Catalyst(23)

“You like plants?” Stradus asked.

I nodded, thinking of all the time I spent in the forest.

“Me too. I'll include some things about them in your training.”

I turned my head to see a wooden workbench with flasks containing different colored liquids. Stradus explained to me that he used the space to develop and distill various plant-based potions. I wanted to stay and marvel at his garden, but Stradus tugged me along.

“Don't go through this door,” Stradus said, pointing to another door beyond the three he’d shown me. It looked like it hadn’t been opened in ages. “It's a maze past here, and it goes deeper and deeper into the mountain.”

“You’re afraid I’m going to get lost?”

“That isn't the reason I don't want you to open the door, Hellsfire. I've put a strong web here in case you get curious during your stay, and it could harm you if you try to undo it. It's for your protection as well as mine. Cynder and I aren't the only ones dwelling in this mountain.”

“I thought you said you didn't find the people who carved out this place?”

“I didn't. I found something else entirely.”

The wizard’s words only made my curiosity rise. What else besides a wizard and a dragon could be in this mountain? Maybe I would find out one day, but it wouldn’t be anytime soon, since I couldn’t even see the web, let alone undo it. We made our way back to the fork in the road, and he told me what other rooms lay in wait.

“There are four rooms down here,” Stradus said. “There's the exercise room, the practice room, the library, and the latrine. You'll be spending most of your time in the first three rooms. When you advance enough, then you'll be able to come into my garden and concoct some potions. Come.”

We made our way into the exercise room. It was huge, with a long circular track carved into the floor around the perimeter. In the center of the room was a pile of iron bars with round rocks attached to each end.

“You must train your body while you're here,” the wizard said. “As you know from climbing this mountain, external forces are going to take their toll on you. Every other day, you will work in the library.”

The library contained many books—far more than I had ever seen. There were shelves marching down the room, all full. The peculiar smell of old books hovered around me. There was also a reading table with a couple of candles on it. I imagined what stories lay in those books, waiting to be awakened.

“Tell me, Hellsfire, do you know how to read?”

“My mother taught me when I was younger. She thought I’d need the skill, even though books are hard to come by where I live. I'm not the most proficient reader, but I can manage.” I stood staring at the rows and rows of information. To think what kind of knowledge a wizard had, and what I could learn.

“That's good, my boy. Now I don't have to spend my time teaching you to read. That reminds me, is there any particular skill you're good at?”

I shrugged. “Not really. When I was younger, I tried taking an apprenticeship with a blacksmith. He was reluctant to take me on, but did it as a favor to my mother. I could never get things right with the metal. Nails were bent out of shape, and pots came out bulbous instead of round. Now I spend my time helping my mother out at a neighbor’s farm. I can herd, feed, and take care of animals with the best of them.”

“Did you at least go to school?”

“When I was younger I did, but as I got older I went to work. It’s not as if we’re wealthy, and I had the option of getting a better education by going to some far-off school. Don't worry, though. My mother taught me a lot of things.” I stood even straighter, as if I had something to prove to this wizard aside from magic.

“That’s good. What else did she teach you?”

“She taught me how to ride a horse, sew, and slaughter an animal as painlessly as possible. But the most important thing she taught me was about people. She taught me to judge a person by what's in them and to trust my instincts. And to help people because it’s the right thing to do and that it’d come back to me. She even allowed travelers to stay at our house, and I heard lots of stories about other parts of the land. It was amazing, the stories they and my mother would tell me. I always wished I could go somewhere.”

“Don’t worry, you're going to go far in life.”

“That prophecy of yours.”

“No. It’s more. You're going to be a wizard now, my boy. One of the first things you need you learn is that you will only be limited by your imagination and will.”

I nodded, thinking about what he said. I made a silent promise to myself, never to give up or give in to those limits.