Apprentice Wizards of Hope

by Gary J. Davies

  But things were looking up again! "Ah, it's so good to back in my fortress of Evil again!" he mused to himself, as he drew more energy from the basement floors and walls, which glowed brightly with Evil: three times as much as had been in the Glen! On the positive side, both Councils had been devastated, and Soone and the King boy still lived. He would be the one to kill them himself very soon!

  The walls and floors of the Mansion glowed and contorted. Everything within them that was of human design or origin withered and disintegrated. There was no longer any need to disguise what the Mansion really was.

  The humans with elf help had defeated and annihilated his Apprentice Demon, but he would establish more Apprentice Demons from the Demon Horde that he would bring to Earth tomorrow morning. In the meantime he would maximize his strength and begin the spells needed to bring the Horde. He would soon have to reign over hundreds of rambunctious sub-sentient Demons, but he wasn't too worried. Once the Demons detected biological life their instincts would take over. They would kill and kill until there were no Wizards or other life left anywhere on Earth! Then he would teleport enough Demons to Alure to finish the job there also!

  ****

  Sam Putt approached Grim Mansion with extreme caution, strongly cloaked and shielded. Was there a Demon in this house?

  Was it his imagination or had the building grown larger? It was constructed to have two main above-ground floors and an attic, plus a full basement. But now each floor seemed to be over a dozen feet in height instead of the usual eight. The stone walls and tiled roof seemed to glow red in places, much as the Demon had! Also nothing could be seen through any of the windows, not even window shades. Each window was totally black, as if it was either solid black stone or an opening to nothing but empty space.

  The front porch had marble columns and rails, but row they also had a dull red glow to them. Sam was glad that that clever boy Rick Hortega had shown him how to shield against Evil; with every step he took he became more certain that the entire Mansion was encased in the stuff.

  Like a prankster on Halloween he rang the front doorbell and ran!

  Moments later a thunderous explosion rocked the neighborhood, as the porch in front of the door erupted in a massive ball of flame that might have annihilated Sam had he not fled and been shielded by two of his friends as well as himself!!

  “Holy crap,” he muttered. He felt glad that he had ducked behind a big tree. He was wondering what to do next when the front door of the Mansion swung open, and out stepped a massive Demon! It looked around for a few moments before focusing its red-eyed gaze on the tree that sheltered Sam.

  A moment later bolts of lightning erupted from its monstrous clawed hands to engulf the tree. Sam was fortunate that by then he had teleported himself far away!

  ****

  That evening The Tuttles, elves Soone and Rog, Ben, Moco and Amanda ate supper at the well-warded Tuttle Home. The elves ate very little, even when their small size was considered, and they ate only vegetables, fruit, and nuts.

  "Nutrition wise, how good is Earth food for you?" asked Ben, when they had finished eating and retired to the living room.

  "Relatively good," said Soone. "Our molecular scale physiologies are similar. Elves could likely survive eating only Earth food for several months. Conversely, you survived Alure food for a year without any noticeable ill effects."

  "I brought some nutrition pills with me," said Rog. "Elves that explore other planets use them, so when I got the idea to come the Earth I procured some." From an enormous pocket in the loose-fitting trousers he wore Rog pulled out what looked much like an Earthly small pill bottle.

  "Much as I like Earth and humans, I don't expect to be here long enough to require such nutritional supplements," said Soone. "I need to get back to my gardens. And I hope that Ben and perhaps a few others of you will come to Alure with me to locate all instances of Evil which may remain, and to enjoy this lonely old elf's famous cookies."

  "I can't imagine that many humans would pass up an opportunity to visit the home world of the elves or elf cookies!" said Eric. "But first we need to save ourselves from the Demon. Any ideas?"

  "Sam encountered a very powerful Demon when he checked out the Grim place," said the Wolf. "That could suggest more Evil inside that Mansion than you're figuring on. And the house wards are likely very strong. The Evil there is not out in the open like it was at the Glen; so how will we get in at the Demon and his Evil?"

  "We'll throw a lot of force at it and hope for the best," said Eric. "Unless anyone has a better idea."

  "I could pay it a visit," said Ben.

  "Not happening, Cub!" said the Wolf. "Put all such thoughts out of your head."

  "I agree," said Eric. "I want nobody under the age of twenty involved, present company included. Youngsters with skills will help protect Hope civilians as they are evacuated. With any luck children won't see any action at all."

  It was decided that everyone would spent the night at the Tuttle house. While Moco and Amanda went outside to check on the King house next door and prowl the surrounding woods for a bit, Ben and the elves helped Ann and Mark set up cots in the basement recreation room for all the guests. At that point although everyone had already experienced a very long day, Soone insisted on having a serious discussion with Ben and the Tuttle teens.

  "Although the adults understandably wish for the safety of their young, that may not be possible," Soone began. "The Demon that remains may be far more powerful than the one that was vanquished earlier, and only with human Apprentice help. In addition, the Demon and Ben have a past history that may drive events."

  "The Demon wants to kill me and I want to kill it!" said Ben.

  "But you lack the skills to do that," said Soone. "Sit next to me and hold my hand please!” he told Ben. “You too Ann! Rog and Mark can watch over us as the three of us focus together." The Gaou was soon nestled comfortably on the sofa between the two teens. "Each time I have found myself near the two of you I learn a little more about the spell that joins you together and about the spell that plagues Ben. It is a secret that may need to be solved to save us all, for despite the optimism expressed by some adults I fear that the Demon we now face is far more of a challenge than the last one."

  "What do you want us to do?" asked Ann.

  "Try to sense each other," said Soone. "I will try to analyze that linkage."

  "I sense nothing of anyone," declared Ben, after less than a minute.

  "And I sense only that Ben is somewhere very near," added Ann. "We've done this a dozen times and it's always the same!"

  "Relax, children, and give it time," said Soone. "Let your minds wonder freely."

  "I'm so tired that I might soon fall asleep," said Ann.

  "Well, I'm already falling asleep," said Mark, from where he now lay atop a cot.

  "Take deep, relaxing breaths," said Soone told Ben and Ann. "Don't worry about falling asleep; that might even work better."

  "Works for me," said Ben, as he leaned more heavily against the elf and pulled his lanky legs up onto the sofa under himself. "Wake me up if something happens."

  Ann found that if she scrunched herself short and lay her head on Soone's lap she could fully recline. Soone released her gentle grip and instead rested his sensitive four-fingered hand on her forehead. Though he could sense nothing of the boy through his shielding, he could sense practically everything of her. What a marvelous experience that was! She was loving, caring, strong, and optimistic! No wonder Ben thought so highly of her!

  And there deep within her he found the spell that linked the two teens. He found that it was simple and direct, and powered by their warm mutual regard. He followed the thread of it that linked the two of them from her mind to very edge of Ben’s shielding: and there he was blocked! He didn't try to force himself further, however; instead he focused on gently trying to understand the thread better. Then he tried to strengthen it, but he couldn't tell if he was having any effect.

  "WHAT
DO YOU REMEMBER OF THE DEMON ATTACK EIGHT YEARS AGO?" Soone asked Ben silently.

  "I still don't remember it much at all," Ben said softly. "We were having a picnic and an ugly Demon appeared and attacked. Then the next thing I remember is waking up with you."

  "BUT EXACTLY WHAT WERE YOU AND YOUR PARENTS DOING AT THE TIME?"

  "I suppose that we were doing magic of some kind together. I learned a lot of magic there."

  "SUCH AS WHAT?"

  "All sorts of stuff."

  "SELF LEVITATION, FOR EXAMPLE?"

  "I suppose."

  "DO YOU REMEMBER HOW TO DO IT?"

  "Of course! I could do that before I learned to walk!"

  "DO IT NOW!"

  "I can't!"

  "YOU CAN'T EVEN TRY?"

  "I've tried thousands of times and failed!"

  "TRY AGAIN."

  Nothing seemed to happen. There was certainly no levitation.

  "See, I told you!" said Ben. "I've done these sorts of drills countless times. Nothing ever comes of it."

  "AND IF YOU DON'T CHANGE YOUR ATTITUDE, NOTHING EVER WILL. TRY AGAIN."

  He tried again, and again nothing visible happened.

  "TRY AGAIN, BUT RELAX AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. FLYING FOR YOU IS NOT DIFFICULT; IT'S AS NATURAL TO YOU AS BREATHING. AND FORGET ABOUT CLOAKING AND SHIELDS, YOU DON'T NEED THEM."

  "Those abilities are all I have left! It's what they told me to do!"

  "WHO?"

  "My parents! I remember that now! Shielding myself is the last thing they told me to do! And I did it the best I could but I failed them! They're dead and it's all my fault!"

  "It's not your fault!" said Elizabeth, who had been listening in. "You were a six-year old kid. And they told you to shield yourself because that's what any good parent would do, right? They wanted you to shield yourself, not them!"

  "But I was the one with the new powers," Ben protested. "I should have used those powers to save Mom and Dad!"

  "What new powers?" Soone asked.

  "I remember now! I was learning to influence Wild Magic!"

  "How?" asked the elf.

  "I don't remember."

  "I suspect that you do, somewhere in that traumatized mind of yours," said Soone.

  "Maybe if he encountered Wild Magic again he would remember," said Ann. "But how could we make that happen?"

  "Isn't Wild Magic related to Evil?" asked Rog. "After all, both have to do with the Void."

  "True," said Soone. "One theory is that Evil is a particular form of Wild Magic, structured to persist for an extended period of time in this universe and upset the chemistry of life. Evil disturbs quantum mechanics, according to current human science terminology."

  "Quantum mechanics? You've been reading minds to improve your verbal skills, haven't you!" said Elizabeth.

  "Absolutely," said Soone.

  "How does Wild Magic and Evil being similar help us?" asked Ben.

  "Maybe if we learned to shape Evil it might help us learn to shape Wild Magic," said Rog. "We already know how to destroy Evil; maybe we could figure out how to shape it."

  "Maybe," conceded Soone. "Of course the only remaining Evil on Earth that we know of is inside the Grim Mansion along with the Demon."

  "It's not very handy for us to get to then," said Rog. "Too bad!"

  "Getting back to your misplaced guilt, Ben, I agree with Ann," said Soone. "The Demon killed your parents, not you."

  "But my messing with Wild Magic may have brought the Demon to Earth," said Ben.

  "It was already here on Earth for many years before you encountered it," said Soone, "and it will still be here tomorrow. Let's all get some sleep. Tomorrow will be another long tough day."

  "Or a short one if we don't somehow live through all of it," said Rog.

  ****

  "There were humans here only hours ago bearing human weapons!" said Amanda. "The trace of their auras is strong, they had the confidence of warriors! Two of them; and they weren't wizards." Amanda has dressed and moved like a black ninja, but most of the time as a precaution she willed herself to be invisible. Her empathic senses could sense every living thing for a hundred yards.

  "And they were wearing what could be military boots," agreed Moco. He was in full wolf form, such that his wolfish senses were maximized. "Armed Norms! And the weapons were guns! The stench of the gun oil, boot leather, and sweat is strong! An armed advance Norm scouting party, perhaps! What could it mean?"

  The couple had been scouting the suburban neighborhood surrounding the Tuttle and King homes when near the very edge of town they had sensed signs of intruders.

  "The Hope Wizards are focused on the Demon, and have their guard down with regard to any other intruders," said Amanda.

  The Wolf raised his head and let out a long, mournful sounding wolf howl. "Perhaps that will give both intruders and Wizards something to think about, my love."

  ****

  CHAPTER 14

  Norm Invasion

  "What do you mean the road is blocked at the gate?" Red Eric erupted, when he heard Police Lieutenant Mike Forest's report at Council Hall at the break of dawn. "All our supplies come in through there!" It was not what he wanted to hear after earlier receiving a report of intruders from Moco and Amanda.

  "It's the USA military!" said Mike. "They're at the town gate in force! Trucks full of military men and woman! And even at least one tank! And they're not just at the Gate! They're ringed all around the town; there must be thousands of them! They say that they're taking over Hope! Martial law, they say! In an hour they're coming in with an advance group to figure us out, then within an hour more there will be hundreds of troops in Hope! And they gave me these papers from the CDC to show to the Council!"

  Eric and Alan read the papers together, then handed them to Fredrick Kroner and Elizabeth to read. The three of them were all that was left of the Council. Old Kroner though still tired from the cataclysm the previous day had had come to work at Council Hall even earlier than Eric and Elizabeth, determined to reestablish a semblance of town government. Dazed frightened people were constantly wondering into the Hall by the dozens, seeking information and reassurance.

  "The Army can't take over a civilian town; that's un-American!" said Mark.

  "These papers say that the CDC is claiming a health emergency in Hope!" said Kroner.

  "That's absurd!" said Elizabeth. "Hope has the healthiest people in the world! Our healers see to that! Besides, even if there was a health emergency, how could they know about it? And why would the military be here?"

  "The health emergency is just their cover story," said Kroner. "Face it; with all that's happened the last couple of days in Hope our cover is totally blown. These people are most likely the National Security Agency, not the Center for Disease Control."

  "Crap! The NSA! You're right!" said Eric.

  "Does the CDC have tiny little flying machines with cameras?" asked Soone.

  "What?" said Eric.

  "I saw one yesterday during the battle," said the elf.

  "That sounds like maybe the NSA or FBI," said Ben. "An unmanned reconnaissance drone!"

  "We should have detected it ourselves!" said Mike. "In recent years we have occasionally detected drones, but not to the extent that it caused us alarm."

  "We were all a little too busy with a Demon yesterday to worry about cloaking ourselves from the Government," said Eric. "And now we're just as busy with the second one. Last night Sam confirmed that it's held up in the Grim Mansion."

  "And he nearly got killed doing so," said Mike. "If two of my men weren't there to help him shield and cloak he might have never gotten away from the Mansion alive. Sharp is rounding up a few civilians with Attack skills to encircle the Mansion now. Most of those brave citizens who gathered together yesterday to help with the first Demon are home resting, morning their dead, and healing their wounded. We'll need to get them in play again also, assuming that the NSA or whoever they are let us."

  "I have already tol
d Sam to keep everyone well clear of the Mansion," said Eric. "Assuming the Demon has a source of Evil in there by now it has recharged itself fully and could be more powerful than the first Demon."

  "What about elf help?" asked Ann.

  "It will likely be just myself and Rog for today," said Soone. "I've already sent Rog to help keep the Grim Mansion under observation. The Alure elves are generally exhausted from their ordeal and are working to restore themselves and the priceless gardens of Alure. Jeanine has returned to Alure already to put together a troupe of elves to come and help us but that could take several days. Their assumption is that the Demon was weak when it came to Earth and will also need several days to recover. That is all based on an assumption of relatively low quantities of Evil in the Mansion, of course."

  "The strength of the attack on Sam Putt suggests that the Demon has already recovered enormous strength," said Eric. "I don't think that we have several days. We might not even have minutes!"

  "A CDC BUS IS AT THE FRONT GATE AND DEMANDS ADMITTANCE," came a telepathic message from the Hope town Gate.

  "Crap!" said Eric. "I'll go greet them and try to tell them as little as possible. You two hold down the fort here," he told Elizabeth and Fredrick, before popping away with Mike.

  "The Feds!" said Kroner, shaking his head. "That tears it! Let's evacuate as many civilians from Hope as possible. I'll contact as many Wizards as I can that are capable of teleporting a second person. We'll teleport folks to nearby towns that we're familiar with. There are a dozen or so area hotels that we can use as transfer points. Let's start renting rooms."