Celwyn smiled as he looked down at the rings on his hands. Each had a stone that meant he had pasted the test and elevated him from mere apprentice to mage to a full wizard-lord. It had taken centuries to do it, but to one born with the old blood that was found in both of his parents and all four of his grandparents, a few centuries was nothing. He looked in the mirror. He still looked like he was in his early thirties. Tall and muscular with ice-blue eyes and long blond hair cascaded in thick curls to his waist.
The few humans he came in contact with these days paid him little attention. They were all talking about the end of one millennium and the beginning of another. These humans traveled in cars that used a fossil fuel. They also occasionally sent their scientists in to orbit around earth for one reason or another. How simple-minded. Transporting was one of the first tests an apprentice had to pass. Celwyn knew of other wizards like himself that had passed all the tests but one. The test of Gold.
He looked at the rings again. Once he had passed the test of Gold he could take the stones from the rings and place them in an amulet of gold and he would be the most powerful wizard since his ancestor Merlin. The rings. The stones seemed to call to him: sapphire for water and air; ruby for fire and anger; opel for death and darkness; diamond for purity and truth and emerald for life and earth. Each stone was polished and shone from with-in.
In order to pass the test of Gold, Celwyn at to defeat at least one wizard of equal strength and be able to prove it. That was the tricky part. The only way to prove it was to shave the head of the wizard and bring the hair to Merlin’s altar. That’s what the legend said. The catch was that the legend also said to beware of Merlin’s magic lest it entrap you. Well, that should not be a problem. As a descendent of Merlin through all four of his grandparents, Celwyn thought he should be immune to Merlin’s magic.
Celwyn had found two younger wizards who had achieved the five-ring status, but only recently. Since Celwyn had achieved that status three-hundred years ago, he had waited for the younger wizards to reach that status and had studied on how to defeat them. Cunning, but wasn’t that like Merlin. Just like Merlin - - he would be the reincarnation of Merlin. Even the legends spoke of it. One would bring back Merlin and become him.
The two younger wizards would arrive soon. Celwyn looked around the room. Everything was as it should be. Magic wards had been set about the room so that the young wizards could not escape once he had released his entrapment spell. Fools, he had lured them to his library by telling them he would mentor them and train them to become master wizards like the mage schools of old. They had spent many hours reading and studying. They had left some personal effects behind and that is how Celwyn would entrap them. By binding those objects to the library, once the owners of those objects entered, the owners could not leave.
The entrapment spell was simple enough, Celwyn just needed to get them to drink enough wine for it to take effect. He could not risk a full enchantment without making them suspect something. Celwyn looked at the clock. Any moment. A knock on the door. How very punctual. He strode over to the door and opened. Celwyn smiled.
Ambrose and Jared walked in and bowed deeply to Celwyn and he closed the door and returned the bow. He invited them to come into the dinning room and feast - - to celebrate. Why they asked? It was an anniversary for him and he wanted to celebrate. Well, the two young wizards each looking in their twenties. They sat down in sevier-looking chairs with low backing and arms and legs that ended in ghoulish creatures.
Wine and food were place before each. As they enthusiastically ate and drank, Celwyn looked at them both. He almost felt sorry for them. Almost. Ambrose was of medium height, but of muscular build and had deep emerald green eyes and long red hair that came to just above his waist. Jared was tall and muscular with dark blue eyes and long raven-black hair that fell half-way down his back. But not for much longer.
Slowly, quietly, carefully, Celwyn whispered an old seldom used enchantment. The wine and rich food had done their part by making the two younger wizards put their guard down. Celwyn finished the enchantment and waited. The two wizards looked at each other and watched in horror as the chairs they sat in came to life. The arms of the chairs wrapped themselves around their victims with one holding down the victim’s legs and the other the victim’s arms.
Ambrose and Jared were very much awake now. Celwyn got up and walked into his spell room. The chairs’s legs lengthened and carried Ambrose and Jared into the spell room as well. Entwined circles and symbols covered the floor with the exception of two vacant places and that’s were the chairs stopped and their legs shrunk to their previous size. The door to the room shut on its own accord.
The wizards of old did not know of electric clippers, so in the great spell book they had instructed that shears be made of gold to rid the wizard’s victim of hair. Celwyn thought about it but thought that time was of the essence and an electric clipper with gold on it would do. After all, it was simpler to have a mortal make the clippers and apply the gold plate.
Celwyn picked up his clippers and walked over to Jared tilted Jared’s head forward and clicked the clippers on. Starting in the middle of Jared’s forehead, Celwyn ran the clippers back over the top of Jared’s head to his crown. 14” of thick black hair cascaded into Jared’s lap. Both he and Ambrose cried out. Again and again Celwyn ran the back over the top of Jared’s head to his crown. An enormous mound of thick beautiful black hair had piled up on Jared’s lap and spilled over on to the floor.
Tilting Jared’s head away, Celwyn ran the clippers back across the left side of Jared’s head. Buzzzzz back. Thick long black hair falls to the floor. Over and over buzzzzz back. Celwyn had to kick the mass of black hair out of the way so he wouldn’t trip.
Around to the back of Jared’s head. Tilt it forward. Buzzzz up the back of Jared’s head. Buzzzz up watch the hair fall, reducing 14” of thick black hair down to stubble. Buzzzz up the back of Jared’s head again and again. After each buzz of the clippers Celwyn would rub his hand over the newly buzzed section and say an enchantment. Slowly Jared’s power was drained from him and given to Celwyn.
Buzzzz. Rub. Buzzzzz. Rub. The back was finished. The right side. Buzz front to back. 14” of thick black hair shower the floor. Buzzzz. Rub. Buzzzz. Rub. Once again all over. Final rub and enchantment. Celwyn clicked off the clippers.
Power surged through him like never before. He was lightheaded almost giddy. Jared was stunned. He looked so different with his head shaved. Well, Celwyn would have fun with Jared later. Celwyn turned to Ambrose. Ambrose shook his head no and so doing tossed his waist-long, thick, curly red hair all around. He told Celwyn that the spell would not completely work since real golden shears had not been used.
Celwyn stood in front of Ambrose for a moment and nodded in agreement. Ambrose breathed a sigh of relief. Celwyn went over to his spell book and searched for a few moments and then a wicked smile crept across his face. He busied himself with gathering the correct ingredients. Carefully, he measured each ingredient into a large cauldron, (after all alchemy is an exact science), and spoke the right enchanted words at the correct time.
Then Celwyn turned away from the cauldron spoke a few words and out of thin air a mold for a pair of golden shears appeared. Carefully, Celwyn took an iron ladle and dipped it into the cauldron and poured the molten contents into the mold. He spoke a long enchantment as he poured the molten gold into the mold and then set the mold and the ladle down. After searching the spell book again, Celwyn came over to the mold and spoke another enchantment. A blast of ice-cold air descended out of nowhere on to the mold. He said another enchantment as he removed the golden shears from the mold. Celwyn walked over to Ambrose and stood in front of him.
Starting on the right side of Ambrose’s head, Celwyn grabbed a fist full of thick, curly, waist-long red hair and snipped up the right side of Ambose’s head. Celwyn said an enchantment, tossed the hair in the air and grabbed another fist full of long red hair. Snip, snip, snip. Toss up. Float to the floor. Snip, snip, snip. Toss up. Float to the floor. Around to the back of Ambrose’s head. Snip, snip, snip. Toss up. Float to the floor. All that thick, curly, waist-long red hair falling to the floor. Uneven stubble remaining. Snip, snip, snip. Toss up. Float to the floor. Snip, snip, snip. Toss up. Float to the floor. Around to the left side. Snip, snip, snip. Toss up. Float to the floor. Snip, snip, snip. Toss up. Float to the floor. Power surged with each snip of the shears. Celwyn was going fast and yanking harder ignoring the cries for mercy. Then what was left on the top of Ambrose’s head. Snip, snip, snip. Toss up. Float to the floor. Snip, snip, snip. Toss up. Float to the floor. Done. Still, Celwyn felt he could get more power from Ambrose.
Celwyn put the golden shears down and picked up the clippers. He clicked them on and ran them all over Ambrose’s head saying an enchantment after each swipe of the clippers. More power. Buzz. Rub. Buzz. Rub. Red fuzz floated down to the floor all around until nothing was left. Ambrose could be useful as a slave later. Slaves had shaved heads and Celwyn would deal with his buzzed victims when he returned.
Celwyn gathered up the loose hair and stuffed it into a large pouch and then standing in the middle of the room said an enchantment and transported himself to Stonehenge. There he laid out the sheared hair and started on a long enchantment. It was midnight. New moon. Very good omens. Suddenly, a single spark of light appeared in the middle of the air and it grew until Celwyn had to cover his eyes. When he opened his eyes the light had died down to what would have been thought to be normal daylight. Before him stood a tall handsome man with long brown hair, a thick beard and bright green eyes.
Merlin. Celwyn started to cast the final spell when Merlin pointed at the stones behind Celwyn. They became soldiers who jumped forward grabbed Celwyn and forced him to his knees. Merlin smiled wickedly. Nice try. He pulled out a pair of golden shears from a hidden pocket. Celwyn tried to say the enchantment anyway and found he could not remember it. Merlin laughed. How many times had he down this? Did Celwyn actually think that Merlin would have allowed anyone to put a complete enchantment down in one book that would defeat Merlin?
The master wizard walked over to Celwyn and grabbed a fist full of Celwyn’s thick, curly, hip-long blond hair and snip, snip, snip up the left side of Celwyn’s head. Merlin held the clipped hair up and tossed it and watched it float to the ground. No. Snip, snip, snip. Toss. Snip, snip, snip. Toss. Snip, snip, snip. Toss. Around to the back. Celwyn could feel the power draining from him with each snip. Snip, snip, snip. Toss. His hip-long blond hair was being reduced to stubble. Merlin was laughing and got rougher as he yanked those thick long blond curls and cut them off next to the scalp. Yank. Snip, snip, snip. Toss. Yank. Snip, snip, snip. Toss. Around to the right side of Celwyn’s head. Yank. Snip, snip, snip. Toss. Yank. Snip, snip, snip. Toss. Yank. Snip, snip, snip. Toss. Stubble all over.
Merlin laughed. Pulled out a evil looking knife. He reached down and picked up some of the long blond hair that lay all over the ground and dropped it on the knife. The hair was sliced in two upon contact. Celwyn swallowed. Merlin ran the knife blade back across the top of Celwyn’s head, careful not to cut his victim. Over and over again. Each time Merlin would rub his hand across the newly shaved part. Swipe. Rub. Swipe. Rub. Swipe. Rub. Swipe. Rub. Swipe. Rub. Done. Celwyn was humiliated. Not only was all his hard work and scheming for nothing he was bald and most likely going to be a slave to a very hard master.
Merlin put the knife away and waved his hands at the soldiers holding Celwyn. He pointed to where they had stood as stones and they moved back there leaving Celwyn alone with Merlin. Merlin pointed at the soldiers and they turned back into the great stones. Then he pointed at Celwyn and a great light surrounded him and suddenly all was black. He was trapped somewhere. He reached out. All he could feel was stone all around him. No.
Merlin smiled at the new stone in the already crowded circle. How many had there been?
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