Chapter 9

Dammit, I felt like a boy with a new toy. I blew my whistle to summon Granny Eltman. She was as enthralled by the caverns as the rest of us were. She pronounced it perfect as a place to shelter from the malevolent wizards. I did say that I wondered how we would get enough light into the cave without quickly denuding the surrounding forest. Her answer was, "Let me fix that problem with a housewarming gift. It is one that you can use immediately." She mumbled something that I did not understand and pointed her finger toward the ceiling. Suddenly the ceiling began to glow with a white light. The light was moderated with a tinge of blue-green that was very comfortable on the eyes. Suddenly, the entire cave was bathed in this light! "Sir Geoffrey, this light will last as long as it is needed. You will never have to burn anything to get light in your new home!"

The craftsmen really put their skill and effort into the work, and the front opening of Waterfall Keep was completely sealed with stone work three feet thick. There was a portal, complete with portcullis and murder holes, leading up to a fine entrance to the front cavern. Considerable work had been done in leveling the floor of that cavern and putting in several rooms. In fact, Gwendolyn and I had moved into Waterfall Keep after only four months of work.

There was a recently discovered cavern off to the left side that had been designated as the stable. Thus, all of our horses could be stored within the cave in their own separate room. A minimum size hole had been chipped in the roof for ventilation, and the stable was as free of objectionable odors as one could hope for. In this way, we had nothing to fear for the safety of our warhorses and work animals.

On the right side was the stream that formed the waterfall which gave name to our holding. Near this was the laundry, and the kitchen was just beyond in the next room. Our plan was to partition the center section of the front cavern and to make the area just behind the gate into the reception area where we met guests with all of the proper pomp and circumstance. The rear section was to be the formal dining room where banquets and such would be held. We expected to make some changes as the work on the Keep progressed, but we were having fun as we went along.

The main cavern which was reached by that short tunnel we had found on the first day was to be the living quarters. It was already so thoroughly chopped up by columns of stone that it seemed a shame to ruin its beauty by removing the columns. Instead, the columns were to be integrated into the curtain walls which broke the chamber up into rooms. I also chose the most beautiful section of the chamber for my office; after all, rank does have its privileges!

As soon as we could, we started grazing sheep and cattle on that large meadow that we had found just a little way down the mountain from the cave. A monster barn was already under construction to house the animals when winter came. A crew was cutting the tallest grass for fodder for the animals when they could not go outside. We hoped to have 100-200 people living at Waterfall Keep by the time snow sealed off the approaches.

Of course, as long as my transporter belt worked, and that was supposed to be indefinitely, we would not be cut off from the world. I could transport as many people as necessary back and forth to Waterfall Keep no matter what the weather did to our road. Work was progressing so fast that all of Blakeslee Keep could move to Waterfall Keep by the beginning of snowfall next year. We had just discovered several more large caverns and a number of smaller ones, so we could also move Springfeld Keep to Waterfall Keep if it ever became necessary. All that we would really need would be enough gold and silver to purchase the food we needed until we were fully operational.

If all of the people of Blakeslee Keep wanted to move to Waterfall Keep, I had no qualms about raiding that Keep's treasury to sustain the people who moved. As far a I was concerned, we had worked to produce that treasure, and the King had no right to it. Taxes had already been paid on the money, so I felt that whatever was left belonged to us. Father agreed with me, and that was good enough for me!

We got through the winter without hearing from the King or from his wizard masters. I hoped that we could continue that way for the rest of the year, but, honestly, I did not see that as possible. For practical purposes, only Gwen, Rolf, Elbert, and I knew how to access Waterfall Keep by conventional means. As long as that secret held, we were safe from our enemies. However, I knew that we would be discovered eventually, so we were already planning for that eventuality.

One of the things we did was to construct a fighting platform above our gate. As far as we had been able to determine, there were no other entrances to Waterfall Keep, so we concentrated our efforts in protecting our front door. The fighting platform had been chiseled out of the living stone of the cliff face. A crenelated wall had been erected behind which archers and crossbowmen could fight. We also installed four ballistas that could shoot arrows, rocks, or containers of liquid fire.

We knew that our idyllic existence was bound to end. To our surprise, it ended in a way none of us could have anticipated. I was working in my office one morning when Granny Eltman suddenly appeared beside my desk. I had never seen her look so upset. I jumped to my feet the moment I saw her and rang the bell for a servant. "My Lady, Granny Eltman, what has disturbed you so? Please sit down and let me get you some wine. Please tell me what I can do to help you."

"Oh, Sir Geoffrey, I bring some terrible news! I have found out why your life is in danger! Furthermore, I must beg asylum from you!"

"My God, Granny Eltman, of course you may have asylum here at Waterfall Keep for as long as you desire it! Why do you need help from me?"

"While I was away for a few hours, the King's wizards attacked my home with lightning bolts and destroyed it utterly. I am sure that they thought that I had been caught in the attack because of the automatic magical defenses that went into operation, and they may assume that I am of no further danger to them. I am certain that I was attacked because of my friendship for you. However, as I have said before, I cannot stand against them on my own, and I desperately need your help.

"And that brings me to the second bit of information that I have. I now know why the wizards are so afraid of you: you are destined to be the greatest wizard who ever lived! The other wizards automatically attack any perceived threat to them, no matter how remote it might be. Therefore, they fear that you will grow to the limit of your potential and be so much stronger than they that you will wipe them from the Earth. They wish to kill you before that can happen!

"I do not know the secret of your lineage that makes this possible, but every magic user but me is now deathly afraid of you. Your only hope is to hone your abilities as quickly as possible so that you can withstand their attack. Conceivably, they could unite and attack you all at once. I do not expect that to happen, but I do not know that even you could withstand such an onslaught."

"You certainly have done a good job of scaring me! Where can I get the training that I will need to protect us when the wizards strike?"

"I can teach you the fundamentals and the more advanced spells that I know, but I do not know how we will complete your training. Normally, a wizard takes a prospect as an apprentice and teaches him or her to the extent of the wizard's ability. I will try to put out some feelers to find someone to train you, my Lord, but I do not know how long that will take, or if it is even possible. From there, we will just have to see what Fate holds for us."

"Very well, we will just have to live with that. I put myself in your hands, my Lady, and await your command. Meanwhile, I will have Steward Simp find suitable accommodations for you within the Keep. Also, please let me tell my wife of your arrival."

My training as a wizard began that afternoon. Granny Eltman wanted to keep her presence at the Keep a secret as long as possible, so she became known only to those who needed to know. Granny Eltman completed the lighting for the new chambers so that we no longer needed the torches. I made no effort to explain, and no one had the temerity to ask where the magic had come from.