someone a liar was a fighting offense.
Earl laughed out loud before fixing Randall with a look. “True enough. But I want to be crystal clear about something. I’m serious about having you as an apprentice. You need to trust me if I’m going to teach you properly. I’m promising here and now that I’m not going to lie to you boy. You won’t always want to hear the truth, or want to believe it, but the truth is what I owe to you if I’m going to make a Mage out of you. Got it?”
Randall nodded, but wasn’t entirely sure he believed.
“Good. Now, let’s talk about my ruse as a caravan master. We both know what the folks in your town would have done if I had come in as Mage Erliand Kestorn. They’d have been beside themselves with apoplexy, and a very frosty reception I’d have received.”
“Your real name is Erliand?” Randall asked, interrupting.
“Right as rain, it is. That name’s got a fair reputation in some parts of the world, too. Not that it should matter to you, lad. For the next few years, only thing you’ll be calling me is Master,” the Mage replied.
“Now, where was I? Oh yes,” Erliand continued. “Geldorn’s a fairly small and backward village. Don’t cut your eyes at me…it’s the truth. Practicing magic is illegal in Tallia anyway, but even on the big continent the uneducated are superstitious about us, especially when there are no Mages in the community to help set a good example. Your people wouldn’t have accepted me as a Mage, that’s for sure. Probably would have called out the militia on me. So, it was much easier to be Earl, the caravan master. It’s a part I’ve played before.”
“But what do we learn from it, boy? Two things, really. First, magic isn’t always the easiest way to get things done. I could have whisked you away from your family in the dark of night, using magic to prevent your parents from stopping me. And the next day there’d have been a hue and cry, and the entire village would eventually tear up the countryside looking for you. That wouldn’t do at all, all that noise and fuss wrecking my peace and quiet. If they found us, they’d probably try to string me up for kidnapping, and then I’d have had to kill a few of your friends and neighbors just to get them to leave me alone. And then the law would have to get involved, and eventually, knights from the palace. Pretty soon, I’d be calling all sorts of attention to myself killing off the King’s own Mages. And that just wouldn’t do at all.”
Randall looked closely at Erliand for a wink or a grin, but there was nothing whatsoever to indicate that the man was joking. He shuddered, but didn’t interrupt.
Earl continued, “As it is, just about everyone’s happy. I got what I want, and your parents saw their boy off to a respectable profession, and got heavier purses because of it. And nobody’s going to raise a fuss and come looking for you later. Only one who seems unhappy is you, lad. But I’m not to blame for that. I didn’t force you to become a Mage. Being aMage isn’t something you learn. It’s something you are . You’d begin using your power soon enough, with or without my help. But without it, you and your family would have been in grave danger.”
Randall just looked down at his feet, glum, and Erliand continued. “The second thing to learn is that people are going to see what they want to see, boy. Most people are generally easy to fool, because they don’t like anything to upset their little apple carts. Your father wanted to believe I was a caravaner, because I seemed like a nice man, and I dangled money in front of his eyes. Remember that if you ever need to disguise yourself or hide. Even with the help of magic, it’s a lot easier to fool people if you fit in with their expectations and play to their vices. Nobody expects a balding, slightly chubby old man named Earl to be a Mage,” he chuckled.
Erliand’s words echoed almost exactly what Bobby had said.
Earl laughed out loud before fixing Randall with a look. “True enough. But I want to be crystal clear about something. I’m serious about having you as an apprentice. You need to trust me if I’m going to teach you properly. I’m promising here and now that I’m not going to lie to you boy. You won’t always want to hear the truth, or want to believe it, but the truth is what I owe to you if I’m going to make a Mage out of you. Got it?”
Randall nodded, but wasn’t entirely sure he believed.
“Good. Now, let’s talk about my ruse as a caravan master. We both know what the folks in your town would have done if I had come in as Mage Erliand Kestorn. They’d have been beside themselves with apoplexy, and a very frosty reception I’d have received.”
“Your real name is Erliand?” Randall asked, interrupting.
“Right as rain, it is. That name’s got a fair reputation in some parts of the world, too. Not that it should matter to you, lad. For the next few years, only thing you’ll be calling me is Master,” the Mage replied.
“Now, where was I? Oh yes,” Erliand continued. “Geldorn’s a fairly small and backward village. Don’t cut your eyes at me…it’s the truth. Practicing magic is illegal in Tallia anyway, but even on the big continent the uneducated are superstitious about us, especially when there are no Mages in the community to help set a good example. Your people wouldn’t have accepted me as a Mage, that’s for sure. Probably would have called out the militia on me. So, it was much easier to be Earl, the caravan master. It’s a part I’ve played before.”
“But what do we learn from it, boy? Two things, really. First, magic isn’t always the easiest way to get things done. I could have whisked you away from your family in the dark of night, using magic to prevent your parents from stopping me. And the next day there’d have been a hue and cry, and the entire village would eventually tear up the countryside looking for you. That wouldn’t do at all, all that noise and fuss wrecking my peace and quiet. If they found us, they’d probably try to string me up for kidnapping, and then I’d have had to kill a few of your friends and neighbors just to get them to leave me alone. And then the law would have to get involved, and eventually, knights from the palace. Pretty soon, I’d be calling all sorts of attention to myself killing off the King’s own Mages. And that just wouldn’t do at all.”
Randall looked closely at Erliand for a wink or a grin, but there was nothing whatsoever to indicate that the man was joking. He shuddered, but didn’t interrupt.
Earl continued, “As it is, just about everyone’s happy. I got what I want, and your parents saw their boy off to a respectable profession, and got heavier purses because of it. And nobody’s going to raise a fuss and come looking for you later. Only one who seems unhappy is you, lad. But I’m not to blame for that. I didn’t force you to become a Mage. Being aMage isn’t something you learn. It’s something you are . You’d begin using your power soon enough, with or without my help. But without it, you and your family would have been in grave danger.”
Randall just looked down at his feet, glum, and Erliand continued. “The second thing to learn is that people are going to see what they want to see, boy. Most people are generally easy to fool, because they don’t like anything to upset their little apple carts. Your father wanted to believe I was a caravaner, because I seemed like a nice man, and I dangled money in front of his eyes. Remember that if you ever need to disguise yourself or hide. Even with the help of magic, it’s a lot easier to fool people if you fit in with their expectations and play to their vices. Nobody expects a balding, slightly chubby old man named Earl to be a Mage,” he chuckled.
Erliand’s words echoed almost exactly what Bobby had said.
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