Wiz - 1.02 - Huf and Master Summoning
It is not my place to speak of myself, but of my Master. My Master, however, tells me that I must tell of myself.
I am Huf. I had a very small place. My people had a very little place and wandered. Those who are wanderers have no place. This is why they are called wanderers.
It is hard like a pain to think of these things. Now I have a place. My place is with my Master. It seems like a pain to me to recall the time when I had no place.
My people would scavenge. My people could gather berries, nuts, and other foods that grew in the woods and bushes. What they scavenged and collected they gave to me, and I took to markets. I was taught how to count and value coins and also to note the values and to total them up.
And on one trip to a market, when I returned with very little coin for my effort that day, my people were gone. Not just wandered away, for I could see broken pieces of what had been some of their carts and some pieces of cloth that I recognised from clothing of those that I knew. I do not know why they are gone. When I asked my Master one time, he spoke of a wash out. I do not know what that means because my people seldom washed. Very often my Master says words that I know he means to explain to me but they do not.
And I wandered myself, which was very hard. I came to the castle, the great castle, the castle of the wizards. I was fortunate that, at that time, one had died who had done menial tasks. There was a place for me, the most menial place, but for one who wandered with no place, it was better than it had been before. I had my work, the lowest work, carrying the night soil and the ashes.
I do not know how long I did this before there was the great excitement. They had planned this for a time, and those of us in the castle learned of it. The higher servants learned of it from listening to the wizards and the students. Those of lower place learned of it from those of higher place who spoke of it in their hearing. Place by place, the whole castle knew of it.
The wizards of highest place had talked of this for some time. They wished to increase their power. They wished to increase what they could do as wizards. They had studied their spells and their powers and determined to summon from some place more powerful a wizard who would be able to demonstrate new powers to them and possibly teach them new spells. The summoning was planned.
And while the summoning was planned, the wizards spoke of it, and the words drifted from place to place. All grew excited. If the power of the wizards was increased, then the place of the wizards was increased. If the place of the wizards was increased, then the place of all of us would increase.
And the day of the summoning came. The wizards were too intent on their plans to forbid those of lesser place from attending the great hall where the summoning was to take place. Therefore, all, of any place, crept as close as they could to the great hall. Those of highest place to the floor of the hall, but those of us of lower place to places high on the walls, balconies, and railings of the great hall.
I do not, of course, know what powers, or elementals, or spells were used in the summoning. There was smoke. There was flame. There were lights that had nothing to do with flame, and I could not see, but there was a great cry of exultation and success. The wizards crowded around. My Master, as he later came to be, was taken away to the place where those who were sick were held.
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