“Thank you, my lad,” said Takar. “Have a good night.”
After bidding good night to Sam and Sherman, Randall left by way of the kitchen and ran into Ezra, who was putting away the last of the dishes.
“Turning in?” she asked.
“Yes. Good night,” said Randall.
“Good night.”
As Randall headed up the stairs, Ezra called, “Randall, wait! I almost forgot. Here.” She picked up a small covered dish and handed it to him. “It’s some leftovers for your pets. I’m afraid it isn’t much now that Sherman’s here.”
Randall smiled. “Thank you, Mrs. Takar. Good night.” He took the tray and climbed the stairs to his bedroom.
Ezra smiled after him. “Such a nice boy,” she murmured.
Shortly after he left, Sherman entered the kitchen with an enormous piece of pie in his hand. “What’s this I hear about pets?” he inquired, biting off a huge chunk.
“You were eavesdropping!” scolded Ezra.
“I know,” said Sherman after a moment, making sure to swallow before answering. “But I’m a little nervous about Randall. All evening I felt his eyes boring a hole into the back of my neck. It’s as if he was watching me or something.” He bit off another chunk of pie.
“He seems to be a nice young man,” said Ezra coolly. “In the last couple of weeks he’s been a big help to both me and your father. He is well mannered and sincere. If he was looking at you maybe he was wishing he could be our son too. His own parents died when he was still a child.” Seeing Sherman’s face redden, Ezra lightened her tone. “Maybe it’s just your imagination, Sherman. Your job requires that you be suspicious of everyone and everything.”
“You could be right,” admitted Sherman, stuffing the last piece of pie into his mouth.
“Anyway,” continued Ezra, “in answer to your original question, Randall keeps pigeons in the attic. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t allow such a thing, but it makes him happy so I let it go. As long as they don’t make too much mess, that is.”
“That seems harmless enough,” said Sherman.
“Of course it is. Want some more pie?”
“Sure!”
Chapter 4
The day dawned bright, but clear, as Max and Kazin entered the portal in Marral. For the last two years they had travelled by portal nearly every day with the exception of weekends, but the experience was still unnerving. Upon entering the portal, everything became pitch black. Then the temperature dropped to nearly freezing. Within moments, it would become unbearably hot. Just when it was almost too hot to humanly endure, it would rapidly become freezing cold once again. This procedure repeated itself several times until the rise and fall of temperature was almost instantaneous. At this point it was quite pleasant for the portal traveller, feeling like normal room temperature. Finally the rise and fall of temperature would slow down once again, ending on a cold draft that became warmer as the mage found himself standing just outside the portal at the destination. When returning the way he had come, the mage would experience the same thing as before but end up at the first portal. The portal only led to the one it was magically designed to link up with, never another one. Any number of mages could travel the portal in either direction but they would never encounter one another. Travellers were always isolated from each other.
When Kazin and Max arrived in the tower’s courtyard, Max arriving just after Kazin, they looked across to where the portal to Warral stood. At that instant a mage appeared, followed by another. Many apprentices were arriving today for the test. It was going to be a busy day for the tower. They started off toward the tower’s entrance right behind the new arrivals, with more appearing from the portal they had just vacated. The entrance to the tower looked dark and forbidding, but they confidently stepped through, instantly being whisked into a large inner lecture hall. Unlike the portals, this form of travel had no feeling. It just happened.
Kazin looked around the hall and observed the numerous other mages in the room. There appeared to be about one hundred or so apprentice mages present, both male and female, with more appearing every minute. The hall was beginning to get crowded, designed for a total of perhaps two hundred people. When all the seats were taken, several mages had to stand along the outside edge of the seating area. The murmur of voices combined with the scraping of chair legs on the floor generated so much noise that many didn’t notice the arrival of the arch mage.
The arch mage was an older man of average height with a slight stoop to his shoulders and a long, flowing white beard. His weathered face showed signs of strain due to years of spell casting but also indicated a ruggedness that came with experience. These features paled, however, when compared to his eyes. They were a penetrating dark blue and in them one could see a determination, an inner strength, and a youthfulness that belied his age. He calmly climbed the steps to the teaching platform and quickly but firmly rapped his staff on the table, drawing attention to himself and creating a hush in the lecture hall. This hall, like the other halls, had a built in loud spell on the platform. This spell amplified the voice of whoever was standing on it so that when the arch mage finally spoke, all could hear him clearly.
“It is an honour for me to welcome you all to the tower on this special occasion,” he began. “After two years of teaching and training, you have all managed to come a long way with your spell casting abilities. Although we started out with nearly five hundred applicants, more than two hundred of you showed promise as mages. With our apprenticeship program, we were able to teach you magic and trade skills and how they could be combined. Those who did not have the inherent skills to cast spells were directed to other career options. Now you will each have one chance to become a full-fledged mage, or even a master mage, as determined by your aptitude in the upcoming test. This will stabilize and improve your future, as well as increase your responsibilities. There are four possible outcomes in the test. I will give you a brief description of each.
“First of all, for those apprentices who fail; and I personally hope that none of you fail; you will NOT be abandoned. You will have the support of the tower in finding work that is suitable to your abilities. Unfortunately, you will never get the chance to redo the test. So be careful!
“A second possible outcome of the test is to reach the level of a full-fledged mage. Most of you will fall into that category. This indicates that you have passed the initial requirements of the test and are ready to serve the tower or be sent to assist the armies. Either way, you will embark on a positive career change, doing some much more important work than what you were doing thus far.
“Another possibility is to reach the level of master mage. Very few of you will reach this level but if you do, you will serve the tower in a myriad of ways. For example, you may become teachers not unlike the master mages who have trained you. Or you can be involved in the making of magical artifacts, which requires a greater command of magic. Reaching this level allows the study and use of existing magical artifacts, which are very powerful indeed! Master Mages are also sent on important and dangerous quests. As I said, your responsibilities increase with your station.
“Finally, there is likely to be one mage among you who will ‘perfect’ the test. Every year, one apprentice succeeds in perfecting the test. We don’t know why or how, but it has worked out that way for hundreds of years. I myself am one of those.”
The hall, silent until now, suddenly rose in a chorus of murmurs. The arch mage rapped his staff on the desk again and continued. “This successful mage will still only achieve the rank of master mage, but will be one of several mages who have the opportunity to be elected to the governing body of twelve arch mages, of which I am one. To be elected there must first be a vacancy. When that occurs, those master mages who have perfected the test are entered into the election. The remaining master mages then vote for the candidate they think has contributed most to
the tower and its operation. It could take years to be elected; maybe never. So don’t assume you will be a leader on your first day.”
At this there were a few chuckles.
The arch mage cleared his throat. “Enough of politics. Now I must tell you about the test itself. As many of you have probably noticed, the test takes place during full moon which is today.”
There was a surprised groan from those who hadn’t noticed this fact until now.
“The reason for this,” continued the arch mage, “is to see if you can cast spells when the black energy of the moon is at its weakest. This will show us how well you can draw the energy from within yourself.”
Kazin felt an elbow nudge his side. “You were right,” whispered Max.
“You all may have been wondering why your instructors have been making you create simple flames in the palm of your hand during the last week or so,” said the arch mage. “This was to prepare you for the test. You see, to pass the test you must create a flame in your palm and never allow it to go out. To do so will end the test immediately.”
There was a murmur of surprise at this statement.
“Yes,” said the arch mage. “It sounds easy, doesn’t it? But when the odds are against you it isn’t that simple at all. The mages who will be testing you won’t merely be distracting you like the children in the square. They’ll be doing everything in their power to put out your flame!”
At this there were sounds of disappointment.
“Furthermore,” stated the arch mage, “the draw of magical power from that simple flame will seem like a chain around your neck! Especially when you are casting spells to defend yourself!”
Now several of the apprentices were holding their heads in their hands, groaning at the thought of failure.
“Do not be afraid!” yelled the arch mage.
The strength of that shout caused many to lift their heads in surprise.
“You have been taught all that you need to know to pass the test,” he continued in calmer tones, but still loudly. “If you remain calm and quell your fear, and concentrate on keeping your flame alive, you will do just fine.”
“What about the stories of the mages who died during the test?” called out one apprentice.
“There have been fatalities and injuries during the test,” conceded the arch mage, “but very rarely. Those who were injured or killed made a foolhardy attempt to cast some magical spells that were beyond them. In later levels of the test you will have to do battle with various enemies and the wrong selection of spell could weaken your defence enough to allow opponents to injure you. We will have clerics ready should any of you be injured. Approach each part of the test with caution and you should prevail.
“Unfortunately, I cannot tell you any more about the test. I will give each of you a pouch of spell components, some of which you may need during the test. Each pouch has a magical seal which cannot be opened until you enter the test area. This prevents tampering by anyone, including arch mages. You will also be given a plain staff—remember your fighting skills! You must leave your personal staff and pouch with us before entering the test area. They will not be permitted. Neither will any magical artifacts that you might have in your possession. If any of these items happen to enter the test area, they will magically be sent to a holding area where I will determine what to do with them. This prevents anyone from cheating. Before beginning the test, you must create your flame with the flint and dried leaves I have here for that purpose. Do not let it go out! One last thing: All of you will remember the test but none of you will be able to tell anyone about it. The knowledge of the test is magically protected and no matter how hard you try to tell someone about it, whether by word of mouth or by letter, you will not be able to do it. This goes for those who fail as well. Anyone who attempts to take the test more than once will be magically prevented from doing so. The test room remembers who has entered once before.
“I wish you all good luck and remember: don’t let the flame go out. I can’t stress the importance of this,” said the arch mage sternly, shaking his staff at the apprentices. Without another word he went to the back of the lecture hall and chanted a spell. A door appeared where there wasn’t one previously and so did a table filled with pouches of spell components. On the wall appeared several racks of staves, all plain and unadorned. “Who’s first?” he asked, turning around to face the nearest apprentices.
Finally Kazin’s turn came to begin the test. He strapped his pouch to his side, picked up a plain staff; cast the flame spell in his hand using the flint and dried leaves supplied by the arch mage, and cautiously entered the test room. As soon as he entered, everything became pitch black within a few feet of the flame in his hand. He turned around to see the room he had just exited but nothing was there. Suddenly a strong gust of wind blew toward him, threatening to put out his flame. His flame wavered slightly but his concentration did not as he waited for the wind to die down. It would take more than a gust of wind to blow out his flame, he thought, considering all the practice he’d been getting the last few weeks. He barely needed to concentrate on it anymore. He waited for several more seconds in case there was another attack, but finally decided to check the contents of the pouch.
His pouch opened easily after freeing the magical seal. There were several contents inside, many which Kazin would have brought with him if he had been allowed to choose. There was a small rock, some flint, several dried leaves, animal fur, a piece of cloth and one of leather, several small vials of water, pouches containing either sand or salt, tree bark, a chunk of clay, a pigeon feather, and a raven’s feather. This last item he picked up, trying to recall the spells it was used for. Unfortunately, he didn’t have time to think about it, because another gust of wind came along, whipping the feather out of his hand and blowing fiercely at his flame. He waited patiently, silently berating himself for losing the feather. Soon the wind died down, giving way to a steady downpour of rain. Kazin quickly reached into his pouch with his free hand. Grasping the small rock firmly in his fist, he chanted several magical incantations and a magical shield appeared over his flame, keeping it dry despite the deluge. A few minutes later, the wind picked up again, blowing the rain horizontally toward the flame. Kazin merely concentrated a little harder and extended the shield around his entire hand. This continued for several more minutes until finally both the wind and rain stopped abruptly. By this time Kazin was drenched to the bone. He shuddered and cancelled his shield spell, knowing how important it was to conserve his magical strength. If he had covered his entire body with a shield spell—yes, he would still be dry—but he would also be exhausted. At this point magical energy counted for more than physical comfort.
After a brief pause, Kazin heard a distant droning sound that seemed to be coming closer. He quickly created another shield over his flame and waited. He didn’t have to wait long before he felt a sting on his cheek. Then another. Hornets! Kazin frantically pawed the stone in his hand and added to his original spell. Instantly his shield covered his entire body, and not a moment too soon. There were such a large number of hornets around him that they created a shield of their own. Kazin began to relax but then caught his breath. His flame was beginning to weaken. He might have protection from the hornets, but he had cut off his air supply! In order to get enough air for both himself and his flame, he needed to open his shield. But how could he do it without exposing himself to the hornets? Then an idea occurred to him. He raised his hand with the flame on it and lessened his concentration on the shield spell just enough to weaken it. Then he pressed the flame up into the top of the shield, allowing it to burn through. Then he drew it back only slightly, holding it close enough to the hole to stop the advance of the hornets. This seemed to work effectively and several minutes later, the hornets were gone. Kazin wearily let go of his shield spell. He nearly lost his flame in the process but the sudden rush of fresh air revived it to
its original brightness. That last spell drew a fair amount of his magical energy. The flame, although a lesser spell, was also draining him continuously. He didn’t know how much more time there was to the test, but he knew he would have to use his magic wisely in order to succeed.
Meanwhile, Max was encountering the same thing Kazin was. When he entered the test room, he half expected to see Kazin, who had entered just moments before. This was not the case, however, and Max quickly adapted. The downpour had just ended and Max re-examined the contents of his pouch. The things that interested him most were the vials of water, which when combined with the rock and the proper incantation, would create an ice bolt spell. He picked up the piece of fur to discover what might be hidden underneath when he heard the same droning noise that Kazin had heard earlier. This sound was familiar to Max, having heard it many times in his father’s barn. The fur in his hand gave him an idea. He often used this spell to nullify the effects of a powerful cold spell which was cast on a shipment of milk or meat. He hoped it would work for this problem as well. He uncovered the piece of cloth and held it together with the fur. Then he chanted a spell and rubbed the two pieces of material together in his fingers. Instantly his entire body was covered in fur. He knew he did the right thing when the hornets surrounded him. Not one could penetrate his thick coat. The flame was beginning to burn the fur on his hand but he wasn’t about to give in just yet. After a while, they became discouraged and departed. Max sighed with relief, cancelling his fur spell quickly. Any longer and the flame would have spread along his arm, maybe even his whole body. He shuddered. As it was, his palm was somewhat blistered. The flame still flickered, bouncing innocently above the blistered spot. At least he wasn’t out of the test yet. He looked around for the next challenge.
Kazin's Quest: Book I of The Dragon Mage Trilogy Page 3
