by Rain Oxford
I set my staff down on the ground, aimed my wand at the tree, and envisioned the tree like a shell around a small woman. Return her to normal. I imagined the tree cracking and falling away from her. When my magic shot through the wand, I encountered Gibus’s magic in the tree. That was expected and fortunately, I’ve broken his curses many times.
I let my magic settle over his like a blanket to feel out the weak points. There were always weak points because my brother’s intentions were shallow. Although he liked the flashy curses, like this one, he was absentminded and impatient, so the weak points were often in the details. That meant the leaves, branches, and roots in this case. In fact, the only stronghold he had on the curse was the trunk. I tore at his energy from the top and bottom until it frayed like a badly sewn sweater.
What everyone else saw was the tree melting into a pretty little elven girl with long gold hair and green eyes. It was apparently not as easy as I had thought, though, because I was slightly out of breath when I was done. Nevertheless, healing potions always left me with a little too much energy, so I wasn’t in any danger.
The elf king went to his daughter and hugged her. “You are much more powerful than we had thought,” he told me.
“Where is Merlin?”
He made a motion with his hands and I heard a vine snap. A moment later, Merlin emerged from the darkness. At least I knew why this forest was given its name; even in daylight, it was mostly dark.
“We will hereby consider you a friend and if you cross our path again, we will make sure you have a safe passage.”
“I appreciate that. You don’t happen to know where I can find the Island of Light, do you?”
“No; we stay in the forest. I do know there is no Island of Light on Akadema.”
They all vanished into the trees. “Explain,” Merlin said.
“Later.” The forest had ears.
* * *
Fortunately, we made it the rest of the way without getting attacked, captured, or eaten. Instead of returning to Vactarus’s mansion, we decided to go past the village I had just saved since my brothers went that way. Most likely, they knew the right way and our best bet was to follow them until we had a clue where we were going.
I didn’t want to overtax the unicorn after he helped me so much, so I walked instead of riding on him. Unfortunately, as soon as we emerged from the forest, he pranced off in his own direction. It was getting too warm for my robe by then, but I didn’t have a bag to put it in.
“I’m hungry,” I said.
Merlin sighed. “Then explain to me why you insisted that I not hunt us some food.”
“Because the Dark Forest elves would have strung us back up and left us for the animals to eat. My brothers have been through here and the elves weren’t happy about their hunting any more than they were them turning their king’s daughter into a tree. How much of our conversation did you hear?”
“All of it, including that you vowed to return for me and break their curse. That was very noble of you. A sorcerer would have cursed them and escaped with or without me.”
“I wouldn’t have left you.” I wasn’t expecting his thoughtful frown… probably because he was a wolf. “Would you have left me?”
“Probably not.”
“Well, the elves thought that I was a wizard, which worked in our favor this once.”
“This once? I know that sorcerers are respectable and accepted members of society here, but people generally prefer wizards to sorcerers.”
I gaped. “No way! Wizards are too pretentious, not to mention they’re just as self-centered as sorcerers, only with slightly different values.”
“Vastly different values, and no, they are not as selfish as sorcerers. I had already guessed that it was your brothers who cursed the elf’s daughter, so tell me what happened when you went after your wand. You were gone for a long time, but you appear to be uninjured.”
So, I explained everything, including that the castle ruins had people around it. I left out the part about saving a bear, though. I mean, how could that possibly be important? Merlin was quiet for a while, no doubt deciding that there was no way I would ever be a proper sorcerer. “If I had been able to take some of the gold, at least that would have been selfish.”
“The point is that you saved people and gave them the gold they could never get their hands on. You do realize that was the last thing a sorcerer would have done, right?”
“Yes, I know. Are you disappointed?”
“Why would I be disappointed?”
“My family would be horrified.”
“Remember that I am from a world where there is no such distinction between wizards and sorcerers. I agreed to teach you how to be a sorcerer, not force you to be one. You know very well what was right and what was wrong. You made a choice and I have no right to be disappointed when any sorcerer would have left me to fend for myself. Now, conjure some food. I am hungry enough to eat apples.”
We stopped walking. “Maybe I can conjure some tofu.”
“Apples,” he insisted.
“Well, I can’t just conjure food out of thin air. I need something edible that I can transform.”
“You transformed clay into food on the night you released me from the syrus,” he pointed out.
“That’s different. That was special transformation clay. It’s like emergency food, and I’m out of it.”
“Hello there!” a man called, coming down the road towards us.
I frowned when I realized he looked oddly familiar. Merlin glanced at me. “Is he a friend of yours?”
I shook my head. “I’ve seen him before, but I don’t remember where.”
“Is that not your bag?” he asked.
Only then did I realize the man was carrying my satchel. He was tall and heavily built with the type of muscles only generation-bred warriors had. When he got close enough, I recognized the shoulder-length, dark brown hair and the scruffy goatee on his face. “You’re the man who was asleep in the mage’s tent,” I said. I also noticed that he had a very large sword at his side and intentionally didn’t bring it up. “That’s a really big sword.” Oops. My mouth wasn’t as wise as my brain.
He grinned brightly, stopped in front of me, and held out my bag. “I’m Bralyn, and I was the one who pulled you out of the castle.” Then he sneezed. Before he could compose himself, he sneezed five more times.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
He backed away. “I’m sorry, but the wind just changed direction. I’m allergic to fur.”
“Allergic to fur? Well, thank you for bringing me my bag.” I tried to take it from him, but he didn’t hand it over.
“I haven’t just come to bring your bag to you; I want to help you on your quest.”
“Why do you think I’m on a quest?” I asked.
He frowned at me. “I know the look of someone on a mission.”
“You don’t even know what mission it is.”
“No, but I’m a warrior; quests are what I do. I was sent to destroy the monkey monster, but you did it instead. I can’t return to my guild empty-handed. As far as I’m concerned, your quest is mine as well now.”
“Seriously?” Merlin asked.
“This is Merlin, and he’s helping me, so if you’re allergic to fur, I really don’t see any way you can help.”
“It shouldn’t be a problem as long as I stand upwind of him.”
“Tell him where we are going. He will not want to face a powerful wizard.”
“I’m trying to defeat Magnus.”
“The Great Wizard? That is a tricky one, because his castle is extremely difficult to find.”
“That’s our problem. We’re looking for a place called the Island of Light, and---”
“Oh, right between the Shimmering Isles and Ghost Mountain.”
“You know where the Island of Light is?” I asked, gaping.
“Yes. I live at the base of Ghost Mountain in a city called Red Rock. My friends and I used to swim to the
Island of Light when we were little.”
“Great! Can you show us the way?”
“I will take you there myself.”
I knew having a warrior helping us was a huge advantage, even if he was allergic to Merlin. Aside from the fact that they were trained their entire lives to fight, they were courageous and clever. I could learn something. “I would appreciate the help.”
Bralyn started leading us back the way he had come, toward the castle ruins. “Just out of curiosity, though… why are you trying to defeat Magnus? Aren’t wizards usually on the same side?”
I sighed. “I’m not a wizard, I’m a sorcerer.”
“Really? Aren’t you a little… small to be a sorcerer?”
“No, I’m not. I’m going to defeat Magnus to prove that.”
If anything, this seemed to brighten Bralyn’s mood even more. “Fantastic! There is nothing I understand better than a quest to prove yourself. To win or lose to an honorable opponent is a rare treat, and only by defeating those who are stronger than you can you become a better man.”
“A better fighter, yes, but it takes many qualities to make you a man,” Merlin argued. Of course, Bralyn couldn’t hear him and I ignored him. “He is hiding something. There is something very odd about his scent, though I cannot identify it.”
I didn’t respond, since I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea or not to reveal that Merlin was a wizard and not just a wolf. Keeping that a secret would make the trip pretty awkward.
Bralyn was in a good mood, which I thought was unusual. Although I had never personally met a warrior, I was under the impression that they were all very serious and short-tempered. They were primarily sent out on quests to fight monsters and people who get too powerful and destructive. They were not often assigned to guard castles because they tended to be too impulsive and restless. While warriors were independent, they were part of the warrior’s guild and had to work their way up in the ranks to receive the better quests. Mages, magical healers, were the main providers of the quests.
My stomach rumbled. When Bralyn pulled out a loaf of bread and handed it to me, it took everything in me not to make a loud sound of delight. I started to break off some for Merlin, but he took off running into the long grass to our right. It took me a moment to realize he was hunting some small mammal.
“I’ve never seen a real wolf before,” Bralyn said quietly. “I thought they were extinct.”
“Well, Merlin is special.”
“How so?”
I hesitated. “I think if I told you, you wouldn’t help us find the Island of Light.”
“A warrior never breaks his oath. I vow to help you get there.”
“Why are you so adamant?”
“As I said before, you defeated the monster I was sent to destroy. I need to complete a mission before I can return home without shame.”
He was lying. “How did you know about the monster? He was only created yesterday.”
“We have a seer in our guild. And how do you know when the monster was… wait… created? It was conjured by a sorcerer? How do you know that?”
“Well… I’m the one who conjured it. I’m Ayden Dracre and my mother---”
“You’re a Dracre?” he interrupted.
“I guess you’ve heard of us. I shouldn’t be surprised. Yes, my family is well-known for their sorcery, but I’m a complete failure at it. Before I got my staff, I only had my wand, which couldn’t do black magic. I overheard my brothers saying that my mother was sending them after Magnus, and that I wasn’t going. My mother would rather kill me than allow me to be an embarrassment to the family, so I knew the only way I could prove myself was to defeat Magnus before my brothers could.”
“So you’re going to go and fight a wizard you have never met just because you’re afraid of your mother?”
“You obviously have no idea what it’s like to be ridiculed your entire life. My brothers have buried me alive, cursed me, burned me, cut me, stabbed me, and left me for dead in the most dangerous places on Akadema, and my mother encouraged it. I’m more afraid of Ilvera Dracre than Magnus.”
“Actually, that makes sense. I would much rather be killed by a wizard than a sorceress,” he said thoughtfully. “And I have had my share of ridicule as well.” I arched an eyebrow in disbelief. “I’m allergic to fur. Of course I’ve been ridiculed.”
“But you’re a warrior. I thought warriors kill everyone who dishonors them.”
“We are still people, just like sorcerers and wizards are people. Yes, we are nothing without our honor. We are raised to handle all kinds of stress in order to stand strong before our enemy, and that includes being tormented with our weaknesses.”
“Then I am stronger because my brothers harassed me?”
“I suspect so. I would rather face an enemy with a fellow survivor than someone who was never tested. How does the wolf come in to this?”
“A few days ago, I somehow released Merlin from a magical box and it turns out he’s actually a wizard from another world who can talk to me in my head because I was the one who released him. He agreed to teach me to be a sorcerer, yet I still keep screwing up. I tried to create a monster to help me and control it with my wand, but the wand disappeared and I had to get it back in order to control the monster. A seer told me where the wand was, but not that there were people at the ruins.”
“So it wasn’t your plan to save everyone and shower the town with the dragon treasure?”
“No, that was an accident.”
“And why wasn’t Merlin with you?”
“He was being held hostage by the Dark Forest elves and I had to get back by sunrise with my wand to break the curse that one of my brothers put on the elf king’s daughter.”
“Right. Sorcerer or not, you are the oddest person I have ever met.”
Merlin came back with blood on his snout. “Before we reach his castle, you need a plan to defeat Magnus.”
I nodded. “Merlin says I need a plan to defeat the wizard. Maybe you can help, since you go on a lot of quests,” I told Bralyn. “Have you ever had to defeat a much more powerful enemy?”
“Not one who didn’t know I was coming. It is dishonorable to attack an unaware opponent. However, that really only pertains to non-magic users. In this case, catching him by surprise is your best weapon. Well, that and your staff.”
“My staff is unreliable. Merlin, how were you defeated?”
“I was distracted and captured in the syrus.”
“Then we can do that to the wizard.”
“Do what?” Bralyn asked.
“I know you said you would get us there, but I don’t expect you to help us fight.”
“That is part of your mission as well, so of course I’ll help. What’s the plan?”
I considered pushing again to know why he was so determined. Furthermore, this was supposed to be my chance to prove myself. If I have a warrior helping me fight, what would that prove?
“Even the most powerful sorcerer needs allies,” Merlin said as if he heard my thoughts.
Wait, can he hear my thoughts?
“Only rarely,” he said. “You have the ability to speak telepathically to me and I suspect you will learn to by accident.”
“Okay, if you two can distract him, I may be able to come up with a curse that can subdue him long enough to trap him in the syrus box. Since Merlin is bigger than the box is, I’m assuming size doesn’t matter.”
“What about my curse?”
“You two can go in, pretending you’re visiting him to get your curse broken. Wizards always help people who travel on a long journey to seek their help. After your curse is broken, I’ll trap him.”
“Do you have enough power to curse such a strong wizard?” Bralyn asked.
“I don’t know. I guess it depends on timing and how well you can distract him. If he’s not fighting me, I can use my staff. Hopefully, it won’t do something weird. Maybe I can turn him to stone like I did the rabbits.”
“You can poison him,” Merlin suggested.
“No way.”
“You can poison him,” Bralyn suggested, having not heard Merlin.
I gaped at him. “Why is that okay for you? I’m the sorcerer here, and I don’t want to poison someone. That is too cruel even for me.”
“You would rather face him so he can fight back and possibly kill you?” Bralyn asked.
“Yes… I mean no. I don’t know. I don’t know what I want. I just want to be a sorcerer that everyone fears.” I tried to consider poisoning him, but the thought made me sick. The only poisons I knew were painful and slow. Nobody deserved to suffer in pain while knowing without a shadow of doubt that they were going to die and there was nothing they could do about it.
Bralyn continued. “I admire and approve of your decision. It will be an honor to lose with you.”
Merlin groaned. “I cannot believe this is really happening… again. How do I always end up in these situations?”
* * *
We walked in silence for a while before I heard the sound of the ocean. “Please tell me you have a boat,” I said just as we reached the top of the hill that overlooked the ocean. The road led straight to a dock for huge ships.
“No, of course not. Our ride is already here.”
I groaned. “You’re joking, right? Please tell me we’re not getting on that.”
“No, I’m not joking.”
The only ship at the dock was massive and had distinctive swords on the sail. It was a pirate ship.
Chapter 9
Merlin and Bralyn strolled towards the pirate ship like it was an everyday occurrence. I was hesitant for obvious reasons. Pirates were the most ruthless scoundrels and thieves at sea. Because sorcerers typically stayed on land and pirates typically stayed on the ocean, I had never met one personally. I would have been perfectly happy to never meet one.
With a sigh, I followed.
“Be mindful of what you say when you speak to the captain,” Merlin advised.