A disciple who had already surpassed his teacher.
Ruger suddenly realized that this might be what made the God of Wizards special. He still saw himself as an explorer, but toward his followers, he could be called a guide. Yet he differed from the gods of ancient times who had claimed to guide their followers. His guidance was genuine: he did not direct his followers into his embrace, but toward a path ahead. Or perhaps his followers could never enter his embrace, because he, too, was always moving forward-a guide and explorer who traveled alongside his followers, an unconventional teacher whose ambitions far exceeded those of his disciples.
Would a teacher hope that his disciples would catch up to him, or even surpass him?
Ruger believed that the God of Wizards would, though probably no one could manage it.
Inevitably, however, some teachers were different, and might even find themselves in an awkward position because of it. His Excellency Flett, standing before him, was one such example.
Although the man had not said it outright, his words and expression suggested that his progress, perhaps even his surpassing his teacher, had put considerable pressure on the latter. That pressure might also have driven his teacher to do certain things.
To take desperate risks when faced with certain temptations, for instance.
Ruger quickly gathered his thoughts and quietly held the Weighty Book as he watched the Wizards of the Foreign God Oversight Council set up the magic array. Wizard Flett stood to one side, watching closely as well.
As the Wizards worked, their roles were clearly divided. The taciturn, hooded Wizard with the scar on his chin did most of the work, and was probably the most skilled among them at setting up magic arrays. After reading the basic books on alchemy