Wizard of Jatte by Rowan Erlking (ereader ebook .TXT) 📖

a fit the largest anyone had ever seen. This time he blew off the roof and did not care what went flying with it.

“I’m not staying here!” His voice echoed on the wind through the rain, heard by more than a dozen bird families nearby. “I don’t care how sick I am!”

The doctor flapped for balance, his long hair flying over his face like a curtain as Theissen staggered to the nearest railing. The other one toppled off the platform, trying all he could to keep aloft or at least from crashing into a tree. The storm whirled around, Theissen stirring the leaves of their branches and feathers all over the forest area.

How he staggered into Theobold’s home and tumbled into bed, very few saw. The shaking wizard clung to what ropes and branches that connected tree to tree, many watching as he started coughing, heat puffs now issuing from him as his face turned red from a fever. He was not able to dry off when he crashed into the feathered nest. By the time Theobold found him his forehead was already burning up.

“See what trouble you caused?” Theissen heard the doctor shout as if coming from a distant tunnel.

“Trouble I caused? You were the one that insisted on taking him to your home instead of letting him stay there with me!”

Theissen smiled. That was Theobold.

“He could die from this fever,” the doctor said, his voice coming more in tune.

“Not in my house!” Theobold stomped over to Theissen, crouching down to feel his forehead. The hand felt extremely cool.

“Just give him this to drink. I’ll be back tonight to give him his evening dosage. If his fever breaks, he should be his old self by morning.”

“You mean his sick self,” Theobold bit back.

The doctor’s feet scraped across the floor. “He is a very sick man. His infection has spread throughout his body.”

“Theissen said he has no infection.” The bite in Theobold’s voice had gone crisp. Theissen blinked his eyes open. He looked up. Already he could feel sweat pouring down his forehead, but the air around his head no longer felt so hot.

The white haired birdman stepped dangerously close to Theobold. “You are getting too familiar with that wizard, birdman. You are forgetting who you are.”

“He’s Theobold,” Theissen said, sitting up. “And I am thirsty.”

Both birdmen turned and stared.

Theobold hopped right away to his side. “Ha! Your fever broke! I’ll get you some water.”

He flapped straight to the jug they shared. The doctor looked down with his same old mild look of superiority that annoyed Theissen so much. There was an added look of irritation to his eyes, one Theissen registered well and set in the back of his brain to think about later. Theobold returned with his water all sloshing inside Theissen’s tarnished silver teacup.

“Here! Drink up!”

Claiming it gratefully, Theissen downed the water completely, asking immediately for more. Theobold hurried as if dancing, gladly filling it up again. As he did, the doctor looked around the room mildly and then frowned more.

“Where is your medicine cup?”

“Oh, it broke,” Theobold said, handing Theissen the second cup full, resting down along the edge of the feather bed with a smile. “He has this one, so I don’t really care.”

The doctor reached out for it. “Hand it here.”

Theissen made a face, cradling the silver teacup in his hands. “Say the magic word.”

Blinking at him, the doctor snapped, still reaching for the cup. “I don’t know magic. Just hand it here.”

Breaking out into snickers, Theobold sat up and tilted his head with mirth. “He means for you to be polite. The magic word that gets anyone what they want.”

Still seeing the dumbfounded stare on his all otherwise normally collected face, both Theissen and Theobold broke into laugher. Theissen could feel that his fever was almost nearly gone. Obviously Theobold had taken the care to get him into dry clothes, and further it also seemed to burn off the achy feeling his body had. He felt like jumping up and going out in the rain again. But first, he glanced at his tarnished cup, and with a touch restored it to its natural silver shine.

“What is the magic word?” the doctor said at last, looking too exhausted now to care except that he still had not gotten what he wanted.

Theissen stood up and stretched with a smirk, not responding. The doctor’s eyes grew wide, just staring at him. Getting out of his bed, Theissen, looked around for something to do, setting the empty cup aside. He turned to Theobold.

“Hey. How about we work on those toys we were making for the nursery?”

Theobold grinned, glancing at the doctor as he walked by. He whispered. “Saying please usually is customary.

“Sure! I’ll go get my knife.”

Watching them with a glare, the doctor walked away, leaving both them and the cup alone.

The pair of them watched with greater relief when the doctor left. Theissen snorted, punching Theobold in the shoulder, and they talked of other things besides the crisis of that day.

Except, Theobold did say one thing. “Theissen? The elders say I ought to apologize to you for suggesting that you leave.”

Theissen looked up from his work, nearly slicing the tip of his thumb. He healed the cut with a touch, but he winced with a look at his friend. “You don’t have to.”

Meeting his gaze, Theobold smiled. “I know, but I ought to do it for the record, in case they question you. This is my official apology. Now you can tell me I’m stupid.”

“You’re not stupid.” Theissen went back to carving, inspecting the animal shaped beads he was making for a rattle. “You have to deal with the issues of your people. I understand.”

“They also think I am getting too close to you.”

Theissen looked up at him. Theobold was flushed in the face.

“They think that I ought to be spending more time with Mensin, or seeking a bride.”

“But don’t you like that bird over near the nursery?” Theissen nudged him. “You don’t need to look. I know that is why we go over there so often.”

Theobold flushed, ducking his head some. “Yeah…but anyway, they think I’m starting to think like a human.”

Pausing again, Theissen stared at him. “And that’s a bad thing?”

His friend merely shrugged. “It’s a trend, actually. The elders don’t want you to know this, but they are worried that some of the young men and women might come to you to be turned back human.”

This time Theissen nearly dropped his tool. “Really? Who?”

Giving another shrug, Theobold said, “I won’t name names, but even before you got here, a few birdmen have been talking about looking for a magician who could possibly undo the magic that made us. We never expected to run into a wizard again, so the elders have been mostly hoping to get you to play up the advantage of bird life. It hadn’t turned out that way, though. I suppose that’s why they have been sending all those ladies over a lot to convince you to go bird.”

“But I never—”

“I know. You never expressed an interest of joining us.” Theobold smiled, whittling out another sliver of wood. “Even as just a resident wizard.”

There was no way Theissen could answer for a while. He started to carve again, just letting his thoughts go in and out his head. It was still raining, though it had lightening toward the afternoon. The patter made the room feel even more silent. Almost solemn.

“So, have you figured out a way to escape?” Theobold said without looking up.

Theissen raised his eyes, watching him continue to carve. “Escape? You make it sound like I am a prisoner.”

“Might as well be,” said Theobold, cutting out another piece. “You have been stuck up here for over four months, sick half the time. If you stay any longer, you might have to start making a nest for yourself and choose a bride from among all the birds out there.”

“Some are already pushing for that,” Theissen said with a smirk.

Theobold stopped carving. “You need to know, I can’t help you in anyway if you want to escape. They are already watching me. I already showed my hand on the subject anyway, but I won’t try to stop you if you do decide to leave.”

Theissen stared again at him. “I’m in danger, aren’t I?”

To that, Theobold looked up, his feathers ruffling. He did not whisper, but his voice was with the same gravity. “Not directly. We won’t want to hurt you, but I’m afraid I may have on accident. When I caught you from falling, I had no idea I was taking you home to a trap. I was just so amazed, watching you make that rock cliff into steps like that. I knew I liked you. Your ingenuity and your persistence are something our people lack. It woke me up.”

Shivers ran down Theissen’s arms. He half felt for the back of his now bright red cloak, but stopped.

“Of course when I saw you fall, I reacted instantly.” Theobold started carving again. “It never occurred to me to let you save yourself.”

“I wouldn’t have been fast enough,” Theissen said with a sad chuckle, shaking his head.

Theobold met his look with a smile. “Then I’m glad I caught you.”

“So am I!” Theissen finished his piece and picked up another.

 

The doctor visited as usual that evening. Theissen was finishing off the toy as he chatted with Theobold over dinner when he arrived. Giving them both a contemptuous look, the doctor made few remarks as he gave Theissen his check up then handed him his medicine to drink, swirling in the teacup.

Theissen glanced at the cup with a tired look before raising it to his lips. He stopped then peered into the cup with a more pensive expression.

“What is it?” the doctor said. “You can’t possibly be feeling so well that you are refusing to take your medicine.”

“I never liked your medicine,” Theissen bit back. He dipped his finger into the cup as if to check the temperature. “It is always too bitter.”

“That’s how you know it works.” The doctor turned, putting away his things.

Theobold watched Theissen pull his hand from the cup, giving him a knowing glance and then sip the contents before swigging the batch down.

“Good, now go get some rest,” the doctor said.

“I’m not tired,” Theissen said, and went back to eating his supper.

With a snort, the doctor tied up his satchel. “You will be.”

Once the birdman had walked then flown away, Theissen leaned over to Theobold, whispering. “I knew he was sedating me.”

Theobold nodded. But then he saw the pile of red power in Theissen’s open palm.

“Do you know what this is?” Theissen asked, lifting his eyebrows.

The birdman did not and said so.

“Belladonna. It is toxic, but it also acts as a sedative,” said Theissen. He dumped the powder out onto the floor. “There is also another poison in it.”

His friend stared. “How did you know?”

Theissen gestured to his teacup, which was somewhat tarnished inside. “My brother-in-law gave me that cup. He told me about it the day I left home. Silver is used for detecting poisons. I guess he figured that someday someone might try to poison me.”

“But why would the doctor do that?” Theobold picked up the cup and stared at it.

Sighing, Theissen said, “To keep me here.”

Chapter Thirty: I’m Not All Powerful. No One Is