The unsuspecting mage ms-1

by Brian S. Pratt

  The unsuspecting mage

  ( Morcyth saga - 1 )

  Brian S. Pratt

  Brian S. Pratt

  The unsuspecting mage

  Chapter 1

  Having your nose in a book may be a great way to spend your spare time unless you do it to the exclusion of everything else. You get up, grab your book, then read until night comes when you’re forced to put it down for sleep. Oh sure, you have the occasional interruptions in the pattern like eating and school but that, I suppose, must be tolerated. James Reese, a young man currently in his senior year of high school, does just that. Unless something of dire importance demands his attention, he will be found lying upon his bed deep within a current, favorite book. He sees nothing wrong with spending every available moment reading. Reading to him is grand adventure, new ideas and keeps him out of trouble. His main interest is fantasy-adventure books, though he does dabble in an occasional sci-fi just to not get burnt out with fantastical worlds. Every book he has ever read fills shelves lining his walls. Now pushing over five hundred titles, it is the one thing he takes the most pride in.

  An obtrusive knock at the door brings him back from the middle of a particularly exciting battle. “James,” comes his grandmother’s voice from the other side, “breakfast is almost ready. Put down your book and get ready or you’re going to be late for school.”

  Unable to continue, he reads another three paragraphs until reaching a break, then carefully inserts a well-worn bookmark and places the book gingerly on his nightstand. He’s read it before. Many of his books have been read several times over the years, and most are still in very good condition. Those that know him best believe that he cares more for his books than for anything else. There are times when he thinks they may be right. Some of his friends kid him when they see him deep within a book he’s read before.

  “Don’t you ever get tired of reading the same book over and over?”

  James just grins and shakes his head. “Nope.” Then he invariably asks, “I suppose you haven’t ever watched the same movie more than once?” Having made his point, they would leave him alone.

  He grabs a shirt and a pair of jeans from off the floor that don’t look too dirty and gets dressed. After slipping on his shoes, he slings his ever-present backpack over his shoulder and leaves the room.

  The mouth-watering aroma of scrambled eggs, bacon and biscuits fills the house. His grandmother is busy in the kitchen where she is putting the finishing touches on breakfast. “Have a seat, James. It will be ready in a minute.” His grandparents have raised him for the past five years, ever since his parents were killed by a drunk driver.

  At the table, his grandfather reads the morning paper. So intent is he on an article that he fails to notice his grandson taking his place at the table. James has some trepidation about disturbing his grandfather. For the last few months, his grandfather has been encouraging him to find a job. Almost daily, he points out ads in the paper that he feels James might be interested in.

  It’s his senior year in high school and the summer’s almost here. He knows he needs to make some decisions about his future but has never been that great when trying new things. Some call him antisocial; he thinks of himself as merely non-social. He doesn’t hate being around others, just prefers time to himself with his books.

  The noise of James setting his backpack on the floor next to his chair draws his grandfather’s attention. James silently groans as his grandfather leans over to show him what he is sure to be another ad that more than likely he will not be interested in. To his surprise, what his grandfather proceeds to show him has nothing to do with finding a job.

  Local Teen Missing

  Seth Randle, a teen from Haveston, was reported missing when he failed to return home Wednesday evening. The police have issued an Amber Alert and teams of volunteers are busy combing the local area. Thus far they have been unsuccessful. He was last seen on Wednesday afternoon on his way home from Haveston High School where he is currently enrolled as a senior. If you have any information please call 911…

  “Isn’t he one of your classmates?”

  “Yes, he is. But I don’t know him very well. He’s on the football team and is well liked by everyone. Hope he’s okay.”

  Further conversation is forestalled by the emergence of his grandmother from the kitchen bearing a platter filled with eggs and bacon in one hand, and a pan holding a dozen biscuits in the other. James eagerly takes charge of the biscuits and deftly transfers one to his plate as he sets the warm pan on the table. He helps himself to a big portion of his grandmother’s jam. It won 2 ^nd place at the county fair last year; old Widow Jones took 1 ^st place. His grandmother claims that Widow Jones puts too much sweetener in her jams and that is why she wins every year. About to take a bite, he hears her say, “James, let’s say grace first.” She has that look in her eye. Giving her a sheepish grin, he sets the biscuit on his plate, folds his hands and bows his head for prayer.

  His grandfather prays. “Dear Lord, please bless this food to our good, watch over us and guide us. And please help James find a job! In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

  “Leave the boy alone, John,” his wife chides as she places her napkin in her lap. “He’ll find one when the good Lord is ready.” Turning her attention to James she adds, “Make sure to find one that you will be happy with. There is nothing worse than spending your life at a job that is dull and lifeless. One should come along when the time is right. Now hurry and eat or you will be late for school again.”

  Stuffing his mouth full of eggs and bacon, he mumbles, “I better eat on the run, then.” He tucks several biscuits in a napkin and stuffs them in the top of his backpack. Her biscuits, especially when they are warm, are hard to resist. “Thanks for another award winning breakfast,” he says before giving her a peck on the cheek, then heads for the back door.

  “Don’t forget your lunch, it’s sitting by the door.”

  “Got it!” he hollers as he stuffs it too within his backpack.

  Once out the back door and in the garage he grabs his bike, hops on and quickly makes his way down the road toward school. Haveston High isn’t much more than a mile away and it only takes him a few minutes to arrive.

  Police cars, both marked and unmarked, are in and around the parking lot. Two officers stand amidst a group of students while three officious looking men in business attire enter the office.

  Pulling into the bike rack, he grabs his chain and starts securing his bike. His best and only friend Dave rides up as he pushes the lock closed and parks his bike in the adjacent slot.

  “Hey, did you hear that Seth is missing?”

  James glances to his friend and nods. “Yeah, I saw it in the paper this morning. Wonder what happened to him?” He spies a nearby policeman and he and Dave head that way

  Approaching the officer Dave asks, “What’s going on?”

  “We’re questioning students about Seth Randle. His mother says he’s been missing since Wednesday evening. Would you boys know anything about it?”

  “No,” replies James, shaking his head. “We barely know him.”

  “That’s right,” Dave adds.

  The officer hands each of them a card bearing pertinent contact information. “If you see or hear anything that might help us locate him, please call.”

  “Sure.”

  “If we hear anything we’ll be sure to let you know,” James adds.

  Heading to class, they both can’t help but wonder what’s happened to Seth.

  The rest of the day, all anyone could talk of was Seth. They had an assembly before lunch where they were told the facts surrounding his disappearance. Evidently, he had been heading downtown after school and that was
the last time anyone had any contact with him. They were given the standard lesson on strangers and what to do in emergencies, the basic “Don’t talk to strangers” lecture they’ve had for years.

  Lunchtime finds James and Dave in their regular spot in the lunch room. Both are brown-bagging it but Dave is not very enthusiastic about the contents of his. Reaching in, he pulls out a poorly wrapped sandwich. He turns to James and holds it up.

  “How about a trade? My mystery meat for whatever your grandmother made for you?”

  James removes a six inch homemade hoagie from his sack and smiles. “Not on your life, bud. My stomach isn’t that strong. Besides, after all these years of your mom’s infamous cooking, you should be used to it by now.”

  Taking a bite, Dave replies, “I suppose so. No use in subjecting another living thing to this stuff.”

  Hearing a sigh from his friend, Dave looks over to see James looking at a small piece of paper.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “I thought I had gotten off easy this morning. You know how my grandfather always mentions jobs he thinks I would like?” When Dave nods, he continues. “Well, instead of pressuring me about it this morning, he slips one in with my lunch.” He gazes at the ad as he bites off a good-sized portion of his sandwich.

  After another bite had been taken and swallowed, he says, “This one is at least interesting, if a little odd.”

  “What do you mean?”

  James offers him the ad. “Here, read it.”

  Wiping his hands on his pants, Dave takes the ad:

  Magic! Real Magic! Ever wanted to learn?

  We require someone with intelligence and a disciplined mind. Those well versed in fantasy novels and role playing games a plus. May need to travel. Only those of good character need apply. No appointment necessary. For preliminary interview, drop by at:

  1616 Commercial Ave

  Room 2334

  Haveston, CA

  “That is different, I’ll give you that,” affirms Dave as he hands the ad back.

  Putting the ad in his wallet, James asks, “What do you think?”

  Pausing for a moment to think while he finishes a mouthful of food, Dave replies, “Well, it is right down your alley. You have read more books than I could even hope to get through, and we play D amp;D every once in a while. Maybe you should look into it. You’ve always said you would like to travel and see the castles of England, maybe this will be your chance. It sounds like some traveling magician or something like that.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. Maybe I’ll go down tomorrow and see what it’s about. If nothing else, it should please my grandfather and maybe get him off my back, at least for a day or two.” Taking another bite of his hoagie, James ponders the ad, thinking it might be worth looking into.

  Pointing off to the right Dave says, “There’s Alyssa. You should go invite her to the dance next week. I know you have a thing for her.”

  James takes a brief glance her way and sighs. “I haven’t quite worked up the nerve yet. I’ve tried twice, but my mouth gets all dry and I can’t find the words. I’m afraid I’ll look like an idiot.”

  “You need to get out of that room of yours more. Stop spending so much time in there alone with your books and start living a little more in reality. She’s nice and I believe still available.”

  “I know. Maybe I’ll ask her on Monday.”

  “If you ask her at all.” Dave’s attempts to bring him out of his room have met with very little success, but he keeps trying.

  Once they have finished eating, the boys leave the lunch room and make their way over to the chess room where they spend the rest of their lunch break role playing. James is usually the one running the game since he enjoys making the campaigns more than Dave does. Back in his bedroom he has a whole collection of campaigns that have never been played. He likes designing them almost more than playing them.

  Dave on the other hand prefers to be the character, or characters such as what he is doing today. He’s playing a thief and a mage who are currently trying to find the third ring of Xanak, the god of fire.

  James sets up his godwall and removes the dice and papers from his backpack. He always keeps meticulous notes during his campaigns. Dave gets his papers, dice, and the player’s rulebook ready as well. Once everything is ready, they begin.

  “Your mage and thief had infiltrated the Red Rogue’s Lair,” he begins giving a brief recap of where they left off the day before. “You had just found a flight of stairs and were beginning to descend.”

  “On to fame and fortune!” Dave exclaims with a grin. “My thief is checking for traps as they go down the steps.”

  James nods. “No traps were found. Upon reaching the bottom step, you discover a long hallway stretching far into the darkness ahead. A sound can be heard coming from out of the dark, and it seems to be coming toward you…”

  The rest of the day goes along pretty much as usual; classes, including the dreaded PE class that he is on the verge of flunking. He simply is not much into sports or anything else that requires one to sweat. His gym teacher tells him he needs to show more enthusiasm for the physical side of life, but his teacher’s arguments do nothing to sway him in that direction. It’s not that James is fat or anything, he actually appears quite fit. He just doesn’t go for that sort of stuff.

  After school at the bike rack, Dave informs him that he plans on accompanying him to the interview. For moral support, as he puts it.

  “You don’t have to come with me, you know.”

  “I know. But you stand a better chance of following through if I do.”

  James secures the chain beneath the bike seat then glances to his friend. “Are you afraid I am going to chicken out or something like that?”

  “As a matter of fact, yes, yes I am!” Dave flashes him a grin.

  “I plan on catching the 512 at 9:00 a.m. If you’re serious about coming, meet me at the bus stop.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  “Okay, see ya tomorrow!” With that, James hops on his bike and heads for home.

  At dinner, he tells his grandparents about his decision to go to the interview.

  “Now remember, James,” his grandfather says, “when you are at an interview you are interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you. Never settle for conditions that you are not going to like. Be assertive.”

  James nods his head. “I will. I don’t plan on making any decisions on the spot. I am simply going there to find out about the job and how much it pays. It sounds interesting.”

  Showing concern on her face, his grandmother says “Be careful while you’re there. The last place anyone saw poor Seth was heading into town. Watch yourself.”

  “Please don’t worry about me, I’m almost eighteen. Plus, Dave plans on coming with me. I’m sure that between the two of us, we’ll be able to handle any situation.” Knowing that it is love that prompted his grandmother’s concern, he gives her a reassuring hug.

  A little after dinner, James is in his room reading when there comes a knock on his door.

  “Yes?” he hollers without ever removing his eyes from the pages of the book.

  “James. You should come and see this.” It was his grandfather.

  “Now what?” he mumbles. Slipping his bookmark within the pages, he sets the book on his nightstand and makes his way out to the living room. There he finds his grandparents raptly watching the news.

  “Another person is missing,” his grandmother says. “This time a girl”

  Interest piqued, James sits next to her on the couch.

  An image of a young woman who looked to be in her teens was pictured behind the reporter. The news reporter goes on to say that this is the second person who has come up missing in the past week. There are no leads, no connection between them. They come from different cities in the same area and how both just up and disappeared without a trace. The report continues with interviews of family members of the two missing people.

&n
bsp; “This is getting serious.” his grandfather says. “You need to be extra careful tomorrow when you’re downtown.”

  “I will,” James assures him. He watches the report on the missing teens until the reporters begin repeating themselves. Then he returns to his room where he resumes his position upon his bed and picks up his book.

  He found it difficult to concentrate on the story. After realizing he read the same paragraph three times he decides that it’s a lost cause and returns the book to the nightstand. Thoughts and worries about the interview tomorrow make him far too nervous to be able to concentrate on reading. The ad continues running through his mind,

  … well versed in fantasy novels and role playing games…

  … may need to travel…

  It sounded exciting.

  Maybe Dave was right. It could be a traveling magician.

  Different theories and thoughts run through his mind until it’s time to undress for bed. After crawling beneath the covers, he sets the alarm for seven thirty before switching off his reading lamp. He lies in the dark, enjoying the cool air as it drifts in through the window above his bed. Eventually, sleep triumphs over tomorrow’s worries and he’s able to fall asleep.

  It felt like he no sooner fell asleep than his alarm went off. Hitting the off button, he rolls onto his back and tries unsuccessfully to keep his eyes open. He is simply way too comfortable and almost doesn’t have the energy to pull the covers off and get the day going. His sense of responsibility eventually overcomes his laziness and he manages to drag himself out of bed. Also, Dave would never let him hear the end of it if he left him waiting at the bus stop.

  After a quick shower, he throws on some of his better clothes. Not his church clothes to be sure, but ones good enough to look nice. Once he’s dressed, he takes his backpack and empties his role playing paraphernalia onto his bed. I’ll clean this up when I get back. He puts a clean handkerchief in his backpack along with the book he’s currently reading. Pausing a moment, he decides to take the two candy bars that are lying in the pile on his bed and places them inside as well. Shouldering his ever present backpack, he opens the door and goes out to see about breakfast.