by Adam Watson
Magmus knew she was in the Academy, somewhere, and she had been in there long enough to put a plan into place; with the Dragon Gem she could have eyes and ears setup anywhere, feeding her information. That meant that no-one was safe to confide in, he could make no inquiries about her or the gem.
He would need to remain quiet, he would need to act as though he had never heard of a Dragon Gem. If anyone, anyone at all brought up the subject of a Dragon Gem, he would have to act oblivious, because whoever that was could very well be one of her spies.
First, he needed to find her, preferably without her knowing. Then he needed to get close, without her suspecting. He would have to get inside her room and somehow search it. It had to be in there, it just had to be. If it wasn’t, he would have to resort to a more drastic measure. A grim smile slowly formed across his stoic face – he would have to break her.
Men’hovens Academy of Magics was a huge gothic castle in the middle of the Spleentar Mountains, surrounded by thick stone walls and towers. On either side of the castle, two gigantic spires rose, like giant hands reaching up into the sky.
The magic academy had been built in these foreboding mountains for the sole purpose of deterring visitors. It was isolated, the countryside was rocky and barren, a cold wind blew across the slopes of the mountains continuously, and the rain often poured down heavily.
The look of the Academy was haunting, almost evil, but that too was a deterrent. It had been built that way purposely, to keep prying eyes away. The townsfolk of Tiet K’rea City shunned the place and feared it, often referring to it as the ‘Foreboding Fortress’.
The horses slowly cantered towards the gigantic doors at the front, they seemed on edge and the closer they got the more skittish they became.
Magmus may have worn the grim face of steely determination the entire journey from Tiet K’rea, but now that the Academy was right there before him a feeling of elation welled inside him. He had done it, he had finally done it. He had finally reached Men’hovens Academy of Magics!
Ernst rode up to Magmus’s side, and they both stared up to the looming castle. He still felt a little green as the rain pelted down. Looking up made him feel queasy, but he did so anyway – what a sight to behold. He felt he had never seen anything so magnificent and yet so eerie at the same time.
He placed his hand on Magmus’s shoulder, he knew that he had undergone a long journey and he was happy for his friend, which he now considered Magmus to be.
“Well, we made it Magmus.” Yes, they had made it. The thought filled Magmus with joy. We made it. Magmus turned to Ernst.
“Thank you for bringing me here Ernst. I appreciate it more than you’ll ever know.” Ernst smiled, even though he was being paid to do it, he was happy that he could help Magmus.
“So, what happens now?” Magmus turned to the looming gates. The Foreboding Fortress. He wasn’t entirely sure what would happen now, but he knew one thing.
“I go on alone.” Ernst nodded, somehow he understood. This was a private matter that only mages could understand. They talked a while longer before saying their goodbyes, and soon Ernst was on his way back to the small village of Leifton with a small pouch of coin on his belt. Magmus stood alone, staring at the doors.
Above the gates was a sign that read Men’hovens Academy of Magics, with an accompanying picture - a mage who appeared to be in the midst of a terrible storm, reaching up towards the clouds with lightning bolts arcing from his hands. He walked right up to the huge wooden doors and upon finding no other entry point, knocked upon them.
“WHO GOES THERE?!” boomed a thunderous voice, causing him to take a step backwards.
“Magmus Ashel’mar!” answered Magmus, a little intimidated.
“WHAT DO YOU SEEK?!” The voice asked. It was so loud and booming that Magmus almost fled – the unworldliness of it seemed to echo in his mind. Despite his nerves, he cleared his throat and took a step forward.
“To learn magic and become a powerful Sorcerer,” he replied.
“THEN YOU MAY ENTER!” The gates opened, seemingly of their own accord. Through them he could see nothing but darkness, he entered nervously. Once inside, the gates swiftly closed behind him with a loud ‘BANG!’ causing him to jump in fright. Whatever he had entered into, he was now committed.
When his eyes finally adjusted to the dim light, Magmus realised he was in a small room - he hadn’t expected that after walking through such a huge gate.
The room was completely sealed with no way in or out. The gates he had entered through were gone, it was as though he had stepped into a void.
Then, out of the darkness, a golden chest manifested. He looked at it in awe, this was true magic. The lid opened and then the whole thing seemed to glow. He continued watching, and the glow began to pulse; calling to him, beckoning him closer.
The ornate golden chest seemed to be like any other, but the mysterious glow was giving it a life of its own. Magmus knew what it wanted. Pulling out his coin purse, he emptied the gold coins into it.
The chest disappeared just as mysteriously as it had appeared. He felt that it was satisfied with his offering. And well it should be, he thought - that was his life savings after all.
The room became pitch black again, not in the purest sense, but like a void. He could see himself, but nothing else, he stood in that blackness for a long time. With each moment that passed, he could feel himself becoming more nervous and more anxious. The darkness had a sense to it, he felt like it was pushing in on him.
“Greetings,” Magmus called out nervously “Is anyone there?” He looked around, but in every direction there was nothing but blackness. “What’s going on? This isn’t funny you know?” Magmus was beginning to think he might panic, the air was claustrophobic and hard to breathe.
“IS ANYONE OUT THERE?!” he yelled.
“Will you keep it down?” came a man’s voice from behind, causing him to turn around startled. Standing there before him was a man wearing a black robe.
“Who are you? What’s …” Magmus began.
“QUIET!” boomed the man. “I am … Obsidian.” He said it in such a way that it could not be questioned. The man raised his hands, and misty tendrils began to emerge from them. Magmus watched as the smoky wisps came for him. He was afraid and not quite sure of what was going on, but he realised there was no point in running. The tendrils soon had Magmus engulfed, their poking and prodding brought him to the edge of panic.
“What is this? What are you doing to me?” Suddenly, in a puff, the mist was gone. Obsidian stared at Magmus, studying him, wondering what to make of him.
“You do show potential, you must be Ashel’mar,” he said referring to Magmus. “And now the prophecies come true. Ashel’mar and Dar’titis - there is never one without the other … a most disturbing turn of events indeed.” Magmus glared at Obsidian with a puzzled look on his face, nothing he was saying was making any sense.
“Who or what is Dar’tisis and why is that disturbing?” Before he could hear the answers, a portal appeared in the midst of the darkness, and a stern looking woman wearing a black robe, the same as Obsidian’s, walked out. “Who are you?” asked Magmus, shocked by the sudden intrusion.
“My name is Ruby Deathwood,” answered the lady, she extended her hand out with a smile. Magmus clasped her hand and shook. “Don’t let the cute name fool you, it has death in it.” Magmus smiled but was slightly disturbed by the comment. She sounded like she was joking, but the look in her eyes was deadly serious.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Deathwood.”
“We’ll see.” Again, she smiled, but that look in her eye …
“The Ashel’mar family were destroyed by the Empire in the North,” questioned Obsidian. He seemed to be quite perplexed that Magmus still lived, but he was also excited to have someone in the Academy with such potential.
“Well, it’s like this …” Magmus began, and they were there long into the night, as Magmus replayed the story of the d
estruction of his family, and how he had come to be in Tiet K’rea.
***
Hours later, after Magmus had finished replaying the entire sequence of events. Magmus, Obsidian and Ruby Deathwood found themselves in a different room. No longer dark like the void, the floor was littered with brightly covered cushions, trimmed with gold. The room was decadent and had an air of wealth to it.
“We have listened to your stories and confirmed your power. You have shown us that you possess all of the qualities required to wield magic, but before we offer you a place at the Academy, we have to ask some questions to make sure you fully understand what you are getting into.”
Magmus studied Obsidian as he talked. He seemed to speak with great wisdom, suggesting he was older than he looked. His eyes were grey like the wolf, he looked to be fifty, but his beard was as black as the raven's back.
“So now I have to ask you Magmus Ashel’mar, do you still wish to join the Academy?”
“Being Ashel’mar and raised by your grandfather you should know what we expect from you … and the consequences when things go bad.” Ruby may have had a cute and bubbly moniker, but her eyes were a deadly red. Magmus wondered if that was why her parents named her so.
“How much can I learn here?” asked Magmus. Was this Academy as good as what his grandfather had said? He wanted to know whether this was going to be worth his time and effort before he committed himself.
“There is much to learn about magic,” answered Obsidian. “Some of the most powerful mages who have ever lived have come from this Academy.
“How much we will teach you is another question,” added Ruby. Magmus sighed.
“Well then, how much will you teach me?” Obsidian started to talk, using his hands for emphasis as he often did when he explained things.
“Anyone who has the power can learn something of what we teach here. Most of the good mages only ever learn about eighty per cent of what we can teach here, only the most powerful can learn all that we teach. Beyond that, you enter the realm of the true masters. They can learn things the rest of us can’t.”
“Learning too much, too quickly, can drive a person insane and we have an obligation to the world to see that this doesn’t happen,” continued Ruby. “When it does, there are fatal consequences. This is for the protection of the realm and everybody in it. You have one of the strongest potentials I have ever felt and could perhaps go all the way - if your will is strong enough.”
“But you will be killed, if you lose control,” continued Obsidian. “I must ask you the question, Magmus Ashel’mar … do you still wish to join the Academy?” Magmus answered without hesitation, he knew what he wanted more than anything. He had to do this in memory of all the Ashel’mars that went before him.
“More than anything, this is my destiny.”
“Very well, we will teach you, but there are rules.” Magmus wasn’t sure he liked the sound of that, especially with that look on Ruby’s face. “We will teach you, but if you fail, you die. If you don’t live up to our expectations, you die. If you ever question my methods, you will be severely punished. Never ask how well you are doing, the fact that you still live is enough. Once started, there is no turning back, this Academy does not release its mages half-trained. Now tell us again Magmus Ashel’mar, do you still wish to study here?”
Magmus was a little shocked. He knew magic schools had strict rules, after all, he did live in one most of his life, but a death penalty for failure? He understood why, a mage that could not control their powers was a danger to the world. He took a deep breath, this was serious now - failure was not an option.
“I do wish to learn and become a Sorcerer, the most powerful one that ever lived.”
“Don’t we all,” Ruby smirked, she was starting to like him.
“Excellent! Tremis will escort you to your room.” With that Obsidian clapped his hands, and a manservant walked in and picked up Magmus’s belongings - Magmus followed him out of the room.
***
Early the next morning Tremis woke Magmus and escorted him to the training room. The training room was one of many, it was small but seemed to contain every sort of magic apparatus imaginable. This room was where Magmus would be spending most of his time.
“You say that you have already learnt something of magic. Please, give me a demonstration of your powers,” said Obsidian, motioning him forward.
“Yes, I have studied in the Illusion discipline.” Magmus reached in front of him and began to fold the air and light. “Can’t you see …” he began dramatically. “… all around you, the dragon’s breath.” Fire quickly shot out from Magmus’s hands and engulfed Obsidian in flames. Obsidian seemed quite unconcerned, sitting there on fire - it was only an illusion after all.
“Illusion … can be shattered like glass,” said Obsidian, clicking his fingers. The fire seemed to freeze and then shatter like a smashed window, the pieces falling to the floor. “But real magic is much harder to destroy.” Obsidian spoke a strange chant, and a glass-like sphere, which seemed to be made from electricity entrapped Magmus. The ball then rose into the air with Magmus sitting cross-legged in the centre. Magmus looked worried and eyed the sides of the ball fearfully. Swiftly and without warning, Magmus was zapped from all directions by lightning -he started to scream. “A painful lesson indeed … but one you’ll never forget.”
***
The months passed by, and Magmus found himself in a battle for his own will. In his mind, he fought to keep control, but his teacher was too powerful.
“You are weak, Ashel’mar. You will relinquish your control to me.” Ruby Deathwood was, of course, talking about the control of his own mind. “I will make you my puppet … I will parade you around. That is what you deserve if you can’t defend your mind from even the simplest of attacks.”
Magmus could remember the first day she had introduced herself. ‘Don’t let the cute name fool you,’ she had said. ‘It has death in it.’ It wasn’t the most warm welcoming he had ever received, but Magmus wasn’t one to kid himself. He knew it was going to be tough before had even arrived - the place had a reputation amongst would-be magic users.
Ruby assailed his mind again and again using pain as a motivator. Magmus never complained, but quickly learnt from his mistakes, rarely making the same one twice – although she would never say it, Ruby liked that.
***
Magmus sat in a chair in the study, watching Obsidian pace the room as he explained the rules of magic to him.
“As you know there are several different schools a mage can learn from, and from there many different ranks. Your first rank will be Warding Magician. The Warding Magician learns from two schools of magic. Abjuration, which is vital for protection and warding and Illusion which deals with the deception of the eyes. Since you have already studied illusion extensively, we will concentrate on the warding and protection spells of Abjuration.
“Once you obtain the level of Warding Magician, you will be given a chance to leave, if you stay you will begin further training. Each time you finish training and obtain rank, you will be given an opportunity to leave, always with the option of returning at a later date, but no-one leaves here half trained. So prepare yourself … you have much to learn.”
***
“Abjuration spells focus magical energies to provide protection,” explained Ruby, the next day. Unlike Obsidian, Ruby didn’t like to walk around the room whilst she explained things. She liked to sit directly across from her pupils; she liked to look them in the eyes and make sure all of their focus was on her, and more importantly on what she was saying. She liked to see them sweat, to squirm uncomfortably in their chairs; she like to see the fear in their eyes. “This school of magic concentrates on eliminating or at least encumbering potential sources of harm. Do you understand, Ashel’mar?”
“Yes, Miss Deathwood,” answered Magmus, politely. Magmus had quickly learned that Ruby Deathwood liked two things - politeness and calling him by his last name.
/>
“Good … good, you do well, Ashel’mar. The magical protections of Abjuration can take a number of forms, but the most common and most useful are defensive wards.” Ruby Deathwood stared into the eyes of her pupil. Was he still paying attention? Was he listening? Yes, yes he was. Very good, Ashel'mar. For a moment there, she thought she was going to have to discipline him.
"There are two main types of protection wards. Firstly, there are personal wards, just think of them as magical shields. Some can protect you from physical harm, whilst others can protect you from magic; both physically and mentally. The physical harm wards, the wards that protect from such harm as a sword or an arrow are easier to learn and cast than the protection from magic spells … and there is a specific spell for each type of magic you wish to ward against." There was a silent pause, long enough that Magmus began to wonder if he was supposed to say something.
"I understand," he answered, just to be on the safe side, and Ruby nodded, satisfied that he was still listening.
"The second kind of protective wards are area wards. Basically, they are like booby traps. You can set the ward to protect a certain area or item. If the right conditions are met, the trap or as we call it, the ward, goes off releasing a magical harm, such as fire, ice or my personal favourite … poisonous gas."
***
“Teach me,” Magmus implored Obsidian. “Teach me everything you can.” Obsidian smiled. Yes, it was good to have someone this hungry. They hadn’t had one like this for a long time, but he was of the Ashel’mar bloodline, the magic grew strong in that family, becoming a powerful sorcerer was surely his destiny … and then there was that young lady who had arrived a few weeks before him - the one with the flaming red hair. Oh yes, Ruby Deathwood had lots of good things to say about her.
Dar’titis … now wasn’t that interesting. Dar’titis - a name that sent chills through the spines of many great magic users throughout the ages … and now there was one, at the academy and alone from the rest of her kin, arriving mere weeks before the last surviving Ashel’mar. Obsidian didn’t believe in ‘sheer coincidences,’ but he did believe in destiny.
