Wizard of Jatte by Rowan Erlking (librera reader txt) 📕

Backing towards the window, Theissen glanced out, wondering if maybe he ought to jump for it. Both magicians looked furious, and the chance of him reading his letter that day looked near impossible.

“I just—” Theissen stuttered, not sure what to say.

“We taught you secrets of our magic spells!” Undi shouted, a vein on his forehead starting to throb as his face grew redder and redder.

Theissen averted his eyes, muttering, “He made them more clear.”

The magician snapped. “What? Are you saying you take his authority on magic over ours?”

The smell of their anger was really getting to Theissen now. So much that he was nearly moved to fight back. It was like being in that courtroom all over again, facing their town magician after being falsely accused for the last time. Standing up straight, Theissen stomped from the window to meet Undi eye to eye.

“The Jonis Scrolls happen to be clear and concise! He knew about how wizards think, and he doesn’t go off in mythic nonsense!” Theissen shouted back. “So, yes! I do take his authority over yours!”

Undi stepped back, his mouth opening with surprise, but also a growing of disgust. “You little carpenter! I’ll have you know that we—”

“Did you say Jonis Scrolls?” Pandoros said in a calmer, yet deadlier voice.

Theissen gave him a brisk nod. “I did!”

Pandoros glanced at Undi who also looked somewhat puzzled for a moment until a look of understanding flickered in his eyes. The man seemed even more disgusted for it.

“Don’t you know who Jonis is?” Pandoros said.

“Who? You mean that was a name? I thought it was a thing.” Theissen blinked.

Undi looked down his nose and said with a sneer. “So, you ignorantly read that magic book thinking it was something legitimate?”

Ignorant? Theissen shook his head. What he read was clear and it felt true. In fact, most of the magic in the book he tested, excluding most potions since he did not have all the ingredients. Of course it was legitimate.

“That book,” Pandoros said with a condemning stride to where Theissen stood and firm eye, “was written by a demon.”

Theissen felt his insides freeze up. It wasn’t possible. A demon writing a magister book? A demon hunting book?

“Magicians everywhere have condemned it,” Pandoros said. “It is filthy magic. Full of foul lies.”

But it wasn’t. Theissen knew it. It was true in almost every respect, though it certainly had a leaning towards demon hunting. In fact, with all the condemnation about making demons, it felt truer than any of the other books he had read in the magicians’ library.

“Now hand over the letter, so we can destroy it,” Pandoros said. “The influence of that demon should not be allowed to ruin you.”

Theissen did not move in any way of the sort. He glanced at the seeing glass, wishing he could borrow it a little longer, just to finish the letter. “I won’t.”

Undi’s eyes narrowed into slits, the odor of hate emanating from him more.

“That demon is using his powers to manipulate you,” Pandoros said, reaching out closer to him for it.

“You lie,” Theissen said, taking a step back towards the stairs. If there were any magic involved in the letter or book, he would have seen it.

But Pandoros looked like he believed what he said, backed by Undi who also stood in firm condemnation of the book.

“Give us the letter,” Pandoros said again.

Theissen shook his head, nearly reaching the stairs. “No. You have no proof against him. I have proof in favor of him.”

They both stopped. Undi’s eyes opened some.

“I can see magic, you forget,” Theissen said. “And I know this letter has no demonic influence in it.”

“But words do not need magic to convince an innocent fool into believing lies, if carefully crafted,” Pandoros said.

Carefully crafted? With what? Sympathy? Empathy? The man did write that he knew what he was going through. He was knowledgeable. He could have twisted meanings to make lies sound like truth. Still, Theissen felt somehow kindred to what he had just read. The man did know what it was like to feel hated, and that Jonis hadn’t asked for anything strange yet. Maybe it was to come in the other half of the letter.

Theissen almost handed the letter over, but he stopped. “Wait. Before I believe you and give you this, I want to know what kind of demon he is.”

Undi looked relieved. He nodded to Pandoros, his hate lightening.

“Cordril,” Pandoros said.

Theissen blinked. He remembered reading about that one. The scroll had said that Cordrils really weren’t demons at all, but they had demon-like abilities and were therefore feared. Wizards weren’t too different from that. He had been called demon before.

“Can I ask him about it? Send one letter in response?”

Pandoros looked at him as if scandalized. “Write him? Didn’t you just say you would end your contact with him?

“I never said anything of the sort,” Theissen retorted, holding his letter tighter than ever. “I only said before I believed you and handed this over that I had a question. It still is a question. I need to know if what you said isn’t just some mean rumor.”

“Mean rumor?” Undri echoed as if he didn’t believe it. “Do you think we only listen to lies?”

Giving him a dry look, Theissen started to fold up the letter and stuff it away in a pocket with better care. “No, but Liptan Town is just like Lumen Village in that everyone is nothing more than a busy-bodied gossip. You don’t have a clue what I read in that book, and you tell me it is evil based off of some rumor that the writer is a demon—a cordril? It’s not written in the book anywhere. Why shouldn’t I believe that your source is wrong?”

Pandoros stuck out his hand farther. “You will give me that letter and destroy that book or you will never practice magic in this town again.”

Theissen lifted his head, understanding clearly what the magician was saying. Pandoros was not going to listen further, and looking at Undi and his growing cloud of hate, he knew he had made two new enemies.

“Fine.” Theissen turned and walked down the stairs. “Though I really think it is presumptuous of you to tell me I can’t practice magic again. I am a wizard and not a magician. I don’t have the same limitations that you do.”

They stared as he marched down. Both followed, almost as if they hadn’t believed what they were hearing.

Theissen nodded to the cook. “Thank you for letting me in.”

He nodded to the maid.

“And thanks for keeping at least the downstairs clean. I didn’t want to say it before since they were teaching me and all, but the upstairs is a pigsty, and if my mother had seen it she would have sent them to bed without supper.”

And he stomped out of the house without another word to the magicians until he got outside. He turned to face the house and them, noticing only just then that the threesome was still on the street almost as if they were waiting for him. He called out loud. “You are closed minded twits! All you ever wanted to do was use me for your stupid tests! You never wanted to teach me magic anyway. So fine! I’m leaving.”

The threesome stared as Theissen stomped into the street, giving Darol a pert nod. “You get your wish. I’m leaving Liptan Town. All this stupid nonsense….”

Everyone watched him stomp away, angrier than anyone had ever seen him even with the demon that time when he had first arrived.

“But what do you mean you are leaving?” Lordri Carpenter said, chasing after him around the shop as Theissen gathered up his original set of tools and affixed them back into his belt. They had been used around the shop for so long that he had to count and remember exactly what it was that he had brought with him.

“I’m leaving, as I said,” Theissen replied, going for his apron and then suddenly remembering that he didn’t bring that one. He let it hang back on the hook. “Besides, you have Tomis and Boid, both of whom are ready to take my place. They are pretty much in charge of the shop now anyway.”

“But what of all my business?” Lordri asked, wringing his hands. “Just having you here has improved everything. What will I do when you leave?”

Halting at the door, Theissen just shrugged. “Do as well as you can. What else can you do?”

Lordri frowned. “You are not making this easy.”

“You can’t beg me to stay,” Theissen replied then went right up the stairs, unlocking the larder so that it swung free. The boys would have to work on keeping it locked on their own now. “I won’t listen.”

“But why go?” The master carpenter followed him.

Theissen passed him by as he went into his room. He only owned a few things. He had not added much to his personal belongings since he had moved. The only extras he would leave behind were the down quilt he bought that first winter and the pillow that matched. He was taking the Westhaven Magic book and the handful of shirts and pants he bought to replace the ones he had grown out of.

“Because,” Theissen turned towards his master with a sympathetic sigh, “It’s just time. Besides, I’m not really happy here. I want to go somewhere where nobody knows I’m a wizard. Maybe over the mountains I can find a place where I can just practice carpentry.”

“There are no caravans leaving from our town for—”

“I want to go to Shoredge first,” Theissen said, opening his travel pack to stuff in his clothes. “I figure I can talk to some Hann traders about translating my letter for me.”

“That letter….” Lordri murmured. There was a smell of resent coming from him. Theissen knew many blamed the letter for his leaving. Already three town constables had visited him to try at convincing him to stay.

“Besides, I want to travel while it is still dry. Pick up work along the way,” Theissen said. “See a bit more of the coast before I leave.”  He then paused and sighed. “I’ll really miss the ocean when I go inland.”

“Then don’t go inland! Stay here!” Lordri said, practically seizing Theissen’s bag to unpack it for him.

With a smirk, Theissen shook his head. “No. I’ve been fooling myself for the past two years, telling myself that I could be happy here. But I’m not.”

He turned to face the carpenter, trying hard not to let Lordri’s disheartened gaze get to him.

“I need to make a place for myself in the world. Not work under a master carpenter.” Theissen turned then hefted up his pack, weighing it in his hands. Then nodding to himself he left his room to go back to the larder. There he picked up his slightly dented silver teacup. After that he started to pack up food. “Besides, the last thing this town needs is a fourth carpenter master. You know I would have to leave you eventually anyway.”

Lordri’s face contorted with surprise. Perhaps it was the first time that notion entered into his thoughts. The idea of Theissen taking up his own shop with his own apprentices and then suddenly work as a competitor seemed to silence him into serious reflection. He started to pick out some fresh cheese and select good cuts of smoked meat for him. Theissen hid a grin.

By the time Theissen was all packed, the apprentices had gathered around the front door, all of them staring with disbelief.

“You’re actually leaving?” Boid said, looking more surprised than any of them.

Tomis stood back, honestly put out by the idea.

Theissen rubbed Boid’s head and nodded. “I am. Now take good care of the shop, and don’t forget to make everyone clean up. As soon as the back room gets run down, so will business.”

“But you can’t go!” Boid shook off his hold, retreating next to Tomis.

Looking them both in the