Not paying attention, which was a common problem for Arion, he slipped on the wet floor and fell into one of the shelves. He watched in slow motion as the amethyst waivered, swaying back and forth until it fell off the shelf.
“Nooooo!” he yelled as he dove towards it trying to catch it as it fell until it crashed onto the floor. The glass case encapsulating it shattered into a million pieces.
Arion looked around to confirm Zallon hadn’t returned.
“No, no, no, no!” he said, swearing under his breath.
He jumped up and grabbed the broom to clean up the mess before Zallon noticed. There was nothing Arion could do about the glass enclosure that had protected the rock, but maybe the old man wouldn’t even notice. Aside from the glass it didn’t look like there was any damage.
Arion quickly picked up the rock. It heated and began to glow from his touch. He had never seen it glow before and said a quick prayer that he hadn’t just somehow destroyed all magic in Gavalon or something equally sinister.
Racking his brain as he cleaned up the mess, Arion tried to remember everything he could about the stone. It wasn’t much he quickly realized. Aside from being said that it was the source of all magic in the kingdom, he knew nothing about the rock.
Carefully he picked up the amethyst and grabbed the base it sat on. He set it back on the shelf, mesmerized by the glowing shades of purple that flowed through the stone. Zallon would definitely notice the rock suddenly glowing.
Arion feared the trouble he’d get into this time. This was arguably the worst thing he’d ever done, even if it was just an accident. Bile rose up into the back of his throat as he thought of the consequences he’d face.
When he heard a noise outside, he quickly snapped out of it and got back to work. The room was otherwise spotless when Zallon returned, and much to Arion’s relief the rock stopped glowing.
“That girl may be the death of us all if she doesn’t grow up soon. Always running off seeking some new adventure. One of these days trouble will find her for real and the rest of us won’t be rushing in to save her thinking she was just being ornery again,” he grumbled.
Arion had never personally met Princess Valaria, but he had heard plenty of stories over the years of the trouble she seemed to easily find.
“What was it this time?” he asked.
Zallon huffed. “She found a unicorn and decided to go for a ride. I tracked her to the Lake of Sacrifice. She knew better than to go there, but that girl doesn’t have a lick of sense in her pretty little head.”
“Isn’t that where her mother’s death ceremony was?” Arion asked. The Queen had passed away less than a year prior. It was a blow to the entire Kingdom. “Maybe she just wanted to somehow feel closer to her,” he suggested.
Zallon sighed, softening at the thought. “Perhaps. She did seem quite upset when we found her, but uninjured.”
He looked around the conservatory finding nothing strange, nodded his head, and walked back into his laboratory.
“Well done, Arion,” he complimented, making him cringe in guilt.
Arion knew he should tell Zallon about the stone, but the wizard seemed to have other things on his mind and so Arion chose not to bother him with the accident that had occurred, trying to tell himself it had nothing to do with putting off the fate that would be bestowed upon him when Zallon found out.
Chapter 2
A week went by and there was no change in Arion's life. One day rolled into another until at last Zallon came to him with a proposition.
"Arion, as you know, in two weeks you will reach your twentieth year. I have placed the request to the King to elevate you officially to Apprentice of Magic at that time. As my apprentice, you will swear your allegiance to a life of celibacy where you will devote the rest of your days to the study of magic. You will be privy to all the knowledge I will pass to you, the history of the kingdom, the legends of sorcery, and will continue to improve and practice magic for the good of Gavalon. I know this comes as no surprise to you, but I am excited to move towards making it official. I am not getting any younger and the sooner you have the knowledge and understanding I can give you, the safer Gavalon will be. If you choose not to accept the role, it will sadden me greatly, but that is your choice and yours alone to make. It is not an easy life, but it is a rewarding one."
Arion had known most of his life that this would be the path he would take. When he was younger, he had attended the common school with other children of Gavalon, but as he reached maturity, Zallon had pulled him to begin private tutoring. Even at that time he had explained that it was for his own protection and purity. While he knew the rules, he had never understood them and asked again.
"Zallon, why the need for celibacy? I've never truly understood it. Can you explain that to me?"
"As High Keeper of Magic, Arion, you will be in charge of the safety of all the people of Gavalon. Magic can be good, but it can also be evil when used in the wrong ways. Not having any worldly attachments keeps you pure of heart and unable to be corrupted. That is why it is so important. Imagine if the kingdom were in trouble and an evil person found that you were married or had children and they took them from you to ensure you would follow their orders and not do what was best for the kingdom. It would leave Gavalon in a very bad place. You are a protector, and those personal ties will only make your job all the harder. It is not in your human nature to tell the evil doer to slaughter your children if he must in order to ensure you do what is necessary to save the throne."
"The throne or the kingdom, Zallon? While we currently have a just and loving King, is it not possible that the throne could be corrupted? If that is the case should I not serve the people of the kingdom over the man that sits on the throne?"
"Ah, a very wise question, Arion. You would be correct in that determination. It is the Kingdom of Gavalon we truly serve and protect, no single man or woman."
"And truly, Zallon, when was the last evil that bestowed this kingdom? Or all Amaria for that matter? The seven kingdoms of Amaria have largely been at peace for many centuries, have they not?"
"This is true, Arion, but as you begin your proper training you will learn that that was not always the case. A great evil once divided Amaria into the seven kingdoms we know today. It is but one of the legends you will learn."
"That was still a very long time ago. We have measures in place today to ensure nothing like that ever happens again."
"This too is true, however for Gavalon, the High Keeper of Magic is just one of those measures, as you will learn should you choose to accept the role I will offer you on your twentieth year."
Arion considered this. A life of celibacy was a lot to ask. He was a man, after all, and had already experienced the desires of the flesh despite Zallon's attempt at keeping him from all females. It was rare but Arion did go into town from time to time and he was not immune to the opposite sex. Still, it was a good life to be offered and he felt up the task, even knowing it would not be an easy life, but one full of temptations, not just by women, but by the magic itself.
While Zallon hadn't said so, Arion already knew the temptation of magic. It wasn't hard to grasp that a life of celibacy was also a practice in patience and determination necessary to master the control of magic.