CHAPTER 1

Not as used as Nikos was to that, Schmendrick cowered in front of all those eyes examining them as they made their entrance into the town. Men, women, children stared at them without even trying to conceal their curiosity, nudging at each other and side-whispering inaudible comments. Probably, it was the first time they saw wizards around there and they were all gathered there to check if the small group of sorcerers matched with the expectations fairytales and legends had rose in them. The apprentice was aware of it, but all those glances intimidated him nonetheless.

"Everything okay, boy?" Nikos slightly cocked his head to look at him, as Schmendrick nervously walked by his side holding the reins of their horse.

"Yes, master, I am alright. I just did not expect such interest."

"Well, Schmendrick, it's understandable. I bet all the coins I have in my pockets that you would have been curious too, if we had happened in your village."

"Guilty as charged, master," Schmendrick smiled a little. Yes, he would have been in the front row if he had known that a group of wizards was to gather in his village, had he been still living in his village…

While they slowly made their way along the village's main road, more people came to see them, keeping a respectful and more than a little intimidated distance from them. Despite all his efforts to act casual, Schmendrick briefly hesitated when he noticed small group of girls about his age openly pointing at him. That put him slightly on edge, not knowing what to make of their gesture.

"Looks like you are getting popular already, Schmendrick," Nikos softly chuckled at the boy's mild embarrassment. "They weren't probably expecting to see a handsome young man among us old folks."

"Hope they are not too disappointed when they will realize that he hasn't come, master," the boy smirked, sheepish. At the end of another growing spurt, the lanky sixteen-years-old didn't feel comfortable at all with his looks and could see no reason at all why the girls were taking so much interest in him if not to make game of him. Nikos shook his head and lightly patted on the boy's shoulder.

In the town square some more wizards had already arrived, waiting for the last comers. Schmendrick himself had to admit he was impressed to see so many sorcerers in the same place, having been allowed for the very first time to go along with Nikos. His old master had resolved to let Schmendrick come with him, under the stern and irrevocable promise that he wouldn't have tried any magic when not under his supervision and during lessons. As foreseen, though, some of the wizards had wrinkled their noses when they had seen the boy, glancing at themselves with mockery and at Nikos with baffled pity.

Determined not to make his master look bad, Schmendrick was resolved to be flawless, dutiful, attentive… Still, the disappointed and sneering faces surrounding him tested heavily his self-control, almost – almost – making him trip a couple times in a sudden fit of self-awareness. Luckily, he managed to keep a straight face, just as Nikos did.

Feeling the atmosphere getting tense, Nikos calmly turned to the boy, who had kept a casual and calm face until then, but the drops of sweat on his forehead and his lips tightened sold out his nervousness.

"Schmendrick, I need you to take care of Sibilla while I talk with my old friend Philomelos. There's a trough over there and what seems to be a fine farrier..." As Nikos spoke, their bay mare had placed her snout behind the boy's neck and lightly snorted, tickling him.

"Of course, master," Schmendrick said, catching the hint, grateful to Nikos for giving him an excuse to walk away from there. He held Sibilla's reins and drove her to the trough. She was a shrewish old mare who did not allow anyone to ride her - except for Nikos and Schmendrick - yet she followed the boy docilely. As she drank, Schmendrick sat down with a sigh. Even though both him and Nikos expected that, it had been nonetheless unpleasant, and the boy dreaded the next days.

Had following Nikos been a mistake? Maybe he should have remained home, where he could do no harm – at least, none of the other wizards could witness him making a fool of himself – with Helen and Penelope Nikos' familiar weasels… Coming there had been foolish of him. Schmendrick was sure he would have embarrassed Nikos with his incapacity, he would have ridiculed his master and himself in front of everyone. They were right to be so scornful.

Sibilla had finished drinking and was expressing her annoyance and boredom by loudly snorting in Schmendrick's ears, interrupting his overthinking of the situation. Come on, boy, she seemed to be saying. Pay attention to me, nevermind all that. The boy smiled, his eyes still melancholic.

"Alright, Sibilla," he put his hands in the large pockets of his cloak, pulling out some apples. "These are for you. Just the way you like them," he handed the mare three unripe apples he had picked along the way. "And this is for me," he took a bite from a red apple. He casually glanced around and noticed the girls from before looking at him. Good, very good. As if I hadn't already to be worried about the wizards.

Maybe the wizards' disdain was much less fearsome, he realized. To that, he was used, while he had absolutely no idea how to deal with a pestering group of nosey girls that seemed determined to follow him around. Taking another bite from the apple, he sustained the girls' gaze, trying to look as sure of himself as he could. It seemed to amuse them a great deal, since they kept on giggling and chatter among them, hiding their mouths behind their hands. Then, one of them touched her nose, and they started to laugh a little louder.

Schmendrick shrugged. If that was the level of mockery, he could go along with it; for a moment he had been afraid they would have been more "creative," but since there was nothing out of the ordinary in their derision he relaxed. They would have gotten tired of it soon. Feeling much more at ease again, he thought about the reason he and Nikos were there.

A subject of the utmost importance, apparently, a worrisome drop in unicorns' sightings had risen concern in the wizards' trade, calling for a gathering of some of the eldest – or, at least, of those who had directly encountered unicorns, and who better than Nikos, who had turned one into a human being, had the right authority to let his voice being heard on the matter?

As much as the idea of unicorns disappearing from the face of the earth saddened Schmendrick, he was a little puzzled on the reasons why that rose so many concerns among wizards… After all, it was perfectly plausible that the creatures were simply too good at hiding, and humans were getting less and less careful in listening and observing, less prone to believe in such things as unicorns.

After he and Sibilla had finished their snack, Schmendrick took her reins back and drove her to the farrier. The usually shy boy gave precise and dogmatic instruction to the man. No bit allowed, Sibilla did not tolerate it; some green apples every once in a while, but not too many, for she would have had bad stomacache, and - absolutely - not trying to ride her, if they didn't want to get kicked. If they had any problem with her, they could call him anytime. Schmendrick gave Sibilla a few scratches behind her ears before leaving.

"Everything settled with Sibilla, my boy?" Nikos asked, when his apprentice came back.

"Yes, master Nikos. I just gave a few warnings to the farrier," Schmendrick stood, proudly, after he had courteously bowed to Philomelos. Nikos nodded, with a soft smile. Schmendrick cared a lot about their mare and would have got really angry if anyone had ever hurt her.

Nikos' colleagues had never made a secret that they thought that he was making a great mistake with the boy. They had never seen such an inept apprentice in all of their long lives, and they couldn't believe that the mightiest among them had made such a crass error of assessment. How could he think that the boy had any talent at all? Nikos knew that the boy was exceptionally bad in performing magic; yet he was determined to teach him, nonetheless. One of the reasons that made him so stubborn in the pursuit of his aim was actually Sibilla.

When he had taken Schmendrick as his apprentice, four years earlier, he had noticed how the boy had a particularly good way with some animals, horses, in particular. Even his father had told Nikos so, stating that, probably, the boy should have been born a horse, for he would have been to some use, at least. Schmendrick seemed to be able to approach nervous horses without any danger and even the most capricious calmed down when the boy spoke to them. Horses were sensitive creatures, after all. If Nikos could sense the aura of power around the boy, why shouldn't they?

Schmendrick was almost fourteen, when a funky and feral Sibilla had run to them, followed by some men who were trying to catch her. Nikos had fallen on the ground and the furious mare was about to trample the old man, foaming from her mouth, completely out of control. Schmendrick had stood between her and Nikos, raising his hands and speaking light words. In his state of confusion and fear for the boy, Nikos had watched in awe, as Schmendrick successfully calmed down the mare, who looked at him perplexed, scratching the ground with her hooves and shaking her head, as if she was trying to decide what to do with that thin beanpole of a boy. She had then placed her snout in the boy's hand, who gently stroked her.

"I just asked her to calm down and to be a good mare," he simply said, still caressing her while they parted from the two men, who had willingly left them that feisty beast. Schmendrick chose the name himself, after a book he was reading at the time. Every time Nikos felt frustrated with the boy's ineptitude, he would think at that moment: a scrawny boy bravely and calmly placing himself between his master and a furious horse, calming down the mare. He had to have powers, he only needed to channel them properly.

"Master?" the boy timidly called for him, making Nikos wince back to himself.

"Alright, Schmendrick, very good. Now, since there's going to be a feast in our honour tonight, how about you get clean for the event?"

Schmendrick's green eyes glittered. "Oh, yes, master! I saw a stream as we got here and-"

"Alright, my boy. You are free to go, I'll see you tonight. And try not to make too many ladies swoon, while I'm away." Nikos briefly winked at him, nodding towards the girls and handing Schmendrick some soap he had retrieved from his knapsack. Schmendrick blushed and stammered something, before he gave a quick bow and hurried towards the wood.

"You haven't told him?" Philomelos rose an eyebrow, staring at Nikos with a baffled expression.

"No," Nikos murmured. "I lacked the courage to…"

"And he hadn't questioned why you have decided to take him with you?"

"No. I mean, maybe he has, to himself, but he has not asked anything."

"But—"

"Philomelos, enough," Nikos turned brusquely. "I feel horrible already without you rubbing it into my face. I'm sure everything will be fine and we will be over with it soon."

As Schmendrick walked through the forest, he kept on looking behind himself, to make sure that no one was following him. Apparently, the girls had decided to leave him alone. He reached for the stream. The place was beautiful: a large clearing, surrounded by oaks and larches. Taking one last look around, Schmendrick approached the stream. He was all dusty after the long trip and couldn't wait to dive into the water. He swiftly removed his clothes and took a few steps into the stream. First of all, he decided he would have washed his robes. The day was hot, and he could have left them to dry on a rock.

After he was done with the clothes, he went further into the water and, when it reached his navel, he plunged in. He re-emerged with a sigh of relief, brushing his wet hair backwards. That was so nice... The water was so fresh and fine, and the surroundings were so peaceful. The boy bathed and swam, keeping an eye on his clothes. When he got out, he checked on them. As he had expected, they were almost completely dried; the late June sun's heat had made his job. He sat on the same rock, to dry himself as well.

When his clothes were finally dry, he started to get dressed. Sensing something, he halted, his ears waiting and intent, quickly scanning the surroundings. In that moment, Schmendrick distinctively felt like he was being watched; even if he could not properly detect dangers by magic – that was way too far from his capacities – he still could feel others' presence, alerted by a tingling sensation starting from the back of his neck and shoulders.

Hurriedly getting dressed, Schmendrick swiftly walked away, not feeling safe around there. He fervently hoped that it hadn't been one of the girls from before who had decided to spy on him. Probably not, but he could not be sure and preferred to go back to the village as soon as he could.