Master of Magic

by Bebe Lightsmith

  “Just changed his tattoo a little.” Owen chuckled. “Improved it really.” Ever since Owen had gained the knowledge from the Codex, he had become even more mischievous. Since he was no longer restricted to just his druid and quick-exchange magics, he could literally do anything he thought of.

  “Go change it back.” I sighed, pointing to the guard. “We’re trying to make friends here, remember? For Ryker?” Owen grumbled and then snapped his fingers. I felt the magic and knew that he had fixed it.

  “When did you become so boring?” He demanded as we sat on the front row, next to Agent Rogers. “You’ve been hanging out with Ryker too much.”

  “I promised him we’d be on our best behavior,” I replied. Owen gawked, releasing a sound of outrage and shock.

  “Why would you do something like that?” He demanded. I gave him a long look, and he leaned back, folding his arms over his large chest.

  The meeting was called to order. Ryker had explained the structure of the meeting the night before. A chancellor of the meeting was elected beforehand. This year General Achilles had the honor of presiding over the meeting. Toby’s father was a large man, with serious grey eyes, a shiny bald head, and a permanent scowl. With his wide jaw and heavy joules, he reminded me of a bulldog. As many knights in the room, he wore his military dress uniform. He was a Marine, which didn’t surprise me in the least.

  They started the meeting by reciting the Knights Code, and then another chancellor welcomed everyone to the United States and to the meeting. The title of chancellor was for the leaders of the different Order districts. For example, General Pericles was the chancellor of the Virginia Order of Knights. After the welcoming, some tactical business was discussed. I wasn’t really interested in this part. Ryker sat straight in his seat, his face tight with nerves. He sat in the middle of all the other honored guests, his chair elevated on a platform to sit above all the others.

  “What do you think would happen if homeboy over there grew donkey ears?” Owen whispered in my ear, gesturing to the knight who was speaking at the moment. A large stage was set up on one side of the arena, with a podium and microphone. I giggled and nudged him with my shoulder.

  “Mass chaos,” I whispered back.

  “My favorite kind.” He winked.

  “Don’t think about it too hard, remember what happened at MBIU camp,” I warned him.

  Owen didn’t quite have control over his powers, well not even a little bit. Most of it was still stunted behind the metaphorical dam Morgana had placed inside of him so he could learn it slowly. What he did have; if he thought of something too hard or for too long, it would just happen. At MBIU camp he accidentally turned Tobias Achilles into a frog. We figured out how to turn him back . . . Eventually. It took a couple days.

  “This fucker,” Owen muttered when General Achilles stepped onto the platform. The General discussed other business for an hour or two. I grew bored and wished I had a book or something to read. Instead, I balanced my new iPhone on my leg and scrolled through social media. Owen did much the same, but blue magic was starting to swirl around him. I nudged his shoulder, but he shrugged. Sometimes, he literally could not control it. We’ve kept inside for most of the summer because of that. The humans wouldn’t understand what they saw.

  “Now onto the business of Ryker Pendragon and his claim for the title of King of Knights.” General Achilles started. “The meeting will be adjourned after the vote on whether or not to grant the title. I open the floor for discussion.” I expected knights to start shouting much like they had in Virginia, but instead, four knights stepped on stage. I didn’t recognize them, but only one of them wore a uniform, Air Force.

  “We are the committee that Chancellor Achilles put together to investigate the situation.” Air Force knight said into the microphone. He then gestured to the knight to the far right. “Director Philip Dionysus, Chancellor Richard Memmon, Dr. Orion Perseus, and myself, Colonel David Icarus.”

  “They’re all Greek,” Owen muttered. “That mother fucker.” The Greek knights were top shit of the world for a thousand years or so until Arthur and his knights rose up and challenged them. Now there was a feud between the British and Greek knights for power.

  “It is our conclusion, Chancellor Achilles, that there is no proof that Ryker Pendragon has a claim to the title King of Knights.” The room erupted in shouting. There were so many voices I couldn’t tell what anyone was saying. Some were shouting in joy and others in anger.

  It took almost half an hour to get the room in order. Admiral Gilgamesh had to stomp towards the microphone and yell commands into it to get the knights to comply. Once the room was silent, the Admiral handed the microphone back to Colonel Icarus.

  “Stay here.” Agent Rogers said to us, and then he hurried down the aisle.

  “What is your reasoning for this conclusion?” General Achilles asked the council.

  “Under section three of the Order of Knights, only the knight who can wield magic and hold Excalibur can become king. There is no proof that Ryker Pendragon as done either.” Colonel Icarus answered. The room turned and looked at Ryker.

  “Cadet Pendragon, what say you?” Admiral Gilgamesh asked. Technically, since he was not Chancellor of this meeting, he wasn’t supposed to speak, but I didn’t think anyone cared. The Gilgamesh line was ancient, almost older than time.

  “Don’t do it,” Owen whispered. I didn’t understand what that meant.

  Ryker stood and stepped down from the small dais. He stood in the center of the room and raised his hand over his head, his arm straight. Red lightning flashed around his hand as he called his mighty sword to him. I could feel the magic as the weapon hurtled towards us. The ceiling cracked, and a little debris fell as the sword shot down into Ryker’s hand. Excalibur must have understood the importance of this as well, as she was glowing so bright it hurt my eyes to look directly at her. The gold and red light filled the room as every knight in the world stared in awe. Red lightning bolts sizzled off the blade.

  “Shit.” Owen let out a deep breath like Ryker had made a grave mistake.

  “What’s happening?” I asked him.

  The Greek knights on the floor, including General Achilles, all stared in shocked horror. Shouting ensued, and soon no one was standing in their seats. Ceremonial swords were drawn as duels started to form.

  “Fucking barbarians,” Owen muttered.

  Before I could stop him, he vaulted over the metal banister separating the bleachers from the fifteen-foot drop down into the arena floor.

  “Wait, Owen, what does this all mean?” I shouted after him. I went to follow, but a pair of strong hands gripped my hips, keeping me from going over. Glancing over my shoulder, Angus was pulling me back and gently set my feet on the ground in front of him.

  “I have to go down there,” I argued. Garret appeared next to him.

  “We were tasked by the king to keep you safe.” He argued.

  “Tell me what’s going on,” I demanded, looking up at the two of them. They exchanged glances. Their lips pressed together as if to say they weren’t going to tell me anything.

  “Order!” I heard Admiral Gilgamesh bellow through the microphone. The chaos slowly stopped. Owen stood with Ryker, his own magical sword in his hand, glowing blue as the other knights surrounded them.

  “We are knights, and we will conduct ourselves accordingly!” Gilgamesh scolded. Once the room had calmed and people made their way back to their seats, Admiral Gilgamesh handed the microphone to General Achilles. A group of young men walked into the arena carrying a gigantic leather-bound book. It took four of them to hold it. They placed it on a solid looking wooden table and then left.

  “That’s the Code,” Angus muttered out loud. That was the original Knights Code? The one that they all had to memorize? I couldn’t believe how big it was. The actual book had to be at least four feet long and a thousand pages.

  “I have requested that the Code be brought to us on this day for clarification
purposes.” General Achilles said into the microphone. Ryker and Owen still stood back-to-back in the middle of the arena, both unsure of what was about to happen.

  “We can all see with our own eyes that Cadet Pendragon does, in fact, have Excalibur and can wield magic through it.” General Achilles started. There was some question on whether the sword in Ryker’s hand was actually Excalibur, but the General shut that down quickly.

  “According to the Code, in Section Three, the Section of Kings.” A man rushed forward and carefully opened the book to the right place, “The King must wield Excalibur and use magic, but in the event of a challenge, the sword is then honor bound to respect the outcome of the duel.”

  “What duel?” I asked out loud. Angus and Garret both looked confused.

  “Since you have been so kind as to bring her here, the sword is compelled to welcome a new master if the duel dictates so.” General Achilles went on.

  “What duel?” Ryker demanded after a moment.

  The crowd gasped as Tobias Achilles descended down the concrete stairs and jumped over the banister. He stood in front of Ryker.

  “Ryker Pendragon, I challenge you to a duel over the title King of Knights.” He issued the formal challenge.

  “On what basis?” Owen demanded.

  “Silence Warlock, your presence here reside entirely on my good will.” General Achilles said in a dark voice. I could feel Owen’s magic working on the old General. Achilles should have never said that.

  “On what basis?” Ryker asked then.

  “That I can also use magic and thus wield Excalibur,” Toby replied, giving Ryker a huge smile and a wink. “Therefore, I invoke the Code of Kings onto Excalibur.” He pointed at the sword, and its red and golden light started to dim. Ryker stared down at the sword in his hand as it slowly lost all external energy. Then, the sword floated away from him and came towards me. I caught the handle and gave Ryker a reassuring nod.

  “The sword has chosen its substitute wielder until the issue of the title King of Knights can be resolved.” General Achilles said. “The duel will take place tomorrow morning at dawn. Pendragon, Achilles, choose your weapons.”

  “Let’s do this old school.” Achilles said, giving Ryker a cocky look. “Bare-knuckled.”

  “Fine with me,” Ryker replied, and they shook hands.

  With that, the meeting was called into a recess until the next morning. The crowd started to disperse. Ryker turned and walked towards me. Owen was right behind him. They both had serious hard looks on their faces, as their eyes analyzed every corner of the room. Ryker crawled up the banister, giving Angus and Garret a nod. The two grumbled something and then left.

  “What the hell is happening?” I asked. Ryker grabbed my elbow and led me down one of the tunnels, towards the exit. Owen caught up behind us. Ryker found a door and tried the handle, locked. He glanced around for a moment and then grabbed the nob again, using his strength to break the lock. We walked into a large cleaning supply closet. The smell of lemon and bleach stung my nose as I held Excalibur close to me.

  Ryker shut the door, and then Owen manifested a magical barrier over the door. He probably soundproofed the room as well. I had never seen them like this. They were all seriousness, even Owen, who constantly cracked inappropriate jokes, had a solemn look on his face, his blue eyes piercing. I waited patiently for them to finish securing the room. The most important lesson I had learned from them over these two years that I have known them is that sometimes patience and silence were the best actions for confusion. They would explain everything to me when they could, but sometimes we weren’t in the right place or time to do so.

  Once Owen gave him the nod that his magical barriers were in place, Ryker let out a deep breath, collapsing against the wall. He started to slide down, his color-paling, and his breaths heaving.

  “What the fuck was that?” Ryker demanded. That was when I realized that Ryker had no more idea of what was happening than I did. He held his emotions in until we were in private, but now he was in the middle of a panic attack. His hands shook, and he gasped for breath.

  “I need that book,” Owen said to me, and then he left the room. To clarify, he did not open the door and step out, he walked through the magical barrier and the solid concrete wall.

  That left me torn between stopping Owen from taking the most sacred book the knights had and trying to calm Ryker down. I decided that Owen could handle himself. I wanted to see this book anyway, so instead, I laid Excalibur gently on the ground and then curled myself against Ryker’s side, wrapping my arms around his much larger one.

  “Ryker, you have to calm down,” I whispered to him. He released another shaky breath, closing his eyes, and shaking his head.

  “I don’t understand. I am Ryker Pendragon, Excalibur is by birthright, mine, how could she . . .” He trailed off.

  “Wait,” I was confused. I thought he was freaking out over the challenge; instead, the first thing he said to me was his feeling of abandonment from his sword.

  “I mean, she just . . . she just left me.” Ryker gasped. “Without a word or anything, as soon as Toby issued the order, she just shut herself off to me.” He then glared at me, his honey colored eyes growing harsh.

  “Why the hell did she go to you?” He demanded. I scooted back, not liking the enraged look in his eyes.

  “I don’t know,” I replied. Ryker stood, and I followed, not liking that wild look in his eyes. I grabbed Excalibur on my way up, holding her close to me.

  “Let me have her.” He demanded. I held her out, but as soon as he tried to grab the handle, gold sparks erupted around the hilt and shocked him. He pulled his hand away, shaking it out, and cursing.

  “I don’t understand what is wrong with you! You fucking traitor!” He yelled at the sword. “All this time, all these years, and you just abandon me?” He demanded.

  “What about your title?” I asked. He was shouting nonsense at this point.

  “Fuck the title. Excalibur is mine by birthright.” He said again.

  I had never seen Ryker like this. Usually, he was the calm one, the one that didn’t say any words unless they were logical and well thought out. Now he was shouting obscenities at a sword that was just following its magical orders. I had never seen him lose his shit like this. The most jarring realization was that I was actually a little afraid of him. I had never been afraid of him. At that moment, though, he didn’t care about me but just getting the sword back. I held Excalibur closer, pulling a pocket mirror out of my bag.

  “Don’t.” Ryker wrapped his hand around mine, holding the mirror. I looked up at him, trying to read his mood. “Don’t send Excalibur there.” He said again in a cold hard tone. It wasn’t a plea, but an order.

  “She’s mine to protect at the moment,” I replied. “I’ll put in the safest place I have available,” I replied. Ryker squeezed my hand until the joints and bones started to hurt.

  “Do not send her out of this dimension.” He ordered again.

  “You’re hurting me,” I said up to him. There was this long moment where we stared into each other’s eyes. No words were said, but there was definitely communication. I wondered how the hell he could speak to me or touch me like that, and he glared down at me like I was the one who had stolen his sword.

  “It’s not safe there. What if Morgose shows up again.” Ryker snapped after a moment but kept his hand on mine.

  “She hasn’t been there in almost two years. She hasn’t even shown herself in nine months.” I argued.

  “It’s not safe, she needs to go back into her stone,” Ryker argued. I yanked my hand from his hold. While glaring at him, I snapped my fingers in the sassiest manner I could conjure. The stone appeared in front of us. Owen had been teaching me everything he knew. As he put it, my strength was our strength. Carefully, I set Excalibur into the stone and reinstated the magic that only the true king could pull her from the stone.

  “There, now no one can touch her.” I snapped opening my
dimension and setting her gently inside.

  “I don’t like it. What if she doesn’t like it there? What if she gets lonely.” Ryker argued. I had never, not once, questioned Ryker’s feelings for me, until that moment. Was I jealous over Excalibur? The ridiculousness of the thought forced me to keep my mouth shut.

  “I’m leaving, stay in here and have your tantrum.” I snapped, reaching for the door. Blue lightning shocked me. Damn it, Owen. He locked us in here.

  “Owen, you bastard!” I yelled, knowing he could hear me.

  “She’s my life, Ivy. She’s who I am.” Ryker said in a quiet voice after a moment. I turned and glared at him.

  “That sword does not define you, Ryker Pendragon.” I snapped. The thought was ridiculous to me. The sword, though sentient, was just a tool.

  “That sword is my birthright.” Ryker snapped back.

  “No, it’s not.” I started back, taking a step forward. Anger gripped me as I glared up at him. “You don’t just deserve that sword because you have, what, one-percent of Arthur in you. If even that.” It had been a long time since Arthur walked this world, and the accomplishments of someone two thousand years ago did not automatically mean that his descendent should hold such power.

  Ryker took a step forward, straightening his spine and puffing out his chest. I had seen that stance many times before. It was his sign of aggression. Well, he wasn’t about to make me cow down.

  “And from what I just saw, you don’t deserve her.” I snapped.

  “Shut your mouth,” Ryker said in a low voice.

  “No.” I shook my head. “You don’t get to dictate my actions or what I say.” We glared at each other for another long moment.

  “You don’t understand.” He finally said. “You have nothing like that. You don’t understand having all that power and magic ripped away from you.”

  “And if I did, I wouldn’t turn into a weepy fool over it. I’m Ivy Le Fay, and no one is going to cut me down like that.” I snapped.

  “You don’t even have any useful magic. You’re not a warrior, just a transportation device.” I could tell by the look on his face that he immediately regretted his words, but they were out there.