Forced Magic (18 page)

”Let me go!" she was saying.

Fetch had his tail wrapped around her waist. I guess when he
had started to heal me, he had kept her from running over to Johnathen. She
didn’t look too happy about this, but I felt, just as Fetch must have felt,
that it was best not to rush over to Johnathen until we could be sure it was
safe.

I heard a groan coming from Johnathen as he sat up. He had a
hand on his forehead. Michelle grabbed for Fetch's tail and frantically tried
to pull him off of her. I put a hand on Fetch's side. He looked over at me and
I nodded. I could tell he wasn’t happy with the idea, but he let her go. She
ran over to Johnathen and knelt next to him. I got to my feet, and, with Fetch
at my side, went to join her.

Johnathen had a confused look on his face. At first I didn’t
know if he knew where he was, but when Michelle grabbed his hands, he looked at
her and realization came slowly in his eyes. He looked around the desert near
him, seeing the destruction his elemental magic had caused. He put his head in
his hands and began to cry. Through his hands he began to apologize over and
over again. I could see his hands shaking. Michelle took his hands and gently
pulled them away from his face. He looked at me, wracked with guilt. All I
could do was look at him. I wanted to tell him it was all right. No one was
hurt. But, after such an impressive display of power, all I could manage to say
was “Wow, Dude, wow.”

Fetch huffed in anger at my lack of words, and in true Fetch
fashion slapped me in the back of the head with his tail. I could tell that he
was still upset at Johnathen, but I had a feeling that what we witnessed was a
defense mechanism of some sort, that an unconscious Johnathen had no control
over. I wondered if he was even aware of what he did at all.

“I'm so sorry, Fetch,” said Johnathen.

It was pretty obvious that Fetch was the one who was really
upset.

“Please, it was my fault. I underestimated Jack and in my
impatience to see what he could do, I almost destroyed us all. I was careless
and I beg your forgiveness.”

Johnathen's voice was shaky and weak. I didn’t like to see
him this way. It didn’t seem right for someone with such power to appear to be
so vulnerable. After such a display of power I felt very uncomfortable by his
display of such raw emotion. Fetch turned to look him in the eye. His eyes were
rapidly changing color as he stared Johnathen down. Finally they went to green
again. He reached out and took one of Johnathen's hands. He took his tail and
smacked Johnathen's hand, like you would a little kid's hand after he reached
for the cookie jar after being told no cookies before dinner. Johnathen laughed
shakily at this.

“Point taken,” he said to Fetch.

Michelle let out a little hiccup laugh as tears ran down her
face. Johnathen put a hand on the side of her face and the other one on my
shoulder.

“Look at the four of us. What a team we make. If we are not
careful, an emotion pixy could take us out with one swoop.”

We all laughed at this. I wanted to ask what an emotion pixy
was, but I thought it could wait for another time.

 “What was that?” I asked. “Those things that came out of
you, are they part of you?”

Johnathen smiled a little at this. ”A long time ago, wars
were fought in the magic world. They were pointless battles and there were no
real winners.  I cast powerful spells that would protect me if I was ever hurt,
or knocked out, on a battle field. I've had them in me for so long, I pretty
much forgot they were there. Your attack triggered them, Jack. You are a very
powerful magic user, and you are becoming an excellent fighter. I only wanted
to help you bring out your full potential, but I went too far. I can never
apologize enough for what I did. I just felt that there was no other way to
test your abilities. I thought you had to reach a point of pain and hurt that
would release the magic, without any real focus to it. You are much better than
I gave you credit for, Jack."

“Tell that to my ribs.”

Johnathen's eyes got wide.

“I really did hurt you, didn’t I?” He looked over at
Michelle again. “I could have killed you all. This was stupid. I should have
known better. You are such an enigma, Jack, both you and Fetch. Your power is
so different from anything I have ever seen. I should have taken it slowly.
Again, I'm sorry."

He hung his head down, not wanting to look at us. Once
again, I saw just how old he must really be. There was a burden of responsibility
he seemed to think he had to shoulder. Most of it seemed to center around
Michelle and me. Truthfully, all he wanted to do was teach me how to better use
my abilities, but it seemed that my magic was different from anything he had
ever seen before. He just didn’t know how to fully test or train me. I felt bad
that he had put so much pressure on himself because of Fetch and me. I had to
find a way to relieve some of that pressure. It wasn’t fair for him to take
responsibility for me. It wasn’t his fault that Fetch hatched on my leg. It
wasn’t his fault that I picked up Fetch's egg to begin with. I had to find a
way to help him. I somehow had to introduce myself to the magic world.  I had
to do it on my own. Not because I was being impatient, but because I didn’t
want to be a burden to Johnathen, Michelle, or anyone else again. I needed to
take responsibility for my own life, no matter the cost.

 Johnathen got up and sent a pulse out, just in case someone
saw any of our battle. Michelle was going to check online later for anything
that mentioned a possible sighting of fire balls or jets of water. It was
confusing how some magic, like the gnomes cleaning up messes, could stay hidden
and how others, like attacking goblins, could be seen by everyone. It had to be
a constant undertaking to keep it cleaned up and forgotten. With the lack of
computer and technology experience, I wondered just how much got past the magic
world on the Internet. Michelle had mentioned someone who was good with
computers, but they couldn’t stop all of it could they? There just seemed to be
too much of it.

I pushed aside these thoughts for now.  We spent the
remainder of the day practicing and showing off what we could do. Johnathen
stood there and watched for the most part. Michelle found a way to roll up dirt
in a tight ball and threw it at Fetch as he dodged and swirled to avoid the
missiles, smacking them with his tail. We all laughed and continued to act like
we were having a good time, but there was a tension in the air. We all found
out new things about ourselves that day. Discovery can leave you feeling
strange sometimes. I know that Johnathen didn’t mean to hurt me or anyone else,
but in his speed to discover new things he seemed to get a little careless.

We left as the sun went down.  Johnathen must have cast a
spell that kept people away from that spot. We ended up making a lot of noise
and for us not to have drawn any attention to ourselves seemed impossible
without magic. I drove the Jeep back to the hotel and I don’t like to drive. I
never really owned my own car, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t do it. Besides,
if I was to ever own a car, it would be a Jeep.  Michelle sat next to me and
Johnathen stretched himself in the back seat. He looked exhausted. I was a
little worried about him.  So was Michelle. I could hear Fetch scrape the hard
top as he settled himself down on it. He was still a little moody over the
whole day. He had forgiven Johnathen, who continued to apologize for what
happened all day, but I had a feeling it was going to be a while before he
trusted him again.  It was a strange awesome display of power, and I think it
bothered Fetch that Johnathen went as far as he did when trying to provoke me
into using the forced magic that was part of whom I had become. We drove in
silence for a while. We were all tired and seemed at that point of trying to
find something to talk about to keep our minds from wandering. Michelle broke
the awkward silence.

“Next time, I want to show off a little bit myself. You boys
got to play. All I did was throw dirt balls at Fetch."

I laughed at this comment. I appreciated her attempt to make
light of what happened that day. Johnathen was silent for a while, then, after
a few minutes, he spoke.

“No. I don’t think it is a good idea. You need more time to
practice before you attempt any spells. It's too dangerous.”

 “I need to try and see what I can do, Johnathen. It isn't
right to teach me how to use magic and then not let me use it.”

“It’s too dangerous and I forbid you to use it! I wish I had
never taught you any of it."

There was a long tense silence as we drove down the road. 
Michelle stared ahead, frowning. Her jaw was tense and she seemed to be
clenching her teeth. I had the feeling that this was an argument that the two
of them had before. I couldn’t think of a thing to say to break us out of this
moment. I looked in the mirror. Johnathen was lying down so I couldn’t see his
face, but, by the tone of his voice, I could tell that the shadow that seemed
to pass over his face when he was upset was back.

“You know why you taught me magic, Johnathen. You know that
it's right for me to learn it. Without it I would be an outcast. I would have
no way to be fully accepted in the magic world. You know that."

“I could have protected you. I could have sent you into the
non-magic world with money and a life, and erased all memories of what happened
to you, but I chose to keep you close. When I discovered the elf blood in your
veins, I gave you the opportunity to learn magic and be a part of finding those
who destroyed your family and bringing them to justice. Sometimes I feel that I
was foolish. My need to see change made me careless when it came to you. I
should have known better."

This whole conversation was intense. I wanted to lighten the
mood. I was all right, Michelle was all right, and Fetch was fine too. We
needed a way to get over this or things could fall apart very quickly.

The sun was going down and the road in front of us stretched
for miles and miles. I wanted to say something but I couldn’t think of
anything. Fetch was moving around on the roof of the jeep. I knocked on the
roof hoping he would get the message and stop moving around up there. I was
afraid he would scratch up the roof. Then he did it. As the sun began to set
Fetch slowly peeked over the front of the car, his head was on Michelle's side.
He slowly slunk down like a snake. When he was half way down, he stretched his
neck out turning his head to look at Michelle. He took turns looking at
Michelle, me, then Johnathen. When he was sure we all saw him, he got the most
satisfied look on his face and, with a little nod, gave us all the biggest,
toothiest grin a dragon could give. We all busted out laughing. It was exactly
what we needed. I don’t think I was ever more grateful for Fetch's sense of
humor. I turned on the radio. 'Twist and Shout' was playing. Fetch must have
been able to hear it. You could hear his tail thumping to the beat. I started
singing and by the end of the song we all had joined in.

We pulled into the nearest fast food drive thru. Just the
idea of having a dragon on the top of the jeep was a story to share with the
grandkids one day, but to order food for one was a whole other adventure. The
girl's voice through the speaker sounded board and tired. This just made the
situation even funnier. I hoped Fetch remembered to go into camouflage mode. It
struck me as funny that most people never spotted Fetch in cameo mode. It
didn’t make him completely invisible. He just blended in. It had to be like the
trolls I would see from time to time. They weren’t hidden and non-magic people
seemed to ignore magic most of the time. It just didn’t register in their
minds. Maybe that was why it was so easy to erase their memories when they were
affected by magic.  Maybe the pulse just gave them the nudge to get them back
on track, back to what they saw as normal.

I ordered myself a number five. Fetch's tail thumping on the
roof indicated he wanted one too. This started Michelle giggling. I asked
Johnathen what he wanted. He responded by thumping the roof with his hand.

“Ok three number fives. And you Michelle?”

She thumped on the roof too, still giggling. Johnathen was
beginning to chuckle and soon we were all laughing. When the laughter died down
a bit, the girl read the order of four number fives back to us. She asked if we
needed anything else. Fetch thumped his tail again. It took a little time to
figure it out, but by the time the ordering was done, we had seven number
fives, three fish sandwich meals, two special order number sixes, and ten apple
pies. Michelle and Johnathen couldn’t stop laughing and the look on the girl's
face when we pulled up just made it worse. When we finally got all the food
double checked, to make sure we got everything, and all of the drinks checked
out, I handed the girl some money. She smiled, looking a little puzzled. I
looked at her straight faced and said in the calmest voice I could.

“This isn’t all for us. Most of it is for the dragon on the
top of the Jeep.”

This sent Michelle and Johnathen into peals of fresh
laughter, as I pulled away from the place. Fetch was banging his tail. He was
hungry. As I pulled out onto the street, Michelle rolled down the window. She
had a fish sandwich and a double cheeseburger in her hand. After reaching up to
the roof, her hand came back empty. Man, was my life different. We drove back
to the hotel. I decided it was time to change rooms. Fetch was careful not to
do any damage, but I felt the less we stayed in the same room, the better.
Johnathen and Michelle checked out that night. I could tell there was still
tension between the two of them. I hoped they could work it out.

The next few weeks were spent in working on improving what
Fetch and I could do. We would meet Johnathen every other day, down in the
lobby, then go into the desert, or up on Mount Lemon, to spar and train. I
began to feel like a soldier getting ready to go off to war. I didn’t like the
feeling, but knew it was necessary if I was to discover my potential and my
limits. Fetch began to show some amazing flying abilities and a new level of
control of his fire. Johnathen cut his hand on purpose to see if Fetch could
heal it. It slowly healed and left a scar on his hand. Fetch's ability to heal
had its limits. We figured that because Fetch hatched from my leg, his magic
worked better on me.

We had agreed to keep our mind link through the fire a
secret between the two of us. It wasn’t a trust thing. It was just that it
seemed so personal.  The more we used it the deeper our thoughts would combine.
It was kind of entertaining. Fetch discovered things about me I had never
shared with anyone, and, I in turn, learned new things that he would never share
with anyone else. Fetch was more than a friend to me now. He was like a
brother. Our uniqueness kept us separate from both worlds, and that gave us a
bond that couldn’t be broken. I couldn’t imagine my life without Fetch now,
even when he would smack me with his tail.

We didn’t see Michelle during this time. Johnathen told us
that she was busy working on a project that the two of them started a few years
ago. I had the feeling he kept her away to keep her from getting hurt. The
training never got as intense as the first time, but I think Johnathen was
worried about what could happen. I would call her and check up on her Facebook
page to see how she was. She sounded a little tired at times. I noticed on her
Facebook page that she had more friends from different tattoo shops in town
than she had before. I had the feeling she was searching for information that
could lead her to answers about her family's deaths. I hoped that she wouldn’t
let this drag her down.

Johnathen was not looking his best during these times
either.  He looked tired and stressed and, on more than one occasion, he would
stop what he was doing and just stare off into space. The last time I caught
him doing this, he was looking up into the clouds. His lips were moving and,
after a quick debate with Fetch, I decided to walk over to him. When I got
close to him, I heard what he was saying.

“Watch the clouds. Watch the clouds,” he was repeating over
and over.

I put my hand on his shoulder, and his body jerked a little.
I immediately let the forced magic form in my body. I was ready for another
defense attack, but Johnathen just shook his head and yawned like he was just
waking up.

“Ah Jack, sorry. I’m a little tired today. Would you mind if
we cut it short?”

 “No, not at all," I responded. "Are you ok?”

 “I’m fine, Jack, just a little tired that’s all." He
smiled at me and patted me on the arm. “Let’s get back to the Jeep.”

We walked through the desert toward the Jeep in silence.
Fetch stayed in the air, flying low. He was just as concerned about Johnathen
as I was. Right before we got to the Jeep, Fetch let out a little hiss. I
looked up and saw him hovering in the air. He had a snarl on his face and was
staring at a point over the Jeep. Hovering above the Jeep was a blue ball of light.
The goblins had found us.