Dragon Rider (DragonMage Saga) (32 page)

Rho gave Angel a quick hug and
heir ruffle. ‘Well little brother I see life being a wizard is treating you
well.’

‘I’m glad to see you’re ok as
we’ve heard you are getting attacked all the time. We have had some attacks
here as well nowhere near as many as you. I’m just so glad you are ok.’ Angel
had to look away as tears come to his eyes.

Etha come up to him and brushed
away the tears giving him a big smile as he did it. ‘No need for these, you
know you have the best Dragon Riders for brothers around and nothing is going
to get us. Beside who would you have to annoy, we couldn’t let you do that to
anybody else now could we?’ He quickly side stepped as Angel tried to kick him.

Just then Gavrie come up and
started talking to Tish. Rho and Etha went to join them and they soon headed
off into the school. Angel turned and looked at his friends who had big smiles
on their faces. ‘What haven’t you seen anybody with water in their eyes. It
must be the wind or something. Come on lets go, I would love to go over to the
dragons but I would not upset them.’

They headed back into the hall
and found Tish and his brothers sitting in the Meal Hall having a drink with Gavrie.
They could see that hard talking was going on and so did not wish to annoy
them. The storm had just hit as they had entered the hall.

Finding a table in the hall and
sitting down they waited. His friends were not going to leave him by himself
waiting so, stayed with him. It was about half an hour before Gavrie looked
over at them and then indicated to Tish she should go over.

Tish and his brothers got up and
come over to Angel’s table and pulled up chairs to join them. Rho and Etha
spoke before Tish could talk. ‘The food smalls really nice here, I wander if we
could have some as it was a long flight.’ Rho looking at the kitchen.

Etha looked at his brother and
couldn’t help but laugh. ‘Ha come on you eat all the time, if you small food
you want some, but I suppose it was a long trip and we have got to go back yet.
Angel how about your friends taking us over to get some while you talk to mum?’

Angel’s friends got the hint and
got up telling Angels brothers to follow them. They headed over to the food and
Angel looked at his mother with a big smile on his face. There was still the
trace of a tear or two but he didn’t mind.

‘How bad are the attacks, have
there been any dragon deaths or injures?’ He was concerned for his old friends
and the young dragons.

‘Your old friends are fine and
are looking after the young dragons when the creatures attack. There have been
a few injures to some Dragon Riders and a couple of dragons as well otherwise
we are keeping the creatures from doing any harm. They are starting to be a
pain keeping Dragon Riders busy defending around the Hatchery and the Dragon
Rider School.’ Sounding a bit angry about the attacks, as if they are just a
nuisance and nothing more.

Angel was wandering if he should
mention his thoughts on where the Renegades are opening the portals. But
thought they and other wizards would think of that so never mentioned it. Angel
asked how NightWing was going and his brothers’ dragons. She was not sure what
to tell him as she was still concerned about him not being able to ride
dragons.

‘The dragons are fine and well,
how do you feel about not being able to ride dragons, do you miss that?’ She
looked him right in the eye as she asked.

‘I’m fine and my friends have the
same feelings about dragons, they would love to be able to ride them but know
it’s impossible and so we can live with that.’ He spoke with a little more
happiness in his voice than he was going to.

She looked at him with a funny
look, when the others returned with full plates. His friends sat down and laughed
at his brothers as they attacked the food on the plate. Tish smiled and got up
and went over to get something. On the way meeting Gavrie who went up with her
and when she had a plate full went back to Gavrie’s’ table.

Angel's friends were getting along
well with his brothers. They sat and talked with them while they ate their
food, talking with full mouths which Angel just laughed at. His brothers talked
of the attacks and what they were trying to do.

‘We try to find where they come
from but as soon as the creatures come we must stop and  fight so then we
have no way of finding the portal as by the time we have defeated the creatures
the portal is long closed and the Renegades long gone.’ Rho looked dejected as
he told them.

Etha spoke of the last attack and
that there must have been over five hundred creatures. ‘They come, wave after
wave and we only just stopped them. We just had enough riders here and are
having to bring more home, leaving our outposts undefended. That’s why we are
here; we will not be able to send any Dragon Riders here if you are attacked.
You are alone and there is nothing we can do about it.’

Angel and his friends looked
helpless as he told them; they knew it would have to happen if the creatures
kept coming. Tish and Gavrie came back over to the table and Gavrie looked at
Angel and his friends. ‘Time for class, I’ve left you as long as I can with
your mother and brothers but it is time for class, now up to the Crystal
Chamber.’

Angel gave his mother and
brothers a goodbye hug and his friends thanked Angel's brothers before they
departed for class. They arrived at the Crystal Chamber and entered, they knew
Gavrie would be saying goodbyes and so would not be up here for a short time.

‘Come on before Gavrie comes
let’s get close to the crystal and see what it feels like. I would like to see
if it feels the same as the other one.’ Angel proceeded to stand before the
crystal and he lightly touched it but it felt different to the other one.

They all stood around the crystal
and gently touched the crystal. They stood there for what they thought was ages
and could feel nothing like the other one. Angel drew their magic to him and
focused it on the crystal and let his magic touch it. Still there was nothing.

This crystal only does what
Gavrie uses it for, seeing the pattern in spells when they have been woven.
‘It’s just a crystal that resonates with the spell into a pattern allowing the
wizard to see what a spell looks like. It’s the other crystal like this one but
is not. I wander if they put that crystal in a room just like this one so as to
make people think that is all it was?’

They heard Gavrie coming and
quickly moved back into a circle and sat there and quickly wove a simple spell
and made as if they were practicing looking at patterns. Gavrie looked at them
and nodded his head as they each wove a spell. He came over and walked around
them nodding his head as he looked at the spell they wove.

‘Ok now lets start a more complicated
spell and see how you see this pattern. I will weave the spell and then I want
you to copy the spell.’ Gavrie had a little smile on his face as he told them
this.

He proceeded to weave a very
complicated spell. From what they could see it was a spell that would cover and
hide something so it needed to be a complicated pattern. When he had finished
he asked them to copy it to as close a copy as they could.

The four of them looked at the
pattern and then proceeded to create the pattern exactly as Gavrie had done.
They did not miss one single strand of the pattern. Now Gavrie had never seen
this happen before, simple ones yes but not ones this complicated.

He looked for any mistake and
found one on the four patterns. ‘Ok here you have missed this strand in the
pattern just at a point that is critical to the spell. You must learn that the
pattern has got to be spot on. Now I think you can try it again.’ Angel got up
and went over to Gavrie and pointed at his spell pattern. ‘I think you will
find your pattern has the mistake in it as well, that is why it’s in ours.’

Gavrie walked over and looked at
the spell and looked closely at the point Angel had indicated, sure enough
there was the exact same fault in the pattern. They were right and they had
copied it exactly. They are very good and getting better all the time but they
will find things start to get tougher now, then we will see what they can do.

I think it time I find out how
good they are; now let’s see we need a spell with a very complicated pattern in
it. I will try them on a very powerful spell as the fire ball and thunder bolt
spell are very basic. This is a very powerful weapon spell and will if they get
it right will envelope a person in a ball of energy but will not harm them but
hold them only. Let’s see how they go with that.

Weaving the spell takes him a
good five minutes as he has not done this spell in a long time and he wanted it
perfect. Normally when using a spell like this in battle the wizard would have
it in his mind and woven in seconds for his life could depend on it. For now he
wanted a perfect weave so he can see how close they can get to it.

He finished it and spoke. ‘Now
try this and I will give you ten minutes to complete it now go.’

The four of them looked at the
pattern and could see the pattern and what it did. They then went to work and
in a minute Angel had his with the others not far behind. ‘I hope this is
right, from what I can make of the pattern it will envelope the person it is
intended for in a ball of energy but will leave them unharmed. But from what I
can tell with the pattern it would allow that person to still use his magic to
find a way out.’

Gavrie looked in amazement at the
four completed spells suspended in the room. Spells cast in this room can be
sent and worked or the one controlling the spell can have it held in the air so
it can be studied. Gavrie looked at the spells walking around them to see if
there were any faults in the patterns. He looked and found none.

‘You have cast them perfectly and
in answer to your question, no a wizard involved in this spell can’t use their
magic inside it to cast spells outside, for his shield will try to protect him
and hold the spell at bay. It takes all his magic to keep the shield up and
protecting him. We would like to be able to cast a spell when hit with one of
these but we have not been able to get our magic shields to give us just a
little magic to do this. Now I think that will be all today, now go and get
lunch and practice your excise’s He watched as they left the room, thinking on
how strong their magic is.

No first year let alone ones
their age have ever done a spell that complicated in such a short time. Angel’s
father would be proud of him with what he can achieve at his age. I will have
to teach them harder spells and start to show them how they can be altered and
made to do different things.

If only his father had lived to
see this day. He could create a spell quickly but not quite as quick as they
just showed him. And to be that accurate is incredible. I will have a word with
his mother one day and I will have a word with the others parents as well.
There has got to be something they have done to make them this strong and good.

Medwin, Maive and Shylyns magic
was strong for their age and that would have meant they would be stronger than
most. It is very rare that kids develop their magic this early. Angel’s father
did and there is one now and again that does. But to have four here now at this
time is fate.

Angel and his friends went
running down the hall and stairs hoping that Angel’s mother and brothers were
still here. Arriving at the bottom they ran out the door and found Tish talking
to the weapons wizard. Angels brothers seen them come flying out the door and
walked over to them.

‘Well I see you made it in time
to see us off but you did not have to worry as we were going to wait for your
lesson to finish before we left, mums just sorting out more lances as we are
running out. We send the empty ones back here and have to wait for them to
return. So we’re trying to see if we can get more lances made, we are hopeful.’
Etha looked over to their mother to see her still talking.

‘They will need to get the basic
lances made and then we can do the magic side of them.’ Just as Angel finished
talking Tish come away from the weapons wizard.

‘They will be able to help but
just got to get the lances made and then will charge them. They know we need
them as it's all the defence we have.’ She looked back at the weapons wizard as
he directed students to go to the shop where they will make the lances.

Contents

The Crystal Chamber

Angel could see the troubled look
on his mothers face. ‘Mum it will be ok they’ll start to make the new lances
right away and soon as they have the first few ready they’ll get them to you as
soon as possible.’

‘I know they will but it’s just
the attacks are coming so soon after the last, we’re starting to run out of
them. We just about need a wizard staying at the hatchery to charge them as
they run out. It’s something we might have to consider and Gavrie has suggested
it. It’s just, we worry about the dragons with wizards around, but it soon just
might have to happen, we’ll just have to see.’ There was a resigned look on her
face as she spoke.

Rho came over to them as he was
talking to some students who have just brought the recharged lances back. ‘We
have all the lances we brought with us and they’re all charged. Come on Etha
lets get them loaded while mum says goodbye?’

‘Ok but we better say our good
byes now to.’ He walked up to Angel and gave him a big hug. ‘By little brother
be careful and you be the best wizard there ever will be ok. We miss you little
one so take care.’ He turned and walked off over to the lances and picked them
up not looking back.

Rho looked at his little brother.
‘Make us proud little one and be careful we are going to miss you. As soon as
we can we’ll be back to see you ok?’