Magic

By Thom Nichols

Coming of age, Lee wants to be the new Wizard's Apprentice. Of course the position goes to the most popular boy who is also his bigest rival. humiliated and embarrassed, Lee and his best friend Wanda discover a hidden world. They learn magic isn't really magic. Discovering real magic, they befriend a dragon and an elf and they battle a wizard trying to steal the Zodiac arsenal artifacts.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thom Nichols
• Release date: Oct 23, 2010
• ISBN: 9781452340401

Thom Nichols

Thom L. Nichols was born under a mountain in Mt. Shasta California. He grew up in Arizona, but has lived all over the United States. Starting out in the Marine Corps, he has had a multitude of jobs ranging from overnight security guard to UNIX Senior Specialist and everything in between. He married his wife of nineteen years (So far) two weeks after meeting her. He has three children and one granddaughter (So far). He has been writing since he was born, but always for fun. He wanted to get his degree in English so that he could become a writer, but with a family he decided to go the safe way and went into computers. Now that the kids are pretty much grown and moving out, he decided to follow his dream.

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Magic – Zodiac Arsenal

Thom Nichols

Published by Thom Nichols at Smashwords

Copyright 2008 Thom Nichols

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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01. Party

Of all the places in all the world. Lee muttered under his breath as he plopped himself down. Everything was arranged in a small circle under the shade of a huge leafy tree. Why did dad have to move us to a town where my best friend is a girl? There were four small dolls propped up against stones, two to his left and two to his right. The dolls were dressed in long beautiful lacy gowns and plumy hats. In the center of the circle was an elaborate tea set. It included a plate of imaginary cookies and make-believe tea inside the tea service. Lee picked up his cup and saucer groaning.

Sighing, Lee looked into the empty cup. He was an average sized boy of thirteen. He had dark black hair that he kept very short. He had more than his share of scraped knees and dirty elbows. There was a light blue line under his left eye. It was the last remnant of the fight he was in last week. The scuffle was over the outcome of a ball game. Lee’s team won and the other team didn’t like it.

Looking over at Wanda, Lee put the cup and saucer back on the ground. Wanda was Lee’s best friend. She was a pretty petite girl also of thirteen. She was wearing an elaborately frilly hat and a decorative shawl over her best every-day dress. She had long dark hair that she wore pulled back in a tight pony tail. She was sitting daintily on the log of a fallen tree next to the circle. There was a tea pot in her hand, and she was pouring the pretend liquid into one of the doll’s cup.

It was a very nice spring day. Winter was over and color had returned to the forest. There were birds and insects in the trees making cheerful noises, and off in the distance Lee could hear the water as it raced down the stream. Wanda? He moaned imagining himself swimming in the brisk water. Can’t we do something else? The river is right over there.

Placing the teapot down in the center of the circle, Wanda looked up at him and gave him an annoyed look. She lifted one eyebrow the way she always did and Lee knew he was going to have to stick it out. Picking up her teacup, Wanda pretended to take a sip.

Today is Wednesday. She finally said offhandedly, but with a superior look on her face. Wednesdays are my day, and we are going to play house. Lee groaned a sigh and his shoulders slumped. Wanda was very good at sports, and at times quite the tomboy. But, she was a girl and sometimes she wanted to do girly things. Actually, she was quite generous. Every other day of the week, Lee got to choose the games and leisure activities. In the back of his mind, he was already choosing tomorrow’s adventure. It was definitely going to involve swimming.

Resigned to playing house, Lee put the cup of make-believe tea to his lips and pretended to take a sip. He sighed again, thinking about the good old days. When he first arrived, Wanda’s female tendencies weren’t a problem. She had a younger sister. During the day, she played real games with him and then did the girl stuff with her sister in the evenings.

But, her sister went and did the worst thing possible. She made friends of her own. That didn’t seem bad at first, but it turned out to be very disobliging to Lee. He found out that girl games could begin in the morning and continue on well into the evening. There was no time limit. To top that off, Wanda’s sister liked to spend the nights over at her friend’s house. So, the more Wanda’s sister spent with her friends, the less she spent with Wanda. This caused a small rift between Wanda and Lee. In order for Wanda to play the girl games, she either had to play them with Lee or make new girlfriends.

Lee didn’t have very many real friends. In fact, he only had Wanda. There were other boys they hung around with, but they lived on the other side of town. It was hard to get close enough to one of them to make him a best friend. So, in order to keep Wanda as a friend, he had to keep her all to himself. That meant he had to keep her away from the other girls and compromise on the games that they played. He decided to give her Wednesdays. It was a tradeoff he could live with, as long as they played her games far away from the town. That way, no one could see what they were doing.

Sighing, Lee looked at the plate of make-believe cookies. He shook his head. It was Wednesday, so he might as well go along with it. He reached down and pretended to take one. Mmm, these are good. He said. Wanda smiled at his acquiescing without a fight and returned to her duties. She poured him a glass of tea and offered the sugar.

Ok, She said as she finished the pouring chores. She placed small plates down beside the last doll’s teacup. Pretend like you are just coming home from work, ok? Lee grunted and stood up. He walked a few steps down the path and turned around. Before he could take a step toward the tea party, she added. Don’t forget to put on your work clothes.

Looking around, Lee found a small bundle of clothing lying next to the path. He opened it and pulled out a rugged looking jacket and a top hat. Slipping out of his backpack, he donned them quickly. Honey, I’m home. He said convincingly as he walked back to the circle and sat down. He took off his hat and placed it on his lap. He turned to the dolls on his left. Hi sweetheart. Daddy’s home. He gave the doll a friendly slug in her arm.

Frowning at his lack of warmth to their pretend daughter, Wanda leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. You’re just in time for dinner. She said sweetly. I made rabbit.

It smells delicious. Lee played sniffing the air.

Did you have a hard day at the office? Wanda asked as Lee crossed his legs and put the plate on the top of his hat.

It was terrible. Lee said shaking his head. Mr. Barber wanted me to sharpen his sword four times before he agreed it was sharp enough. And, I had to shoe an entire centaur family, grandparents and all.

That sounds terrible. Wanda gasped.

And, that was just before lunch. Lee continued. After lunch, the blacksmith shop caught fire and nearly burned to the ground. I had to put it out all by myself.

That does sound terrible. Wanda agreed looking fascinated.

How was your day? Lee asked as he pretended to eat the invisible rabbit.

We had a very busy day today too. She said indicating toward the dolls. Lon and Felicia both learned how to read today. Felicia wrote a very pretty poem that she wants to read to you. And, it was Suzette’s birthday today. She is thirteen now, and she was chosen to be the wizard’s new apprentice.

Wow. Lee said proudly. He reached down to pick up one of the dolls. Wanda cleared her throat. Lee looked at her and she indicated to the other doll. Setting down the first doll, Lee picked up the one she pointed to. Wow, Suzette, that’s wonderful. He said hugging her and giving her a kiss on the top of her head. Maybe you can teach Daddy some magic one of these days.

Oh you had better learn some magic. A voice said from their side. Lee and Wanda quickly turned to see three young men standing there staring at them. Lee’s stomach flipped over. How could he not have heard them approaching. Because, it’s going to take a lot of magic to change you back into a guy.

Out of all the people that could have found them, why did it have to be him? The three boys broke out into hysterics. Lee dropped the doll and stood slowly. Dog. He said softly. The lead boy stopped smiling and leered villainously. His name wasn’t really Dog. His real name was Duke. His parents liked the name because it sounded regal. Unfortunately in another language the same word meant dog.

It was funny how something as simple as a name could make two boys mortal enemies. The day Lee arrived three years ago, he helped unload the wagon. When his chores were done, he went to explore the town. He came across Dog and a group of kids playing ball. As luck would have it, one of the players on Dog’s team was hit in the stomach by the ball and had to sit out. Lee quickly volunteered to finish the game for him.

Enjoying a lot of friends in his old town, Lee was anxious to make friends here. He was a very good ball player and this looked like the perfect opportunity. As the game progressed into the early evening, Lee was on form. He was the star of the game. Pulling them up from a three point deficit to an eight point lead, Lee was an instant star. At the end of the game, everyone wanted to know him and become friends.

As everyone was introducing themselves, the team captain came over. To this day, Lee didn’t know why he said it. But, as the captain introduced himself, Lee snickered. He knew that the word Duke meant dog and before he knew what was coming out of his mouth he was making a dog joke.

As everyone looked quizzically at him, Lee could have been spared the last three years. Most of the kids didn’t know what Duke meant. Had he only kept his mouth shut right then, everything would have been different. But no, he had to explain the joke. Although everyone laughed, the captain didn’t think it was very funny. Throwing down his glove, Duke pushed Lee and a fight ensued.

Coming off the better, Lee assumed that everything was over. He had been in plenty of fights at his old town. But, here in this town Duke’s father was an important member of the king’s court. The next day, Lee went to the ball field to see if there was going to be another game. There was, but there was no room in it for him. Duke had told his father and his father began talking to the fathers of the other kids. All of a sudden, Lee was a dubbed a troublemaker.

Fortunately for Lee the town he moved to, the Crying Gorgon, was a very large town. He was ostracized from the guys in his neighborhood, but there were other teams. Lee made friends with some of the kids across town and their teams played against the neighborhood team. With Lee on the opposing team, the neighborhood team began losing more games than they won.

As revenge, Lee made sure that whenever he played against the neighborhood team, he always referred to Duke as Dog. Over the summer, the name stuck. When school started, Lee met Wanda. She was in his first class. She was pretty and all, but Lee wasn’t looking for a girlfriend.

Lee didn’t have time to travel across town to join the friends he had made that summer. They went to a different school and it would take him a whole hour to arrive. Wanda lived a few doors down. But, it took her taking pity on him in school for him to notice her.

Seeing each other constantly at school, Lee and Dog were always at odds. Seeing Lee get the better of Dog time after time, he wasn’t bullied by the other kids. But, he also wasn’t included. One day at school Wanda, who was fairly popular began talking to Lee. She forced Lee’s inclusion into school and after school activities initiating a rivalry of one-upmanship between the two boys.

The forced inclusion by Wanda didn’t help with Lee’s popularity, because Dog kept a close watch on anyone who would talk to Lee. If he thought one of the guys was getting too friendly, he would tell his father and his father would speak with the other kid’s father. It was a nasty situation. Fortunately Wanda was a girl and Dog never bothered telling his father about her. But, even though Wanda was a girl, she turned out to be a great best friend. That was, except for Wednesdays.

How come you aren’t wearing your dress? Timmy, the boy to Dog’s right said doubled up with laughter.

Feeling his hands tightening into fists, Lee found that he couldn’t catch his breath. He wanted to jump over there and knock the memory of what they had just seen out of their heads. But, there were three of them.

Hey, hey guys. Darren, the boy to Dog’s left laughed. That’s not Lee, it’s Lea.

Lea! Dog howled. He was nearly crying with mirth.

Turning angrily toward Wanda, Lee had rage in his eyes. With trembling hands, Wanda reached out toward him. Before she could do anything, however, Lee pulled off the jacket she had him wear. Throwing it to the ground, he turned on his heel and stormed off into the forest. Reaching down, he grabbed his backpack and threw it violently over his shoulder.

Lea! several of the boys called after him.

Wanda, Dog said doubled over with his hands on his knees so that he could catch his breath. What happened to your girlfriend? Where’s she going?

Dog! Wanda yelled angrily as she quickly retrieved her dolls and tea set. You suck!

Lee is the girl, One of the boys repeated hysterically. That means that Wanda must be the man. The three boys laughed so hard, they could barely stand. Wanda turned in a huff and chased after her friend. Lee made it to the river before he gave up and sat down against a tree. As Wanda caught up to him, he was banging the back of his head against a tree so hard that he was chipping bark.

Lee. Wanda said quietly. I’m sorry.

Stopping, Lee held his hands to his face. Wanda knew that if she saw him crying, it would just make things worse. But, he knew that she was there for him. Quietly, she sat down next to him. She could tell that he was fighting the tears. That Dog and his mutts. She fumed viciously.

Mutts. Lee repeated pulling his hands from his face. His eyes were puffy, but there were no tears streaming down. Wanda looked at him apprehensively. That’s funny. Lee snorted and laughed shaking his head. Dog’s parents named him well.

Lee, I’m so sorry. Wanda apologized timidly. She expected him to blow up, to be furious. His eerie calmness and his laughing caught her off guard.

Taking a deep breath, Lee sighed. Don’t worry. He said looking at her. It’s not your fault. He stood up and held out his hand to help her up. Come on. Let’s go get this over with.

Wanda took his hand. But… She said confused.

It’s ok. Lee said shaking his head. They can’t make fun of me forever. It can only last for two weeks.

Two weeks, you mean the apprentice festival? Wanda said catching on. Lee nodded as they began walking up river.

The apprentice festival was the day when all thirteen year old boys became men and all thirteen year old girls became women. It occurred in mid-spring and was a five day event. On the first day, all of the kids that were thirteen or would turn thirteen that year lined up and turned into adults. As adults, they were expected to choose their future careers. To do this, they entered into an apprenticeship with a local vender.

Nearly all new men chose to follow in their father’s footsteps. And, nearly all new women followed in their mother’s. For the women, most of them became homemakers and mothers. But, they did have the option to choose other careers. The most coveted career path was that of wizard’s apprentice. Wanda and Lee often pretended that they became the new wizard’s apprentice. But, their chances were highly unlikely.

There was only one wizard’s apprentice position available. So, both of them couldn’t get the position even if it were offered to them. The apprenticeship was open to everyone. But, it was widely known that it went to the son or daughter of the most popular or influential family in town. In this case, Lee was sure that it was going to go to Dog. It wasn’t fair, but there was nothing anyone could do about it.

The other more prized positions were the castle and the church apprenticeships. The king allowed eight positions to open up every year. The people that secured these apprenticeships usually went on to become senators or military leaders. The church also picked two men to become priests and two women to become nuns.

The rest of the new men and women would sign up with whoever was working in the job field they were interested in. Once they became apprentices, they would no longer live in their family homes. They would move into the home of their new masters and learn their new trade. The apprentices wouldn’t receive payment as they learned. They would only receive room and board. When they turned sixteen, they were expected to have learned everything they could and venture out into the world to make their own way as productive citizens.

Since the wizard’s apprenticeship was out of the question, the only other profession Lee had considered was to follow his father into the interpreting field. Lee’s father knew six different languages. He always had work and made a very good living for his family.

It was because Lee was nearing the age of manhood that his father moved the family to the Crying Gorgon. The city they left was larger, but it supported twelve interpreters. Assuming that Lee would become an interpreter, he wanted him to have as fruitful a future as possible. There were only two other interpreters in the Crying Gorgon and three non-human races lived nearby.

Fluent already in centaur, Lee knew a little mermaid and dwarf. Lee liked to tag along when his father had jobs that took him to the suburbs. Lee was actually one of only a very few humans that had been inside the mermaid castle. He went twice with his dad and even met the mermaid prince.

The Crying Gorgon was a very large town. It was more than big enough to be called a city, but everyone still referred to it as a town. When Lee first arrived, he couldn’t believe how spread out it was. It was located in a valley and when they reached the mountain summit overlooking the town, they stopped the wagon to look down on it. It was breathtaking. Lee had never seen anything so large. Even the city he came from didn’t seem as large because he had never seen it all at once.

The main human settlement was in the center. There was one main highway that led through what was considered the center of town. But, there were also three large roads that led into the town, dividing it into eight sections. The main two sections held the castles and the waterfront. The castle area housed both the king’s and the wizard’s castles. There was also a huge amphitheater and a senator’s stadium in that area. A huge park separated the castle area from the waterfront.

There was a castle inside the lake, but it didn’t look like a castle. It was the home of the mermaid king and it was built half in and half out of the water. It didn’t have huge turrets and towers like the king’s and wizard’s castles. It looked more like a beaver dam. It was located near the south side of the lake. The north part of the lake was used by the humans for their ships. The lake was connected to a river that eventually emptied out into the ocean, but that was hundreds of miles away. On any given day, there were at least twenty large ships docked on the lake and hundreds up and down the lake and river.

The other sections of the city were a mishmash of houses, stores, taverns, shops, and inns. There was a bazaar in the middle of the town. It was always busy and mostly for the out of town visitors and sailors. The houses and shops were no more than two story buildings in size. Like any town, the richer people flocked together. They mostly lived near the castles. Their houses were usually larger and their yards more carefully manicured.

The lower the family income level, the farther out from the castles the family lived. There was a very poor area to the south west of town. It seemed to be growing the most since Lee’s family arrived. Overall, there were over a hundred thousand humans living in the Crying Gorgon and five thousand other than humans.

To the west of the town was the centaur suburb. It was a very large community, but not nearly as big as the human town. There were about twenty five thousand centaurs in the suburb. Since Lee was fluent and his dad took him frequently, Lee knew quite a few of them personally.

The mermaids, of course, lived in the lake. No one really knew how many lived there, but Lee had seen hundreds when he visited. The lake was big enough to house a hundred thousand or more, but he had never seen any houses. The houses, however, would have been at the bottom of the lake and not near the castle.

In the mountain range to the north, was a settlement of dwarves. Lee hadn’t been to the dwarf mountain yet, but he was anxious to go. His father told Lee that the northern mountains were all hollow. He said that there could be as many as five times as many dwarves as humans in them. They’re mountains weren’t connected to the Crying Gorgon, but everyone still considered their kingdom a suburb.

Making their way back to the path, Wanda asked. So, at the apprentice festival, have you decided what you’re going to become? She already knew Lee was going to follow his father into interpreting. She was trying to get him talking. She was hopeful about lighten the mood and raising Lee’s spirits.

Yeah, Lee said. He picked up a stick and threw it as far as he could. I’m going to be an interpreter like my dad. He stopped and leaned up against a tree. What about you?

I think I’m going to be a housewife like my mom. Wanda said shrugging.

Well to be a housewife, you have to be married. Lee smiled. Who’s going to be your husband? He was already thinking about teasing her as soon as she told him who she liked.

Slugging him in the shoulder, Wanda said. You of course. Come on. She continued down the path and waved for him to hurry.

02. Dragons

The kids walked for the next ten minutes in silence. At first Lee was in shock. He had never thought about marriage or girls or anything. He wondered if he should say something to her. As they neared the town limits, a sign letting them know that they were entering the town appeared on the side of the road. With a heavy sigh, his mind turned from Wanda’s plans for him and returned to his own troubles. He wanted to get the worst over with, but he found his pace slowing.

Noticing that Lee’s attitude was faltering, Wanda stepped off of the highway and angled toward the river. It was roaring to their right. Come on. She shouted as she began to run down the slight slant of the hill. Watching her take off at a run, Lee knew that she was just trying to cheer him up. He sighed and then tore after her.

As he reached the river, Lee stopped on the rocky bank and looked around. Wanda wasn’t anywhere. Lee. He heard a loud whisper. Lee, get down quick.

Throwing himself to the ground, he whispered loudly back. Wanda, where are you?

A pebble came hurtling toward him. It hit him in the shoulder and Lee looked over to see Wanda. She was lying on her stomach. She had her hands up to her chin and she was waving him over with one of them. Crawling slowly and as quietly as he could, Lee slipped partially into the river.

The water was cold. Now that he was in it, he was glad that they hadn’t gone swimming. It was too cold. But, if they had, he wouldn’t have to worry about Dog when they got back. He put that out of his mind and squirmed his way to her. Wanda was also partially in the river. She was hiding behind a cropping of weeds and a muddy rock.

Look over there. She said nodding her chin to the other side of the river.

Lifting his body up a little, Lee parted the grass and gazed across the river. Where? He asked not seeing anything.

Up the river. Wanda rolled her eyes. Past that fallen tree.

Readjusting his gaze, Lee saw a woman. He didn’t recognize her, but he did recognize what she was holding. It was a foot long piece of metal with a jewel attached to the top. She has a wand. Lee whispered quickly. Who is she?

I don’t know. Wanda said. But, she’s going to do some magic.

The two of them