The Dragon Orb (The Alaris Chronicles Book 1)

by Mike Shelton

  The two fellow wizards couldn’t be more different from each other. While Bakari was dark-skinned with short black hair and a broad nose, gangly, and not interested much in anything that wasn’t a book, Roland’s chin-length blond hair framed his light face, blue eyes, square jaw, and thin mouth, one that usually held a smile for the girls his age. Roland didn’t take much seriously, in contrast to his studious friend.

  “I do like jokes. It’s fine.” Roland winked as if to reassure Bakari. “Look, you remember everything you’ve read, and I know you have spent the last ten years, since you were a small child, studying at the Citadel and now here. So I expect that, if anyone has the answers, you would.” Roland leaned forward and rested his chin on his hands. “So, what do you know about wizards?”

  Bakari sat down opposite Roland and crossed one leg over the other. He thought about what Roland had done the day before with the Chief Judge, and wondered who should be teaching whom. But Bakari did understand more about history than his friend. So he took a deep breath, removed his glasses, and spoke with authority from memory.

  “From the few histories written prior to the barrier going up one hundred fifty years ago, wizards were more plentiful in the past and more powerful. All the kingdoms had powerful wizards and were organized more by the type of powers they held. Some wizards worked off of the earth, some were stronger with their minds, and others worked magic from their hearts. Loosely, those now translate into our Battle, Scholar, and Counselor wizards. A few held special telepathic abilities.”

  “Don’t get too technical on me now, Bak.”

  “All right. Special mind abilities. Like the kind you exerted when you called Onius.”

  “So I do have special abilities.” Roland bounced up in his seat. “Go on.”

  Bakari rolled his eyes at Roland’s continued insistence that he was special.

  “There is not much said about these wizards in the time leading up to the Great War, only that a few became very powerful. But it is understood that a wizard of Alaris ruled as king for many years. During the Great War, most of our powerful wizards died, including the king at the time. The final act of a group of minor wizards was to put up the magical barrier that has kept us separated from other kingdoms. In that final act, most of the remaining level-four and level-five wizards died. It has only been recently that we have seen a higher level of powerful wizards emerge—and they are getting younger.”

  “Like me!” Roland said proudly.

  “Like you,” Bakari admitted.

  “How did they create that much magic for the barrier?”

  “Nothing is said about it, at least, not in any book I have found yet. I would like to take a trip to some of the smaller libraries along the barrier and see what I can find. There is quite a gap in our library’s histories during the time the barrier went up.” Bakari furrowed his dark eyebrows and quit talking for a minute.

  “Bak?”

  “Sorry, I was just trying to sort through my memories to make sure. It is strange. There are no history books here from that time. The next thing we read is about the organization of our new form of government—the judges.”

  “But you haven’t told me anything I hadn’t learned in the Citadel, except that they are not as candid about the missing histories. Do you think some of the early wizards possessed all of the powers: mind, heart, and earth?”

  “I would expect that their leaders did, maybe even the head of the Citadel. But I haven’t seen any evidence in our libraries. There are bits and pieces that suggest a fourth power also used to exist.”

  “Hmmm.” Roland stood up and walked to a window, the same one from the day before. The stark, bare oak tree still brought a grin to his face. The leaves had now been raked up and disposed of somewhere. His light eyebrows furrowed as he thought of an idea.

  Bakari joined him at the window. “You’re not thinking about trying to re-bud the tree, are you?”

  “Are you sure you can’t read minds now, Bak?”

  “No. I just know you and your way of thinking,” Bakari snorted.

  “Well, the thought did cross my mind,” Roland said.

  “You really shouldn’t,” Bak said. “You can’t force things like that. You would destroy the balance of nature.”

  “You can’t tell me what to do, Bak,” Roland said. “You know nothing about the world out there. You stay cozied up with your books all day long.”

  “Actually, Roland, I can tell you what to do,” Bakari said. “You are still an apprentice, and I am a full wizard.”

  “Ouch, Bak. Now that hurt.” Roland’s face turned a slight shade of red. “You don’t need to get so personal. You do realize that I am more powerful than you?”

  Bakari nodded and took his glasses off. “But becoming a wizard is not merely about having strength in magic. It is about learning how to use it responsibly.”

  Roland slapped his hand on the windowsill. “But you saw the things I did with my power. Even Onius didn’t know how. He’s been avoiding me since then. I think he’s afraid of what he doesn’t understand.”

  “As we all should be. Magic is not a game. I’ve studied it for years and have still barely scratched its surface.” Bakari loved studying and discovering past truths from their histories. He was born to learn and to help pass on the knowledge of Alaris to others. His recent obsession was to find out what had truly happened when the barrier went up. There were rumors that it was starting to weaken lately, and no one would admit to knowing how the barrier had received its power to surround Alaris and keep them safe all these years. But he wanted to find out. Needed to find out.

  “I saved the Chief Judge with my abilities. What have you ever done with all your knowledge?”

  Bakari ignored this jab, put his glasses back on, and headed across the room. “Sometimes, Roland, you are not a very nice person.”

  “Bak, I’m sorry. I got carried away. I just don’t understand what is happening to me. The power flows through my veins, and I can hardly contain it. I don’t think I fit into any of the disciplines anymore. I am not merely a Counselor or a Scholar or a Battle wizard. I am something more. I can’t tell the difference between the magic and myself anymore.” Roland went quiet and plopped himself down onto a chair. “It’s one and the same. Me and magic. Bak, I am magic.”

  “What did you say?” Bakari almost tripped coming over to the front of Roland’s chair. He steadied himself against an oak table in the center of the library’s sitting area. “That phrase is in a book from a long time ago. I can touch its echoes in my mind. There might be something to what you are saying, Roland. I have to search my books. Somewhere, the leaders of the Citadel used to refer to themselves in such a way.”

  Bakari ran back across the room to a smaller study and began leafing through volumes of books. In the back of his mind, he heard Roland get up out of the chair. A tiny smile tugged at the corners of Bakari’s mouth. Roland knew him too well. Soon Bakari found himself lost once again among the many books of the library, any frustrated thoughts toward Roland long gone.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Roland realized it would be hours, or even days, before anyone saw Bak again. Maybe the scholar wizard would find something to help Roland describe clearly how he felt inside. It frustrated him, to say the least. He was tired of being an apprentice. He was more powerful than so many other wizards. This thought made him crave the power even more.

  He decided to tell Onius that he was going to go to the Citadel and request to be named as a full wizard. This had been a thought in his mind for a while. And, now that he’d actually decided to do it, he felt better.

  A loud noise outside the library window caught Roland’s attention. A long column of soldiers marched up to the castle gates. Their uniform patterns of marching impressed Roland. Their flags were red, which meant they were from the Chief Judge’s battalion.

  In front, he saw two figures in wizard’s robes. The first was an older man with receding gray hair and an impressive array of
weapons hanging from the belt around his solid body. The sunlight forced Roland to put his hands up to block the early morning glare so he could see the second figure more clearly. She was stunningly beautiful. She looked younger than he and had short dark hair—not usually his type—but her lips were bright, her cheekbones high, and her skin pale.

  He would have described her as exotic, compared to the girls who followed him around the capital city lately. He extended the touch of his mind out toward hers and felt the edge of her awareness – a new trick he had discovered lately. The raw power there amazed and surprised him. So he pulled back before she would notice him.

  Then the young girl turned and gazed up at the castle, right at Roland. Her visage was stern but incredibly intelligent and stunning. She carried a sword and dagger on her hip in a way that said she knew how to use them. He doubted she could see him, but his heart leapt again. Now here stood a conquest he would enjoy! A few kisses from those pouty lips would make for an enjoyable distraction from his counselor studies.

  Without bidding farewell to Bakari, Roland turned and ran out of the library and down the stairs, his red robes floating behind him. Skidding to a halt as Onius came around the corner from the Chief Judge’s private rooms, Roland put his hand out to stop himself from falling.

  “Good. I’m glad you found me. The Chief Judge will be meeting with the battalion leaders in the throne room, and we are to accompany him.”

  Roland fell in beside his lanky mentor. “Onius, did you know there are two wizards with the battalion? A man and a girl; a pretty one.”

  Onius rolled his eyes. “The wizard is Gorn Mahron, a battle wizard, and the young girl is Allison Stenos, his apprentice.”

  Roland had to almost run to keep step with Onius’s long paces. “She is training to be a battle wizard? Are you kidding? She’s just a girl.” Roland frowned. “I mean, a beautiful one at that, but still…”

  “Just a girl?” Onius laughed. “Yes, she is still an apprentice like you. But, from what I hear, Roland, you may be soon meeting your match in terms of power and attitude.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Onius paused right before entering the room. “Please behave, Roland. My head still hurts from your escapades yesterday, and I am not in the mood for any of your games today.”

  Roland’s face reddened. He opened his mouth to voice his complaints, but Onius stepped into the ready room, and Roland followed him in dutifully.

  The room was a considerable area, big enough for hundreds of people. Ten marble columns held up the large, white domed ceiling. Windows and tapestries alternated along two outside walls. The tapestries depicted scenes of battles intermixed with fantastic depictions of fairy tale creatures, like dragons. No such creatures actually existed in Alaris.

  In the middle of the bright and regal room, the battle commander stood at attention, waiting to give his report to the Chief Judge. Flanking him on either side stood the two wizards Roland had seen through the windows of the castle.

  “Captain,” started Onius, “the Chief Judge will be with you shortly.” Onius then turned his attention to the wizard. “Gorn, good to see you again.” They clasped hands. “How is the training of your apprentice going?”

  Gorn glanced at Alli, who stood still, taking inventory of everything in the room that might be of danger to them. He turned back to Onius and, with a wink, said, “She tries my patience and is unconventional in her fighting but is doing well enough.”

  Alli glanced at Gorn without breaking a smile. She looked even more striking up close. Roland couldn’t take his eyes off her. Her full, pouty lips and small nose made her young face look vulnerable, but the power in her stance was unmistakable. He saw in her eyes an intriguing intelligence and an understanding of everything going on around them.

  Onius pointed to Roland with a broad smile. “This is my apprentice, Roland Tyre. He, too, can be trying at times, and unconventional, but he has some remarkable powers.”

  “Tyre?” Gorn asked. “Are you from the Westridge area? I’ve heard of a Tyre family from there. Seems like a lot of wizard power is coming from the edge of the barrier lately.”

  Roland still looked at Alli.

  “Roland!” barked Onius a little louder, taking him out of his daze.

  “Yes, Onius?”

  “I introduced you to my friend, Battle Wizard Gorn Mahron, and his apprentice, Allison. Gorn has asked a question of you.”

  “I know, and I was going to answer.” Instead, he turned to Alli and, with a flourishing bow, said, “I could not help drinking in thy beauty. Ye make all the other ladies in the castle pale in comparison.”

  Before Roland could grasp what was happening, Alli had stepped forward, drawn her dagger, and pressed it to his throat. “I’m not your toy, Counselor Apprentice. I have heard that Roland Tyre thinks he is God’s gift to women.”

  “Alli,” Gorn said sternly. “We are their guests. What has gotten into you?”

  She turned to Onius, who was trying not to laugh. “I forgot my manners, Counselor. I’m tired and thirsty after the long march from Orr.” Then she moved back to Gorn’s side.

  Onius gave Roland a stern glare, telling him to behave, but Roland was not going to take that kind of embarrassment. He moved his fingers lightly and sent a push of air toward Alli’s feet as she walked away from him.

  She tripped and fell, scanning the area to figure out what had happened. The sound of her knee hitting the hard marble floor had been unmistakable, but she didn’t even wince. With fire almost blazing from her eyes, she glared at Roland.

  Roland smiled in delight. “May I help you up, Battle Wizard Apprentice?” Roland reached his hand down to raise her up.

  Alli brought forth a small spark of fire from her fingertips and shot it at Roland’s hand. He yelped and jumped backward, shaking his hand, only to find her leg sweeping in an arc around his. He hit the ground with a thud and winced. With only a moment’s hesitation, he rolled to the side and jumped back up. The two apprentices moved toward each other, determination on both of their faces.

  “Enough!” bellowed Onius, his voice echoing off the solid stone walls. He picked both of them up with magic and brought them to stand in front of him in the air. “This is why you are both still apprentices. Now, put your pride and childish ways aside. The Chief Judge will soon be here.”

  Alli and Roland both looked at their feet, their faces the same shade of red.

  Onius lowered them to the floor and released his power over them. “Now, go and get all of us something to drink from the kitchen.”

  “But—”

  “But nothing, Apprentice,” Onius said. “If you act like children, you will perform childish errands. Now go.”

  “Both of you,” echoed Gorn, displeasure covering his face as well.

  Roland stomped out of the room and down the hall toward the kitchen. What an infuriating girl. Maybe he should stick to the boring court ladies. Alli was going to be harder to win over than he had first thought.

  “Did I hurt your ego, Roland Tyre?” Alli caught up to him and met him stride for stride, though she pushed her shorter legs to do so. “I’m not such an easy conquest, am I?”

  Roland’s eyes widened, and he slowed his pace. There was no way she had read his mind. Or was there? She was indeed a dangerous lass.

  “No, I didn’t read your mind.”

  Roland was surprised at her honesty and straightforward attitude. She was quite unlike the gaggle of girls hanging around the castle these days. “At least we have one thing in common,” he mumbled.

  “And that would be?” A sly smile lit her face. Roland didn’t want to look, because he wanted to stay mad at her, but that feeling had already faded. Not one to hold a grudge long against a pretty young woman, he resumed the flirting.

  “We are only apprentices but should be at least level-three wizards. Level four, in my case. I hold powers even Onius doesn’t understand.”

  “Level four, huh? You do
think highly of yourself.”

  Servants in the wide halls walked to either side of the apprentices on their ways to their daily duties, but Roland didn’t give them any notice.

  He reached out to Alli’s mind as he had to Onius’ when the Chief Judge had needed them the day before. It was easier this time because Alli stood right in front of him.

  I do have some special abilities, he spoke to her mind.

  Alli physically jumped in front of him, trying to shake his voice from her mind.

  “See?” Roland smiled smugly.

  “Get out of my head, Roland.” She slapped his arm, more in amazement than in anger.

  Roland complied. They were almost to the kitchen, made evident by the aroma of freshly baked bread wafting down the hallway toward them. It hung in the air, tickling Roland’s senses and making him hungry.

  “Why haven’t they tested you yet?” Alli asked. “You are older than I. And you aren’t a girl.” Her own words brought a slight blush to Alli’s cheeks.

  For once, Roland decided to bite back a retort.

  They soon entered the kitchens. The young blonde girl he usually flirted with was there this time, but she seemed less refined and beautiful than she had before. The two apprentices asked for her help in getting some refreshments for the captain and their mentors.

  Roland peeked at Alli out of the corner of his eye and felt the need to be honest. “They think I am not mature enough to be tested.”

  Alli snickered behind her hand. “Ahh. I see.” Her green eyes were captivating and full of a power that drew Roland in.

  “Yeah, well, I’m trying,” he grumbled, but he couldn’t help broadening his smile. He pushed his long bangs out of his face and laughed. One thing everyone knew about Roland Tyre was that he couldn’t stay in a bad mood long. Life was too short to stay angry.