I didn’t have time to trade wit with him. Besides, I had him easily beaten. “Cynder, I must go and talk to Master Stradus. It’s of the utmost importance.”
He saw the seriousness in my eyes, for once. “Very well. Climb on.” He peered down at the horse. “Is this for me? Thanks for the snack.” Cynder grinned and wasted no time, snatching the horse before I could stop him. The horse cried out as Cynder's sharp talons dug into his flanks.
“Godsdamn it!” I said. “You overgrown oven. That was a gift—for me—not a snack. If it wasn't for that horse, I wouldn't have made it here as soon as I did.”
“Humans.” Cynder snorted. I climbed up on him, and he flew me through the stormy weather to the cave entrance. After he dropped off his food, he even took me all the way to Master Stradus’s room so I wouldn’t have to walk.
“Cynder, you might want to stay for this,” I said as I hopped off.
“Since it’ll probably take me a while to get back to sleep anyway, I might as well.” His red eye went back towards the caves and to the dead horse. “Although, I am a little hungry.” He mulled it over. “I guess I’ll stay.” Cynder groaned and settled his head near the doorway.
I found Master Stradus sitting on a stool, sipping some hot tea. He gave me a warm smile. “Good to see you, my boy, though I’m surprised you’re back so soon. That was quite a signal you made, all the way up the mountain. You must be a little tired from it. How about some tea?”
“No, thank you, Master. I came here because I’m in dire need of your help. Northern Shala is in grave danger, and we need you.”
Master Stradus stopped drinking his tea and sat straight up. He reached for his staff and stroked the globe on top. It swirled with sky blue colors. “You’ve got my complete attention, Hellsfire. Tell me exactly what you mean, from the beginning.”
I relayed my entire story, trying to go quickly. Every second I talked was another wasted. But I failed. I rambled on and on. Everything was important to me, and so many things had happened since I last saw him.
Master Stradus didn’t interrupt me. His eyes never left my face, and he didn’t move except to drink his tea and fiddle with his staff. In my time with Master Stradus, whenever I'd had a question or didn't understand something, he'd work me through it by first hearing all of what I had to say.
Cynder, on the other hand, fell asleep midway through and snored. It sounded like countless birds were caught in his nose, flapping their wings. I was used to it, but it was still disgusting.
Master Stradus put his tea down after I was done and said, “Why, that was quite an adventure you’ve had in such a short period, my boy.”
“Will you help me, Master?”
He paused. Then he blinked, slowly, and poured more tea.
“Master?”
He spoke slowly and deliberately. “I've lived in seclusion for a reason, Hellsfire. After the war, I first spent my time trying to help people and repair the land. The outside world grew suspicious of wizards, and rightly so. We caused a lot of damage.”
I had thought of Master Stradus in a lot of ways—teacher, wizard, master—but in that second he was a frail old man. His eyes were deep and sorrow-laden, as if he carried a great burden that he could no longer handle.
I stood to get ready to leave. He wasn't going to help me. I saw it in his eyes. If I could wake Cynder up, maybe he would help. At the very least, I hoped he would give me a ride to Sharald since he had killed my horse.
“Where are you going?” Master Stradus asked.
“To Sharald. I gave the princess, the elves, and the dwarves my word. They need my help, and someone has to fight Premier.”
“You don't stand a chance against him.” His voice wasn't cold or mean. It was stated as a matter of fact.
My power rose. I focused my mind to keep it at bay, along with my anger. Instead of arguing with Master Stradus and wasting my time, I turned to leave.
“Wait.”
I clenched my fists. “People are in danger. I don't have time to wait, Master.”
“You're going to need help.”
I stopped and turned around. I raised my eyebrow, allowing myself a glimmer of hope. “Does that mean you'll help me?”
He sighed, accentuating his age and how weary he was. “I will, but it’s not going to be easy. Even with me at your side.”
Master Stradus’s words hit me, and his body language spoke volumes. He wasn’t scared of Premier. Out of all the things he did and witnessed, he couldn’t possibly be. He was a powerful wizard in his own right. No. It had to be something else. There was only one possible reason he didn’t want to go.