Dragon Fire

by Randal Sloan

  “Who comes?” one of the trolls demanded in a magically amplified voice as their ship came to a stop, the Master air wizard holding it in place. Jailyn could feel the repressive strength of the magic surrounding the island, which tried to muddle her mind and break her newfound connection to the magical world. Jailyn strongly resisted that; having found her taste of magic, she didn’t want to turn loose.

  “We do,” Master Sabine answered for the two wizards, both of them coming to stand on the foredeck. He held up a magical talisman that resembled a key. The troll speaking nodded. The other troll started pulling the chain in, his companion standing ready with his club in hand. Jailyn wouldn’t have wanted to face him if their request for admittance had been denied.

  Nevertheless, after a few moments the chain was clear and their ship moved forward. One advantage of being inside, the seas around them immediately calmed. Jailyn found herself looking about at a beautiful lagoon with a semi-tropical island at its center. The sky above was crystal clear and below the ship she could sense the waters were teeming with life.

  “What have we here?” Jailyn heard whispered in her mind. Surprised, she looked up to see a young dragon flying overhead.

  “I’m Jailyn,” she told him. “I’m a new student, come to the island to learn about magic.”

  “But you speak so clearly,” the dragon said as he did a mid-air flip above their ship. “I have never heard a novice speak so clearly.”

  “I’ve had a lot of practice with my friends,” Jailyn told him as he continued his acrobatics overhead. By this time the other students had noticed the dragon, some pointing and all of them staring in awe.

  “Just who might those friends be?” the dragon asked as he swooped across in front of her.

  “It’s not entirely your business,” Jailyn told him with a gentle smile. “But since you asked politely, I will tell you. A pack of hellhounds, led by the one I call Big Boy.”

  The dragon staggered momentarily in mid-air, although he quickly regained his equilibrium. After all, as a dragon, flying was his element. The students watching thought it was just another stunt, but the Masters both knew enough to know what was happening. Master Sabine even had a pretty good idea what they were discussing. His beliefs were quickly confirmed, quite dramatically.

  “My Lady,” the dragon said as he came in for a gentle landing on the foredeck of the ship, barely clearing the heads of the two masters standing there. He knelt before Jailyn as she turned toward him, his serpentine head almost touching the deck.

  “Please forgive me,” he said. “I didn’t know it was you. You are so very young.”

  “What? You expected an old crone?” Jailyn asked him, her smile growing larger. “Yes, I’m quite young and I have much to learn. But I thank you for your regard.” She gave him a half bow.

  “I am Gavr’iel. In exchange for working with the students, I’m allowed to use the island,” the dragon answered, “and yes, I did expect someone older and not quite so pretty. Big Boy has always described you in such glowing terms, I assumed he was exaggerating. Now I see instead he lacked the ability to explain just how beautiful you are.”

  Jailyn couldn’t help but be pleased with the compliment. She bowed to him. “I am Jailyn Ashcroft and I am glad to make your acquaintance. I don’t know much about dragons myself, but I would say that as a dragon you are quite handsome.”

  That compliment seemed to surprise him. He arose and thrust himself back into the air. “I must be about my work for the masters, but if there is anything you need, just ask,” the dragon told her. Jailyn smiled to herself as he took flight, soon to be lost to sight as he flew toward the highest peak on the island, which he claimed as his home.

  It only took a few moments more for their ship to draw up to the small docks that served the island. Jailyn wondered if they were done with all the surprises. She should have known better.

  It took a few minutes for the students to all get organized. As one of the students furtherest away from the gangplank, Jailyn was almost the last of them to exit the ship. That was alright with her as she didn’t care about position. She did make sure Jesse was okay, helping him with his pack and pushing him in front of her.

  Jesse was probably the only one of the students who had noticed the dragon was speaking directly to Jailyn instead of the wizards or that he had shown her such regard. But after all, he was one of the few who knew the secret of her hellhounds, and so he knew about her abilities to speak with the animae.

  “What was the deal with the dragon?” he whispered to her quietly.

  “Apparently he knows Big Boy,” she told him. “There’s no telling what that hound has been telling him.”

  There was no more time to speak as the students started exiting the ship quite rapidly, some of them obviously glad to be back on solid ground. Jailyn smiled as Master Sabine led the way, his desire to touch the earth obvious to her, if not to the rest.

  When Jailyn set foot on the island, she felt a huge surge of magic as the island’s wards triggered in response to her arrival. For a brief instant Jailyn wasn’t sure the wards were going to accept her, but after a moment, they seemed to adjust to her presence and calmed.

  By this time Jesse was used to strange things happening around his friend, but still he felt the explosion of magic around her and offered her a steadying hand. Master Sabine must have felt it too, as he rushed over to check on her.

  “I’m okay,” she told him quietly. “It just surprised me. I should have known. After all, you warned me about the wards.”

  They all gathered in a small area off to the side where a stage platform was raised in front of the space. A podium stood in the center of the platform. A number of wizards stood on the stage, the various colored robes a near rainbow. Jailyn was content to hang around in the back as her clothes weren’t nearly as good as that of a lot of the girls in the crowd. Then she received her biggest shock yet. Stepping up to speak was a man who looked just like her father! The picture of her parents was by far Jailyn’s biggest treasure. She had never known them since she was a baby when she lost them, so the picture was all she had of them.

  After getting over her shock, Jailyn realized there were subtle differences. Just a little older than she expected her father would have been now. Perhaps an older brother?

  I have an uncle, she thought. Then she couldn’t help the angry thought that followed. Why didn’t he come find me? Apparently her thoughts were so strong he noticed, because he looked toward her with a hint of sadness. Later, his eyes seemed to say. She didn’t get a chance to carry those thoughts any further as he moved up to the podium to speak.

  “I am Master Ashcroft. Welcome to Excelsior Island, or more commonly known as the Great Wizards Island. You all have shown the seeds of magic within you, which means you have some level of magic affinity. Here we will endeavor to teach you to discover and use that ability to serve our great land of Callidore.

  “Your training will not be easy. Tomorrow we’ll begin assessing your abilities in each of the affinities. Although you all will have general studies to complete, we’ll concentrate your magical training on those areas where you have the highest affiliation. Each of you will also be given an advisor, one who can assist you in your areas of study and answer any questions you might have.

  “But first, you will be assigned your roommates, a chore made simpler by an enchantment on the arena floor. If you’ll look down at your feet, you’ll find areas have been marked off to enclose groups of students. Each of those groups is associated with one of our homes and so the ones in your grouping will become your roommates. The enchantment has led you to your best magical fit.”

  Everyone started to look around at their feet and then at their classmates in their house, some showing signs of delight and others looks of chagrin. Master Ashcroft held up a hand. “Please, wait until you’ve all settled in and at least have tried to get along with your classmates before requesting a house change. All house complaints will be address
ed at a later date, but I warn you: You’d better have a good reason for a change, as any frivolous requests will not only fail, but will cause the ones involved to each receive demerits. Your demerits all count against your house, just as your accomplishments can contribute to your house.”

  All that Jailyn cared about was that Jesse was in the same house she was in. Once she saw that, since she knew none of the others anyway, it didn’t really matter that much to her. As she watched, a set of high level students handed out tokens so they wouldn’t forget their house association. With a quick “Thanks” she accepted her own token, which said House Eldridge.

  “Although not official, each house competes with the others and the one that wins has the bragging rights for the next year. I remember very much the year my house won. Go, House Eldridge!” Somehow Jailyn was not surprised her uncle had been in the same house as hers.

  “So, off with you now. You’ll pass through the admissions area and be given everything you need. You’ll have a few moments to settle in and then partake of the evening meal. I suggest you get lots of rest. You’re going to need it the next few days.”

  Jailyn followed her housemates forward toward the admissions area, which was just a large area sectioned off with tables. The wizards there had obviously done this many times before, because each student was quickly and rather efficiently routed through. At least until they came to her.

  “Name?” The clerk spoke in a rather bored voice.

  “Jailyn Ashcroft,” Jailyn quietly answered.

  Suddenly the clerk was no longer bored. “Please wait one minute,” he told her. He turned around, speaking quietly with one of his co-workers. Finally, he turned back to her.

  “Please follow James,” he said, pointing to the young man he’d been talking with. He held his hand out, “If you’ll give me your pack, I’ll have it carried to your house along with your welcome kit.”

  Jailyn was caught by surprise by it all, but she quickly complied.

  “If you will, please, ma’am,” James told her, despite being at least a couple of years older than her. “This way.”

  Wondering just what it all meant, Jailyn fell in behind him as he led her across the compound. They could have at least told me where we’re going. Oh well, I guess I’ll see.

  Jailyn followed James into what was obviously the administration section of the school. He led her into the largest building there. The front of the building looked like most of the rest in the area, but the center of the building had a tower that rose up several stories. The building had an aura of power about it she could sense even before they set foot inside. If she had to guess, this was where all the Master level wizards had their offices.

  More than likely that meant they were going to see her uncle. She smiled to herself. At least I haven’t had time to get in trouble yet. Not yet! She still didn’t have full control of her emotions regarding him. Guess I’ll at least listen to his story.

  Although James didn’t seem to recognize the wards that flared up as they crossed the threshold, the effect was so strong that Jailyn staggered upon feeling them. These were even stronger than the wards she’d felt when first setting foot on the island. At least the wards seemed to accept her quicker than the last time.

  Unaware of her drama, James continued into the building unabated. Jailyn had to hurry to catch up, still wondering just what was going on. They climbed a staircase that wound around the middle of the tower. Bet the higher you go the stronger the wizard, Jailyn thought as they laboriously climbed the stairs. James didn’t slow down, so she began to think they were going all the way to the top, which didn’t surprise her. The headmaster should be at the top. That did pretty well cement her belief of where they were going.

  Then they reached the top and before she knew it, Jailyn stood face to face with her uncle.

  Jailyn had steeled herself for the meeting. All of her anger from earlier melted away when she looked into his eyes. Kindness, tempered with a hint of sadness, met her. Without thinking, she rushed into his arms. After a few moments, he led her to a chair. Feeling a little weak, Jailyn gratefully accepted the support.

  “Please forgive me,” Master Ashcroft told her, sitting in the chair beside her and taking her hand. “I only found out a few weeks ago that Kristine had secretly had her baby before she was killed. The midwife who assisted in your birth took the secret to her deathbed, where she finally told a friend who was able to contact me. That, and other information we received, led us to send out a group looking for you under the guise of the annual search for prospective students. In some ways, being hidden away like that kept you safe for many years, but I really wish that I could have been there for you along the way.”

  He gave her a sad smile. “There’s much we’ll need to talk about later. I knew your father, my brother, very well, and we all had come to love Kristine as if she were one of our own. If you’d like, I’ll try to tell you stories of them.”

  Unable to bring herself to speak, Jailyn just nodded.

  He looked at her intently for a moment, using his magical vision. “Your parents were both very powerful wielders of magic and it appears you received a double portion from each of them. From what Master Sabine has told me and from what I can see now for myself, you may well be one of the most powerful wizards for many generations.”

  He saw the look of doubt in her eyes. “Don’t worry. We’ll do our best to nurture and teach you to use that magic for the good of Callidore. Believe me, Callidore desperately needs you.”

  Jailyn wasn’t quite sure what to say to all that. Her uncle changed the subject, talking once more about her parents and she pushed her worries to the back of her mind.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Trouble's Never Far Away

  AFTER THE RATHER emotional visit with her uncle, Jailyn made her way to the building that was to be the home of House Eldridge. Last to arrive, Jailyn figured she would have the worst cot in the room where the first-year girls slept, but she was completely surprised to find the girls had saved for her what seemed to her to be one of the best spots.

  When she stepped into the room, the girls all surrounded her. With one or two exceptions, they all appeared to be excited to see her. By far the worst reaction was from a red-haired girl who gave her a glare before pointedly turning away to ignore her. Jailyn chose not to worry about her for the moment.

  The most exuberant of the girls tried to explain, although she could barely contain her excitement. “Kelsey’s sister told her all about you. No one has seen anyone like you in many, many years. And you’re in our house. We’re going to kick butt this year!”

  Jailyn quickly figured out that Kelsey was the blond girl who was standing off to one side when she saw her blush at the comment. She turned toward the girl, giving her a smile. “I expect only about half of it’s true and hopefully she doesn’t know about all the trouble I always managed to get into. It’s not my fault that trouble always seems to find me.”

  Kelsey brightened up at Jailyn’s lighthearted response. “Reisa Kawaski, my sister, and I are from the village close to yours, Daikon. My sister remembers living in Corlym, but I was so little when we moved, I don’t remember it. But Sarina here exaggerates just a little. I only said she knew you and that we heard you were special.”

  It was Sarina’s turn to blush. “It’s just what everyone is saying. But I do think you can help us to win. That’s all I meant.”

  “Is Master Ashcroft really your uncle?” one of the other girls asked.

  Jailyn nodded. “I didn’t even know I had family until I got here, but it appears so. Don’t worry, I won’t go looking for special favors or cause trouble. I’m just here to learn like the rest of you.”

  Jailyn didn’t tell the red-haired girl that she could hear her, but she smiled when the girl said, “Oomph!” under her breath. Something to do with her hellhounds, Jailyn had better than normal senses, especially her hearing. She thought she’d get along with the others just fine and maybe even be
friends with Kelsey and a few others, but that one was going to be trouble.

  With all the commotion of Jailyn’s arrival, it was a few minutes before Kelsey had a chance to speak with her.

  “I’m sorry about all that,” she told Jailyn with a nervous smile. “It just kinda grew on us. Sarina and I both arrived earlier than your group and we’d already settled in here when Reisa came by to tell me the news. Obviously, Sarina overheard and she blabbed to just about everyone else.”

  “It’s okay,” Jailyn answered with her own smile. “It does look like we have a great house and I think we’ll all be able to get along fine.” She resisted mentioning the redhead.

  Her smile broadened. “I really did mean it about just being here to learn and I bet having your sister to give us all her secrets, we’ll have a head start on most of the rest of the first years.”

  Kelsey was pleased with that. “You’re right. Reisa has already warned me about some of the things we need to do first and some of the people to avoid. In fact, as soon as we get a chance we’ve got to go see the waterfall. Reisa says it’s quite a magical place. That’s the first on our priority list.”

  Jailyn smiled. “I’m sold already. Since I’ve discovered my magic, I can’t seem to get enough.”

  Kelsey laughed. “Me either,” she said. She decided to go for it all. “Stick with me. No way that can go wrong,” she laughed, thinking of her past. That might have been slightly inaccurate. “We’ll show everyone what two village kids can do.”

  “Yeah, I’ll have to introduce you to Jesse later. That’ll give us another. He and I are close, almost like siblings, although he’ll probably try to tell you all kinds of bad things about me. Don’t worry, only about half of them are true.”