"Very good. At least the numbers were not as bad as I feared. Get a dispatch sent at once to Delven Vale. I want two more companies sent here. If there are three hundred more ogres out there, we are going to need reinforcements. I want to make sure that when they attack again, none of them escape," Bran said.
"I will send the dispatch at once," Captain Kallen replied.
"Captain, I have assigned Pace to be Dain’s guard. He is to pick one other to help in this regard. I want the two of them excused from every other duty. They are to watch over him at all times. Dain's safety is a priority."
Captain Kallen looked at Dain, who had his eyes downcast, and smiled
"I agree completely, Axethane. It shall be as you command."
"I must go and see the men, and let them know I am up and about. It burns my hide to know I had to be carried off the field. For that alone, I shall make those ogres rue the day they crossed the Glimmen Marsh," Bran said vehemently.
"For the death of our brothers, they will regret ever having been born."
Chapter Twenty-Four
Michael found himself outside the door Mieka had shown him. He noted the small brass plaque indicating this was the Headmaster’s study. Realizing he was still holding his breath, he let it out slowly. Michael wasn’t sure how his stomach was going to react to teleporting after all the food he had eaten, but it seemed fine. There was hardly any discernable discomfort at all this time. He was getting used to it, as Micah told him he would. Michael stepped forward and knocked lightly on the door. He heard Merric’s voice reply.
"Enter."
Michael turned the glass knob, and the door swung silently inward. Merric was sitting behind a large wooden desk facing the door, and a blonde man with short hair, wearing the blue robes of a wizard, was sitting in a chair in front of it. He turned when Michael entered the room. The man had arresting green eyes, the color of emeralds. Both he and Merric rose as Michael walked across the room.
"Good morning, Michael. I hope you slept well," Merric said smiling warmly.
"Other than being awakened once by a nightmare, I slept like the dead," Michael informed him, eyeing the other man.
"This is Mathis," Merric said, gesturing to the blonde man.
"He is the head researcher here at Kantwell, as well as one of our instructors."
Michael looked him up and down and noted the two blue stripes on Mathis’ silver sash.
"A wizard of the eighth key. It is good to meet you, Mathis," Michael said extending his right hand.
Mathis’ face remained expressionless throughout the exchange, but seeing Michael’s offered hand, he twitched a slight smile with one side of his mouth and shook it.
"Nice to meet you as well, Michael." He returned the appraising glance and noted, for the first time, the blue sash with a single black stripe. His eyes opened wider.
"I see I was misinformed as to your status. I thought to meet a young sorcerer, instead I find myself face to face with a young wizard."
"It is a recent development. Just yesterday, in fact," Michael informed him.
"Indeed? Well, welcome to Kantwell. I am sure we will be spending some time together in the near future. Until then, I have duties I must attend." Mathis turned to face Merric.
"Anything else?"
"Not at the moment," Merric said.
Nodding to Merric and to Michael, Mathis walked to the door and went out, closing it behind him.
Michael watched him go then turned to Merric.
"He seems a nice enough fellow."
Merric chuckled and gestured for Michael to sit down. He sat in his chair and waited for Michael to be seated before speaking.
"He does, doesn’t he? He is also one of the top wizards in this world, probably only exceeded by Mortow and myself. Of course, I have no way of knowing how far Maklin and Megan have gone with Mortow teaching them. They were only seventh keys when Mortow made his bid for power. I assume one, if not both, of them have become eighth keys by now," Merric said with a sad look on his face.
"And what key is Mortow?"
"He is an eighth as well, and very powerful. He would have made a great Headmaster had events not turned out as they have. Now, I suppose, he is Headmaster of his own school. Pity," Merric shook his head.
"But enough of that for now. I have many questions for you, and I am sure you have a head full for me as well. So, let us start this nice and slow. You seem to know the rank insignia of the magi, and I see you chose to wear the apprentice robes, so I will let you ask the first question."
Michael took a deep breath and let it out explosively, then laughed.
"I have so many questions; I hardly know where to begin."
"Why don’t we confine our subject to magic, for now? I would much prefer to address those questions first and get you on the way into your studies."
"Ok. What do the doors mean? And what makes two people of the same ranking differ in power?" Michael asked after some consideration.
"Good. Let’s start with the basics." Merric leaned back in his chair and folded his hands in his lap.
"The doors are basically barriers in one’s mind. Each barrier withholds a different type of power. You have already been informed that the sixth key unlocks the ability to create elements, such as fire, as in the case of your assailant on your world and the candle you lit last night in your room. You can also create water, which you can bathe with or drink or even make it rain. The amounts and degrees vary with the power of the individual. You could create a wind to blow dust into an enemy’s eyes or to fill the sails of a boat. You can create the elements of the earth to raise a barrier, like a rock wall. The only limits to elemental creation are your imagination and your power."
"I have filled a glass with water," Michael informed him.
"The first time I did it though, the water was hot. I dumped it out and tried it again, but that time I thought of the water being cold, and it was. I was also able to freeze a beer solid."
"You were combining the powers of two separate keys in that instance, the third and sixth. The third key unlocks the ability to manipulate existing elements, such as freezing, heating, or shaping them. In essence, giving you a degree of control over them, but you must have something with which to work; whereas, the sixth key allows you to create them, giving you a much greater range of what you can accomplish. But, let us start at the beginning. The first key unlocks the powers of the mind. This is where abilities like moving physical objects with your mind, sensing others' thoughts, and controlling your body’s various functions come from."
"You mean I have telekinesis? I can actually move objects with my mind?" Michael asked amazed.
Merric chuckled at Michael's excitement.
"Yes, you can move physical objects. Give it a try." Merric took his signet ring off and placed it on the desk between them.
"Here, try it with this."
"How do I do it? What words do I need to say?" Michael asked, sitting forward on to the edge of his seat and eyeing the ring.
"No words are required. The first key is merely a gateway to the inherent powers of the mind. Just focus on the ring and think of it coming to you. It requires a considerable degree of focus in the beginning but, as you master the ability, it will become easier and require less conscious thought."
Michael focused on the ring, trying to visualize it sliding across the smooth surface of the desk towards him. The ring wobbled a little, but did not actually come any closer. Merric watched Michael’s face. His mouth was set in a hard line and his brows drew down, partially hooding his blue eyes. The ring wobbled again and turned slightly. Knowing the difficulty Michael was encountering in coming to terms with this particular ability, Merric mentally nudged the ring towards Michael, causing it to slide a few inches towards him. Michael’s brows came up and a slight smile began to form at the corners of his mouth. As Merric had known, that was all it took. The instant Michael saw the ring move towards him, the doubt in his mind fled. The ring continued
its slide across the desk and fell into Michael’s outstretched hand as it tipped over the edge.
Michael raised his hand looking at the ring lying on his palm. He smiled and laughed.
"I did it! I actually moved the ring with my mind."
"Yes, you did. Now, I want you to concentrate on sending the ring back to me, but I want you to make it float through the air this time. No, keep it in your hand," Merric said as Michael began to place it back on the desk.
"Just lift it from your hand and float it over to me."
Michael regarded the ring once more. It was a plain gold band that widened at the top. The flat on the face held a stylized M embossed on it. The ring was quite heavy for as small as it was, obviously pure gold, and he noted that Merric had taken it from the ring finger of his right hand. The ring was big enough to have fit on Michael’s thumb. He pushed away all those thoughts and observations, trying to concentrate on making the ring rise off his palm. Was that the slightest lightening that he felt? Yes, it was. The ring was getting lighter. Suddenly, it was above Michael's hand floating in midair. Merric watched as Michael's face transformed from concentration to inquisitive to astonishment and he smiled faintly, but did not move or say anything. He could tell Michael’s hold on his new ability was still tenuous at best.
Michael lowered his hand, still eyeing the ring floating before him. He hazarded a quick glance in Merric’s direction only to see the ring start to fall. He refocused his concentration on the ring and its descent halted about six inches from where it had been. He focused on making the ring move towards Merric. It seemed to move much easier now, gliding slowly through the air. Merric held up his hand when it neared him, and Michael landed the ring on the older wizard's outstretched palm.
Merric snapped his hand closed over the ring and slapped the desk with his other hand.
"You did it, my boy. A little rocky starting out, but you're a natural," Merric exclaimed laughing lightly.
"I can see it is going to be a pleasure instructing you. You learn quickly."
Michael let out his breath and fell back against the chair smiling.
"Who would ever have thought that I would be psychic?"
"Well, I, for one. Even the lowest novice can do this. It is, in fact, the first lesson we teach. I must say though, you have accomplished in about ten minutes what it usually takes all day to teach to most students. You have done very well. How do you feel?"
"Happy. Excited. It feels unreal though, as if I only imagined doing it," Michael replied still smiling.
"All of which are to be expected. Even more so in your case since all of this is completely new to you. Do you think you are ready to try the next step?" Merric asked.
Michael leaned forward eagerly.
"Absolutely!"
Merric chuckled, and his eyes sparkled. He was enjoying Michael’s enthusiasm. It had been a while since he had instructed a true novice. He leaned back in his chair, reaching behind him to one of the bookcases. He grabbed two volumes off the nearest shelf and sat them on the desk. One was about an inch thick and about twelve inches tall by eight inches wide. The other book was closer to four inches thick with heavy, leather bound covers.
"Ok, regarding your second question, why is one of a certain rank more powerful than another of the same rank? That, I cannot answer. It is like asking why two people who grew up together and attended the same studies have different levels of intelligence. Why does one excel where the other one fails? Our level of intelligence comes from within. The same holds true for magic." Merric placed his right hand on top of the books.
"These books are heavier than my ring." He slid the thinner one off of the thicker one so that they were side by side.
"And one is considerably heavier than the other. I want you to raise the smaller one off the desk and hold it about a foot in the air," Merric said folding his hands back into his lap.
"Ok. So the weight makes a difference? It takes more power to raise heavier objects," Michael stated.
"Exactly."
Michael concentrated on the smaller book, and it started to rise off the desk. It moved smoothly upward until it was about a foot off the surface. Holding his concentration he looked to Merric.
"What now?"
Merric kept his eyes on the book. Michael’s concentration had not wavered when he took his eyes off the book nor when he spoke.
"Very good. Now, I just want you to hold it there for a minute. I want to see if you have to strain to keep it there for a time."
Michael’s eyes went back to the book, after a few seconds one of his eyebrows quirked up. The book started to rotate on its vertical axis. Michael sat there with a silly grin on his face.
After about a minute Merric spoke.
"Ok, bring it down now. Raise the other one and hold it."
Michael lowered the small book and brought the larger one up off the desk to the same level. He held it there for a few minutes. Merric stood up and placed his right hand on top of the book still floating above the desk.
"I’m going to apply some pressure on the book. Try to keep it from moving down. I will gradually increase the pressure until it starts to move down. If you grow tired let me know, and we will take a break. Ok, are you ready?"
"Aye," Michael confirmed.
Merric began to push down on the book. It did not move. He pushed harder. It still did not budge. He placed his other hand on the book as well and leaned over slightly. The book was anchored as if it were resting on the floor. He looked over at Michael. His face was a mask of concentration, but it didn’t appear that he was straining with the effort to keep the book aloft. Merric leaned forward over his hands, placing a great deal of his weight upon the book without effect. It was held solidly in place. Merric saw a slight smile come to Michael’s lips, and he suddenly felt his feet leave the ground. Merric burst out laughing as the desk begin to rise as well. It rose up until it touched the book, and then moved along with himself and the book about a foot higher off the ground.
"Enough, enough, you have proven your point, Michael. I cannot move it." Everything started to drift slowly downward. Merric felt his feet touch the floor again, and the desk settled gently back in its place. Merric sat down and looked at Michael, still smiling.
"Well, it seems we cannot test the limits of your strength in this way. We will have to have a go at this again in the rock garden, at another time. Do you feel tired?"
"Not at all, but then, that could be because this is all so exciting," Michael answered.
"Could be, but I think it highly unlikely. You managed that quite nicely. I am impressed, Michael."
Michael’s smile widened.
"Let us continue with your first question now. The ability to move items with your mind is only part of the first key," Merric continued.
"Why do you call them keys instead of doors? I mean, the doors are what I see. I have seen no keys."
"That is a very good question. The doors are the visible barriers within our minds. They bar the powers from coming through until the individual has attained a certain amount of knowledge. The keys are the tiny pieces of knowledge that actually unlock those doors. They come as revelations about ourselves or about magic. Therefore, obtaining the key is the milestone, not the opening of the door. Thus we designate it with the title of key," Merric explained.
"Martin told me a little about the keys as we went to breakfast. He said the keys have to come from us. We are taught how to use the powers we unlock, but cannot be taught how to unlock them."
"Quite right. That which we need to unlock the barriers lies within each of us. All anyone else can do is to show you how to use those powers once you have obtained them. Martin is a very bright young man. He has been struggling to find the fifth key for a while now. Consequentially, the fifth key unlocks the ability to teleport. Without it, a sorcerer is confined to walking wherever he or she needs to go."
"What about the second and fourth keys?" Michael asked.
"Let’s
not get away from the first key just yet. As well as being able to move objects, the first can be cultivated to the point of reading another’s thoughts. Conversely, it also gives you the ability to block others from reading yours. These are much harder to learn than merely moving objects around, and we will get into that a bit later. Also, you can learn to control the various functions of your body; heartbeat, hunger, thirst and so forth."
"Is that what I was doing when I cast the tranquility spell?"
"Tranquility spell?"
"Yes. When I went to view Karin’s body in the morgue, I was anxious and nervous and on the verge of breaking down under my grief. I remember that before I entered the room, I said Alcedonia and felt much better, calmer. I used it again this morning, after I woke from that nightmare."
"Ah, I see. Yes, that spell took advantage of the mental discipline of the first key."
"If the first key does not require words then why did that word come to my mind?"
"I can only deduce that since you had no training and did not know how to use your powers, that the magic itself supplied what was needed. To you, it came in the form of a spell, and that spell activated certain mental triggers which produced the desired effects. You must understand, Michael, you have done things which, to my knowledge, have never been done before. Your magic is working in ways that are unfamiliar to us. Not only have you obtained seven keys, but you have done so without knowing what you were doing. And, to top that, the magic is supplying you with the means to accomplish your goals spontaneously. Speaking of which…" Merric leaned forward and rested his arms on the desk. He laced his fingers together and regarded Michael.
"Just how many doors can you perceive?"
Michael saw the question coming and had tried to steer the conversation away from talk of the higher keys because he did not want to have to lie to Merric. He was finding that he really liked the old wizard. However, now that the question had been asked, Michael knew he would heed Micah's advice, and hope that Merric would later forgive him for the deception. He looked at Merric and, without hesitating, replied.
The Chronicles of the Myrkron: Book 01 - The Nine Keys of Magic Page 32
