Caster's Spell (A Mage Tale Book 1) Page 25

  "Dunno. He couldn't tell me."

  "Why not?"

  "Not entirely sure, but if I had to guess, I'd say something criminal happened," Cameron replied with a shrug.

  Wesley's eyes grew round at the thought of the repercussions of a criminal Warlock.

  "Don't worry about it, man. This all happened years ago, I think. So nothing'll change."

  "Okay,” Wesley sighed, though he was unconvinced.

  "Anyway, your answer was only off by a fraction, which is pretty impressive, given the fact that you weren't aware of any numbers less than one."

  Wesley paused before laughing at the Sorcerer's compliment. "You weren't 'aware' of those numbers either."

  "I had help though," Cameron admitted. "Here, I kept all of my work, just in case you were interested."

  He handed over the notebook.

  "It took up sixteen pages. So, you may as well keep the book."

  "Thanks, Cam."

  "No problem. But before you try it, I want to give you some advice."

  "Okay."

  "Wait until after the Final Exams."

  "What? No way, that's the whole reason I chose to do it. Heck, you were the one who told me to find an ace-in-the-hole."

  "I know, but it's not worth it. Hear me out: last time you tried, you broke your hand. A Warlock without a hand is like a bird without a wing. If you hurt yourself again, you won't be able to take the Final Exams, let alone pass them. It's too big of a risk."

  "But if I can do it," Wesley paused, remembering how powerful he felt last time, and thought about how much greater it would be once successfully using the spell, "I'll pass for sure."

  "That may be true, but you have too much riding on this. Can you really afford to gamble?"

  Wesley clenched his fists, knowing that Cameron had made a valid point and sighed, "You're right."

  Then Cameron abruptly changed the subject. "Hey, you wanna see something cool?"

  "Yeah, sure."

  "Follow me."

  Cameron escorted him through the halls and up to the third floor. They sat at a balcony looking over the southern courtyard, which to Wesley always seemed darker than the one that he frequented. It wasn't quite as green and its flowers never bloomed quite as bright. Simply put, it was a place he'd rather not be. This particular outlook wasn't entirely unrelated to the fact that it was also the last place that he saw Winter, back when she gave him the most terrible news.

  "So what's cool?" he asked, leaning against a low cement rail, already wanting to leave.

  "Look over there," said Cameron, pointing out to the right.

  "Is that—"

  "Yep. Axel and his special tutor." Cameron’s grin was wicked. "I come here and watch them every now and then. I promise, in no more than two minutes, he's gonna throw a tantrum."

  Wesley laughed. "You don't have enough faith. Ax is more mature than that."

  Then he heard the Earth Sorcerer scream in the distance.

  "What!? I've had enough of you!" Axel shouted. "I hate this stupid school."

  A rock hit a statue.

  "I hate this stupid spell."

  One dug into a walkway.

  "I hate all of it."

  Cameron had to deflect a rock heading for them.

  "I hate you!" He pointed at his instructor, the prestigious Master Chang.

  Wesley was impressed with the master's calm while he spoke to the boy as if he didn't just threaten him. Master Chang walked to Axel and took hold of his shoulders. He looked into his eyes and spoke some more words.

  "Dang," said Wesley. "I wonder what he could've said to calm him down."

  "He told him that it was an honest mistake and that Ax is strong enough to do it right," said Cameron. "Then he said to remember what he must do for his family."

  "How do you know that?" Wesley asked skeptically.

  "Sound is vibrations in the air. I just made sure the vibrations from his voice reached my ear. Something I made up as a kid to eavesdrop on people." Cameron laughed and looked back over his shoulder.

  "What is it?" Wesley looked back with him.

  "Oh nothing. There's a class right there that's having an extra session to make up for one they canceled during the year. It's about to get out and I was thinking..."

  "Agh," Wesley whined. "Cam, not again."

  "We're already here. Just try this last one and I won't bother you about it again." Cameron was always convincing, even in a lie.

  Wesley turned and leaned his back against the rail. "Okay, but I don't see why I can't just study with Master Conley."

  "He's an amazing mage and an excellent strategist, but you need to learn from more than one mind. You also have to learn strategies that your opponents might use."

  "Then why don't you just teach me?" said Wesley, lifting his hand, as if to physically raise the point.

  "Sure. Although I'm not a master, you're getting the idea, I think."

  The classroom door opened and E-class students poured out one-by-one, Cameron looking back and forth from them to Wesley. The first eight went by without the Warlock reacting in the least. This was the last of the strong Lightning Sorcerers in the under-class realm.

  Six more students passed by, still nothing.

  If Wesley didn't react, Cameron would have to rethink his entire plan. It would mean that his calculations were incorrect. That he was wrong.

  A few more trickled out and Wesley still hadn’t made the slightest show of discomfort.

  Then the students stopped coming and the door closed, all but locking in an unsettling truth.

  Scrutinizing Cameron’s face, Wesley asked, "What's wrong?"

  "Oh—uhh, nothing," he said and tried to mask with a fake smile. "Let's go in."

  "Last time, remember?"

  "Sure thing," Cameron said unable to hide a defeated tone. He hated making mistakes almost as much as he hated injustice, but he couldn’t let Wesley catch on to what he had been orchestrating. So he smiled as they neared the class.

  The plan was almost complete. Sri would soon have a name and Axel had been reluctantly storing up source to this point, which was obviously making his preparation for the Final Exams next to impossible. Cameron couldn’t ask him to hold back for much longer.

  If one of the conspirators found that the Warlock’s friends were on to them, the rest would make moves to fall further into the abyss. He couldn’t let that happen!

  Cameron knew he had to get them fast and all at once, because otherwise, he’d be unable to stop the true criminal on campus. The instructor that distorted the school’s barrier spells, that conjured the storm, that masterminded the evil deed! They had to be put behind bars.

  And it all depended on his quickly dissolving plan, Cameron considered with a shake of his head as he leaned against the wall beside the door.

  “After you,” he said to Wesley.

  Wesley rolled his eyes as he went for the doorknob, but before he could, someone pulled it wide from within.

  Wesley shivered and, though lasting just a fraction of an instant, the expression on his face was sheer terror, Cameron never taking his eyes off of his friend's response.

  "Oh, hey," he heard a boy’s voice come from within the class.

  “Hey,” Wesley said and shook his head, apparently having no idea why he felt so petrified only a moment sooner. Then his roommate stepped out of the way, allowing the last E-class Lightning student to exit into the hall.

  Cameron couldn’t keep his jaw from sinking, hoping that he had been wrong, wishing that it was just a coincidence, and wanting his suspicions to be incorrect for once. He blinked excruciatingly slow, attempting to give reality enough time to change. But it didn't.

  “Hey Cam,” came the boy’s jovial greeting.

  "Zeke," Cameron replied, his voice almost failing.

  “You still on for Arjay’s birthday thing right?” Zeke’s smile had always seemed so honest, so kind, ever since the day they met. Somehow, at that time, it had become no l
ess sinister than a poltergeist. “Cameron?”

  “Sure. It should be fun,” Cameron’s voice sounded absent even to him. A hair’s width from distraught, he stared at his best friend of almost ten years, fighting to keep his composure.

  Cameron had prepared his mind for the coming confrontation months ago. He told himself that he’d go to war for Wesley—for justice!—but he never considered that it’d be a war against Zeke.

  The Lightning Sorcerer walked away, but Cameron was frozen, staring down the hall at his long gone friend, who in an instant had become his enemy.

  "Cam!" said Wesley shaking the his shoulder. "We goin' in, or what?"

  "Oh. Yeah. Right behind you."

  The Upperclassmen

  "Zeke? Seriously?" said Axel, sitting on Cameron's couch while Wesley was at another appointment with the Lightning instructor, Master Sutherland.

  "Yeah," Cameron said reluctantly, sitting across the table from him.

  "So what do you want to do?"

  The door flung open and a short, wide-eyed, flustered girl stormed into the apartment.

  "Rudy," she said.

  "Huh?" Cameron looked back over his shoulder.

  "The name you're looking for is Rudy," she spoke without her usual coy smile. "I'm done."

  "What?"

  "I'm not taking part in this anymore," Sri affirmed with a stomp of her little foot. "I'm done."

  She turned back for the door.

  "What?" Axel said like an insult. "You can't walk out on us."

  Sri spun around to face the Earth Sorcerer, tense with a piercing stare. "I just spent the last five days in forty toilets, while other students came in to use the restroom." She closed her eyes and shuddered, before returning to her glare. "What have you done? Hm? Hurl a few rocks? Throw a fit whenever Chang says you're doing something wrong?"

  "Hey, I—"

  "I'm not interested in what you have to say, you... you overgrown buffoon. I've done more than enough to prove that I care. Now, I'm going to do the right thing," she paused to let out a calming deep breath, "and walk away."

  Sri turned and slammed the door behind her.

  After a few seconds, her insult apparently finally got to him. Axel jumped to his feet. "Wait a minute."

  "Let her go," said Cameron. He waited for the larger boy to return to the couch and then went on, "She did her part. Now it's our turn to do ours."

  "And what's that?"

  "Rudy," Cameron said, taking two emblems from his backpack. "Put one on. These will make us belong."

  "In the upper-class?"

  Cameron nodded. "Let's go find us a sentinel."

  "Now you're talkin'," Axel said with a grin and took the armband. Together they left the dorms and walked to a random hall, making sure that no one was around. While Cameron initiated a curse—a wave of light to reveal any nearby sentinels—Axel kept an eye out for any underclassmen.

  "So, what about Zeke?" Axel asked as he wrapped on his new emblem. "You guys have been friends since you were kids, right?"

  "Yeah... I'll deal with him." Cameron put on his and both boys transformed into young adults. Their features changed, with different hair and eye color, as they became different people entirely.

  "Whoa," Axel laughed, looking at his altered cousin. "You're ugly."

  Cameron sighed. "Ya ready to go?"

  "Whenever you are."

  "I put a badge with a curse on it on the inside pocket of our jackets. Push your source through it and we should be able to faze-shift between realms with no problems," he explained.

  "Cool." Axel reached for his. "Let's go."

  After a stint of distorted vision, the area slightly changed, but for the most part remained to be the place they knew. The only major difference was that the hallway went from utterly empty to flourishing with late teens and young adults.

  "Nice port," said a passing upperclassman.

  "Uhh thanks," Axel replied, at first fearing that they could see through Cameron's disguise. Then he whispered to his cousin, "He thinks we teleported."

  "Only an experienced source-sayer could tell the difference," said Cameron, before he started walking through the crowd. "Now come-on, we gotta find this guy."

  "Yeah, but how?"

  "We're in the upper-class realm now. Sentinels aren't invisible here," he reminded the G-class mage. "Just look for someone with a silver badge on their belt."

  "Alright," said Axel, stretching his neck to look over the crowd. "This is gonna be eas—oh my god, run!"

  While hurrying around the corner, Cameron whispered, "What is it?"

  "Master Conley's comin' this way."

  "That's it?" said Cameron, now disappointed. "We look like different people now. He won't recognize us."

  "This is Conley we're talkin' about," said Axel.

  "Right, we better go this way," said the Wind Sorcerer now acknowledging the likelihood of the former judge seeing to the truth. They walked low and quickly until they were sure that they were out of the master's sight, into the northern courtyard.

  "Wow," said Axel with a menacing grin, gazing across the open yard.

  And Cameron had to agree with his utterance. It was very different from their hangout, identical physically, but the personnel and life of the area took on a whole new personality. The dress-code seemed to be relaxed, as most of the students only wore certain parts of the uniform like the jacket and pants. But it was how they wore them was completely contrary to the lower realm. Everyone, thought Axel exclusively eyed the girls, added their own style to the uniform.

  "I can't wait 'til I get to stay here," said the future leader of the Stone Clan.

  "Will you focus," Cameron said. "Remember what we're looking for."

  "There's one." The Earth Sorcerer pointed, and sure enough, there was a girl with a little silver badge clipped onto her belt. So the boys headed for her.

  "Let me do the talking," said Cameron.

  "Yeah, that's gonna happen," Axel replied sarcastically before speeding up to reach the young lady before his counterpart.

  "Excuse me," he said when approaching her. "My name is A...lex."

  "Okay, hello A...lex," the girl giggled. "I'm Alison."

  Cameron finally caught up to them. "I'm sorry, we have a question—"

  "Shut up." Axel nudged him with his elbow. "I'll ask."

  "And just what do you want to ask?" said the young lady with an amused smile.

  "What... are you doing Saturday night?"

  Cameron rolled his eyes as the girl with the badge, Alison, exploded into laughter.

  "I'm sorry," Cameron said again and pushed the other boy out of his way. "We're looking for Rudy. Do you know where we might be able to find him?"

  "He watches that end of the courtyard now." Alison pointed, still trembling with giggles. "If you hurry, you might be able to catch him before he faze-shifts into the under-class."

  "Thanks," said Cameron, before snatching Axel by the shirt and running in the direction pointed out.

  "I'll get that date, Alison." called the Earth Sorcerer, before dashing away. "Remember meeee..."

  They ran to an end of the courtyard, where no one seemed to have frequented. There was only one person in sight.

  "Stick to the plan," commanded Cameron.

  "I know, sheesh."

  "Then... now!" he shouted and blasted a beam of wind.

  Rudy turned back with a fully extended scepter, forcing the wind to bend around him. Just as I thought, Cameron reckoned.

  Axel raised his hand and under his control, dirt reached up and locked around Rudy's wrists. Then the Earth Sorcerer pointed down at the ground and the earthy shackles yanked faster than gravity could pull. The Wizard dropped his scepter as he slammed into the grass.

  Without missing a beat, Cameron blew Rudy back into a tree and maintained a gust strong enough to hold him in position.

  Axel pushed both hands down and the earth, under the scepter opened up, swallowing the magical device.


  "I've buried your scepter a hundred yards beneath our feet," Axel said as they approached the sentinel. "You couldn't imagine how much pressure that adds up to, and right now, my focus is all that's keepin' it from being crushed into a toothpick—Got it? Try anything funny and I'll let go."

  "I can get another scepter," said Rudy without much consideration.

  "None that already knows your spells and source type." Cameron motioned to his cousin, who in turn nodded and pulled his arms. A snake of stone coiled around the upperclassman, squeezing him to the tree. "You'll have to rework your connections. It'll be like being a G-class all over again."

  "What do you want? Who are you?" asked Rudy, after Cameron gave him enough time to realize that there was more severity to the threat.

  "Classified," Axel said, trying to sound as official as possible.

  Cameron glanced at him, then back to their prisoner. "Just tell us what you witnessed that night and we'll be out of your hair."

  "What night?"

  Axel turned to his partner. "Did that sound funny to you?"

  "As a matter of fact, I think it did." Cameron played along.

  "Righty'o," Axel smiled. "Bye-bye scepter."

  "Wait, wait, wait, please," Rudy said trying to wave his hands.

  Cameron raised his brows. "No more games?"

  "I promise."

  "Then start talking."

  "I didn't see anyone, but I heard all four of them."

  Cameron leaned forward. "That includes the master, correct?"

  "You mean, you didn't already know that?"

  "We knew, we just haven't confirmed it. Can you tell us who it was?" said Axel authoritatively, again doing a good job of maintaining his official appearance.

  "No. Whoever it was wasn't an idiot; the master was cloaked in every way."

  "Thought you said you only heard them?" Cameron's eyes fell behind shadows as his brows sunk.

  Rudy looked off to his right with a noticeable twitch in his cheek. "Well..."

  "I don't know how long I can hold this," Axel warned.

  "Okay, I... may have gotten a glimpse of them, but that was before the—uhh—you know."

  "Why wouldn't you keep your eyes on them?"

  "That way he wouldn't be lying when the sentinels were screened during the official investigation. So he wouldn't get in any trouble for not doing his job." Cameron answered. "Isn't that right?"