Foundling Wizard (Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

his hands, a pale blue light glowed. In the light, Lorit saw two apples, and a loaf of bread exactly like the ones he'd called up earlier.”
    “That about sum it up?” Zhimosom asked. He folded his hands again and looked questioningly at Lorit.
    “Come on, boy. You don’t think I’m one of them. Do you?” He stroked his long white beard. “Do I look like one of them?”
    “I don’t know who you are,” Lorit replied. He struggled again, but he was still powerless.
    “My boy, I am a Senior Wizard, and I am free. I am no priest of Ran, if that’s what you’re thinking.” He folded his arms in a look of defiance.
    “How do I know that?” Lorit asked. He had never seen a free wizard, but he’d seen a few priests. The priests were clean shaven on both their heads and faces. They always wore black robes. This old man was not like any priest of Ran that Lorit had seen.
    “I cannot prove what I am not,” Zhimosom answered. “I can, however, help you remain out of their hands.”
    “How can you do that?” Lorit asked. Staying out of the hands of the priests was one of his chief concerns. Maybe the old man could help him. “Why would you do that?”
    “I’m going to teach you to shield your power, just enough to keep them from sensing you.” He held out his hands palms up. “It really is a simple thing to learn.” He refolded his arms across his chest.
    “Why am I going to teach this to you?” the wizard asked. “I want you to have a free choice, just like I did when I was your age. I don’t favor the priests of Ran. I don’t want to see another young man like you get caught up in their training.”
    “How long will it take?”
    “It should only take about two minutes, give or take a minute or two,” Zhimosom answered, laughing. “That’s unless you’re a slow learner, but I don’t think that’s the case.”
    “What do I have to do?” Lorit finally stopped struggling against the bonds that held him tight.
    “It is a simple matter. When you visualize something you want to materialize, you have to shield it, so that it doesn’t broadcast to every wizard around. Trust me. It’s rather annoying to the rest of us, not to mention signaling your presence to every priest in Nyhagid, and half of Southorn.”
    “What do I need to do?” Lorit asked. He was eager to learn, and unless the old wizard was playing some trick on him, it would be a good thing to know.
    “Let’s start with the shield, shall we?” he spoke softly. “Imagine a fence constructed in a circle, like a corral for the kine you recently left behind.” He moved his hands in a circle to demonstrate to Lorit what he meant.
    “Make it about twice as high as your typical farm fence. Surround you and me. Make it about three spans in diameter.”
    Lorit imagined the fence surrounding the meadow where he first conjured the apple. He created a copy of it in his mind’s eye, just as Zhimosom described it.
    The wizard reached out and touched Lorit’s shoulder. “There you have it,” he said, as if he could see into Lorit’s imagination.
    Lorit continued to focus on the fence, making it taller and stronger than the corral back home. When it appeared strong and solid, he heard the wizard’s voice calmly explaining the next step.
    “Now imagine the apple right in the center of the fence. It’s right before you,” Zhimosom instructed. “Just like last time.”
    Lorit imagined the apple sitting on the blanket before him, as instructed. It took shape and solidified, just like before. This time, there was no disorientation or fuzziness enveloping his mind as the apple appeared.
    “Much better,” Zhimosom commented. “You didn’t leak much at all. I think the disorientation was a lot less this time. Am I right?”
    Lorit opened his eyes to see the apple sitting on the blanket in front of him. This time there was no headache or disorientation, just the apple.
    “You have just learned the first lesson every wizard must learn. You