Kazin's Quest: Book I of The Dragon Mage Trilogy (2 page)

“It must be hard to freeze goods at just the right temperature,” mused Kazin.

“It is,” said Max. “I was just getting good at freezing the goods long enough to get to their destination and thaw out at the right time. The hardest part was predicting the weather pattern. If it’s a hot forecast, you have to put a stronger magic into place. If it’s cooler, you have to lessen the spell a bit. Sometimes the weather changes after the ship has already left port. At that point, the mages on board are required to keep the temperature levels.”

“I’m glad I don’t work there,” said Kazin. “I’d be worrying about last week’s shipment and never be able to concentrate on the present job.”

“You’d get used to it,” said Max.

“Well, maybe,” muttered Kazin. “Creating the exploding lightsticks for the dwarven mines seems more up my alley, though.”

“Yeah, that’s neat how you can make those sticks and they go off only by the scroll that the dwarf reads. How come they don’t all go off together when you read the scroll?” asked Max.

“Unless you like to set off all your explosions at once, we create a different scroll for each stick,” explained Kazin. “In order not to mix them up, all you have to do is touch the scroll to the right stick and that stick lights up. That way you can’t mix them up. At first we used symbols to match the scrolls to the sticks, but that doesn’t work very well in the darkness of a mountain, where the sticks are primarily used. These “lightsticks” are very popular with the dwarven miners.”

“No wonder the dwarves pay top price for those things!” said Max.

“They’re certainly useful,” agreed Kazin.

“Unless you get a dud.”

“Well, yes, you get those from time to time.”

By this time they had reached the wharf and decided to spend some time fishing off the docks. The harbour master always had some rods handy for anglers and the boys promised to return them as soon as they were done fishing. The day passed rapidly and the boys, being skunked once again, headed back to Kazin’s place for dinner. On the way they passed the portal which teleported the apprentices to the tower on Sorcerer’s Isle.

“That thing still gives me the creeps,” said Max.

“It certainly doesn’t seem natural,” agreed Kazin, “although it’s only magic.”

“Well, we’ll be going through it tomorrow morning for our early studies. What’s our lesson about this week, anyway?” asked Max.

“We’re reviewing spell casting from a horse’s back and then we go to the square to do our spells while distractions are all around us. The master wants us to really learn to concentrate.”

“Good,” said Max. “I need to work on both areas if I want to pass the test.”

As the boys rounded a bend in the road, still talking, a cloaked figure stepped out of the shadows behind the portal and looked after them. He chuckled softly to himself and scratched his long grey beard. They had no idea what was on the test, he knew, but if any of his students were to complete the test without a flaw, one of these two might do it. There was one ‘perfect’ student every year. There always was. Unfortunately, no students from his class had ‘perfected’ the test for several years now. The other master mages chided him for this. They said he was getting soft. But not this time. This time his turn had come. This time he would show them. Sandor grinned; then frowned. What if both apprentices perfected the test? The prophesy stated that in the year where two apprentice black mages perfected the test, one would kill the dragon and then the battle of darkness would begin. Sandor could not allow that. Then suddenly an idea occurred to him. He chuckled again. The chuckle increased into a laugh. A laugh filled with malice. A laugh filled with pride. A laugh filled with fear. And finally, turning to the portal, a laugh of madness.

Chapter 2

T
he birth was long and arduous, but finally the young colt emerged and stumbled around, testing its legs and balance. The grey-white mare was pleased. At least she had the strength to do one last thing before she died. She looked longingly back across the field to where the black stallion and the rest of the herd chewed contentedly on the grass, unaware of her absence. She would no longer re-join them. She laid her head back down on the moss under the trees and closed her eyes, exhausted. The colt nuzzled her and she was forced to open her eyes once again. The eyes that stared back at her were strangely intelligent and sympathetic at the same time. There was something else that didn’t seem right but her eyes were quickly becoming blurred. She closed them again. Moments later she breathed her last.

The colt felt a sense of loss at his mother’s death, but that feeling was overshadowed by a stronger sense of urgency. He looked to the clearing where the herd was gathered and then back to his dead mother. He knew he couldn’t stay here. He was not like them. Already, he was gaining strength from an unknown source and growing larger by the minute. There was also a task to perform and he was accomplishing nothing by staying here. He turned and bolted into the woods in the direction that he knew was right. He ran, faster and faster, until he was only a blur. Some chipmunks, having a quarrel, stopped momentarily when something white flitted among the trees. It was gone in an instant and they resumed their argument, immediately forgetting what they had seen. The colt never slowed, knowing that he could not allow himself to be seen until the time was right. He also knew other things, such as the fact that he was not a colt….

Chapter 3

T
he morning was unusually hot. It was still eight days until the test and the master mage was putting his students through many rigorous tests. Here they sat in what was called ‘The Square’, an elaborate town square with many shops and vendors, as well as travellers from across the continent ranging from the elves in the south to the dwarves in the east. All were haggling over prices of magical goods and wares and the din, combined with the small blue flame Kazin was forced to stare at, was giving him a headache. Finally the arch mage called a halt to the lesson, allowing the thirty or so apprentices a short rest. Kazin took advantage of this reprieve to observe his surroundings.

The Square was originally built by the black mages as a place to sell their wares to various interests. It provided a substantial source of income for the tower and at the same time allowed outsiders a look at the tower itself. Many people who were afraid of the tower soon quelled their fears after observing it.

The tower, although obsidian black in colour, was a picturesque multi domed structure. Each dome was a study hall or gathering area accessible to all black mages, whether apprentice, master, or arch mage. These domes surrounded a set of three higher domes, open to only master and arch mages. All the books and artifacts too powerful for an apprentice were stored here. Out of the center of these domes sprouted a tapered pinnacle, which was the arch mage council chamber. This was where the twelve arch mages made all of the important decisions. This was also where one was summoned for various things, from being assigned to quests, to punishment for incorrect use of magic.

The most interesting part of the tower was the entrance. It was a narrow tunnel with no light on the inside. Anyone who approached the tunnel would see nothing but blackness down its depth. If someone other than a black mage attempted to enter it, they would be repelled by an unknown force. Any mage entering it would instantly be whisked into an apprentice hall or an inner dome if their station allowed it. They could then walk freely between domes as they wished. How the tower knew to distinguish black mages from others was a mystery to all except the mages themselves. Some people thought it was the rings each of the mages carried. Others thought it was the black cloaks. Still others thought it was some sort of magical spell. Kazin knew it was all of these things. Without all three of these things, the person trying to enter would be warped into a prison chamber inside the tower. An arch mage would then come to investigate and if a ring or cloak was lost, the apprentice would be punished accordingly. If the prisoner was a thief, they would be dealt with severely.

Kazin shuddered at the thought of what kind of punishment they might use and turned away from the tower to examine the Square. It was a large circular area containing the selling booths of the three mage orders, black, white and grey. Each booth specialized in magical potions, herbs and artifacts. The booths were situated on the outside edge of the square. Slightly inset from these were the eating and drinking establishments as well as the inns. These in turn surrounded a vast seating area where perhaps fifty or sixty long benches stood, separated by aisles of carefully tended shrubbery. The benches were set up in a spoke pattern, branching away from a central water fountain. The water came from the breasts of a mermaid statue, a graceful figure curving up out of the pool of clear blue water. Many people were near the pool looking at the statue (particularly the men). Some were even making a wish and throwing coins in. For an island of sorcery, it was very attractive, and nothing except the tower itself reminded anyone that it was being run by mages. Of course, there were a lot of mages about, all of them holding a bright little flame in their hand. Kazin jumped. In his daydreaming, he had not heard the master mage give the order to resume the lesson! He quickly created a flame in his palm and looked fearfully toward the master. Then he breathed a sigh of relief as he realized that the master was busy berating another pupil for daydreaming.

The day was nearly over as Kazin and Max took the portal back to Marral.

“I’m burned out,” said Max wearily, “and I have one mammoth headache to boot.”

“Me too,” said Kazin. “Why don’t we stop for a drink before we head home?”

“Good idea,” said Max. “I’ll die of thirst otherwise.”

The setting sun cast an orange glow on Skull Lake as Kazin led them to a plain but solid looking inn.

Max looked at the inn dubiously. “The Rising Moon?”

“Don’t worry,” said Kazin. “I know the owner. Innkeeper Barlow is a good friend of my dad’s. Besides, he’s always got some cold grape juice in back.”

“How do you know?” exclaimed Max. “I’ve never seen you go in there before.”

Kazin smiled. “In the good old days, Sherman and I knew where all the hiding places were.”

“I’ve got to meet that friend of yours someday,” said Max.

The inn was only slightly crowded, and the air, although smoky, was still bearable. Kazin and Max headed straight to the bar and sat down. Barlow, on seeing Kazin and his friend, immediately strolled over and leaned on the counter in front of them.

“Well, well, well! Nice to see you again, Kazin! Come to order the usual?”

“Hi John,” grinned Kazin. “The usual for both of us. By the way, this is Max.”

“How’s it goin?” said Barlow, wiping his hand on a clean dish rag before proffering it.

“Hi,” said Max, shaking it politely.

“Jeremy, two grape juices for these fellas,” called Barlow over his shoulder.

As Kazin reached into his pocket for some change, Barlow held up a hand. “It’s on me, Kazin, and any friend of yours is a friend of mine,” he added, winking at Max. “So, when’s the test?”

“In a few more days,” said Kazin.

“That’s odd,” said Barlow. “Isn’t black magic stronger during a new moon?”

“Yeah,” answered Max. “So?”

“Well, in about eight days, it’ll be full moon. That’s when black magic’s at its weakest.”

Kazin and Max exchanged glances. Barlow was right! The test was scheduled for full moon!

“I wonder if the arch mages made a scheduling error?” suggested Max.

“I don’t think so,” said Kazin slowly. “Arch mages don’t make that kind of mistake. If anything, they deliberately scheduled the test for full moon.”

“But then we won’t have anything to draw on except ourselves!” exclaimed Max.

“Exactly,” said Kazin. “What better way to test your magical ability than to see if it’s within you.”

“Kazin has a point there,” said Barlow.

“It certainly makes sense,” agreed Max.

Jeremy returned with the drinks and murmured something into Barlow’s ear.

“Sorry fellas,” said Barlow, rising. “I’ve got a shipment of ale coming in at the back and there seems to be a problem with one of the kegs. Gotta go.”

“See you later, John, and thanks for the drinks,” said Kazin.

“No problem, Kaz.”

After Barlow left, the mages returned to their discussion about the test.

“Do you think we’re going to have to do some extremely dangerous spells?” asked Max.

“What do you mean?” said Kazin.

“Well,” fumbled Max, “what if the reason for the full moon is that clerical spells are going to be needed to heal the injured mages?”

Kazin thought about this for a moment and concluded, “No. Sure, a cleric’s magic is stronger during full moon, but they can heal some pretty serious wounds even without the moon being full.”

“That’s true,” said Max, relieved.

Suddenly a large hand clamped down on Kazin’s shoulder.

Kazin jumped. “What the-,” but the words died in his mouth as he turned to see who it was.

“Kazin, old buddy! How are you doing?” exclaimed a huge man with long, shoulder length brown hair. The man, some seven feet tall, with arms as big as the legs of an ordinary man, gave Kazin a bear hug before he could respond.

Max, unsure what was happening, halted the spell he was preparing to defend his friend.

When the man finally let go of Kazin, who was wheezing and gasping, he turned to Max. “Have no fear, young mage. Kazin and I go back a long way. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Sherman Takar, at your service.” He bowed with a flourish.

“Uh—hi,” stammered Max, awed by the politeness of the fearful looking man. “I—I’m Max.”

“A pleasure,” said Sherman, bowing again.

Kazin, meanwhile, had regained his breath and said, “Sherman, you big oaf! You didn’t have to kill me!”

“You mean you’re dead?” asked Sherman in mock surprise.

“Yes,” said Kazin, “and my mage friend is keeping my body alive with magic.”

“Then thou art a mage of great power,” he said to Max, bowing again.