Wandmaker's Apprentice

by Ed Masessa

  “Good. Now go join the others. We have no time to waste.”

  But as they left the Cryptoporticus, Henry was annoyed with himself that he had not offered his hand first.

  “Malachai has tested us and seen firsthand that we are not defenseless.” Coralis had gathered everyone into the classroom. On the front wall he had tacked a large map of Romania. “What he does not know is how strong we’ve become—something of which even I am not certain. Your training has gone well. You are all to be commended on the level to which you have honed your skills.”

  The apprentices glanced sideways at one another, wary of the Wand Master’s praise, waiting for a “but.” It came not from Coralis but from Bryndis. “But are we a match for him? Assuming Molly goes with us, we are eight against one. Unless he has an army of Scorax hiding in the wings. Or a flock of Strix. Or abominations from the Tethys.”

  “All good concerns.” Coralis nodded. “Let’s address them one by one. Malachai has recruited thousands of followers.”

  Luis shot out of his chair. “Wait, what? How can we—”

  “Please.” Coralis held up a hand and Luis sat back down, nervously, on the edge of his seat. “The Scorax are not a unified force,” he continued. “They are individuals positioned around the globe whose purpose is to keep the world in a continuous state of upheaval—causing chaos at every opportunity, keeping people in a constant state of fear. They range from arms dealers to owners of major news syndicates. But Malachai’s network is not designed to amass and function as an army.”

  “But you can’t be certain of that, can you?” Henry asked.

  “You have met a small band of Hutsuls.” Coralis pointed to positions on the map. “There are hundreds more scattered throughout these mountains, giving us access to information and communication.” He jabbed a finger at an area labeled Transylvanian Alps. “Your Argus Wands have located the Pangaea Particle in this region. Dozens of Hutsul scouts have scoured these mountains. They are familiar with every movement and have assured me there has been nothing to indicate Malachai is gathering ground support.”

  “You’re making this sound like a military maneuver,” Serena said.

  “That’s because, in a manner of speaking, we are at war,” Coralis said grimly. “To answer the second of your concerns, Bryndis, we know Malachai has created more Strix and Valraven. However, because of the vicious nature of these creatures, he would not be able to contain a large number of them.”

  “And that number would be?” Katelyn asked.

  “My guess is no more than a hundred … give or take.” Coralis paused, waiting for the group to explode. Instead, he was surprised as they seemed to relax. “Would any of you care to explain why you don’t find this worrisome?”

  “Tell him, Bryndis,” Molly urged.

  Bryndis hesitated, her eyes darting from Molly to Coralis and back again. Molly nodded encouragingly. “While you were off time-traveling, I was doing some research.”

  “Indeed?” Coralis sat on the edge of a desk, curious as to where this was leading.

  Bryndis squirmed uncomfortably and continued. “I was able to locate some ancient scrolls … with the help of the dragon.”

  “Bahtzen bizzle! You entered the Cryptoporticus without permission?” Coralis yelled as he advanced toward her.

  Serena stood to block his path. “Let her explain.”

  Coralis’s steely gaze burned through Serena but she held her ground. When he finally stepped back, Bryndis spoke again.

  “It wasn’t my idea … at first. I was jogging laps around the castle when suddenly the wall opened. I hesitated for a moment and it closed up so quickly that I thought I had imagined it. But on my next lap it opened again, so I went through. I’ve watched you open the Cryptoporticus door and repeated what you did.”

  “And it let you in?” Coralis saw her confusion and explained. “It will not allow you to enter if you are not a Wand Master … or unless it can sense your aura is pure. Congratulations, young lady.”

  The apprentices turned to Bryndis, pride and respect reflecting on their faces. She blushed a deep shade of crimson and continued. “I entered the Cryptoporticus and … the dragon was waiting.”

  “You have made some valuable allies,” Coralis said approvingly.

  “Perhaps, but the dragon was not very cooperative.” She frowned. “No matter how many questions I asked, it wouldn’t answer them … ”

  “Until you asked the right ones,” Coralis finished.

  “Fortunately, the Strix had been on my mind,” Bryndis said quickly. “If my elemental strength is water, I didn’t see how that would help fight them. It turned out I was right. They are right at home around water. But … ” She grinned cagily. “I remembered something you said about them.”

  “Indeed?” Coralis pressed.

  “You said the Roc was their only natural predator,” Luis piped in. “And thanks to Bryndis, we know where to find one.”

  “Finding a Roc is one thing. Controlling it is quite another,” Coralis warned.

  “The dragon seemed to think that he could.” Bryndis pointed at Henry.

  “Um … I’m not following.” Henry swallowed hard. “What exactly is a Giant Roc?”

  Luis smirked. “Picture an eagle that’s big enough to lift an elephant.”

  “Whoa! That’s one big eagle!” Brianna exclaimed.

  “And what am I supposed to do with it?” Henry felt a bead of sweat trickle down his back.

  “Beats me.” Bryndis shrugged. “You’ll have to ask the dragon yourself.”

  “He will do nothing of the sort.” Coralis bristled. “I will explain it to you later, after I’ve had a talk with that confounded dragon.”

  “But if Bryndis could—”

  “Now is not the time,” the Wand Master growled in warning. He turned to Bryndis. “Was that all?”

  “No. I also asked for some history, especially in regard to my ancestor, Laars Thornkill.” She stared boldly at Coralis, her face unreadable.

  “I see,” Coralis said respectfully. “Then you know his lifeblood is still with us. We will speak of this in private.”

  Henry wondered what kind of secrets were being kept between the two of them. He was also jealous that Bryndis had been allowed into the Cryptoporticus. What did it mean to have a pure aura? Was Bryndis the only apprentice with that attribute? Did that mean the rest of them had some kind of character flaw? He felt a competitive urge rise within him but quickly repressed it as Coralis’s earlier warning rang in his ears. He could not allow his drive to be better than everyone else to cloud his thoughts. He looked up to see Coralis appraising him, eyebrows raised.

  “As for the creatures of the Tethys … ” Coralis paused. “It will take some time for them to reach the surface.”

  “How much time?” asked Molly.

  “I don’t know,” Coralis admitted. “But I know it’s not like pulling a drain plug and watching the water drain. The Tethys is deep below the surface, and even if the creatures could sense that their prison door has opened, they might be wary of leaving the confines of their domain. This might allow us enough time to regain possession of the Particle and return it to its proper place.”

  “Sounds like an awful lot of guesswork,” Katelyn said.

  “Perhaps, but there is more to Malachai’s plan. And this was the importance of going to Milan.” Coralis returned to the front of the room. “While the Hutsuls have not detected any movement by the Scorax, they have encountered suspicious activity in this sector.” He pointed to the map. “Over the years, people have gone in but never come out.”

  “Wolf attacks?” Serena asked.

  Instead of answering, Coralis withdrew a wand. Henry recognized the shape from when he’d first met Serena’s grandfather, Joseph. “Is that a Revealer?”

  “Yes, but with a unique quality.” Coralis held it close enough for Henry to examine.

  It had the familiar shape of a human finger bone but was capped on both ends wit
h a bulging node. He decided to take a guess. “The Revealer Wand you used in Arizona could only be used once. Those nodes must be trapping something inside this one to let you use it more, or in different ways.”

  Coralis winked. “Excellent deduction. This Revealer has the additional property of detecting concealment spells.” He turned to Serena. “Wolf attacks would have left remains of the victims. In this case, the victims did not die. They were trapped behind an invisible wall. One created by Malachai. It would appear our nemesis has been operating under my very nose—the last place I would think to look. Shame on me.”

  “Is he spying on us?” Henry asked.

  “Spying would be beneath him. No, this is his way of taunting me. He believes he can sleep in my backyard and I’d never know it.”

  “And he was right,” Henry projected, to which Coralis nodded glumly.

  “But he knew we were in Milan,” said Brianna.

  “A result of us breaching his spell, I fear. But that’s the beauty of this Revealer. It can detect the concealment spell without penetrating it.”

  “So we know where he is, and that he has the Pangaea Particle, and he doesn’t know what we know,” Luis said. “What’s the catch? What did Markhor tell you?”

  “Smoke and mirrors,” Coralis said. “Malachai could not care less about the creatures that might come crawling out of the earth. Although if they did, it would be a bonus prize that would aid in diverting us away from his real goal.”

  He moved to a side wall, where a large chart of the periodic table of elements hung. “You are all familiar with this?”

  “Please don’t tell me we have to memorize it,” Luis groaned.

  “It wouldn’t hurt for you to do so. But there will be time for that later.” Coralis pressed an indentation on the rock wall. The chart was attached to a hidden panel, which rotated 180 degrees to reveal another chart. It had the same configuration as the periodic table, but many of the squares were blank. And the ones that were filled in contained symbols, not letters.

  “Are those hieroglyphics?” Henry asked.

  “Many languages have been lost throughout the millennia. This one is Sumerian, one of the oldest written languages,” Coralis said.

  “It looks alien,” said Katelyn.

  “Rest assured, it is not alien, but the elements these symbols represent could very well be.” Coralis stared at the chart, his brow creased with worry. “This chart is the only known copy in existence. The original was lost in the fire that took the Royal Library of Alexandria in Egypt several thousand years ago. But it would have been easy enough for Malachai to use a time slip to secure a copy for himself. Each of the symbols represents an element that no longer exists in the known universe.”

  “How much of the universe is unknown?” Brianna asked.

  “Most of it,” Coralis replied glumly. “Scientists have only begun to scratch the surface. They have tools that enable them to see into the far reaches of space and allow them to formulate hypotheses based on assumptions.”

  “More guesswork,” Bryndis scoffed.

  “Yes. Which is why this chart is so remarkable. Each symbol is not just a name of an element but a descriptor as well.”

  Henry squinted at the symbols, hoping for a glimmer of recognition from all the books he had read, but they were as foreign to him as if he were trying to read Klingon. He felt overwhelmed by the mysteries of the universe and wondered … “Wait. If no one knows about these elements, how could anyone possibly know what they can do?”

  Coralis smiled. “What do you think?”

  “Alien visitation?” Katelyn barely whispered.

  “Ha!” Bryndis laughed.

  “Perhaps,” Coralis admitted. “Or perhaps something closer to home. You see, these are the elements from which the Pangaea Particle is made.”

  “Gaia,” Serena said.

  Coralis nodded. “The Earth Mother has had very limited direct contact with humans, yet tends to reveal information on a need-to-know basis. Our best guess is that she gave this information to an ancient Sumerian who felt the need to record it.”

  “So what can Malachai do with the Particle?” Bryndis asked impatiently.

  “That depends on the level to which he can deconstruct it—take it apart—isolate the elements. This one”—Coralis pointed to a square in the center of the chart—“is of most concern. The name and descriptor are one and the same. It is called the dominator. It is speculated to be the key element that holds the Tethys at bay and keeps the creatures contained. Malachai believes that if he can access it, he will have control over every living thing on the planet. He will rule the world … no, he will control the world.”

  “But unlike his son, he won’t have to destroy anything in the process.” Henry only meant to think it, but the words came out. Everyone turned to look at him, but something about the chart got his attention. “Why is that symbol separated from the rest?” He indicated a square in the far-right corner.

  “Roughly translated, it means the great unknown,” Coralis answered. “It could be an inhibitor or an enhancer to any of the other elements. It is something the Earth Mother would not reveal. And since she protects the planet, we must assume there is a very good reason.”

  “Do you think Malachai knows?” Henry asked. “If the Earth Mother told him about the Pangaea Particle, maybe she told him about the unknown.”

  “It is possible, but unlikely,” Coralis said warily. “Call it a hunch, but I believe this element has much more to do with preservation than domination.”

  Malachai removed the Pangaea Particle from the lead box, hoping this time it would reveal one or more of its secrets. Third time’s the charm, he thought, and giggled. “I really must stop that,” he mumbled. “I’m beginning to sound like my son.” He shivered at the thought and looked deep within the Particle, marveling at the intricate design. It was the most complex puzzle he had ever seen and he was determined to unlock its components.

  The spherical artifact was about the size of a baseball, the surface covered in a silvery, opalescent sheen that shifted and shimmered with a fluid motion, giving it the appearance of a liquid. Visible beneath this outer layer, veins appeared like dry riverbeds, widening and contracting along the stormy surface. Malachai suspected that if not for the outer shell, the innards would explode. It was as if the elements were being held captive against their will.

  He longed to touch it with his bare hand but was reluctant to remove his protective gloves. He saw what it had done to the monkey, though he still did not understand how it had done so much damage.

  A tingling sensation tickled his palm. He almost removed a glove to scratch it but caught himself in time. He giggled again. “Tricky little thing, aren’t you?” The sphere responded with another tingle. “Can you understand me?” Malachai whispered to the sphere.

  The opalescence swirled faster.

  “You can!” He gasped in awe. He brought the sphere closer and closer to his eyes, staring with intense concentration. Is it trying to tell me something?

  While the swirling pattern mesmerized him, an invisible, odorless gas seeped out and found its way to Malachai’s nose. His face froze, paralyzed, as a thin tendril poked through the surface of the Particle, attaching itself to his face, just below his left eye. Like a mosquito, it penetrated his numbed skin, injecting something never intended for any human.

  Seconds later, the sphere was back to its normal state. Malachai blinked twice before deciding he must have imagined it. After all, it was silly to think the Particle could actually communicate. He carefully returned the sphere to its box, sealing it until he could figure out a better way to approach the puzzle.

  He removed his gloves and, using the heels of his palms, rubbed his eyes, vigorously applying more and more pressure. Suddenly he jerked his head up. What was that? Was someone laughing at him? Whoever it was, he would find them and make them pay. He tracked the laughter to room after room …

  But the house was empty. Eve
ntually, he stumbled back into the room where he kept the Particle.

  “Puteo!” he screamed.

  Malachai’s lackey emerged from the shadows behind his master. His head bobbed from side to side as if he were ducking from imaginary jabs to his face. He had seen something he should not have seen and it scared him. His master had always had a volatile temper, but the look in his eyes told Puteo he was on the verge of doing something extreme. “I am here, master.”

  Malachai spun and lunged at his slave. He grabbed him by the throat, lifted him off the floor, and pinned him against the wall. “What took you so long?”

  Puteo struggled to breathe. He tried to contain his self-defense mechanism—to no avail. A putrid odor arose from his pores, overpowering Malachai, who dropped him in disgust.

  “Why, you foul … ” Malachai covered his nose and retreated from the room. Once outside, his eyes widened with a brilliant idea. He clapped his hands and applauded the genius of his own villainy. He ducked his head back into the room. “Sound the gong and round up the village. Then bring me a puppy—the cutest one you can find—and meet me in the square in ten minutes. I’ll gather my … tools. It’s time to show you pitiful human beings the true meaning of evil.”

  In a prison cell over five hundred years in the past, Markhor huddled in a dark corner, his eyes wide with fright. Something had happened. Ever since he had been locked in his cell, his connection with Malachai had been through their respective auras—which gave Markhor a link to Malachai’s sick mind.

  But this was different. He had actually seen through Malachai’s eyes. And what he saw terrified him.

  Malachai had been numbed by the Particle and felt nothing. But Markhor was stabbed with pain so great he screamed for mercy. Along with the pain came the visions. The world in ruins. Hideous beasts adding to the carnage. And in the center of it all, Malachai, his skin shredded by his own hands.

  Whatever was inside the Particle was now inside Malachai. It would slowly drive him mad … and it was going to take Markhor along for the ride.