Forced Magic

by Jerod Lollar

  I looked over at Fetch. He was staring at the coyote with a look of confusion on his face. I could tell that there was an inner struggle going on inside of him. I didn’t blame him for wanting to be normal. He had obviously given up a lot when he refused to take my essence. Finally he looked up and growled. It was a defiant sounding 'no'.

  “Very well, Fetch, but mark my words, in the end both you and Jack will join me or you will die. This has gone on long enough, Jack, time for my friend here to lead you to me. I will give you a few moments to say good-bye."

  The coyote closed its mouth and sat there, bobbing its head up and down, showing its impatience in waiting for me and Fetch. I turned to everyone who was standing there quietly.

  “This is a mistake, Jack," said Smith, "You will not survive this."

  “You don’t know that for sure. If you did, I doubt that you would all be so afraid of me."

  The silence that followed let me know how they all felt. A strange black door had appeared by the coyote. Before anyone could say another word to try and stop me, I took off at a full run toward the door. Fetch was right at my heels and I could hear the others calling out to me to stop. When we got close to the door we sped up, and before I could stop myself, we jumped through the dark door into a nightmare of a scene.

  There was the shadow wizard at the top of a tall hill. All around me were pine trees. It was cooler here than Pek’s yard and I figured that we must be in the mountains somewhere, possibly Mount Lemon. In the dark I could see many different shapes moving from tree to tree toward me and Fetch. We stood there and I noticed that they wouldn’t come into the light. We walked toward the shadow. As we got close to him, he waved a hand in the air and the trees disappeared. What I saw moving around were Goblins. Hundreds possibly thousands of them slowly corralled us toward a valley.

  From behind him came a rumbling sound and slowly the head of the dragon that was with him earlier appeared. Then, from all around the little valley that we had been corralled into, we heard more rumbling. With a burst of flame, dragons all along the valley were revealed. They formed an outer circle in back of the goblins. We were trapped! I had a feeling we would not survive this encounter. This was the twisted black army of the shadow wizard and it was either join or die. A hot rush of wind caught me in the face. It was the breath of the dragons that now surrounded me and Fetch.

  The shadow wizard was now floating above the ground. His arms spread out to his sides, ending in two fists of crackling power. His head was tilted back. He was wearing a black robe that collected energy out of the air. It would shimmer and hum at times, and would move as if it was a living creature reaching out and grabbing at invisible threads of power. I recognized the robe as the force that had tried to pull me into itself in my nightmare. I understood that it hadn't been a dream, but a vision of how it was using the dragons hatching as a way to gain power. The darkness that was the robe reached out, whispering to me as it did in my dream, bragging about how it was done. It would pull peoples' life force toward itself at the moment the eggs were hatching. He used their pain and fear to feed that dark force, and then after it was saturated in pain and fear, he would release it back for the dragon to feed on, with the life force now surrounded by his spell. Once consumed by the dragons, he would have control of them from their first moment of life. They were consuming a life force that had been dipped in pain and fear, but something went wrong when Fetch hatched. As my life force was being pulled into the blackness, Fetch refused to consume me. He chose to go against all of his instincts and spare me. The shadow wizard was not prepared for this and had to release my life force before it was surrounded by his spell. The protection that all dragon eggs have, then surrounded my life force and became a part of who I was. Fetch was a free dragon controlled by no one, and I was now something different never seen before. All this was whispered to me as the shadow wizard floated down to where I was. I looked at Fetch and could tell by the way he was shaking his head that the voice whispered to him too.

  The wizard stopped ten feet in front of us. He was laughing quietly to himself. He spoke and when he did his voice was the same as the darkness.

  “You see, Jack, you are nothing but a spell gone wrong. You and Fetch are mistakes. That is how everyone sees you. You are freaks to them and you will never fit in. You belong here with me. I can help you. It was my spell that created you. I can find a way to help you, Jack. You are becoming something else. You're still changing. I can cure you. I can give Fetch the full life of a dragon."

  Fetch and I looked at each other. There was a moment of silence on the field, as if all the creatures there were holding their breath waiting for our response. Either 'yes' or 'no' was expected. We either join or fight. We laughed. We laughed long and loud. We laughed at the fact that this wizard here expected us to believe he could change us? It was long and hysterical laughter. It was like a private joke between me and Fetch. No one had asked us if we wanted to change, if we wanted to be normal. Fetch had really known nothing but who he was. It was like asking a fish who had always been a fish if he would like to be a squirrel. Fetch didn’t care about the other dragons accepting him. He was who he was, and that was fine with him. And as for me? Yes, I had regrets, but at the heart of it I was a comic-reading, fantasy-loving geek who had been given incredible powers. My body was now in the best shape of my life. This was a geek's dream come true. I knew that I couldn’t explain this to the wizard. He was born into this world of magic, governed by rules of magic's nature. So what if this world saw me as a freak, I didn’t really plan on being a part of it.

  “No,” I finally said, “No, I will not join you. I can’t speak for Fetch, he is free to make his own choices, but my answer is 'no'.” There was a stirring on the hill as the dragons seemed to react to something I just said.

  “I don’t know why you continue to play this game, Jack. Fetch is yours to command and I grow tired of this game."

  A bolt of energy shot out of his hand knocking me backward. Another one wrapped around Fetch, tying him to the ground. This was not the same wizard I had fought earlier today. He had gained in power and it was different from before. But, even as I struggled against this new powerful wizard, I realized something. He didn’t want the dragons to know that Fetch was free. He didn’t want them to understand that I had no control over anything that Fetch did. My statement had scared him and I think I knew why. His spell must depend on the dragons thinking they had no choice. Fetch's very presence proved that wrong. By my saying he had a choice, I was showing the dragons that they had a choice too. His spell over the dragons might not be as powerful as he played it up to be. This must be the key to so much of his magic. Trust, and the belief that he was powerful, gave him more power. My being immune to so many of his spells was causing him a lot of trouble. A plan was forming in my mind.

  The spell that had knocked me down was keeping me there. I could see Fetch struggling to get up from his own rope bond. Each rope of energy was directed from each hand of the shadow and had a different color. Mine was red and Fetch's was purple. Fetch was blasting his rope with fire over and over again. I kept forcing the magic that was in me at my own rope. In a wild second of inspiration I called out to Fetch.

  “I need fire!" I yelled.

  Fetch shot a flame the same color as my bonds. I caught it in my hands and grabbed the ever tightening rope. As soon as I touched the rope, it burst away from my body like a water balloon popping. I sent a wave of forced magic toward Fetch's bonds and they shimmered and disappeared. We were both on our feet now and ready to fight. The terrifying thing for me was the absolute lack of knowledge as to how my magic even worked. I just seemed to force the magic out of me and it gave me what I needed. It was almost as if it had a mind of its own. When I used it, I could feel it building up inside of me and then I would just push or force it out of my body. I knew if I got out of this fight alive, I would have to learn some kind of control over this ability.

  The shadow had been pushed back
from mine and Fetch's attempt to throw off his spell. I pushed another wave of magic at him as Fetch shot a burst of fire in his direction, but we had hesitated too long and he stopped our attack with a shrug. I saw a strong green shield form in front of him as our combined attack ricocheted away from him. We stood facing each other on the field. Finally I spoke.

  "If we are going to do this, please stop hiding. Just show us who you are."

  In my heart I already knew who he was, I just didn’t want to admit it, but all the signs pointed to one person. With a laugh and a wave of his hands, the dark shadow shield melted away and we saw our attacker for the first time. It was Johnathen. It had been him all along. There never was another wizard attacking us or trying to kill us. It had always been Johnathen.

  Chapter 37

  He threw a flashing ball of fire at me and Fetch, and we barely jumped away in time. This was nothing like it was in the comics or fantasy books I read and loved. The fight seemed slow and clumsy. Johnathen had a strange look on his face, and for a moment I saw how haggard he looked. He had the appearance of a worn out drug addict, hyped up on meth. He was not aware that whatever new magic he was working, was taking its toll on him physically. When Fetch and I stood up, he was breathing hard. A strange smile crossed his face and sweat poured off his body.

  “It worked!” he screamed, ”I knew it would. I was right. Oh Jack, you have no idea what I have done. The power I am beginning to possess. I knew it was possible and I have Michelle to thank for this. Too bad she is dead now."

  A roar of absolute rage came from Fetch. At the pronouncement that Michelle was dead, he snapped. I joined him in his roar, as rage swelled up inside me. This was the answer I was looking for. This was what I was afraid to ask this whole time. Michelle was gone, and it was Johnathen's fault. I felt betrayed. In my life I had read many stories about people being betrayed. I had people who had lied to me and tricked me in one way or another. The closest way to describe it, is feeling every emotion you have ever felt for someone, all at the same time. The like, dislike, love, hate, anger, happiness, and sadness. Every single emotion you can have, balled up inside you at the same time. That is the closest description to betrayal. That is what I felt about Johnathen right now.

  We ran at him, with both my forced magic and Fetch's fire raging at full power. I couldn’t stop myself, I was in a towering rage and the magic had taken me completely over. All I wanted was to destroy Johnathen, to tear him apart and completely obliterate him. I was dimly aware of light and the sound of explosions going on around me as I ran at him. Before I could get to him, I felt the stinging spit of the goblins as they joined in the fight. Strong hands reached for me and pulled me down. I could hear Fetch struggle and I knew they had him too. Johnathen walked up to me, confident that my magic could no longer hurt him. Blinded by rage and sorrow, I couldn’t focus enough to get the goblins off me. I could feel their acid spit burning my skin down to the bone. Johnathen walked up as the goblins beat me to my knees.

  Tears were blurring my view of him as he walked up and kicked me in the face. Pain exploded through my body as I felt my nose break for a second time. I could feel the blood slowly running down my face. It trickled into my mouth full of broken teeth and I began to choke. My vision swam in and out as Johnathen kneeled to look me in the eye. He grabbed my face with his hand and began squeezing it. I could feel the bones shift as Johnathen's unnatural strength began to crush my face.

  "You will die tonight, Jack. Before the sun comes up, you will die. Yes, I killed Michelle. She turned her back on me, and, in the end, was the victim of the very magic I would have shared with her. I had plans for her that would have placed her in the history books when I took over. There is a new world dawning, Jack. A world of peace and harmony. I will rule that world and destroy all who stand in my way, Jack. Even though you are a mistake, I would have gladly shared it with you. I considered you a friend. But now, you must die as an example to any who try to stand in my way. How could you side with the filthy fairies? They are what is wrong with everything in the magic world. You turned your back on me the minute you stood with them. Now I have to kill you.”

  “As for Fetch, I will let the other dragons tear him apart. It will be the last thing your broken body will witness.”

  He reached his hand up and his voice amplified across the valley.

  "Destroy the dragon with a name!” he said.

  All was quiet. The goblins had put their hands over my mouth to keep me from yelling. I was in too much pain. I was hurt and my forced magic seemed to have left me. I was helpless. I couldn’t see or hear Fetch. I wanted to tell him to get away. I couldn’t.

  I could feel the bodies of the goblins holding me down begin to shake. They were afraid of the dragons. The goblins that had Fetch pinned, whined a little, not wanting to bring too much attention to themselves. The red and gold dragon that was with Johnathen before, swooped down from its spot at the top of the valley. It landed next to Johnathen and looked at him. Johnathen pointed toward Fetch, and the goblins holding him, overcome with fear, ran squealing into the darkness. Fetch didn’t move. He stayed there steadily looking at the dragon. I wanted to shout at him to fly away, but I realized that the dragon would just catch him in the air. Slowly the red dragon lowered its head and met Fetch's level-eyed stare.

  I could see a thin trail of smoke coming from Jonathan's robes. It reached up to the head of the red dragon and circled it like a crown.

  “Kill him!” said Johnathen in a commanding tone.

  The dragon didn’t move.

  “Kill him now!" he repeated, his voice showing a little hesitation.

  It was an emotionally draining experience to hear Johnathen talk this way. He had fooled us all. How could he have hidden the monster he was from Michelle for so long? The tears continued to fall from my eyes.

  The red dragon lifted an enormous claw in the air. I struggled against the goblins as I felt a new ball of magic form in my body. The pain of their acid spit made it hard for me to concentrate. The hurt of Johnathen's confusing betrayal kept me foggy and unfocused. So much didn’t make sense. So many questions formed in my head.

  My forced magic continued to form in my body. It kept on growing since it did not have any push from me to force it out. I thought I would explode if I couldn’t force this magic out. I was in a panic. Frustration and rage was all I could feel. This rage fed the magic growing inside me, but I had no focus to release it.

  The red dragon stood there with its paw in the air. It was hesitating like it was not sure what to do. The inner struggle was apparent on its face. Johnathen shot a ball of power at it and hit it on the side of its face. The dragon roared, and, in its moment of pain, swung its paw to the side, ripping at Johnathen's black smoke robe.

  Johnathen screamed in pain and the smoke attaching itself to the red dragon blew away. Its eyes glowed and rapidly changed colors. It had broken Johnathen's hold, and before Johnathen could get it back, the dragon blasted him with a cold green fire. Finally, the goblins nerve broke, and, letting me go, they scattered in all directions, squealing and running into the darkness of the night.

  Johnathen had a strange wiggling field surrounding him, protecting him from the dragons fire. The magic inside me continued to grow as I tried to stand up. A burst of light hit my eyes as Fetch's healing flame surrounded me. I started to recover from the damage that Johnathen and the goblins had caused. Then Johnathen reached through the field of protection surrounding him and grabbed me by the throat. He was strong and I could feel my throat begin to close up, when he let me go and screamed again. Another dragon, this one purple and yellow, had slashed at his robes. The dragons were freeing themselves from Johnathen's control. The field lashed out and something in the pattern of it looked familiar. It whipped around like a living thing, grabbing at the two dragons that continued to slash at the black robe. It began to fall apart.

  By this time, the magic in me had reached a point of having to be released. With all the
strength I could muster, and fetch's thoughts of confidence in me pounding in my head, I pushed it out of me. It was a painful experience. I could feel it tearing itself from my body. I fell back down to my knees, still surrounded by Fetch's healing flame. Fetch had joined the other dragons in their quest to tear apart the smoking robe. He was in the air, fighting part of the strange field that was surrounding Johnathen. A red and yellow part of the field had broken off and was squeezing Fetch around the neck. I sent a pulse of magic toward him, sending the wraith like thing back to the original field protecting Johnathen. He was trying to stop the dragons from tearing his robe apart. My first pulse was still hanging in the air pushing against the field. It buckled and then the pulse broke through the barrier. It went through Johnathen, causing him to gasp in pain. He fell to his knees while the two dragons continued to tear at his robes. I started to move toward Johnathen when I was blindsided by a goblin. They were finding the courage to return, and, once again, I found myself being pummeled by these hateful creatures. This time I was ready for them. I let my sorrow and anger wash over me as I tore into them. I could hear their squeals of pain and outrage as I lashed out like a madman. I don’t know how many I hurt, or even if I killed any of them.

  There was so many of them. I was slowly being overwhelmed. One had a club and hit my hip. I screamed in pain and crumpled to the ground. They had found my weakest point and they were beginning to exploit it. It was amazing at how many fists continued to hit me in the same spot on my hip. The protective healing fire was the only thing that was keeping me from being burned by their acid spit. I kept on fighting through, trying to make my way to Johnathen, to help Fetch and the other dragons. I saw a dragon swoop toward me. Its roar sent the goblins scrambling away. I was relieved at its presence, thinking that this one would tilt the scales in mine and Fetch's favor. The dragon swooped down, and, before I realized what it was doing, sent a burst of fire right at me. It was bright orange in color and it weighed me down to the ground. It burned away Fetch's flame and started to crush the life out of me. Remembering how heavy the flame was when I caught it at Pek's trailer, I was afraid I wasn’t going to make it this time. I could feel the weight of the fire pressing down on me as the dragon moved closer. I couldn’t tell if it was doing this of its own free will, or if it was being compelled by Johnathen, all I knew was that I was not going to make it.