Catalyst(21)

“You must have smelled the food,” Stradus said. “Sit down and I will explain some things while fixing this lovely dinner of ours.”

Dinner? I was stunned I had slept so long, yet my stomach told me it was true. I took a seat across from Stradus and tried to prepare myself for whatever he was about to say. I knew it was going to change my life.

“Like I said before, you’re going to be a wizard, my boy. I'm going to train you in the Arts, under my aged wing. You’ll be my apprentice.” He inhaled the steam from the cookpot. “Finally. It's almost done.”

“I know you want me to be a wizard. I still don’t understand why or how, though.”

“I can only tell you some of what I know. As I told you, you are destined to be someone of great importance to the world, but to do that you must first learn to be a wizard. Being a wizard is a great responsibility. You need to utilize the gift the gods have bestowed upon you. There. It's done.”

Stradus ladled stew into the two bowls, then went through the left-hand door and came back with some bread. I ate right away, trying to soothe my famished stomach and eat my tensions away.

Stradus eyed me with an astonished look. “Quite an appetite you've got there, young man. As I was saying, you're going to have to be able to use your gift of fire, and I’m here to teach you that. It’s going to be tough work. Any questions?”

“I thought all the wizards were dead?” I lifted my eyes from the now empty bowl, shaking my head. I still found it hard to believe I had just met a wizard, not to mention that I was to become one and fulfill some grandiose destiny. I ladled some stew into my bowl, shoveling it into my mouth before it even had time to cool. Even at home, before I started my travels, it was seldom that we could afford for me to eat as much as I wanted.

“Wizardry is far from dead, Hellsfire. It will always be here in one form or another. We’re old perhaps, ancient, forgotten maybe, but not dead.” Stradus’s laughter bounced around the small room. “Those of us who were stranded in Northern Shala after the Great Barrier went up did what we could to clean up the mess that was made during the War of the Wizards. After that, we went our separate ways. I did some exploring, like most of the other wizards, in and about Northern Shala, the Wastelands of Renak, the Burning Sands, and everywhere in between. After all my adventures and exploring, I decided to settle here, continue on with my studies, and wait.”

Wait for me? It seemed unbelievable that anyone would spend his whole life waiting for me. Especially a powerful wizard. “Why here?”

Stradus's blue eyes clouded over. “I was drawn here. It was as if the gods themselves called. They guided me here and they guided me to create the cold, harsh weather all year long.”

I gasped at his words. I hadn't thought such a thing was possible. The stories I grew up with didn't mention wizards other than Shala and Renak having the power to change the landscape. Others helped, but such stories were always about those two. Having used my own powers for a while now, I could see how to directly affect something using your own body, but not how to alter or freeze the whole environment permanently. To create something like that he must be very powerful. I stared at him, trying to see past his frail, wrinkled body to who he truly was.

I couldn't see anything but a simple old man, yet his words made something in my mind click. There was a feeling that had been bothering me since I first got near the White Mountain and saw how it stood out like a white moth against black smoke. I didn't feel the pull of the gods like he did, but I felt something.

“This place feels…unnatural,” I said, trying to find the right word.

Stradus put down his tea. “I see. What do you mean by that, Hellsfire?”

“I don't know, but I've been feeling a strange sensation ever since I came to the mountain. It's like when you know someone's watching you, but you can’t see them.” I shook my head. “I don't know how else to describe it.”

“Ah, you're talking about the aura of the place. Magic tends to do that, unless it's subtle, or you want it not to. The more you learn about your powers, the more you'll be able to feel and see it.”

“Is it dangerous?”

“By the gods, no!” Stradus chuckled to himself. “It's harmless. Tell me, do you tend to trust your feelings often?” His gaze settled on me as if my answer was very important.

“I don't understand. What do you mean?”

“I'm going about this the wrong way,” he said to himself. Stradus played with his beard for a few moments. “You said you wanted to control your power. I assume something happened because of it. Tell me about it, my boy.”