Master Wizard

by James Eggebeen

  "Lorit!" Kedrik shook him. "Lorit!"

  Lorit moaned, but he didn't wake. Kedrik panicked. What now? He looked around, but couldn't find anything that might help. The desk was covered with neat stacks of parchment. In one corner, a small pile of fine white powder glowed with a magical energy.

  It looked like the dragon's magic, gold, pure, and powerful, just as it had been when Lorit used the powder of the dragon's egg to help Chihon. Kedrik couldn't think of anything else to do, so he grabbed a handful of it and carefully spread it over Lorit's injury. The powder burst into a brilliant golden shower of sparks that swirled above the charred black mark on Lorit's skin and then sank in.

  Lorit gasped and opened his eyes. His hands drew up to his chest, fingers curled and blackened. Kedrik grabbed the last of the white powder and sprinkled it on Lorit's hands. It flared and the blackness of the burned skin immediately healed.

  "You're all right!" Kedrik helped Lorit sit up.

  "Not all right, but I'm alive." Lorit rubbed his chest where the charred circle was already starting to fade.

  "What happened to Du'ala?" Lorit asked.

  "I don't know. She wasn't here when I arrived." Kedrik looked around the study, but there was no sign of Du'ala.

  Lorit blinked up at Kedrik. "How did you get here?"

  "I traveled by magic. Chihon said you were in trouble." Kedrik helped Lorit to his feet.

  "We have to get back to Chihon." Lorit looked dazed and unsteady. "Is Chihon still with the Arda'um?"

  "She is," Kedrik said.

  "Let's get back there."

  Kedrik lifted Lorit's arm over his shoulder to steady him. "Ready?" Kedrik asked.

  "Ready," Lorit moaned.

  Kedrik focused on Chihon and the hut in the grass. He gathered his power and prepared to pull. Just as he triggered the travel spell, a rush of power washed over him. It was gold and clear, like taking a dip in a cold river just after the winter ice melted, and it came from Lorit. The shock was almost enough to knock Kedrik to his knees, but he managed to stay standing as the study disappeared and the hut formed around them.

  "What was that?" Lorit asked.

  "I didn't do anything," Kedrik replied.

  Chihon came running back into the hut. She saw Lorit and stopped. "What happened to you?"

  "Sulrad hit me with a fireball. Kedrik did something to me and healed me." Lorit rubbed his chest.

  He looked at Kedrik. "What did you do?"

  Kedrik blushed. "I found some powder that was full of dragon magic. I rubbed it into the charred spot on your chest and it healed you." Kedrik slapped his hands together and the white powder spewed out and into the air of the hut. He sneezed as he breathed some of it in.

  Lorit rubbed his chest and pulled his hand away. His robe was scorched and tattered, but his chest was completely healed. Kedrik was just as surprised as anyone that Lorit was healed. He had acted out of impulse and thought the dragon's egg powder would help with the wound. He had not expected it to heal Lorit so completely or so quickly.

  "What was Sulrad doing there?" Chihon asked.

  "He's got the egg."

  "How did that happen?"

  "We landed and snuck into the temple. Just as we were about to take the egg, he materialized and grabbed it. Then he hit me with a fireball. That's the last I saw before everything went dark."

  Kedrik sat down. He was exhausted by the sleepless night and the use of his magic to transport Lorit.

  "Why don't you get some rest?" Lorit asked him.

  "Are you all right?"

  "I'm fine now. Chihon can look after me."

  Kedrik left Lorit and Chihon alone and crawled into one of the huts to lie down, hoping to get some sleep and recover. The day was starting to cool off, and he slept off and on until shouts came from outside the hut, punctuated by the occasional screech. Kedrik raced outside to see what the commotion was all about.

  Two dozen of the short squat folk with closely cropped white hair gathered in the rich black dirt. They stood in a circle, looking toward the center, where a dragon stood. It was dark green, like the color of rich leaves.

  The dragon struggled as if in preparation for flight, wavered, and transformed back into one of the Arda'um. Kedrik was struck by the similarity between the tribesman and his dragon form.

  Suddenly, a woman standing in the circle started to shimmer and was bathed in a glow of golden sparks that swirled around her. She rushed to the center of the circle and threw herself to the ground, hugging the earth as if to prevent herself from being lifted away.

  The cloud of golden sparks grew dense and contracted about her, spinning fast. The light grew bright and emitted a soft moan. The woman's back sprouted buds—tiny bat-like wings, their bony fingers no larger than Kedrik's own hands—but they grew quickly into full-sized dragon wings.

  The woman's arms and legs shifted, her legs growing thicker as she drew them up beneath her, her head completely masked by the swirling golden light as the cloud of sparks spun ever faster.

  Kedrik watched in awe as she stretched and writhed. Her scales grew to the size of dinner plates, and her head sprouted horns. Large, ivory horns with needle-sharp tips.

  It was over in moments. The woman was gone and a dragon stood in the center of the circle. It roared and shot fire into the air and prepared to take flight.

  "Help her," someone shouted from the circle.

  Kedrik rushed to the dragon. "How can I help?"

  "He calls."

  "Who calls?" Kedrik asked.

  "The priest. He calls me to his bidding."

  "How can I stop him?" Kedrik panicked.

  "Transform me back. I cannot hold off on my own."

  Kedrik cocked his head to one side and examined the dragon. He instinctively felt the similarities between the woman and the dragon. Her eyes were the same dark, deep blue tinted with flecks of green around the slits of the iris. He saw her in his mind.

  Kedrik summoned up his power and imagined the dragon transforming back into the form of the woman he had seen only moments before.

  The dragon shimmered and shrunk. Soon, the woman sat on the dark earth as she had before the transformation began, but Kedrik had no time to rest and bask in her thanks. Another tribesman was illuminated and started to change. He rushed to the center of the circle where Kedrik stood.

  "Please. Help me."

  Kedrik reached out. Magic was pulling at the man, trying to force him to take his dragon form. Kedrik saw a way to bind the Arda'um in the body he inhabited. It was not an easy spell, but he could do it. He crafted the spell drawing not only on his magic, but the Arda'um's too. When it was ready, he cast the spell. The illumination faded and the man relaxed.

  Kedrik worked his spell on tribesman after tribesman until all the folk were under his spell.

  "Thank you," the first woman said. Her name was Deni'a. "You have saved us."

  "What happened?" Kedrik asked.

  "The wizard. He called us to him. He commanded us to take dragon form and fly to his island."

  "But you withstood him. I saw you."

  "Not for long," Deni'a said. "Without your help, we would be on our way."

  "And now you are free."

  "The call is still there, but it is not as strong. I can resist."

  "What about Du'ala?" Kedrik asked.

  "She is near," Deni'a said.

  A screech came from overhead, where a dragon circled high above. Du'ala shimmered in the light of the evening sun, circling the camp, drawing ever lower. She came to rest in the dark earth and tucked her wings in. She shimmered and took on her human form.

  Kedrik ran to her. "Do you need me to work my spell on you?"

  Du'ala smiled, her scaly skin void of wrinkles, eyes twinkling. "No. I am strong enough to resist in this form. In dragon form, I was yet able to break free."

  "What happened?" Lorit asked. He was looking better.

  "Lorit. Good. You lived," Du'ala said.

  "Yes, I lived." Lo
rit rubbed his chest where the wound had completely healed, but his robe still held the scar.

  "He has the egg," Du'ala said.

  "I know." Lorit walked over to her and knelt down. "I'm sorry."

  "It's hatching," Du'ala said.

  "Hatching?" Chihon asked.

  "It's hatching. Your time has come, Egg Mother. You must retrieve it and care for it while it hatches. Guide it to a dragon so that it will grow up strong and wise."

  "And where is the egg?" Chihon asked.

  "In Quineshua. In the temple," Du'ala said.

  Chapter 40

  Lorit sat beside the hut in the middle of the clearing, still stunned by his quick healing. The huts were cramped and a little uncomfortable. He barely had room to stand, and the smell of the lizard dung used to keep the sword grass at bay was an ever-present background odor that Lorit worried would get under his skin and stay with him for moons.

  His chest tingled. Not pain, but a memory of the pain. He was healed, but he remembered. He rubbed at the hole in his robe, where the fireball had struck him. He looked around for anything he could use to mend the hole in his robe, but there was nothing. The clothing the Arda'um wore would not be suitable for his use, being fabricated as it was from the sword grass.

  Lorit turned to Du'ala. "How can we fight Sulrad?" He rubbed his chest as if to highlight his latest failure.

  Du'ala stared at him, her eyes narrowing to vertical slits. "Reach inside you."

  Lorit was skeptical, but he tried. There was a small kernel of golden magic that outlined the scar on his robe. It tingled when he reached for it. He focused on it, trying to call up any magic that might be there. Suddenly, there was a flare of almost overwhelming power. It threatened to tear him apart.

  He looked at Du'ala, amazed.

  The tribeswoman smiled up at him. "Enough power?"

  "I never..." Lorit was at a loss for words.

  "Come. We have a wizard to kill." Du'ala stepped back from Lorit and transformed into her dragon form. She nodded at Lorit and Kedrik. "Get on."

  Lorit slid up her neck and took a seat. Chihon walked up and extended her hand. "Not you, Egg Mother. The boy."

  "Don't you want me to help you?"

  "No, you must prepare for the egg. You will play a part in its quickening. Come." Du'ala nudged Kedrik with her massive snout.

  Kedrik slid behind Lorit, who smiled as Kedrik grabbed his waist and held on tight.

  "Ready for the ride of your life?" Lorit asked.

  "Not really."

  "You'll get used to it. It's a long flight. Best if you get some sleep along the way."

  "Why don't we travel by magic?" Kedrik asked.

  "Dragons can't travel by magic. Different rules for them. They have a different magic than we do."

  "You have dragon magic now. Does that mean you can't travel by magic?"

  Lorit had not stopped to consider what it meant when the magic flared up in him. He wasn't bound to Chihon any longer, but he had almost as much power as he'd had before his was taken away. He would have some serious testing to do when this was all over.

  They flew on through the afternoon and into early evening before Lorit awoke to the feeling of falling. Kedrik held on so tight Lorit was almost unable to breathe.

  "Relax," Lorit said. "You're perfectly safe. She won't drop you, and if she does, she'll swoop down and catch you before you reach the ground."

  "I think I'm going to be sick," Kedrik said.

  "It won't last long. We'll be on the ground before you know it."

  The ocean below them changed color from deep blue to an off-green, indicating that they were near the shore. Ahead, the mountains of Quineshua were just visible above the ocean fog.

  The temple appeared out of the mist, perched on a sharp cliff that dropped precipitously to the crashing breakers below. The sound of the ocean and the salt spray became stronger as they descended into the fog.

  Du'ala made for a small meadow beside a wooded lot that offered safe landing. She skidded to a stop, sliding on the wet grass, and folded her wings. The trees dripped with dew in the chill air of the island.

  Du'ala waited for Lorit and Kedrik to dismount, then transformed into the short woman she had been when Lorit first met her.

  "We walk," she said.

  "Where?" Kedrik asked.

  "The temple." Du'ala pointed off in the distance.

  The temple spire was just visible through the haze, the balcony that encircled the upper reaches almost lost to sight, it was so high.

  "The temple? We're just going to walk into the temple, grab the egg, and run?" Kedrik asked.

  "No. We fly." Lorit smiled and slapped Kedrik on the back.

  They watched for signs that they'd been detected as they walked toward the temple grounds. A large expanse of carefully manicured grass and shrubbery circled the temple, affording little in the way of hiding places, and Lorit was worried about being seen. He wanted to have Kedrik create a shield around the three of them but he wasn't sure it would work. Sulrad seemed to be able to penetrate shields, or at least recognize that they were there.

  The dragon magic flared up in him as Lorit pondered what to do. He examined it, getting a feel for it, until he was confident enough to try a spell. He crafted a disguise spell that would make them look like junior priests and cast it about the three of them. Lorit admired his work. Du'ala now looked like a young woman, wearing the black robes of the temple. Even Lorit's burned-out robe had changed to a heavy black robe with green piping.

  "There. We should be safe now," Lorit said. "Come on."

  They approached the temple via an avenue paved with polished granite flagstones. It was dotted with tall golden poles, each bearing a bowl to be lit at night, to drive away the dark.

  The temple doors stood wide open in invitation. The tall golden doors were twice Lorit's height and wide enough to drive a wagon through with ease. The guards at the door nodded to them as they entered.

  "Good morning Mother, Father," the guards said as they passed.

  "Blessings to you," Lorit mumbled. The entryway was large and even more opulent than the exterior. Tables lined the walls, covered with vessels to receive the offerings. Golden bowls that held coins stood next to bottles of precious perfumes and medicinals.

  Patrons had just started arriving, each one depositing their offering on the table before heading deeper into the private part of the temple.

  "Where do you think it is?" Lorit asked.

  "This way." Du'ala motioned them to a side corridor that was poorly lit, plain, and uninviting. At the end of the corridor was a door of ancient wood. It was warped and looked to be older than the rest of the building.

  The door was enchanted barring entrance, but Lorit quickly found a counter-spell. He pulled the door open onto a hallway fabricated from rough river stone that had been fit together without mortar. It had the look of age that the rest of the temple did not.

  Not far along the ancient corridor, they came to a door that was unadorned and unlocked. A small sign on the door proclaimed simply: SENIOR.

  Du'ala placed her hand on the door. "Here."

  Lorit pressed his palm against the door and extended his magical senses. Sulrad was in the room, and he was not alone. There was at least one other person there with him.

  "Sulrad is in there. I can't go up against him," Lorit said.

  "You have the dragons' power. You can withstand him," Du'ala said.

  Lorit rested his palm against the door and prepared for the worst. He yanked the door open to reveal Sulrad's study, smaller than Lorit expected of the most senior priest in the temple. It was neat and clean and featured a medium-size desk that looked to be as old as the surrounding walls. The egg sat on the desk amidst a sea of neatly stacked parchment.

  Sulrad and Tass turned as Lorit entered.

  "Ah, so nice of you to come." Sulrad smiled. "Back for more?" He raised a fireball in his hand and stepped toward Lorit.

  "I'm here for the egg
." Lorit strengthened his shields. They felt different than before. The dragon's magic was wild and much more powerful than Lorit's own magic had been. It gave him confidence as he stepped forward to meet Sulrad.

  Sulrad let the fireball fly. It sprang from his hand like a living creature and flew straight for Lorit's chest.

  The power of the egg flared in Lorit, strengthening his shield as the fireball contacted it and burst into a shower of golden sparks that fell harmlessly to the floor.

  "I've gained a little power since our last meeting." Lorit raised his own fireball. It was golden and felt like molten lava twirling above his hand. He released it, sending it racing toward Sulrad.

  Sulrad raised his hand and spoke words of power. The fireball flared, but it was not completely extinguished. It struck Sulrad's hand and burst into a cloud of molten sparks that remained there for a heartbeat before dissipating.

  Sulrad shook his hand in obvious pain. "Tass. Now," he called.

  Tass reached out, grasped the egg, and cradled it against her breast. She backed into a corner and raised her hand as if to create fire. "Keep away from me or I'll destroy it."

  While Lorit's eyes were on Tass, Sulrad raised another fireball and flung it his way. Lorit barely had time to react and harden his shield as the flaming ball of violet lightning sped his way. He felt the heat of it as it pressed in on his shield, breaking into sparks that fell to the floor. The light blinded him.

  When Lorit's vision recovered, Tass was gone. Sulrad stood alone behind his desk with a smug, superior smile. "Too slow once again," Sulrad said.

  Lorit flew into a rage. He launched himself at the priest without a thought of magic. This time, he was going to defeat Sulrad no matter the cost. Lorit jumped up on the desk, throwing parchment around the room like leaves in the wind. He leaped at Sulrad, catching the priest full in the chest.

  Sulrad stumbled back into the wall and the two of them collapsed on the floor. Lorit saw Sulrad reach into his sleeve and draw out his knife. It was the ceremonial dagger that the priest used for his sacrifices.