Catalyst (Book 1)

by Marc Johnson

  “That's good, my boy,” he said. “Magic can be broken down into three main categories: spells, incantations, and summonings, but there are many more.” Stradus grinned at me. I let out a quiet sigh, but he didn’t notice.

  “Remember, all these things can be great or small, and you must tap into a mana or energy of some sort.” He waved his hand. “We’ll get into that later. As you've already learned, some spells don't have to be spoken to be used. However, spells have to at least be pictured in the mind and latched onto the mana or energy. The stronger the spell, the more things you’ll have to do to raise sufficient power. Like making a sacrifice of some sort, using a potion, doing some physical action, and so on. Do you understand?”

  “I think so.”

  “Don't worry. I promise you'll know this by heart when we've completed your training. Next are incantations. Incantations involve words. You'll have to pronounce precisely the exact words you're going to need and, as always, tap into the mana or energy you'll need. Some incantations can be said right now in the common tongue we’re speaking. They're rather weak, but they still work. The stronger incantations have to be said in the ancient language and, like spells, may involve a potion or sacrifice to be used at the proper moment. Next are summonings.” He opened his mouth, then paused to look at me. I guess he could finally see how lost I was. “I'm sorry if I'm moving too fast, but I’d like to get through the basics as soon as possible. You'll understand as soon as you start practicing.” The wizard ran his fingers through his white hair. “I just don't know how long I’ll be here, Hellsfire.”

  Something struck me. How old was Stradus? He talked about Renak and Shala as if he had known them. By the gods, that was nearly a millennium ago. I thought of asking him how he was able to live so long, because I was curious as to how a person could extend his life. I decided against it. I should learn the basics before trying that, and he would probably just tell me that I should focus on the current lesson. And I could only imagine how much my headache would grow from listening to how to do something so powerful. There was so much I could learn from this ancient wizard.

  “Even the most basic summoning is quite difficult and complex,” Stradus said. “They all require a ritual of some sort. Rituals will require you to do any or all of the things I'm about to tell you. You either have to dress a certain way, tap into a specific mana, have a set number of people present, make a sacrifice, use tools, draw symbols, perform them at the right time and place, and so on. The reason you would want to perform a summoning is that you may need the power it can grant to perform something very great. For example, you can summon a powerful creature, be able to keep the weather in place like I do on this mountain, or even create a powerful barrier.”

  I leaned forward. “You mean like the Great Barrier? The barrier that separates Northern and Southern Shala?”

  “Yes.”

  “Someone was able to create that through a summoning? How was that even possible?”

  “It was very complex, and it wasn't one person that did it. One day I'll explain what I know about it to you, but now is not the time.” His blue eyes deepened in color, as if remembering that tragic time of a land torn in two.

  “I understand.”

  “I don't think you do, but you will. What I told you are the basics of magic; everything is built upon that. There’s much more, like prophecies, veils, the Netherrealm, and the intricacies of alchemists and visions and a million other things, but I'm not going to get into those now.”

  My mouth gaped open, dry air pouring in. How much more could there be? A lot, it seemed. I rubbed my temples. No wonder wizards lived for a long time. They had to, just to learn everything their masters told them.

  “The three categories I told you about aren't set in stone,” the wizard said. “Summonings, incantations, and spells are usually interwoven. When you're doing one of the three, you're often involving two or all of them. For example, you can do a spell and recite some kind of incantation to strengthen it. A summoning will always involve all three when you're performing the ritual. Do you understand what I've just told you about summonings?”

  “I think so, but summoning something sounds very hard,” I said. The pounding in my head became louder.

  “It is, but over time you will learn how to do it. Do you have any questions on what I've just said?”

  I had a lot of questions. Who wouldn't? How to grasp onto the different types of mana, what type of sacrifices would have to be made, what other kinds of energy existed, was I already experiencing visions, and so many other things that I suspected would take years for me to comprehend. But out of all the questions running through my head, there was one that piqued my curiosity the most, though it was probably the least important.

  “Why do you have a dragon?” I asked. “I thought there were no more.”

  Stradus’s wrinkled face grinned. “It seems people think everything is dead, just because they haven’t seen us in awhile. When it comes to dragons, they don’t live in these parts. Most of them live west, past the Burning Sands, and haven’t been around since the war.”

  “Why is that? I thought they protected humans. Alexandria uses their symbol.”

  “There was a time when dragons watched over and protected us, but that was a very long time ago, during different times. Each wizard gets a guardian sometime in his life. Mine happened to be a dragon, that’s all, but he was a friend before that. Guardians could be anything: a dragon, turtle, eagle, fish, unicorn, and so on. Usually it's something you least expect.”

  “How do I get a guardian?” I asked, bright-eyed. I knew I would need one.

  “You're not handed a guardian, if that's what you're thinking, and you don't get to pick your guardian, either. It's not like going to the market.” Stradus stroked his long beard. “One day, you’re going to meet an animal. There’s going to be this special bond between the two of you. You may not see it at first, but it’s there. Kind of like when you’re in love, but it doesn’t compare to that.” His voice got dreamy and distant. “Then again, what does?”

  My heart sped up as I thought about Kathleen, my first love. I nodded. I understood how that bond felt, despite the fact that loving Kathleen had been mostly confusing and painful.

  “Something significant will happen between the two of you, and you’ll know you were meant to be together,” the wizard said. “Odds are you will find it, or it will find you. You’ve just got to have patience. Not all guardians will be able to verbally communicate, but you'll understand each other nevertheless. Come, and let me show you the last room on this tour. Sorry for trying to cram so many things in your mind at once, especially on your first day. I remember when they tried to do that to me in school, and I hated it. To rub it in, they gave us all a test.”

  We got up and exited the practice room. Stradus showed me the privy and afterwards said, “My young Hellsfire, we are done with the grand tour and with your first lesson. I suggest you retire to your chambers and get some rest, and think about what I've just told you. Or you can go and talk to Cynder. I think he's glad to have someone besides an old man around.”

  Cynder? Glad for me to be here? I massaged my damaged shoulders, wincing at the mind-numbing pain.

  “You can let go of your mana now.”

  My eyes widened. I had forgotten about it. It truly had become a part of me. When I let it go, there was an empty, gaping hole where it once was.

  “Tomorrow, we begin another step of your journey. I'll be in the garden if you need me.”

  I went back to my chambers. I needed to be alone to digest what the wizard had said. There was far too much to think about. I had thought I was just going to learn how to control my fire. Being a wizard entailed far more than that. It was a great responsibility. One I had to learn to handle.

  I failed the first chance I got.

  CHAPTER 7

  Months Later…

  The dragon grinned, exposing rows of sharp teeth. He blew his fiery breath. The flames
rushed in my direction, trying to burn me. I put a hand out and pushed. The fire split and went around me, crashing into the cave walls.

  The dragon released another stream of fire. This time it twisted and twirled. Instead of misdirecting it, I willed it to extinguish before it touched me. Cynder snorted before spewing more fire. I held it in front of me with my mind, creating a wall of flame that rose to the ceiling.

  “I'm not impressed,” Cynder said. He peered down his nose at me.

  I winked at him, then began to manipulate the wall of fire. The fire mana within me stirred, transforming the flames into my own flying dragon. My dragon wheeled and darted towards Cynder.

  “You're supposed to be working on defensive magic only,” Cynder said. His tail swung out to disperse my magic. My creature's form melted, and it almost disappeared into the air. I held onto the flames and pumped my own magic into them. The fire burst through the cave. I closed my hands and merged the flames, once again imagining and shaping a dragon. I sent my creature diving after Cynder.

  We were in the biggest cavern of the entire mountain, so Cynder had plenty of room to move around. He ran, dodged, and stomped, trying to avoid my creation before it got him. My dragon burped small fireballs at Cynder. They splashed against Cynder's scaly side. Each time he swiped at it with his tail or talon, it dispersed, but I kept remaking it.

  Cynder growled. “I grow tired of this, little one.” He stopped running. “If that's how you want to play.”

  Cynder rose to his full height, puffing his chest out and stretching his enormous wings. He flapped his wings, summoning a sudden gust of wind. It smashed into my magic, dissipating it. He flapped again, and the wind attacked me and knocked me to the ground. I strained to rise, pushing against the wall of air. I tried to use wind magic against him, but with the weight of his powerful body behind him, he was too strong. My air magic did nothing, and every time I tried to summon other magic, the wind squeezed me harder against the ground.

  “Enough!” I yelled. “I yield!”

  Cynder stopped. He furled his wings, a smug expression on his face.

  I rose and stared at the dragon. Since I’d come to the mountain, he and I had become friends, so that sometimes I forgot exactly what he was and what he could do. I stretched my arms, back, and neck, hearing cracking noises. I massaged my left shoulder. Stupid dragon. I was going to be sore the rest of the day.

  “Never send a human to do a dragon's job,” Cynder said, blowing smoke out of his nose. He raised his foot and stomped hard on the ground, causing me to stumble. Cynder grinned, showing off his pointed teeth.

  I saw a head-sized rock near him. I reached out to the earth mana I was now able to feel. I drew energy from the mountain, channeling it through my hand. I focused on the rock, trying to use the magic to lift it and fling it at Cynder. The rock trembled and jumped before I tired. I gasped for air, feeling the sweat drip down my face.

  “You're getting better at earth magic,” Cynder said.

  I raised an eyebrow. “I am?”

  He stretched his long neck until his eyes were right near the rock. “Yup. I believe it moved an inch that time.” Cynder erupted with laughter, his booming voice pounding in my ears.

  I gave Cynder a sour look.

  “Don't be so dour, Hellsfire. You're improving, at least in your use of fire magic. Everything else needs work. If we fight again, I won't use my fire. I'll just use my jaws.” Cynder’s head snaked over and he snapped his teeth in front of me. I jumped, causing him to laugh again.

  “I hate you.”

  “You lower species tend to do that. Listen, how much do you want to test your magic?”

  “What do you mean?”

  Cynder's red eyes swiveled from side to side, and he lowered his voice. “How good are you at webs?”

  “You mean making them?”

  “No, I mean unmaking them.”

  It dawned on me what he meant. “You mean you want me to try and undo the web that Master Stradus made on the forbidden door?”

  “Shhh! The air can carry our words.”

  “He can't hear us all the way from his garden, can he?”

  “He's a master air wizard. These days, I'm more surprised by what he can't do.”

  I peered over my shoulder and lowered my voice. “Didn't Master Stradus say the web was in place to protect us because we're not the only ones in the White Mountain?”

  “In all the years I've been here, I've not seen any sign that that's true.”

  “You do realize your big head can't fit down the corridor to that door?”

  Cynder blew smoke at me, enveloping me in it. I coughed and gagged before summoning wind to carry it away. “I realize that,” he said. “Which is why I'm asking you to do it. I'll keep him busy.”

  “What if I get in trouble?”

  “Our master will be impressed that your skill has come along so far that you could undo his spell. If you can.”

  I nodded. I would love to be able to impress Master Stradus by showing him all I'd learned since arriving. But I still wasn't sure. “What if he's right and there is something dangerous down there?”

  “So what? Think about it, little Hellsfire. What could harm one great dragon and one and a half wizards?”

  I stared at him.

  “If you get into trouble, you can blame it all on me.”

  “I was going to do that anyway.” I glanced away from him. “I don't know, Cynder.”

  “I'll take you for a ride.”

  That got my attention. If a dragon gave you a ride, it was a huge honor. It meant they trusted you and you were their friend. And he knew I was dying to ride him, after hearing Master Stradus’s stories of how it made him feel like part of the wind, soaring and watching the way the ground looked like patchwork below him.

  But Cynder could be tricky. “Do I have your word?”

  Cynder snorted. “Do I look like a human? I'm a dragon, the most trustworthy and honorable of all the gods' creations.”

  I just stared at him.

  “All right,” Cynder said. “If it pleases you, I give you my word.” He lifted his foreleg and held out a massive talon. I grabbed it with both hands, shaking it until he flung me off. I landed on my feet near the tunnel entrance. “Get going and let me know what you find.”

  ----

  Later that morning, when I was sure Master Stradus had left the garden and was well away from me, I exited the library, cutting my studies short. I tiptoed down the hall, looking over my shoulder as if Master Stradus was going to appear at any moment.

  I got to the door and let out a breath I didn't know I held. I forced myself to take deep, normal breaths. Master Stradus had taught me to use my magical senses to peer beyond what a person normally saw. Up until then, I had been sensing magic by instinct, such as feeling the webs in his chambers and the magic of the mountain.

  The strong web held the door in place, shining with the brightness of multiple manas. I gazed at the bright colors, watching them move and glisten across the door while I tried to figure out how to begin. There were so many strands, and they were so intricate. They overlapped, and the colors kept shifting.

  And there was something else. Something about the web that bothered me and made me hesitate to undo it the way I had planned. I had learned that the strands could be woven in many ways. The more you took your time with them and created complex patterns, the stronger they were. Most webs were rushed and easy, since the magic wasn't intended to be permanent, not like an enchantment. But this web was different. Master Stradus had taken his time with this one, and the weaving was more complex than any I had ever seen. It was meant to last a long time, and keep almost anything out. Or in. I didn't know if I believed that we weren't alone in this mountain. Master Stradus clearly did, judging by this nearly impenetrable safeguard.

  Getting rid of all the magic that bound this web was going to take a lot of time—far more time than even Cynder thought. I only hoped he would be able to keep Master Str
adus's attention.

  I started with the magic I knew best—fire. I extinguished the fire mana in the web, making sure not to accidentally touch any of the other manas. The other manas called out, trying their best to entice me. I ignored them, not tapping into any of their power. If I did, it would set the web off.

  The fire in the web dimmed until it disappeared. I smiled, thinking I was finally getting somewhere. The problem was going to be with the other magics. While I could access them, my ability to use them was still limited. But I thought about impressing Master Stradus with my progress, and riding Cynder through the autumn sky, and I kept going.

  I thought I had finished with the red mana in the web. I was wrong. The fire reasserted itself, flaring once more into life. The rest of the web brightened in response, and the magic came alive. The colors swam and danced. It moved so fast, I couldn't get my defenses up.

  The magic leapt from the web. Pain raced up my arm, as if my bones had turned white-hot. A force struck my chest, like a blow from a dragon's tail. It hurled me into the air, and I slammed into the wall, the rough rock gouging into my back. I slid down and collapsed, my face smacking against the cold floor.

  I tried to move before Master Stradus found me. I couldn't. The magic seized control of my muscles, forcing them in place. My whole body went numb, like when I had climbed the mountain to get here. Only my eyes weren't affected. I stared at the web, seeing the colors lessen from their bloom until they were dim again. Their ferocious movement stopped. The magics went back to their designed places, traveling in their methodical ways.

  My jaw loosened, and I muttered, “I knew this was a bad idea. Stupid dragon.”

  “Quite right.” Master Stradus towered over me. His beady blue eyes glanced at the door before resting on me. “I warned both of you we weren't alone in this mountain, and that it's dangerous down there. Did you think I was lying?”

  I shrugged, still slumped on the ground. “Cynder convinced me he hasn't seen anything while he's been here.”