Wandmaker's Apprentice

by Ed Masessa

  “Yes,” Henry said, but his thoughts had drifted as she spoke. All he could think about was the link Malachai had to his father. He leaned back and buried his face in his hands.

  Coralis surveyed the wreckage and wondered how they had made it out alive. Most of them. The engineer hadn’t been so lucky, but at least his death was quick. Coralis covered him with a tarp and whispered a protective spell over him that would keep animals away until his body could be retrieved and properly buried.

  While the mudslide had been enough to derail the train, it did not cover a wide area. Only Luis and Bryndis, being the first to leap, had caught the edge of the slide. But their Wandmaker coats had kept them safe and relatively mud free—although from the knees on down they were encased in reddish-brown muck.

  Considering the severity of the accident and what could have happened, the rest of the group was fortunate to come through with only minor scratches to their face and hands. It was Dumitru’s quick thinking that had saved them from worse harm. And so it was somewhat ironic that his wound was the worst of the lot—an ugly gash that bisected an enormous purple bruise on his forehead, the result of making hard contact with the window frame.

  The rain had slackened off to a drizzle by the time Coralis approached his anxious apprentices.

  “Where are Henry and Katelyn?” Serena demanded. She had attempted to mind-link with Henry. Usually the link would either be clear or totally blank. This time she received a strange static, as if something was interfering with her signal.

  “The passenger cars are at the bottom of that ravine.” Coralis pointed to a path of destruction, where trees and shrubs had been savagely ripped away. “But I can tell you with certainty that Henry and Katelyn are not there.”

  “What do you mean not there?” Bryndis scowled. “We should be helping them.”

  “Trust me. I would know if they were there and they are not,” Coralis said with finality. “But you are correct. We need to find them. Is everyone up to the task?”

  Brianna, Serena, Bryndis, Luis, and Molly grabbed their packs. Dumitru tried to stand and slid back down against a tree trunk. “I am sorry, my friend,” Coralis said as he examined Dumitru’s head. “You may have a concussion. Unfortunately … ”

  Dumitru waved him off. “Go. I will be fine.” He patted the rifle that lay across his lap.

  Coralis led the apprentices farther down the tracks until he located a rocky path that allowed sure footing into the ravine. The two cars had separated during their downward plunge. Despite the destruction they caused as they pummeled through the trees, they remained relatively intact, lying on their sides about two hundred meters apart. As they approached the crash site, Serena and Brianna ran ahead. “Henry! Katelyn!” they shouted.

  Using the undercarriage as a ladder, Serena climbed into the lead car, Brianna right behind her. “Be careful,” Serena grunted as she balanced herself on the side of a wooden seat. Working their way down the length of the tipped-over car, using the seat poles for support, they eventually found a bloody smear on a windowsill.

  “Looks like they might have climbed out here.” Serena tried to keep the worry out of her voice as she examined the handprint. Brianna growled as she pulled herself up toward Serena. “They’re not here, so they’re obviously well enough to move.” She wrapped an arm around Brianna in a comforting hug. “They probably just got disoriented after the crash.”

  She grabbed a window frame and hoisted herself up, looking down at the others, who were combing the area for clues. “There’s only a small amount of blood in here. Any signs of where they might have gone?”

  “Over here!” Molly shouted. Bryndis was closest. She jogged over and quickly examined the ground, going immediately into tracking mode. Molly pointed at a small sapling. “There’s some blood on these leaves.”

  “And three distinct sets of footprints,” Bryndis noted with concern. She asked everyone to stand back so she could get a clear picture of what happened. She walked in a wide arc, occasionally squatting to examine leaves and mud in closer detail. “These smaller footprints are Katelyn’s. Here is where she lowered Henry from the train and dragged him to here.” She returned to the location Molly had identified. “At some point they sat here.” She pointed to two impressions in the soil. “But a third person approached from that direction—much larger footprints—probably over two meters tall. And strong. His tracks leading away from here leave deeper impressions. He was carrying something—or someone. Probably Henry. Katelyn’s prints are clear. But … ” Her brow furrowed. “There is no sign of a struggle, which means they knew the person.”

  “Or maybe they didn’t think he was a threat,” said Luis.

  “Or they knew there was no point in fighting him,” Molly said gravely.

  Coralis had remained silent, his eyes tracing the footprint trail into the forest. He reached into his coat for a wand and blew a gentle breath over it as he extended it toward one of the large footprints. Immediately, a glow of black and deep crimson surrounded the print. “Malachai,” he said with contempt. “His aura lingers and he took no measures to conceal it.”

  “So he knows we’re here?” Serena asked.

  “Worse. He knew we were coming.” Coralis walked hastily back to the body of the dead engineer. He removed the protection spell and, employing a similar procedure, found traces of Malachai’s aura. “Bahtzen bizzle,” he grumbled softly.

  He returned to the others to deliver the bad news, but did not reinstate the protection spell. The engineer was a large man. The animals would feed well.

  Coralis instructed Bryndis and Serena, his best trackers, to lead the search. He could have easily traced Malachai’s aura, but use of his wand could aid Malachai in tracing them as well. Instead, he covered them with a low-level concealment spell that he drew directly from the Earth.

  They had traveled for almost an hour when they abruptly came upon a well-worn hiking path that led upward toward a mountain peak. Instead of using the path, Bryndis and Serena split the group in two and led them along either side, looking for footprints that might have split off into the forest. Minutes later, Bryndis slowed to a crawl. “Something isn’t right.”

  Coralis told them to stop as he cautiously walked ahead of them. The gravel path continued up the slope and curved around the mountain, but he didn’t follow it. Instead, he closed his eyes and concentrated on extending his senses outward. He had only begun to probe when a wave of powerful energy pushed back at him, knocking him to the ground.

  “Coralis!” Molly rushed forward.

  “Stop!” he yelled. The command forced her to skid to a clumsy halt. He brushed himself off angrily and turned around, walking briskly past the group and waving a hand for them to follow. He pushed through the undergrowth until he arrived at a clearing. “We need rocks. This size.” He held one up that filled his palm. “Find as many as you can.”

  The apprentices quickly spread out to do as he instructed while Molly held back. “Coralis,” she said nervously. “If you’re doing what I think you’re doing, you’re going to give away our position.”

  Coralis’s lips tightened into a thin line. “You saw what just happened. He already knows where we are,” he said grimly.

  One by one the apprentices returned, their arms loaded with rocks. Coralis arranged them in a circle and took out his Revealer Wand. He chanted a spell and a transparent dome appeared, enclosing the rocks. “Bah!” Coralis released the spell.

  “What?” Luis asked. “Why did you stop?”

  “Malachai’s containment dome shows no sign of weakness,” Molly explained.

  “He’s good. But let’s see how good,” Coralis said eagerly. He began to dig a trench around the exterior of the rocks and the rest dove in to help. Once they had finished digging, he tried the spell again. This time he placed a palm over the invisible dome and pressed downward. The dome pushed back at him but he fought back, exerting greater pressure until a puff of air escaped through a mouse-sized hole in
the trench. Coralis released the spell and smiled. “We found our way in.”

  A high-pitched giggle interrupted Henry’s nightmare. The mad cackles had come with increasing frequency, occasionally accompanied by the tormented screeching of an animal.

  Katelyn sat up and rubbed her tired eyes. “You’d think he’d take a break.”

  Henry focused on making a mind-link with Coralis, but once again his head filled with static. “We can’t just sit here,” he grumped.

  “No, we can’t.” Katelyn squirmed uncomfortably. “I have something to tell you, but you have to promise you won’t be mad.”

  Henry squinted suspiciously. “What?”

  “Promise.”

  Henry looked around at the bars of their prison, then back at Katelyn, who stared at him with grim determination. “Okay, I promise.”

  “I found something in a book at the castle. A spell.”

  “Will it help us escape?” he asked eagerly.

  “Nay, but it might help the others find us.” She leaned forward. “You know how you and Serena can do that thing where you talk to each other’s minds? Well, I tried and tried to do that with Brianna, but we don’t have that kind of power. So instead we tried … a spell.”

  “A what?” he exploded. “You experimented on my sister?”

  “You promised,” she said sternly. As he slumped back, pouting, she pulled out a small twig, stripped of its outer bark and finely polished. She held it out so he could see the tiny filaments tied around the base.

  “Is that hair?” he asked.

  “Aye. ’Tis Brianna’s. And she has one similar with my hair. It’s an Imprint Wand. It allows us to find each other. It started as a game, but as we became closer, it took on more meaning. And as our friendship grew, so did the wand’s power. Over time it allowed us to sense each other’s feelings.” She paused for his reaction but was greeted with a puzzled expression. “Feelings. Like besties. Maybe even more than besties … ” She paused and waited for a reaction.

  Henry shrugged. Whatever she was hinting at rolled right on past him. “And?”

  “For a bright lad, sometimes you can be thick as a brick.” Katelyn frowned. “After Malachai found us, he carried you as I walked. Then he blindfolded me and took my hand to lead me.” She shivered recalling his evil touch. “It was like holding an ice cube. Shortly after, I felt a change in the air pressure, and sound seemed to echo. I sensed we were in a tunnel of some kind and used this wand. Tapped it against the wall as discreetly as I could. It wasn’t much, but maybe just enough to help them find us.”

  “Or lead them into a trap,” Henry snapped.

  “Aye, I hadn’t considered that at the time, which is why I made you promise.”

  “That still doesn’t help us … ” Henry heard a door latch turning. He quickly motioned to Katelyn to sit back and be quiet. The door at the end of the hall opened. A small woman dressed in rags shuffled slowly forward and placed wooden bowls of mush through the bars of their cages. Her hands and arms were covered with cuts and scratches. Henry gasped as he recognized teeth marks.

  “The master said it was time to feed the animals.” Her voice cracked and her lower lip trembled. She turned to leave.

  “Wait!” Henry lunged and knocked into the bowl, which clattered to the floor. But the woman left and closed the door behind her. “Come back!” he yelled. He slid back against the bars, aware that any help for escape had just walked away, when his eyes rested on the slop that had spilled from the bowl.

  “Henry!” Katelyn pointed urgently at something in the mush. “Is that a key?”

  “Yes.” He grunted and strained before collapsing in despair. It was just out of reach.

  Malachai placed the lead box on a shelf inside his workroom. The more he held it, the more he needed it. He craved the power the Particle provided. Physical separation caused a degree of discomfort that grew as his distance from it increased.

  But direct contact with the Particle also amplified the side effects. One side of his face oozed thick white puss from open sores. Twice more, the Particle had injected Malachai with its foreign substance. Only his incredible Wand Master power kept him from collapsing.

  Only one person stood in his way—Coralis.

  Malachai giggled. Coralis was on his way, and thanks to a series of sensor spells—and a cleverly crafted weakness in the protective dome—Malachai knew exactly where the old man was. He reveled in delight at the invincibility the Particle had given him, peeling a crumbling piece of skin from his arm and flicking it to the side. He looked at it with a detached sense of curiosity. It occurred to him that if he were not encumbered by physical limitations, he could operate on a far more powerful spiritual plane. Losing his skin was bringing him that much closer.

  He peeled off three more strips and formed an M with them on the table. Another giggle erupted, but this time he unleashed it into an uncontrollable, maniacal laugh.

  He was still laughing as he turned to leave—to spring his trap on Coralis. He turned the lights off and closed the door. On the table, the M of skin emitted an eerie glow. The top of the lead box moved the tiniest sliver of a millimeter—just enough for a thin tendril to snake its way out and attach to the skin, absorbing it until there was nothing left but a greasy stain.

  Leading the apprentices westward toward the break in the spell, Coralis was lost in thought. His main concern was developing a plan that would allow them to capture Malachai with no loss of life within his own ranks. The evil Wand Master had defeated so many of their own kind over the centuries that Coralis had almost allowed himself to think that perhaps they were acceptable losses—casualties of war. But a loss among his apprentices now would be unacceptable.

  Malachai’s greatest fault had always been his arrogance. He truly believed he could never be defeated. Yet his hubris made him careless. Finding the hole in his spell was just the bit of luck Coralis needed to give him the advantage of surprise.

  He glanced back over his shoulder at the single-file line of apprentices … and Molly. He had called for her to help stabilize the individuals into a cohesive group, never expecting that she would also supply much-needed firepower in their battle. Another piece of luck.

  He casually and purposely broke another branch of a low-hanging shrub, just as he had done several times since leaving the crash site. If he was correct, Dumitru would summon help and they would need a trail to follow. For all they knew, there could be Scorax soldiers within the protective dome, and he would need the Hutsul then.

  He flexed his senses and located the breach in the dome two hundred meters ahead. Had it not been for his abilities, he would have walked right past the well-concealed cave entrance. He directed Luis and Bryndis to pull on two very large limbs, creating a hole big enough for him to enter and check for safe passage.

  Brianna had edged alongside him. “Katelyn!” she gasped, and shot past Coralis into the tunnel.

  “Wait!” Coralis yelled, and barreled after her. As soon as he stepped through, the dome slammed down behind him like an invisible wall. The force of the spell blew outward, sending Luis and Bryndis flying in opposite directions and tossing Serena and Molly to the ground.

  Coralis and Brianna skidded to a halt and stared helplessly at the transparent wall … as an unearthly laugh echoed down the tunnel.

  “Hello, old friend.”

  Leonardo da Vinci’s legs kicked restlessly in his sleep, another night disturbed by the recurring nightmare. The thoughts of prisoners wasting away in their cells that haunted him in the daytime were compounded at night. But helping them was beyond his control. On nights like this he wished he had taken Coralis up on his offer to learn the craft of a Wandmaker.

  Leonardo preferred the certainties of science over what he perceived to be the sorcery and wizardry of the Wand Masters. Using the time slip portal that the tranquillityite provided was as far as he would allow himself to step into their world. His destiny was to assist man through advancement in science.

/>   But on this night, the nightmare was different. There was another presence—something guiding him. He could see it … no, not an it … a man. A very young man. He concentrated within his dream, trying to bring the young man into focus. There was an ethereal quality about him. Suddenly, Leonardo knew he was in the presence of a spirit. A soft, glowing mist that was more than a ghostly apparition. This was the essence—the life-force of the young man.

  Within the dream, Leonardo followed him through the castle courtyard and into the dungeon. He had not stepped foot into this part of the castle since Malachai had transformed a section of it into a place of unspeakable horror.

  The stench of rot assaulted his senses. He stood at the entrance of Malachai’s personal dungeon. The young man waved a cloudlike hand and the entrance began to glow.

  A spell!

  The words appeared in his mind. He cursed. This was the sorcery he sought to avoid. It was an abomination of the natural order of the world. The young man waved his hand again and something else appeared—a network of crisscrossed lines as wide and tall as the tunnel. It reminded him of a fishing net.

  Spread equidistant around the perimeter of the net were rocks. Leonardo looked closer. These were not the river rocks a fisherman would use to anchor his net. These were unique. He had seen them before—in a cave.

  The young man sent a thought wave that confirmed Leonardo’s suspicions. These were rocks of tranquillityite, and this net would break through the spell. But why would he do that? What purpose would it serve to bring the wrath of Malachai down upon himself?

  The dream shifted violently. Leonardo was no longer himself but the spirit of someone looking down upon another Leonardo. He gasped, realizing he was wrapped within the life-force of the young man. Together they looked down upon the real Leonardo, who was seated at a table. Spread out before him were tubular roots that had a distinctively human quality to them.