I'm so completely hooked!

Great work!

Thanks, Kimmi.

The process has slowed down a bit for me so it may be a few days between postings.

No worries. I understand completely. I paint... and there are days it flows and there aren't enough hours in the day to express myself. Then other days it's all I can do to figure out how to pick up a brush.

Just be true to your project and yourself... things will hopefully fall into place for you.

Chapter 26


( oh that’s just great )
[ yeah. isn’t it? ]
( how the hell are we supposed to combat something that even the sorcerers can’t understand )
[ don’t ask me. I’m in the same boat you are ]
( this is nuts )
[ not yet. You haven’t started screaming ]
( I think I am too shocked right now )
[ you aren’t the only one ]

“ So. Basically what I have found myself in is a situation that, on the surface of it, seems to be an unsolvable enigma “ Brian said.
“ I don’t disagree with that “ Philip replied. “ On the surface of it, that’s exactly what kind of position you find yourself in.

Philip stopped walking and looked squarely at Brian. “ However. To get to the truth, you must often look beyond the surface appearance. “
“ Well, that’s pretty much a given “ Brian, looking back at Philip, said.
“ Of course it is. But what you don’t recognize, yet “ Philip said with a grin “ is that to get to what’s underneath, you are going to have to change your way of thinking about it. “
“ What do you mean? “
“ Simple, really.
( simple? Has he been paying attention? )
[ settle down. I think this is something I need to hear ]
Until you stop looking at the problem as having no solution, you will never be able to find a way to solve the problem. “
“ But how am I supposed to solve the problem if I, nor anyone else, have any idea what the problem truly is? “ Brian asked, frustrated.
“ You just have to trust in your magic, Brian. “

Brian threw up his hands in exasperation. “ How? How can I trust in my magic when I don’t know what it is or how it works? Please explain that to me! “
Philip shook his head and said “ I can’t explain it to you Brian. It’s up to you to determine your magic and it’s limits. It’s also up to you to figure out how to use whatever magic you have to combat the problem. “
“ Well that’s just fantastic! “ Brian shouted. “ As far as I know, other than Krager telling me otherwise, I don’t even HAVE any magic. Even if I do, I have no idea what it is or how to control it. Now I find out that not only can the sorcerers, who are by far more powerful than I am, not get a handle on the problem itself, they can’t even be sure what kind of magic is involved. “
“ Well, to be honest “ Philip said loftily “ getting angry or frustrated surely won’t help you find the answers you need any faster. “
“ Oh, heaven’s no “ Brian said sarcastically. “ I mean, it isn’t like I have any reason to be frustrated. I should be totally happy that I have been thrown into the deep end of the pool even though I’m not sure how to swim yet. “
“ You have every reason to be upset, Brian “ Philip said. “ The trick is answering how you are going to use that frustration. “
( use it? )
[ so you heard that too, eh? ]
( yeah )
“ What do you mean ‘ use ‘ it? “
“ Simple “ Philip said. “ As I see it, you have two choices.
( two? It seems more like we don’t have ANY choices )
“ One. You can let the frustration of not knowing the answers eat at you and immobilize you. Or, you can use that emotion to make you more determined to find the answers you need. “
“ But, how can I find answers when I don’t even know what the questions are? “
“ What you don’t see is that you have been asking the right questions. Just not quite in the right way. “
( huh? )
[ not sure ]
( so, just so I understand this…)
[ good luck. I don’t understand either ]
(…we have been trying to get answers, but we’ve been asking the questions in the wrong order? )
[ that’s my take on it ]
( so what in the blue hell would the right order be? )
[ good question. If we asked them in the right order, we’d probably have some answers )
“ Alright. I have been asking the questions in the wrong order. Whatever that means “ Brian said, cooling down a bit. “ What would be the proper order? “
“ That I can’t tell you “ Philip said.
( what a shock )
[ yeah, no kidding ]
“ I can see by the look on your face that you still don’t grasp what I’m talking about so I will try to explain a bit. “
“ That would be much appreciated “ Brian said sarcastically.
“ First of all “ Philip said levelly “ Stop being a smart *** and just listen. “
Taken aback a bit, Brian said “ Sorry. I do apologize. My sarcastic side comes out when I am irritated. “
“ I understand. But you really need to listen to me right now. “
“ Alright. I’m listening. “
“ Good “ Philip said with a nod. “ Now. You say that you can’t come up with any answers because you don’t know what the questions are. However, you DO know what the questions should be. You have just been allowing the oddness of this situation cloud your thinking. That has caused you to ask the questions out of order. “
“ So you have said “ Brian replied.
“ Right. Now. I want you to stop and think about this for a minute. What should be the most important question you have to ask before you can gain any other knowledge? “

Chapter 27


Brian looked away for a moment to gather his thoughts.
( most important? )
[ I would have thought that finding out what we’re up against would have been most important ]
( me too )
[ but it would seem that we are wrong ]
( yeah. so we need to come up with a new approach )
[ yep. But what approach should we take? ]
( well. We have been asking what’s going on to try to figure out how to combat it, right? )
[ yes we have ]
( but that’s not the right question to ask right now )
[ so Philip says ]
( we’ll just assume he’s right )
[ fair enough ]
( ok. So if that isn’t the most important thing we need to know…)
[ then what is? ]
( without knowing what we are facing…)
[ which we don’t ]
(…then the only thing that’s left would be finding out about your magic )

With a flash of mental clarity, Brian looked back at Philip and said “ I think I know what you mean. “
“ Well try it out on me and I’ll let you know if you are on the right track “ Philip said with a slight grin.
“ Ok. Let’s see here. Since we have very little information about what we’re dealing with, we really can’t answer the question of how to actually deal with it. “
“ Correct. “
“ All that really leaves me, then, is the question of my magic. “

Philip nodded enthusiastically. “ Now that, my young friend, puts you on the right track. That is the question you should have been trying to answer all along. Before you can do anything about what is happening, you first have to know what it is you are capable of. “
“ But I really don’t know how to go about finding out. “
“ I see “ Philip said. “ Didn’t Krager give you a scroll with some spells on it for you to work with? “
“ Oh geeze “ Brian said, smacking his forehead lightly with his palm. “ Yeah. He did. I completely forgot about it. “
“ Well, wouldn’t you think this might be a good time to break it out and see what’s on it? “
[ I thought you were supposed to be here to keep me from doing stupid things? ]
( I am )
[ then where were you on that one? ]
( sorry. I was a little distracted by thinking of ways to not let us get killed )
[ excuses, excuses ]
( oh shut up )
“ Yeah “ Brian said with a light laugh. “ This probably would be a good time for it. “

He shrugged his way out of the backpack, opened the flap and rummaged around a little bit until he felt the scroll. He grabbed it and pulled it out of the pack, gave a tug on the string that tied the scroll closed, and let it fall open.
“ Let’s see here “ he said, scanning the page looking for something that didn’t look like it could hurt anyone or anything. “ transform, teleport, making dogs and cats get along
( that’s an actual spell? )
[ ummm…yep. Says so right here ]
( Huh. Well, Krager did say that the spells on that scroll were mostly harmless )
[ yeah ]
( although, if you think about it, that one might upset the nature of things )
[ maybe. I don’t think I’ll try that one just yet ]
( good call )
make something levitate. “
( oh that sounds like a good one to try )
[ think so? ]
( absolutely )
( ok. We’ll give that one a shot )
“ I think I have one to try “ he said to Philip.
“ Good. Which one? “
“ Levitate “ Brian said, pointing to the spell on the scroll.
“ Interesting choice “ Philip said with a hint of trepidation.
“ What? What’s wrong? “ Brian asked.
“ Oh! Nothing. Nothing at all “ Philip said with a shake of his head. “ I’m sure you’ll be fine. You can handle that spell. It was one of the first ones I learned when I came to Krager. “
“ Ok. If you are sure “ Brian said hesitantly.
“ Oh, yes. Absolutely. “
“ Alright. So what do I have to do? “
“ Basically, you just pick what you want to levitate, and read the spell while pointing at it. Just make sure you fully concentrate on the object while reading the spell. If you let your attention wander, bad things can happen. “
[ hear that? That means you need to stay quiet while I am trying to make the spell work ]
( yeah, ok. I think I can handle that )
[ good ]

Brian looked around trying to find something to cast the spell on. About 20 feet away, he saw a rock sitting off to the side in a field of grass. Looking at Philip, Brian said “ I think I’ll try it out on that rock over there. “
“ Sounds like a good plan. It’s far enough away that the chances of you dropping it on our heads are pretty slim. “
“ Oh very funny “ Brian said with a grin.
“ Hey. Don’t laugh “ Philip said seriously. “ When you first start practicing magic, odd things happen. I once tried to teleport a goat one day, and I wound up dropping it on my foot. “
Brian burst out laughing and said “ I think I would have actually paid to see that! “
“ Let’s just say that the goat was seriously confused “ Philip said, beginning to laugh himself.
“ Oh, I can just imagine. Standing there minding your own business, munching on some grass, and then you are suddenly in a place that isn’t where you were just a second ago. “
( yeah. we can relate )
[ except for the munching on grass thing ]
( yep. That’d be kinda gross )
[ no kidding. Doesn’t sound tasty at all ]
( not even a little bit )

“ Ok. Enough of that for now. Are you ready to watch me give this a try? “
“ The sooner the better, I suppose. “
“ Gee. Thanks for sounding so confident. That makes me feel so much better about giving this a shot “ Brian said with a snicker.
“ Sorry. I’m probably not as nervous as you are. But I still get a little skittish whenever someone tries new magic. “
“ I can’t say that I blame you for that “ Brian said.

Taking a deep breath and blowing it out quickly, Brian said “ Well. Here goes nothing. “

Chapter 28


[ are you ready? ]
( Are you? )
[ as ready as I ever will be, I guess ]
( let’s get on with it then )

Standing in the middle of the road and concentrating on reading the words on the scroll, Brian raised his hand and pointed to the rock he wanted to move.

As he started reading the scroll, he felt something that he couldn’t quite define begin to work in parts of his mind that he never knew were there. He felt a sudden rush that was unlike anything he had ever felt before, building slowly at first, then gaining momentum. When he had looked at the last line of the spell and memorized the words, he looked up at the rock while speaking the final part of the spell. Ah he did, the rock began to tremble, then slowly began to lift off the ground. As it did, the trembling grew more and more pronounced until, at about 5 feet off the ground, the shaking was such that it looked like the rock was being seen through a shaking television camera lens.

Suddenly, the rush that Brian felt built so much that he felt as if he was not within himself, but just an interested observer looking at his body from somewhere just outside of his body. Then, it built even more, pushing him further away from himself. He felt his control over himself slipping away, but could think of nothing that would help him get it back.

In the field, the rock was now about 15 feet off the ground and shaking with a violence that was astonishing. Then, suddenly, the shaking stopped.

Philip, taking notice, gave a quick whinny and ran behind a nearby tree, waiting for what he had a very good idea was coming. The creature that Krager had sent to follow Brian, seeing what was happening, scurried through the trees back toward the cottage.

With a loud CRACK, the rock split into hundreds of tiny fragments that then rained down all around Brian, none of them hitting him.

Brian quickly regained control of his body as the magic faded away and came back to himself fully with a mental thud.
( what was THAT? )
[ I have no idea ]
( man. That was awesome )
[ says you ]
( where the heck did you go? )
[ what do you mean? I didn’t go anywhere ]
( yes. You did ) when you were moving that rock, I couldn’t feel you in here with me. It was like you were completely gone )
[ so it wasn’t just a hallucination ]
( what wasn’t )
[ feeling that I was just an observer ]
( apparently not )
[ I don’t think I like that idea ]

Looking around to find Philip, Brian took a moment before seeing the horse over behind the tree.
“ What the hell happened to me? “ Brian demanded. “ I started reciting the spell, and suddenly I wasn’t in control of myself anymore. “
Coming out from behind the tree now that the danger of falling debris had passed, Philip looked at Brian thoughtfully and said “ I’m not entirely sure. I have seen some odd things happen when a person uses magic for the first time, but nothing quite that drastic. “
He walked to where Brian stood and looked down at some of the small pieces of stone that lay scattered around.
“ If I had to guess, and this would only be an educated guess on my part, I would say that you completely overpowered the spell itself. “
“ Overpowered the spell? How is that possible? “
“ To be honest, I can’t really be sure. “
“ Just keep telling me what you know or can make an educated guess at “ Brian said, softly. “ I really need to get some kind of grip on what just happened and you are my only source of information at this point. Please, just do the best you can to help me. “
With a nod and a sigh, Philip said “ I understand how you feel, Brian. I really do. Just bear in mind that I can only give you accurate information about what I actually know. The rest, well, I wouldn’t want to steer you in the wrong direction. That could have disastrous results. “
“ I understand. Just do what you can. “
“ Very well “ Philip said.
“ Thank you “ Brian said sincerely.
“ Here’s what I know for sure. The spells on the scroll are simple ‘ practice ‘ spells. They are meant for people who don’t have a grasp on the level of their power. Their purpose is to give those people a way to begin to get a handle on what they are able to do. All the apprentices have to master those spells before they can proceed with their lessons. “
“ Ok. I’m with you so far “ Brian said.
“ Good “ Philip said. “ Now for the part that I don’t know. I have never seen anything like that happen to an apprentice. I have seen everything from the complete inability to move the object at all, to the object going out of control and hitting something when all they were trying to do was lift it. “
“ Fair enough. I’m still with you “ Brian said.
“ Before I proceed, can I ask you something? “
“ Sure. “
“ You said that you didn’t feel as if you were in control of yourself. When you said that, what did you mean? “
“ I meant that I felt almost as if the magic had pushed me outside of myself. Like I was just an interested observer looking at things from just off to the side. “
Nodding, Philip said “ That’s very interesting. I have heard of that kind of thing, but I have never actually experienced it. “
“ Do you have any idea what it means? “
“ Sort of. “
( sort of? )
“ Don’t stop now “ Brian said. “ I need to know what you know. “
“ Basically “ Philip said, looking Brian squarely in the eye “ if your magic is powerful enough to push you away from yourself, it is very strong magic. My magic was never strong enough to do something like that. It’s very rare. “
“ But that still doesn’t tell me what the occurrence with the rock actually means. “
“ It means that Krager, even though he knows you HAVE magic, severely underestimated how truly powerful your magic actually is. “

Doing awesome! I can't wait for more!

Well..now....see....here's the thing.....lol

I, until recently, had no really serious thoughts of trying to get this story published.

BUT...I have been told by a couple of friends ( that I trust implicitly when they give me their opinion ) that I really NEED to start considering it.

So I am left with a bit of a dilemma.

If I continue to post the story here, it could possibly ( if word gets out that it's posted here ) harm potential sales.

The old " Why buy the cow when the milk is free " thing.

But I also know that there are quite a few people here who really like it and look forward to seeing the next chapter.

I really enjoy sharing it here, but I also have to consider the future.

Really not sure exactly what I am going to do at this point.

Ummmmmm..... totally get your dilemma, BUT, I would have to hunt you down and kick your rear if you stop posting LOL!

I think I might have to risk the azz kicking I may get.

* shrugs *

oh no!!!!! but but but!!!!! I need to find my pointy toed shoes!

What I think I will probably do is keep posting chapters...but slowly.

Up until now, I have been posting them as I finish them. Nothing edited or re written for flow.

I still won't edit them because I am not going to be doing any of that ( other than my normal backing up to fix a piece of dialogue that I can make better )...but I will be writing a lot of chapters before I post another here.

If I do it right, I'll have it finished and submitted to a publisher, and in process of being published, before I post the last few chapters here.

k, just dont leave us hangin without an ending! haha you don't live THAT far from me!

LOL

Chapter 29


Brian, slightly confused, said “ How do you figure? “
“ Because “ Philip replied “ if he had had a good grasp on the level of magic that you are capable of, he would have never given you that scroll. Those spells are for low level magic at most. Your magic, however, was too much for such a simple spell to contain. Thus, you wound up having the rock you were simply trying to move break into pieces. I’m just glad you didn’t decide to see if you could move me. “
( that probably would have been bad )
[ gee. Ya think? ]

“ I don’t blame you. That could have gotten ugly “ Brian said with a wry grin.
“ Just a bit “ Philip replied.
“ So now what am I supposed to do? “ Brian asked seriously. “ It looks like I can’t really practice the magic because it’s too strong for the spells on the scroll and I have no control over it to back off a bit so I could use it for those spells. “
[ not to mention, I am not entirely sure I want to learn more about it if it can make me feel the way I felt ]
( that may be, but you know you are going to have to figure out how to control it eventually )
[ not if I choose not to ]
( if you say so )
[ what’s that supposed to mean ]
( oh, nothing. Just the fact that you have yet to realize that we have no choices in this deal )
[ of course we have choices ]
( oh yeah? name a choice we have. Just one )
[ I can choose not to use the magic, for one ]
( and where is that going to leave us? We will still have to face whatever it is we are on our way toward facing. If you choose not to use the magic, what do we have left to fight with? )
[ I don’t know. I’ll think of something ]
( No. You won’t. that’s the whole point )
[ WHAT is the whole point? ]
( what are you going to do? Walk up and tell whatever it is to go away? Think that will work? )
[ of course not ]
( then what other idea would you have )
[ I don’t know, ok? I have no idea right now. All I DO know is that I am not very keen on getting thrown out of my own mind and body ]
( it wasn’t a whole lot of fun for me either )
[ then don’t you think we should try to avoid it happening again? ]
( no )
[ why not? ]
( because we HAVE to figure out how to use it )
“ What you do now “ Philip said looking off into the distance “ is keep working at it. I can’t promise that you’ll be able to fully control the magic any time soon, but I think you will gain a little more ability to do so each time you use it. “
“ Philip “ Brian said “ I’m not even sure I want to control it. I’m not sure I even want to use it again. That feeling I had of being pushed out of myself isn’t something I particularly cared for. “

Philip nodded understandingly. “ I can see why you would feel that way. I can’t say that I can actually relate to it since it’s never happened to me. But I can see your point. “
Brian started to say something, but Philip stopped him with a quick shake of his head. “ However, whether or not you feel like you should use the magic again is pretty much irrelevant. “
“ What do you mean, irrelevant? “ Brian exclaimed.
“ Exactly what I said “ Philip said with growing irritation. “ You know as well as I do that what you felt was a part of your magic. Whether or not you allow it to continue to take over your body and mind of it’s own accord is totally up to you. But the fact remains that YOU are the only one with enough power to put a stop to what is going on in the North Lands. That fact is what makes whether or not you want to use the magic irrelevant. You may not want to, but you have to. “
( see. Told you )
[ oh shut up ]
“ Why? “ Brian said. “ Why do I HAVE to? “
With a derisive snort, Philip looked directly at Brian and said “ Don’t you get it yet? Are you that dense? All the sorcerers in our world aren’t powerful enough to put a stop to this. They can’t even fully understand it. “
“ Yes. I get that “ Brian said.
“ I don’t think you truly DO get it, Brian “ Philip said, shaking his head slowly. “ Let me break it down into very simple language. You, Brian, are this world’s only hope. “

Chapter 30


After observing Brian’s first attempt at using the magic, the creature that had been sent to follow and keep watch over him had to make a quick decision. Either stay there and, as the group moved on, continue to follow as directed by Krager, or go back and report to Krager what the creature had seen.

As much as the creature wanted to stay there and do what Krager had asked, the creature found itself thinking that what it had seen was just too important for Krager to not be fully informed.

Making the decision to go ahead and make a run back to Krager’s cottage, the creature turned tail and ran as fast as it possibly could
…this would sure be a lot faster and easier if he would see fit to turn me into a creature a little more suited to running like this…
to tell Krager what it had observed.
Fortunately, Philip and Brian hadn’t gotten more than a few miles from the cottage so the creature got back in relatively good time.

The creature spotted Krager milling about near the barn, so it ran toward the sorcerer and climbed a nearby tree and called out
“ Krager. I have news that you must know. “
Krager, startled, looked quickly around, spotted the creature and asked sharply “What are you doing back here? You are supposed to be keeping an eye on Brian and making sure he doesn’t get himself into too much trouble. “
“ That’s what I had to come back here for. I have something important to tell you. “
“ Important? What could be more important than the task I gave you? “ Krager said nastily.
“ Don’t take that tone with me old man “ said the creature with a scowl. “ You know very well that I would not have left Brian and come back here if I didn’t think what I wanted to tell you wasn’t of the utmost importance. “
Properly chastised, Krager said “ My apologies. You are right. I do know that. What is it you came all the way back here to tell me? “
“ That’s more like it “ the creature said. “ Now listen carefully. “

The creature leaned in and related what it had seen when Brian tried out the magic. Krager, with a look of shock and wonderment slowly coming to his face, nodded several times while the creature relayed the story.

When the creature had finished, Krager looked at it and said
“ That’s very interesting. Very interesting indeed. Thank you for coming back to tell me. “
“ I thought you would see it’s importance like I did “ said the creature.
“ Indeed I do “ Krager said. “ It would seem that I have some work to do then. “
“ Absolutely. There is a lot of work ahead of you as well as myself. “
“ I take it you’ll be heading back out to catch up to Brian? “
“ Yes. Until he learns to control the magic, I am going to have to keep a very close watch. “
“ Thank you for being willing to help him “ Krager said sincerely. “ I know that you have your hands full with other things. “
“ Well. He is the last descendant of Theron. It seems the least I can do is keep an eye on him. “
“ True. But, at this point, all he really knows is that he is descended from a sorcerer who didn’t want the responsibilities involved here. “
“ I know what you told him, Krager. I was listening in when you related your story to him. “
Krager chuckled, shook his head and said “ I should have known you would be watching. “
“ Well of course. I must keep my reputation of being all knowing. “
“ Oh by all means. That is a must. “
“ Alright. Anyway. I need to be getting back to Brian and Philip and you have things to do. “
“ Absolutely. I will start as soon as you leave. “
“ Very well. I am off. “
Krager put up a hand and said “ Wait. I need you to do one more thing. “
The creature turned back and said “ What is it? “
“ I need you to let Philip know that, in the event Brian starts asking questions about his forefather, the information needs to be given to him slowly. Too much at one time could very well send him of the precipice into insanity. Philip must be careful. “
“ I understand “ replied the creature. “ It will be done. “

The creature peered at Krager and said seriously “ You cannot fail on this, Krager. You know what must be done. “

With that, the creature turned and started back in the direction it had come from such a short time ago.

I'm hoping your writing is going well. I miss reading more, but understand the reasoning.

Wow. I hadn't realized that it had been so long since I posted something here.

Here's the next chapter.

I am still; a few chapters ahead of what I post here so I am hoping that I can post something a little more often.

Hopefully, I'll be able to put something here once every couple of weeks.

I realize that it's going to really draw things out but it's what I have to do so as not to wind up posting the entire thing before I have a chance to submit it.

Chapter 31


After having watched the creature take off, Krager turned toward the cottage and hustled through the front door. He proceeded up the stairs and into a room next to the one Brian had slept in. He opened the door and entered a tiny room which was dominated by a large basin that resembled a birdbath. But this was nothing so mundane.

Stepping to the middle of the room where the basin stood, Krager looked down into the sand that filled it. Speaking the necessary words he moved his hands in the patterns that would complete the spell to make the sand work their magic.

As he spoke and gestured, the sands began to shift. The movements became more urgent, until finally, they formed a three dimensional face. Once the face was formed, the sands continued to move, but constrained themselves inside the form.

The mouth began to move soundlessly. Then, a rough voice said “ Krager. Why have you called me? “
“ My apologies Alistor, “ Krager said apologetically “ but I have news that you urgently need to know. “
“ I am very busy, Krager “ Alistor said testily. “ This had better be worth my time. “
“ I truly believe it is “ Krager said quickly. “ You know I wouldn’t disturb you without good reason. I felt it imperative that I share the information I have gotten with you and the other sorcerers. It has great bearing on our problems here in Mesatania. “
“ Very well. I am listening. “
“ Ok. To start, you know of my efforts to bring Brain Radik here to our world. “
“ I am well aware of your efforts. I am also aware that you were successful in bringing him here. “
“ Of course. You are also aware that no one is sure how his magic will be able to help us. “
“ Very true. We’re not even sure what kind of magic it is that he has. “
“ Exactly. All we really know is that he is the last descendant of Theron and that he does have some kind of magic. It is this that has prompted me to contact you. “
“ Has his magic shown itself? Can we determine what magic he wields? “
“ Not exactly. We are still unsure of the magic itself. But the information I have received leads me to believe I have a pretty good idea of what it is and how powerful it could be. “
“ Well get on with it, then. What information have you been given? “
“ Before I tell you that, I am going to say something I am sure you will agree with once you hear what I have to say. “
“ Very well. We shall see. “
“ When Brian left my home, I sent Callie to follow him to make sure he didn’t get into too much trouble. “
That was a very good idea “ Alistor said, seemingly impressed. “ But I am rather surprised that she was willing to do much of anything. She has been enjoying her new body far too much. “
“ True. But she seems to have sensed the importance of the mission at hand. “
“ Perhaps. But we have had things of importance happen before and she was rarely willing to lend a hand. “
“ I know “ Krager said flatly. “ She usually isn’t the most agreeable creature. But in this case, she did as I asked and followed him. In their travels, and they hadn’t gotten all that far away, Brian tried out the magic by casting a simple spell that he intended to use to teleport a large boulder. “
“ You gave him a practice scroll without knowing his magic? “ Alistor said disbelievingly.
“ Yes. I had no other way to gauge his magic and it’s power. Not to mention, there is no way that he would have been able to discover it on his own without a little help. “
“ Fair enough “ Alistor said. “ So what happened? “
“ The boulder exploded. “
“ Exploded? What do you mean, exploded? “
“ Exactly what I said. Callie said that the boulder shuddered violently, and then blew itself into small pieces. “
“ That is certainly interesting. I think I may know where you are going with this. It’s very powerful magic, indeed, that can overwhelm a spell like that and have that kind of consequence. “
“ Indeed “ Krager said, nodding. “ That’s why I say this with utmost sincerity “ Krager paused a moment to allow Alistor to consider what he, himself, already knew to be true. “ We must protect Brian in every way we possibly can. “
“ From what you have told me, I am lead to agree. “ Alistor said after a moment of thought. “ However, you know as well as I do that there isn’t a whole lot that we can actually do to protect him. “
“ I realize that “ Krager said. “ But I think it’s important for us to do what we can to make sure he gets the chance to fully develop the magic to it’s full potential. “
“ I agree. I am sure the others will as well. If necessary, I will make them see it’s importance. But once I tell them what you have related to me, I am sure no further convincing will be needed. “
“ I certainly hope not. But you know that they can be rather stubborn at times “ Krager said with a sigh.
“ Don’t worry, my old friend. I assure you that in this case, their stubbornness will be overridden by their common sense. “ “ Alistor then asked Krager the question he knew had been coming ever since he explained what had happened with the boulder. “ Krager, I am pretty sure I know what you are going to say in response to this question, but I need to hear it from you. What is the magic that you think Brian carries? “
Krager, on the spot, said “ Keep in mind that I could very well be wrong. But I really don’t think I am. “

“ I truly believe that Brian’s magic is one we haven’t seen here in hundreds of years. I think Brian carries the magic of Dragon Flame in his blood. “