by Rain Oxford
The Wizard’s Secret
The Sorcerer’s Saga Book 2
Rain Oxford
The Wizard’s Secret © 2016 Rain Oxford
All Rights Reserved
Cover art by Brooke Gillette
Edited by Crystal Potts
Part 1
Ayden
Chapter 1
“Measure out a large pinch of zinc sulfate,” Merlin instructed.
I poured a small sample of the white powder into my palm. Merlin had taught me to measure using the creases in my hand. I had to be careful, though, because some of the ingredients Magnus had were dangerous to touch. I trusted Merlin not to mislead me. “Like this?”
“Very good.”
I set the jar down and dumped the powder into the small cauldron. Merlin and I were in one of Magnus’s three magic rooms. This one was Merlin’s favorite because it was fully stocked with everything Merlin could want.
The floor and wall were stone. The south wall was dominated by a large fireplace, a tall window took up most of the northern wall, a bookshelf took up the entire east wall, and the heavy wooden door was on the west wall. A large round table in the middle of the room was covered in ingredients and tools, including books, bottles, and burners. Similar items filled the shelves, hung on hooks all over the walls, and even hung from the chandelier above the table. In the south-west corner of the room was a small tree, where a black snake usually hung from the branches. I never worried about the snake until Magnus’s stock of venom ran out and it was up to me to get more. I hated chores.
I had my grimoire out, in which Merlin had me write all the magic he taught me, especially the magic from his world. Usually, the wolf said I had to trust the magic in order for it to work. In this case, I really didn’t think it would.
“Next, pour the bottle of water into it.”
I emptied one of the two glass bottles of spring water into the cauldron and lit a small fire under it.
“Now, add some pieces of zinc.”
I picked up another jar and shook out a few pieces of scrap metal into my palm before adding them to the cauldron and replacing the jar on the shelf. I was expecting him to tell me to say an incantation, focus my mind, or use my wand.
“Drop the copper coin in gently and make sure the copper is on top of the zinc.”
I grabbed the tongs, picked up the coin with it, and set the coin in the cauldron. While we were waiting, Merlin had me grab the flat burner plate, which was a small, round, flat rock in a metal bracket. I could set a fire under it just like the cauldron and burn things on it. This was one of Merlin’s inventions. Following his instructions, I set a fire under it so that it could heat up.
“Take the coin out of the cauldron, dip it into the water to rinse it off, and then put it on the flat burner.”
Using the tongs, I pulled out the coin and gaped. “It’s silver!”
“I told you it would be.”
“But I didn’t use my wand or staff!” I dipped it in the water like he said and doused the fire under the cauldron. We watched as the coin slowly turned from silver back to copper. “It’s not working.”
“Patience, young sorcerer. This is all according to plan. Take it off the plate now and hold it in the water to cool it.”
I did, though I was skeptical. Then, to my shock, the coin did turn to gold as it cooled. “Wow. Your world’s magic is much more powerful than mine. Is it really gold or is it an illusion?”
“This is science. Alchemy if you will, not illusion or sorcery. It is, however, temporary.”
* * *
I would like to say I was a wizard, or even a sorcerer. The fact was, I didn’t know what I was. I was the seventh born son of a family of infamous sorcerers, known for their ruthlessness and malevolent powers. Unfortunately, I was always the embarrassment of the family, for no matter how hard I tried to use my magic for chaos and destruction, I could only ever do wizardry.
On my world, wizards only used light magic and sorcerers only used dark magic. Both were respected for their own talents and both had a purpose in life. It seemed I was destined to be an outcast, because wizards and sorcerers couldn’t just switch roles.
Then I discovered that my mother had planned to kill me, so I left home to prove myself; I was going to defeat the greatest wizard of all the lands— Magnus. Soon, I accidentally freed Merlin from a magical prison called the syrus. At the time, however, he was under a curse. He was a wizard from another world, yet his magic was not strictly light magic, and he had been forced into the form of a wolf and his powers were stripped away. Once he learned of my quest, he decided that Magnus could break his curse, so he promised to teach me to be a malevolent sorcerer if I agreed to help him.
I was hopeful, but despite the fact that he walked me through every step of the way, I couldn’t stand to hurt people. Even when I got a sorcerer’s staff, the sinister magic only succeeded in helping people. It wasn’t until I met my aunt that I learned why I was this way. Being the seventh born child, I had supposedly extra powers, but this magic was neither good nor bad.
When I ended up saving Magnus and banishing my evil brothers to another world, I finally gave up trying to be something I wasn’t. I just wasn’t cut out for being cruel. Unfortunately, that didn’t make me a wizard.
For three months, that didn’t matter. I lived with Magnus and enjoyed his magnificent library. I learned about new spells and potions and tried them out with Magnus and Merlin’s guidance. I was even able to use sorcery as long as it was only in practice. After much practice, I was confident I could kill even the scariest rock.
* * *
I wasn’t ready for things to change, but Merlin was. “You’re leaving?” I asked.
“No, I am not leaving; I am merely going away for a few days so that I can get this curse removed.”
I set my book down and stood. Merlin and I were in the library. When he came in, I thought he was going to tell me what he was going to teach me next, but instead, he told me to make a portal to another world.
“Okay, just let me grab my bag.”
“You know what Dessa said, Ayden.”
“That the curse will be broken on the day I die. That could mean anything. Maybe Dessa is wrong. I can help you.”
“I will not put you in danger. This is my curse and my mistake to fix.”
“Mistake? You mean falling in love with some woman? You did nothing wrong!”
“I have not told you everything. Send me to my world and when the curse is broken, I will return and continue teaching you magic.”
“If it’s so dangerous to travel the worlds, I should definitely go with you. You can’t use magic.”
“I know how to survive without magic. Trust me; I will return before you can even miss me. Now, please do as I ask.”
I wanted to argue, but I trusted him. “Okay.” I should have known Merlin would get restless and want to return to his world. I wanted to try to break it myself, but a seer named Dessa had warned him that his curse would be broken on the day I died. She didn’t say how I would die, so Merlin wanted to make sure I was far away and safe at the castle when it was.
That was how I ended up making a portal for Merlin in one of the magic rooms. We rarely used this one because it wasn’t well stocked, but it had a large, open space in the middle. There was no table or fireplace, only one bookshelf, a chandelier, and a window. I had to clean the floor every day because Merlin made me practice drawing the base of the portal daily.
All portals had the same basic design of a pentagram inside of a circle, with a slightly larger circle around that. Merlin had me make the pentagram and circles over and over again until I could make it perfect before he would teach me the sigils I needed to actually travel to oth
er worlds.
It didn’t take long for me to draw the base, and then I painted sigils into the floor that Merlin sent directly to my mind. When I had released him from the syrus, I had somehow bonded us so that we could speak in each other’s mind. Recently, he was able to actually send me images, which he often used in our lessons.
“That looks good,” Merlin said.
“Do you really think I have enough power to do this? What if I screw up?”
“Then I will likely die. Do not screw up.”
“Maybe I should get Magnus.”
“Why do I always believe in you more than you do? Request his assistance if you wish, but please make it quick. I am in a hurry to shed this curse.”
I had sent one of my brothers across to another world, but that was in the middle of a battle. “I just have to pour magic into it, right? You said that it was the sigils that determine where the portal opens to.”
“Maybe it would be better if Magnus does it. The sigils do determine where the portal opens to. However, they do not possess any power. Think of it as a mathematical formula in which---”
“A what?” I interrupted.
He sat on his haunches. “The symbols are a combination lock. Your magic is---”
“No, you lost me again.”
He sighed. “Just trust me in this, young sorcerer. Your magic does not determine the location, but the symbols are harmless without the proper magic. With the improper magic, I can get trapped between worlds or even torn apart.”
“But… what about my brothers? What if I didn’t do it right when I sent them off?”
“You did. You are a true enigma of Caldaca.”
“What does that mean?”
“I have been to worlds where magic is feared, worlds where there is no magic, and worlds where it is practiced openly, but I have never found another world like yours. On other worlds, those of us who practice magic can use it for good or evil. People of Caldaca, however, can only do one branch of magic. Thus, sorcerers cannot travel worlds; they have to employ travelers. Because of this rare power you have, you are not limited.”
“I thought it just meant I have neutral magic.”
“That is the case; all magic is neutral. It is the person who is limited, not their magic. You and your aunt are not limited, which is likely why you are not innately malevolent like your family. Unfortunately, as much as I know you would wish otherwise, that means they cannot change. People of your world cannot change.”
“That’s not a nice thing to say.”
“No, it is not. Perhaps I am only being negative because I have gone so long without magic. My point is merely that you are the only thing standing in your way.”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, heavens. Never mind. Grab your staff and I will show you how to activate the portal.”
I closed the bottles of paint, left the room, and ran upstairs. My bedroom was the first door on the right when I got to the top of the east wing staircase. The castle was massive and pretty lonely considering it was just Merlin, Magnus, and me. There were so many unoccupied rooms it was ridiculous, but I never brought it up to the powerful wizard because I knew why it was empty.
My room was lavish, with a huge bed, elegant furniture, and a grand fireplace. My blankets were dark blue and softer than anything I had ever had before. The chest at the foot of my bed, my wardrobe, and the writing desk by the window were all matching dark wood with gold accents. I had a deep bathtub in the east corner with a blue and gold silk screen room divider. My staff was leaning against the wardrobe, so I grabbed it and rushed back to the magic room.
Merlin was waiting patiently, exactly as I left him. “Are you sure I can’t go with you?”
“I would be devastated if I somehow caused your death. Since we do not know what Dessa saw, your safety comes first.”
“She should have told you more.”
“Divination is the most dangerous magic there is, so trust your friend to know when to speak and when to keep her silence.” He walked over to stand in the circle. “You can do this, Ayden. Trust yourself for once.”
I nodded and knelt before the circle. “Talk me through it.” Before he could, I heard a creepy whisper and glanced at the syrus on the middle shelf of the bookcase. “Why does it do that?”
“The chimera is trying to entice us to let it out. If it did escape, it would undoubtedly kill its rescuer. Now, clear your mind and visualize staring straight up into the night sky.” I did as he instructed. “Stare into the portal and imagine you can see straight through it, into the night sky. As you do this, push your magic into it.”
I tried to fit the memory of the dark black sky and stars inside the outer circle of the stone floor. As I did, the white lines and sigils stood out.
“Do you see that the sigils and lines are brighter?”
“Yes.”
“Very good. In the dark space of the portal, align the stars into the lines.”
I was startled when I did as he said, because my energy immediately vanished. It was as if the portal burst open into that darkness like a hole. Then the portal began pulling on my magic forcefully. It was only draining my magic, but I felt its effect on my body almost immediately. I started sweating and breathing harder as if I had been running. Even my muscles felt the strain.
The glowing lines and sigils started growing brighter until they were too bright to look at. “Be safe,” I said just as he vanished.
* * *
One month later…
“Something’s wrong! He’s been gone too long!”
Magnus sighed. “I told you, Ayden, I will inform you the moment I hear anything.”
“Well, that’s not good enough! He should have been back by now!”
“Wizards are solitary people. I’m sure he has broken his curse and is taking the opportunity to use his magic excessively.”
“Not without telling me! Something is wrong!”
“Merlin is even older than me; he knows how to defend himself.”
I felt energy surge through me and had just enough time to pull my wand out of my pocket before the tip flared. It had set my pants on fire the last time I got upset, which was actually the previous night over dinner. I stood up, pushed my breakfast plate away, and stormed out of the room. I couldn’t eat when I was so upset. Halfway to my bedroom, I changed directions and headed outside.
Merlin had been gone too long. I knew something was wrong. It was the wizard’s nonchalance about Merlin’s life that bothered me so much. No one else could hear Merlin, so I had to speak for him. Magnus didn’t know Merlin like I did. To the old wizard, Merlin was just a wolf.
I wanted to go after Merlin, but Magnus refused, insisting that I wouldn’t last a day on another world without help. I didn’t appreciate his opinion at all. I may not have been a half decent sorcerer, but I survived my brothers for years, and I highly doubted there was anyone more dangerous than my family.
Chapter 2
I stuck my feet in the warm water of the clear stream. After arguing with Magnus about Merlin for the past three days, I just wanted to be away from him. Even the library was losing its peacefulness, since I had read every book in it that was in my language.
Magnus and Merlin told me I was only safe inside the castle grounds, but I hated being cooped up. Although the old wizard had magic in place to warn him if someone was trying to sneak into the castle, his wards failed to inform him when I was sneaking out. Getting over the stone wall surrounding the castle was easy. The first time I left the castle on my own, which was only a few days into my stay, I found a peaceful stream right in the middle of the forest. Since then, one of my favorite things to do was come out here and practice whatever magic I felt like practicing.
Merlin was no longer concerned with teaching me only dark magic, but he was now anxious to teach me magic to defend myself from my mother. I didn’t believe there was such magic. I had hoped by defeating Magnus, I would make my mother proud and she would change
her mind about killing me. Since I teamed up with Magnus against my brothers, I didn’t stand a chance. When my mother came after me, it would not be an idle, half-hearted threat. In fact, I expected to be tortured before I was killed, and no amount of wizard magic would save me.
Merlin had suggested that we go after my mother first, though he didn’t understand my mother like I did. Although she was well-known throughout my homelands, she happily sent her sons out to do her bidding, so she was actually a lot more powerful than people knew.
As I sat on the grass with my feet in the water, I waved my wand around randomly. I had intended to practice the warding spell Magnus had taught me, but that just made me irritated again. I didn’t like being unable to help Merlin.
I set my wand aside and started to loosen the ties of my shirt. It was a perfect afternoon for a swim. Movement right beside me was my only warning before my wand was taken by a fluffy orange blur. I turned just as the small fox stopped to glance back at me. He had my wand in his mouth, and he darted into the woods before I could even think of what to do. So I ran after him. My wand was dangerous in the wrong hands.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t used to being barefoot outside and I hadn’t taken the time to grab my boots, so I couldn’t keep up with the fox. Thus, I was surprised when the fox would halt just before he was out of sight and wait until I nearly caught up to him. Then he would dash off again before I could grab my wand. Either he was playing with me, or he was leading me somewhere.
Since I hadn’t been able to explore much because of Magnus’s concerns, I hadn’t learned the area and I was completely lost. The fox clearly knew where he was going and dodged the trees and rocks easily. I, on the other hand, managed to scrape my knees and stub my toes on almost everything.
I was out of breath by the time I realized there was the sound of rushing water ahead of us. The fox was heading right for a river. He knows these woods; he must be going for a hidden den or something. But no, he wasn’t. As we emerged from the forest, I saw the wide river cutting across the clearing before the mountain. The fox ran right for it.
