Dragons of the Watch - Donita K. Paul [125]
Wizard Pater called from ahead, “I did say I have a few bottles, didn’t I? There really isn’t much to do as a hobby here in Tuck. Of course, maintaining Rumbard City is an onerous task, but I did have a spare moment here and there where I tried my hand at something different.”
Ellie raised her voice to question him. “What do you have in all these bottles?”
“Elixirs, music, scenery, letters, books, atmospheres from different worlds, flowers, mountains, bits and pieces of time. And one bottle of memories.”
The wizard served their tea in a large dining room. Ellie thought the children behaved rather well considering how excited they were.
Toady was fascinated by the old man and followed him everywhere, helping some and getting in the way more often.
“How did you know what we were doing? How did you know if we were in bed on time? How did you know to feed Mr. Bealomondore and Miss Ellie when they first came? Did you know about Tak, the goat?”
He showed them a flat bowl on a pedestal. “Come, Ellie and Bealomondore. This will interest you. Through this device, I can see the inhabitants of the aboveground city reflected in still water. This is how I’ve kept track of my charges. I can’t go myself, of course. But I send the essence of me to deliver supplies.”
Ellie doubted they would see anything.
Bealomondore scolded. “Don’t be such a naysayer. These men of Wulder can do amazing things by understanding the great mysteries of our Creator’s handiwork.”
“Gather ’round,” called the wizard to the children. “Watch. It’s time for me to take the evening meal.”
The wizard stood beside the large basin with his eyes closed and his hands held over the bowl, palms down. The scene within the water changed.
“There’s the fountain,” said Cinder. “We’re seeing it just like we’re walking into the center of town.”
“No one’s there yet,” said Laska. “But look! There’s our baskets and platters. They just appeared.”
“The wizard did it,” said Toady, and she gave the old man a look of admiration. He didn’t notice, so she shrugged and went back to gazing at the changing scenery in the water.
Porky leaned way over the rim of the bowl to see better. “Not as much food as there once was.”
Laska had an answer. “There’s not as many children as there once was.”
Toady tugged on the wizard’s sleeve. “Are you going to feed Old One?”
The wizard did not answer. His pleasant expression remained unchanged. The children fell into silence as the reflection jumped from first one child, then to another. They also saw Yawn and two toughs walking with him and, lastly, several children playing in an alley.
According to the basin, the wizard checked in at the library. For a moment they saw the back door. An instant later they saw Old One’s kitchen, where a basket of food appeared on the table.
“Well, then,” said the wizard, breaking the silence in a loud voice.
Ellie jumped in response to the sudden noise. The picture in the basin had been mesmerizing. How could Wizard Pater stand here and see up there? How could she and the others see it as well? The experience amazed her but also made her a little nervous.
Bealomondore’s arm tightened around her. “Don’t be afraid, Ellie. This wizard, like Fenworth, leans on Wulder’s understanding, not his own.”
I’m not really afraid. Well, maybe a little. But he could decide to do bad things with this trickery, couldn’t he?
“Yes, and I’ve met wizards who have turned their gift of knowledge to their own selfish pursuits. Fortunately, there are not many wizards, and fewer wizards who choose evil.”
The children had surrounded Wizard Pater and were pelting him with too many questions for him to hear and answer.
He held up his hands and commanded. “Silence.”
The children’s mouths still moved, but not a peep could they utter.
“Very good,” said the wizard, smiling. “We shall have a question