Restless

by Scott Prussing

  Leesa didn’t expect they would have any trouble finding a secluded spot in which to practice. From what she had seen so far, the opposite might be true—they might have difficulty finding a clearing large enough to move around in.

  The going continued to be slow until they came upon a narrow game path—probably used by deer, she guessed. Dominic turned onto the narrow trail and Leesa followed, heading deeper into the trees. The path sloped gradually upward, climbing the outer flank of one of the tall ridges that when viewed from a distance resembles a sleeping giant, thus giving the park its name. They passed several small areas that Leesa thought would serve their purpose, but Dominic continued on, obviously having something specific in mind.

  Finally, he stopped. They had reached a place where the trees were a little less thick because a rough outcropping of gray rock had pushed up from the ground. Parts of the rock created areas of solid ground bare of growth; the rest formed a jagged, almost vertical wall at least twenty feet high.

  “This will do nicely,” Dominic said. He sat down atop a rounded boulder. “Warm up,” he told Leesa.

  Leesa spent ten minutes running through some of her best spells and magic. She created some illumination spheres, levitated herself a few feet up into the air—about as high as the overhanging trees would allow—and sent some broken branches and pieces of loose rock sliding across the ground with her telekinesis. She was about to shoot a magic energy beam at the wall of rock when Dominic stopped her.

  “Just a minute,” he said, standing up and crossing over to Leesa. “Your instincts are good. The reason I chose this place is so you could fire your magic at the stone, but I want to talk to you about it first.”

  Leesa lowered her arm and listened closely.

  “Your dream indicates it may not be long before we must confront the Necromancer and his followers,” Dominic continued. “The energy beam will be one of your most important weapons, especially if zombies are involved. Blasting their heads with bolts of magic will be the surest way to stop the creatures.”

  Leesa tried to picture herself firing yellow beams of magical energy at an approaching horde of zombies. She wasn’t sure she was quite up to that yet.

  “I can see how that would be true,” she said. “I’m not sure I have the skill or power for that, though.”

  Dominic nodded. “You do not—not yet, anyhow. But that is why we are here: to practice, and to try something new.”

  The wizard extended his arm with his palm pointed outward, as if he were going to shoot out a beam of his white magic. “When you fire your beam, I want you to open and close your hand like this.” He closed his fist for half a second and then opened it for perhaps twice as long before closing it again. He repeated the sequence several times to be sure Leesa got it. “When you do this, I want you to picture the beam ending each time you close your hand and starting up again when you open it. Understand? It will be like firing a series of short blasts.”

  So far, Leesa had only fired continuous beams of magic, and that was all she had seen Dominic employ when he had battled the black waziri. Still, she was pretty sure she could picture what he had in mind. It would almost be like firing short bursts from the laser pistols she had seen in some science-fiction movies. She could imagine each blast striking a zombie in the head.

  “I think I’ve got it,” she said. She saw no reason to describe the laser gun analogy to Dominic, since she didn’t think he had ever seen a movie in his long life.

  “I wish I could show you,” Dominic said, “to provide you a better visualization.”

  “I know, but then the black waziri would sense your active magic and be on your trail again. Don’t worry, though. I’ve got a pretty clear image of what you want from some movies I’ve seen.”

  “Good. When you master this, you will not only prevent collateral damage by better targeting your blasts, you will conserve your magical energy as well.”

  Leesa nodded. That made sense. She had learned early on that magic was not an infinite resource. It could be drained, and when it was, only time could replenish it.

  “I hadn’t thought of that,” she said.

  She raised her hand and pointed her palm toward the rock.

  “Okay, here goes.” She visualized laser bursts streaming from her hand. “Magnus irrundi,” she chanted.

  The familiar yellowish beam shot from her hand. She closed and opened her fist a few times, picturing the beam stopping and starting up again as she did so.

  The result was nowhere near as crisp and clean as she would have liked, but she did manage to break her beam into several uneven parts. The hard rock was unmarked by the blasts, but that didn’t concern her at this point.

  “Not bad for a first attempt,” Dominic said. “Not bad at all.” The wizard returned to his seat upon the boulder. “Try again.”

  For the next twenty minutes, Leesa repeated her effort more than a dozen times. Occasionally, Dominic would stop her and offer some instruction. With each attempt her control grew better, until her final try resulted in quick bursts of energy that were nearly all the same length.

  Dominic pushed himself up from the boulder. “Well done,” he said. “Now we need to work on the strength of your beam.”

  He shuffled over to the rocky outcropping, motioning Leesa to follow. She joined him beside the rock wall.

  Dominic held his hand out so that it was just two or three inches from the stone.

  “Get your hand this close,” he instructed. “Fire a continuous blast until I tell you to stop.”

  Leesa did as the wizard instructed. She had never used an energy beam this short, but she concentrated as hard as she did for longer beams. After a few seconds, the rock began to sizzle audibly where the energy struck it. The unexpected sound pleased her but caused her to lose focus. The yellow beam vanished. Leesa frowned, her satisfaction with herself quickly turning into frustration.

  She looked at the rock. Where her beam had struck it, the gray stone was charred dark black. The mark was darker and more pronounced than any she had managed to achieve in the New Hampshire cavern with Rave. That was something, at least.

  “Sorry,” she said. “I know I was supposed to try to keep going until you told me to stop. The sound of the rock beginning to burn surprised me and broke my concentration.”

  Dominic nodded. “As I’ve said before, not allowing oneself to be surprised is one of the bigger challenges facing any wizard. Losing focus is never a good thing.”

  “I know. I’m trying, I promise.”

  “Do not be too hard on yourself,” Dominic counseled. “You have not been at this all that long. Just keep it in mind and try to control your thoughts. Be ready for anything, and then nothing will surprise you.”

  Leesa was pretty sure that was much easier said than done. “I will,” she assured him.

  “Do it again,” Dominic said. “Move a few feet to the side.”

  Leesa took two steps to her left. This time, she was not surprised when the rock began to pop and sizzle in front of her. She kept her beam focused on the same spot until she felt her energy begin to weaken. She ended the spell and looked at the stone.

  Not only was the spot charred completely black, but it was slightly indented. Her magic had actually eaten away a tiny bit of the stone!

  She smiled at Dominic. “That should be strong enough to fry any zombie skull,” she said. She shook her head wryly. “If I can sneak up on one and get my hand this close to its head, that is.”

  Dominic smiled back. “Let us hope that is not necessary. With luck, we will have enough time to work more on this before you actually need to use it.”

  “Amen to that,” Leesa replied.

  “I had you put your hand that close to the rock because I wanted you to witness the effect of your power when concentrated on one spot like that,” Dominic explained. “It’s important that you realize the strength of your magic when properly controlled and channeled. Now that you have the visual in your head, you shou
ld be able to dissolve the rock from farther away.”

  He turned and walked a few steps farther from the outcropping. Leesa followed him.

  “There is something else I want to try as well,” Dominic said. He put his hand on Leesa’s shoulder and nodded toward the rock. “Do it again, from here.”

  Leesa looked at the wall of rock, nearly ten feet away now. She wasn’t sure she could even make her beam reach the stone, let alone have any effect on it.

  “Use a solid stream,” Dominic said. “Do not worry about breaking it up, for now.”

  Leesa summoned her complete concentration. “Magnus irrundi,” she intoned.

  The yellow beam streaked from her palm, stopping about two feet short of the rock. She willed the energy forward. It inched closer to the outcropping, but she could tell it was never going to reach the stone. She was not about to give up though. She redoubled her efforts.

  Suddenly, she felt a powerful increase in her energy, igniting its power like someone squirting lighter fluid onto a fire. Her beam shot forward, striking the rock with a loud hiss. Pieces of stone crumbled from the rock face. She watched in stunned awe for a moment before the beam disappeared.

  She turned to Dominic, who was still holding her shoulder. The wizard was smiling.

  “What the heck was that?” she asked in disbelief.

  “I added a bit of my magic to yours,” he replied. “Sort of like Jenna did when she was helping you practice a few months back.”

  Leesa looked at the scarred rock again. “You definitely added a lot more strength to my magic than she ever did.”

  “My magic and yours are much more similar,” Dominic explained. “That makes it easier for me to do than it would ever be for Jenna.”

  Leesa nodded. What Dominic said made sense. Her magic originated with him, after all. A sudden thought struck her.

  “You used your magic, though,” she said worriedly. “Won’t the black waziri sense it?”

  Dominic shook his head. “Just like when I healed your leg, my magic was filtered through yours again, altering its vibrations. My renegade brethren will not detect it.”

  Leesa was glad to hear that. Now all she had to do in the event of any zombie attack was to make sure she stood close enough to Dominic for the wizard to add his magic to hers and she would be fine. Of course, if they were under attack, Dominic would be far too busy to waste his energy and time augmenting her magic. Still, it had been thrilling to unleash so much power—she just hoped that one day she would be able to summon up something close to that on her own.

  Another question popped into her head.

  “How come you waited so long to do this?” she asked. “Why didn’t you help me like this from the beginning—adding your magic to mine? I think I could be so much further along by now.”

  “Too much too soon is seldom a good thing,” Dominic replied. “Neither your mind nor your body would have been able to handle it. Remember, I was supposed to be preparing you for your magic long before you turned eighteen and your powers appeared, but unfortunately, things did not work out that way. Also, until you were able to visualize your magic and my magic in the way you did the other day, I could not be sure I could do this safely and without detection. With those new images in your subconscious, I finally felt secure enough to try.”

  “I guess I understand, sort of,” Leesa said. She smiled. “Can we do it again?”

  “Of course. That’s the whole point of it, to give you the feel and a visual of what it is like to have full control of your power. My hope is that this will speed up your progress.”

  Leesa hoped Dominic was right. She spent the next half hour blasting ever larger marks into the face of the rock. When she was finished, it was pockmarked with irregular black circles.

  “That was fun,” she said, smiling despite how exhausted she felt now that Dominic’s magic no longer fueled her.

  “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.” Dominic’s lips curved into a half smile. “But I hope it was useful, too.”

  “Oh, I’m pretty sure it was,” Leesa assured him. “I’m feeling more confident now than ever.”

  “Then we have made a good start.” Dominic turned away from the outcropping. “And now I think it is time to get you back home.”

  Leesa allowed herself one last look at the charred rock. She was very pleased with today’s work.

  11. STAYING DRY

  THE FOLLOWING MORNING broke gray and damp. Leesa stared out the living room window, waiting for Dominic to come pick her up. A light drizzle peppered the glass with tiny drops of water, but the dark, heavy clouds promised heavier rain to come.

  Leesa didn’t care about the rain—unless it messed up whatever practice Dominic had planned for today. She wore a dark blue ball cap atop her head and a carried a waterproof windbreaker draped over her arm. Her hair was gathered into a ponytail she had stuck through the opening at the back of the cap. Waterproof hiking boots would keep her feet dry even if she and Dominic hiked into the woods somewhere.

  The silver SUV eased to a stop in front of the apartment. Leesa slipped into her windbreaker and grabbed an umbrella from the urn beside the door. Outside, she popped the umbrella open and walked down to the car. The rain was already starting to fall harder.

  The driver’s side window slid down, revealing a smiling Dominic.

  “What’s got you so amused?” Leesa asked.

  “Nothing, really,” Dominic replied. “It’s just that I have never seen a wizard with an umbrella before.”

  Leesa glanced up at her umbrella and smiled. “Fledgling wizard,” she reminded him. “Maybe if I could dry myself as quickly and easily as you, I wouldn’t use one either.”

  “There are other choices,” Dominic said. “At least, there are when you do not have to worry about drawing attention to yourself.”

  He pushed the door open and stepped out of the car, ignoring the rain. By the time he made it around to the passenger side he was half-soaked.

  Leesa closed her umbrella and quickly climbed behind the wheel. She looked over at Dominic. Already, his hair and shirt were beginning to dry. When she had first seen him perform this trick, she thought it took active magic to do it, but Dominic had explained that his “weather-proofing” was the result of a complicated spell enacted centuries before and so could not be detected by the black waziri. While she wouldn’t mind having a similar spell to keep herself dry—especially since Rave’s inner heat made him pretty much immune to any rain—she knew learning such magic was a very low priority. So for now, an umbrella would be her magic; or, if necessary, she would just get wet.

  “Where to today?” she asked.

  “A place I think you will be very happy to visit,” Dominic said, already completely dry. “How about we go see some volkaanes?”

  A big smile bloomed on Leesa’s face. This was a very nice surprise, indeed.

  “I think that’s a wonderful idea,” she said happily. “An absolutely wonderful idea.”

  She started the car and headed down the driveway, going perhaps a bit faster than she might have had they been heading for any other destination.

  The rain began pelting down, splashing hard against the windshield and forcing Leesa to switch the wipers to their highest speed. Even so, the reduced visibility demanded her full attention and forced her to slow down. She rarely had to drive in the rain back in San Diego and had only done it a couple of times since moving to Connecticut. She kept both hands tight on the wheel and maintained a speed that was a few miles per hour below the speed limit.

  The drive usually took about twenty minutes, but this morning the weather made it closer to thirty. By the time she spotted the dirt roadway to the volkaane settlement, her neck and shoulders were knotted with tension. She knew the cure for that was just a few moments away—Rave and his magic fingers.

  Pulling the SUV onto the shoulder, she edged the vehicle as far from the highway as possible and turned off the engine. She opened the door just a couple of inches
and reached for her umbrella. Even with the door only cracked open, the wind blew the rain in on her. Luckily, it was a warm summer rain, but it was still plenty wet. She was getting ready to stick the umbrella out through the opening to pop it open when Dominic grabbed her arm.

  “Leave the umbrella here,” he told her.

  Leesa twisted around to look at him. “Are you crazy? It’s raining cats and dogs out there. I think I may even have seen a cow or two.”

  Dominic smiled. “Remember how I said there were other choices if there were no worries about attracting attention?”

  “Yeah. So?”

  “Well, this is a place where you do not have to worry about being seen. The volkaanes already know you have magic, and if someone happens to drive by on the highway, I do not think they will notice.”

  Leesa pushed the umbrella between her seat and the shift column.

  “Okay. What do you want me to do? Aside from getting soaked, that is.”

  “Your air shield spell can be used to protect you from more than enemy attacks. I think this is a good time to give it some practice.”

  Leesa nodded, wondering why she hadn’t thought of that. The air shield had given her more trouble than any other spell so far, but with all her practice in the last few months, she had gotten reasonably good at it. She didn’t think any of her shields were ready to stand up against a magic attack yet—but she was pretty sure one would stop the rain, no matter how hard it was coming down.

  She pushed the car door open, chanting “Bonduur” at the same time. In all her practice thus far, she had always created a shield in front of or behind her, but this time she pictured the barrier above her head. A few drops made it through, spattering against her cap and shoulders, before the shield formed a few inches above her and blocked the rest of the downpour.