by Rain Oxford
Merlin kept trying to get closer to me, but the dragon and cobra blocked him every time. They weren’t hurting him, at least.
“Stay back,” I said to him.
“Your father is insane.”
“I know.” As I blocked the cobra’s next strike with my shield, the dragon slashed me with his long talons. Once again, I went flying backwards and landed hard. Hot blood spread over my chest. This time, I didn’t bother getting up. I could barely breathe, so I just feigned dead.
For a moment, it was quiet… and then a terrible crash, followed by a screech of anger made me cover my ears. I opened my eyes a crack, just enough to see that the dragon and cobra had turned on each other in lieu of their prey.
My father waved his wand and the cobra disintegrated. Harðtǫnn roared and took flight. Instead of going inside, my father stopped when he reached me and held out his hand to help me up. I didn’t move. “Are you going to kill me for failing?”
“You are still alive, so in what way did you fail?”
“I didn’t defeat the dragon.”
“I never said you had to. I said you had to fight him, and you did. Well, you cowered mostly, but you survived, and that was more than I expected from you.”
“Then what was the point? I didn’t learn anything.”
“Then you are a fool. If your mother took your magic, what would you be?”
“I don’t know.”
“Nothing. Without your magic, you’re nothing. Until that changes, you don’t stand a chance against your mother or Baltezore, and you won’t be able to break the curse over Merlin.” He started walking away.
I climbed to my feet, ignoring the pain. “I’m not nothing. If I lost my magic, I would find another way to fight my mother and Baltezore. I’d find another way to break Merlin’s curse. I’ll do it just to prove you wrong. You and everyone who has looked down on me.”
He turned back to me. “Don’t do it for me or your enemies. Do it for you. You’re the only one you have to answer to. You’re the only one who has to believe in you. Everyone else will see you as you see yourself. Gideon, come here.”
The warrior, who had been watching from the castle wall, rushed forth. I picked up the sword and handed it back to him. “I’ll clean it if you show me how.”
“That sounds good.”
My staff appeared, floating in front of me. As soon as I took it, it transformed into a sword. My father patted Gideon on the shoulder, “I know how much of an honor it is to train my son, but you mustn’t take it easy on him.”
“Did you just ask me to train Ayden?”
“I never ask for anything.”
“That is what mace is for,” Merlin said.
“Think about what you learned today,” my father said, walking away.
“Wait, what about the Minof family?”
“They’re safe… for now.”
Chapter 18
After getting a healing potion from Mason and telling him that my father said his family was safe, I went to bed. Goat cried outside my door until I let her in, but I wouldn’t let her sleep on the bed because I didn’t want to smell like her. Only after I gave her my pillow and a sock did she finally settle down.
I had a normal dream for a while before it changed. It was still vague and scattered, but I saw a hole in the sky, darker than the night sky. I saw a river of liquid fire that ranged from furious red to blinding yellow. Rivers and lakes boiled. Dragons roared. It was worse than anything I could imagine.
Unfortunately, because of the healing potion, I couldn’t wake myself up, and since it was a vision rather than a dream, I couldn’t control it by being aware of it.
When I finally woke, I went into Merlin’s room and sat beside him until he came out of it. I understood that somehow, for the same reason we could speak to each other mentally, I could sometimes see Merlin’s visions. I didn’t understand why one of us would often wake before the other.
He opened his eyes. “There is still time to stop the black star,” he said.
I nodded. “I know. What caused that fire river?”
“That was melted rock, called lava, or magma when it is in the ground. It is all over the world, in mountains and deep under the planet’s crust.”
“I thought about the fight yesterday. I know how to defeat my mother and Baltezore.”
* * *
Instead of immediately getting everyone together, I decided to figure out the details of my plan with Merlin first, because it wasn’t going to be easy to convince everyone else.
I tried to eat breakfast, but Jeb, Houda, and Roulis were deep in argument at the table, so instead I met Gideon out on the field for training. Because Gideon had been training me since he moved into the castle, I wasn’t a complete rookie.
After a while, he gave me a short break to drink some water. “You are getting better.”
“Not good enough to defeat my mother, though.”
Merlin, who was sitting under a tree to watch our practice, growled a moment before Zelli appeared between Gideon and me. She was a twelve-year-old sorceress and seer. Her long, curly black hair was loosely braided with silver ribbons. She had given up her family robe for a generic black one.
“Something is going to happen.” Her lavender eyes were full of worry.
“Did you see something?”
“It’s what I can’t see. Ilvera can somehow hide her house and this castle from my visions. Either she got my hair or blood when I was with her and has cursed me, or she has magic over both her house and the castle.”
“How do you know something is going to happen?”
“I saw Livia dead and all of us powerless. I also saw her killing me in my cabin, so I decided to come here and warn you.”
“So you came for our protection, not because you wanted to help us?”
“Of course. What do I look like, a witch?”
“Fine, you can stay here, but if my mother attacks, you have to help. You can take your chances on your own or you can stay with us where you have help.”
* * *
“It’s a trap,” Jeb said. We were all gathered around the table about midday and Zelli had explained why she was there.
“I don’t care if you think it’s a trap or not,” she said easily. “What have you all been doing to stop Ilvera?”
“Well… nothing,” I said. “We have to fight a stronger enemy.”
“Stronger than your mother?”
“Supposedly. Have you had any visions about the black star?”
“No.”
“You sound like you have a plan,” Thaddeus said.
“I do, but none of you are going to like it. Merlin and I have talked about it today and it’s not getting any better.”
“Well, what is it?”
I glanced at Merlin and he shook his head. “Merlin and I decided not to say… to everyone. I need to speak to all of the Sjau alone.”
Thad narrowed his eyes. “You don’t trust me?”
I didn’t trust him completely, but I wanted to. “Someone here is working for my mother, and I doubt it’s a Sjau… except for Blue. It could be Blue.”
“Tell him that if you limit the knowledge to the Sjau alone, and then you are betrayed, then you instantly narrow the traitor down to thirteen.”
I did, and that seemed to satisfy him. “Later, I need to use your mirror to contact Sven,” I said to Mason. He didn’t react; he wasn’t listening to the conversation. “Alright. All the Sjau, meet me in the library. Blue, that means you as well.”
A short while later, we were gathered in the library. Only Mist was left out. Although she was necessary to the plan, she was too young to understand what was going on. Merlin and Ryker were the only non-Sjau in the room. Thaddeus wasn’t happy that Merlin got to be a part of this and not him.
As Ryker fussed, Houda patted his back. “What’s the plan?”
“Yesterday, when I fought the dragon and snake, I didn’t stand much of a chance against either of them, let a
lone both of them. However, when I played dead, they turned on each other. I don’t know Baltezore, but I know my mother. Although she’s working with him, there’s no way she’s loyal to him. If she gets our power, she’ll turn on him.”
“You’re suggesting that we---” Jeb started shouting.
Evelyn smacked her hand over his mouth to quiet him. “Don’t tell the whole house. Yes, he means for us to forfeit our magic in order to defeat one of our enemies.”
“How does that work? They’re not going to defeat each other,” Houda said.
“No. According to Merlin, Baltezore is more powerful, so I’m really hoping that our combined magic makes my mother strong enough to defeat him for us. Then we can reverse her spell, take back our magic, and defeat her together.”
“What about her taking his magic if she kills him?”
“Baltezore doesn’t use magic like we do. According to Merlin there’s a… decent chance she can’t do that.”
“How can we reverse the spell without magic?” Evelyn asked.
“I was hoping it would come naturally.”
“That is so encouraging,” Jeb said.
“I agree, it’s not a great plan, and there are more holes in it than my socks after Goat gets done with them, but it’s all I’ve got. If anyone has a better idea, now is the time to share.”
They were silent.
“I say we do it,” Mason eventually said.
“I would rather go down fighting than sitting around here, waiting to be attacked,” Gideon agreed.
“It’s a terrible plan that will get us all killed… but it might also be the only way to stop the black star,” Koufax said. “Stopping the black star is more important than our lives. However, Ilvera could also destroy the world if she had all of our combined magic, so we need a backup plan. Ask Kille to prepare his family to take down Ilvera if we are unable to take back our magic. Ilvera may be astoundingly powerful, but Shaerl Rynorm is a brilliant strategist.”
“Then why don’t we ask her what to do?”
“That would be like asking my father what to do, only worse.”
“It’s insulting,” Jeb agreed. “Asking something like that of a sorcerer is like a child going up to a random stranger and asking them to wipe his butt.”
“How is asking them to be our backup plan any better?” Gideon asked. “I thought it would be less rude to ask for a plan than help.”
“No, it’s a lot better to ask them to take responsibility to protect our world,” Zelli said. “You’re telling them you trust them to help, but that you are going to do everything you can to do the job yourself first. Asking them for information or a plan is like asking them to do everything for you before you even try. If you ask them for a plan, they’ll likely refuse to help in any way.”
“That makes a lot of sense when you put it that way,” Gideon said.
“How does that make sense?” Houda asked.
“You don’t think like a sorcerer,” Jeb said. “I don’t like the plan, but I’ll do it.”
Blue tapped Houda’s arm. I pointed my wand at her, but she ducked behind Houda. “I’m not going to hurt you. Even though you tried to kill Merlin and me, you should at least be able to argue. Your life is just as much at risk as ours.”
She slowly came out from behind Houda.
Break the curse. My magic shot into her and encountered Jeb’s sorcery. Jeb was a pretty good sorcerer, but he had underestimated Blue and I could tell that she had nearly broken the curse on her own. My magic joined with hers to overcome his power.
She gaped. “Your magic is so light. Did Ilvera really lie to me?”
“Yes.”
“I thought I had a family. I wanted to believe someone cared about me.”
“I had a family that hated me, and I never knew why.”
“Do the rest of us have to be here for the emotional stuff?” Jeb asked. “Everyone has problems. Are you in or out?”
“I’m in,” she answered quietly.
“Really?” I asked.
“She lied to me.”
“She lied to many people,” Zelli said. “I’m in, as well.”
One by one, every Sjau in the room agreed to the plan. The only ones left were Livia, Sven, Sotis, and Kalyn. I knew Kalyn would follow Sven and I expected Sotis would as well.
* * *
Merlin, Mason, and I went to Mason’s room, where we used Mason’s mirror to contact the remaining Sjau. I focused on Sven and said, “Contact Sven.” The mirror chirped at me like a bird. “What is that?”
Mason rolled his eyes. “It means Sven hasn’t answered his mirror yet, but it is working.”
A moment later, it stopped chirping and Sven appeared. “What do you want?”
“We need your help.”
He laughed.
“I’m serious. This world is not going to survive the death of magic. If the world doesn’t tear itself apart, people will.”
“I don’t care.”
“What about your wife?”
“I’ll protect her. Once magic dies, Ilvera will be powerless and I can save Sheba.”
“Is that the only reason you don’t want me to save magic?”
“I also want all of the power for myself.”
“As do most sorcerers, but you don’t have all the information. My mother is working with a sorcerer from another world, who is far more powerful than any of us. While we don’t know what he will do, we know it’s going to be disastrous. I have an idea, but it’s not going to work without all of us cooperating.”
“I’m not making a move against Ilvera until my wife is safe.”
“What if I saved her first? Then would you help?”
“Yes, but if she gets hurt, I’ll make you regret it.”
Although I wanted to ask about Kalyn, I knew doing so could put her in greater danger. “Keep the mirror on you.” I looked at Mason. “How do I stop it?”
“However you want,” Mason said. “I like to say, ‘end call.’ It’s a pretty perceptive mirror.” The surface reverted to its normal reflective quality.
After that, I contacted Livia, explained the situation, and wasn’t surprised that she quickly and easily agreed to the plan.
* * *
I asked my father to request that his family take down Ilvera if we lost, and he said he was certain they would. I didn’t tell him what the plan was, although I was convinced he already knew. Then he said he would return when it was convenient for the plot. I had no idea what he was talking about, as usual.
“You know that your father is withholding information so that you will figure it out yourself, right?” Merlin asked as we left my father’s room.
“Yes, that’s normal. I wonder if he’s talking to a seer, though.”
“He is not using magic to predict what will happen,” Merlin explained. “Instead, he is using magic to collect information. From there, he makes deductions. At first, I thought he was too hard on you, and I wanted to tear his arm off and beat him with it when he sent his cobra after you. Now, however, I think he has a point. You are inexperienced, yet quite intelligent, and you have the makings of an exceptional strategist. Your father has made you quick to rely on yourself and come up with a plan. You only needed to believe in yourself to reach your potential.”
I didn’t know how to respond, so I said nothing.
I spent the rest of the day practicing combat with Gideon and magic with Merlin. Thaddeus was flabbergasted when I changed a rock into a pile of socks without using my wand or staff. Goat, however, was delighted, at least until we had to lock her inside because she kept ramming Gideon.
As the sun was starting to set, Livia arrived, appearing next to us on the field. “Is Magnus here?” she asked nervously and without a greeting.
“Of course. It’s his castle. He’s inside, though. He’s been pretty distant since the castle got crowded.”
“Yes, he was always a recluse. Is your father here?”
“No, he left a while ago.�
�
“I see.”
“Why did you transport here? I thought it was too dangerous?”
“It was, but I risked it because there was no other way to make it here before the black star. The ocean around my island is red.”
“With lava?”
“No, with blood.”
I turned to ask Merlin something and saw him unconscious on the ground. “Merlin!”
No response.
I saw that his chest rose and fell with his breath and started to relax. He was having a vision. “They’re getting stronger,” I said, although Livia probably didn’t know what I was talking about. “Now we need to get Sven, Kalyn, and Sotis on our side and then we can finally save the egg… or… hopefully trick my mother into doing it.”
“I can’t say your plan is a safe one, but the death of magic is a worse threat than Ilvera.”
“Why hasn’t Baltezore hatched or killed the egg yet?”
“Even with heat, dragon eggs only hatch when they’re ready,” she said.
“And he does not want to kill the egg,” Merlin said, shaking himself as he stood. “He wants to use the hatchling, but not for saving Caldaca. You need to put a ward over all of us right now.”
I did and then asked why. Before he could answer, something exploded behind me. However, nothing hit us, so I figured it had to have been magic, which was repelled by the ward.
When the smoke cleared, Sven, Kalyn, and Sotis were standing there, and Sven had never looked so angry before. “A magic ward isn’t going to save you this time, Ayden. You’re not leaving this field alive.”
I looked at Kalyn, trying to see if she had any bruises or cuts, and she subtly shook her head. “What are you talking about?” I asked Sven. “You’re on my home field right now; we have you vastly outnumbered. You can’t possibly---”
“You have my wife!” he shrieked with fury.
I was too confused to speak.
“Why do you think Ayden has your wife?” Livia asked.
“His mother showed up and told us!”
“And it didn’t occur to you that she was lying?”
