Forced Magic

by Jerod Lollar

  “Hi, uh sorry, yeah, um I’m Jack . . . Dewitte, “ I stammered.

  I felt my face flush as I realized I told her my name, when she obviously heard me talking to Johnathen and knew it already. I always felt awkward around girls, never knowing what to say. I surprised myself that I was able to talk to Michelle at all. We stood there for a few silent uncomfortable seconds. What a picture we must have made, me, a dragon, a pretty woman, and a wizard, standing on a small island in the middle of a duck pond.

  Finally Johnathen broke the silence. “Well, now that all the introductions have been made let’s get down to business."

  He clapped his hands together, rubbing them in an eager way. He was obviously very excited by all of this. There was a loud coughing ”Harrumph“ sound. We all turned and looked at Fetch. He was staring at me, eyes red and narrow. He was upset, and the way he was staring at me let me know that he was upset at me.

  “What?” I asked.

  He continued to stare at me, his tail thumping the ground impatiently. He was starting to annoy me. I guessed that he must be upset because he wasn’t the center of attention right now.

  “What did I do now?”

  Fetch's tail whipped around slapping me upside the head. Johnathen jumped back a step and Michelle let out a little gasp. With my face turning red, and my patience growing thin, I rubbed the side of my face.

  “I thought I told you to stop hitting me with your tail?”

  Fetch took another swipe. I was ready this time, catching it before it connected with the side of my face. I held it tightly.

  “I'll bite it again man, I swear I will. Now what is your problem?"

  Fetch whipped his tail out of my hands. He rolled his eyes back in his head shaking it in frustration. He was upset by something, that was for sure, but I just couldn’t tell what it was. Then it hit me. I felt bad.

  “Oh man,” I said to him. “I’m so sorry. That was stupid of me."

  Fetch nodded his head in agreement.

  “Sorry you guys. I forgot to introduce you. This is Fetch,” I said, turning to face Michelle and Johnathen.

  I stopped midsentence. Both Michelle and Johnathen were standing there with shocked looks on their faces.

  “You named the dragon?” Jonathan whispered.

  "Yeah,” I responded “Well actually when you come right down to it he named himself.”

  Both Michelle and Johnathen stood there shocked expressions on their faces. Something I had said had really surprised them. I glanced at Fetch and saw the confusion on his face mirroring the confusion I was feeling.

  "Yeah, I had to call him something, and, since he got the clothes and food for me, I joked about how he fetched them and it stuck."

  This wasn’t necessarily how it happened, but, just like anybody does when they meet people they want to impress, you make a story more interesting. I glanced over at Fetch again. He made no move indicating he disliked what I had said. Michelle and Johnathen continued to stare at us, mouths slightly open. They both seemed to be in shock.

  “He presented you with clothes and food.”

  This was a statement, not a question. I found myself nodding my head "yes" anyway. He had a look of amazement on his face. The broad smile came back and he shook his head in disbelief.

  “I think you need to tell me the whole story from the beginning,” he said. “I need to know everything that happened to you. You can’t leave out one detail. You are unique, Jack. As far as I know there has never been a person like you. And there has never been a Dragon quite like you Fetch."

  “Why are we so special? “I asked.

  “Simple,” said Johnathen. He pointed at me and stated. “You are not supposed to be alive. No one, as far as I know, has ever survived a dragon hatching. Your friend Fetch here, according to his very nature as a dragon, should have killed you. He should have eaten you after he hatched.”

  I didn’t know what to say to this. I thought back to when I was in the tunnel and how I was sure Fetch was going to kill me. I had been right all along. According to Johnathen, I was supposed to die. I could feel Fetch at my side but I couldn’t bring myself to look at him. I was more confused than ever. The same paranoid feeling about the fairy trying to kill me came creeping into my mind. The fairy! I hadn’t given her too much thought since the fight in the parking lot, but now the thought that she caused Fetch's egg to hatch and kill me came creeping back into my mind.

  I turned to Fetch, looking at him. He gave me a level look waiting to see how I was going to react. His eyes had gone back to green. I looked at him standing there; I wanted to say so much. I couldn’t be upset at him. Whether he was supposed to or not he didn’t eat me. I had to thank him for that. The whole ridiculousness of this situation came rushing into my mind and I started to laugh. I didn’t want to but I just couldn’t help it. I laughed long and hard and pointed at Fetch.

  “Dude!” I said, “You were supposed to eat me?”

  Fetch turned his head away. He seemed confused. It must have been extremely hard to fight against his nature and spare me. I felt bad for laughing.

  “I’m sorry Fetch, but this is all so confusing. I mean, you know that I thought you were part of some kind of plot by the fairy to kill me."

  At these words, Johnathen grabbed me by the arm and spun me to face him. He looked like someone had drained all color from his face. His upper lip twitched.

  “What fairy? Trying to kill you? What are you talking about? You mentioned a fairy in the tunnel Jack, what do you mean plot?“

  He squeezed my arm tightly. He definitely was strong. I pulled away from him, not liking how his mood had changed. I could hear Fetch growling. He wasn’t happy with the way Johnathen had reacted to the news of the fairy. Neither did I. He took a step back giving me some space.

  “I’m sorry Jack," he said, "but the more I hear about this fairy, the more I am convinced you are in a lot of danger. I have a spell of protection in place at this park right now, but, if a fairy has tried to kill you, we will have to get moving soon."

  Once again I started to feel frustration and anger swell up inside me. All of this seemed so unfair. I looked over at Michelle. She looked scared and angry.

  “Johnathen, you didn’t tell me anything about a fey being involved.”

  She stared at the wizard. Her voice had a slight tremor to it and her hands, clinched into fists, were visibly shaking.

  “I didn’t know all of the details,” said Johnathen, “but does it surprise you that Jack here was targeted just like you were? “

  Tears welled up in her eyes and she turned away. Fetch had stopped growling at Johnathen and was staring at Michelle. He was obviously concerned about her. I reached a boiling point. I was supposed to get some answers from this guy and now I seemed to have more questions.

  “Ok man, what is going on?" I shouted. “You freaked in the tunnel when I mentioned the Fairy and now you've freaked again. I've been targeted by the fey now? Was this some sort of plot? Was I supposed to find Fetch? What is going on?"

  Johnathen stood there staring at Michelle’s back, as she had turned away from us and seemed to be crying. After a few moments he sighed and began to speak.

  “There was a rumor going around the magic community about someone spreading Dragon eggs for people to find. No one had any idea if it was true or not. But me, and others who are sensitive to feeling the magic of a dragon hatching, have been searching to find answers. So far we have always been too late. By the time a hatched dragon has been located they had already consumed the host and disappeared. No one has had any clue as to who is behind this, until today. You, Jack, are the first host ever to survive. All other hosts die as a result of the dragon consuming the life force of its host to survive. Both you and Fetch are unique. Neither one of you should be alive. You shouldn’t have survived the hatching and Fetch should be dead because he never took your life force."

  I stood there letting this all sink in. I seemed to be part of something big. Fetch a
nd I were now right in the middle of some strange magic conspiracy.

  “So the fairies have been killing people with these dragon eggs?”

  “Yes, it would seem so,” said Johnathen.

  “Why?” I asked. “I mean, why are they doing this and why did they pick me?”

  "I don’t think they picked you on purpose Jack. Did anyone give you Fetch's egg?”

  “No I found it on the ground. I just thought it was a cool looking rock and was keeping it as a good luck charm. Wait a minute, if she wanted Fetch to hatch and kill me, then why did she lead me out to the street where I almost got hit by the car?”

  Johnathen looked at me in confusion.

  “I think you better tell me what happened from the beginning Jack. There is a lot to your story I don’t know, and, the only way I can answer the questions that you and Fetch have is to hear what exactly happened to you both. But, what you need to know is that there is a world of magic all around you, Jack. So many of the stories you might have read about fantasy and magic is based in truth. What you need to understand is that there are forces in this magic world that would rather see you dead than let you be what you are now. There are creatures that would see all people, who are not magical, wiped off the face of the earth. The fey are part of that group. At best, they are mischievous causing difficulty for humans. At the worst, they can be evil and destroy lives."

  At these words Michelle turned and walked away. A path leading in the opposite direction appeared behind us. Michelle walked that way toward a limo parked along the road. She stopped at a park bench and sat there with her head in her hands.

  “She is a victim of the fey cruelty, Jack. They destroyed her family. Her parents and little brother were killed by them."

  My blood ran cold at these words. It really brought home the seriousness of the situation.

  “Why?” I asked.

  “Because they could. They are cruel, Jack. “

  I looked over at Fetch. He was staring in Michelle’s direction.

  “Ok," I said, "I will tell you everything."

  Fetch looked at me. I don’t think he liked the idea of me telling Johnathen everything.

  “Hey Fetch, I know you don’t want to kill me. If you did, you would have had more than one chance to do it. But you've got to let me know. Was I supposed to find you? Were you supposed to kill me?”

  This just blurted out of me. It seemed silly as soon as I said it, but I felt I had to know. I was more confused than ever. I wondered at that moment if I would regret my question. Fetch looked at me, confusion in his eyes. I could tell that he didn’t know. He needed answers just as badly as I did. He gave me a snort and, before I could react, he jumped into the air and started to fly off. I yelled at him to come back. It was starting to get light out and I could see him in the early light of dawn. He landed next to the park bench and I watched him walk up to Michelle. She sat up startled at his presence. He put a paw in her lap. They sat there staring at each other, then she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his neck. Even from this distance I could hear her sobbing gently. Johnathen put a hand on my shoulder.

  ”Come on. I've got some coffee in the limo.”

  We walked down the path together, not saying anything. I knew that Johnathen was anxious to hear mine and Fetch's story, but he wanted to give me some time to adjust to what I had heard and to what had happened to me. What he told me was taking a lot time to sink in.

  “She is beautiful," said Johnathen.

  He was staring over at Fetch and Michelle. I looked over at him my face turning red.

  “Don’t worry about it," said Johnathen smiling, “we’re not together. I’m more like her guardian than anything. I do care for her and I had quite a fight to keep her safe and protected. The council wasn’t too happy with me when I took her in, but she has proven herself to most of the magic community."

  I looked at Johnathen. He must have seen the confusion on my face. He laughed and patted my shoulder reassuringly.

  "I’ll explain as much as I can to you, Jack. Don’t worry."

  I was beginning to like this guy. He seemed genuinely sincere, and was definitely down to earth.

  “You are not like what I would expect a wizard to be," I said.

  He laughed again. “I’m going to take that as a compliment,” he smiled.

  I looked back over at Michelle. “That’s an interesting tattoo she has," I said.

  “Ah yes, it is. When I first met Michelle, she just had the outline of it done. She has been working on it ever since. She is almost finished with it. Can you tell what it is?"

  I shook my head no. “It’s colorful and an interesting design," I said. "I couldn’t tell what it is though."

  Johnathen looked at me for a moment. "I think I'll let her tell you what it is."

  We walked away from the pond, and Johnathen led me away from the park bench toward the limo. He seemed to want to give Fetch and Michelle some privacy.

  “Do you have any tattoos?" he asked.

  I looked over at him. He was trying hard to make small talk. Trying to relax me and put my mind at ease. I appreciated it.

  ”No," I said. "I don’t have any. I've never found the right one for me. My brother got one and it just ended up looking ridiculous on him. So I wanted to give it a lot of thought as to what I would get if I were to get one."

  At the mention of my brother, the memory of our meeting in the parking lot came back to me. I thought about asking Johnathen about this but I remembered how he told us to come see him immediately and I didn’t want to get him upset. After all, he was a wizard and, even though I was beginning to trust him, I didn’t want to make him mad.

  We reached the limo. It hit me then that this guy had a limo. He must be rich. I remembered the duffle bag of money he had given me. My hand went to my forehead.

  “O man,” I said, "I left your money on that little island. I’ll go get it."

  "No need,“ said Johnathen.

  He raised a hand to his chest and said a strange word. The duffle bag appeared outside the limo.

  “It's not my money anymore, Jack. It is yours. This is your first lesson about the magic world. A gift from a wizard means that you have his protection. You cannot refuse the gift or return it to the wizard. If you do, it will just find you again. So you are stuck with the money. Don’t even try to give it back. You’re going to need it."

  This last statement had me worried. More and more there seemed to be so much I didn’t know.

  Chapter 14

  Johnathen opened the door to the limo and reached inside, pulling out two cups of coffee.

  ”Whoops," he said. "I didn’t even ask if you liked coffee. I just took it for granted that you did."

  I took the coffee out of his hands. “I love it Johnathen. Got any cream and sugar?"

  He reached back into the car and handed me a handful of sugar and cream packets. I fixed my coffee. It tasted good. I remembered the last cup I had, and how I only got a few sips in before all this craziness happened. I thought back to the store and the table and then my brother again. Why didn’t he remember me? Did the fairy have something to do with it?

  I took a sip of the coffee. It was strong and sweet and helped me relax. I leaned against the limo and looked around the park. I had grown up in this area and had a lot of memories tied up in this park. Some were good, others bad. The past seemed to weigh on me in a heavy way and I stood there in silence. I looked over at Michele and Fetch. He was attempting to balance his whole body on his tail. Michelle was laughing. It was amazing to me how much my life had changed in just a short amount of time. I felt dizzy for a second at the idea of what was now my life. I looked at Johnathen as he leaned on the limo looking at the pond. He wasn’t saying anything, but I could tell he was anxious to hear my story.

  “Starting to get light out,” he said softly.

  I started to talk. I never meant to tell him everything. Just enough to maybe get some answers. But, before I knew
it, I was telling him the whole story. From when I saw the fairy, to the egg, to the nightmare, everything. Every little detail I could think of came out of my mouth. I even described the details of Booger's face and the smell of his cigars. My whole adventure, so far, was laid out before him. When I was finished, he stood there in stunned silence. Michelle and Fetch had come over. I didn’t even notice they were there until I had finished talking. I looked at Fetch.

  “Sorry,” I said to him.

  I really didn’t mean to tell Johnathen everything without Fetch being there. After all it was just as much his story as it was mine. Fetch seemed to understand my apology. He nodded his head. He seemed to believe that it was best to let Johnathen know it all. I let out a sigh of relief. I was glad that Fetch was beginning to trust Johnathen as much as I was beginning to trust him. Not just because he seemed to have answers, but also the fantasy geek in me was thrilled at the idea of having a wizard as a friend. Michelle just stood there, not saying a word. She had a hand on Fetch's back. They had shared a moment and were now good friends. In fact, he was treating her much better than he treated me. We turned to Johnathen waiting to hear what he had to say. My story had shocked him. He stared off into space thinking of what to say. Finally he spoke.

  “You are an amazing person, Jack. I can’t imagine too many people, going through what you went through, coming out of it without losing their minds. I can give you some answers, but, I doubt they will give you much comfort. You have been victimized. But, the simple fact that you have fought back, in the way you have, shows strength of character that I don’t think you are fully aware you have. Both you and Fetch. I’m not trying to flatter you. Just simply stating a fact. For you two to survive, the way you have, shows a strength of spirit that few people possess. I hope what I can tell you will help. But, there are just too many unknowns to consider. I will try to answer everything I can. I hope it helps you.”

  “The fairy was trying to kill you, I have no doubt about that. They are a cruel race that finds pleasure in torturing and killing humans. They pick their victims randomly. I am not sure if you really saw her at your accident years ago. If you had, you wouldn’t be here today. She would have definitely killed you then. Ironically, it was you finding Fetch's egg that saved your life. This is where it gets incredible. I have no doubt in my mind that it was the fairies that have been spreading the eggs around. They have the ability to detect when a dragon egg is about to hatch. Most can only feel it after it has begun."