The Rossem Project

Graduation Field - Part 3

     They were some way behind the main crowd, most of the others having already reached the scythed grass and gardens of the teaching complex, and they were walking slowly, their arms around each other and talking softly as they enjoyed the balmy weather. The air was completely still. The yellow sun was warm on their hands and faces and the rest of the world seemed to just fade out of their minds as they strolled across the short, springy grass, preferring the soft feel of it under their feet to the hardness of the path walked by the others. Even Derrin's situation no longer seemed quite so important as they enjoyed what was left of the day, and they began to really believe that it was all going to be all right, that none of the problems they feared would actually arise.

     Thomas looked into his wife's eyes and saw nothing but satisfied contentment there, the anxieties over their son's future having receded to the back of her mind, for the time being at least. He put an arm around her shoulders to give her a gentle squeeze, and felt her relaxing against him, purring softly like a satisfied kitten. He smiled, and reflected for what seemed like the millionth time upon what an incredibly lucky man he was.

     So wrapped up were they in each other's happiness and contentment that they failed to realise for several moment that a commotion of some kind had broken out behind them, from the direction of the research complex. It was the shouts that finally brought them out of their reverie, and they looked round in surprise to see a man in the black robes of an unspecialised wizard running away from the research buildings towards the open grasslands. Towards them. "What in the name of..." began Thomas in surprise. "What's going on?"

     "They're chasing him," replied Lirenna, staring at the small group of figures behind the fugitive. "What's he done?"

     Thomas had no answer to that, and so they only stared as the wizard closed the distance between them, glancing anxiously over his shoulder. They heard the chanting of spells, but the fugitive seemed unaffected by them and ran on until he and Thomas were close enough to see each other's faces. Thomas gasped in astonishment, and instinctively placed himself in front of Lirenna, shielding her with his body as he brought the words of a defensive spell to the front of his mind. The wizard recognised him at the exact same moment, and with a gasp of annoyance he broke off to the left, heading now for the fields to the north that were bounded only by the mountains that ringed the valley.

     "It's him!" cried Thomas as he set off in pursuit, yelling over his shoulder as he ran. "The saboteur!"

     It was the same man he'd seen in Pondar's laboratory, smashing up his equipment. He must have been taking advantage of the enrolment ceremony, getting up to some devious act of sabotage while virtually every wizard in the valley was busy elsewhere. He must have been intending to be safely finished and out of the way before they returned, but maybe he'd lost track of the time. It didn't matter, they'd learn all the details later. What was important now was that they finally had a real chance to catch him! These terrible acts of sabotage could be put to an end once and for all!

     The important thing was to catch him before he reached the grove of trees that stood a few hundred yards ahead of them, Thomas realised. They'd caught him once before, and had him cornered a couple of times as well, but each time he'd somehow vanished as soon as he was out of everyone's sight. Whatever trick he used to vanish, he couldn't use it while he was out in the middle of an open field, in sight of dozens of people, but if he managed to reach those trees... He knew that Pondar half blamed him for the attack on his lab, feeling that the young wizard should have done more to stop the intruder (as if getting knocked down and half stunned by a blow to the jaw wasn't enough, he thought bitterly), but now he finally had the chance to redeem himself. He didn't intend to miss a chance like this, so he ignored Lirenna's frantic cries behind him and ran as fast as he could after the fleeing saboteur, not thinking of what might happen if he actually caught him.