The Apprentice and the Crystal Ball

The Apprentice and the Crystal Ball

Cleaning in the kitchen she could hear him call again. “You worthless girl, why haven’t you restocked my workroom? Didn’t I remind you twice yesterday! And my study, doesn’t look like you’ve been in there in days! Where are you girl?”
Putting down her scrub brush, she wiped her hands and she made her way up the winding staircase of the tower toward the wizard’s workroom. She knew he’d be standing on the landing waiting for her. “And where were you this time?” His anger was evident; she didn't need to look at him to know this. “Off daydreaming again?”

Without looking up she knew he was scowling, he was always scowled at her. "No Master, I was cleaning the kitchen," she answered softly.

“You know, no other wizard would take you. Why I did, I’ll never remember!”

“I know sir. But you said I had potential.” She knew what his response would be before he said it. It was always the same.

“Potential…” he left out an exasperated breath, “cantrips, but where’s everything else go in that head of yours, eh? Did you memorize your latest spell yet – correctly?”

She shifted her feet uneasily. “I think so, Master.”

“Mmm, well seeing as how I now have to wait for you to finish with my workroom, I won’t have any time available for your lessons later today! We’ll see if you remember the spell tomorrow.”

“Yes sir,” she mumbled, not bothering to question his words. He moved to the side and she hurried past him to restock his supplies in the workroom. She checked all his bottles, pouches and small boxes quickly before rushing off to gather what was missing or in short supply. When she returned, her arms loaded with items, the wizard was nowhere to be found. She filled everything then checked it all twice before dusting the counter and worktable. Lastly, she restocked the wood bin for the cauldron. Surveying her work to make sure she didn’t miss anything, she smiled. Everything looked in order. She turned toward the door and was abruptly face to face with the wizard Ah’Fez. She lowered her eyes, not wanting to face his anger at any possible mistakes he found in her work.

His eyes scanned the room meticulously taking in all his spell books, the components on shelves, the clean counter, the clean worktable, the cauldron, and the wood bin. “That will be all.” She nodded her head and moved past him. “Don’t forget to clean the study, girl,” he warned her before closing the door soundly behind her.

She leaned against the wall for a moment after leaving the workroom. She wanted nothing more than to return to the warmth and comfort of the kitchen, but knew she couldn’t. If her master, the wizard Ah’Fez were to go to his study for something and discover she still hadn’t cleaned it; she didn’t want to think about what he might do. She felt the magical shields around the workroom go up with a shudder that seemed to echo in the entire tower. Pushing away from the wall, she made her way up the next set of stairs to the wizard’s study.

Upon opening the door, she realized how much of a disaster it was. Many times the wizard would lock himself up in it for days on end. When this happened she would forget about cleaning it, and would usually like today, receive a tongue lashing for it. Resigned to her fate, she pulled a rag from her old thinning sweater pocket and began to clean.

Dust was heavy in the air, making it hard for her to breath. She pushed the one tiny window in the room open and decided to wait for the air to clear some. Pulling a tattered scrap of paper from her moth-eaten skirt pocket, she closed her eyes and tried to recite the words softly to herself. Upon finishing, she opened the paper and looked at it. A single tear rolled down her face followed by another and another. She bit her lip and tried to stop crying. When it didn’t work, she angrily wiped at her face with the rag she had been dusting with.

“Why are you crying?”

The girl jumped at the sudden soft voice that came out of nowhere. She knew she was alone in the tower except for the wizard, and yet she had heard someone talk to her. Looking around she spotted a crystal ball on the wizard’s desk. It glowed softly in the dusty room. She stepped closer, not remembering the ball on the desk. She looked to his shelf, wondering if she had moved one of his many crystal balls and forgotten it by accident. No, all eight were still there, covered in dust. Turning her attention back to the desk, she noticed a cloth that lay on the chair. A figure moved in the crystal, startling her. “Don’t be afraid,” came the voice again, a woman’s voice.

Stepping closer to the desk she could now see the figure of a woman in the crystal ball, her blonde hair intricately braided and beaded; her gown ornately decorated. “Are you real?” the girl whispered, afraid that speaking might break the enchantment.

“Real? Of course I’m real.” The woman appeared to move closer in the crystal ball, inspecting her. “Are you the wizard’s apprentice?”

She nodded her head, conscious of her tattered clothes and dirty appearance compared to the woman in the crystal ball.

“He never said he had an apprentice.” The woman smiled. “Having trouble with your spell? You’ll get it down, don’t worry it just takes time. All new apprentices have trouble at first.” Unable to stop herself the girl began to cry again. Huge tears rolled down her cheeks that she quickly tried to wipe away. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you,” the woman replied softly, her small hand reaching out to touch the inside of the crystal ball. “I could teach you a cantrip, a really small spell, if you’d like?”

“I already know those,” the girl replied angrily, her voice still not much more than a whisper.

“Ah,” the woman shifted her position, sitting down in a small chair that appeared out of nowhere within the crystal. “Would you show me?”

“Are you a Sorceress?” the girl asked.

“Oh heavens no!” the woman replied, then seeing the puzzled look on the girls face added, “I’m something much more complicated.” She waited a moment then smiled softly. “Are you going to show me something you can do?”

The girl looked toward the door briefly. If the wizard came and saw her talking to the crystal ball, would he be angry with her? She looked back at the crystal. The woman inside was still watching her, waiting. With a sigh, she picked up her rag again and held it out in her hand. She whispered words to enchant it and was relieved when it began to twitch on its own. She pointed to the shelf of crystal balls and commanded it to clean them gently. Leaping out of her hand, the rag began dusting the shelf and carefully wiping the balls free of dust.

“Very good!” the woman exclaimed. “Spells are just larger. They take more practice, but you have the potential. Don’t worry, you’ll do fine.” The girl, still on the verge of tears didn’t offer anything else. “What’s your name?”

The girl shrugged. No one ever bothered to call her by a name. To the wizard she was ‘girl’, to the village nearby where she sometimes went to get supplies she was ‘the wizard’s girl’.

“Come now, everyone has a name,” the woman exclaimed surprised. “My name is Alia.”

The girl looked down at the floor still covered in dust and shook her head. If she had a name, she didn’t remember it.

“Well then, how about if I give you a name?” Alia asked softly, causing the girl to look up. The woman became thoughtful for a moment. “I’ll call you Mouse, because you’re quiet like one, and you jump at every noise.”

“Mouse.” The girl said the name softly, trying it on for size and smiled.

“You like it?” Alia asked, only to receive a quick nod. “Then will you tell me why you’re so upset about your spell?”

“Because I can’t do it right, I can never do it right,” Mouse said quickly, looking at the floor still.

“Be patient,Mouse. I’m sure after you’ve been his apprentice for a month or two, maybe even three; it will all make sense and you’ll do just fine.”

“But I’ve already been his apprentice for almost eight years!” Mouse replied angrily, slapping her hands against her thin skirt and causing dust to fly everywhere.

“But that can’t be right!” exclaimed Alia. “You’re about twelve now. That would have made you about four or five. You must know many spells. What could make you still have so much trouble?”

Tears started anew, but Mouse didn’t bother to wipe them away this time. “I don’t know anything! I can’t remember anything! I always get the words all messed up. Then Master Ah’Fez gets mad at me and postpones my lesson like today!”

“What do you mean postpones?” Alia asked bewildered. “You don’t study every day? You must have a spell book.”

“I forgot to stock his workroom so he had to wait. Now he won’t have time to teach me today. I have to wait until tomorrow and see if he’ll have time for me. And I have a spell book but it’s practically empty. Anything difficult that requires components I get all messed up. I only know three or four basic spells.”

Alia frowned. “That doesn’t sound right. What do you know?” She waited as Mouse listed what spells she knew, then shook her head. “I don’t know what he’s teaching you, but those aren’t spells. Not in the real sense of the word anyways; they’re like the one you did there to enchant the rag.” She watched as Mouse sank to her knees and sobbed. “Perhaps if you went back home, found a new wizard to teach you?” Alia suggested.

“I can’t. I don’t have a home, or a family. I don’t have anything. Everything I have, Master Ah’Fez gives me. And no one will take me, even Master Ah’Fez says so.”

Knowing her own state of entrapment, Alia knew she’d need help in leaving it. “What if I were to help you? Then maybe you could do something for me in return,” she said softly.

“For you?” Mouse asked through sniffles as she wiped her eyes again.

“Don’t worry about that now,” Alia answered with a smile. “Let me see if I can help you with the spell you have there. Okay?” At Mouse’s nod, she had her read what was on the scrap of paper. “Oh posh – that’s all wrong. No wonder you can’t get it right. No, now never you mind,” Alia soothed as Mouse prepared to cry yet again. “Repeat after me. Ashes and dusts all wiped away, clean as a slate, be waiting for me.”

When Mouse repeated with words, she watched in amazement as her scratch of paper rippled and shimmered while the words erased themselves. Within moments she was staring at a blank scrap of paper, free of even smudges and watermarks.

“Now then,” Alia began, drawing Mouse out of her amazement. “Take up that quill there on the desk, and tell me what you’re trying to learn.”

Within moments Alia was dictating the words to the enchantment and Mouse copied them down quickly. When she finished copying, Mouse repeated them all to Alia and felt the slight ripple of magic associated with the spell. Folding the paper carefully she placed it back in her pocket while silently repeated the words to herself to try and keep from forgetting them. She looked around the study and realized the dust had settled from the air. “I need to finish cleaning,” she said sadly to Alia.

“That’s alright.” Alia smiled. “Will you come back and tell me if your spell worked?”

“Yes.” Mouse smiled, feeling happy for the first time in what felt like forever.

When Mouse finally finished cleaning the study she felt the magic shields for the workroom go down. It was getting dark outside. She quickly left the study and raced down the stairs.

As she reached the kitchen she heard the wizard calling, “now where have you gotten to, girl! I’m hungry, I want my dinner! Did you finish with my study? And the workroom now needs your attention.”

****

It was four days before Mouse returned to her master’s study. It was not that she had forgotten, for she had spent every moment thinking of the woman named Alia who she saw in the crystal ball. But the wizard had kept her very busy; clean that, get this, fix this, find that. It seemed like it was a never-ending line of things that came out of his mouth. That she had actually gotten the words to the spell right had surprised him when he had called her to the workroom two days before. “And now that you have the incantation, we will work on the components.” Thereafter he had spouted out a list of items and quantities that made her head spin as she tried to remember them all.

Filling a bowl with stew, she carried it up the stairs until she reached his study. She knocked on the door and entered when he responded. She noted the crystal ball still on his desk, this time covered with a cloth, as she handed him the stew. "Have you cleaned up the workroom, girl, so I may try again?" he asked before eating.

She cast her eyes down. “No, sir. I –”

He cut her off before she could say any more. “Of course not! You retreated to the kitchen where you could dawdle all day! Get out of here! Tell me when you finish with the workroom.” When she had retreated to the door he added, “And if you forget…” he didn’t need to finish his threat as she raced out of the study and down the stairs.

When she finally returned to the study it was nearly dark. She knocked on the door and hesitantly entered at his call. “You finally finished you lazy girl!” At her nod, he rose from his desk. “Clean up this study, it’s a mess,” he said as he walked past her and went down towards the workroom.

She felt the shields for the workroom activate. She looked around the study and sank to her knees. She was already exhausted yet the room was a disaster. What he had done in the short time she had been gone she didn’t know, but the room had things overturned, with papers and books everywhere. She crawled to the desk and climbed into the overstuffed chair. It was still warm from the wizard. She huddled in its warmth for a moment before her eyes fell on the crystal ball. It sat on the desk, covered and dull. With curiosity, Mouse reached out and pulled the cloth off the crystal. Instantly the ball began to glow and within moments the image of Alia appeared, looking exactly as she had before.

Alia took one look at Mouse’s appearance and frowned. The young girl looked exhausted down to her core. She sported a bruise on her left cheekbone that looked new, and she looked thinner than just a few days before. “Are you alright?”

Mouse nodded and closed her eyes. She was relieved to see Alia though she didn’t know why.

“What happened?” When Mouse didn’t respond, she tried again. “Mouse, did you do okay with the spell?”

The words pulled Mouse from her exhaustion. She opened her eyes and leaned forward to rest her head on the desktop. “I knew the incantation, but couldn’t remember the components,” she whispered finally.

“Do you remember the spell I told you the other day?” Alia asked.

“I – I think so.” Mouse rubbed her eyes, trying to force herself to stay awake. After a moment she repeated it, feeling the air fill with magic then dissipate quickly. Feeling even more exhausted she closed her eyes again.

Alia smiled. “That’s right.” She noted that Mouse was asleep and frowned. The poor girl was more than just exhausted she was drained of magic, but why she didn’t know. Being unable to access her own magic frustrated her, she needed Mouse.

****
Mouse woke with a start, cold and hungry. Remembering where she was instantly brought her back to her senses. The crystal ball still sat on the desk glowing softly in the darkness. Looking around she was surprised to see the wizard hadn’t returned. Unfortunately the disheveled room had not improved either while she had slept. Grumbling to herself, she rose from the warm chair and prepared to start cleaning.

“Awake again are we?”

The sudden voice caused Mouse to jump, thinking the wizard had returned. Whirling around her heart pounding, she realized it was only Alia.

“You frightened me,” she said softly as she tried to calm her racing heart.

“I’m sorry, but you really shouldn’t use so much magic up all at once, it isn’t good for you.”

Mouse looked puzzled, unsure what Alia was talking about. “Use so much magic?”

“You wasted yourself out.” Alia looked at Mouse, noting that her general appearance looked much better after her short sleep. Perhaps there was more to the girl than she had first thought.

“I don’t understand,” Mouse said sullenly. “Perhaps I was never meant to be a Sorceress.”

“Wizard’s don’t take apprentices for nothing. Though I must admit why your wizard took you if he so dislikes you is quite beyond me.”

Looking around the study again Mouse reached for the rag that had covered the crystal ball. “He took me because I had potential, but all I ever do is clean. I’m tired of it.”

“Then perhaps we should do something about that.” Alia pointed to the rag that Mouse held. “Enchant it. Make it do the cleaning for you.”

“Master Ah’Fez says that’s a waste of magic.” Mouse scrunched up her nose.

“Oh posh – that’s a bunch of hogwash. That’s what cantrips are for, girl.”

“Really?” Mouse asked, somewhat surprised.

“Did you know there are two types of people who use magic to become mages?” Alia asked. When Mouse shook her head, Alia smiled. “Yes. Those that can gather and store magic for themselves, and those that can only gather but wish they could store it as well. Everything has magic in it, Mouse. Mages just know how to use it.”

Mouse thought about Alia’s words as she straightened the things on the wizard’s desk. “What kind of mage are you?” she asked Alia finally.

“I’m neither. Oh I can gather and store magic, but I can’t use it. Not like you can. I know all the spells that you do, and probably more. But using mage spells makes me sick. I can only use the magic of the ancients. Aren’t you going to enchant the rag?”

Mouse smiled then enchanted the rag and sent it and another to clean the room. “Is that what you're doing with Master Ah’Fez, helping him to learn other magic?”

“No.”

“Then why does he talk to you? Why is this crystal ball focused on you?”

Alia looked away, wondering if Mouse really would help her. But she needed to ask, because if the wizard tried to drain her one more time, she might not survive. “The crystal is not focused on me, Mouse. The crystal imprisons me, as I suspect those other balls on his shelf imprisoned others like me before this.”

“Imprisons you?” Mouse picked up the crystal and turned it, realizing the image shifted as she rotated the ball. “Why? Are you evil?”

“No.” Alia smiled sadly. “I’m no more evil than you are. But I have power, and your master wants it. He wants to drain my magic from me to further his magics. And if he does, he’ll kill me. I need your help.”

“But what can I do? I’m only an apprentice,” Mouse said crestfallen.

“I don’t know the spell to break the crystal, and even if I did, I can’t use it from in here. But I know someone who does. Would you do a calling spell for me?”

“I…” Mouse stuttered. “I don’t know one.”

“I know you don’t. I’ll tell you the spell. All you have to do is repeat it while touching the crystal ball.” Alia looked at Mouse with hopefulness, but Mouse returned the look with apprehension.

“How do I know you’re not tricking me?” Mouse wound her hands in her sweater, scared. “If I do this, and you leave, Master Ah’Fez will be very angry with me.”

“If you do this for me, I promise I will find you a new teacher. One who will see you for what you can do, and won’t belittle you.” Alia saw the desire and then the fear in Mouse’s eyes. When Mouse turned away, she knew she had lost. She’d never go home. She cursed leaving the sanctuary that Greel had made for the two of them, and wondered if he still looked for her.

****

Two weeks later, one late afternoon, Mouse crept up the stairs to her master’s study. She had returned several times in the past two weeks to clean, but never once had she removed the cloth from the crystal ball that sat on the desk. But loneliness ate at her, and her master’s most recent words as well as actions had not helped. She knew she didn’t have much time; her master had gone to town to procure a new tome for his magic spells. He never entrusted her with this task. Seeing the crystal ball still sitting on the desk covered, she slowly removed the cloth.

It took much more time for the crystal to come to life, and when it did, its glow was very faint. When Alia appeared, her clothes still looked the same, but she looked tired and drawn. Alia took one look at Mouse and knew why she was there. Two fresh bruises one on her cheek, the other her jaw, were evidence of how things had been going. “I’ll help you,” Mouse said quickly, “but we must do it now. He’s gone to town for a new tome, and will return soon.”

Alia instructed Mouse, telling her the words to speak for the spell of calling. As Mouse completed the incantation, she felt the powerful wave of magic pulse out, once, twice, and finally a third time. The light of the crystal dimmed more. She picked up the crystal but could barely see the woman inside; it was as if looking across a foggy lake, when all one could see is shadows. A tear rolled down Mouse’s cheek, stinging as it ran over the bruises. Slowly she set the crystal back down on the desk.

***

The wizard was in town when he felt the powerful pulse of magic leave his tower. He felt the second and third pulse as well. Anger filled him as he pulled magic to himself, regardless of the mayhem his actions caused.

Mouse felt the ripple of power as the wizard returned to the tower. Glancing around the study, she could see no place to hide. But hiding was useless she knew; he always found her. She cowered under the desk. She heard him pounding up the stairs, yelling and screaming at her as he came. He burst into the study, sending objects flying in his wake. His eyes fell on the uncovered crystal ball and anger rose anew within him. “Trying to steal my power, girl!” he screamed as books flew off the shelves. He grabbed the crystal ball and shook it, as if in doing so, the glow from within would return.

Mouse cowered as she felt the tower shake. With a great crunching sound the rocks of the tower wall that held the small window to the study began to crumple to dust. The small window fell and shattered, but there was no sound. Out of the dust a figure appeared.

A large tall man dressed in riding clothes walked through the rubble. “I want her back, wizard.” The sound of his voice echoed around the room.

“You’re nothing compared to me!” the wizard Ah’Fez shouted. “You don’t deserve her power.”

It was true; when Mouse looked at this man she felt no insurgence of power as she did with her master. But there was something about him, about his confidence that caught her attention. She saw the stranger look at her hiding under the desk and smile. She knew in that instant that he was nothing like her master, that he carried more power than one could ever know, and was gentler than anyone she had ever met. She wished she had helped Alia earlier, and hoped that her offer still held.

“You’re killing her, and I won’t allow that.” The stranger held out his hand but instead of a fireball or bolt of lightening coming forth as Mouse would have expected, she saw the air shimmer and a crystal ball slowly appear. She heard her master’s screech of anger as the ball was torn magically from him. For a moment the ball faintly glowed within the stranger’s hand, and then without warning it exploded. Sparkling dust fell to the ground and slowly pulled together into a pool, then into column, and finally a form. It solidified and glittered, until at last, a very pale Alia stood next to the stranger. Even by the light of the sunset Alia seemed to glow, becoming stronger and more vibrant as she stood there.

Angrily the wizard lashed out, trying to steal energy from the woman as she absorbed the magic around her. The energy rippled like a line wave from Alia to the wizard, but only for a moment. Then suddenly it shattered. “Tisk, tisk.” Alia said, her eyes flashing. “You really must learn to control the magic of ancients before you try to tap into it directly.”

“Now, now my love,” the stranger said as he placed an arm around her. “Don’t waste your energy on him.” His eyes bore into the wizard, immobilizing him. The glow of magic surrounding the stranger that before had hardly existed flared to life, nearly blinding Mouse. When it died, all that remained of the wizard Ah’Fez was a pile of blackened ash rising from a smoking robe.

“Come on Mouse,” Alia said, untangling herself from the stranger’s arm to go help the apprentice come out from under the desk. “You’re coming home with us.”

“I am?”

“Yes of course. You need a home, and a teacher. And we have both.”

~The End~