Knights of the Wizard (of Knights and Wizards Book 2) (19 page)

“Dragon!”

CHAROX CAUGHT AN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE of more than a hundred of the Dwagord riding their horses in the middle of nowhere and it made him smile as he flew over; it was going to be a very bad day for them. They knew they were in big trouble as soon as they saw the grey, no horse could outrun a dragon, their options were limited and in fact they couldn’t think of any. Charox made sure that he flew high enough to be out of the range of their arrows and then swooped down behind a ball of fire that purposely didn’t reach the ground and then he urinated on them, burning their skin and eyes.

A dozen arrows were launched skyward but they soon realized that the beast was again out of reach, their arrows dropping back down to earth without doing any damage; they could hear him laughing. It was unsettling to hear such a menacing laugh. They realized that death was most likely coming for all of them.

Charox launched a huge ball of fire and deliberately missed the Dwagord, though making it close enough so that they could feel the heat. The dragon liked seeing the horses panic, throwing several of them off their backs and running off. That gave him what he believed was a superior idea, he could hit the ground with fireballs and scorch them without killing them outright, make them suffer.

“Take that you little bastards!” Charox screamed.

The dragon exhaled a huge burst of fire that hit the ground a little closer than he had intended, burning and killing four of the Dwagord and their horses, scorching the skin of several others. When he launched another stream of fire some of the Dwagord rode into it, preferring to get it over quickly. Although Charox was having fun he decided to finish them off and search for more and so he incinerated the rest of them, turning them to ash. A wave of dizziness came over the dragon like nothing he’d ever experienced before.

MARCUS HAD WHAT REMAINED OF THE PALM TREE on the floor in his chamber, chopping frustratingly at it with his hatchet, managing to cut pieces out of it and not wanting to damage the wand; he wanted it out of there. The closer he got to extracting it the more excited he became; he could feel the anticipation it in the pit of his stomach, now desperate to know how it was going to affect his abilities. Would he instantly become an adept sorcerer? That would be so wonderful he could return to Leeander and no one would ever dare attack their kingdom with such a powerful sorcerer on guard.

He was tired and his hands were blistered but he wasn’t about to stop until he removed the wand, not able to see it yet but its pull was now incredible making him feel warm inside. They could see the occasional sparkle of light originate from the wand and float up toward the ceiling; he knew he would soon have his hands on it.

Raina looked on as Kevin sat in the corner motionless, perhaps asleep if the golden knights could sleep, or maybe just waiting for Marcus to go somewhere so that he could follow and protect. She wondered if they would ever see Brother and Kadyn again, funny how someone could get so attached to a thing that wasn’t theoretically alive; she couldn’t be sure about that because they sure acted human, at least to a degree.

Another chop on the palm removed yet another slice and Marcus danced because he could finally see it through the crack, it actually cast a glow. He would remember this moment for the rest of his life. The wand was luminous, a deep sky blue. Marcus tried to touch it, finally getting his pinky on it, pleasantly warm to the touch. He lit up when he touched it, turning as blue as the wand but quickly returned to normal. Raina’s mouth hung open as she watched backing away from him, such powerful magic might be unpredictable. He chopped faster, ignoring the pain from his blisters. In no time he would be holding it and he just had to get it out.

Raina shook her head. “Easy Marcus if it’s made of wood you don’t want to chop it in two.” She had just gotten the words out when he hit the wand dead on with the axe, making him gasp. He closed his eyes not wanting to see if he had destroyed the wand, when he slowly opened them he discovered that it was fine, in fact it was indestructible though he didn’t know it.

Marcus was so relieved. “I think its okay not even a scratch on it. That scared me though. Imagine after all that cutting the wand in two.”

Finally he dug the wand out and held it as if it was the most precious thing in the world, showing it to Raina. Although the glow around the wand was a dark blue, he could see the beautiful red wood beneath it and a single blue garnet gem in its base. The gem had tiny crystals swirling within; perhaps it was the source of its magic.

“It’s beautiful!” said Marcus. “It’s heavier than it looks. Raina you want to hold it?”

Raina shook her head. “I better not. It’s a wand meant for a wizard but it is beautiful. You should remember this moment Marcus; maybe even write it down on parchment because it is a part of history.”

“I never thought of that. Come on lets go outside I want to see if I can do anything with it.” Marcus ran ahead and Raina and Kevin followed, she was happy for him. She hoped that the wand would be all that he desired and exactly what he needed because often things didn’t go precisely as one wished.

Outside the castle walls Marcus aimed his wand at a nearby oak tree and a huge bolt of lightning emerged from it, hitting the tree and disintegrating it, all that remained was a pile of ash. That first release of excess energy from Marcus through the wand made him feel great, lighter even. “Oh my I didn’t mean to do that. I thought it might take a piece out of its bark.”

“Marcus you destroyed that beautiful tree.” It had been an exquisite tree over a century old and now it was nothing but a pile of ash. Raina was disappointed in him

“Sorry Raina I didn’t mean to do it.” He went over to the tree and stared down at the ash that remained and sighed.

Raina screamed as she ran because Marcus was accidentally pointing his wand at her. “Marcus the wand!”

“Oh I’m so sorry.” He felt stupid for being so careless.

It was the first time that Raina had been scared of him. “Don’t be sorry. You need to be smarter with that thing. I don’t want to end up a pile of ash. Don’t aim it at anything you don’t want to kill.”

“I’ll be more careful,” said Marcus. He felt another release of excess energy even though there was no lightning bolt, realizing that the wand was already helping him but he would need to be vigilant with such a powerful tool. Its also made him feel less tense and something else, a little more clear headed. He then felt the wand vibrate and dropped it. As it lay on the ground he saw a word suddenly form on it. “It talks?”

“Hello?”
the wand showed him.

Marcus picked it up and spoke to it. “Hello?”

“
You are my wizard?”
wrote the wand.

“I am.”

“That is amazing!” said Raina.

“Do you have the book?”

He looked at Raina and then back at the wand. “Book? What book?”

“For the best results you’ll need to use me in conjunction with Astowyth’s Book of Enchantments.”

Marcus shook his head. “Oh no! Don’t tell me! Where do I find this book?”

“One moment as I attempt to locate it.”
The words disappeared and then a moment later the wand wrote.
“I have its location but there is a problem. You’ll need to kill the evil wizard Nydarien as he has bonded to it. And really he should be killed.”

Raina gasped. “Nydarien is a monster Marcus; he’ll kill you on sight. His evil deeds are legendary. He destroyed the kingdom of Savannah by casting a terrible spell that made all their children stillborn. It’s completely abandoned now because of the magic that lingers there. At night you can still see its green glow from a distance.”

“Yes I know. I don’t know what to do. I’m more of a wizard’s apprentice than a true wizard even with my wand. How am I supposed to kill an adept wizard with decades of experience, maybe even centuries for all I know?” Marcus stared at his wand. “Where is Nydarien now?”

“He’s in the valley of skulls.”

The wizard shook his head. “Of course he is. He couldn’t be in the Valley of Roses or the Valley of puppies, oh no, he has to be in the Valley of Skulls. Why not the Valley of Swords in my Ass?”

Raina giggled.

Marcus frowned. “Wand, will I be able to kill Nydarien?”

“Unknown. I cannot see the future.”

Marcus wondered if he would be the youngest wizard ever killed should it come to that.
“Am I more powerful than Nydarien?”

“You are. However he will not hesitate to kill you. Should YOU hesitate it could mean your life. Do you understand?”

Marcus nodded and felt like going to bed and never getting up. His exceptional mood was now ruined. He looked into Raina’s beautiful eyes. “Sounds simple doesn’t it. All I have to do is not hesitate but I’m not a killer and no matter what I think or say you know and I know that I might hesitate. I don’t know what to do. Wand, how good of a wizard will I be without the book?”

“Your enchantments will be greatly reduced. Nydarien really should be killed before he does irreparable damage to the world.”

Marcus was now extremely annoyed. “That is just GREAT! Damn it!”

The wand cast an image in the air that they could see; the image was of Nydarien and Marcus had never ever seen such an ugly person. His ears weren’t in proper balance; his left one was much lower than the right. He had boils all over, a piece missing out of his skull, his nose was much too big for his face and he even had a droopy right eye that looked infected.

“Wow he’s ugly,” said Raina. “And scary. I’ve heard that using magic for evil purposes makes a sorcerer ugly, maybe it’s true.”

“I’m not gonna be able to help anyone if I get myself killed.” It was a lot for a boy to have to deal with and he wished he could talk to Adorok right about now.

“I can’t decide for you,” said Raina, suddenly emotional. “It is important to rid the world of evil. Look what happened to my kingdom. If you go I can’t go with you; he would use me against you I’m sure of it. I’ve seen evil and it needs to be destroyed but like you said it won’t do anyone any good if you get yourself killed.”

Marcus scratched his head vigorously, partly to help him think and also to dislodge the insect that was biting him. “I don’t know. I guess I’ll need to think on it. Maybe Ryxa can come with me if she’s feeling better, otherwise I’d just have to go with Kevin. A single bolt of lightning might do the bastard in if I’m lucky. It seems like nothing in this life is ever going to be simple.”

His wand vibrated to get his attention.
“You can reverse the damage to the tree.”

He looked puzzled. “What do you mean? You mean I can restore the tree? But it’s just a pile of ashes.”

“Yes, point me at it and say Da Cho.”

Marcus did as he was told and the bolt of lightning returned to his wand, almost as if reversing time itself and miraculously the tree was whole once again. Raina clapped and then hugged and kissed Marcus.

“Wow I think I’m gonna like having this thing. If I am going to seek out the evil wizard then I must make preparations for the journey.”

Raina was worried about Marcus facing such an evil wizard but when good wizards didn’t face the wicked ones the whole world could suffer for it. The thought of losing Marcus was almost too much to consider and she was forced to push it from her mind.

IT WAS DIM AND DREARY inside the dragon; a peculiar dark fire was burning with a black and grey flame that didn’t give off much light, perhaps the beast had an upset stomach and maybe the sorcerer was the reason for it. Daijulan had slipped down into the dragon’s lower intestine and was awaiting evacuation, the insides of the dragon was a world in itself, pockets of steaming lumps on the sides of the intestine walls showed movement from within, occasionally spewing what might be fuel for the fire. What looked like small lightning bolts lit up the area sporadically. The sorcerer was not impressed as he lay against the wall of his protective bubble because all he could do was wait, and the time dragged on down there with nothing to do. If he wanted to look on the positive side he could say that he was lucky to have survived, supposing he came out on the other side intact.

King Kai would not be happy that the dragon had escaped; the sorcerer was considering whether to head back there or to wander off seeking a life of his own. He hadn’t even been allowed to go to his own brother’s funeral. The king was stubborn and everything had to be done his way but he supposed that most kings had the same disposition.

Charox was on top of Cherry Hill and like a dog he circled several times before stopping and squatting, releasing another torrent of diarrhea, covering a wide area. Daijulan flew out and rolled down the hill in his protective bubble unbeknownst to the dragon. The wizard would have loved to have had the ingredients for a transportation spell but he didn’t, some of those elements were extremely rare and might not even exist in this part of the word. Whenever a wizard moved to an unknown area he was at a disadvantage, not knowing where to search in order to replace his magical ingredients. It would be a hell of a long walk back to his people unless he managed to run into some of them, which wasn’t out of the question because they were out scouring the new land.

Later that night Daijulan sat beside his campfire with the sparks floating majestically up towards the starry sky; he stared up at the Shield constellation. The moons were rising in the western sky as he considered whether to return to Kai or not, even though he was heading in that direction. It was an unfamiliar land to make one’s way in alone and he supposed it would be best to head back, perhaps in time he would be better equipped to make an appropriate judgement. The sorcerer heard a noise coming from his right but it was so dark that he couldn’t make out much; he blinked his eyes several times so that he could switch to night vision but it did consume a lot of magical energy. Six creatures with tusks growing out of their heads were headed in his direction, there was no such animal where he had come from and they didn’t look docile, in fact he was quite sure that they were out to kill him. They were Torkur's out on a hunting expedition.

An arrow whizzed by Daijulan’s left ear, so close that he both heard and felt the wind from it as it actually touched his hair, making him crouch down low to the ground. The light from the fire lit up his position as he heard another arrow stick into a piece of wood in the fire. The wizard launched a fireball, striking one in the chest and setting him on fire, making the others realize that it was a wizard they were attacking. They turned and ran while they were still able to do so, the burning corpse of their comrade lighting up a small section on the ground in the distance.

It took Daijulan two full days to get back to King Kai’s castle, finally being picked up by a small group of the Dwagord.

King Kai was happy to see his only remaining wizard as he approached the throne. “Where the hell have you been? I thought you were dead.”

“Don’t ask,” said Daijulan.

“Well I am asking.”

The sorcerer had wanted to keep such an unpleasant happening to himself. “The dragon escaped and killed most of us; I created a protective bubble but it swallowed me so I had to wait until I passed through the beast.”

A smile slowly emerged on Kai’s face as he visualized it. “You don’t mean to tell me that you were dragon shit?”

Daijulan nodded slightly. “Something like that.”

“Get some rest I have an important task for you.”

“Yes your majesty.”

“I want you to conjure a spell that will allow us to track that boy wizard.”