Magician’s Apprentice Chapter XLV

Posted on May 5, 2020 by Brian Bixby

The story so far: The god Ovedisca has tricked Tollon and his friends, taken Tollon’s sister as a sacrifice for transporting Tollon into one of its worlds, and departed to plague Tollon’s world. Now read on . . .

My sister’s dead. That’s the most positive conclusion I can come to. And a god has taken her place and will probably mess up my family for fun. Admittedly, I don’t like much of my family, but, still, they are mine.

My sister Jallia, dead. I knew she shouldn’t have come. It’s my fault. I don’t want to deal with it, or much of anything else. So I sit there and hang my head and cry. The others come over and say stuff, but I don’t care. It doesn’t matter.

And then Katrina raises her voice. “Shut up, everyone. I hear something.” To be followed by a loud oath and, “Snakes! Tollon, get your damn sword out now!”

It’s more Katrina’s tone than her words that get me up, and I automatically draw my sword. And I see them. Hundreds of snakes, all coming toward us. And I’m no herpetologist, but they look like the poisonous kinds.

Katrina doesn’t have to yell. She has a hard voice. “Mia, Alencar, get behind us. Tollon, shoulder to shoulder, three feet apart.”

It occurs to me that I’ve never learned how to fight snakes with a sword. Somehow, that’s just not one of the things that came up. I think I’d be better armed with a shovel.

Katrina says, “Don’t lose it, kid. Just kill them.” And she swings her sword, and kills three of them in one blow.

Me, I stab. I cut. I slice. I do whatever I can to get my sword in position to do before the next snake gets close enough to strike at me. I head a scream from Mia, swing around, and go charging past her to attack the snakes coming from the other direction.

Experience is a great teacher, if it doesn’t kill you. As we are more and more surrounded, I learn how to swing my blade to slice through or scare off more and more snakes. And it’s strange, but I don’t think I’m doing it. I think the sword is. Or maybe I’m just becoming such a good swordsman that the blade and I am one.

It goes on and on. I stop consciously thinking, and just keep killing snakes. There are more behind them.

I keep killing snakes. There are more behind them.

I keep killing snakes. There are more behind them.

When the snakes stop coming, it takes me several moments to realize they’ve stopped. I want to go out and kill more, but Katrina grabs me. “Tollon, TOLLON, get a grip. You’re done. You’re done.”

I’m done. I look around. Katrina has worked up a sweat. Honorable Alencar and Mia are staring at me as if I’ve grown a third eye.

Well, no, they are staring at my sword. I take a look at it. It looks strange. It takes me a few seconds to understand what I’m seeing. There’s a red glow running down the middle of the sword, from the tip to the pommel.

Katrina says, “You didn’t tell me you had a magic sword.”

I look up at her. “I didn’t know. I took this off a highwayman. It’s the Etralstan sword I mentioned.”

“That’s not an Etralstan blade, Tollon,” Katrina replies.

Mia steps over and looks at it carefully. I hold it up so she can see it. She nods. “I’ve heard of such a thing, but I didn’t know any of them still existed. The blade is fae.”

I have a sword with an Etralstan pommel and a fairy-made blade, which I took off a highwayman. This makes no sense.

I sheath the sword and look around. The field is bordered by woods in every direction.

And in between the trees, I catch a fleeting glimpse of my highwayman, before he ducks behind a tree and scurries down a path.

Oh, yes, it does make sense. I turn to the others. “Come on, we have a bit of hiking to do.”

Honorable Alencar asks, “Where are we going?”

“I have no idea,” I tell her. “But it will bring us closer to our goal, that I can tell you.”

(To be continued . . .)

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Magician’s Apprentice Chapter XLIV

Posted on May 4, 2020 by Brian Bixby

The story so far: With their world threatened by the vanishing sickness, Tollon and his friends and sister prepare to call upon the gods to send them into confrontation with the god Overdisca. Now read on . . .

I had considered whether we all ought to follow Honorable Alencar’s example and sacrifice a finger to Thessar, and explain to the god that we are doing so as we prepare to confront Ovedisca. Mia simply refused, saying that Thessar could ask no more from us than our lives, which we were staking. So instead we made the usual sacrifices to propriate Thessar, before beginning the spell to send us into Ovedisca’s worlds.

The design of a magic circle depends on the nature of the ceremony being performed.

Magic works on contacting a spirit (or god), using symbolism, whether pictorial, verbal, or in some other fashion. We’re calling upon Thessar, of course, but also Thessar’s sister, Mrokitar, “She Who Walks Among Worlds,” who is also known as “She Who Gives Birth to Worlds.” Mrokitar is a shadowy figure, even in legend, and hence we’re trying a number of ways to contact her, without being sure any of them will work.

Jallia just finishes the 100th repetition of a chant when she doubles over and collapses on the floor. Before anyone can help her, I shout, “Stay where you are.” Magic is working on Jallia.

Jallia rolls over so she is lying on her back. Her face has been transformed into something bright and otherworldly which I can’t look at for more than a few moments without fearing for my sanity. She is chanting something now in a voice that seems to come out of the air, instead of from her. I think a sprit has possessed her.

She convulses. And then her belly begins to rise. It looks exactly as it might if she were pregnant, and running through her term in a matter of perhaps a minute. Her clothing splits as she swells up. She reaches what looks like full term and keeps growing. Her chant stops, and she begins screaming in pain. Bigger and bigger she grows until her belly is bigger than the rest of her.

Abruptly her screams stop. The huge mass of her belly shifts, and we can see muscles working across her ridiculously swelled abdomen.

She’s going into labor.

A light spills out from between her legs. Light and heat. It gets more intense every second. I have to shield my eyes, but that’s not stopping the heat. One must hold one’s place in an evocation, but to do so risks destruction. I turn to flee, and find I can’t. Instead, I’m being pulled, inward.

§

I regain consciousness. I’m sitting in a field of short grass. Honorable Alencar, Mia, and Katrina are also sitting here, arranged in a circle. There is no sign of Jallia.

Instead, in the middle, is a short, squat, androgynous figure with gray skin, gray hair, and gray eyes. It’s looking at me. It says to me, “Thank you for the sacrifice.” It says that to me in Jallia’s voice. It goes on. “There is nothing that was your sister’s that is not now mine.” It transforms in front of us, until it looks exactly like Jallia. “I think I will go to your world and play with it for a while.” And it disappears.

Katrina looks over to me. “What was that, Tollon?”

I know. I think my sister is dead, or worse. So I tell Katrina. “That was a god. But it wasn’t Thessar or Mrokitar, as we intended. That was Ovedisca.”

(To be continued . . .)

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Magician’s Apprentice Chapter XLIII

Posted on May 3, 2020 by Brian Bixby

The story so far: Tollon’s team has learned that a vengeful god is threatening their world. So they investigate how to cope with it. Now read on . . .

We assemble back in the chapel at twilight the next day. Honorable Alencar chairs our little meeting, and begins with her own findings.

“Ovedisca and Thessar belong to a race of gods called the Iyamzor. Though how that name is pronounced is uncertain; some spells use a meter in which it is of two syllables, some of three,” she adds in an undertone. “I’ve assembled an analysis of the legends, characteristics, and spells associated with Ovedisca and Thessar in particular, and a bit on the rest of them. They are a quarrelsome family.” She looks over to Katrina, “You’ve got the sacrifices we need?”

Katrina nods. “I’ve also searched the school grounds for anything else that can be used as a weapon.” She reached behind her chair, pulls out a device, and hands it to Jallia. “It’s mechanically complicated, but requires more dexterity than strength.”

“It” is a crossbow. Jallia looks it over. “How difficult is it to use?”

“Expertly, it takes years of practice,” Katrina says. “To hit the broad side of a barn, an hour.”

“Are we hunting barns?” Jallia automatically retorts.

Katrina never argues with her employers. “Gods are big. But even if you can’t shoot well, you’ll feel safer than if you were unarmed. Trust me on this, Jallia. I’ve led a lot of men into battle, many of them with very little training.”

In our world, Leonardo da Vinci worked out improvements to the crossbow.

Jallia nods, accepting Katrina’s verdict. She’s learned Katrina doesn’t ever lie about her own business. She puts the crossbow aside, and gives her report. “I was able to find a trail from where Honorable Strunstur briefly appeared back to his personal library and to one specific book, which, however, I cannot read.” She takes the book in her lap, opens it up, and shows it to us.

Mia chimes in. “That diagram on the left is of the spheres as they once were. I don’t understand the diagram on the right.”

Honorable Alencar takes the book from Jallia and scans it. “It’s in the old Etralstan tongue. I can review this and try to translate it, but it will take about a day.”

The mention of Etralsta reminds me, “Coincidentally, I acquired an Etralstan sword from a highwayman on my original trip this way.”

Mia shakes her head. “I doubt it is a coincidence, Tollon.” She pauses. “I went back to consult with my own people.” How she did this in under a day, she does not explain. “The last incursion of Ovedisca into our world was ended in Etralsta. We do not know how it was done, except that it was done by humans. Which is encouraging, as hostile human encounters with gods usually end by the gods abolishing the existence of the humans in question.”

“Which is a roundabout way of saying they get killed,” Katrina comments with a grim laugh.

Mia corrects her. “No, it is not that simple, or, depending on how you look at it, even simpler. The gods simply abolish the existence of the people, so that they never did exist. No one will remember them. Even we cannot remember them, although we can tell when such things happen.” She turns to me. “This is why the fae will not help us. To be abolished is to be without hope, or even the existence that would make hope possible. Whereas to be carried off by Ovedisca can be no worse, they think.”

“In that they are probably wrong,” Honorable Alencar says. “Legend has it that Ovedisca has turned his spheres into realms of psychological horror.” She looks over to me. “You’ll have to be the first to set foot in his spheres, Tollon. You’ve already been psychologically abused, or so Mia tells me. Katrina will have to be second, as the most self-controlled. Mia will have to be last, for if the rest of you are lost, only she can inform the fae. Which makes Jallia third.”

“And what about you, learned lady?” I ask.

She sits back, taken aback. “Me?” She thinks a moment, and nods. “I can see the value in that. In that case, I will go first. I am the most expendable of this group.” She sees me about to object and raises her hand to tell me to stop. “No, Tollon, do not protest. These are my people who have been lost, more so than they are yours. I am old. And I owe a life to Thessar’s service.”

(To be continued . . .)

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Magician’s Apprentice Chapter XLII

Posted on May 2, 2020 by Brian Bixby

The story so far: Tollon has gathered some friends and returned to the school he once attended, where the vanishing sickness has made off with everyone but a single instructor. Now read on . . .

Honorable Alesca Alencar comes to the door of the chapel when I knock. She’s happy to see me. “Little Tollon!” she exclaims. And then she looks at the women behind me, and observes, “You’ve collected quite a harem.”

In a voice loud enough to be heard in town, Jallia says, “I’m his sister.” She’s clearly upset by being included in my ‘harem.’

I’m tempted to laugh, after all the ribbing I’ve been taking about Katrina and me, but I don’t want to make matters worse. Instead, I try to smooth things over. “Honorable Alesca Alencar, may I introduce my associates: the gifted Jallia, my sister, Mia, a fairy, and Katrina of Moss, a skilled warrior. Each has her own talents and powers, which when combined we hope will prove able to get the students and teachers back, and also prevent a major catastrophe. And ladies, may I present to you Honorable Alencar, who is a learned lady and resourceful individual.”

Everyone is suitably impressed. We go into the chapel. Honorable Alencar has managed to rig up a grill near a window, and cooks us up a solid meal before we settle down to talk.

Mia takes the initiative. “Tollon told me one of your fellow instructors came back long enough to say something like ‘Ovad.’ I think he was trying to say ‘Ovedisca.’ Could that be?”

Honorable Alescar ponders before answering. “It could be. I was surprised at the time, and he did seem to be cut off mid-syllable. What does ‘Ovedisca’ describe or name?”

“A god,” Mia replies. “Thessar’s brother, in fact.”

“And this is Thessar’s chapel,” Honorable Alescar observes.

“A wisely chosen refuge,” Mia replies. “For Thessar and Ovedisca have quarreled since they were young and the worlds were created.”

Gods love quarreling. Here’s a famous quarrel in Asgard, from the Elder Edda.

Mia sits back and stares up at the ceiling as she speaks. Her voice is clear and distinct, but it sounds as if it were coming from a great distance away. “Before your race was created, when we of the fae were the only civilized race, the gods created the worlds. And then, as gods do, they fell to quarreling over what to do with the worlds.” She leans forward and smiles at us. “For, you see, the gods are not really civilized. Neither is your race, but you are more civilized than the gods.” She leans back and stares at the ceiling again. “The gods quarreled. Ovedisca hated Thessar for her leading role in creating the worlds, including the fae. So Ovedisca took some of the worlds, and some of the fae, and hid them from Thessar. We of the fae call this the ‘Division of the Spheres,’ for never since have we known the fate of our kin on the worlds Ovedisca hid.

“This did not content Ovedisca. He has raided Thessar’s worlds ever since. What you call the vanishing sickness is just such a raid. Your people have been carried off to one of Ovedisca’s worlds. What has happened to them since then, we cannot say.

“This Honorable Strunstur who was briefly able to return, what was he?” Mia asks Honorable Alencar.

“Why, a teacher of languages,” the learned lady replies.

Mia looks disappointed. “That doesn’t help, then.”

“Oh, wait,” interrupts Honorable Alencar. “He did have a side hobby of thaumaturgy. Brasson, our best metaphysician, was impressed with some of his skills.”

“Ah.” Mia offers a small smile. “That makes more sense. We may hope he left us other clues, which we can follow back to Ovedisca’s worlds. And we had best hope so, for once Ovedisca begins such raids, he normally continues them for some time. Your Kingdom of Auspulia will suffer first. But Ovedisca is greedy, and will extend his raids into other lands, yea, even into the Land of the Fae. We must find a way to stop him before the vanishing sickness devastates our world again.”

(To be continued . . .)

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Magician’s Apprentice Chapter XLI

Posted on May 1, 2020 by Brian Bixby

The story so far: Tollon has fought and killed a dragon. Now he finds himself riding into a new danger, with a collection of allies he’s not quite happy to be with. Read on . . .

We’ve been riding in silence for a while when Jallia turns and says to me, “Saddle sore?” And she breaks into laughter.

I don’t have to look behind me to hear the other two laughing, too. So I give Jallia my blackest look.

You see, we’re on the road to Tebestora. Last night, while we were preparing to bed down at a campsite for the night, Mia and Jallia arranged that Katrina would be able to creep into my bed and have her way with me, an experience that remains enjoyable and exhausting, both. And all morning the three of them have been giggling over this.

Jallia isn’t fazed by my look. “What’s the matter, Tollon? You were happy enough to tell me about your conquests when you arrived the first time.”

“That was different,” I say. Now, if only I could explain why!

So Jallia offers an explanation instead. “So now I’m hearing about it from the woman’s side.” She turns and looks straight ahead. “Very revealing.”

“That’s not it at all.” I’m so angry I almost bite off my words.

Jallia says nothing. She just stares ahead, a superior smile on her face.

If I’d had my way, she wouldn’t even be on this expedition. We’re going to get involved in a quarrel between gods, and my baby sister has to come along? But Jallia insisted, Mia insisted, and Katrina said she never argues with her employers, except on military matters within her competence.

I try to sound calmer, more sensible. “It’s one thing for you and me to talk of such matters privately. It’s another for you three to set me up to put on a performance for your amusement.”

Instead of replying, Jallia turns to me and says, “Have you parleyed with any gods before?”

“On my own, no,” I admit. “Sarton has occasionally dealt with them, always with a lot of preparation and protection. We’re going to be confronting them with very little of either.”

“So we’re risking our lives,” she replies in somber tones.

“Which is why I didn’t want you on this expedition at all, Jallia. I wasn’t just trying to be the overprotective older brother.”

“But if we don’t stop this, we might end up dying anyhow.” Jallia shakes her head. “Was this how you felt facing the dragons?”

I emit a chuckle. “I was too preoccupied trying to find them and then to fight them to be scared.” And I see a chance to make a point. “No, the closest I felt to what you’re probably feeling now was when I proved to myself that Mia was a fairy.”

“But she’s so sweet.”

“She could kill us all in an instant.” I look back at her. She sees me looking at her, and gives me one of her quiet smiles. I turn back to Jallia. “Fortunately, she seems little inclined to do so.”

Jallia adopts a saucy tone. “And we know why that is, don’t we, lover boy?”

I sigh. Is the whole trip to Tebestora going to be like this?

(To be continued . . . and continued . . . and continued . . .)

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Magician’s Apprentice Chapter XL

Posted on April 30, 2020 by Brian Bixby

The story so far: Tollon finally has some dragon’s teeth. But it turns our that Mia has dumped a world of troubles into his lap, where at least one of them began. And returning to his old home isn’t helping. (If you’ve not read the story so far, this chapter kicks off another major part of Tollon’s story. You can find all the earlier chapters here.) Now read on . . .

I swear it’s a trick. I keep hearing female giggling, but when I follow the sound, I don’t find them. It’s a wonder I’ve not pitched myself into a ravine looking for them. They must be around here someplace!

Who would have thought Mia and my sister Jallia would become fast friends? The rest of my family acted as if I’d brought a monster into the house, they are so afraid of what a fairy might do. Jallia acts like Mia’s her sister, better than her actual sisters, really. The two go off and spend day after day walking the hills and ravines, chatting away merrily about almost everything. And I do mean everything. I can’t be sure, but Jallia’s dropped some hints that she knows about what happened with Lady Vorana, Mia, and me. I’d really like to know what Mia thinks of that whole business now, but I’m not going to pay the price of listening to my sister talk about my sex life to find out.

And we have urgent affairs to attend to. We have to get to the Tebestora School in a hurry. Mia recognizes what Honorable Strunstur meant in saying “Ovad,” and we need to stop it before it happens. I have to get back to the palace to give Sarton the dragon’s teeth, of which I now have plenty, and warn him what Lady Gwella is up to . . . assuming I can figure it out. And I’m worried that Lady Gwella means some ill for Paviara . . . like explaining to Paviara how she, Lady Gwella, is carrying my child.

Then I hear my name being called from the house. I give up on finding those two for now. Someone else wants me.

I walk in the back door. My stepmother is in the kitchen. She turns to me and says, “You didn’t tell us you’d have a warrior staying with us.”

To which I honestly reply, “That’s because I didn’t know I was. Who is it?”

She shakes her head. “I don’t know. Your father was talking to her, and asked me to bring in some food and drink, ‘suitable for company,’ he says. Really, Tollon, I’m not running a boarding house here, what with you bringing in a demon and now a warrior.”

“Mia’s a fairy, Artasta, and if I can get her and Jallia to stop acting like schoolgirls, I’ll be off in a flash.”

And then Artatsta surprises me. She gives me a worried look. “The warrior’s a big one, Tollon. Are you in some sort of trouble?”

I gently touch her face with my hand. “Always. But not that kind. Thank you for the concern, Artasta. Besides, I doubt any real warrior’s come here to kill me. They’d probably send a dwarf with a gamy leg.” And with that, I leave her and head over to the family room.

I see my father listening with real interest to the other person talking. Whoever it is has the gift of gab. So I walk in.

The other person stands up, and I realize why my stepmother Artasta called the visitor a warrior, not a soldier. She’s wearing full armor, visibly carrying at least five weapons, and stands over six feet tall. I look up at her brown face, and Katrina of Moss gives me a smile that shows she’s still interested in me. “Hiya, Tollon,” she says. “Talking with your father here about the Karnathian campaigns. You never told me he fought in the first one.”

The Amazons may have been a myth, but their African counterparts were real.

“Ah . . . um . . . ah.” I must be making a habit of being inarticulate. It’s coming so naturally.

She steps forward, cups my head in her two massive hands, and looks down at me. “So, when do we go off and kill some people?”

I’m saved from demonstrating my bewilderment by the entrance of Jallia and Mia at the far door to the room. Mia sees Katrina, and in a formal voice that sounds like it comes from someone much bigger than her, says, “Katrina of Moss, it is I who summoned you in Tollon’s name. You are needed to help avenge the Division of Spheres.”

“And,” Jallia chimes in, “Tollon wants to go a few rounds of wrestling with you.”

The double entendre does not escape me. If my skin weren’t already red, I’d be blushing.

(To be continued . . .)

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Magician’s Apprentice Chapter XXXIX

Posted on April 29, 2020 by Brian Bixby

The story so far: Tollon bravely, and clumsily, battled two dragons, then collapsed. When he wakes up, he’s in for several surprises. Now read on . . .

I hear someone calling my name. It’s dark. My eyes are closed. I hear someone calling my name. I open my eyes.

There is a beautiful spirit attending me. It must be a benevolent spirit, it is so pretty. It knows my name. I start repeating my name to myself. It’s a wonderful name.

“Tollon.”

That’s not my voice. But it’s sort of a familiar voice. I should recognize it. I look at the spirit again. And now I see who it is. And I see why I didn’t recognize her. It’s Mia. Only, she looks so unearthly. “Mia,” I say. “Mia. I must be dreaming.”

She holds up something. It’s the small dragon’s head. It looks odd. It also looks dead. I am not dreaming. I sit up, and realize I’m naked. In front of Mia. I start to stand up, only to have Mia push me down firmly. “Tollon,” she says, “it’s a bit late to worry about not wearing clothes.” She gives me an odd smile. “Besides, did you ever think I might like to see you naked?”

“Ah, um, ah . . .” I am not at my most articulate. But then I’ve just come through a fight with dragons and woken up naked beside someone I have very mixed feelings for.

“Besides, it was easier to heal you when I could see all the damage. How you ever managed to have sex with Lady Gwella in that shape I don’t understand.” Mia is amused.

I’m not. “What are you talking about? Lady Gwella? She may be a dragon, but she’s not in this cave.”

“She was, Tollon, she was, but you don’t remember.” Mia gives me a tap on the head. “Now you do.”

Tollon tends not to think too hard when confronted by a willing woman

It was just after I killed the little dragon. I heard a female voice calling me. I staggered over into a small side chamber, to find Lady Gwella bound and naked. She said something about how she’d been taken captive by the dragon and that I should free her and that she would reward me in any way she could. And just looking at her there, I knew what I wanted from her. And as I untied her, she demonstrated she was quite willing to comply with my desires. Which she did, rather vigorously.

I was exhausted when I was finished. I might have had the strength of five men, and the virility, but I’ve only the body of a small, slight man, and I was injured and wiped out. And as I lay there, all but helpless, Lady Gwella dressed herself, and then offered me some parting words, “Well, I guess it was worth sparing you some months ago. You’re good for something. Certainly that wretched little Paviara thinks so, too. Now I’m carrying your child. But it wouldn’t be convenient for you to remember that, just yet. So you’re just going to go to sleep and forget all about my being here.”

I think about it. And then I say to Mia, “My sister mentioned there were two women haunting me. She must have been one of them. She waited until I was exhausted and wouldn’t even notice that she was putting a spell on me.”

Mia explains, “That’s what alerted me. I came as soon as she bedazzled you.”

I look at her in wonderment. “Couldn’t you have stopped her?”

Mia nods. “Certainly. But why would I? You were enjoying it. It was only when she harmed you by making you forget that I decided to step in.”

I shake my head in wonder. I’m not going to try to explain to Mia why being bewitched into sex isn’t a good idea. I’m not sure I can, especially given our history together. “She said she’s carrying my child.”

“She is.”

“Why doesn’t she want me to remember that?” I wonder. “It must be part of some intrigue she’s planning.” And that means I have to get back to the palace as soon as possible. I look around. “Where are my clothes, Mia?”

She reached behind herself and hold out a pile of clothes that look brand new. And when I take them, she reached behind herself again and brings out a bag. “You’ll want these. Lady Gwella took half of them, but I removed the rest.”

I take the bag and look into it. Dragon’s teeth.

END PART FOUR

(To be continued . . .)

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Magician’s Apprentice Chapter XXXVIII

Posted on April 28, 2020 by Brian Bixby

The story so far: Tollon has been tasked by his master, Court Magician Sarton, to obtain some dragon’s teeth. He’s gone in quest of a dragon. No one told him there were two of them. Now read on . . .

I’m doomed. A large dragon is swooping down on me. And I’m on my back, having just missed killing a small dragon. With only moments left in my life, I take my sword in both hands and thrust upward. If I’m going to die, I want to at least give the thing a serious wound.

This is how Tollon imagined things would play out. (St. George killing the dragon, by Bernat Martorelli (died 1492))

The dragon comes crashing into me like a sack of bricks. My sword and my arms go right into its throat. It clamps its jaws down on my arms, and I realize I’m going to lose both hands before I die.

And then it twitches and collapses on me. The light goes out of its eyes. I look at the angle of its head and my sword, and realize it’s gone straight through the roof of the creature’s mouth and into its brain. And that damp stuff that’s flowing down my arms and onto my chin and neck is a combination of dragon saliva, dragon blood, and dragon brain.

I’m alive. The dragon is dead. I’ve killed it! Oh, it may just have broken several of my ribs. And I think both my arms are bleeding from wounds inflicted by its teeth. And I’m barely able to breathe, with the thing on top of me. But I’m alive! I’m going to live.

And then I hear another ear-splitting cry, and remember the little dragon. I’ve just killed its mother. (Or father. I’m not in a good position to tell just at the moment). Once it gets over the loss, I don’t think it’s going to like me.

There’s a spell that gives one the strength of a dozen men. I know it well, and I can do it even here and now. So I invoke it, pull my arms out of the dragon’s mouth, and with my arms and my body push the carcass off of me..

The spell isn’t working all that well. It feels more like I have the strength of maybe five men. Perhaps being crushed and badly injured by a dragon sets a lower standard.

I stand up. I feel strong. I also hurt badly in my chest, both arms, and my left leg.

And there is the little dragon, looking at me. If I were going to anthropomorphize, I’d say it looked just like a guy who’s been dumped for his best friend. I realize my sword is still stuck in the big dragon’s mouth. I wonder if I can reach it before the little dragon decides to attack me.

The answer is “no.”

The dragon charges me, knocking me off my feet. For the second time, I find myself underneath a dragon. This one wants to bite my head off. I grab it by its jaws and try to pull them apart. My fingers are bleeding from the sharp teeth. I take a blast of fire directly in the face, saved only by the spells I cast before entering the cave. The thing’s jaws weaken just after the fireball, and I pull as hard as I can. I hear bones snapping. With a horrific scream, the dragon falls off of me. It shrieks repeatedly, thrashing around. One of its talons rips the left side of my body. I roll away.

We both lie there on the floor. The dragon has a broken jaw thanks to the strength of five men. I have . . . I’ve stopped counting my injuries. I just lie there and cry. I hurt. It’s so unfair there were two dragons! Damn Sarton! Damn all dragons!

The sound of the dragon thrashing reminds me I’m still in danger. I stagger up, limp over to the corpse of the big dragon, and yank the sword out of its mouth. It’s ornamented in blood and brains.

I limp over to the thrashing dragon. It sees me, and makes a mewling sound. It is frightened of me. And it is gathering up another blast of fire. Wonder how that will work with a broken jaw?

I don’t care to find out. I take three steps and plunge my blade deep into the dragon’s belly. There’s a small explosion as the creature’s abdomen splits apart, and flames come out. I don’t care. I pull out the sword, take another two steps, and serve this one like its parent, straight through the mouth into the brain. This is one dragon that is never going to hurt anyone ever again.

I mean to pull out the sword, but I fall to my knees instead. I have the strength of ten men. I don’t care. I’m so tired. I hear someone calling my name. I need to get up. I think I get up. I don’t care.

Darkness.

(To be continued . . .?)

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Magician’s Apprentice Chapter XXXVII

Posted on April 27, 2020 by Brian Bixby

The story so far: Tollon has been sent by his master to slay a dragon. This is a big enough problem. But his sister Jallia has more unwelcome news for him. Now read on . . .

So my little sister Jallia has second sight. And she warns me that I’m going into dangers that are unexpected and weird. Facing a dragon just isn’t enough.

I spend that day looking over my shoulder. Less so the next day. By the fifth day, when I finally approach the dragon’s lair in the late morning, I’ve stopped worrying about phantoms. Killing a dragon is serious business.

This one, fortunately, is crepuscular. It should be snoozing. Like most of its kind, it’s said to hide out in a cave, and the locals tell me there is only one in the area big enough to hold a dragon.

As I get closer, it feels warmer, and I don’t think it’s just from the uncomfortable clothing I’m wearing. There are two ways to dress for fighting a dragon. One is to wear armor, and hope you kill it before it bakes you in it. The other is to wear magical garments that are fire-resistant, which is what I’m doing. However, they are almost as heavy as armor, and seem even more airtight. Still, it’s not just me, it’s the air around me that is getting warmer, too.

I’m thinking it’s just time to get off the horse and tie it up when the creature rears up, throwing me out of the saddle, and takes off back the way we came. I’ve been upset by a horse before. I know how to fall. I just didn’t plan on the rocks being there on the ground where they are. I not only get the air knocked out of me, but I think I’ve injured a muscle or something in my left leg. It hurts when I move it, enough to slow me down. Great.

I draw my sword, and limp up the path to the cave. Luckily, I don’t have far to go. Unluckily, it’s a big cave. A score of dragons could be hiding in it.

A marvelous place for a marvelous creature!
(Credit: Wikipedia/David Bunnell)

I call up a magical lamp, which hovers over my head as I move, providing plenty of light. And I wait. I wait because I should be able to hear the dragon, feel its magic just a bit. And then, although I don’t consciously know how, I know where the dragon is. I step into the cave and go wandering down the left fork.

It is definitely getting warmer as I move forward. I’m sweating. I’m surprised at myself. I don’t feel afraid, except maybe of dying of heat stroke before I ever see the dragon. It would be a shame to come out all this way, up into the mountains, and not get to see it. I wonder how big it is.

Another turn, and I emerge into a chamber with a high ceiling. Just how high, I can’t easily see. The chamber is walled in quartz, which means suddenly everything is bright with reflected light.

And there is the dragon! Despite all the rumors about it, this one is quite small, not even four feet long. And it’s still asleep.

This is going to be easy. I slowly and carefully walk to try to avoid making a sound. I raise my sword. When I get close enough, I’m just going to slice right through its head, a fatal blow, even for a dragon.

Its eyes open.

To my surprise, it’s got the cutest little expression on its face. It looks like a cat waking up from a nap to the smell of food. It takes me a moment to realize I’m the food.

I rush forward as fast as my injured leg will allow. The dragon opens its mouth. I await the fireball, but instead it lets out an ear-splitting call. The noise is so loud it knocks me off my stride, and I end up swinging my blade, missing the dragon completely, and falling down just beside it.

I’m on my back. Which is how I see the second dragon descending from above. It looks a lot bigger.

(To be continued . . .)

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Magician’s Apprentice Chapter XXXVI

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Brian Bixby

The story so far: Apprentice Tollon has stopped for a visit with his family on his way to slay a dragon. He wasn’t sure which was going to be more terrifying. And then his favorite sister throws him a curve. Now read on . . .

“Why are there two women haunting you?”

Jallia’s remark makes no sense to me. “What are you talking about?”

“You don’t know? Hmmm.” Jallia looks at me as if I’m mentally subnormal. “While we’ve been sitting here talking, two ill-defined ghosts appeared behind you. They were definitely women, though.” She laughs. “Tollon, have women been killing themselves over your heartless rejections of them?”

“Not that I know of. You mean right here, right now?” I have trouble believing this.

“No, silly, last equinox in the queen’s boudoir.” Jallia’s look changes from amusement to concern. “You really didn’t know about them?”

I shake my head. “Are they still here?”

“No, they both looked as if they were checking up on you. In fact, the way they acted makes a lot more sense if they’re alive. So much for my theory of dead lovers.” Jallia looks a bit put out.

“Can you tell me any more about them?”

What Jallia saw wasn’t very clear

She ponders the matter. “They were really little more than shadows. But one of them was sort of a glowing shadow, if that makes any sense. What do you think they are?”

“If they are real, whatever that means in this context,” I work it out, “they’d have to be projections, observers. A magician can do that, throw out a copy of himself to see what’s happening elsewhere.”

“And you didn’t notice this because?” This is why my sister is a smart aleck.

“Because I’m not all that sensitive to magic. A lot of magicians aren’t.” And I work the rest of it out. “But you, it seems, are.”

We spend about another hour with my testing my sister. Jallia turns out to be very sensitive to magic. Not that she can do any, at least nothing that I asked her to try to do. But she does admit to some spooky episodes. We decide that what she has is what people call “the second sight.” And she’d better stay very quiet about it. People with the second sight aren’t well-liked. They see misfortune coming just often enough that if they tell people about it, they get a bad reputation.

After a night’s sleep and a breakfast grudgingly given, Jallia accompanies me to the edge of the village on my way out. She points out a few places where her “second sight” has shown her things. It’s an impressive collection of visions. I’m beginning to wonder if she should have been training with Sarton, not me.

As a joke, I ask her, “Will I succeed in killing the dragon?”

I am immediately sorry I did so. Jallia fixes me with a look, as if she’s looking into me and through me. She shakes her head and frowns as she replies, “It’s strange. There’s something good that happens to you, and something bad. There is life and death. Death is good and life is bad.” She shakes her head again. “I have no idea what that means.” She gives me a worried look. “Be careful, Tollon. Whatever it is, you are not expecting it. Be on your guard.”

(To be continued . . .)

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