Free Ascendant by Craig Alanson Page B

even with the help of a master wizard. Such a boy would be a
constant target of Tarador ’ s
enemies; if they could not kidnap Koren, they would try to assassinate him. No,
the only way to keep Koren safe was to hide his magical power from the world,
even from Koren himself, until the boy was old enough to control his own power,
and could protect himself from his enemies.
    “ Sir? Master wizard? Lord,
uh, Murta? ”
    “ Huh? ” Paedris realized he had
been silent for some time, contemplating what it meant that Koren didn ’ t realize he was a wizard
himself. “ Oh,
call me Paedris, please. Or, Lord Salva, when we ’ re in public. La Murta is my home village,
far away from here. Koren, you may leave here any time you like, but I think
there has been a very great, a terrible misunderstanding. No one thinks you are
a bandit, or a kidnapper, in fact, the room you were in was Duke Yarron ’ s personal study, you are
the Duke ’ s
honored guest in his castle. You are a hero . That girl you rescued is
Ariana Trehayme, crown princess and heir to the throne of Tarador. ”
    “ P-princess? ” Koren had heard the women
say the name ‘ Ariana ’ , but he never thought she
was the Ariana. Even in tiny Crebb ’ s
Ford, people knew the name of their crown princess. “ She is that Ariana? ”
    “ Yes. ” Paedris nodded. “ Whatever the people of,
what did you call your village, Crab Ford? Whatever foolish thing they thought
of you there, here you are a hero. ”
    “ But I ’ m a jinx. ” Koren sputtered,
disbelieving his change of fortune.
    “ Bah! ” The wizard snorted in
disgust. “ There
is no such thing as a jinx, and don ’ t
you forget that. Trust me, wizards know about these things. You are not a jinx. ”
    “ I ’ m not a jinx? ” Koren asked hopefully.
    “ No. Never have been 
There is no such thing, it is a silly superstition. ”
    “ And I ’ m not in trouble? ”
    “ Goodness, no, not at all. ”
    “ And the princess thinks I ’ m a hero ? ” Koren almost couldn ’ t get the word out of his
mouth, it sounded so strange.
    “ Quite so. I think you are
a very brave young man. That was a rather large bear, and you faced it alone,
unarmed? ”
    “ It was a large bear, sir,
and I, well, I couldn ’ t
think of anything else to do. ” Koren considered the wizard ’ s
words. Could his life truly be changing, for the better? “ What will happen to me? ” He asked in a whisper.
    “ Well, let me think. ” The wizard popped another
fruit tart in his mouth. “ There
might be a feast in your honor, if you feel up to it. Listening to many tedious
speeches, of course, that is the part of being a hero that never seems to make
it into the legends. Then there will be much wearing of scratchy clothes that
don ’ t fit
properly, and having to remember which fork to use at dinner- “
    “ There is more than one
type of fork? ” Koren asked, surprised. He was used to eating with a knife.
    “ Oh, yes, there are a
frightfully large number of forks, all with their own purpose. And different
types and sizes of knives and spoons, also, and you will have to know which
type is proper to use, or it will cause an immense scandal. Later, when
you have grown tired of being celebrated as a hero, you can come live with me
in the royal castle, if you like. It just so happens that I am in need of an
assistant at the moment. The pay isn ’ t
much, but- “
    Koren ’ s gasped in surprise. “ I would be paid ? ” Who paid a boy to serve
as an assistant? Most of the boys Koren knew of who served as apprentices
earned no pay, and often a boy ’ s
parents had to pay to get their son such a position, to be trained in a trade
such as blacksmithing.
    “ Er, well, yes Would you be
interested in such a position? ” Paedris glanced sideways at Koren to see the boy ’ s reaction. The only way to keep Koren safe,
was for Paedris to watch him constantly. “ As
my personal servant, as it were. ”
    Koren ’ s face fell for a