by Rain Oxford
“Okay…” He frowned worriedly, as if he was no longer sure of my mental health. I wasn’t too sure either anymore.
“If you’re the most powerful wizard of Caldaca, why were you unable to fight the chimera?”
“Not even a wizard as powerful as me could do much against a creature that was invulnerable to magic. And I’m glad you changed your hair back to blond; the black didn’t suit you.”
“You’re taking this well,” Bralyn said to me. “Isn’t your mother going to kill you?”
“Yes, if my brothers don’t first. They’re still coming here.”
“Why would your brothers come here?” Magnus asked.
I gave him my best look of disbelief. “My mother sent them to kill you. How could you not know that? Did you just spy on me and completely disregard the six more powerful sorcerers who were also heading your way?”
“Yes, of course. They weren’t important. They could never have gotten rid of the chimera.”
“Why not?”
“Because as powerful as they are, they’re just sorcerers. All they know how to use is their magic, and a chimera cannot be defeated by magic.”
“Then you won’t have any trouble when they come to fight you?” Bralyn asked.
“No matter how strong I am, they’re still six highly trained sorcerers against one wizard.”
Bralyn and Merlin looked at me again and I just sighed because it really shouldn’t have been surprising at all. It was like my brothers knew this was coming all along. And maybe, somewhere deep inside, I did as well. I didn’t want to hurt people, but I didn’t want to be a wizard, either. For the first time, I considered that it was better for me to be good at being me than a failure at being what everyone else wanted me to be.
That meant I was going to have to face my brothers for good, and there was only one way I would come out of that alive; I had to make it a fair fight. Wizard or not, Magnus would make a very strong ally, and we had a common enemy. “I guess we need a plan then.”
“A sorcerer would let Magnus face them alone to try to kill off as many of his enemies as possible,” Merlin advised.
I nodded. “Sorcerers aren’t known for teamwork.”
“We’re going to help?” Bralyn asked, looking a little excited.
“That’s the only honorable way to do this, and the best chance for all of us to make it out alive. I know my brothers better than anyone.”
Chapter 16
It did not take long to come up with a plan. The first thing we needed was an advanced warning. Fortunately, we had Fluffy. Through his minion’s eyes, Magnus saw them making their way down the same road I had followed and estimated their arrival at about sunset. Then we had to put in traps for our defense.
The main conflict we had to work through was the fact that I refused to kill my brothers no matter how bad they were. Merlin had the solution to this. While Magnus placed the proper stones and candles in the courtyard in front of the castle, Merlin directed me on the final part of the plan. I had bowls of ink, red and blue paint, and water. I painted sigils and circles on the wooden floor of the castle’s main room, which Magnus had no objection to whatsoever.
As I worked, I also asked Merlin to explain why the crystal on my staff kept changing colors. Apparently, the staff had been stained with the vileness of the people who had used it over the years. The more white magic I used, the more pure it became. However, my magic wasn’t entirely pure. When I stopped fighting the “neutral” magic inside me, the wand and staff bonded completely. Now they could both do whatever magic I needed, but the wand was more portable and the staff was more powerful. However, Merlin didn’t know what the dragon’s eye that had fused into the crystal would do.
I asked Magnus if he knew anything about it. He said he’d heard of the dragon’s eye crystals before, but what they actually did was a closely-guarded secret of the dragon trainers. Unfortunately, other than my father, I didn’t know any dragon trainers, and if it was so secret, the answer wouldn’t be in just any old book.
Magnus said he already had suitable enchantments embedded into the ground outside, which was why he transported us to him instead of letting us walk through it. The stones and candles were apparently to set the boundaries of the trap, because otherwise the magic would be too wild. I was shocked that a wizard would have a trap in place just in case he was attacked. That seemed so non-wizard-like to me, but when I expressed this to Merlin, he gave me a blank stare.
It was sunset when my brothers arrived. I watched at the window as they entered through the gates. Although I was careful to stay out of sight, they were arrogant enough that they didn’t bother looking up. I picked up my staff, focused on the presence of my monster, and pulled on that sensation until he felt me calling him. My staff created blue magic that flowed upward into the air. Out of that, the monkey monster formed and waited patiently for my order. I was very happy that he seemed to have completely recovered from the previous battle.
“Make sure my brothers gather in the castle yard and shut the gates behind them.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, the monster flew out the window and swooped down, herding my brothers through the gates. Only once they were all together in the open did they turn to fight the creature, which had been my intention all along.
When nothing happened, confusion blossomed on their faces. Even though I was far away, I could see their expressions, and I was so pleased for that. The trap Magnus set was pretty much exactly like the one my brothers used on me in Red Rock, except that it worked faster. Instead of draining their magic, it stopped them from using it. If I were to kill them, this would be the time and place to do it, but that was their way of doing things.
That was the sorcerer way.
We all knew the plan. Merlin and Bralyn went outside to fight. I could have turned them invisible, but the spell would have drained off them as soon as they reached my brothers anyway. I didn’t worry; although my brothers had swords and knew how to use them, they always relied on their magic. Merlin may have been a wizard trapped in another form, but his wolf form was huge with very sharp claws and teeth. Bralyn had an even greater advantage; he trained his entire life for this kind of battle. Nobody was better with a sword than a warrior.
Since my monkey had so recently been injured and I had confidence in Merlin and Bralyn, I let my monster return to wherever it stayed when it wasn’t called.
Magnus and I went to the main room just as Mikron and Thaddeus did. I specifically instructed Merlin and Bralyn to go after my older brothers first for this exact reason. As soon as they were inside, they closed the door and flipped the iron latch into place to keep anyone from following them. That was my brothers; each of them would sacrifice the others to save himself. They spotted me at the same time. Thaddeus looked shocked to see me, but Mikron glared angrily and said, “I knew you came to help the wizard. Mother is going to kill you so painfully.”
Thaddeus grabbed the sleeve of Mikron’s sorcerer robe to stop him from coming at me. “Wait, maybe he has an explanation.” He turned to me and for the first time, there was concern in his eyes. Concern for me. “Explain. Tell me you didn’t betray us.”
“Betray you? What do you call trying to kill me numerous times in my life? You yourself tried to drown me when I was born.”
“Do you really think if I wanted to drown you, you would still be alive? If I hadn’t held you underwater in that lake until Father found us, Zeus would have killed you with a rock. It wasn’t my fault you were blond. This,” he pointed from me to Magnus and back, “is betrayal. We’re family; we fight each other, but you went to our enemy. You’re no longer family.”
“I don’t want to be part of a family that drowns its members.”
Mikron’s anger turned to pure hatred. “You’re choosing to conspire with wizards?”
“There is one thing a sorcerer never does, and that is lose. I would rather side with Magnus against you than go back to being your target practice.”
“Ayden, you can’t turn back from this,” Thaddeus said, almost pleadingly.
“What did you say to Zeus?” I asked.
“Come back to us and our brothers will never know. We can defeat Magnus together.”
“They’ll never know?!” Mikron screeched. “I’m telling Zeustrum!”
“No, you won’t,” Thaddeus said, giving him a look I didn’t quite understand. Mikron did apparently, because he snapped his mouth shut. “I can’t tell you things will change, but if you fight with us, you’ll prove yourself to Mother. If you fight with the wizard, you can never return home. Don’t choose this stranger over your family.”
“I’m not choosing Magnus over you; I’m choosing to do what I feel is right over sorcery. I’ve made my choice, and now I’m giving you one. Just you. You gave me the chance to run, so I’m returning the mercy. Run. Run back home, run away, I don’t care. Just run from here. There’s a back door right down that hall that leads to a forest. Our brothers will never know what happened, and they’ll never be able to tell anyone.”
“You mean to kill them?”
“We have no mercy; we are sorcerers,” Mikron snarled.
“Stop talking,” I said. My magic reacted on its own and faster than my brother could retaliate. Blue energy shot into him and his lips sealed like Vactarus’s had. “That’s better.” Thaddeus looked shocked, but also afraid. “This is your only chance. In a moment, Zeus and Bev are going to burst through those doors and you’ll face the same fate as them. Run.”
He looked from me to Magnus before running into the hall. I heard a back door open.
“Are you sure that was wise?” Magnus asked.
“No, but it was my choice. One act of mercy, followed by five acts of revenge.”
Still mute, Mikron pulled out his wand and stomped towards me in anger. Had he been intelligent at all, he would have used his magic and stayed away from me, but Mikron was young and wanted to intimidate me. He froze right in the middle of my painted designs and honest horror came over his face.
He looked down at the designs and tried to step out of the circle, but it was as if there was an invisible barrier keeping him in. In fact, that was exactly what it was; a barrier from another world holding him in place. Any magic he used would be reflected back into himself. I held my staff outward and focused my energy into the sigils surrounding the circle. When they glowed blue, Mikron panicked. “Wait! Aren’t you going to show me mercy? I never tried to kill you!”
“No, you didn’t. You just beat me until I couldn’t stand. This is merciful.”
Magnus’s magic joined mine and blazing white and blue magic swirled around the circle like a tornado. Mikron vanished slowly and the magic dispersed. I was merciful because I didn’t kill or even injure my brother. Instead, Magnus and I sent him to a world where there was no magic, where Mikron was just a man.
Right on time, the door burst open. Febarin entered, bleeding, panting, and furious. He was even angrier when he saw me with Magnus. He didn’t even demand an explanation; he just ran at Magnus with his sword poised. Obviously, he hadn’t realized that he could use magic again. Nevertheless, he ran right into my circle and slammed into the invisible barrier. His sword clattered on the ground and he thrashed and punched the barricade like a caged animal.
“What are you doing, Ayden?! Kill the wizard!”
Without a word, Magnus and I released our magic into the circle and Febarin was still screaming obscenities when he vanished.
“Are you alright?” Magnus asked me, genuine concern in his voice.
I nodded. “Three down, three to go.”
At that moment, Zeustrum, Bevras, Gibus, Merlin, and Bralyn burst inside. Merlin and Zeustrum were doing hand-to-paw combat while Gibus and Bralyn were dueling with swords. Bevras started for Magnus, but Gibus broke away from the werebear to intercept Bevras. “Stay away from the circle,” he warned. I groaned; Gibus always turned to curses; he would know a magical trap when he saw one.
Bevras aimed his wand and shot black lightning at Magnus. Magnus responded with a white shield of magic around him. He was a wizard; he wouldn’t attack first, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t strike back. He retaliated with white lightning.
Bralyn shouted when the stone floor began crawling up his legs. The stone was literally spreading as if it was alive, and Bralyn had no idea how to counteract stone. “Shift!” I told him as I turned my focus on helping Merlin. The wolf had bitten a good chunk out of Zeustrum’s right arm, but my eldest brother was ambidextrous and took up his sword in his left hand as if he had been born to it. My blue magic covered the blade of his sword and made it grow heavier and heavier as he used it.
Magnus’s magic shielded me as Bevras shot some curse at me. It reflected and hit Bralyn who was mauling Gibus. The bear convulsed in pain and collapsed on top of Gibus. I knew it would be a matter of moments before Gibus recovered. Bralyn was still breathing, but he shifted back into his person form. He wasn’t that much smaller.
Magnus’s white magic wrapped around Bevras and tossed him into the circle. “No!” Zeustrum yelled, abandoning his fight with Merlin to save his twin. Merlin went after him and managed to wrestle him to the ground, but he landed on the outer sigils. Zeus wasn’t dumb; he used his sword to scrape two of the sigils even as Merlin was dragging him away. With the symbols ruined, the circle lost its power. Bevras took Zeustrum’s place in fighting Merlin and Zeustrum flung a spell at Magnus, which the wizard barely managed to block with another shield.
“Repaint the seal!” Magnus said.
I used my magic to make myself invisible and my skin impenetrable, and then grabbed the paints that had been left out of the way beside the staircase. I had to dodge magic, fists, and teeth, but I made it back to the circle without getting injured. Then I hesitated because I didn’t remember what the correct sigils were. Suddenly the image of the symbols I had painted appeared in my mind. I knew, somehow, that it was Merlin pushing the memory into my head.
As I repainted the symbols, Magnus covered me from Zeustrum’s attack. Only when I was done did I look up to see Gibus attacking Magnus.
“Get down!” Merlin demanded. I did, covering my still-wet symbols. An instant later, Gibus was shoved towards me, tripped over me, and toppled to the ground inside the circle. None of us had seen Bralyn rise. The warrior shifted back into a bear and tossed Zeus across the room. Bevras tried to curse Bralyn, but Merlin caught Bevras’s wand in his teeth and snapped it in half. Bev screamed in fury, which drew Zeus’s attention to him. Zeus tried to get to him, but Bralyn blocked his path.
I picked up my staff, then Magnus and I activated the circle once again. Gibus vanished inside the white and blue magic. I felt the draw on my magic, but my heart was pumping hard enough I didn’t think I could rest if I tried. Zeustrum shot lightning at Bralyn and the bear went down. He was out of this fight.
Magnus engaged Zeustrum and I turned my efforts to helping Merlin. Even though Bevras’s wand was broken, he could still do magic and he still had his sword. Fortunately, Merlin seemed to have at least a low-level resistance to magic. I raised my staff and purposefully didn’t think of any curse in particular. Attack.
That never would have worked if I only had my wand. This time, blue lightning struck my brother in the back. He tensed up and collapsed in what looked like pure agony. If it was anyone else, even Zeustrum, I would have felt pity. I still had scars from Bevras whipping me, though, so I had no sympathy for him.
I barely saw the movement before heavy wings closed over me. The monkey monster made a horrific cry of pain before vanishing. That was when I saw Magnus on the ground. Zeustrum had attacked me and my monster saved my life. I attacked Zeustrum and he was forced to put a shield over himself, which gave Merlin enough time to drag Bevras towards the circle.
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.