Originally published on gohavok.com.
Hanu wiped sweat from his brow and gazed up at the looming mountains. His mentor, a local wizard, powered up the slope. Soft light escaped the man’s worn robes: the glow of an energy stone. Hanu clenched his teeth. Of course, he’s allowed to use magic.
Unconsciously, Hanu’s hand drifted towards the inner pocket of his robe where his pre-made spells awaited him.
“Come along,” the wizard called.
Hanu snapped his hand to his side and gripped his robe with white knuckles. I have to pass this trial. I have to resist. I have to learn control. He fought down his frustration with deep breaths.
An image of a black field stretching beyond sight came unbidden to his mind. He shuddered, remembering how close he’d been to killing himself in his arrogance, remembering the plants and creatures that had died the last time he’d lost control.
He looked at the tallest peak of the Giant Teeth Mountains. The orange and green trees that blanketed the slopes stopped before reaching the crater that split the peak in two. Why did controlling magic seem impossible in sight of that peak? The wizard’s other apprentice called it “The Mountain’s Call.” Someday, Hanu would face it.
I can’t give in, Hanu told himself again as he hiked. Maybe that was what the mysterious prerequisite trial was all about: saving your energy and magic for when it really mattered.
By the time he topped the rise and saw the abandoned camp, the sun’s last rays were fading beyond the foothills and short mesas to the west. Hanu unloaded his bag in silence and laid out his roll on a bed of pine needles. The chill of evening slithered into his robes.
Hanu watched the wizard hopefully. A simple spell could easily turn a birch into fuel. It’s not so I can use magic. He told himself. It’s just practical.
The wizard laid down to sleep. Hanu sighed and did the same.
“These mountains were once called the Rocky Mountains,” the wizard said.
They’d been marching for several hours already, and the sun shone directly overhead.
“Seems… apt.” Hanu said between labored breaths.
The wizard smiled. “The people who lived here went to great lengths to preserve them.”
“Is that why they’re safe from the Debris?”
“In part. The Ending War took much from the earth, especially where men dwelt. This region was spared much of the destruction.”
Hanu paused to catch his breath. The wizard casually tossed him a half-filled energy stone. Hanu caught it. He licked his lips.
“Were you here?” he asked to keep himself from pouncing on the chance to use magic. “When the war took place. People say you were.”
The wizard nodded. “It seems my whole existence is tied to these mountains. I still remember skiing down their slopes as a boy so many lifetimes ago. When the world collapsed around me, I sheltered in their deepest caverns. War raged and the Debris spread. I emerged from those caves with new power. I watched that power destroy my best friend on the very peak that watches us now.”
Hanu’s hand trembled. All he could think of was the euphoria that would come if he used the stone. To distract himself, he asked the only question his mind could formulate.
“What’s skiing?”
The wizard laughed. “A reckless, wonderful sport of the past. Anyhow. Time to press on.”
It took all of Hanu’s willpower to keep from draining the stone. Slowly, regretfully, he stowed it in his pocket.
The sun was still bright when they entered the clearing where the trial was to be held. The menacing peak, closer than ever, seemed to strengthen the aching in Hanu’s chest which had quickly returned after using the stone.
“Your task is simple.” The wizard lowered his pack to the ground and withdrew several sheets of paper, ink, and a pen; all the supplies Hanu would need to craft a spell. “You must use magic to create a dwelling sturdy enough to withstand storms and warm enough to brave the winter. Return to camp when you are done.”
The wizard’s proud form disappeared between the trees, leaving Hanu to contemplate in the shadows of towering pines.
It was time. He smiled at the prospect of magic flowing through him. Finally. A small part of him whispered, remember the last time you lost control.
Anxiety quickened the wizard’s steps. He should have returned by now.
Four weeks had passed since the trial began. The wizard’s other apprentice had taken less than one. Could Hanu have lost himself to the magic again?
The wizard took a long breath. He would know soon enough—the clearing was just in sight.
A small, wooden structure stood at its center. He approached the roofless dwelling, noting the nearby tree stumps with confusion; magically drained trees didn’t leave stumps.
A grating noise emanated from the hut.
“Boy?”
The grating stopped. A moment later, Hanu came around the back of the house. “Yes, master?”
“You’re not done.”
Hanu lowered his eyes. “Not yet.”
The wizard eyed the crude tool in the boy’s hand. “A saw?”
Hanu shifted on his feet. “Yes, master. I also made this. Using magic, of course.” He pulled a hammer out of his belt and proffered it for inspection.
The wizard stared at it. “I see. And that’s all the magic you’ve used?”
Hanu’s face flushed. He nodded.
The wizard contemplated the young man for a moment. Four weeks with hardly a trickle of magic.
“Well, I suppose you have passed the trial then.” He took the hammer. “Let’s finish this roof, shall we?”
Hanu grinned and sped back to the dwelling with a whoop.
The sun shined bright, negating the effects of the cold wind which carried the scent of pine sap. The wizard followed Hanu, whistling a tune. Perhaps the boy would be strong enough to face the Mountain’s Call after all. Someday.
