The Lazy Dragon and Bumblespells Wizard (26 page)

Great and Mighty stared at Amythyst's glowing remains. She looked around the circle of dr'gons, so still that only the tears in their eyes moved. Cl'rnce could read the defeat in her downturned mouth and begging eyes. Great and Mighty believed the evil Hedge-Witch, that the dr'gons would visit no revenge on the witch that was strong enough.

It was true. His dr'gon race could not. Cl'rnce could think of nothing to help.

But then Great and Mighty straightened her shoulders and turned to Hedge-Witch. “They may not stop you, but
believe me
, I will!” She pointed the crystal staff at the witch and sang out words sharp with a small power that grew in echoing vibrations. He saw Great and Mighty's doubting face tighten with determination
and confidence in herself.

He was about to cheer when she sent waves of confidence and power to him. He almost burst with pride to feel that she believed; this time there would be no bumblespelling. “Your life for the Primus,
”
she chanted, her arms steady as a wave of power shot through her fingertips.
“
His life restored. His goodness unblemished. The Three Again.
”

Cl'rnce shouted her words along with her, and every dr'gon in the cave joined in. The sound of the words bounced off rock and crystal walls, getting louder and louder. Great and Mighty peered into Cl'rnce's eyes and smiled. She mouthed the words, “I can save the king and punish Hedge-Witch.”

Turning to keep her stare on the witch, Great and Mighty backed over to Amythyst. When she smacked into Cl'rnce, she reached a hand back. “Can you give me Amythyst?”

Cl'rnce gently picked up the little dr'gon. He felt the slightest bit of life thump through the fiery purple skin. “You can do it, Great and Mighty. That's one thing Hedge-Witch didn't lie about. He's not dead. Bring him all the way back.”

Great and Mighty nodded. But instead of taking the little dr'gon out of Cl'rnce's hands, she whirled around and spoke so fast he almost missed the words. “Live to rule. The king ascends.” She tapped the little heart, then
threw down the crystal rod and placed both her hands and her forehead against the little dr'gon's chest.

For a moment, Amythyst's eyes fluttered open; warm gold light flashed out. He grinned, his eyes fastened on Great and Mighty, and then turned and looked at Cl'rnce. His wings unfurled, and Cl'rnce got ready to let the new Primus fly. But Amythyst's wings stretched only far enough to touch both Great and Mighty and Cl'rnce at the same time. When he did, a shock ran through Cl'rnce.

Great and Mighty gasped and stood up straight. The next moment, Amythyst burst into pure gold flames. Like a Phoenix, he floated, burning above Cl'rnce's arms and below Great and Mighty's face. With one powerful downbeat, the little dr'gon shot up and exploded into gold-edged amethyst light that swept into the form of a dr'gon as tall as the cavern's high ceiling. He became the biggest dr'gon Cl'rnce had ever seen.

With one more wingbeat, the made-of-light dr'gon split into two. For a moment, the halves hung in the air, all luminescence and warmth, then the parts splintered and showered over Great and Mighty and Cl'rnce.

Cl'rnce was stunned. The Phoenix Dr'gon legend was true. Amythyst had come. The Greatest Primus was about to rule.

Before he could say a word, Great and Mighty whipped around, picking up the crystal rod and screamed, “Stone.”
She said it only once, but it was enough to turn Hedge-Witch, who had finally managed to stand on her one good leg, into a rocky column of muddy stone, upright in the cavern shining with crystal walls.

Great and Mighty turned slowly back to Cl'rnce and said, “I messed it up again. I am so sorry. But she will never hurt a dr'gon ever again. I'm sorry you have to be the Primus, Cl'rnce. I really am a bumblespell wizard. I killed Amythyst.”

“Well, about time.” Hazel stomped over to Cl'rnce, smacking him in back of his horns. “You are the worst, laziest, undeserving candidate for Primus ever, but somehow you bumbled yourself into it, you and the greatest sorcerer of all time.” She wrapped her wings around him and whispered in his ear, “I knew you could do it, little brother.”

“Huh?” Cl'rnce looked from Hazel to Great and Mighty, to the burnt shadow on the cavern wall that matched the huge dr'gon Amythyst had burst into.

“Now, that's my super intelligent brother. Welcome back.” Hazel laughed.

“But what happened? I thought Amythyst was the Primus?” asked Great and Mighty.

Cl'rnce felt like he'd had a bad nightmare and had come awake to a worse reality. If Cl'rnce had this right, nap time was over, forever.

“In a sense, of course Amythyst is Primus. You are
both Primus.” Hazel marched over to Great and Mighty and tugged one of the little wizard's sleeves to make it reach to her wrist. “You'll need better robes for your new position. Can you make them?”

Great and Mighty's hand went to her pouch. She pulled out her book. “I don't know. I never tried. What if I make a robe, and it's really a road, or a web, or some kind of … poison?”

“Magick exhaustion,” Hazel's Wizard Partner, Gaelyn, said. “It'll take a while for it to sink in that she has power and responsibility. Give her time.”

Hazel nodded. “In any case, I believe Cl'rnce knows the Old Dr'gon meaning of the Amythyst legend—the Primus within two. Right?”

He nodded.

Hazel smiled at Great and Mighty. “Amythyst is within both of you. You did notice that? Right? Cl'rnce saw the visions, and you, Great and Mighty, heard.” Hazel stared hard at Great and Mighty and Cl'rnce.

They nodded.

“You two are really the one Hedge-Witch kept going on about. You two. Cl'rnce is the nominal Primus, but Great and Mighty is his essential sorcerer. You are the ultimate team. Pretty amazing, but according to the Book of Dr'gons, you two will rule over a thousand thousand years of peace. Frankly it's gobsmacking that a practical joker and a bumblespell—”

Gaelyn put a hand on Hazel's wing, and the dr'gon stopped. “You know what Thomas said. Have patience. Your brother had to obtain the Primacy, but he will need you to help rule. It was why Thomas insisted the Council make you the Head and created the provision that the Head could take on Primacy responsibilities.”

Cl'rnce liked the helping part. Even if she was his snarky big sister, he knew he'd need Hazel to do the real work. He glanced over at Thomas and their mother, staring into each other's eyes like lovesick dr'gonelles. They wore huge leis around their necks.

Gaelyn laughed and pointed. “Looks like the happy couple are about to leave on a long honeymoon on a distant island with lots of beaches. It's up to you now.”

Hazel took a breath, nodded, smiled, and said, “Congratulations. We'll have the dual coronation at home. I've had enough of this place. Let's roll, everybody.”

Dr'gon and wizard after dr'gon and wizard disappeared out of the chamber.

“She's pretty bossy seeing as how I'm the Primus,” Cl'rnce muttered.

“We're the Primus. And you know you'd rather she helped, a lot!” Great and Mighty said, nodding her head. “Hey, I stopped Hedge-Witch. She didn't kill the king.” She smiled as she ran her hand down her arm. A sleeve appeared, long enough to cover her from shoulder to wrist. She kept tapping until she had a new robe, this
one a soft green that matched Cl'rnce's scales. “Pretty cool for a bumblespell wizard.”

“Pretty good for the wizard half of the Primus.” Cl'rnce snagged the back of the new robe's collar, tucked his partner under one arm and said, “Hop on, Sir George, Raspberries. We're going to a party. I love parties.”

“Don't forget the crystal staff.” Great and Mighty wiggled in his grasp.

“You get it,” Cl'rnce said, holding his breath in hopes that the bumblespells were over and Great and Mighty wouldn't turn the staff Hedge-Witch had prized for its power into a frog. Or into raven poop.

Great and Mighty snapped her fingers and said, “To me. To the party!”

They landed in the middle of the chocolate fountain at Cl'rnce's mother's cave.

“Party!” Cl'rnce and Great and Mighty yelled at the same time. Cl'rnce dove deep into the chocolate pond to take a short nap and fill up on the best liquid food in the whole dr'gon, wizard, and knight world.

Once upon a time I drew pictures of my little sister, Patricia Boyd, and wrote a story about a “PB.” My grandfather stapled the notebook paper into a book, and I published my first story. (Thank you, Little Sis and Grandpa Jesse.)

Years later as a teaching assistant in Mrs. Whitney's third grade, (yeah, I took the job to stalk my daughter in the fourth grade classroom just down the hall) those sweet and funny third graders awoke a dr'gon and a wizard just as wacky and imaginative.

Forward a few years to me handing openhearted-Joan Broerman my tardy registration fee for my first SCBWI conference. Thanks to Joan I began to learn to put the dr'gon and wizard's story together.

The list of talented writers to thank for selfless support and critique help is long. My second writing group: Joan Broerman, Jo Kittinger, Brenda Moore, Debbie Sessamen, and Han Nolan read it week after week. To this day Joan and Han still give their spot-on critiques and support along with authors Connie Fleming and Aileen Henderson. And thank you, endlessly generous and wise author and friend Ann Dorer.

Since everyone knows the infinite length of a cat's memory and retribution list, even after they are heavenly cats, here is the pantheon of cats who sat on my desk and supervised: Chester, Emy, Pye, Sam, Pete, and Nikki (alive and well, is snoring behind me.) Nikki will eat thank-you treats for all of you.

When my parents, Mary Ann and Clancy Boyd read the very first draft of Bumblespells, they pronounced it a winner. Being the family goof-up, I was stunned. And then they shared it with their friends Rex and Annette Booher, who, after my parents passed away, believed in me and continued their support for the dr'gon and the wizard. Thank you!

I'm so smart! I participated in NaNoWriMo, where I found Jan Buck (aka Ally Shields). We are online critique partners. Jan sets an example of professionalism and talent that keeps me plugging. Thank you, Jan, for never sugar-coating it and setting the ultimate example.

I always wondered why authors thank their editors. And now I know! Madeline Smoot commanded a miracle out of me.

By the fall of 2012, I had failed so often I was discouraged. Deciding I had nothing to lose, I sent entries to each of the CBAY Middle Grade and Young Adult contest categories. Because a month before, a CBAY editor had rejected one of my YA manuscripts, I had no rational reason to believe I had a chance.

I didn't win, but I nabbed the top prize. Madeline started working with me on my Pansy Pants contest manuscript. Some people can teach; some can write; some geniuses can do both. Madeline is one of the geniuses. She helped me put together all those workshops, courses, conferences, and classes and form a book.

In the midst of Pansy Pants revisions, I gathered my courage and risked my precious dr'gon and wizard. I sent her a query and held my breath. She loved Cl'rnce! We began the work that became Bumblespells.

Once upon a time I dreamed of being a published author. Thank you, Mom and Dad, Pat, all my amazing friends. I thank you, Madeline, and so do Cl'rnce and Moire Ain.

Kath Boyd Marsh
writes about dragons and wizards and the occasional witch. As a teaching assistant, Kath loved the wonderfully funny imagination of her third grade students. She lives in Richmond, Kentucky.
The Lazy Dragon and the Bumblespells Wizard
is her debut novel.