The Hedge Wizard

Hump woke early the next morning, leaving Nishari under Celaine’s watch while he reported for his first day of training. He’d been instructed to report to Lady Fentris that morning. She was stationed toward the middle of the encampment, where blocky stone buildings had recently been erected by builders, reminding Hump of those that filled the demon citadel. Following the straight roads and narrow paths, it did not take long for Hump to find his way. He entered a small but lavish room dedicated to the god, Osidium.

He was the last to arrive. All eyes turned on him as he entered the room.

“You must be Wizard Humphrey,” a woman said. “I am Fentris Stone. My thanks for joining us in this mission.”

Looking at her, Hump would never guess that she was the legendary Crystal Sorcerer. It was said that she was over one hundred and fifty years old, though she didn’t look a day over forty. Her long, silver hair was tied in intricate braids, and her piercing green eyes brokered no room for fun. She wore elegant robes adorned with silver runes and sigils.

Hump did his best not to be awkward as he exchanged greetings with the rest of the Chosen. All the remainders being fifth circles, it was challenging to guess their ages with any sort of accuracy. Not one of them seemed over thirty, though he knew that was incredibly unlikely. His own party members had advanced quickly, but most Chosen took many years to reach such power.

Of the members, Aric seemed the youngest. He was a large man clad in heavy armour, though somehow, he managed to look small even with all that bulk—his shoulders slouched, his eyes down—as if it was all too big for him. His short, dark hair framed a face that was entirely unmarred. It would be easy to believe the man had never seen combat, which hardly inspired confidence.

Then there was Gideon, the first Chosen Hump had ever met that donned the purple robes of a gravity sorcerer—a rare and powerful specialty even amongst Chosen of Osidium. He was tall, lean, and with neatly kept dark hair and a pair of spectacles perched on his nose. With him was Liora, who walked circles around him, barely able to keep still. Her blonde hair was tied into a messy bun, and she had a mischievous smile on her face when she greeted Hump. From the wand at her hip, she was likely a sorcerer too.

Ingrid, like Aric, was clad in heavy armour. She reminded Hump of Bud—a paladin with a focus that seemed ready for battle against all things evil. Her short, brown hair was cropped close to her head, and her armour was meticulously maintained. She carried a large shield emblazoned with the sigil of Osidium.

Of the four fifth circle Chosen, only Ingrid seemed genuinely pleased to meet him. Gideon and Liora gave him that familiar feeling of contempt he was used to from rich and powerful Chosen. Likely, they saw no reason for him to be there. It mattered little to Hump. He was there because it was deemed that he was necessary. Now that he was there, he’d do everything in his power to ensure the mission was successful. Not just because he’d likely die horrible if it failed, quite possibly screaming within the living wall, but for his party. They would fight on the front lines with him, and any delay would only mean that they were exposed to the enemy for longer.

He waited quietly for the Chosen of Vesta to show up. It was not long, and immediately Hump recognised the familiar face. Brown hair and a freckled face—she was the same young woman Hump had seen Dylan sitting across from when he and Celaine had first arrived in Fort Nordric.

Hump pointed at her. “Lorissa, right?”

She smiled at him. “Good morning, Wizard Humphrey.” She bowed her head. “Lady Fentris, I’m to take you to the assigned location.”

The woman gave a nod. “We’re ready.”

“Then if you would follow me,” Lorissa said. “This is best done outside.”

It was always interesting to see Chosen of Vesta in action. It seemed that every one of them used their portals in a different way. Back in Sheercliff City, Natalie had been able to transport groups of great distances, while Marian seemed to travel through some sort of void and could only take a select view. Lorissa’s power was unique again. Releasing one of her blessings, it took the form of a key in her hand. As if there was an invisible door before her, she extended it and turned. There was a deep, rumbling click, the air itself shuddering, and then a metal door appeared before them.

It swung open on its own without the faintest sound, but essence leaked from within in a constant stream, misting the air with white light. What looked like a large quarry lay on the other side.

Hump followed the others through, stepping out onto red earth. Dry and rugged cliffs surrounded them on all sides, the stone looking ready to crumble. Piles of red gravel were piled up in great heaps that spotted the area. Strangest of all, however, was the section of wall in the middle of nowhere, seemingly formed out of the same stone as the quarry. It was perhaps thirty paces long and didn’t seem to block access to anything.

Nobody was on the wall, but there were perhaps forty people nearby, along with their wagons and horses. Half were guards, while surprisingly, the others, dressed in battle robes and carrying staffs, looked like earth wizards.

“Amazing,” Hump said to Lorissa. “How does your blessing work? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“Not at all,” Lorissa said. “I’m able to create connected portals at my current location. Every gate has its twin, and the number I can maintain is limited, but as long as I travel there first I can create a portal to pretty much everywhere.”

“So you came here previously?” Hump asked.

“Last night.” She nodded. “Along with the guards and wizards who have been getting the area prepared for you.” She gave a sly smile. “Best of luck with it. I’m afraid I must go and find myself a place to rest. Travel such as this is exhausting for me.”

“Of course,” Hump said. “We’ll talk later.”

“I’d like that. Dylan has told me many things about you. He thinks very highly of you, I hope you know that.”

“And I him,” Hump said. “He is a good man. One of the best.”

Her smile widened. “I think so too.”

Training was to begin immediately. Lady Fenris gathered them together and explained what they could expect. “Our task, in theory, is simple: in the next five days, we must learn to coordinate. Everyone here will play a part in making that as achievable as possible.”

With only five days, Hump already knew how challenging that would be, especially with the contempt he’d witnessed from Liora and Gideon. Even if they didn’t make a display of it, their lack of respect for him would resonate in their intent and hinder their progress.

“All of us possess some form of earth manipulation,” Lady Fentris continued. “We will use this ability to create the tunnel for the army to breach the walls. However, most of us are combat specialists. I’m sure each of you have studied building work in some small part, but our mission will be a new beast. With that in mind, it will be Aric leading most of our training.”

All eyes turned to the big man. So the reason he looked so uncomfortable in his armour was that he was typically assigned to construction duties.

Aric stepped forward, his demeanour nervous. He swallowed a lump then cleared his throat. “The first and most important step is to resonate as one,” he began. “Just like the earth, we are individual grains yet become stronger when bound together with a singular intent. It’s a long process usually. Apprentices would typically spend years on each step—”

“We are no apprentices,” Gideon interrupted, his tone sharp and impatient. “We have five days, Aric. Five days, and then we face the wall. I suggest we pursue the accelerated approach.”

Ingrid shot Gideon a warning look before turning to Aric. “Please, Aric, continue. This is your area of expertise. Don’t let them distract you.”

Aric gave a small, appreciative smile. “Yes… well, in that case.” He paused, raising his hand and slowly opening three fingers. “There are three essence steps we must take: Synchronisation of our essence frequencies—just as the earth resonates as one whole, so must we; Collective Casting, where we manifest a spell in tandem; and finally, applying both to create the tunnel.”

“Sounds like wizard training,” Liora said. She turned to Fentris. “Are you certain this is the way forward? I’d have thought that the four of us possess the blessings necessary to create a section of this tunnel already. Why add so much complexity?”

“This tunnel must allow an army to pass through it,” Lady Fentris said. “Its failure would mean the death of hundreds, if not thousands. Such responsibility cannot be handled with mere improvisation.”

Liora sighed. “I see. It’s unavoidable then. I should warn you, intent has always been a weakness of mine.”

“No need to worry,” Aric said. “As Gideon so rightly pointed out, none of us are apprentices, however as Chosen our training concentrates little on focusing our intent. Our blessings handle most of the hard work for us. I’m sure Wizard Humphrey could say far more on the matter, but the crux of the matter is that our most difficult task will be learning to work together.”

“Wonderful,” Gideon said with a frown. “Five days of torture. Shall we get on with it?”

And torture it was, though not for the reasons Hump expected. He had always known that Chosen were poorly trained when it came to focusing their intent, but even when he’d first practiced with Bud and Celaine at Fisher’s Lake, it had never seemed quite this bad. These were Chosen of the fifth circle—to see them so easily distracted and fatigued had come at a great surprise. Yet, despite these setbacks, their skill and talent still shone through. As for Lady Fentris, she had no such trouble. She would have been a good wizard. He supposed he should have expected as much.

Each night, Hump returned to the army encampment and spent what little energy he had left trying to master Spell Sculpting. At least for Transform Earth, he could use the technique now, though he felt like he was a long way off truly understanding it.

Progress was fast, especially considering their starting point. By the second day, they had already learned to synchronise their essence, harmonising their intent in a way that strengthened each other rather than disrupted. By the fourth, they were successfully producing tunnels while the squad of earth wizards worked to repair them, imitating how the living wall would heal its damage. The training was gruelling, not just due to the complexity of the magic, but also the sheer amount of essence required to sustain a full day of practice. Rest periods were short, and for the most part, they relied on Essence Elixirs to keep them going. As powerful as they were, they did nothing for mental fatigue.

As the fifth day drew to a close, Hump was feeling confident when he returned to his tent. The encampment was abuzz with activity, even as late as it was. There was no way the demons would not know an assault was coming, but so long as their plan remained secret, they would not be prepared for it. Every moment they could gain would make their plan more effective.

Hump glanced over his shoulder from his spellbook when Celaine entered his tent.

“You not going to sleep?” she asked.

“I will, just not yet. I’m so close, Celaine.”

“It is beautiful. I can see a spark of you in the stone, Hump. Whatever you’re doing, it’s different to your other magic.” She placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “The rest of us are going to sleep. Don’t push yourself for too long. You must sleep, even if only a little.”

Hump nodded, appreciating her concern but feeling a renewed focus. Tomorrow, the fate of many would rely on him, Celaine, and his friends among them. If he needed to forgo sleep, it was a small price to pay.