The Warlock of Hymal, Book I: A Boy from the Mountains Read online

  “Orcs detest water,” said Danuwil. “I don't think they'll cross the river. We should follow it on this side until we get closer to the hill. Then we'll make a beeline for the base of the hill, straight across the plain.”

  “All right,” said Nikko. “We can camp easily down by the river. We should spend the night there and get moving again early in the morning.”

  “Agreed,” said Danuwil.

  It was already dark before the two travelers reached the shore of the river and settled into their campsite for the night. They decided not to risk a fire, and after a quick evening meal, Danuwil produced his small flask again. This time, Nikko also took a swig of the fiery liquid it contained. He had a lot going on in his head, and he had to work it all out.

  “What do you know about the Order?” the young sorcerer finally asked.

  “The Arcane Order? Only what just about everyone else in Zundaj knows. Nikko, where am I supposed to begin? You probably haven't even heard of the Mage Wars.”

  “Yes, I have,” Nikko said, proud to show he was not completely ignorant. “But I thought those were just fairytales.”

  “Every story has a truth at its heart,” Danuwil said. “The Mage Wars were real enough. It was around six hundred years ago. The devastation back then was so great that the sorcerers of the north banded together to become the Arcane Order. Their job, then and now, was to make sure that no sorcerer ever got mixed up in the wars of humans. The sorcerers were forced to cooperate with the Order, most likely to be better able to keep them under control. I really don't know much more than that, I'm afraid, except that renegade magicians were persecuted.”

  “The Order is based in Zundaj?” Nikko asked.

  “They have their headquarters there. But from what I've heard, they have chapters in many of the big cities.”

  “In Hocatin, too?” Nikko asked excitedly.

  “Since when is Hocatin a big city?” Danuwil laughed. “But I know what you mean. You really should make contact with the Order. They'll train you to be a true sorcerer, I'm sure of it. Master Nikko. Doesn't that sound good?”

  “What is the Council?” Nikko wanted to find out from Danuwil as much as he possibly could.

  “The Arcane Council?” said Danuwil. “That would be the head of the serpent. The Council rules over the Order … and the entire realm, for that matter. My boy, sorcerers are powerful and usually very rich. Those who sit on the Council are the most powerful of all. Even the king, it is said, would never defy the Arcane Council.” He laughed and added, “You've certainly found yourself a profession with a future.”

  “You asked me where I got the wand,” Nikko said, his tone serious. He felt a powerful desire to unburden himself. “Does the name Thorodos mean anything to you?”

  “Peryndor's predecessor?”

  “Who's Peryndor?”

  “The Archmage of Zundaj. To get back to your first question, however, Thorodos was his predecessor, if I remember right,” the nobleman explained. “As I recall, he fell out of favor with the Order and had to leave Zundaj. But that was many years ago.”

  “He came to Hocatin and settled in Vyldoro,” said Nikko, continuing the story that Danuwil had begun. “About three weeks ago, at the place where we camped last night, he was murdered by a group of men. One of the killers said that the Council wanted Thorodos dead.”

  “You were there?” asked Danuwil in surprise.

  “Yes. I'd been helping out the old man for a long time,” Nikko answered. “I had no idea that he was a sorcerer, though. But then, about three weeks ago, he suddenly received a letter. The next morning, we left Vyldoro together to come over to Hymal.”

  “You didn't get very far,” Danuwil said. “Where did the old Master want to go?”

  “To the outpost, apparently. But the old man did not always tell me the truth. I don't know where he really wanted to go …” He pondered for a moment before going on. “Peryndor, you said? Peryndor. Would you recognize his seal?”

  “No. I don't know the Archmage personally. But you think he was the one who wrote the letter?”

  “All that's left of the letter is a charred seal with a large ‘P’ on it.”

  “Nikko, I advise you not to go poking around in that. I may not know much about the sorcerers, but I know enough not to get in their way.”

  “I know,” said Nikko. “That's why it was so difficult for me to even talk about it.”

  “I see,” said Danuwil. Then he laughed. “This is a very interesting anecdote, and you didn't breath a word of it to the seneschal. You were right not to.”

  “Can't he be trusted?” Nikko asked.

  “Who knows? But if he'd heard the full story, it would have complicated a lot of things.”

  “If only I knew who I can really trust …” Nikko groaned.

  “That's something we'd all love to know,” Danuwil laughed again. “But let's get back to what matters. If I've got this right, Thorodos gave you the wand but did not train you?”

  “No. I found the wand in … the things he left behind. He didn't train me at all.”

  “But it is abundantly clear why you of all people were assisting him,” said Danuwil. “No doubt he sensed your talent and asked your family to have you help him?”

  “That's right. That explains some things. He must have talked to my grandfather.”

  After a moment of silence, Danuwil said, “Let us get some sleep, my magical friend. The hill is a long way from here, and who knows what paths we'll have to take to avoid the orcs.”

  End of Book I

  Looking ahead …

  It was deep in the night when Danuwil shook Nikko gently to wake him, whispering to the heavy-eyed lad to be quiet. Nikko needed a few seconds to orient himself because he had been sleeping surprisingly soundly.

  “Quiet,” Danuwil whispered. “I think there are orcs moving across the river. The wind is at our backs, so they shouldn't pick up our scent, so no thoughtless noises, now. We don't want to give ourselves away.”

  Nikko was too stunned for a moment to be afraid. The first thing he had to do was wake up properly.

  “If they come too close to the shore, or if the wind turns, then wake me up quietly,” Danuwil whispered. “I'm going to get some sleep. Otherwise, wake me just before dawn.”

  The lad was still not fully awake and did not say anything in response to Danuwil's news. When he had finally recovered his senses, the nobleman was already slumbering peacefully beneath his blanket.

  It was a grim night, with not a star in the sky. Nikko could barely see his hand before his face. The darkness made the noises coming from the other side of the river even eerier. The lad could almost believe that he heard the rasping language of the orcs, barked orders, grunting responses. With both hands clenched tightly around the magic wand, he could not stop himself from trembling in the sinister blackness. How could he get caught up in a mess like this again? Wasn't it only recently that he had sworn never again to set foot in Hymal?

  He had no idea how long he sat like that. Perhaps only a few minutes, perhaps hours. But a bloodcurdling howl suddenly ripped through his body and jolted him violently out of his trance! He shook his head to clear his mind, and pricked up his ears. He heard another howl, this one from much further away. Almost paralyzed with fear, the lad wondered whether he ought to wake the experienced nobleman.

  “A wargrider,” he heard Danuwil suddenly whisper. “Sounds close to the shore. We need to move further back from the water. Quietly!”

  The first howl must have woken Danuwil, Nikko realized, and he followed the nobleman as he crept slowly away from the riverbank. It was some minutes before Danuwil stopped again, when they had moved a good distance back from the river.

  “The wind is still on our side,” Danuwil said in a low voice. “But those damned wargs have a better nose than an orc. We can count ourselves lucky if the wind doesn't give us away tonight.”

  “You don't think we were spotted?” Nikko asked, a miserable quiver
ing in his voice revealing his terror.

  “No,” the nobleman replied. “They may not like water, but once they scent prey, there's no holding them.”

  “Then they weren't searching for us?”

  “No, I don't think so,” Danuwil said, trying to sound reassuring. “A patrol along the river, I'd say. Perhaps a scouting party. Don't worry. Try to get to sleep, Nikko. It's still an hour or two until dawn. I'll finish your watch.”

  Read more in:

  “The Warlock of Hymal, Book II: The Fall of Hocatin”

  Acknowledgments

  The author would like to thank the volunteer reviewers for their helpful and constructive comments that greatly contributed to improving the final version of this book: Gabriele Blache and Will Knapton.

  Do you want to participate in helping us? Write to: [email protected]

  About the Author

  Born in 1977, Niels Bernhardt has been an avid devotee of the fantasy genre since his youth, through literature, pen-and-paper role-playing and computer games. The idea for “The Warlock of Hymal” has been many years in the making, and Niels finally began writing the story in spring 2011.

  Niels studied physics at the Humboldt University of Berlin before going on to complete his doctoral degree in mathematics at the University of Auckland. After stints working as a scientist, he moved into the patents field, and worked for some time for a well-known law office in Munich. He returned to Berlin in 2012, where he works for a major manufacturer of aircraft engines.

  nielsbernhardt.wordpress.com