Drakonika (Book 1) (35 page)

The next day was just another day of study. The novices were marching out from the town to one of Aedan's lessons, when Elmar panted to Magnus' side, a broad smile on his face. He was holding at least five books, although today they didn't need them at all. “Wow, that was so exciting!” he said, gasping.

Magnus winced, as though the sound of Elmar's voice scraped inside his ears. “Eh ... What was exciting again?” he asked warily.

“The evening yesterday! I told you it would make a completely different mood if we study all together. That was such a great adventure!” Elmar said merrily.

Magnus gave him a tired look. “That's because we didn't study at all,” he said in a bored tone.

“We didn't?” Elmar said, looking utterly bewildered. Fortunately, there was no time for talking, because the lesson was about to begin.

Once Aedan reached the edge of the forest, he stopped and turned to his novices. “We will stop here. You two,” he said, pointing at Magnus and Rodrick, “You can take a seat nearby and play Magiker. As for the others, your workplace is here. We'll plant new trees and help Mother Nature, a very meritorious activity.”

“WHAT?!” Darius snarled fiercely. “We should dig in the dirt while
they
will just play cards?!”

“
Exactly. Do you have something against it?” Aedan said calmly.

“
Yes! Everything!” Darius snapped shortly. As much as the others disliked him, they had to agree with him now — it was so unfair!

“
Darius is right! We want to play too!” shouted several boys and girls from the crowd.

“
Right!” Viktor said. “We want to play! Who's with me?” he looked around him to see the response, but  Aedan held up a hand to silence them.

“
As I said,” Aedan said firmly, “You two — get out of here before I change my mind. And the rest of you — get to work.” Magnus and Rodrick vanished before he could say another word. “Don't worry, they will serve in the kitchen the whole week,” Aedan said quietly. That seemed to calm the novices as they finally shuffled off to work.

While Aedan was giving instructions how to plant seeds, Magnus and Rodrick sat on the fragrant grass under the trees nearby.

“Before we can start playing, we have to decide who is the warlock and who is the mage. There's only the two of us, so I'm the warlock,” Rodrick decided, as if he didn't even need Magnus' opinion. “Each group plays with a separate deck. There is one for warlocks and one for mages. We always begin with six cards,” he said, quickly shuffling the cards in his hands. He was so fast Magnus' eyes could barely catch up with him. Both of the card decks were huge and they hardly fit into Rodrick's hands.

“
The Aces of Elements are the highest. There's five of them in each deck. Under each Ace there is a mage or a warlock of the element and they have four more groups beneath them — The Infantry, Spells, Magickal Items and Action. The Infantry is composed of Master, Adept, Apprentice and Novice,” Rodrick said swiftly. It seemed he played Magiker quite frequently.

“
Novices? That's like us!” boomed Magnus eagerly, but the next words cooled him down.

“
Yeah, at the very bottom of the battlefield,” Rodrick said pointedly.

“
Wait, how many cards are there?” asked Magnus with acted curiosity, although he had already gotten the answer from Rodrick's mind.

“
Three hundred and sixty. Each deck has one hundred and eighty of them,” Rodrick said coolly. He was obviously used to that enormous number of cards already.

“
What? That's insane!” Magnus said, when he heard a girl's voice behind him.

“
What is insane?”

Magnus tilted his head to see who it was. “Fjalldís? You're finished already?” he said, looking at her in surprise.

Fjalldís slumped on the grass next to them. “Yeah, it was quite easy. Everyone will check on their tree from time to time and take good care of it. Can I watch you play?” she said, smiling sweetly.

“
Eh ... well,” Magnus faltered, but it seemed that Rodrick didn't have a problem with her watching them.

They were observed from a distance by someone else. “Why is that rabble crawling around Rodrick? We should show them where their place is!” Viktor growled angrily, but when he was about to take a run to Rodrick, Darius' arm blocked his way.

“Wait! Don't go there,” Darius said hastily.

“
Why not?” Viktor snarled, but then he realised he was acting fiercely for no reason. “Is that a plan to get some information about Magnus?” he said, this time sounding a little calmer as he lowered his voice into a whisper.

“
Well ... yeah, of course ... what did you think?” Darius said, trying to sound as convincing as possible.  “We'll see what he can learn from them.”

“
Hm ... That sounds good. You're right, it wasn't a bad idea to send Rodrick with those cards to disguise his intentions,” Viktor said, nodding complacently.

Darius didn't care about Magnus anymore, but if he wanted Rodrick to find out the truth about the note from Elmar, he had to act like he wanted to get information about Magnus. Otherwise, Viktor would ruin the whole thing.

Rodrick was spreading out the cards.

“
Rodrick, what do you want to become when you grow up?” Fjalldís asked suddenly.

“
Who? Me? A thief,” Rodrick answered without hesitation.

Fjalldís looked shocked. “A thief? That doesn't sound very promising,” she said as she watched him handle the cards quickly. That was the same thing she had told Darius about becoming a warlock. But then again, maybe the whole Black Squad was heading the wrong way.

“Fine, now you've got cards,” Rodrick said, looking at Magnus. “If you don't have some really useful spells or magickal items, it's better not to start with a battle. Try to build a strong defense.”

Magnus was surveying his cards, but he had no idea if they were useful or not.

Then Fjalldís' curious voice interrupted them again, “Do you know why Darius' left arm is wrapped in a bandage?” Rodrick looked up and fixed a surprised gaze on her.

“
Oh, that ... It's just for image, or something like that ...” Rodrick said as his eyes darted back to his cards. That was certainly not the answer that Fjalldís wanted. It sounded almost as if he lied, but maybe it was the truth. But if Rodrick was telling the truth, that would mean Darius lied to her. Maybe they both lied which wouldn't really surprise her. While she was thinking, Rodrick continued with Magiker rules.

“
You're a mage. If you collect a whole Mage Infantry including the Mage himself and the Ace above it, you win. But that's a hard way to win, given the huge number of cards. It's easier to fight your way to victory ... if you don't die in the very beginning,” he said. “I recommend you to arrange the cards by their type.”

“
That seems to be a difficult game,” Fjalldís commented, while Magnus was sorting his cards.

“
Yeah. Definitely not for duffers. By the way ... do you like Aedan's lessons? Would you like to become a druid?” Rodrick said, suddenly interested in her opinions. That question made Magnus nervously look up from his cards.

Fjalldís couldn't hide the surprise on her face. “Oh ... no, I have other plans for life. I want to be a great warrior,” she announced proudly.

Rodrick had to strain himself not to laugh. A weak girl wanted to become a mighty warrior? “So I suppose that warriors intrigue you much more than druids,” Rodrick said as he was sorting his cards.

“
Definitely. Well, I mean ... druidry is nice, but it's not the path for me. This guild is good for training, but once I leave from here, I don't think I'll be in contact with druids anymore,” Fjalldís said. She wasn't sure why he asked her about this, but Magnus was certain it was about the note from Elmar. And frankly, he was already worried.

XVII. The Magiker Tournament

The week before Full Moons whizzed by like a feather carried away by strong winds. To Magnus, it seemed unbelievable that his life would end this early. That was exactly how he felt
— as if he was to be hanged that day. As he resumed his deadpan stare at the opposite wall just beneath the window with the view of a beautiful, sunny morning, he was wondering what would kill him first — the Magiker tournament or Rodrick's loose tongue? Till this day, Magnus trembled to hear that the whole Black Squad had learned about his little druid prank. He was no longer scared of them, but he was worried what they would do to Elmar and what would happen if they blabbed everything to Aedan. And
that
could surely kill him.

Magnus rolled in his bed and closed his eyes, now facing the other wall. His peace was interrupted by a gnat that buzzed annoyingly right next to his ear, but he remained still, his eyes shut.

FLICK!

The pointed end of his black tail swished onto the bed like a flapper, leaving only a small red stain on one of the white pillows. Since his tail had grown to its full length, Magnus had learned to use it like another limb. Perhaps even better, because he didn't even have to open his eyes to hit the tiny target with utter precision. He could control his tail perfectly.

Magnus smiled faintly and snuggled into the soft pillows, swirling his tail around the blanket. He was slowly falling into sweet slumber and he had completely forgotten that this was the day with the capital D. And unfortunately for him, the sun had already risen.

The door to Magnus' room flung open with a deafening racket.

“Magnus! Get up!” Maren screamed.

“Wake uuup! This is your big day!” Fjalldís' said. Both girls jumped on Magnus' bed without hesitation, shaking it all over.

As soon as Magnus heard them, he mutinously vanished under his blanket. “Leave me alone! I want to sleep!” Magnus grunted into the pillows, so the words came out quite muffled.

“You should have thought about that before,” Maren preached.

“Honestly, Magnus ... You should get up. We have to think of a cover for your little friend,” Fjalldís said, as she picked up the end of Magnus' tail and hung it over her shoulder. It looked as though they were talking to a pile of linens or a vampire hiding from the rays of light.

“I'm not going anywhere,” said Magnus gruffly. “I can't! Just look at me!” he moaned on, his head completely buried in the pillows. There was no way Fjalldís or Maren could see any bit of his skin.

“Come on Magnus, don't be such a drama-king. We'll cover it up and you'll be fine,” Maren said softly to comfort him, but it didn't seem to work. Just the opposite — he sat bolt upright, holding the bed sheet over his head like a grandma would wear a scarf in winter, and shot them a horrified gaze.

“Oh really? And how do you want to cover –” Magnus said and then paused to remove the blanket from his head, “THIS?” Immediately, a set of scaled thorns popped up on either side, gradually shortening from the top to the bottom, firmly connected by a dark, yet translucent membrane. All of them came right from Magnus' ears and pointed backwards like a pair of bat wings.

Fjalldís and Maren gasped. Their excited smiles slowly faded, as though they forgot to switch their expressions. But eventually, they did fade out. “Well, that could be a little problem,” Fjalldís said tentatively.

“Magnus, what's happening to you?” Maren spoke at last, her voice shaking with undisguised fear. “You know ... at first, I thought this whole transformation thing was pretty cool, but now I'm really worried.”

The tone of her voice suggested that if someone didn't calm her down immediately, she might even start crying. Magnus forced a smile onto his face, saying, “It's okay, Maren. I'm all right. I feel fine, really –”

“No, It's not okay!” Maren cut across him dramatically. “What will change next, huh? Your legs? Your arms? Or your ... face?” she said desperately. “What if soon I'll see somebody else instead of you? Or rather ... something? I want everything to return to normal, Magnus ... I'm afraid ... I'm afraid I'm going to lose you!” At these words, she realised she had almost flung her arms around Magnus to embrace him.

“We can talk about this later guys,” Fjalldís interrupted them hastily. “We need to think of a way to make Magnus temporarily
normal
and we need to do it quickly
.
Let's take care of the tail first.”

“Well,” Magnus begun, slumping down lazily from the edge of his bed, “At first it was enough to wear the druid cloak, but now it's gotten too long. I think I need to wear the druid robe and we'll have to tie my tail up.”

Maren was still too shocked to do anything, therefore Fjalldís quickly ran downstairs and within seconds, she brought up a thin, yet firm rope. “This will have to do,” she said, closing the door behind her. She started tying Magnus' tail and Maren finally joined her, suppressing a sob. It was a difficult job even though Magnus helped as much as he could. They all hoped this camouflage would last at least till the end of the tournament.

As they tightened the last knot and Magnus dressed in a brown robe taken from one of his drawers, they heard a heavy pace issuing from the staircase.

“Someone's coming! Quickly!” Fjalldís whispered frantically, throwing the druid cloak on Magnus. He quickly covered his head with the hood, relieved that his “ears” could easily bend down. In that very moment, the door swung open.

“Oh, here you are! Ready to go, I see!” Aedan said merrily, a broad smile on his face. He had been smiling more than ever before in the past seven days. And all that was thanks to Magnus' progress in druidry and his amazing druid miracle with the Black Squad. “You look like a true druid! So, we can set off I expect. The carriages are ready outside.” At these words he fell silent, gazing out the window located several steps from where he was.

Magnus, Maren and Fjalldís exchanged a few horrified glances. This was definitely not the right time for Magnus to participate in any tournaments.

Aedan suddenly raised a hand to the level of his eyes and clenched his fist. “You have to win that tournament,” he said resolutely. “Druids must shine in the light of fame for once! Let's go, Magnus, we mustn't waste our time!” At these words, he wheeled around Magnus and started pushing him to the doorway.

Magnus tried to resist, but he was slipping. Despite all his strength, it felt as if he was pushing against a huge boulder; Aedan was no weakling. “Could I ... Could I at least have a peaceful breakfast in the dining room first?” he said finally.

“Nonsense! You'll eat on the way there,” Aedan said merrily.

It was clear that once Magnus got pushed out the door, he wouldn't be able to go back inside. “Maren, take my rucksack!” Magnus said quickly, when he realised they would have to stay in Ragna overnight.

“All right,” Maren said. She dragged the backpack behind them, sweeping the floor with it as she was unable to pick it up. Fjalldís decided to help her and clutched it on the other side. “Stones again,” Maren muttered.

“Move it, we mustn't be late!” Aedan roared impatiently.

Magnus didn't have a choice. He felt as if the tournament had already started for him. Aedan pushed him down the stairs and mumbling something about famous druids, he shooed him out into the street where two carriages were ready to take the novices to Ragna.

The children were already waiting there. Magnus came among the last, although you would expect he was the first novice standing around the carts, ready to go. But the fact that their destination was Ragna made most of them shiver from head to toe.

“Do we really have to go there? That place is full of bloodthirsty beasts!” Lars said, shaking all over. When he spoke, his voice was quavering. It appeared he scared himself without the help of someone else.

“Don't worry,” Aedan said, smiling. “If you behave and stay inside at night, the dragons won't eat you up.” His words did not calm any one of them. Mere imagery of fire-breathing monsters roaming the streets almost scared them to death. And it wasn't even night yet.

Aedan strode to one of the carriages and climbed briskly on the stairs in front. With a faint nod, he greeted the favourite coachman of the Black Squad, who the novices named “Mr. Hagman”. He was already holding the reins of his horses firmly in his hands, ready to speed off like a lightning bolt.

But Aedan and the Mr. Hagman were probably the only ones who were rushing to Ragna so much. The novices hesitated for a long while and climbed into the carriages only when their teacher threatened to push them inside himself. Magnus wanted to go the least of all.

The novices scrambled reluctantly into the carriages with a raised canopy, as it was a beautiful sunny day. Aedan and Mr. Hagman exchanged defiant looks which wasn't a good sign. It seemed there wouldn't only be the Magiker tournament, but also a horse-cart race.

Both carriages bolted off so harshly that the novices in Aedan's cart, who weren't used to such riding, had great difficulty not falling over the edge at the sudden twitch. The second cart didn't expect anything else.

While Aedan and Mr. Hagman were exchanging grimaces, chasing after each other as though they had bet their lives on winning the race, the Black Squad was getting into a very good mood. This time, the horses trotted even faster than usual. The wheels of the cart jangling over every stone on the road, the land passing them by with such speed it was fused into a long green line, the wind whizzing across them as though they were flying and a great wisp of dust engulfing everything they left behind. And most of all
— another carriage rattling on the road, keeping up with theirs. After all, Aedan was better with horses than anyone else.

At some point, Magnus felt something hit his shoulder. He was sitting with his back turned to the other carriage, leaning against the short wooden wall. When he looked behind him, he saw Darius scrambling to his feet in the dangerously jangling cart, slamming his jacket at Magnus again.

Magnus looked away. Darius and his band were the last thing he was in the mood for. All he felt now was a fervent desire for this day to end.

Rodrick and Giselbert stood up and sniggered, the wind ruffling their hair. They took off their jackets and repeating after Darius, they started hitting Magnus from behind, every now and then falling to their knees. Seconds later, Henry, Viktor and Serena joined them as well.

Magnus' breath got heavier. Anyone could see he was doing his best to keep his temper in check. He pursed his lips and decided to withstand anything that would come — unless, of course, they crossed the line.

And they did. A moment later, Maren got hit by one of the jackets as well, leaving her ponytails completely ruined. She scrambled away immediately, pressing against other novices, who seemed just as terrified as she was.

Nothing but the sound of jeers at Maren's expense could have given Magnus the strength to stand up, round on the Black Squad and let out a savage hiss.

That sound sent a chill down their spines. The Black Squad swayed and gaped at Magnus for a moment, then burst into laughter, commenting on each movement he made, just to cover their fear.

“Magnus!” Maren shouted. “Sit down! You will fall!”

“I won't,” Magnus said darkly, gazing directly at the Black Squad. “But somebody else might.” As soon as Darius attacked again, Magnus' arm bolted towards it and grabbed the other sleeve of the jacket.

It appeared Darius didn't expect such speed. His scoffing look died immediately and it was replaced with an uncertain, startled expression. His comrades seemed just as surprised.

“What's the matter? Scared already?” Magnus told them, a cold glinting in his silvery eyes. Coiling the sleeve around his right arm, he drew the carts closer to each other, as even now, Darius didn't let go of his jacket. There wasn't a single novice who wouldn't watch this battle
— it was certainly not an occasion when the Black Squad leader wanted to show his fear!

“Me? Scared of
you
? Only in your dreams!” he said confidently and tugged on the sleeve, hoping that Magnus would fall over the edge of his cart. But what happened was just the opposite.

In the very next moment, Darius was dangling on the left side of Aedan's cart and his band was forced to helplessly watch as he was literally flying. The only thing that parted him from a painful fall was the jacket on which he was holding for dear life and although he felt like a hero just moments ago, now he was screaming as though he could die. Actually
— he
could
! In that case, his screams were not misplaced.

“Is he ... is he dead?” Lars said quietly, looking scared of his own words. He made it sound even worse than it really was.

Fjalldís gasped, lunging towards the back of the carriage, along with other novices. They peeked over the edge, the sound of Darius' shrieks clanging in their ears.

“Magnus, what are you doing?!” Fjalldís squeaked, her voice skipping. “What if he falls? Take him up!”

Maren disregarded this. “Are you kidding? Into
our
cart?!” she blurted out indignantly, but seeing Darius flying by the edge of their carriage, she suddenly felt sorry for him. “Aedan should stop.” At these words, her stern expression softened.