The Sorcerer's Quest (17 page)

Magnus was getting back to his feet, but he was
injured and it was going to take him some time to recover enough to attack.
When Bevras was right next to the circle, Merlin backed away. He couldn’t get
Bevras into it without getting himself trapped. “Merlin, take Zeus,” I said.
Merlin didn’t argue. As soon as he left Bevras’s side, I imagined my brother
levitating. Since he didn’t weigh nearly as much as a pirate ship, it was
almost easy. My power fled as soon as I pushed him into the circle. He was
still unconscious and he was trapped again. I wouldn’t let Zeustrum free him
this time.

I completely expected Merlin to be able to handle my
eldest brother, so when I turned to them, I just froze. There was no instinctive
action, epiphany, or even luck on my side this time. Black, glowing bands of
magic were wrapped around Merlin’s neck and limbs, similar to the restraints I
had on my monkey. Only these were meant to kill, not control. He was lying at
Zeustrum’s feet in obvious pain and Zeustrum held his blade pressed gently
against Merlin’s throat.

“Drop the staff,” Zeus said.

I did. There was nothing I could say to stop him, no
secret I could bribe him with, and no doubt he would kill Merlin if the wolf
wasn’t of more use to him alive. “I can’t release Bevras without my staff.”

“You will, or the wolf dies. Scuff the sigils.”

“
If you do, he will kill me anyway
,” Merlin
said.

“
What am I supposed to do
?
I can’t just let
him kill you. Tell me what to do
.”

“
Follow your heart
.”

I slowly approached Bevras. Following my heart was
what got me into this mess in the first place. It was so important to me to
prove myself to my mother, my brothers, and everyone else. Instead, I proved to
myself that I wasn’t a sorcerer. No, I wasn’t a sorcerer… but I did sort of
prove myself in another way.

Magnus, the greatest wizard known, counted on me to
save him, and I did. I proved that people could rely on me. I saved the elf
king’s daughter and proved that I keep my word. I created a monster that could
destroy a village and ended up saving them from it, proving that I fixed my
mistakes. I joined a wizard’s wand and sorcerer’s staff, proving that I was
something different. Maybe I was a freak, but at least I wasn’t like my
brothers. I didn’t try to kill a wizard just because he existed.

I didn’t have enough dark magic to fight Zeustrum,
but my wand had shown me that it wasn’t really necessary. Saving Merlin was
more important than killing Zeus. I focused my mind on what happened so many
days ago. It felt like ages when I wandered into a little village, trying to
make a name for myself. Magic tensed inside me, ready to strike, but not to
injure. I remembered my state of mind, my desire, and the sensation of my magic
when I turned every sword in an entire village into flowers. Magic released
from me, not my wand or staff, and Zeustrum was suddenly holding a bouquet of
flowers.

The shock on his face was instantaneous and I used
that distraction to reach out my hand and call my staff to me. It leapt up from
the ground, across the room, and into my hands. Since Magnus was still
disorientated, I poured my magic into the circle. The sigils came alive and
blue energy swirled around my unconscious brother. Fortunately, I didn’t have
to know anything about the world I was sending him to, because it was the
sigils and their arrangement that determined what world the portal opened to.
It took longer than with my other brothers because this was just my magic, but
eventually, Bevras vanished.

“No!” Zeustrum had his wand in hand when I turned
back to him and I could sense the magic swelling inside him.

There was no time to think, no time for defensive
magic, and no time to feel regret. There was only the absolute certainty that I
was about to die. It would be quick and very painful, and then I would be dead.
There was a flash of burning red light.

Zeustrum didn’t yell, or even show surprise on his
face; he just fell. Behind him, my father stood. I gaped, but he simply
pocketed his wand, put his finger to his lips in a gesture of silence, and
disappeared.

I had no time to even let the shock settle in because
Zeus was still alive. I used levitation on him just like I had on Bevras, but
when I finally dropped him in the circle and poured my magic into it, I knew I
didn’t have enough left in me to send him off.

My heart beat too quickly, my breath was too hard to
draw in, and my vision was becoming blurry. I pushed every drop of what I had
left into that circle and right before I failed, white energy joined mine in
the circle. Magnus was back in the fight. I held on just long enough to see
Zeustrum fade out of our existence.

*          *          *

I woke in a soft, comfortable bed. My eyes felt sore,
but I opened them anyway. Merlin was curled up on the rug in front of the
fireplace. I wondered why Magnus hadn’t broken his curse, but the door burst
open before I could ask.

Merlin hadn’t expected the sound and popped up on all
fours with a furious growl. He stopped growling when he realized it was just
Bralyn. The werebear grinned at me. “I’m glad to see that you made it.”

“I could say the same about you. How long have I been
asleep?”

“Just a day. Magnus gave you a healing potion,
but---”

“But they don’t work on strained magic,” I finished,
sitting up. “Why are you still here?”

“I just wanted to make sure you survived. I’ll be
heading back to my guild tonight. Thank you. Shapeshifters make good warriors,
but not one who is allergic to fur. With your help, I proved to myself that I
am just as good as the rest of them. If you ever need help on another quest,
I’ll be around.” He left.

“Why didn’t Magnus break the curse?” I asked.

“
I never told you what Dessa told me when we were
alone
.”

“I thought she told you how to break the curse.”

“
Not exactly. She told me it would be broken on
the day you die
.”

“Seers can get it wrong.”

“
I know, but she assured me that is not the case.
She could not tell me how or why, and I could not exactly ask her, but she was
certain
.”

“That’s why you didn’t want me to try?”

“
Yes
.”

“Then what are you going to do now?”

“
I realized while fighting your brothers that it
is not so bad being a wolf. Yes, I want to have my powers back, but this form
is not without its defenses. Furthermore, it is somewhat peaceful. For hundreds
of years, my life revolved around magic. Now I realize how tired of it I was. I
shall think of this as a vacation
.”

“It’ll be a short vacation. My mother will be hunting
me down now that my brothers are gone.”

“
No, I think not. Your mother only wants you for
your power, and as far as she will know, you only have white magic now. Yes,
she will eventually seek revenge on you and Magnus, so I highly suggest you
stay here at the castle. Magnus has already asked me to relay the offer. You
lived your life in dark magic and you have made your choice. Now is your chance
to learn light magic. When your mother eventually comes to fight you, you will
both stand a better chance together
.”

“What are you going to do?”

“
Well, Magnus has extended the welcome to me and I
am strongly considering taking him up on the offer. After all, I still have a
thing or two I could teach you
.”

I grinned. “I guess we’re going to stay then. The
sorcerer who isn’t a sorcerer and the wolf who isn’t a wolf.”

“
Does that still bother you
?”

“No. I think I’m okay. I am who I am.”

“I can’t believe you had black hair and I missed it,”
Kisha said.

After a few days at Magnus’s castle, I told the old
wizard about Vactarus and that I needed to return the magician’s hat. Magnus
said that he had no idea the hat’s owner was still around. He gave me the hat
and transported Merlin and me to Vactarus’s mansion. I tried to tell him I
could just take a ship, but he insisted. Apparently, I would become powerful
enough to transport myself that far if I practiced for as long as he had.

Vactarus was overjoyed to have his hat back and
offered me any of the leftover stuff left in the mansion. Since I needed more
clothes and I really wanted to start my own collection of books, I took him up
on the offer. That was how I came to spend five days going through boxes of old
junk. Kisha couldn’t help sort, but she was fun to talk to. Even if she didn’t
have memories of her life, she could read books.

“You should write stories that people can read for
fun,” she suggested thoughtfully.

“Maybe after I see more of the world.” I was actually
hoping Merlin would take me to see other worlds when we break his curse.
Despite the fact that he was willing to wait for my sake, I was determined to
find a way to break it without getting myself killed in the process. The first
step in doing that was to go back to Dessa and ask her how I’m supposed to die
on the day his curse is broken. Unfortunately, the tournament was over and I
didn’t know how to find her again.

“Hey, I’ve seen that before,” Kisha said, pointing to
a small painted wooden doll in a box.

I picked it up and studied it. It was very creepy,
especially since it resembled Kisha. In fact, the doll wore a blue dress
identical to Kisha’s. “I think it’s supposed to be you.”

“I don’t remember it, only that I’ve seen it before.”

The box was full of a young girl’s clothes and just
one other thing; a drawing of Kisha standing between a man and woman. The
disturbing part was that the heads of both the man and woman were cut off.

“What is this?” she asked.

“I think this was a drawing of you and your parents,
but maybe someone didn’t want anyone to know who your parents were.” More
likely, whoever killed Kisha had killed her parents or was planning to
afterwards. I turned it over to see three names: Magnus Vobristum, Livia
Dracre, and Sonya Dracre.

Rain Oxford is a teacher who has been writing for more than half of her
life. She does most of her writing in a secluded cabin in the woods with a
four-pound Maltese as a companion. When she’s not teaching or creating worlds,
she usually enjoys cooking, playing the piano, or photographing exotic wildlife.

Facebook Page:
www.facebook.com/rainoxfordauthor

Website:
rainoxford.wordpress.com

Amazon Page:
amazon.com/author/rainoxford

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The
Sorcerer’s Saga Book 1:
The Sorcerer’s Quest

Elemental
Book 1:
Dark Waters

Elemental
Book 2:
Hungry Earth

Elemental
Book 3:
Furious Flames

Elemental
Book 4:
Insidious Winds

Elemental
Book 5:
Soul Guar

The Guardian
Book 1:
The Guardian’s Grimoire

The Guardian
Book 2:
The Dragon’s Eyes

The Guardian
Book 3:
God of the Abyss

The Guardian
Book 4:
The Demon’s Game

The Guardian
Book 5:
The Wizard’s War

The
Awakening