The Chronicles of the Myrkron: Book 01 - The Nine Keys of Magic

by Timothy Woods

  "Five to seven years is merely the wizard apprenticeship. All wizards will have had at least fifteen, if not as much as twenty, years of apprenticeship as magician and sorcerer before that. Being a wizard is a lifelong commitment. That is why most come here as children to begin their studies."

  Michael was dumbstruck and came to an abrupt stop, gaping at Mieka.

  "That’s...that’s potentially twenty seven years. I would be an old man by then."

  "I don’t know about old, but certainly in your middle years."

  "So what I did yesterday was merely a beginner’s lesson?"

  "Not exactly. Merric told me what he showed you yesterday. He was impressed by how quickly you were able to grasp the concepts, not to mention the sheer amount of power you displayed. I must say, I am also impressed. Merric is not given to exaggeration and for him to be as excited as he is, is unusual in these times. He went on and on about you lifting him off the ground and then raising the desk up to meet him. He smiled the whole evening." Mieka leaned forward and kissed Michael on the cheek.

  Michael froze in shock. It felt as if a lightning bolt had just struck him. He felt his face flush.

  "What was that for?" He asked quietly.

  "That was my thanks for helping to raise the spirit of a man I love as dearly as a father. It was good to see him back to his old self, even if it was only for a short time."

  Michael smiled at that. He liked Merric and was glad he had been able to lighten his mood.

  "Well then, you’re welcome. I really like Merric. He seems like a grandfatherly sort."

  "Now you are making me feel old again. I liken him to a father, and you see him as a grandfather," Mieka admonished.

  "You’re not old. You hardly look older than me, and I’m only twenty six," Michael said sincerely.

  "Yes, but looks can be deceiving," Mieka told him, studying his face.

  "Then I am deceived. You look no more than about thirty to me, but I know that cannot be." Michael shrugged.

  "It makes no difference to me. You could be a hundred and you would still look beautiful." Michael mentally checked himself. Why the hell did I say that? He felt his face redden.

  Mieka smiled and blushed slightly.

  "It is good to know I can still turn the heads of young, handsome men. Thank you, Michael." Mieka took his arm again and started leading him around the fourth floor balcony to the west wing entrance.

  Michael walked in silence trying to figure out what he actually felt. Even when he first met Karin, he was never bold enough to come right out and say something like that. Certainly, after he had come to know and love her, he had overcome his shyness, but not after only knowing her for a couple of days. He felt embarrassed.

  Mieka walked in silence also. She had known that Michael was attracted to her, but then, men usually were. It had been a long time since she herself had been attracted to a man, but she was finding that, for some reason, she was drawn to Michael. She found the feeling disconcerting. She was much too old to be having those types of feelings. At least, she thought she was.

  They came to the door of Merric’s study, and Mieka knocked on it. They heard Merric's voice.

  "Enter." Mieka opened the door and motioned for Michael to go on in.

  Michael simply stood there and said.

  "After you."

  She smiled slightly and walked in. Michael followed her through then closed the door.

  Merric looked from Mieka’s face to Michael’s, a puzzled look on his face. He caught Mieka’s small shake of her head and realized she did not want to discuss it right then. He looked over at Michael.

  "Have a seat, my boy, and have some breakfast," Merric said sliding a plate across the desk in front of Michael.

  Michael motioned for Mieka to take the other chair and seated himself after her. He inhaled the aroma coming from the plate. The bacon smelled good. He glanced at Mieka and, with a mental sigh, pushed it to the side of the plate. He looked up at Merric.

  "Thanks and good morning."

  "You are quite welcome," Merric replied smiling.

  Michael noticed that Merric’s plate had not been touched, and picking up his fork, he gestured to it.

  "I hope I haven’t kept you waiting long. Having to smell this and not eat it must have been torture."

  Merric chuckled.

  "You are right. It was torture. I have not been waiting all that long though, and I have kept it hot."

  "You’ll have to teach me that one. I’m sure a magical microwave will come in handy here," Michael said taking a bite of his eggs. He looked up from his plate to see both Merric and Mieka staring at him.

  "Oh! Microwave. It’s kind of like a small oven only it works much faster." Michael tore into the eggs with a vengeance. He had not felt very hungry until he started eating. It must have been the workout earlier.

  Merric continued to eat his eggs and bacon, eyeing Michael with a small smile. He waited until Michael had cleaned his plate of all except the bacon before he spoke.

  "Do you not like bacon?"

  Michael pushed his plate away and stretched back, arching his back.

  "I love bacon. I just don’t feel right eating it in front of Mieka."

  "I do not mind other people eating what they wish, Michael. I choose not to eat meat. That does not mean others cannot do so just because I am around," Mieka explained.

  "Then you’re a different type of vegetarian than I’m used to," Michael said with a laugh.

  "Did you get enough to eat?" Merric asked.

  "Yes, plenty. Thanks. I don’t know what Tess did to those eggs, but they tasted better than any I have ever eaten."

  "I have often wondered if Tess has some magic of her own. I could swear she magically enhances her food. That woman could almost make porridge edible," Merric exclaimed.

  "Since you are finished, why don’t we go to the rock garden? It is time to test your magical strength. Knowing your limits will allow us to more accurately tailor your instruction."

  "Ugh, I am beginning to dislike that place. Branik and Reek physically beat me up there, and now you’re going to magically beat me up in the same place," Michael grumped.

  Merric stood. Michael and Mieka rose to their feet as well.

  "But it is such a picturesque spot for a beating," Merric said, smiling. Merric spoke softly the words of transport and suddenly they were all standing in the rock garden on the far side near the smallest stones.

  Michael’s ears were instantly assaulted by a loud, metallic, buzzing sound. He spun around looking for its source, and saw Branik and Reek in the center of the garden. They moved around so fast it seemed like they were floating. He could barely discern their arms as they struck at each other. The buzzing sound was made by the rapid clashing of their swords. They attacked and blocked so quickly that he could not hear the individual strikes. They blended together creating a loud humming similar to a buzz saw.

  Suddenly, the sound ceased. Branik had his sword at Reek’s neck. Michael could not even imagine how he managed to stop it in time to keep from decapitating Reek.

  "Damn! I have never seen anything like that before," Michael exclaimed to Merric.

  "That does not surprise me. None but the Avari can move like that. Quite impressive, even to one who knows about them," Merric assured him.

  "And they expect me to learn that?"

  "They expect you to learn to fight. They know you will never be able to do that. You are not Avari."

  Branik and Reek turned to them and bowed. Merric returned the bow and watched the two walk off towards the castle. He turned to Michael and gestured around him at all the stones.

  "These stones are here to help test the strength of your magic…"

  Michael held up his hand, interrupting Merric.

  "Sorry, but I have to ask this before I forget again."

  "Go ahead, my boy."

  "You teleported us down here without touching either of us. You did the same when you took us to see King
Brose. I thought it required touch to take someone with you."

  "Ah, see, you are already picking up small details here and there. Contact is not necessary if you are careful and know what you are doing. You need only to include the ones you are taking along in your visualization as well as your destination. In the beginning, it is a good idea to remain in contact. It helps you to visualize them and not to forget them," Merric instructed.

  "Is there some kind of range requirement then?" Michael asked.

  "Range requirement?"

  "Say you and I are here, but Mieka was standing over by the back door, could I teleport all three of us to, say, the dining hall, even though she would be quite far away?"

  "Ah, I see what you are suggesting. No, you would be able to take me along, but not Mieka, in that circumstance. You see, Michael, when you teleport, you create a field of magic around you, not dissimilar to a wizard's defensive shield. That field encompasses all whom you plan to take with you. It would require an enormous amount of power and energy to create a field that large," Merric explained.

  "Then you could do it, couldn’t you?"

  "No, my boy, it would take much more power than I have, to generate a teleport field that large."

  "Micah told me you put up a field around Kantwell to prevent scrying. That is much larger than the field we are talking about."

  Merric smiled.

  "He told you about that, did he? Well, that is a static field, and granted even a static field of that size requires a lot of energy, it is still static. A teleport field is not a static field because it must move with you to your destination. Non-static fields, such as a wizard’s shield or a teleport field, require quite a bit more energy simply because they can be moved."

  "How do you know your limits then?"

  "You will come to know your limits when you better know your power. That is what we are here to test."

  "Is your power something that is set at a certain level or does it increase with practice?"

  "To a point, it can increase, but the gains are minimal. Generally speaking, your level is your level. That is not to say it cannot be increased slightly with great exertion. Come, let’s begin, and I think some of your questions will answer themselves." Merric gestured expansively around the garden.

  "These stones increase in size going both left and right around the circle until you reach the largest stone that is closest to the castle. As the stones increase in size, so, too, does their weight increase. We need not start at the beginning since you have already demonstrated that you could lift me and my desk. So we will move around the circle to some of the larger stones."

  Merric walked with his hands behind his back, strolling easily through the grass. Michael and Mieka followed him. He stopped at a large stone about the size of a beach ball.

  "This stone should be comparable to the combined weight of me and my desk. Do you remember how I told you to lift the book?" At Michael’s nod, Merric continued.

  "Very good. Now I am going to lift it to eye level and set it back down." Merric eyed the stone, and it rose steadily off the ground and came to eye level. He held it there for a few seconds and then lowered it gently back to the ground.

  "Now, you give it a try."

  Michael leveled his gaze on the stone and imagined it rising slowly into the air. The rock moved steadily upward once again and stopped at Michael’s eye level. He held it there as Merric had done for about five seconds and then lowered it back to the ground. He looked over to see Merric studying him.

  "Ok, now what?"

  "Now we move to the next one." They all took a few steps over to the next stone. It was about half again the size of the previous one.

  "Now try this one."

  Michael again concentrated on raising the stone off the ground. It glided smoothly up, and he stopped it at eye level, held it there, and then set it back down. He looked to Merric inquiringly.

  "Was that one more difficult than the last? Did it feel like it took more energy?" Merric asked.

  "No, not really."

  Merric twitched a smile at Mieka as if to say, I told you so, then lead Michael to the next stone.

  "Now this one."

  Michael looked at it. It was a small boulder, maybe twice the size of the first one. He again brought the stone off the ground and let it hover. He started it spinning, then stopped it, and set it back down gently.

  "Seems no different to me. I mean, I know it must weigh more than the last, but it doesn’t seem to require any more effort," Michael informed him.

  Merric cackled and slapped him on the shoulder.

  "Did I not tell you he was a wonder, my dear?" Merric said to Mieka.

  "Aye, you did, Uncle. I am beginning to believe you," Mieka said with a smile and a wink at Michael.

  Michael looked at Merric in confusion.

  "I don’t get it. What’s so special about picking up a big rock? I’m sure any number of people here could do it."

  "In that assumption you would be mistaken, my boy. Michael, that stone weighs about a thousand pounds. There are only five here who can lift that stone…six now, and three of them are standing right here."

  "Really? Who are the other three? Mathis must be one of them."

  "Correct. Mathis is one. A magician named Morgan is another, and Mara is the last."

  "I met Morgan yesterday at breakfast. I don’t recall Mara though."

  "She is generally not at breakfast. Most of the time, she eats early in the classroom and stays there. She is my main assistant," Mieka told him.

  "She is a fourth key, like Martin, though she opened the fourth door only recently."

  Michael looked to Merric.

  "So which one is your limit? Or do you have a limit?"

  Merric chuckled.

  "We all have our limit, Michael. I have lifted the big one over there." Merric pointed to a huge stone about ten stones away.

  Michael turned to Mieka.

  "And you?"

  Mieka pointed three stones ahead of where Michael was standing.

  "That one."

  Michael walked over to the stone Mieka indicated. He looked the stone over then looked to Merric. Merric waved an affirmative, so Michael concentrated on it. It rose into the air. He didn’t spin it because he did not want to hurt Mieka’s feelings, but he could still tell no difference in the amount of energy used. He set it back down feeling a thud in the ground under his feet. The stone must have weighed over a ton.

  "Is there going to be a point where I cannot make it move?"

  "Yes, there will come a point where the stone may move slightly, but you will not be able to raise it. At that point, we can gage your level of power," Merric informed him.

  Michael walked around the circle stopping in front of the one Merric indicated was his limit. He looked at it. It was massive, easily the size of a cargo van.

  "Michael I think you should…" Merric’s words were cut off mid-stream when he saw the huge stone lift into the air. His jaw hung open and seemed to work, but no further sound came out.

  Michael looked over at him, keeping the stone's bottom just above the height of his head. He saw Merric gaping at him, and he twitched a small smile and started rotating the stone in the air. He set the stone back down gently, not wanting to cause a small earthquake. Michael walked over to Merric, whose mouth was still hanging open and was staring wide eyed at Michael. Michael turned to Mieka, smiling.

  "I think I rendered him speechless." He winked back at her when she laughed. Taken aback by his own boldness, he turned to Merric. They were about two thirds around this side of the circle. Michael could picture the house sized boulder at his back.

  "What the hell," Michael said.

  He turned to face the biggest stone and made a lifting gesture with his hand. The massive boulder shuddered and shot off the ground.

  "Oh shit!" Michael exclaimed and had to concentrate on controlling it’s ascent. He brought it quickly back to rest, and there was a huge tremor under
his feet as it settled back in its depression. Michael spun around quickly his eyes wide.

  "Did you see that?!"

  Merric and Mieka were both staring at him now. Mieka looked astonished. Merric was merely frowning. He turned to Mieka and said something that Michael couldn’t hear. She nodded, whispered something, and then vanished. Merric walked forward and placed his hand on Michael’s shoulder.

  "We really need to talk, Michael." He spoke the words of transport, and they were back in Merric’s study. Michael, remembering the frown on Merric’s face, spoke first.

  "Merric, I am sorry."

  "Whatever for, my boy?" Merric said distractedly, walking over to the open window and gazing out.

  "I could tell you were displeased by the look on your face. I didn’t actually think I could lift that boulder, but I wanted to see what would happen," Michael said crestfallen.

  "I am not displeased, Michael, far from it. Disconcerted maybe, but not displeased. You did nothing wrong, my boy, maybe a bit out of order, but not wrong."

  "Then why did you look like I just ran over your dog? And you sent Mieka away." Michael asked.

  "Ran over my dog? I do not have a dog, Michael," Merric said turning to look at him quizzically.

  "It’s an expression."

  "I see. Let me try to put this in perspective for you, then, maybe you will understand how I am feeling right now. You lifted the stone that is the limit of my power. You not only lifted it, but you spun it around in the air like it was a pebble. I have to tell you, Michael, it takes everything I have to lift that stone off the ground. I am extremely tired after doing it, drained in fact. You then proceeded to lift the cornerstone as if it weighed no more than the rest of them. To my knowledge, that stone has only been lifted once, and the wizard who lifted it spent the following day in bed, recovering her strength."

  "Oh, who was that?" Michael asked interested.

  "Marion, the wizard the statue in the great hall is dedicated to. She was the most powerful wizard we have ever known."

  Michael walked over to the window and stood beside Merric, looking out at nothing in particular.

  "Merric, which stone was Mortow’s limit?"