Drakonika (Book 1) (48 page)

As the three men slid the street with their investigative gaze, their eyes stopped on a winged reptile of medium size, or at least what seemed a medium size among those gigantic lizards, and kept watching with shallow breath. It looked like this one had lost the track of flight and ran into some market stands by the street's edge. And then, the dragon transformed before their very eyes. They were looking at a long limbed  creature that vanished in the dark aisle.

The policemen finally started breathing again.

“What did I tell you? Those are no dragons, just dopplegangers taking the form of dragons.” Xanthar said, sounding quite satisfied with himself because he was right again. And he liked being right. “But this is a problem of some magnitude indeed. We have the town full of these malicious creatures; get the Green Squad ready, we're heading out.” He commanded. The two policemen sped off to the door at once and departed.

Darius wondered how could Xanthar remain so calm at a perilous situation like this, but he was also concerned about his own safety. “Hey! And what about me?” He boomed, watching Xanthar dressing his long coat and  the police cap.

“You're staying here, young man,” the general said resolutely. At these words, he reached his serpent staff towards Darius and the boy's hands were clapped together immediately, tied by red glowing handcuffs, which could not be opened by any key or spell in the whole world. The only way to open them was bound to Xanthar's staff, so if the general lost it in this fight, Darius would find himself in serious trouble. But of course, he did not have a clue about that yet.

Darius stood up and flung himself upon the door, but Xanthar had quickly vanished in the corridor of the tower's spiral staircase and locking the door behind him, he left his young prisoner fighting the handcuffs all alone.

The dopplegangers were one by one changing back into their natural form, heading straight to the clock tower on the main square. Its entrance door were already battered down, Magnus and Viktor standing in the midst of the ground floor of the tower, right in front of a marble frame situated on the top of three stairs, which looked like a round mirror frame, but it was not holding anything.

Solas had panted into sight at last.

“
Finally,” Viktor gibbered. “I thought we would go without you. Let's do this, the police will come any minute,” he said as he rounded back on Magnus. It looked like Solas would take a moment to calm his breath.

“
The police? I don't get it... what does the police have to do with this?” Magnus said, trying to sound very vile, but the honest curiosity in his voice could not be overheard.

“
Nothing, if we disappear before they arrive. We lured the general out so that Solas could slip in while being invisible and get the key, but they are back now. And I am sure they have noticed that something is going on.” Viktor said swiftly.

“
But- why did the key fall in their hands in the first place?” Magnus kept asking, his sinister expression slipping away involuntarily.

“
We'll have enough time to talk about that on the other side; now quickly, read the incantation!” Viktor breathed impatiently, but Magnus knew they would not have any time to talk about all the questions that were on his mind. He had no intention in leaving with them.

Magnus opened the big tome and darted his eyes downwards to the characters scribbled in vertical lines, while holding the star-shaped key in his other hand. This was it. This was the moment that in the back of his mind, he knew he could not avoid. He was about to open the gate and he had absolutely no idea what would happen next.

Magnus felt his heart racing madly. He took a few deep breaths and knowing that this could be the end of his training at Sinei, the adventures with Maren and Fjalldís, and even the secret nightly studies with Elmar and Lars, he started reading in a low voice. “Dar garoth im na lei...” he paused for a second, then went on “...torokkur n'fir daher.”

It was done.

There was a ripple of vibration coming from the marble gate spreading to the whole town and far beyond. Anyone who was outside, which were not many, could see an ominous cloud spiralling above the clock tower on the main square of Ragna. The air ran colder. And a glowing pale-blue light had magickally emerged in the tower, encircled by the marble frame sitting on the top of the small stairs.

Solas, Magnus and Viktor swayed. They had never seen such a thing in their life. It really worked... and seconds later, the dopplegangers from outside bounded in, running straight into the opened gate.

Magnus gasped. Some of them were still carrying signs of their previous dragon transformation.

“
They are with us,” Viktor said, when he saw Magnus' startled expression. But that did not seem to make things much clearer.

“
What?” Magnus spat incredulously. “One of those things tried to kill me the first day I came here!”

“
Oh, they didn't know it was you... all the same, you can't be killed by fire. And if they did kill you, it couldn't be you, so it wouldn't matter anyway.” Viktor said calmly, while the dark monsters were dashing right towards the bright light, disappearing somewhere on the other side, wherever it was. “The only dragon in this world is you and the little traitor. But you are departing shortly, too.”

Magnus fell silent.

The town was free of those horrible creatures within a short while. “It's your turn, Magnus.” Said Viktor's voice abruptly.

Magnus twitched in shock. They expected
him
to go through first? “Well... I... I need someone to show me how to do it, I wasn't watching,” lied Magnus quickly, hoping the two of them would take the bait just like Jackal and Eagle did when he tried to stroll past them on his first day in Ragna.

Viktor and Solas looked slightly confused at first, but then their expressions cleared. “All right, Solas, go first. Show him how to do it.” Viktor said, and he did not have to tell him twice. Solas wanted to get out of there more than anything else; the Mages Guild would have never forgiven him for such betrayal and the police could have emerged in the doorstep any second now. He strode towards the gate and without looking back, he entered the bright light, which had immediately transported him to the other side. There was only Viktor and Magnus left now.

“Well? You've seen how to do it, now do it!” Viktor said defiantly. Perhaps he had suspicions if Magnus really wanted to leave with them?

Magnus realized that Viktor had been staring at the silver chain on Magnus' neck for quite a while. It was not hard to guess that Voctor had realized it was the amulet and he was now convinced that Magnus did not want to join their evil plans.

Magnus' heart plummeted. There was only one thing that could have been done. He dropped the heavy tome and let it fall to the floor with a thump. Before Viktor could even realize what was going on, Magnus seized the back of his clothes and tossed him straight into the gate framed with a marble oval, which was taller than a regular man's height.

Viktor snarled and squirmed, but Magnus was stronger. The glowing mist of light had gulped him down.

As Magnus was about to finally breathe out, he noticed a hand clutching on the left side of the marble frame, then another hand on the right side, and then Viktor's head; the muscles on his arms and neck restrained, teeth clenched tight and not looking very friendly what's over. He was scrambling out with all his strength. Apparently, he did not intend on leaving without Magnus.

Magnus' mind was racing. For a moment, he looked as though he was thinking about pushing Viktor inside, but in the end he decided not to. After all, he could be dragged in as well...

“Thought you'd get rid of us? Well it ain't goin' to happen!” Viktor snarled, holding on the frame.

Ignoring Viktor, Magnus' gaze fell on the black book sprawled open on the dusty floor. He quickly bent down to pick it up; it was a moment when he could use the second incantation which he had found inside, and which he thanked heavens for its existence. He opened the book, skimmed a few pages, and when he found it, he read aloud: “Dar garoth im na lei, torokkur dala ger!”

Viktor stopped struggling. “What? What's that?” He said, looking seriously alarmed.

Magnus looked up. “The incantation to close the gate,” he said indifferently.

At first, Viktor looked as horrified as though this was the end of all things. The bright light was slowly vanishing from the edges of the frame as the gate started to close. It was harder and harder to keep holding on. “We've had high hopes for you, Magnus... Father will be highly disappointed!” He barked savagely. Then his expression brightened rapidly, his malevolent sneer fixed firmly on its place. “This isn't over yet... You will come... You will cross the gate one day... And I'll be waiting for you on the other side.” He said darkly. His gaze was deathly, although he was restraining his muscles to the maximum, his hands clutching tightly on the marble frame.

The stoutness oh his words made Magnus' hair stand up.

“Magnus!” Unexpectedly, they heard a girl's voice. Magnus stopped gaping at Viktor and rounded to the tower's doorstep, in which was a group of people standing now. Zimbadur had led Magnus' friends to the clock tower safely in a temporary invulnerability globe spell, which was barely seen and looked like a thin glossy foil coiled all around them.

“
Maren!” Magnus shouted, and because he was too concerned about their safety, he had forgotten what was happening behind him as suddenly as fingers snapping. Viktor gathered all his strength and scrambled through the tiny hole of glowing light and reached his arm towards Magnus in effort to grab his leg or his hand.

“
Magnus!” Maren shieked again, this time much more desperately. 

Zimbadur yelled straight after, the thin globe around him and the novices disappearing. “Magnus, watch out!”

And Magnus was very lucky to have such quick reflexes, because as soon as he crouched down, he could hear a forceful swish just a few inches above his head. It came from the front; and hit its target precisely, pushing Viktor back and deep into the mist of light, which dissolved a second later. The gate was closed... and the marble frame was merely an empty frame once again.

“
That spell is called...
The mighty fist
,” Zimbadur said in a heroic tone, clenching his fist in front of his face and blew on it shortly, as though it was burning and he had to cool it down.

Magnus carefully straightened up. Was it really over? Has he really done it? His mind was buzzing with thoughts that he could not believe. He finally closed the book and slipped the star-shaped key into his pocket.

There was a moment of silence.

Maren was deciding what made her more excited: the fact that Magnus had freed Ragna of all the beasts that caused the haunting, sent the vile Viktor and Solas to the other side of the gate, reclaimed his amulet and was still there with them; or the fact that Zimbadur had cast two amazing and highly advanced spells in less than a half an hour?

She rounded on Zimbadur at once. Magnus looked deserted and disappointed; whatever he did, Zimbadur was just always going to be cooler in her eyes. “Zim, that was so cool how you cast those spells! Such power! I wish I could be like you one day... you're the best!” Maren said swiftly and looked up to him in admiration, but Zimbadur only gave her an uncertain gaze.

“
I do not think we have met before... who are you...?” He said and watched her face turn red, her cheeks bulged from anger.

Maren turned away and sped off to Magnus, giving him such an abrupt and warm embrace he had to drop the book to the ground again. For a moment, he looked surprised, but when he saw Zimbadur shooting him a covert wink, he smiled and embraced Maren back. The guild master had never forgotten Maren; he was merely helping Magnus to retrieve her interest.

Fjalldís, Lars and Elmar exchanged confused looks, but they were smiling too. They set off to the tower's ground floor midst and all five of them ended up in a very emotional group hug full of tears, chortle and happy smiles.

The feeling that Magnus had was unbelievable, and what he had gone through was unbelievable as well. Actually, his whole existence was utterly unbelievable. Winning the Magiker tournament was nothing compared to this. He felt as though he had conquered the world.

But there was one thing left for him to defeat. As Zimbadur was standing in the tower's threshold, feeling all sentimental and, watching the unbreakable pack of best friends with a moved smile, he heard heavy pace behind him, nearing the clock tower very rapidly.

“
Magnus Il'idiel is arrested for breaking the law by casting two spells in the town of Ragna without being a holder of the Spell Casting License.” Xanthar said resolutely and ignoring Zimbadur completely, he strolled past him and entered the dark tower lit only by the moonlight falling in through the open door. The novices looked up, feeling paralysed with fear.

For a moment, when Xanthar had stopped in front of them and gave him a darkly delighted sneer, Magnus felt as though the world he had just conquered had fallen to pieces. Fear flooded him. He would be arrested, after all he went through... He could not deny casting the spells. And as he peered by Xanthar's frightening silhouette, he could see many policemen standing out there; and they did look quite tough. Magnus looked back at the general, his eyes bulged with horror, but then his attention was brought back to the tower's entrance.