Rain

by James Hartley

The wizard Eudoric and his apprentice Luthinda looked at the curtain of rain pouring down ten feet in front of them. It drove hard, a raging downpour, knocking the leaves off the trees, flattening the plants into the ground. The puddles of water filling every little hollow testified that it had been raining for quite some time, and dark clouds gave the impression that it was not about to stop.

Luthinda shook her head and said, "Do we really have to keep going into that?"

"We have been sent by the Sorcerer's Guild to aid King Leber of Leber at his personal request, and we must meet our obligation however wet it looks. The rain marks the border of his Kingdom. We cannot expect a King to come out to meet us, now, can we?"

"No, of course not. But then, this must be a magical rain."

"Ah, Luthinda, you are learning. But come, tell me why you believe this rain is magical."

"Master, a real rain changes. It moves, it starts or it stops, the wind blows it. A real rain knows naught of the boundary between kingdoms. Hence this rain is magical, and from the look of it, I would say it has much to do with our journey."

"Good, very good. It is times like these that I almost cease to wish you were a boy, that I no longer regret my pledge to my dying cousin to apprentice her orphaned daughter." Eudoric was looking at the rain, and didn't see the strange expression on Luthinda's face. "Come, we must move on."

Each drew on a large cloak, and Eudoric made sure that the waterproofing spells were fresh. Then the pair, the tall gray-bearded man and the slender girl, pushed through the boundary of the rain and started down the muddy road.

#

Even the best of waterproof cloaks could not keep out all of a rain such as this one, and both were soaked when they finally reached the castle. Eudoric saw it looming up through the dimness and pointed to it. "We have arrived, Luthinda. Luckily the drawbridge is down."

"I doubt it matters, Master. We wouldn't get much wetter wading the moat."

The two ran across the bridge and stopped under the shelter of the gate. For a minute they stood there, shaking off the water.

A guard stepped out of a door in the stone wall, sword drawn and raised. "Who are you, drowned rats, that you dare to drip on the doorstep of the King's castle?"

Eudoric drew himself up to his full height, a head taller than the guard. "I am Eudoric the Wizard, and this is my apprentice. We come here at the personal summons of his Majesty King Leber XVI of Leber, and if you value your head, you will lead us to him at once." Then, as the guard turned toward the courtyard, he continued, "And you will take us through the inside passages. We are wet enough already."

The guard bowed and motioned them through the door. Eudoric heard him muttering, but all he caught were the words, "Prime Minister," and, "meddling wizard."

The path through the castle wound around banquet rooms and hallways, and they had time to remove their cloaks and stuff them in their packs. Eudoric cast a quick drying spell, and by the time they reached the throne room they looked presentable. The guard escorting them made a quick gesture, and a line of waiting peasants stood aside as he led Eudoric and Luthinda to the throne.

Eudoric bowed low. "Greetings, Your Majesty. I am Eudoric, Master in the Sorcerer's Guild. I have come at Your Majesty's personal request, traveling over many lands to the aid of the throne of Leber. And this," he gestured at Luthinda, who bowed also, "is my apprentice." He heard murmurs as those present realized his apprentice was a girl, and decided a bit of exaggeration was called for. "Luthinda is the best and smartest apprentice in all the far fabled land of Atlantis."

The King nodded and looked impressed. "Eudoric, We thank you for coming to Our aid. In traversing the land from the border to the castle, you have already seen Our problem, this cursed and unending rain. Our court magician Landry, before he met his untimely end, pronounced it the work of evil sorcerers. But he was barely started in trying to solve the spell before his death."

Eudoric made a mental note to check into this. "Your Majesty, it would be such an honor to do this for you, that were it up to me, I would ask nothing but the chance to try. But our Guild has certain rules, which I have sworn to uphold ..."

The King interrupted. "Yes, yes, We know. A thousand pieces of gold, food and lodging for you and your apprentice while you work, travel expenses! Your Guild does well by you, Wizard. No matter, see the Major Domo about your rooms and the Chancellor about your money." He stood up, and everyone else in the room scrambled to do likewise. "We declare this audience ended for the day," he proclaimed, then spun on his heel and left through a small door behind the throne.

The Major Domo was a brain brother of the guard who had led them in. "Certainly, Sir Wizard, one of the guest rooms in the east wing for you, and a fresh cot in the stable for your boy here."

"Hold!" roared Eudoric. "Two guest rooms together for me and my apprentice. In the Sorcerer's Guild, not even apprentices sleep in the stable."

The Major Domo looked upset. "But, Sir Wizard, all the boys sleep in the stables."

"Are you blind as well as a fool? This is no boy," he gestured at Luthinda, "this is the daughter of my dead cousin, whom I promised to keep safe. Do you think she would be truly safe in the stable with the other apprentices?"

The Major Domo nodded grudgingly, and said, "Perhaps not. But to give an apprentice a guest room--Ah! There are Sisters of the Goddess at the Temple, she could room with them?"

Eudoric said, "No, she must be in a room near me. She is my apprentice, she assists me in many ways, I may need her services at any time."

A sly smile appeared on the Major Domo's face. "Ahhh! Now I understand. You may need her services. Let me think ... " He mused for a minute. "There is a suite in the east wing with a drawing room, and a bedroom, and a maid's room. Would that do?"

"Certainly. Even the Sorcerer's Guild does not demand that an apprentice live as well as a master. A suite with a maid's room would be perfect, and I can use the drawing room for a workshop. Take us there, if you please." Eudoric was pleased he had finally gotten through to this blockhead.

#

Early the next day Eudoric called for the records and effects of the late Landry, court magician. He began to study these, speaking aloud from time to time, although it was not clear if he spoke to himself or to Luthinda. Occasionally he tried spells to stop the rain, but to no avail. The rain continued to pour down in an endless flood, and as the days passed rumors of famine and plague among the peasants spread.

Three weeks passed before Eudoric found the nature of the rain spell. After an hour of mumbling over an ancient grimoire found in Landry's trunk, he cried joyfully, "Aha, I have it." He raised his voice and called, "Luthinda, come immediately and see this."

After a short delay, he heard her walk up behind him and say, "Yes, Sir. What is it?"

He pointed at the page of the big book and said, "Apprentice, it is the ancient amulet spell. There is no other that could go on so long without destroying the one who casts it."

"Then you will be able to stop the rain, Master?" asked Luthinda with a bit of a quiver in her voice. She threw her arms around him and kissed him.

The kiss startled Eudoric, and for a moment he just sat there allowing himself to be kissed. Then he noticed water soaking into his robes, and that something else felt strange, also. He pulled his head back as far as her clinging arms would allow and looked down, then blushed. Luthinda was wrapped in a towel and dripping wet.

"Luthinda, stop that!" he said. She jumped back, then said, "Many pardons, Master, but you did say to come immediately, did you not? And we are in our private quarters here, so I complied as any well trained apprentice would."

"Yes, but all my previous apprentices have been boys! Oh, no harm done, I was just surprised. But please go get dressed, and don't do it again."

"Of course, Master." She ran out of the room, and was back again in less than a minute, fully clothed. "Now that you have found the spell you can stop the rain?"

Eudoric looked downcast. "Well, no, I cannot yet stop the rain. True, I know the spell used, but there are three parts to it. There is the spell itself, the amulet, and the controller. The spell is cast, and then it is sealed into the amulet, and as long as the amulet endures, so does the spell. After the amulet is sealed, it is bound to the life force of one single person, the controller. He is a layman, not a Wizard. As long as he lives, only he can destroy the amulet and cancel the spell. If the controller does not want to stop the spell, nothing on Earth can do so, except the controller's death."

Luthinda nodded thoughtfully. "Then there is nothing for it, Master, but that we must find and kill the controller." Suddenly a dagger gleamed in her hand, spun through the air, and buried itself almost an inch deep in the oak bedpost. She walked over, pulled it out, and made it disappear again. "If you can find him, we won't have any trouble with the other part."

"Luthinda, you amaze me. Where did you learn that?"

"Oh, I had brothers." She looked at Eudoric with a strange expression on her face and added, "I wonder if some don't believe I am still more boy than woman."

"Come, girl, the hour grows late and I am tired. Tomorrow we will start searching for the amulet, and we may have to journey anywhere in the Kingdom. Get you to your bed, and I to mine, we need rest." He started into his room.

#

The next morning Eudoric arose and knocked on Luthinda's door. Getting no response, he knocked louder, then opened the door a crack and called, "Apprentice! Arise, it is time to get to work."

There was still no answer. He pushed the door wide and looked in. The room was empty and in a shambles. He scarcely needed magic to tell him that there had been a struggle, and that Luthinda had been taken against her will. He dashed out of the room, and within minutes was facing the Sergeant-at-Arms of the Palace Guard.

"My apprentice has been abducted from our quarters. Call out the Guard and search for her! At once!"

"Calm down, Sir Wizard. The girl Luthinda was not abducted. She was taken in and given shelter by the Sisters of the Goddess, for her own good."

"But there was a struggle, it is clear that she fought against her kidnappers."

"Yes, perhaps, sometimes these girls mistake what is for their own good and what is not. But I was directed to tell you to go to the Temple here on the Palace Grounds and talk to the Sister In Charge. There all will be made known to you."

Eudoric lost no time in getting to the Temple and finding the Sister In Charge. She regarded him with a look of revulsion. "I know why you are here, you lecherous old goat. You want your doxie back. Well, that is not to be. One of the missions we Sisters are charged with is the succor of fallen girls like her. She is now safe from your foul advances."

For a long moment Eudoric stood there, blank amazement on his face, unable to speak. Finally he managed to choke out, "Lecherous? Doxie? I swear, Sister, the girl is my apprentice, and my niece besides, and I have never acted improperly with her. What is this accusation you make?"

The Sister glared at him. "When you first arrived, you told the Major Domo that she must be near you as you might need her services at any time."

"What? I meant her services as my apprentice, to fetch tools and materials, to aid in the casting of spells, nothing more."

"Since then you have been watched. Yesterday you were seen hugging, kissing, caressing the girl, as she stood there shamelessly naked. That is why we chose to help her last night, before you could abuse her yet again. Goat!" She spat the last word.

"Wait, wait! Yesterday I found an important clue, and she got excited and kissed me. When I realized she was naked I told her to dress. It was nothing. Anyway, she is my niece, daughter of my late cousin, we are family."

"So you say. But I have heard the stories, and listened to the Palace talk about you and your mistress. Niece? Her mother is said to have been the great grand-daughter of your brother, whatever that makes her. Very close for such a distant relative, I'd say! Besides, that would make you well over a hundred, and here you are making a fool of yourself with an eighteen year old girl who should be married to someone her own age and raising a family instead of tramping all over the land." Eudoric tried to reply, but the Sister gave him no chance. "I consulted with the Archpriest, and we agreed to rescue the girl. She has been removed from the Palace to a Convent, and after her six months as a Novice, she will be sworn to the Temple as a Sister of the Goddess. Now get out, you disgust me!"

Eudoric stumbled back to his room. He tried to work, but found it difficult without Luthinda. He missed her companionship, her energy. Not only did she assist him with spells, but she provided someone with whom to talk out his problems. Finally he gave up and lay down on the bed, raging at the Sister and her accusations.

Eudoric, you old fool, he told himself, the Sister was right. You are not a fit person to take care of a young girl, in spite of your promise to her mother. But she must have a choice, these Sisters must not be allowed to coerce her, you owe her that much. After you take care of this rain, you must get her out of the Convent if she wishes.

He jumped to his feet and went back to work, forcing his thoughts away from Luthinda, attempting to locate the amulet and its controller. An hour later he gazed through the incense fumes into his crystal and whistled softly. The amulet and controller were both in the palace, in the Royal Wing. The King's apartment was there, and the Prime Minister's, and the Archpriest's, and that was all. This looked rough. He had better get Luthinda out of the Convent first so he would have her help available. Then they would tackle the amulet and its owner. Quickly he threw tools in a pack, slipped into his waterproof cloak, and left the Palace.

An hour later he knocked on the door of the Convent. The sisters denied his demands for Luthinda, and a long argument ensued. He was still arguing when a pair of Guardsmen snuck up behind him and knocked him unconscious.

#

When he regained consciousness, Eudoric found himself gagged and tied into a chair. Two men stood opposite him. He tried to move his hands, but the bindings held them tightly.

Seeing Eudoric awake, the man on the left spoke. "Greetings, Sir Wizard, or is it Sir Fool? Allow me to introduce us. I am Rendell, the Prime Minister of Leber, and this is Slebol, the Archpriest of the Temple. Oh, one other introduction." He took hold of a gold chain around his neck and drew a small object out of his shirt. "This is the amulet you seem so interested in. Isn't it lovely?"

At the sight of the amulet, Eudoric struggled harder against his bonds. Watching him, Rendell said, "I apologize for the discomfort, but we know all too well how much you can do with just a few words and a few finger gestures. You won't be tied up long, though. You'll be freed as soon as we get you in the special cell in the dungeons. A very special cell." He looked at the Archpriest who nodded in agreement. "Yes, very special, strong, and enchanted so no Wizard without his tools can break out."

Slebol added, "With good company, too, yes. The King will be in the very next cell, overthrown for not stopping the rain, yes. We will stop the rain, yes, soon enough, and rule the Kingdom together, but you will be dead, yes. You and the King. Not your doxie, though, no, no. She will be a Sister, a very special Sister, yes. One of the special group that ministers to the comfort of the Archpriest and his assistants. A Holy Courtesan, yes."

Eudoric tried again to break loose. The Prime Minister saw him and said, "Please, relax, don't hurt yourself struggling, it won't do any good. Soon you'll be in your cell and the bonds will come off." Then, looking past Eudoric, he said, "Guards, take this man down to the dungeon and put him in the special cell. Treat him gently, his only crime is meddling where he isn't wanted and he is to die for it, don't make it any worse." The guards lifted Eudoric and carried him out.

#

The guards dumped him in the cell and removed his bonds. Eudoric set to work to test what Rendell had said about his cell. He soon discovered the cell resisted any spell he could manage with only fingers and voice. With his bag of tools it would have been easy to break out, but without tools he was helpless. The jailers took great pains to keep him that way. They even served the food without utensils, to be eaten with the fingers. They piled it on a hollowed half loaf of bread, which served first as a plate and then as a final course.

At first Eudoric was alone, but after several days the guards placed the King in the cell across from him. Eudoric bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty. Sad I am to see you here, but yet pleased to have company after days of solitude."

The King looked startled. "So this is where you are, Wizard. The story being told is that you and your helper took a large advance in gold from the Chancellor and forthwith left the kingdom. Yet, where is your helper? I see her not."

"No, Your Majesty. She is imprisoned in a convent ten miles from the castle. I went there to free her, and I was struck down from behind. I woke, bound and gagged, in the presence of Rendell and Slebol, and a short time later found myself down here."

"Rendell and Slebol!" The King spat. "For what it is worth, since I too am in the dungeon instead of on the throne, I invoke the King's High Justice to declare both guilty of High Treason. I brand both outlaws, to be brought down on sight by any law-abiding man."

"I thank Your Majesty, and for what they have done to my apprentice and myself, I would love to be the one to strike them down. But I fear we are stuck here for now, and as to later, well, Rendell spoke of hanging."

The King looked all around. "I had no idea these dungeons were this bad. They haven't been used since my grandfather's day. And these insects! Cockroaches scuttle to and fro. Would that we were as free!"

"Alas, Sire, I know a spell to shrink us to their size, but it is one that needs much special preparation, many powders. I can not do it here. Some spells are easy, I could turn us into giants with a gesture, but what good would it do us?"

"None, I fear." The two men lapsed into silence.

After a while, the King asked, "Sir Wizard, I am curious. Why is it that the shrinking spell requires many powders and special things, but the growing spell does not?"

"Your Majesty, many Wizards have debated that. We conclude that it is the nature of living things to grow. It is easy to exaggerate the natural growth, but hard to go against nature and make things shrink. Beyond that, we know not. There is much in magic that just works, we don't understand why."

"Well, if it is easy to make things grow, create a giant cockroach and frighten the jailers."

"If Your Majesty desires, but I suspect we would just miss our meals."

"Too true. Forget giant cockroaches, the little ones are ugly enough."

"Wait!" Eudoric stood lost in thought for several minutes. "I have heard that insects are far stronger, for their size, than men. Perhaps a giant cockroach could break through the bars." He looked around the floor and selected one. A quick gesture, a few words, and suddenly he shared the cell with a ten foot long insect. The cockroach panicked at finding itself caged, attacked the bars with its mandibles, and tore the front of the cell to shreds.

"Marvelous!" cried the King. "Now get me out."

Eudoric enlarged an insect in the King's cell, and soon it too tore its way loose. A spell intended for guiding plow oxen sufficed to control the beasts, so he enlarged more and sent them roaring down the corridor to the dungeon entrance and through it with a rending crash. The two men followed. Outside they separated, the King to raise up a troop of Armsmen he knew to still be loyal, Eudoric to return to the convent for Luthinda. This time, however, he felt he would make more of an impression, thundering up on a herd of ten-foot cockroaches.

He was right about making more of an impression. After the first two beasts hit the gate at full gallop and stove it in, no one resisted him. He grabbed the first Sister he saw and demanded, "Take me to the girl Luthinda!"

The frightened woman rapidly led him to a plain unmarked door and said, "She is in there, Sir, but I think not alone. Slebol the Archpriest and Rendell the Prime Minister were visiting her, and at least one is still there as best as I know."

Eudoric opened the door and stepped in. Luthinda sat on the edge of the bed, apparently unharmed. She was watching Slebol who writhed and moaned in pain on the floor. His left hand clutched his groin, and his right arm hung limply at an unnatural angle which testified to a dislocated shoulder.

Then Luthinda saw Eudoric. She jumped to her feet, crossed the room in a single bound, threw her arms around him, and kissed him. "Thank goodness you came to rescue me. I was so worried!"

Eudoric looked at the figure on the floor. "You seem to have been doing pretty well here."

"Well, once there was only one, it wasn't too bad. But we have to do something about Rendell."

"Where is he, and what do you suggest we do?"

"He's heading north. When word arrived that his plan had failed and that you and the King were free, he said something about escaping to the Kingdom of Argolt, north of Leber. Argolt has stationed troops on the border, and if Rendell reaches them he can use the amulet to make a deal. I don't know how we can catch him, though, he said he has the fastest horse in the kingdom."

"Don't worry! I got here on a herd of ten foot cockroaches, much faster than a horse."

"Ten foot cockroaches? Oh, Master, this I have to see. But wait, there's one more thing to do here." She went over to Slebol and ran her hands over him. Eudoric had the impression that several objects made their way into Luthinda's possession, but it happened so fast he couldn't be sure. When she finished searching him, she moved his protecting left hand and kicked him solidly between the legs. Slebol screamed once and passed out. Satisfied, she headed for the door.

Eudoric winced and said, "Did you have to do that?"

She answered, "Well, no, but it was very satisfying. Besides," her voice took on a savage tone, "he can be thankful I wasn't in the mood for collecting souvenirs in addition to a few useful items, or he would have had naught there to kick."

Eudoric shivered a bit and followed her out the door. He could see why Luthinda was single at an age when most girls had husbands and children. She must have scared off her suitors. Still, if one weren't squeamish, she did have a certain charm ...

#

Even racing through the rain on the cockroaches, they had neared the border before they caught sight of Rendell. "This is going to be close," said Luthinda. "What are we to do if we catch him?"

"Whatever we can. The King has declared him an outlaw, guilty of High Treason, so we can kill him if we have to. I imagine we'll have to eventually anyway, to break the amulet spell."

"Good. That improves our chances." They trailed Rendell by about fifty feet, closing slowly, but they could see the troops of Argolt massed across the border less than a quarter mile ahead. Luthinda's arm whipped up, then down, and suddenly Rendell's back sprouted the hilt of a dagger. He jerked upright, and then slowly slid sideways out of the saddle. His foot remained caught in the stirrup, and the horse stopped.

When Eudoric and Luthinda drew up and dismounted, Rendell still lived, but just barely. The amulet had popped out of his shirt, and was lying on the ground, its chain still around the outlaw's neck. Luthinda looked at the man and said, "He's as good as dead, I'll grant him mercy." She pulled the dagger from his back and cut his throat with it. Wiping the dagger on his cloak, she commented, "Slebol was a rat, but he had good taste in knives," and made it disappear.

As the life drained out of Rendell, the rain slacken. The amulet shrank, melted, slowly subliming into thin air. Across the border, the enemy troops saw the death of their plans with the death of Rendell, and, with a few glances at the cockroaches, they too melted away.

Eudoric turned to Luthinda and said, "Well, that's over. But now we have to do something about the way we're living."

Luthinda asked, "What do you mean? What's wrong? You are the Wizard, I am the apprentice."

"But you saw, everyone assumed you were my doxie, my mistress. Think of your reputation."

"A fig on my reputation. Not everyone is so dumb as these people." Her eyes glistened with tears.

"Luthinda, there are many more stupid people in the world than otherwise, and some of them may cause us trouble if we go on as we have been. I care deeply for you, maybe more than I should, you being my niece and all!"

"Niece? Third or fourth cousin is more like it. And I can care for myself."

"No,”he said, straightening and not able to look into her eyes. “I fear we will have to break up. I will forgive you your vows of apprenticeship, and find you a suitable station, so I will not be breaking my pledge to your mother to keep you safe."

Tears streamed down Luthinda's face. "I don't want to give up my vows. I like being your apprentice. I have wanted to be your apprentice, your apprentice, ever since you visited us when I was eight. Please don't do this to me!"

"Luthinda, I don't want to let you go either. But an old man and a young maid traveling together will always cause comment and trouble. If I could find another solution, I would. But I think you will have to renounce your vows and leave me."

Suddenly a flicker of a smile crossed her teary face. "Eudoric, I do have another solution."

He looked at her in surprise. This was the first time he could remember her addressing him by name. It had always been 'Master' and before that 'Uncle'. "Well, if you have a solution, let's hear it."

"Instead of giving up my vows, I would take more vows to you. And you would also take vows to me." Her smile glowed.

"I don't understand," he said. “That doesn't make any sense."

"Oh, you dunce! Marriage vows. I'm talking about marriage. I would be your wife, and your apprentice, too."

Eudoric stood there, stunned. Marry Luthinda. It was unheard of. He glanced at her. Her eyes held his. He smiled and took her in his arms and kissed her as the first rays of sun broke through the clouds.

end