A short story
By Kiley Kellermeyer
The city burned, fire lighting up the night sky.
“Oops.” Junius stared at the pillar of smoke drifting skyward, an orange glow reflected on his wrinkled face and singed, bushy white beard. He looked simultaneously guilty and amused.
“Oops?” Irving rounded on the man at his side. “You say ‘oops!’ when you drop a mug of ale. You have just burnt down the capitol. That is rather more than ‘oops!’”
“Don’t raise your voice with me,” Junius said, a grin spreading across his face. “I’m your teacher!”
Irving scowled, narrowing his blue eyes, and paced on the hilltop overlooking the city. Were the guards coming for them? Had sentry horses just galloped through the gates? No, it was just more refugees. He looked at the scorched robes he wore and took a breath. He supposed he should be grateful to Junius. But he was finding that difficult as he looked back on the evening. Very difficult, indeed…
By Kiley Kellermeyer
The city burned, fire lighting up the night sky.
“Oops.” Junius stared at the pillar of smoke drifting skyward, an orange glow reflected on his wrinkled face and singed, bushy white beard. He looked simultaneously guilty and amused.
“Oops?” Irving rounded on the man at his side. “You say ‘oops!’ when you drop a mug of ale. You have just burnt down the capitol. That is rather more than ‘oops!’”
“Don’t raise your voice with me,” Junius said, a grin spreading across his face. “I’m your teacher!”
Irving scowled, narrowing his blue eyes, and paced on the hilltop overlooking the city. Were the guards coming for them? Had sentry horses just galloped through the gates? No, it was just more refugees. He looked at the scorched robes he wore and took a breath. He supposed he should be grateful to Junius. But he was finding that difficult as he looked back on the evening. Very difficult, indeed…
Irving ran through the bustling city, one hand clutching his aching side, the other a large, red gemstone.
“Come back here, scum!” yelled a voice from behind. “You’ll be sorry when we catch you.”
Irving plunged through the crowd and on to the grounds of the Wizard’s Keep. Perhaps he could lose his pursuers here. He had to. That stone was his by right. He had plans for it and he--
“Oof!” Irving collided with someone and tumbled to the dirt. The red stone rolled out of his hand.
“Oh, hello, Irving.” Junius said from the ground where he’d fallen. “Out for a jog?”
“Junius?” Irving rubbed his head and gazed up at the tall towers of the Keep, sturdy in the slight breeze. “What are you doing here?” he asked in spite of himself.
“Delivering a letter.” Junius stood, brushed himself off, then bent down and picked up the red stone.
Irving opened his mouth to ask for it just as three beefy thugs skidded to a halt near the Keep. Irving sprang to his feet and closer to Junius, more to protect the stone than the older man. The goons glared at Irving and cracked their knuckles, then gradually became aware of Junius’s presence.
“Hello, there,” Junius said amiably. “Are you friends of Irving’s’?”
“Yeah,” said the thug leader. “Good friends, eh, Irv?”
“Quite,” Irving said. This, he felt, was going to end poorly.
"What’re you doing at the Keep with our stone, Irv? You don’t think the wizards would buy it, do you?”
“It…I…” Irving stared at the stone, thinking. He had to get rid of those thieves, and he had to get out of the city with the gemstone. However, it was looking like he might not even escape the Keep. “I have the joined the wizards as an apprentice.”
“I didn’t know—” started Junius, and Irving stamped on his foot.
“I’m an apprentice,” Irving continued, “and Junius here is my teacher. Knows all there is to know about magic…ah, craft. Crafting. Magical crafts. Right, Junius?” He elbowed him in the stomach.
“Oh, oh. Right.” Junius puffed up his chest. “Of course I do. All there is to know.”
The thug leader eyed them suspiciously. “Oh, really? Where’re your wizard robes?”
Irving arched his brow. “I’m only an apprentice.”
“Then where are his robes?”
“Cleaners,” said Junius. “Potion stains are the worst, I don’t mind telling you!”
“He does have the big white beard,” said one of the other thugs, pointing at Junius. “Don’t they all have big beards?”
The thugs seemed pacified on this point, but fixed their sights at the gem in Junius’s hand. Irving didn’t know why they wanted it. Well, he supposed it was because it was a precious gemstone. But he had won it fair and square. Mostly.
“The stone, Irv,” the leader said. “Give it to us.”
“I can’t. I was told to give it to Professor Junius here. It isn’t worth much money, you know. It’s only good for silly old spells and such. Nothing a regular person would want. I doubt it would even fetch two gold coins. Right, er, Professor?” He gave Junius a pleading look.
Junius nodded sagely and said, “Not worth a single copper!” Irving sighed, and then Junius spoke again. “Why, it is only a simple Fire Stone, I can tell by its hue. Good for things like heating furnaces. Starting fires. Spreading fires.” He appeared to be lost in thought. “Melting metals. Making weapons.”
As Junius spoke, Irving thought the thieves’ eyes turned even greedier, if that was possible. The stared hungrily at the stone and began to move toward the faux-mages. “Junius,” Irving whispered. “That’s enough about the—run!”
The thugs leapt at them. Irving yanked the old man by his wrist and they bolted. Rounding a corner, Junius pointed at a wooden door. Irving flung it open and they stumbled inside, locking it behind them. A torch burst to life.
“A Fire Stone?” Irving glared at Junius. “A Fire Stone?”
“It seemed like a good idea at the time.” Junius shrugged boney shoulders. “Is this a wizard storage room? How fascinating!”
Indeed, crates and shelves were loaded with strange and impressive looking items. Brooms, staves, cauldrons, potions, empty bottles, books, robes and candles were illuminated in the torchlight. Irving did not care, though. He did not want to die in a closet.
There was a loud bang on the door, followed by, “We know you’re in there, Irving. You and that wizard. When we get in there, you’ll be sorry you ran.”
And another voice, “But, he’s got that stone. What if he sets us on fire?”
Silence.
Junius grinned. “I’ve got an idea.”
“Whatever it is, no.”
“It will work.”
There was another bang on the door. “We aren’t scared of your fire, wizard. We’re breaking down this door.”
Irving felt a sense of momentary dread sweep through him. Junius stared at him hopefully, and he finally gave in. “All right. What’s your plan?”
Several minutes later, the door was slightly splintered and Irving found himself wearing a set of robes that did not cover his ankles. Junius matched him. Both held staves alight with fire at the ends. Irving held several bottles of potion. “On the count of three,” he said. “One. Two. THREE!”
They burst from the room, robes flapping in the breeze, staves burning. The thugs at the door staggered away, looking stunned.
“Ala-tima-ca-lava!” Junius gibbered. It sounded impressive, so Irving repeated it. He threw his potion bottles into the air as Junius swung his staff. The fire collided with the potion and exploded, sending a blast at the thieves.
“It’s the Fire Stone!” one of them shrieked. “He’s using it! Let’s get out of here!” And they scampered away like frightened children as the flames died down. Irving and Junius followed them around the corner to be sure they were gone.
Irving chuckled in spite of himself. That would teach them to mess with him. The gemstone was his now, they would leave him alone for sure. “Well done,” he said, clapping the other man on the back. “Now hand me the stone and we’ll get out of here.”
“I left it in the storage room,” Junius said. “My hands were full.”
Irving rolled his eyes and turned back to the room, then stopped. Thick, black smoke was pouring from the doorway. “Junius! Something is burning in storage room.”
“It’s the Fire Stone!”
“You idiot, there’s no such thing as a Fire Stone!”
“Right,” he nodded. “Must be the torch I left by the crate of potions.”
"It could blow any moment! I’ve got to get the stone!” Before they could take two steps however, the room exploded. They ducked back around the corner as loud booms echoed and bits of debris rained down.
When Irving finally chanced a glance, long tongues of orange flame were reaching into the sky. The Keep was burning, the tiny storage room was destroyed, and the breeze carried the flames along the rooftop and toward the neighboring buildings.
“We should go,” said Irving. “We should go right now.”
And so they did.
“Come back here, scum!” yelled a voice from behind. “You’ll be sorry when we catch you.”
Irving plunged through the crowd and on to the grounds of the Wizard’s Keep. Perhaps he could lose his pursuers here. He had to. That stone was his by right. He had plans for it and he--
“Oof!” Irving collided with someone and tumbled to the dirt. The red stone rolled out of his hand.
“Oh, hello, Irving.” Junius said from the ground where he’d fallen. “Out for a jog?”
“Junius?” Irving rubbed his head and gazed up at the tall towers of the Keep, sturdy in the slight breeze. “What are you doing here?” he asked in spite of himself.
“Delivering a letter.” Junius stood, brushed himself off, then bent down and picked up the red stone.
Irving opened his mouth to ask for it just as three beefy thugs skidded to a halt near the Keep. Irving sprang to his feet and closer to Junius, more to protect the stone than the older man. The goons glared at Irving and cracked their knuckles, then gradually became aware of Junius’s presence.
“Hello, there,” Junius said amiably. “Are you friends of Irving’s’?”
“Yeah,” said the thug leader. “Good friends, eh, Irv?”
“Quite,” Irving said. This, he felt, was going to end poorly.
"What’re you doing at the Keep with our stone, Irv? You don’t think the wizards would buy it, do you?”
“It…I…” Irving stared at the stone, thinking. He had to get rid of those thieves, and he had to get out of the city with the gemstone. However, it was looking like he might not even escape the Keep. “I have the joined the wizards as an apprentice.”
“I didn’t know—” started Junius, and Irving stamped on his foot.
“I’m an apprentice,” Irving continued, “and Junius here is my teacher. Knows all there is to know about magic…ah, craft. Crafting. Magical crafts. Right, Junius?” He elbowed him in the stomach.
“Oh, oh. Right.” Junius puffed up his chest. “Of course I do. All there is to know.”
The thug leader eyed them suspiciously. “Oh, really? Where’re your wizard robes?”
Irving arched his brow. “I’m only an apprentice.”
“Then where are his robes?”
“Cleaners,” said Junius. “Potion stains are the worst, I don’t mind telling you!”
“He does have the big white beard,” said one of the other thugs, pointing at Junius. “Don’t they all have big beards?”
The thugs seemed pacified on this point, but fixed their sights at the gem in Junius’s hand. Irving didn’t know why they wanted it. Well, he supposed it was because it was a precious gemstone. But he had won it fair and square. Mostly.
“The stone, Irv,” the leader said. “Give it to us.”
“I can’t. I was told to give it to Professor Junius here. It isn’t worth much money, you know. It’s only good for silly old spells and such. Nothing a regular person would want. I doubt it would even fetch two gold coins. Right, er, Professor?” He gave Junius a pleading look.
Junius nodded sagely and said, “Not worth a single copper!” Irving sighed, and then Junius spoke again. “Why, it is only a simple Fire Stone, I can tell by its hue. Good for things like heating furnaces. Starting fires. Spreading fires.” He appeared to be lost in thought. “Melting metals. Making weapons.”
As Junius spoke, Irving thought the thieves’ eyes turned even greedier, if that was possible. The stared hungrily at the stone and began to move toward the faux-mages. “Junius,” Irving whispered. “That’s enough about the—run!”
The thugs leapt at them. Irving yanked the old man by his wrist and they bolted. Rounding a corner, Junius pointed at a wooden door. Irving flung it open and they stumbled inside, locking it behind them. A torch burst to life.
“A Fire Stone?” Irving glared at Junius. “A Fire Stone?”
“It seemed like a good idea at the time.” Junius shrugged boney shoulders. “Is this a wizard storage room? How fascinating!”
Indeed, crates and shelves were loaded with strange and impressive looking items. Brooms, staves, cauldrons, potions, empty bottles, books, robes and candles were illuminated in the torchlight. Irving did not care, though. He did not want to die in a closet.
There was a loud bang on the door, followed by, “We know you’re in there, Irving. You and that wizard. When we get in there, you’ll be sorry you ran.”
And another voice, “But, he’s got that stone. What if he sets us on fire?”
Silence.
Junius grinned. “I’ve got an idea.”
“Whatever it is, no.”
“It will work.”
There was another bang on the door. “We aren’t scared of your fire, wizard. We’re breaking down this door.”
Irving felt a sense of momentary dread sweep through him. Junius stared at him hopefully, and he finally gave in. “All right. What’s your plan?”
Several minutes later, the door was slightly splintered and Irving found himself wearing a set of robes that did not cover his ankles. Junius matched him. Both held staves alight with fire at the ends. Irving held several bottles of potion. “On the count of three,” he said. “One. Two. THREE!”
They burst from the room, robes flapping in the breeze, staves burning. The thugs at the door staggered away, looking stunned.
“Ala-tima-ca-lava!” Junius gibbered. It sounded impressive, so Irving repeated it. He threw his potion bottles into the air as Junius swung his staff. The fire collided with the potion and exploded, sending a blast at the thieves.
“It’s the Fire Stone!” one of them shrieked. “He’s using it! Let’s get out of here!” And they scampered away like frightened children as the flames died down. Irving and Junius followed them around the corner to be sure they were gone.
Irving chuckled in spite of himself. That would teach them to mess with him. The gemstone was his now, they would leave him alone for sure. “Well done,” he said, clapping the other man on the back. “Now hand me the stone and we’ll get out of here.”
“I left it in the storage room,” Junius said. “My hands were full.”
Irving rolled his eyes and turned back to the room, then stopped. Thick, black smoke was pouring from the doorway. “Junius! Something is burning in storage room.”
“It’s the Fire Stone!”
“You idiot, there’s no such thing as a Fire Stone!”
“Right,” he nodded. “Must be the torch I left by the crate of potions.”
"It could blow any moment! I’ve got to get the stone!” Before they could take two steps however, the room exploded. They ducked back around the corner as loud booms echoed and bits of debris rained down.
When Irving finally chanced a glance, long tongues of orange flame were reaching into the sky. The Keep was burning, the tiny storage room was destroyed, and the breeze carried the flames along the rooftop and toward the neighboring buildings.
“We should go,” said Irving. “We should go right now.”
And so they did.
