Dylan's Quest

by Blair Drake

  “Do you think we’ll ever see her again?” Henry asked.

  “I sure hope not,” Gaanne said.

  Dylan ran his fingers through his hair. “I really don’t understand what’s going on.”

  “None of it concerns you, Dylan. You were just caught in the middle. You see, King Riata wanted Lisbeth to be his wife, but no amount of magic could make her love him. She is a true mage, a strong mage. Me, I actually loved that spoiled brat with every cell of my being, and even as powerful as I am, I couldn’t make him forget Lisbeth. Your mother made both of our lives miserable, but it’s not your fault.”

  “This is crazy,” Dylan said, shaking his head. “I can’t believe my parents are magical, and I never knew. And now this.”

  Henry looked at the king and said, “Say your piece.”

  Riata took a deep breath. “But you stayed. Even though you knew you were second choice, all of these years, you stayed.”

  Gaanne smiled. “Yes, I did.”

  “Why?” He still didn’t come any closer to her.

  Dylan was sure the king was truly terrified of the woman, as well he should be. He was less than kind to her, and she was a very powerful mage, or so she said. He saw what happened when the king reached for her in the dungeon.

  “That’s a story for another time. We need to get this boy his grimoire and get him out of the realm.” Gaanne looked sad. “You seem like a nice young man. I’m sorry you were caught in our troubles.”

  Dylan didn’t understand what everyone was apologizing for. He wasn’t hurt. Scared, but not hurt. And the wards were lifted. Magic returned to the territory, or the palace anyway.

  Dylan looked at the king. “Sir, the darkness. Look out the window. Are we too late?”

  Chapter 15

  Riata looked out the window. The grimace on his face told Dylan he saw the same thing he’d seen earlier. There was a darkness on the horizon, and it slowly seeped over the territory of Craydusk. How soon before the darkness engulfed the sky and eventually the land?

  For half a second, Dylan wondered if the gray was following him. It came to the school, and now it was here. But he’d been at GCA for years, and this just began a year ago. He hoped it had nothing to do with him.

  “Finding your grimoire is no longer enough,” Riata said. “We need all of our magic and elemental powers to find out what this darkness is, and how to be rid of it.”

  “This is why Dylan was sent early?” Woli asked. “They need even more power because they are already surrounded by the darkness?”

  “I don’t see what the problem is. We gather our respective powers and work against the evil.” Gaanne sounded so matter-of-fact, like poof and the evil would be removed.

  “So just work our elemental powers and put the evil genie back in the bottle?” Dylan asked.

  “Pretty much.” Gaanne looked around the room. “Woli, you’ll probably just be on standby, but Dylan is going to need a crash course. Riata, you’ll be best to teach him. Strix, Henry, and I will go into the forest and work out the kinks. It’s been a long time since I’ve used my elemental powers, at least in a large way. Strix, you’re air, right?”

  Strix nodded.

  “And Henry?”

  “Earth, but also water,” Henry said.

  “I have a good command of fire, but if I’m going to practice, I’ll need your energies to keep the fires from spreading.” Gaanne adjusted her crown. “I guess we should get to this.”

  Riata glared at Gaanne. “How can I trust you?”

  “You let me leave the palace, didn’t you? Did I do what I said I was going to do?” Gaanne sounded pissed her motives were being questioned.

  “I don’t trust you,” Riata said.

  “Ha, that’s precious. You don’t trust me. I could have left so many times, ruined you and your sister, torn down your reign. Did I?” Her words were softer now, like she was negotiating.

  “We have a history, don’t we?”

  Gaanne nodded.

  “No matter our situation, can we call a truce for this? Agreed? We need to save our realm from the darkness.” Riata had the same tone Gaanne did.

  “Truce,” Gaanne smiled. The smile was so genuine, Dylan wondered if Gaanne still loved the crazy king.

  Riata said, “Take my car.”

  Gaanne laughed. “That would be way too slow. We’ll fly.”

  She walked over to the window and opened it, then in a blink, she turned into an eagle, or a sort of eagle, since her head was still her own, and the talons were adorned with the same fabric as her dress.

  When Dylan turned to look at Henry, he’d already morphed into a hawk, and Strix had taken his owl shape.

  “Let’s get moving. I’m a bit slower than you two,” Strix said. “But I’ll get there in time.”

  With that, they flew out the window and were soon specks in the darkening sky.

  Woli whispered in Dylan’s ear. “Can he be trusted?”

  Dylan whispered back, “The wards were removed, as you can probably see, since they all morphed and flew away. I have some powers. I know I can blend. If need be, you get small, and get out of sight. Okay?”

  “I can hear you. I hear everything. Except what happens in the dungeon because the walls are too thick. That’s why I had the security system installed. I didn’t like hanging around down there. There are very bad things hidden away in that place, things caged for eons.”

  “Not just the queen and us?” Woli asked.

  “It’s not a prison, it’s more of an internment camp for creatures who harmed our joyous citizens.”

  “What kind of creatures?” Woli asked.

  “Nothing too scary. Orcs, goblins, a few halflings, an asparas or two, and a few other bad characters. The really bad guys are kept in a faraway territory.” Riata walked out of the room.

  Woli and Dylan followed him down the hallway.

  “Where are we going?” Dylan asked.

  “To my office. Just follow me,” Riata said without looking back.

  “But what about my grimoire? Shouldn’t you give that to me first?” Dylan really wanted that book. He wanted to see what made it so important. He was worried about it being in the wrong hands. “We don’t want someone else using the information it contains.”

  Riata stopped abruptly, then turned to face Dylan. “It doesn’t matter who has it, or where it is. No one can read the contents but the rightful owner of the book. Besides, I can tell you from experience, the book is a crutch. You can do everything you can do without it. You were born to it.”

  “Then how come I’ve never performed magic before?” Dylan was completely confused now.

  From the time he arrived at Craydusk, he was told he needed the grimoire to learn his magic and get back to the academy. Now Riata was telling him he didn’t need the book after all? Was he scamming him again? Was he going to end up on the other side of the territory with the really bad creatures this time?

  “Have you ever really tried?” Riata said.

  Dylan thought about it. “Not on purpose.”

  “Yes, he’s blended and used his lippy skills,” Woli corrected him.

  Riata turned again and started back down the hall. “Those are innate. He doesn’t even have to try. What I’m talking about is the real magic of spells, wards, potions, and such.”

  Dylan could say without a doubt he’d never done any of that kind of magic.

  With a grand gesture, Riata opened a door, then spread his arms wide. “Welcome to my magic room.”

  “I thought he said we were going to his office,” Woli whispered.

  “Stop whispering,” Dylan said. “He can hear you anyway.”

  “Office, magic room, same thing. It’s my place of fun and magical things.”

  Dylan and Woli slowly entered the room, not sure of what would happen when they crossed the threshold.

  Dylan imagined all sorts of bad things happening...like being kidnapped under false pretenses and stuffed into a cell with Woli aga
in. The being with Woli part wasn’t so bad. He wondered if she felt the same.

  Dylan peeked into the room before walking in. Along the wall in front him were bookshelves from floor to ceiling, with a ladder similar to ones he’d seen in expensive libraries. On his left was another wall of shelves, only on this one, there were beakers, test tubes, and clamps in every size imaginable. At about shoulder height, Dylan could see what looked like the ingredients for potions, all in stoppered bottles, and in a hundred different colors. He also saw candles, crystals, salts, staffs, bones, hair, what looked like the products of birth (umbilical cords, placenta), knives, stirring rods, berries, garlic (the room smelled of it), and many items he couldn’t name.

  “This is so cool,” Woli said in awe.

  Dylan didn’t think it was cool; he thought it was eerie. Would he have to start collecting all this stuff?

  “You haven’t touched any of this in two centuries?” Dylan asked.

  That’s how long it was since he married the queen, right?

  “This room was not a part of the wards. I had the walls specially reinforced, so Gaanne and Portencia wouldn’t know I was performing magic. Besides, now you know the true story, I’m sure. Gaanne likely told you she’s more powerful than I, and it’s true. I was a childish boy when I imprisoned her, but I could never bring myself to admit I was wrong. And so, until today, she remained there.”

  “That’s the part I don’t understand,” Dylan said.

  “I think we are drawn to one another.” Riata leaned against his work bench. “There was a lull in the wards. Each night, they needed down time to recharge. Gaanne surely knew, and yet she never took advantage. She never left.”

  “You knew?” Woli said.

  He pushed off his work bench and went around to the other side. “Or course I knew. Do you think I’m an idiot? Never mind, you actually thought you could use your lippy power on me.”

  “I can,” Dylan said.

  “Yeah, right.”

  “Make a potion that will make my freckles go away.” It was the most innocuous thing he could think of on the spur of the moment.

  Riata walked around the room, gathering up beakers, test tubes, liquids, and clippings. When his arms were full, he walked back to his workbench where he quickly and efficiently measured and stirred. When he was finished, he whispered a few words, then handed a small beaker to Dylan.

  “You can drink this, or you can put it on your skin,” he said.

  “Thank you.” Dylan took the beaker, not intending to use the potion. He used to hate his freckles, but he’d grown fond of them.

  “Aren’t you going to try it?” Riata said.

  “Maybe later. Right now, you need to teach me how to use my elemental magic. And I want you to use your scrying skills to find my grimoire.”

  “There are so many other things to do right now,” he said. “We’ll get to your issues soon.”

  Dylan still didn’t believe what Riata said about him not needing his grimoire. Everyone he came in contact with told him the book held the answers he needed to gain his magic to the fullest, and to get back home. Suddenly, Riata says he doesn’t need it. He said he had the book, and then said he didn’t.

  Last thing Dylan knew about the book was when Strix said Portly stole it. But was that true? They said Strix was imprisoned because he took the queen’s mice. Wrong. They said Portly was indebted to the queen. That wasn’t even possible, was it? She was imprisoned in her own home. No one could be indebted to her. So, who did Portly really work for? And did he really steal the book, or did Strix have it stashed away?

  As much as Dylan wanted to help Craydusk get out from under the cloud of darkness, he needed to get the book. Something in his gut told him he’d be helpless when the time came if he didn’t have all of the energy and resources he needed.

  “Riata, put down your potions and set up a reflection. You are going to look into the reflection and find my grimoire.”

  Riata did exactly as he was told.

  While he rummaged around to set up the pool of water, Woli followed him around in awe. “He has no idea, does he?”

  Dylan didn’t respond. He was afraid to lose his concentration on the king, and he was over the moon his lippy energy was enough to make Riata do what he wanted. By the time the king looked the water, Dylan felt sure it would be done.

  “Woli, you will not tell anyone about this. It’s our secret. We don’t want to undermine Riata’s authority.” Dylan looked in Woli’s eyes as he spoke.

  He could tell she was compelled to do as he said. She just nodded when he was finished speaking. He felt bad. This was the second time he told Woli what to do in less than an hour. Or was it longer? He looked outside to see the sky growing lighter once again, but it had never truly been black yet. The sky didn’t seem to fade into total darkness in Craydusk.

  “Your stupid grimoire. I found it.” Riata looked up from scrying.

  “Where is it?” Dylan ran across the room to see if he could see what Riata saw.

  All he saw was water. It must be like the grimoire. Only the owner can see.

  “It looks as if it was left in the trunk of a car. It’s well hidden in the underground.” Riata looked at Dylan. “You’ve been in the underground?”

  He had, but he didn’t know if this was a good or bad thing.

  “We just stayed on the path, Your Highness. We never strayed,” Woli said, as if she was afraid of being beaten.

  “Never go into the underground. I can’t save you there. There are too many terrible things in the underground. What you see isn’t what is really there.” Riata shook his head.

  Like that was any different than above ground. He’d been told so many stories since he arrived in Craydusk, he didn’t know what to believe.

  “But it was like a tunnel...like the subway,” Dylan said. He didn’t think it was scary. It was similar to taking stairs down into the subway, then coming up at the other side of the station instead of taking the train.

  “Did you see the train?” Riata asked the pixy.

  Woli looked at the ground and said, “No trains.”

  “Why on magic would you go down there? You can’t even guarantee your magic will work in the underground.”

  “We got in the trunk of Strix’s car. It opened into the underground behind the cafe. We were running from Portly,” Woli explained. Her wings had a nervous twitch to them.

  “Behind the cafe. That’s not the worst place to access the underground. Sadly, running there to get away from Portly wasn’t the answer. He had your book at one time, but now it’s in a pawn shop in the underground. Portly had debts to pay.” Riata looked back into the reflection.

  “We have to get back to the underground then,” Dylan said with conviction.

  “I wish there was another way, but your book is on the Grim Train. The pawn shop is where the dining car used to be.” He dipped his finger in the water and it rippled.

  “So it’s not a subway, it’s really a train station?” Dylan said.

  “It’s underground, isn’t it? If a subway is underground, then it’s a subway. Only we didn’t go in the bad parts. The Grim Train is off to the east.” Woli hovered a foot off the ground.

  Dylan realized Woli hovered when she was excited or scared. And right now, she looked scared. He didn’t think her skin could get any paler, and yet it was. Nothing to this point seemed to scare her much, until now.

  “How do we get there?” Dylan asked. He was ready to get his book, deplete the gray, and go home.

  “Strix’s car is the best way, unless you want to waste time trying to find an entry,” Woli said. “I didn’t realize until yesterday Strix’s trunk is an entry point.”

  Dylan sat on the stool across from Riata. “I don’t understand how Portly even knew about the grimoire.”

  “Like Strix said, it was on the seat of the car, and Portly took it. He probably didn’t even know what he had. So he took it to the underground, hoping to sell it for a piece o
f his soul back or something.” Woli had lowered almost to the floor now. She was calming down.

  “What about the gray?” Riata asked. “We can’t stall. We need to defeat the darkness, then find your book.”

  Dylan felt his school pin in his pocket. It vibrated like crazy. Was it trying to tell him something? He pulled it from his pocket and stared into the light emanating from it.

  Chapter 16

  Somehow, the pin told him, by light and vibration, what he needed to do next. He didn’t like the answer. He could do so much more if he knew everything, but he still knew exactly nothing. Okay, not nothing; he could morph into another being or blend into walls, and he could make people do things. It was like being a hypnotist, only better.

  The dusk of the sky turned to dawn before they finished with Dylan’s lessons. What the king taught him had nothing to do with potions or his innate abilities. The king taught him he controlled all the elements to some degree. From the window of the palace, he made trees grow, water pour from the sky (it poured like a bucket, not like rain), threw fireballs (out of the palace, of course), and then used the air to put out the fireball.

  “I thought oxygen was fuel for fires,” Dylan said.

  “When you blow a candle hard enough, you blow out the fire. This is the same.” Riata threw a fireball out the window, and Dylan doused it.

  Woli clapped her hands. “Oh, do that again. Fun.”

  Dylan thought it was fun too, but he didn’t dare say so. This was supposed to be serious work. They had evil to fight.

  “What do you think Strix, Henry, and the queen are doing right now?” Dylan asked.

  “Pretty much the same thing we are,” Riata said.

  “Then why did they have to leave?”

  “You’ll see. When we take the fight to the darkness, and disband the evil enveloping our territory, you’ll see what happens when a group of mages work together for good.” Riata stepped away from the window. “Now fire with the left hand and air with the right. Then switch.”

  “I don’t understand how this works,” Woli said. “How does earth, air, fire, and water defeat the darkness?”