Chapter 3: Middle Age

After the excitement of the battle and cleaning up the mess, Warren tried to return to a more pastoral, sedate life. He found he enjoyed the slow, simple life he had here. Of course, being a Wizard, he didn’t have the backbreaking work the common man had. He watched his people and the townspeople toil in hard physical labor day in and day out and felt somewhat sad that all they knew was hard work with very little joy in their life. He wanted to do something about that but felt as if he was limited in what he could do. He did try to provide good food and what creature comforts he could for his people but still wanted to provide more.

Warren and Gloria still held morning “office hours” in the common room of the local Inn for those who needed healing or other wizarding work. The Innkeeper even agreed to stop charging them for the space when he discovered his business increased significantly with them there. It seems the people who came to see the Wizard purchased a drink or meal or both much of the time. Some even purchased a room for a day or two. The days Warren and Gloria weren’t there, profits for the Inn were less and he noticed.

Afternoons, Warren and Gloria returned to the island to work there. Sometimes they worked on projects for customers, sometimes on personal projects. Of course, both of them spent a lot of time studying magic and trying to develop new spells or remedies for illness too. At first, Warren spent a lot of time perfecting his last discovery, teleportation. With a little practice, he found he could teleport to any destination he could see easily. It took some time for him to be able to teleport to a place he had been but, for limited distances, he could finally do that although he had to be able to visualize it clearly in his mind’s eye for the teleportation to work. Try as he might, however, he could not teleport back to his home reality.

One evening Warren popped back into the house from a quick trip to town and was complaining to Gloria about his inability to return home once again. She said, “My Lord Husband, do you not realize only a very few can travel the dimensions? You’re extremely lucky to have the ability to, as you call it, teleport. I only know of three wizards who can travel between the dimensions like my Father does. Only a few others can teleport and many, in fact, most of them can only jump, as we call it, to places they can see. Even if they can see the location they’re going to they are still very limited as to distance. Most can only go what you would call a quarter mile. Perhaps, if he ever comes to see us Father can teach you how to travel the dimensions, assuming you harbor the power for such a spell.”

“Oh, I didn’t know. I thought it was all the same thing.”

“No, my dear. I don’t know how to do either, though I’ve tried to follow as you explained the teleporting to me. It takes great ability to teleport and to use the mind magic to lift and throw objects as you do.”

A dejected Warren gave Gloria a tight hug and kiss before he returned to his office/study and his never ending quest for knowledge. He decided he had teleporting and the lantern spells down pat so he turned his attention to other work.

The years passed, and Warren’s knowledge and reputation grew. His small town prospered and grew into, for the times, a fairly large city. No one knew for sure but it was rumored there were over 4,000 people living in the town. Thanks to Warren’s insistence on good hygiene and his limited ability to produce medications and treat illness and wounds they were very healthy. Infant and child mortality plummeted causing great growth and much adoration for the Wizard Warren. He and Gloria were credited for keeping everyone healthy because of “spells” rather than just the simple cleanliness they demanded.

As the town grew Warren also insisted on installing sewers to handle the waste. Instead of pulling their water from the river, he made them locate springs and pipe the water to town. They used all the water from two springs thus insuring a clean, safe drinking water supply as well.

Apprentice hopefuls continued to arrive, convinced he could teach them how to become a powerful wizard as he was. Many had the desire but no talent and were sent on their way. Others were accepted into what had become a school system for the city. After they mastered reading, writing and arithmetic (the 3 R’s—Readin’, Ritin’ and ‘Rithmetic) those who had potential for some sort of magic were taken to Wizard’s Island for further training.

The training on the island was broken down into classes as was any proper school curriculum. Every magically capable person had to take the entry level class. There was no set time limit to complete the course of study, rather they studied until they passed the exit exams or it was determined they never would (or the student voluntarily left or was expelled for some reason). This course consisted of what Warren and Gloria called Magic Theory, Ethics, and Introduction to Health and Medicine.

After completing the entry level class the hopeful Wizard or Wizardess could specialize if they so desired (There were separate classes for those few who were unable to become full Wizards such as the Healers and Hedge Witches previously mentioned). Some wanted only to enchant items, some only to learning healing magic and a few only to travel strangely enough although most wanted to be generalists and study it all. The various specialties took various lengths of time for the course, once again, not “graduating” until they could pass the exams.

As was bound to happen, one day a young woman appeared in town hunting Warren the Wizard. He had already left for the day so the Innkeeper graciously agreed to rent her a room and sell her meals until he returned the next day. She was waiting on him in the common room when he popped in the next morning.

The young lady screamed, jumped and almost pushed her chair over backwards when Warren popped into existence only a couple of feet from where she was sitting at his normal table. After she recovered somewhat she pulled a small club from her belt, confronted Warren and said, “You Son of a Bitch! What’s the idea jumping out at me like that? Now get the hell away from me before I hand you your ass.”

Of course, Warren was somewhat upset because he startled the woman. Most people around knew he popped in and were no longer surprised. Also, no one, but no one dared sit at his table as this woman had done. He said, “I’m sorry I startled you lady but if you don’t put that stick away right now I’m going to stick it up your ass. This is my table and I use it for business. I’m surprised no one told you that.”

“Who the hell do you think you are, the Godfather or Superman? I think this table belongs to the Inn here for their customers to use. Now leave me alone, I’m waiting on Warren the Wizard then I’ll be on my way and you can have the damn table.”

Warren laughed and said, “What can I do for you?”

“Nothing you oaf. I’m waiting on the Wizard I said.”

“Yes, I heard you. I’m Warren, the local Wizard. Now, how may I help you?”

“Oh shit,” she said as she blushed. “I’m sorry sir. You scared me and after some of the assholes I’ve had run ins with I’m afraid I reacted without thinking. I’ve heard you’re the greatest Wizard of all time and I came to beg you to take me on as your apprentice. I’ve heard you have a unique way to call and activate spells. If I’m right, I think we may have a lot in common and may be able to help each other.”

“What do you mean by that lady?”

The woman leaned forward and whispered, “From what I’ve been able to learn, you use, uh, computer code and terminology to execute your spells? If you do, I need to know where and when you came from. Can we go back?”

Warren sat down heavily at the table and looked at the woman a moment then asked, “Who are you and how did you find me? Who sent you?”

“I’m Brenda Mc”

Warren yelled, “STOP!” When she stopped talking and looked angrily at him he leaned closer and continued, “First lesson, NEVER speak your true real name on the air here. Enemies can get it and use it against you. For your sake, I hope you’ve never given your true name since you arrived.”

“Oh.” She bit her lower lip before she continued, “I didn’t know. I think I’ve given my name to a handful of people since that odious little twerp just dropped me near a small town several days travel west of here. If it helps I never gave them my full name, just the first and last.”

“Humm, I really don’t know for sure. That may help some. I have to admit I haven’t studied up on the name thing. I just know I was warned about it and I’ve found a few spells that require the target’s true name for them to work.

“Ok, now where and when are you from?”

“Sorry. As I said, I’m Brenda. I worked for the FBI, Cyber Security. I was investigating a case in 2035 when enemy agents captured me. They were working me over pretty hard when this strange old man with a bunch of other old men broke in and rescued me. They all chanted some strange mumbo jumbo and poof, I was just outside some shitty old town. Before I could do or say anything he said, “Welcome to your new home Madam Wizard,” and disappeared.

“I stopped the bleeding and bandaged my injuries as much as I could and followed what passes for a road here into the little berg. I don’t know how many heads I had to knock together before the local assholes got the word and left me alone. I barely managed to eat for a while until I managed to find a job. I suppose I’ve been here three or four years now.

“About eighteen months ago I began hearing about you. Some of the words I heard people claiming you used in your spells made me decide to come check you out to see if we could help each other.”

“Hummm. I see. I guess some of the language I use would tip someone off about my origins if they had knowledge of it. As for you helping me, I doubt it. I’m sure I can help you though, depending on what, exactly, you need help with.

“If you need or want help getting back home, forget it. I can’t even get myself home, not that I even want to go there now. Well, I would like to go visit my parents if they’re still alive but I’ve settled in fine here and consider this my home now. I have two wonderful wives and several friends. One of them is the daughter of the Wizard that shanghaied me to this place, the other, Tanya, is the daughter of a man that tried to kill me shortly after I arrived. I’m accepted here and I’m making a difference.

“Oh. If you can’t help me get back, how do you propose to help me?”

“Well, even though you’ve been here four years you don’t look or act as if you’re very successful. For those men to have taken you and brought you here, they had to know you had some pretty good ability as a Wizard. I’m surprised you haven’t set yourself up as one. You can make a pretty good living around here doing that.”