by Brian Beam
I slowly pushed myself to my feet, flinching as I pushed up with my hurt leg. “Thanks, Max.”
“Thanks nothing, lunkhead. You both are going to tell me everything, now.” Max dropped down on his haunches.
I explained about what had happened after the eldrhim had destroyed his magical barrier—he seemed quite taken back by that fact—and how I had met Sal’. “So it looks like we’re on our way to Nansunic’s temple with Sal’…Maea here.”
“You’re not saying you still believe those were eldrims,” Sal broke in as I finished.
Max took care of answering for me. “Eldrhims are real. More real than I would prefer at that.” Her pretty, pouty mouth dropped. So she’d take the word of a cat over mine. What was I, rotted rat meat? “What I am interested in is the fact that you can tell I can use magic and that you could recognize the spell on Korin. That is not a common ability in this world.” Max hurried on as if he had spoken something he hadn’t meant to. “You have such an amazing ability, but have so little control over your magic?”
Sal’s face reddened in embarrassment again. She was much cuter when embarrassed than when trying to kill with her glares. As up and down as she had been with her emotions, I had already had quite a dose of both extremes.
“I’m sure Ms. Fellway here just needs more practice,” I quipped with a grin, causing her brow to drop into anger again.
“Fellway?” Max asked with surprise. “As in Nehril Fellway, the Grand Wizard?”
Sal’s anger changed to embarrassment once more as she nodded timidly. “He’s my father.”
What a twist this information was. She was the daughter of the head of the Wizard Council and the Wizard Academy in the kingdom of Tahron. As the head of the Wizard Council, the Grand Wizard is the one who sends out wizard ambassadors to help leaders throughout Amirand—kings, queens, and lords—to resolve any issues they face involving magic. They are also responsible for the sentencing of any law-breaking wizards who are brought before the Council for trial. As the head of the Wizard Academy, the Grand Wizard is responsible for ensuring that wizards who come to study there are properly trained and is also the overseer of the research done there. I guess you could say they are the king of wizards.
Max had told me about the Grand Wizard, but I had never known his name until he had just spoken it. I could understand why the whole Rank thing was so important to Sal’ now. With a father who would be considered the highest Ranked wizard, she must have been pretty hurt by the fact she couldn’t obtain even the lowest Rank. I could only imagine what her father thought of that.
Max’s shock remained on his face. “Amazing. The child of the most powerful wizard in Amirand cannot even cut a man’s hair with magic without turning him into a human carving stick.” And with that, my smart-aleck cat was back.
For once, Sal didn’t turn away in embarrassment and instead reached angrily into her case, but her hand stopped before she could grab one of her mice. “Let go of my arm,” she spat. Max must have stopped her with magic. He needed to cut back on his magic use before he wore himself out and left me alone with Miss Crazy again.
“Max, let her go. I think we’re all acting like fools at this point. Let’s just stop this and maybe try getting along until we can find this dragon. Max, you and I will get the gem. Sal’,” her eyes burned even hotter, “can kill her dragon, and we can all go our separate ways. Okay?” Sal’ gave a jerky nod as if forcing it and Max, giving me an annoyed look at being bossed around, nodded as well.
Sal’ took her hand from the case once she could move on her own again. “How did you do that?” she asked, staring at Max.
“Do what?”
“Are you using your own energy for spells? That’s dangerous, you know.” Her lecturing tone brought Max’s green eyes down to slits.
“Fleas.” His annoyance was clear. I guess I would have been annoyed too. Max had to be older than her. He had already outlasted a cat’s normal lifespan since I had first met him, and he was already grown and apparently wizard-trained before that. I suspected that Max was actually much older than my twenty-three years and so he probably knew scores more about magic than Sal’. And here she was instructing him on dangers of using your own body for magical energy.
Sal’ seemed to ignore his annoyance with a thoughtful look on her slender face. “Interesting. Well, you must be hungry. Would you like something to eat?”
Sal’ went from enemy to best friend with those words and Max leapt eagerly to all fours. “Maybe you’re not so bad,” he purred as she brought out some salted ham slices. I could accept her taking his word over mine, but giving him better food was just rude.
Max ravaged the ham, licking his chops when finished. Then, as if finally just discovering the discomfort I felt from my scratched up face and head, he closed his eyes and I felt the warmth of his healing magic seep into me. Not only did the scratches heal, but the pain from my prior injuries finally disappeared too. I didn’t know if Max knew about those pains or if he just performed a general healing on me, but either way, I was grateful.
“Thanks.” I ran a hand through my chestnut hair with its choppy unevenness. At least it didn’t fall into my face anymore.
If it weren’t for Max’s eyes already starting to look heavy after the magic he had cast since waking, I’d have asked him to even it out. It seemed unfair that Sal’ hadn’t shown any hints of getting tired from her magic use when Max had only been awake minutes and already looked ready for a nap. Either incorrectly performed magic required less energy, or there was just that much difference in how much a cat could exert itself compared to a human.
“No problem,” Max replied. “I am sorry I could not fix how stupid you look.” Sal’ burst out laughing until tears filled her eyes. Max just gave me his usual wry expression with a hint of a smile.
“Alright, everyone have their laugh at the purple-shirted, funny-haired Contract Holder who really needs to get moving before he becomes a slave to a Lesteal-blooded count.” Lesteal is the god of arrogance. I think he is actually the god of pride or something—my god knowledge is anything but perfect—but arrogant is a fitter descriptor than prideful when it comes to Galius.
“You forgot about the green pants,” Sal’ choked out from between laughs. It was hard to be too annoyed though. She did have a beautiful laugh to go with her beautiful looks. If only she didn’t have the whole “crazy” thing going on.
I looked at the two wizards having a kick at my expense with exasperation. “What’s wrong with green pants?”
Sal seemed to ignore the question as she stood and grabbed the folded blanket she had set beside her. Wiping tears from her eyes as her laughter trailed off, Sal’ stuffed the blanket into her backpack, even though the backpack already looked stuffed. Sal’ held out a hand for the blanket I had laid on the ground, but I had no idea where she was going to put it. The backpack was obviously full. I picked it up and shook it out before handing it to her. She grabbed the blanket and somehow fit it down into the backpack.
“It’s a spell,” she answered to the question forming on my lips. She buckled the backpack closed and slung it over her shoulders. “Alright, let’s go.”
I looked down at Max who was now washing his face with a forepaw. “You go on ahead, Sal’...maea. We’ll catch up.” She stared at me skeptically. “We’ll be right behind you. I just want to talk to Max for a moment.” She continued to stare at me. “Alone.” Finally, with an air of annoyance, she turned on her heels and started back up the mountain.
Max stopped bathing to look up at me. “I am sorry about Telis.” He looked like he meant it.
“Thanks, Max. I understand it was necessary.” That didn’t make it hurt any less, though. I hung my head down for a moment, making sure I wasn’t going to tear up before continuing. Once I was sure I could hold it together, I asked, “Max, did you say that eldrhims are summoned by magic before?”
“Hold on.” Max paused, turning towards where Sal’ was hiking up the moun
tain. “Quit listening,” he yelled to her. With a squint of my eyes, I could see her hand jerk out of her wicker case. Max turned back to me with one of his classic huffs. “Sorry. Yes, they can only be summoned with magic. They are not of this world. I am not saying they really are creatures from Rizear’s domain, but they are definitely not of our world.”
I wanted to ask him what he meant by “our world”, but I had more pressing concerns. “So, Menar didn’t summon them.” It was more a logical statement than a question.
“No.” Max resumed his bath as if bored with the conversation.
If he was going to block off my questions this early, I was going to have to struggle not to wring his neck. “Then who did?”
Max stopped mid-lick and looked back to me. Thankfully, there would be no neck wringing. “I am not for certain, but the only person I can think of who has the power to do so, as well as would use that power for such a purpose, is a man I once knew: Raijom Weist. He is a very powerful wizard. Much more so than I.”
The way I took his answer was that Max used to be human. Well that, or Raijom was a cat. Why else would Max compare their power? I wanted to bring up those other concerns, but again, I stuck with the important things. You know, the things associated with me living a full life. “So, there are two people out to kill me?”
“Yes, and no,” Max answered vaguely. “Look, I have probably told you more than you should know already. Can we just drop it?”
“Nope.” Max wasn’t going to get away with keeping so many secrets this time. Not with my life at risk.
“Well, I cannot tell you everything, but Menar is likely acting under Raijom’s direction,” Max explained in a whisper as if Sal’ was still trying to listen in.
“And exactly why do they want to kill me?” Max looked away. “No, not this time Max. I deserve to know.”
Max sighed. “You are right. They want to kill you because of a prophecy that they believe concerns you. They do not like what you are supposedly to do.”
I almost laughed. The thought that I could be specifically named in a prophecy struck me as humorous. If I haven’t mentioned it yet, I don’t believe in fate. Therefore, I also don’t believe in prophesies that can supposedly tell the future.
“Right,” I scoffed. “What am I supposed to do that is so bad according to this prophecy?” I asked mockingly with wide eyes and shaking my hands with my palms out to my sides.
Max shook his head. “As a wizard, Korin, I cannot divulge that information to you. In my experience, knowledge of prophecy rarely leads to anything good. Look at how you life has been affected because of someone else’s view of a prophecy. If you were to know the prophecy, who is to say the lengths you would try to go to in order to fulfill or avoid it. Knowledge of specific prophesies is really best left alone. I do believe that you truly are the subject of this prophecy, though.” I couldn’t believe that Max actually believed that the prophecy he spoke of specifically concerned me.
I mean, prophesies in this day and age are so rare that most people don’t even know that they exist anymore. From what I have gathered in talking to Max over the years, there used to be countless prophets and prophesies. Like Sal’s talent in recognizing magic, prophetic magic is also a rarity. As wizards have bred outside of the magic community over hundreds of years, the power of magic has diminished greatly over time. With prophesies being so rare, what could the chances be of having one directly related to me?
My mind tried to fill in the holes that Max purposely left in his explanation. I knew he wouldn’t explain the situation further. As it was, I was amazed he had finally given me as much as he had. I figured that he was being more open with me out of guilt for Telis’ fate.
And then, it hit me like a blacksmith’s hammer to an anvil. Everything fell into place. “It all makes sense now,” I spoke aloud without realizing it. My eyes widened as I looked into Max’s eyes. “Raijom was was familiar with the prophecy concerning me, and did not want to see the prophecy fulfilled. You knew about his intentions to kill me and you confronted him since you believed that the prophecy should be left alone to be played out. He turned you into a cat, but you got away.”
Once I had started, I couldn’t stop. The puzzle pieces started to fit. “My parents also knew about the prophecy and sent me away to for my own protection because they suspected that someone would try to kill me because of it. You didn’t show up until I was five years old because trying to find a random baby that fit the prophecy without knowing that the baby had been sent away from where it was first born would take a long time. You found me before Raijom could and put a spell on me to keep me hidden from him. Raijom couldn’t find me because of the spell, so he sent Menar out to hunt me down manually.”
I took in a deep breath after spilling everything out in a single breathless train of thought. It mostly made sense of everything. That is, unless that dream I had of Menar being with my parents had actually been memory. That would poke a pretty big hole in my theory. In that scenario, since Max knew who Menar was, he would likely have known who my parents were too. If that were the case, surely Max wouldn’t have had me on a pointless quest to find people that he knew the location of all along.
Max looked at me like I was an idiot for a moment and shook his head. He started to open his mouth to reply, but then shut it and looked away as his eyes grew wider. He turned back to me. “Yes, exactly. You are right about everything except for Raijom turning me into a cat. I did not think you would be ready for that. I guess I was wrong.” With that, Max started bounding up the mountain after Sal’. “Come on. Maybe Salmaea will have some more ham.”
I started off at a fast walk after him to catch up. I wanted to feel proud for figuring it all out. But deep down, I knew I was wrong. Deep down, I knew Max had just lied to me.
Chapter 10
Dragons Must Love Livestock
As we grudgingly made our way through the Sanderon Mountains, I felt like a child sulking after chosen to be the dragon in a game of Knights and Dragons. While the other kids were off discussing how to take you down, you were left alone to wonder how bad you were going to get beat up.
Both wizards strode a few paces ahead of me, talking as if I wasn’t behind them even when I tried to get a word into the conversation. Max asked her dozens of questions about the Wizard Academy and of her father Nehril. Sal’ fished for tips on how to better her magic casting. I’m sure what she thought a random wizard cat could teach her that her father, the Grand Wizard, could not.
Max’s advice was how my Knights and Dragons analogy comes into play. Random spells were cast back my way that would sweep me off my feet with gusts of air or send clumps of mud at my face. After a spell would hit me—to Sal’ and Max’s delight—another would come behind it with varying degrees of success. That same gust of air would hit me in my lower back like a switch or the clump of mud would hit me somewhere I’d rather not mention, if they didn’t miss me altogether. Obviously Max was showing her how to do the spells, and then Sal’ would attempt to do the same. Her darkened face told of what she thought of her failures.
After a few hours of being their test subject, I had at least become much more adept at anticipating the attacks and dodging them as they were cast. Sal’s usually didn’t need much dodging. I almost felt bad for her.
Eventually Max ended up in Sal’s arms, sleeping. I jogged to catch up to Sal’, stepping around a dead mouse she had dropped to the ground after using it up with her spells. There was quite the trail of the things behind us. If Max had been any normal, self-respecting cat, he would’ve been disgusted by the waste.
“Learn anything?” I asked, thinking it an innocent question.
Sal’ rounded on me, her eyes daggers. “Oh shut up,” she snapped, quickening her pace to leave me.
I matched her pace to stay by her side. At least this time I could understand her touchiness. Not that I didn’t still think she was crazy, but she was justified in her anger this once. “Sorry, I didn’t mean i
t sarcastically. Was Max really any help?”
Sal’ turned her head to me and her eyes shifted down to the mud staining the front of my pants, the remnants of her failed attempt to hit me in the face the way Max had. I would have much rather had a second mud clump to the face.
“No,” she sighed, her lips becoming even more pouty. “I shouldn’t have put any hope into thinking he could help me. I’ve had so many teachers give up on me.” Her sky blue eyes began to glisten and she quickly turned her head away from me.
Even though I had been her human target for hours and she was a little crazy, I couldn’t help but hurt for her. I put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Hey, don’t sweat it.” She turned to me, tears threatening to stream down her face. “If I had been trying to attack you guys, your attack definitely would’ve been the one to put me down,” I said with a smile, gesturing at my pants.
Sal’ glanced down and then back up to the smile on my mud-stained face and started giggling softly, her face reddening in embarrassment. “Thanks, Korin,” she responded with a sniffle.
“So Salmaea, what’s wrong with calling you Sal’?” I had gotten better calling her by her full name during the times I had desperately tried to get her and Max’s attention as they flung spell after spell at me. Still, Sal’ seemed a more fitting name for her.
“That’s what my parents always called me,” she explained. “The name makes me feel like a kid.” Her face was on the edge of anger as if I were venturing into forbidden territory.
I gave her another smile. “I personally think it fits you,” I replied. “Besides, I go by a shortened name. It’s the fashionable thing to do.” My attempt to cheer Sal’ up appeared to be working as she was laughing again, mirth shining in her eyes. I could get used to her company if she kept up the beautiful smiles and laughter.
Sal’ turned back to me, her face still beaming. “I guess I owe you after, well, you know,” she giggled, gesturing at my pants again, her cheeks becoming an even deeper crimson shade. “You can call me Sal’ for now.”
