Fluff Dragon

by Platte F. Clark

  Max watched from the strange perspective of his middle finger, navigating the Codex around the chair and the sleeping zombie duck. He felt like he was in complete control by the time he approached the door. They heard the book hit with a soft thud as Max’s fingers unraveled.

  “Can you, like, fix my eye now?” he asked.

  Princess moved the wand over Max and the spell reversed itself until his left eyelid fluttered open and he breathed a huge sigh of relief.

  “Talk about a wandering eye,” Dirk said. Max would have slugged him had he been able. Instead, he turned to face Princess.

  “Now what?” he asked as an unwelcome thought hit him. “The Codex is too big to slide under the door.”

  Sarah groaned. “You mean he did all that for nothing?”

  “Max, just how thick is the Codex of Infinite Knowability?” Magar asked. “How many pages does it contain?” Max had a feeling he was being asked a trick question.

  “It doesn’t work that way,” he finally answered. “I suppose it can be as thick or thin as it wants.” He knew the pages changed all the time.

  “Then make it the size you want,” Magar urged him.

  “Maybe you forgot it isn’t exactly working at the moment,” Max said.

  “But it’s here,” Magar persisted, “in the Tower where it was created. It’s close to where it wants to be, Max. It can do this, I think. If you guide it.”

  Max nodded and turned his attention to the book. He reached out with his mind, expecting the vast expanse of nothing he’d felt so many times before. Instead, there was something there. It was a small spark of something—like a lone lighthouse in the midst of a raging sea. Max focused on it and willed the Codex to be thinner.

  “Well?” Magar asked.

  Max let out a breath as he pulled the ancient book under the door.

  “You did it!” Puff exclaimed as loudly as he dared.

  Max watched as his arm returned to its original size, and the Codex suddenly expanded with pages.

  “That was neat!” Moki said. “Can you do it again?”

  Max stood and slipped the Codex into the satchel at his side. “Let’s find where this was written,” he said.

  “And, dude,” Dirk added as they began making their way back down the stairs, “remember the long line of vending machines outside the school cafeteria? You’ve given me an awesome idea.”

  Max smiled. Here he was risking zombification to snatch the greatest spell book ever written, and his best friend was formulating a plan to nab candy bars.

  They descended a few levels before they felt they could talk in anything louder than hushed tones. “Magar?” Max asked. “You spent years here in the Tower. Where would Maximilian Sporazo have first written the Codex? Not when he added the Prime Spells, but as a student?”

  “That kind of project sounds like a fourth-year student’s,” Magar answered. “Fourth-years are on the fourth floor. Makes it easy that way.”

  They climbed down until Magar directed them to stop. “We’re here,” he announced. “But I’m afraid Princess and I can’t go with you.”

  “Nervous, huh?” Dirk said, putting his arm on Magar’s shoulder. “It happens to everyone. I used to get that way before I became an experienced adventurer.” Princess swatted Dirk’s hand away.

  “We’re not nervous, you idiot,” she said. “We’ll be recognized. Too many here know who we are.”

  “So what do we do?” Max asked.

  “Just find Sporazo’s original room,” Magar said. “It’s late, so the place should be quiet.”

  “So you’re saying we just go from door to door with the most powerful spell book in existence and hope nobody notices that either?”

  Magar shrugged. “I’m sorry, I don’t have all the answers for you, Max. You’ll just have to get in there and figure it out.”

  Max nodded and turned to Puff. “You and Moki better wait here as well. We don’t need to stand out any more than we do.”

  “Whatever you think is best,” Puff said.

  “I like waiting,” Moki added. “Can I count in my head until you come back?”

  “Sure,” Max said. Moki nodded happily.

  They opened the door and Max, Sarah, and Dirk slipped in. They found themselves in a dimly lit corridor that led to a much larger door. When they reached it, they could hear muffled sounds from the other side.

  “What do you think?” Max asked.

  “Could be a trap,” Dirk suggested.

  Sarah shrugged. “I don’t think we have a choice but to keep going.”

  “Okay,” Max agreed. “Everyone should be asleep, so I think it’s fine.” He pulled the door open and stepped through.

  The students, it turned out, were definitely not asleep.

  The muffled sounds turned out to be some kind of party: various musical instruments were hovering off the ground and playing by themselves, some kind of drink concoction was bubbling through a very complex chemistry lab, and several groups of students were playing a game that reminded Max of dodge ball (except for the levitating fruit and cones of ice shot from wizard staffs). Others were talking, laughing, dancing, or sword-fighting with wands. When the door clicked shut the entire party came to a sudden stop and every eye fell on the three kids. Max looked up to see a red ball of light hanging in the air and flashing brightly. Apparently they had triggered some kind of alarm.

  “Oh hey, dudes,” Dirk said, raising his hand.

  The students were all dressed in black robes with striped sleeves, ranging from one to four red stripes. A four-striped student walked up to them.

  “What the heck are you doing here?” he challenged, pointing a wand at them. “Kids aren’t allowed in the Tower.” He was older, with broad shoulders.

  “Yeah,” a two-striped female added. “You guys are in serious trouble. And why are you dressed like an elf?” She was motioning to Dirk.

  Max scrambled for something to say to get them out of their jam. Sarah also tried to come up with a plausible explanation. But it was Dirk who answered first.

  “Relax, guys, we’re just looking for our dad,” he said. Sarah’s jaw nearly dropped. “And I think elves happen to be cool.”

  “Your dad?” the older student said, not sure what to think. Obviously that was not what he was expecting to hear.

  “Yeah,” Dirk continued. “You know, the scary guy upstairs who you’d totally guess didn’t have any kids, but if he found out you were hassling them he’d zap you into dust . . . ?”

  “The arch-mage Zebuker?” another girl asked tentatively, as if even saying his name was risky business.

  “Totally,” Dirk said. “Good ol’ Dad.”

  The two-striped girl furrowed her brow. “But kids aren’t allowed in the Tower. It’s the rules.”

  “Yeah, no duh,” Dirk answered. “Not usually, but today’s different. It’s Bring Your Kids to Work Day.” The students all looked at one another with blank expressions.

  “Wow, you guys didn’t read the announcement, did you?” Dirk said.

  “Hey, we just finished finals,” the four-striped student complained. “Nobody around here has time to read announcements.”

  “Well, I’m just trying to imagine what Zebu . . . Dad . . . is going to say when all the other kids show up and they see you guys partying and making a mess of the place. I think he’s going to be very, very angry.”

  “Please don’t tell your dad about this,” the older student begged, looking truly panicked. He turned to the room. “Everybody, we’ve got to get this place cleaned up. Fast!” The students exploded into frantic activity as they began the cleanup process.

  “And thanks for the heads-up!” the four-striper called out as he grabbed a drink-stained sofa cushion and flipped it over. Satisfied, he ran off to help the others.

  “I can’t afford to get into trouble,” the two-striped girl said, “so yeah, thanks.”

  “Sure,” Sarah said before Dirk had a chance to say something else and mess it al
l up. “It’s just that Dad sent us down here to see Maximilian Sporazo’s old dorm room. I guess we’ll just have to tell him you all were too busy cleaning stuff to help.”

  “Oh wait, no, don’t do that,” the girl exclaimed. “I’ll show you his room—no problem. Everyone knows where it is. And then maybe you can keep this party business just between us?”

  Sarah reached out and shook her hand. “Deal.”

  The student nodded and led the group through the commons area and into one of the main wings. Rows of doors lined each side of the hallway. “This way,” she said, taking them about halfway and stopping in front of a door numbered 423. Max reached for the handle, but the girl grabbed his wrist. “Whoa, what are you doing?”

  “Going inside,” Max answered. He thought that was pretty obvious.

  “That’s somebody’s room,” she said. “You can’t just walk in.”

  Suddenly an explosion of blue sparks erupted from the satchel on Max’s side. Flames began to burn along the leather straps, and Max yelped, grabbing the Codex and throwing the bag away from him. The flames went out as the last of the sparks stopped dancing around the book.

  The student’s eye went wide.

  “That’s . . . that’s . . . ,” she tried to get out. “That’s the Codex of Infinite Knowability!”

  The two-striper reached for a wand tucked into the sash around her waist. She may have been a student of magic, but she’d never met a black belt in judo before. Sarah quickly grabbed her hand and contorted it into a wristlock. The girl was too surprised to even gasp and dropped her wand. Max opened the door and Sarah drove her inside. Dirk snatched the wand and then followed the others into the room, closing the door behind him.

  Once inside, the Codex practically flew from Max’s hands, dragging him across the floor to an old desk where a small candle was burning. As the Codex drew near, the candle suddenly filled the room with a brilliant white light.

  A sleeping student in a nearby bed waved it off and turned his back, grumbling something before his snoring continued. For Max, the world seemed to pinch together as if the Codex were a miniature black hole, devouring light and energy with an unquenchable thirst. Then the same light and energy exploded outward, passing through Max as he struggled to keep hold of the book. His hair danced wildly on his head and a small cyclone of wind erupted in the small space, sending books and papers flying.

  Sarah let go of the student. Everyone ducked and covered their heads against the flying objects in the room. Max felt a white-hot light burning through his chest, spreading out through his torso and running down his limbs. The Codex danced wildly in his hands, and visions of its pages began flashing before his eyes: people, places, events, and even recipes slammed into his mind. For an instant, everything the Magrus had ever been exploded into his consciousness, and at the brink of it driving him mad, the enormity of it all folded back on itself and was gone.

  The room shuddered as the walls and ceiling bowed outward at impossible angles. Then they snapped back and the Codex fell to the desk. The wind ceased and the airborne objects dropped to the floor too quickly, as if discovering gravity for the first time.

  Most important, Max could feel the Codex, his mind drifting easily into it as the sensation of moving through a vast and powerful universe returned to him. But it was different this time—he wasn’t set adrift among forces so powerful they threatened to rip him apart. He moved through them as their master.

  The student snarled, grabbing a small marble bust and swinging it at Max. Max held his hand out and she froze in place, the statuette held high above her head. Her pupils grew wide, her rage turning to fear. A Prime Spell coursed through Max, requiring only an inkling of energy to stop the attack—a single drop of water in an ocean of power. The student fell to the ground, her body frozen.

  “Whoa!” Dirk exclaimed, rising to his feet.

  “Max, are you okay?” Sarah asked.

  Suddenly a new light filled the room—a swarm of firefly-like emblems that swirled and took on the form of Bellstro.

  “Bellstro?” Max asked, recognizing the old wizard.

  The wizard looked around and straightened his robes. “Why, yes. It is I,” he pronounced.

  “What are you doing here?” Max said, slightly confused.

  “I’m your mentor, of course,” Bellstro said. “I’m here to give you helpful tips and insights on your hero’s journey.”

  Sarah blinked several times. “So you’re not . . . dead?”

  “Er, why get caught up in semantics?” Bellstro replied. “My job is to pop in at convenient breaks in the action and open your mind to new and powerful ways of thinking.” Bellstro wiggled his fingers and moved his hands through the air in what he assumed added a mysterious air to his message. He then began searching the pockets on his shimmering, light-enhanced robes. “Let me give you some important information to help you reach the Tower. Hold on, I’ve got it all written down.”

  “Um . . . ,” Max started.

  “We’re already at the Tower,” Dirk said.

  “Oh, you are?” Bellstro looked surprised and stopped searching pockets. He thought it over for a second or two. “Okay, no problem. I can jump to the next part.” He cleared his throat and stood tall, raising his hand. “Max, listen as I give you a powerful clue for resetting the Codex of Infinite Knowability.”

  “Too late,” Dirk said. Bellstro deflated a little, dropping his hand.

  “Uh, yeah,” Max added. “I just reset it. Just a second ago.” He held up the Codex for Bellstro to see.

  “But I didn’t tell you to believe in yourself and never lose faith,” Bellstro complained. “That’s important stuff.”

  “I think we’re all good,” Sarah said.

  “But maybe you could help us with how to defeat Rezormoor Dreadbringer,” Max added.

  “You don’t just hand out otherworldly mentor advice willy-nilly.” Bellstro sulked. “There are forms to fill out and approvals to be had. I don’t suppose you could hold off while I get it all worked out on my end?”

  “We’re kind of on a tight schedule,” Max said.

  Bellstro nodded. “Oh, of course. I understand.”

  “Wait, I got it!” Dirk exclaimed. “Why don’t you work on some last bit of hidden knowledge we get at the very end of the adventure? Some kind of surprise nobody saw coming.”

  “I suppose that might work,” Bellstro said, his spirits lifting.

  “Yeah, totally,” Dirk agreed. “Something like ‘And did you know Sarah is really your sister?’ ” Sarah slugged Dirk in the shoulder, and Dirk decided it hurt decidedly more than when Max did it.

  “Okay, good. I’ll do it,” Bellstro said as he began to fade away. “But maybe next time you could stop and think a little before you go rushing off and doing everything on your own.”

  “Uh, okay,” Max said. Bellstro frowned and became a mass of swirling lights, finally flying off through the ceiling.

  Just then the sleeping student sat up in his bed and looked around. “Weird. Is this, like, a dream or something?”

  “Yep,” Dirk answered.

  The student nodded and fell back down, pulling a blanket tightly around him. On the floor, the frozen student silently watched.

  “Maybe we should go now?” Sarah suggested.

  “Yeah, good call,” Dirk said.

  They followed Sarah out the door and past the diligently cleaning students. Max paused. Whatever was going to happen in the final battle with Rezormoor Dreadbringer, he didn’t want to risk hurting anyone else in the Tower. He clutched the Codex to his side and rolled through the list of the Prime Spells. He had an idea.

  “Uh, attention, everyone,” Max yelled. He had to try three more times in order to get the room’s attention. “I’m going to tell you guys something that’s very important.” Sarah and Dirk looked at each other, having no idea what was going on.

  “Vacuity!” Max exclaimed. The word rang with a force of its own, and Max felt the power of it
as it filled everyone’s heads, even slipping under doors and penetrating the ears of those who were asleep.

  “Vacuity”—to empty, Max thought. He focused on the minds of the students, setting the spell to work. He instinctively knew he had to be careful—if he allowed the spell to unwind too much, every student in the room would forget everything they had ever learned. Max didn’t need that, he just needed an empty spot in their heads so he could plant a very powerful suggestion. He created a protective bubble around his friends, both in the hall and in the stairwell. Somehow he’d known how to do that, too.

  “You all need to leave the Tower and go into the city immediately,” Max commanded. The spell lifted his voice and gave it a strange power. “Nothing else is important right now. Gather your friends and anyone else who doesn’t know—leave the Tower and don’t come back for an entire day. Do you understand?”

  As one, every student in the common room replied that they did.

  “Creepy,” Dirk said to Sarah.

  “Yeah, a little bit,” she replied.

  Max watched as students began shuffling out. Rows of doors opened along the hallways as more students, dressed in their pajamas, made for the exits. One carried the frozen form of the two-striped student in his arms.

  “That’s not going to last forever, is it?” Sarah asked, seeing the girl.

  Max thought it over. “I don’t think so.”

  While the mass of students left by the two main doors, Max and his friends returned to the stairwell. Princess looked a bit uneasy at their return.

  “I felt something,” she said to Max. “Such . . . power.”

  “Yeah,” Max replied, “the Codex is working again. And I kind of get it now—it makes sense.”

  They huddled together and formulated their next steps. The plan was fairly straightforward: They’d go back up the stairs, use the Codex to smash their way through Rezormoor’s locked door, and then subdue the Tower regent before he had time to figure out what was going on. Max felt strong as he clutched the Codex, but he also knew he was inexperienced. And with an opponent like Rezormoor Dreadbringer, it might take only one mistake to finish him.

  They climbed the stairs, each lost in his or her own thoughts. Except for Moki, who had finished his counting game and was waiting for the next exciting thing to happen. He didn’t have to wait long.