't want to take any chances and quickly cast an invisibility spell with a secret inverted hook that would hide him from the other wizards. He would now be completely invisible and not even a trace of magic would be detectable by standard methods. He crossed the large chamber and headed towards the stairs. He never enjoyed them, they were entirely too small, and he always felt unsteady on the long walk down. But this time they were like friends, speeding him on his way. He had a new purpose, and it would be fulfilled soon.

  Once he had descended from the tower he looked out across the courtyard. It was empty as expected, but he could still see images of many of his triumphs and those of his students played out before him in his mind's eye.

  “Nostalgic old fool,” he told himself and kept walking. He headed straight for the stables, to retrieve his trusty horse, Whitemane. They had been on many journeys together, and it was fitting that they would go on one last quest. As he entered the stables Whitemane was awake and waiting, quietly.

  “You always seem to know something before I do,” Gr
anthion muttered to the horse. He led Whitemane out and prepared him for travel. Granthion walked out the main gates beside Whitemane and looked back at the Wizard Academy. His legacy.

  “May you stand the test of time, and solve that which I could not,” Granthion said, then mounted Whitemane and rode off into the forest.

  Once he was out of sight of the academy, Granthion let the invisibility spell lapse, now that the immediate danger of being spotted by other wizards was over. Next, he needed to travel somewhere elevated to perform the spell. He knew of a smaller mountain nearby, more of a lofty hill if he were honest. But time was against him, so he decided that it would have to do. It was also centrally located within the country of Avaria, and he knew that his son was also somewhere in the vicinity. But he could not track him further.

  Whitemane ran with incredible speed as if he understood the urgency. Granthion was glad; he didn't want to push the horse too hard. There were other means of speeding this up, but he needed to preserve his strength. He would need every ounce for the spell.

  He thought over his plan as he rode. By casting the spell from a height and drawing the right kind of power he could cover the entire country of Avaria. Not knowing where to target the spell wouldn't be a problem, and he would help many other people at the same time. But the cost was so great. Doing the spell would take everything he had, and most likely his life. That was the price for him doing it this way. But it would save his son and countless others.

  There would be repercussions of course, not just for him. Doing this would create an imbalance in the world. If he succeeded, then Avaria would be the only country free of the Blight: something that would cause conflict and jealousy.

  Not my problem now, Granthion thought. He had spent a lifetime carrying all the problems of the world on his shoulders. Today would be the last day for that.

  He looked up as they were emerging from the forest. He saw the mountain peak in the distance. It didn't look that big from where he was, but he knew it would be enough.

  I must make it in time.

  He felt Whitemane increase his speed in response and patted his old friend in thanks. The morning sun was starting to emerge, as Granthion arrived at the mountain path. He dismounted from Whitemane and stroked the horse on his head.

  “You have done well, my friend, thank you,” Granthion said. Whitemane neighed in response and waited patiently. Granthion gave him one last pat on the white mane that had earned him that name and continued on foot.

  The path was rough and steep, it was not meant for a lot of traffic; especially not an old man like himself. He imagined all the ways he could cheat his way up but restrained himself. It kept his mind busy, but he couldn't waste the energy. Physical exertion was one thing, but exertion of his Spark was another. He had to save up every last scrap that he had to pull this off.

  Slowly, he trudged up the mountain leaning heavily on his staff. It felt like every two steps he took, he would slide back one, but he persevered. He had an important task, one that he could not fail to do. He took a moment to examine his thoughts and feelings. It wasn't out of love that he was doing this, but regret. Regret in the way he and his son had fallen out, regret at what could have been.

  I set him on this path. I must set him on a new one.

  He pushed harder, winding higher. Finally, he saw signs that he was reaching the top, and made one last effort to make it. As he rounded the last wind of the path he emerged at the top of the mountain. The peak was flat and cleared. There were only a few rocks strewn about.

  “This will do,” Granthion said, surveying the view and what he could see. The sun had risen now, and filled the sky with amazing orange colours.

  The start of a new day, and a new beginning, he thought. He slowly walked over to the middle of the mountaintop and set down his satchel and staff. He retrieved the two crystal orbs. One was snow white, the other jet black: two components of the spell, two aspects. The white one was the source of the cleansing spirit, the black one the conduit and connection to the Blight. By using the two in tandem, he could accomplish the impossible. He could cleanse the taint of the Blight. But the cost was high; his life force was the currency. It was an imperfect and incomplete spell, but it should work.

  Granthion took a deep breath and pictured his son.

  “I love you, and I'm sorry,” he said. He held the orbs in his hands, the black one in his left and the white one in his right. He prepared his mind and started to visualise the spell.

  He pictured the country of Avaria, and a white silky net covering it. All those within the net would be affected. Next, he supplied his own Spark, powering up the white orb. He funnelled more and more into it and created a link between himself and the orb. Only the smallest amount remained in his body.

  He sent out his purified Spark, resulting in columns of white light streaking down from the sky, each one targeting a person in the country. The light touched each person, and if they were not tainted by the blight, it dissipated immediately. But those who were couldn't shake the strange column of light that hovered over their heads.

  With this done, he started the final push. By using the black orb, he drew out the Blight from each person, through the orb and into himself. Each time another person was drained of the Blight, he saw a quick flash of their face and soul. Tirelessly he continued, hoping to see the face of his son. When he least expected, it came and went, like all the rest. A feeling of peace washed over Granthion.

  It came in two parts. Firstly, he was relieved that he had found and saved his son. The other more pragmatic part was that it had worked; this whole effort was not for nothing. Hopefully, he had acted before the full transition had completed. As grand a gesture as it was, this act wasn't the proper solution he had been working towards. But he was glad that at least his final act would be a successful one.

  However, he didn't stop there; it was too risky, and he had a job to finish. He continued pushing until he had touched every person tainted by the Blight. Then he switched the link between him and the orbs, trapping the entirety of the Blight within himself. He felt the taint, corruption, and filth like black sludge on his soul. A monumental amount that no single person should ever have to endure. He understood what those afflicted must have felt, and the effect it had on them. It was terrible, and left unchecked it would turn him into something else entirely.