A Mage's Power (Journey to Chaos) (51 page)

“You think the judges will like it?

“I think the judges will
love
it.”

“Prettyyy . . .” Malize said.

“If you have enough air to praise, then you have enough to
train,” Laharg said. “Time for you to learn your first battle dance.”

The next day, Eric and Kasile met for the second challenge
of the New Scepter Magic Competition. The contestants had gathered in the
castle's auditorium so they could watch (and be intimidated by or laugh at)
their fellows perform. Kasile gave another speech explaining the rules of the
contest and wished them all luck. Though they were many they boiled down to one
guideline: use magic to look as impressive as possible.

One by one, the students performed their feat of magical
prowess. They were all moderately impressive and the judges gave them fair
scores. Then Kallen stepped on stage and the mood darkened.

She put her hands together, palm to palm, and drew them
apart. Before Eric's eyes, a white staff appeared between her hands. It was a
head shorter than she, smooth and trimmed. One end held a pommel stone and the
other was curved in the shape of a crescent moon on its side. The crescent held
a translucent arrowhead crystal and a grey light shinned within. Kallen spun,
twirled the staff, and slammed the pommel stone on the ground.

It broke loose from the rest of the stage in an even circle
and raised her high above the audience. One foot from the ceiling, it stopped
as a pillar of rock. Kallen's staff crystal shined grey light and the pillar
followed suit. Then she jumped off into a five-foot free fall and crouched on a
surface made of nothing but air.

From her new platform, she shoved the crescent head into the
pillar and it melted from the point of impact to every corner. An ethereal grey
case held it upright. Kallen swung her free hand as a conductor might at a
concert and the lava flowed in accordance with her movements. She made arches,
catwalks, and spires until she had a castle of lava. She removed her staff and
the castle slagged forward.

“Freeze!” Kallen commanded and an icy chill ran through the
room. It was gone as soon as it came, leaving the molten rock ice blue and
glistening.

“Break!” The castle exploded and the dust swirled and howled
around her, obscuring her from view. Gradually the funnel thinned until it
vanished. Kallen stood, unscathed, on a mound of dirt. It was the only evidence
of her act.

She spun her staff once before collapsing it between her
hands. When she spread them to take a bow, the staff was nowhere to be seen.

“Are you
sure
you're not a labrat?” A silver haired
judge asked. “I heard that trick with your staff is still in the testing phase.”

“It's something like that, yes,” Kallen grated. “What's my
score?”

The judges deliberated, told her, and she sat down. Eric was
called to perform next but he hesitated. It would be impossible for him to
match
that!
He'd be laughed off stage! Then he remembered Kasile's
agenda. His friend was counting on him and he carried the guild's reputation.
Running away would be worse for all three.

The young man took the stage and held his arms at his sides.
Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. Mana soared to his palms. As he
chanted, the water blue light shifted to the colors of glue and pitch. Twin
spires of light and darkness flared in his hands.

The novice mage rotated his arms to bring the streams tip to
tip. They brushed and flashed golden light. With a shout, he slammed his hands
together and the clap echoed like a sonic boom. The audience was blown deep
into their seats. To their amazement, Eric stood tall with a golden sphere.

The trickster threw it above his head along with smaller
ones as it climbed higher and higher. The golden ball swelled as it consumed
its brethren. Then he withdrew an object from his pocket, a many-faceted prism,
and threw it at the sphere. The prism refracted the sphere's light and rainbows
flew over the audience. There Eric stood, underneath an orb of gold and
streaming rainbows.

It was glorious!

Then one of them crashed into the floor and flooded it with
water from nowhere. Others hit the walls and ceiling and plants grew on both.
Vines grabbed the rigging, trees sprouted on the ceiling and flowers bloomed on
the banister. They were just as quickly incinerated by other rainbows. The
ashes were blown away by rainbow winds. The audience ducked for cover but Eric
stared in amazement.
This never happened before . . .

Chapter 19
Game
Over

Boys screamed and girls shrieked as the eight earthly
elements wrecked havoc all around them. Fire, water, earth, wind, lava, ice,
forest, lightning; they terraformed the auditorium into a stage for chaos.
Watching from that stage was the director himself. A grin crept onto his face
as he watched the prissy mages scatter. Then one of them was struck by
lightning, collapsed, and didn't move.

This needs to stop!
He took aim and fired black bolts
from his staff. They expanded on impact, consumed the rainbows, and cloaked the
room in darkness. The others screamed, but Eric savored the void; it felt as
close to home as his bridgehouse. Then a tremendous power flowed past him;
wild, invigorating, and unknown. A flash of light dispelled his darkness and
everything reset.

The auditorium was undamaged; no tree or fire or puddle of
water to be found. The mage that was struck sat up unharmed. The audience was
as bewildered as Eric himself. Then he heard applause; Kallen clapped from
stage right. One corner of her mouth tugged upward in a self-amused fashion.
Her eyes held an eager light.

“That was quite a performance, Mr. Mercenary. Wasn't it,
ladies and gentleman?”

“I agree, a most impressive illusion, Mr. Watley,” Kasile
continued. “I remember you cast such spells at my captor's hideout.”
Play
along!

“Oh yes, I figured stealth would be the most effective.”

Whatever his score was, Eric never found out because he was
dragged off stage by Kallen. Hope lit up her face as she asked endless
questions: his background, his friends, his hobbies, down to his favorite
color. Eric was so flattered he even talked about the bullying in school and
the death of his parents. She was especially interested in his elfin gal friend.
When he said Annala worked at Across the Sea, she turned on her heels and ran
out.

“You're welcome!” she shouted over her shoulder.

Exit Stage Left . . .

The judge with silver hair stopped him on his way out. Making
sure he could see the Darwoss crest holding her cape in place, she offered a
deal: the equivalent of the prize money in exchange for dropping out of the
contest.

“Why not?” the judge demanded. “The prize money is what you
want, isn't it?”

“No,” Eric said. “I want to win; the prize money is icing on
the cake.”

“If you insist, I will double it.”

Eric arched an eyebrow. “You're that desperate to get rid of
me?”

“Listen, Mr. Watley, this is a prestigious tournament to
honor students that work hard and apply themselves. It is
not
for
mercenary leapfrogs.
Every year
we indulge the princess's wishes and
allow the random riffraff she chooses to take part. They always fail because
they tried to take a shortcut to fame. Now she is going to use this
fluke
to
say that
anyone
can do well in our competition despite how many before
you have failed. Don't you see how she is
destroying
our traditions?”

The first line made him wonder if she had a vested interest
in the contest being reserved for academy students; maybe she worked there. “Shortcut
to fame” was similar; longer route meant more tuition. The last line was easy:
the traditions of discrimination and elitism.

“I am a student and I have worked hard,” Eric deadpanned. “Once
I win that trophy, I'm gonna shove it up your ass.”

It was hard to keep a straight face when the Silver Hair
judge spouted angrish. The highlight of which was, “Kkaks Parhg Bgarr!” In the
end, she could do nothing but stomp past Eric and try to hit him with the hem
of her cape.

Eric. I'll be ready in twenty minutes. I just have to
change out of this dress.

The mage left the auditorium.
Kasile, as your tutor and
friend, I think you should slow down.

Eric, I NEED
to learn Magic Sight.

I understand that, Kasile.
The mage was in a side
hallway.
But you can't read ahead. When I did that, I went insane. It was
awful; I don't want that to happen to you.

Come on. Some of the best healers in the country work for
my father.

 I already taught you water magic this morning; practice
that.
The mage was in the entrance hall.
You can move onto air magic if
you want; it's similar enough.

Eric, there are three reasons why you should teach me. 1)
I'm paying you. 2) If you don't teach me, I'll find out anyways. 3) I'm the
princess and I can order you to.

Unperturbed, he crossed the courtyard.
Kasile, there are
three reasons why I don't have to listen to your three reasons. 1) A starving
mage makes a poor contestant. 2) The spell is written in code and no mage wants
to be responsible for driving the princess insane. 3) The Obedience of Chaos
Act signed by one of your ancestors permanently revoked that power, and if they
didn't, you're too noble.

We can do this all day if you want, but you know how it's
going to end.

Yes,
He stepped off the drawbridge.
You practicing
elemental magic and me going to dinner.

Silence.

You're right about 1 and 3 but I'm skeptical about number
2.

Eric wasn't worried. Magic Sight was too dangerous to be
self-taught because it was too easy to cause permanent damage. Enchanted items
made it even easier and thus more dangerous. Everyone who tried ended up in a
hospital with kaleidoscope eyes and babbling about rainbows. Right now, he was
hungry and it was the perfect excuse to visit Annala.
Maybe she's forgiven
me by now.
He stopped running when he reached Across the Sea and pushed the
doors open.

Annala smiled from waiting desk and said, “Hi and wel-oh.”
She pointedly looked away.

“Annala, I'm sorry. I said I was sorry 50 times. What do I
have to do to make it up to you?”

Adorably put out, she said, “Eat a cartoon of wasabi. In one
swallow.”

“If that's what it takes, bring it on!”

“An impossible task for a lady's favor.”

Annala jumped slightly. Kallen leaned on the bench to her
left. “Knock it off, Kallen . . .” Annala said softly. “Eric's my friend.”

“Then do you mind if he joins me?” Kallen asked cattily.

“I . . .Uh . . .” Annala pulled on an ear.

Eric stood a little straighter and said, “Kallen, did you
come here to tease Annala or eat?”

“Eat, of course.” She showed him a menu. “Have you had the
mushu? They say they have good mushu. I've had real mushu, so I'm curious as to
what they think is mushu. Do you like mushu?”

Eric gritted his teeth. “Stop saying 'mushu'!”

“Mushu!”

Deep breath, calm down . . .
“Mushu isn't why did you
ran off earlier. What is?”

“That act made me hungry.”

“Stop evading! You know wha—”

Annala grabbed them both by the arm and dragged them away
from the entrance. Their bickering was driving away customers. Kallen chuckled
as the girl, shy and blushing moments ago, hauled them both to her table.

“So you don't mind after all?”

“I'm not his girlfriend, but I am his friend. Don't put your
claws in him.”

Kallen raised one hand and said with the utmost solemnity, “Trickster's
honor.”

Annala groaned heavily and returned to her post. Her long
ponytail swished and caught the light from the windows. Kallen watched Eric
watched it sway, as if in a trance.

“That's what I asked her about.”

Eric blinked. “Huh?”

“Her hair. I asked about her hair. I wanted to know how she
kept it such a rich golden color.”

Eric stared at her incredulously. “You know why; she's an
elf. Tell me the truth.”

Kallen smirked. It was like she was pleased with his answer
and expected it.
She's playing with me . . .
Kallen's smirk widened; she
knew that he knew, that she was playing with him and it seemed to make her all
the more amused.

“I asked her what it was like to be an elf in a human city.
I'm interested in elfish culture; you
do
know that right? I'm the first
human since the Conversion War to be allowed inside Dnaac Ledo.”

“Dnaac Ledo?”

“Annala's hometown. Her dad was at the opening joust. He's
their diplomat, you know.”

A light shined in Eric's eyes as he realized the answer to
an important personal question.
So that's why she was wearing a dress!

“ . . .and then went home.” Kallen continued. “Eric are you
listening?”

“Something about a gnome?”

“No, home; Annala's home. I paid it a visit last week.”

“Is that why you're in this contest? Politics?”

“Why do you think that?”

“Why did you help me during my act?”

“Why do you think I helped you?”

“Why do you keep dodging questions?”

“Why do you keep aiming them?”

Eric rubbed his forehead. “I'm a curious person. You had
nothing to gain from helping me. I know I'm not competition to someone like you—”
 Kallen blushed. It surprised Eric so much he lost his train of thought. Dengel
reminded him. “but there was still no reason to help me.”