Abducted [W&W Book 3]

Chapter 29

Ildri could not stop thinking about the unthinkable idea.  She had failed at wizardry, but could she still learn magic, if she tried another way?  She did not know, but at the same time she found herself walking through the halls, in the direction of the wizard's tower, quite without meaning to.

She looked at the heavy door.  Never before had she come to Lord Wildwood's rooms without an express invitation and even then it was a rare event.  She did not even know if he was there.

Yet she pushed the door open and began to climb the stairs.  He kept magical wards on his sanctuary and he would know she was there.

She knew that she was forgetting or worse, disregarding her place, but she did not care.  A strange recklessness had overtaken her.

Nothing barred her way and she found herself knocking at the door at the top of the spiral staircase.

"Enter," she heard Lord Wildwood say and she pushed the door open.

"How can I help you?" Lord Wildwood asked.  His voice was kind and patient as it always was, but he still looked uncommonly intimidating as he sat behind his desk, surrounded by all his heavy tomes full of wizard knowledge.

Ildri swallowed hard and tried to gather her thoughts.

"Why don't you sit down?" he offered.  Ildri quickly moved to a chair across the desk from him.  "Now, what is it, Ildri?  I know that things have not been easy for you lately."

Ildri swallowed again.  Lord Wildwood knew everything that had happened to her and she could talk freely to him about the things she was afraid of, if she could find the words.  She had been keeping everything inside for so long it was a relief that she did not need to watch her words.  "My lord, I have been thinking about everything we've been hearing.  Is war coming to Wildwood?" she asked slowly.

Lord Wildwood looked at her seriously for a moment.  "I cannot say for certain.  The future is as out of reach for me as it is for any other man.  But I will tell you that there is a possibility.  It seems that Scelus is moving more openly, finally, and we are not as far from the border as I might like.  And even if Wildwood escapes, the rest of Edelland will not."

Ildri nodded.  It was no less than she expected.  "I want to help," she said suddenly.

"Help?  You do help, Ildri.  You're a part of Wildwood and every part plays its own role."

Ildri nodded again.  "I know.  But I've had an idea.  I don't want to be helpless any more.  Maybe it's not a very good one..."

Lord Wildwood smiled.  "Tell it to me anyway."

"I was thinking...  Um, I suppose that I might like to learn magic."

Ildri was surprised that he did not dismiss her outright.  He knew of her disastrous attempt to learn from chef before.  "I recall that Missus Allendale tried to teach you before, but you have trouble maintaining control.  Did you have a new idea?  Something different than the conventional method?"

Ildri wondered if he already had an idea what she was thinking.  "I was thinking of something less, um, conventional.  I was thinking that perhaps I might learn the sort of magic where one makes... potions and such."  She left the actual word unsaid but "witch" seemed to echo through the air nonetheless.

Lord Wildwood was watching her.  "I must admit that I know very little of that branch of magic.  Until recently I disregarded it and I even harbored something of a prejudice against its practitioners, but I do believe that while the principles are basically the same, the methodology is different.  Unfortunately there is no one at Wildwood to teach you, and I fear that it would be dangerous to learn on your own, Ildri."