Caster's Spell (A Mage Tale Book 1) Read online

  "My favorite is the Orb,” said the Sorceress as she stepped closer to the case. “Although now forbidden, it’s quite remarkable, Benjamin’s creation."

  "Benjamin?"

  "Benjamin Caster," she said with adoration adrift on her tone. "We’re not supposed to know about it, but I heard from my brother that he created The Orb of Genesis when he was just twelve years old."

  "And that’s," Wesley paused, "not normal?"

  "Are you kidding?" She looked at Wesley. "He’s the only person in history to create a magical device, so powerful it was deemed forbidden, before becoming an A-class." She looked back at the shelves. "All of the other ones were generated by old masters."

  Wesley whistled at the thought. "So, is he one of the people you want to pass?"

  "No, that’d be like a tortoise trying to fly," Sri laughed. "Not even Cameron Elegro could hold a candle to that guy."

  "Then I think you’re aiming too low," Wesley said a moment before common sense could stop him. Since he didn’t really know the girl, who was he to criticize her aspirations? To cover up his embarrassment, before she could respond, he quickly asked, "What’s so great about Brittney?"

  Sri started walking again as if she hadn’t heard his previous statement.

  "Although she tested into G-class like us, she’s like a sponge when it comes to magic. She’s clever, with a large amount of source, and a near unprecedented amount of control. Her only competition in all of the E-class is Cameron Elegro. And she is a direct descendant of the legendary Morgan Lefay."

  "Dang." Wesley caught up.

  "That’s not the only thing. The masters predict that she will be at least a second degree A-class mage some day. That’s good enough to be on The Council of Magi. With those credentials, she can do anything."

  "Second degree? What’s that?"

  "A stage beyond A-class, but below S-class."

  "S-class?"

  Sri covered her mouth as she laughed. "You really don’t know anything, do you?"

  Wesley looked down at the tile.

  "Well, the ranks are in reverse alphabetical order, with the exception of S, starting at G and ending at A. The upper levels, C through A, have degrees. The first two just have normal and second degree rankings. A-class has three levels."

  They turned a final corner.

  "And S-class is practically unreachable. It essentially means that you are a perfect and all-powerful mage. There are only maybe three believed to be living today."

  "Perfect, huh?” Wesley looked down at his hands, imagining what it would be like to hold that much power. "Who are the three?"

  "Well there’s Grandmaster Povlow, a board member on the Council. The guy’s so old he practically has one foot in the grave."

  "And?"

  "Well the other two are…" Sri gently rubbed her arm with a tiny hand.

  "What? What are they?"

  "Criminals."

  Criminals! The thought raced through his mind. He had never once considered the possibility of criminal magi. To think that there were two S-class wrongdoers out there, it was terrifying and at the same time puzzling. To be ranked S-class, those magi had to have been geniuses. Why would people with limitless opportunities within the community turn their backs on it? How could people so smart fall to darkness?

  His thoughts were interrupted with a tap on the shoulder.

  "You awake?" the girl giggled.

  "Yeah, sorry," said Wesley.

  "You don’t have to worry so much. One of the renegades hasn’t been seen, or even heard of, in over twenty years. And I’m pretty sure Master Povlow is stronger than the other one."

  Wesley let out the breath he had been holding. "Good. So what did they do?"

  "We underclassmen aren’t allowed to have certain information, including renegade magi activity. But I can tell you—hide!"

  "Wha—"

  Sri snatched him by the shoulder and pulled him to the side of the hall, behind one of the statues. Baffled, Wesley whispered, "Why are we—"

  The Sorceress covered his mouth and looked hard to her right. Wesley nodded and mouthed "oh".

  It wasn’t long before he could hear the footsteps from down the hall, growing nearer. Wesley was becoming more nervous by the second, but not entirely based on the trouble that he’d most assuredly be in if caught.

  He was standing very close to Sri. A girl! He was sure the cool thing to do was to be aloof, but he was already sweating.

  After a deep sigh, she said, "It was Master Conley. He would have roasted us for sure."

  "Is that really what they do if we break curfew?"

  "No, not really, stupid," she said jokingly.

  Wesley laughed at himself. "Right."

  They paused for a time longer than either of them found comfortable.

  "Uh, we should get going?" suggested the Sorceress.

  "Oh, right, yeah," Wesley said awkwardly and stepped out from behind the statue, allowing Sri to move. Once again walking the hall, Wesley asked, "So what would they really do to us?"

  "Not totally positive. But I’m sure we’d have to visit the dean."

  The mere mention of him elicited fear in him.

  Sri and Wesley exited the building, turning onto the cobblestone path that led to the dorm. When they reached the point where the path forked, Sri remembered something. "Oh, before I go…"

  "Yeah?"

  "I hear there’s gonna be a pop quiz on ancient Greek spells in Tesla’s class tomorrow. Study up on it."

  "Thanks," Wesley said with a smile. "Why are you so nice to me?"

  He was tired of asking the question, but he had to know motives in order to classify relationships.

  "I don't know." She grinned. "Maybe it’s because you deserve to be treated better, even if you think I’m ‘aiming too low’."

  She heard that!

  Wesley laughed uncomfortably.

  "I better get going. It’s been nice talking to you," said the Sorceress, while taking a few very slow steps backwards.

  "You too," Wesley replied.

  "Well… I guess this is goodnight," she said with a wave of her fingers.

  "Goodnight, Sri Ranuka," said the boy, standing perfectly still.

  "Goodbye, Wesley Savage," she laughed, before turning her back and walking to the girls’ building.

  Keeping an eye on the Sorceress as she walked away, Wesley thought, what a strange girl, before he felt a slight breeze. Then in no time the breeze became an incredible updraft and swept him into the air, all the way up to the top of the boys’ section of the Western Dormitory.

  "Hey, Cam," he said as he touched down on the flat rooftop.

  "So… Sri, eh?" the Sorcerer said with a mischievous smirk, standing a few meters away from the Warlock. "Kinda short for me, but to each his own, right?"

  Wesley laughed. "She’s nice. Who knows, maybe I’ll have a third friend in this God forsaken place."

  "Now that’s just bitter," Cameron joked and raised his hands to cast. "Ya ready to get started?"

  Wesley did the same. "Yep."

  "Come at me."

  Wind

  "Well, it is a squirrel," Cameron said.

  "But it can’t move," Wesley said and sighed, before kneeling next to his creation. "It might as well be dead."

  "At least this one’s not inside out."

  "Seriously."

  "Cheer up. Conjure spells are hard. What, with the connection to the World of Forms and the necessary source control, it’s okay to get as far as you have."

  "Don’t patronize me, Cam." He stood up and faced his roommate. "How long did it take you to conjure an animal?"

  "Well…"

  "Your first try, right?"

  "Yeah, but you gotta understand—"

  "What? That I’m dumber than you? I already got that," Wesley laughed without humor and vanished the rodent with a wave of his hand. "I just can’t see why it won’t move."

  "It’s your source manipulation; you’re not good at it
. Your World of the Forms connection is flawless, but moving creatures require a large degree of control. Here, I’ll show you," Cameron said. He knelt down and drew a circular curse mark in the soft, dry dirt and then glanced up at Wesley. "This is what you’re doing."

  Cameron placed his index finger at the center of his curse and out of a small white puff of smoke, formed a dove. It lay on the ground without motion.

  The sight of it’s frozen eyes made Wesley twinge. He felt sorry for the animal, as he did for his squirrel. The thought of being trapped inside of his body was a nightmare.

  "The form is correct, but the source needed was inaccurately applied," Cameron explained. "Imagine your source as being like the animal’s blood, the quintessential fluid coursing throughout its entire body. Your source is responsible for giving it life. Consequently, it is also essential for its continued existence. You must maintain the connection and control, and you must do it properly." He drew another curse. "Like this."

  He tapped the center of the curse and the dove flew up and out of the puff of smoke. Wesley watched as the bird circled overhead.

  "I know what I’m supposed to do, but it’s harder than it looks," said Wesley.

  "Only because you make it that way." Cameron stood up. "If you get that roadblock of ‘I can’t’ out of your mind, it’s easy."

  "Everything’s easy to you," Wesley complained. "But for someone like me—"

  He was stricken with pain at the back of his skull, and his head was forced forward.

  "Ow!" he hollered and immediately rubbed at the sting.

  "Now’s not the time to feel sorry for yourself, Warlock," said a boy as he walked from behind Wesley.

  "Axel? Whatcha hit me for?"

  "You’re acting like a victim. Quit pretending to be so weak," ordered the Earth Sorcerer. "Stop trying and just do it."

  "Okay, okay, don’t hit me again." Wesley went down to a knee.

  Cameron, who had been keeping a watchful, distrustful eye on Wesley’s other friend, said, "Stone."

  "Elegro." The bald boy gave the E-class mage a respectful nod.

  "What are you doing here?"

  "Helping." Axel’s expression slightly changed with the lift of an eyebrow. "Should I leave?"

  "No. You may prove to be useful, if you’d care to join."

  "Really?" He smiled. "Uh, yeah."

  "That is, so long as you haven’t brought on any undesirable attention. We don’t need a fight."

  "No, no one’s comin’. I think that Ranuka girl is hanging around somewhere, but other than her, we should be left alone."

  "Good."

  "Ladies, ladies, you can fight over me later," joked Wesley, leaning over something. "Right now, we gotta celebrate."

  He stood up and revealed another squirrel. It was the same color and size as the one before, standing on all fours and staring straight ahead. Its tail, like its predecessor, in all its fluffy splendor, pointed back.

  The squirrel blinked.

  "You got it!" Cameron laughed in excitement and patted Wesley on the back.

  "Good job, guy." Axel gave the Warlock a punch in the shoulder that Wesley knew would leave a bruise.

  "Thanks," he said, doing his best to hide the pain.

  "Alright, that’s only half of our tutoring session," said Cameron.

  Wesley nodded. "Yes, I know. It’s time to move onto Wind Sorcery."

  "Good," said Cameron as he stepped back. "Describe to me, what you know about wind."

  "Well, first, in order to manipulate the element one must understand its nature," Wesley recited, exactly word for word. "Air is swift and free and can’t be bound. It’s difficult because of the scattered, fast moving molecules of gas that make it up. A small breeze is the easiest skill of all Sorcery, but true mastery of wind is among the hardest. One must extend his source with extreme accuracy and command air with strict severity." He paused. "How’s that, Master Elegro?"

  "Perfect," Cameron granted him that much. "But, remembering the words of a lecture and understanding the concepts within, are two totally different things. Philosophy and practice are both important, but only one carries substance."

  "Enough with the riddles, already." Wesley rubbed his temples, sure that all of Cameron’s puzzle-like sayings would soon explode out of his head. "What do you want me to do today?"

  "I want you to summon your very own dust devil, a small twister," Cameron pointed to the ground, "right there."

  "By myself?"

  "Yeah, dope," Axel insulted.

  "And you," Cameron turned his attention to the other Sorcerer, "once, he gets it going, I want you to hurl a rock at him."

  "Why?" asked Axel.

  "If the wind isn’t moving fast enough, the rock should pass right through it and hit him in the face." Cameron grinned.

  "Why would you…" Wesley’s voice trailed.

  "You always seem to do your best when faced with danger," his roommate said with a shrug. "Now let’s get started."

  The bald boy raised his hand and a small rock jumped out of the ground. Wesley extended his source to the air around him and clapped his hands to initiate his hold on it. Then he continued with a series of pushing and pulling motions, from one side to the other. Slowly but surely, the wind began to pick up and swirl until finally, his miniature tornado was born.

  "Good," Cameron yelled over the racing wind. Then he turned to his second cousin, "You ready?"

  The Earth Sorcerer giggled, "Yeah."

  The rock rose out of his hand and levitated as he aimed his other arm at Wesley. Then much like a pitcher, he heaved the chunk of earth.

  Fire

  "Ignis!" Wesley called and pressed his hands out in front of him. A two foot long flame shot from his palm. He was able to maintain the spell for three seconds before his arms collapsed. Although limited, he had finally gotten a grasp on the first spell used to attack him at Reviberous. Unfortunately, the weather was getting cooler with the change in season, making this spell more costly when it came to source.

  "Progress," stated the master after inspecting his spell, in neither a condemning nor complimentary tone. Wesley wouldn’t have had a clue of how to feel if not for her subsequent nod, which to him represented approval.

  "Thank you, Master Dyonysius," he said as his instructor walked passed him and onto the next student. The class was lined up side-by-side in an exercise that marked the end of his third day in what Master Dyonysius described as "The Sorcery of Passion".

  "Good," the teacher said to the boy at Wesley’s left, who created a flame that extended two times farther than the Warlock’s. The boy turned to the outcast and flashed a smug grin, which Wesley pretended to ignore.

  After judging the student’s abilities one-by-one, Master Dyonysius walked back to a position where she knew that she could be heard and seen by all of her pupils. "Your performance thus far, setting aside certain less fortunate individuals, has been up to par."

  Wesley pretended that she was referring to more than one student as "less fortunate".

  "And always remember that Fire comes from the heart," lectured the master with a bit too much gesticulation. She was oddly dressed compared to the other masters and especially for the day’s chilly weather. She wore a ruffled skirt that, even if stretched, couldn’t hope to reach her knees, tights, dance shoes, and a tank-top, the colors of which in no way resembled the uniformity that the other masters shared.

  "You are dismissed," she sang.

  The students immediately broke ranks and most headed back to the buildings to escape the cool breeze. But one stayed behind and approached the instructor. Curious to know why, Wesley hesitated to leave.

  "Master Dyonysius," said the girl. "Can I see your ignis? I want something to aim for."

  "Sure," Master Dyonysius giggled, tickled by the suggestion. "But you must promise not to be dispirited. Remember, I haven’t been in the G-class for a very long time."

  "Okay," the young Sorceress smiled.

  "Stand
back," instructed Master Dyonysius.

  Wesley stopped and stared as the fully realized Fire Sorceress raised her arm, slowly at first, and then shot her hand up in a rush. His jaw dropped, as a two meter-wide firestorm shot up one hundred feet into the sky. Wesley felt heat brush over him, the likes of which he hadn’t felt since summer. He was forced to look away as the hot air, like a desert breeze, smacked into his face and dried out his eyes. Then, just as swiftly as it was created, the fire went out.

  Wesley turned and continued on to the Dido building, finding it difficult to slow his breathing. The Dido building was where the class was normally held, in a dance room. Its floor was so smooth Wesley had slipped and fallen on more occasions than he was ever willing to admit. He wasn’t sure if all Fire Sorcery was the same, but Master Dyonysius’s version existed in flamboyant kicks and spins. “The Dance of the Heart!” she called it. Fire was passion, and dance was the most earnest expression of it.

  As he crossed under it’s ten meter high archways, Wesley was once again stunned by the buildings beauty and architecture. The entire vaulted ceiling, way on high, was decorated with masterful images that told an exciting story of the building’s namesake.

  He traversed the enormous hall, all the while barely keeping his eyes off the ceiling, to one of the archways on the far side. After exiting the Dido building, Wesley found a pathway leading to the Western Dormitory.

  Even after walking halfway across campus, he was unable to shake the overwhelming feeling that Master Dyonysius’s power drew from within him. When her ignis touched the sky, he had felt the same smothering pressure that he felt whenever Master Sinclair was nearby. It was terrifying, but more so exciting.

  "So you finally got to see the strength of an A-class," said Cameron after Wesley returned to their apartment and explained what had happened.

  "Yeah. It was amazing. I think she could’ve parted the clouds."

  "With a different spell, I wouldn’t doubt it," Cameron said. He stood up from the sofa and headed for their ridiculously small kitchen space.

  "Do you think all of the masters are that strong?" Wesley asked.