The Wizard Killer - Season Two

Episode 4 - Part 1

The sunlight from the door stops two feet into the room with no rhyme nor reason. Stepping into the room, I close the door and take my hat off.

I stand quietly, listening to the creak of the floorboards under me, waiting for my eyes to adjust. The room seems barren, except for a counter a few feet away.

"Gah... that sound." I put a finger in my ear and give it a good shake.

A silhouette appears behind the empty counter. "These are dangerous times," it says, the voice soft and melodic.

The head turns and I'm thrown off. It's like staring at a star-filled night sky.

Swallowing nervously, I nod. "You're the last of the free librarians I take it."

There's a scream outside, followed by another.

My hands twist my hat, and I stare at the door. "I'm..." I turn and face the librarian. "I'm told you'll have an answer for me. Though, I hate to say it, I wasn't told what the question was."

"The answer is a yes. A wizard can be killed through means other than simply time and frailty of the body. There's a High Acolyte who knows. He's learned of the secret experiments of his master, the Wizard of Banareal. The Wizard suspects him of treachery. It won't be long before the High Acolyte is arrested and tortured."

"Are we supposed to get him before he's arrested? After?" I don't even know what I'm talking about. Staring at the floor, an image comes to me. "Old man. Is he an old man?"

I can feel her staring at me; I've thrown her off.

"The High Acolyte will be alive for some time, though barely. The Wizard will experiment on him, to see if it's possible to make an acolyte into a weslek."

"So, we need to get him out?"

"The wards won't allow him to leave the laboratory alive."

I glare at the librarian. "How is this helpful?"

Several gunshots go off on the other side of the door. It's followed by screeches and a wave of that bone-chattering sound.

"I must go," says the librarian, pushing open a door at the back, the room filling with sunlight.

Wincing and turning away, I raise a hand. "If I follow what you're saying, then we need to get him out of there. How do we do that?"

"Take his life from him then give it back. There are a few who can craft such magical weapons. You'll need to be careful, and make it discreet."

"Like one of the soldiers' short swords?"

I wish she had an expression; I can't tell if she's agreeing or staring me like an idiot.

"We are out of time." She exits and the back door closes, leaving me standing in the dark.

The screams outnumber the gunshots. There's that clicking sound coming from everywhere, even above me somewhere.

I crack the door open a bit and look. The scene doesn't make sense, people shooting at nothing and being ripped apart by nothing.

Without thinking, my hand goes into one of the long coat pockets and pulls out an orb. It's maroon and sleek-looking, with a silver streak. Holding it up to my mouth, I mutter some words without thinking. The orb pulses.

"It's the H. A. of Banareal that we need. He's going to be taken soon, we have a limited window of time. Wards will stop us from taking him, so we need to suspend his life. We need to find someone who can put that kind of enchantment on a common item, like a short sword. Suspend his life; then we get him out of there."