Forced Magic (19 page)

 Johnathen spotted them at the same time he mumbled a word,
sending a flash of what looked like lightning at the ball. He missed. I could
hear squeaks and growls coming from the ball as if the goblins were running
down a long tunnel toward us.  The magic building up in me jumped into
overdrive. As I saw the first arms and faces of the goblins start to come out
of the ball, I sent a pulse of magic toward them. Fetch sent a burst of fire at
the pulse. This always seemed to strengthen my magic.  As more of the pulse
left my body, I wondered if I would ever get used to the feeling of it leaving
me. It always felt as if part of me was being torn apart when I forced the
magic out of me. It was an uncomfortable experience every time I used it.

My forced magic hit the goblins as they came out. It pushed
them back into the ball. Johnathen had recovered from his earlier attempt and
sent another flash of lightning. This one hit the center of the ball. With the
frightened squeals and grunts of the goblins the ball imploded on itself. There
was a pop as air whooshed back into the space that the ball had left. I was
seeing spots before my eyes.

“Jack. We have got to move. Whoever is trying to destroy you
has discovered you again. There were too many goblins coming out of that hole
to believe it was just a random attack. We have to get back to the hotel.”

We jumped into the Jeep and sped off down the road. Fetch
stayed in the air while staying in cameo mode. He sent a spark of fire that
landed on my pinky as we sped down the road, that way I could tell what he was
doing. Johnathen was too focused on looking at the sky to notice.

“You focus on the road. I’ll keep an eye out for more
portals."

As I drove down the highway, I was looking through Fetch's
eyes as well as my own. I was grateful that the road was empty during this time
of day. I might have gotten distracted and caused an accident otherwise.

Fetch spotted a glowing ball. He sent a blast of red fire
into it and it closed immediately. Johnathen shot another one that shrunk with
a pop.  One more appeared and Fetch got that one too. Whoever wanted me dead or
just captive didn’t seem to want to give up.

“How did they find us?” I asked.

“They found me,” said Johnathen. “I let my guard down and
they found me. Whoever this is, has figured out that I know you, Jack. They
must have figured wherever I am you would be there too."

Another flash from Johnathen's hands blew up another ball.

"I've been careless, but now you can see why I kept you
away from me and Michelle. They would have eventually traced you and Fetch to
me at my place."

Johnathen mumbled a few words and a whistling sound came out
of his fingers. A strange dome appeared in the sky over us for a second and
then faded.

“There," said Johnathen. “That should keep them away."

Fetch flew in close keeping an ever watchful eye on the sky.

We made it back to the hotel. We hurried into our room and
shut the door. Johnathen sat on the bed with his head in his hands. He was
stressed. There was a slight tremor in his hands and he was breathing heavily.
I felt bad. He seemed to be doing so much for me and Fetch. It looked like it
had taken its toll on him.

“Hey, are you ok?” I asked again.

“No! I’m not ok!” he shouted. "I’m getting nowhere with
the council, Jack. They stubbornly believe you two are a threat. Now they are
convinced that since you are hiding and not showing yourself that you have some
plot to destroy their precious way of life. I have made so many bad choices
when it comes to you and Fetch, Jack. I don’t know what way to turn these
days."

I could hear the heavy burden in his voice. I looked at
Fetch. His fire on my finger had gone out, but I didn’t need it to tell he was
feeling bad too. He nodded at me, and I knew he knew what I was about to say.
He came over and stood next to me as I spoke.

“Maybe it is time for us to show ourselves to the magic
world. If they can see that Fetch and I are not dangerous then they will accept
us. At the least maybe they will leave us alone.”

Johnathen looked up at Fetch and me. He seemed to be
struggling with this idea. Finally he spoke.

”It seems to be the answer, but please, Jack, give me a
little more time.  I know this whole thing is unfair but if I can just persuade
the council to see you, I know they will see the light. Then you will have all
their protection and we can stop whoever it is that is trying to kill you.”

I was getting tired of hearing about this council. It seemed
like every time Johnathen mentioned them, I felt a little more annoyed by them.
Why were they so afraid of change? What did they have against someone who was
different? I was beginning to feel that I didn’t want to have any part of the
magic world, if I had to follow along with the guidelines of this council. I
reminded myself that Johnathen and Michelle were the only friends that Fetch
and I had. I nodded my head. I would wait a little longer, but not much longer.
Johnathen looked to be in bad shape and, if anything, I wanted to help him. I
felt in my heart, if I exposed myself to the magic world, it would relieve some
of the pressure that was on him. I would wait but not for much longer.

The next couple of days went without any excitement.
Johnathen left that night, after I agreed not to reveal Fetch and me to the
magic community yet. We stayed near our room, ordering room service. I had
called and texted Michelle several times in those few days. She had heard about
what happened from Johnathen, but was anxious to hear mine and Fetch's side
too. She told me that she was busy with a project, but wouldn’t give me any
details. She said that she would love to show me instead later. I sent her a
text explaining Fetch's mood. I asked if she would come see him, knowing that
would cheer him up. I wanted to see her too. I had a feeling that she would say
'No' and that Johnathen would keep her from coming for her own protection. But,
to my surprise, she responded saying she would love to see us. We decided to
meet at the ramada in the park, that night around ten. When I told Fetch, he
perked right up and snorted a bright purple flame. It was worth the risk to see
Michelle. I held the teardrop and felt its warmth, knowing that it would
protect me.

That night Fetch and I walked to the park. On the way, I saw
the same gnome as always. He was fixing a pot hole in the street that looked
like a giant troll footprint. I kept myself hidden from him as I walked by.  He
was wearing the same purple sweatshirt that he wore the first time I saw him. 

Fetch and I were across the street from him, and, as he had
done before, he glanced in our direction almost as if he could see us. We stood
perfectly still, and for a moment I had the crazy idea that I should just let
him see us. I remembered my promise to Johnathen to wait, and just watched him
look in our direction. After a few seconds, he went back to his work. It was a
very comical thing to watch as he performed magic to fill in the hole. He kept
shaking his head and clicking his tongue. He had walked out into the street,
focusing on the work at hand. He was so involved with his work that he didn’t
see the car heading straight at him. The driver certainly didn’t see him. He
was going to get hit. I couldn’t let that happen. I shouted, running toward
him. He looked up to see where the sound was coming from and finally noticed
the car barreling down the road toward him. He looked like a deer caught in the
headlights, completely frozen and unable to move. Running at full speed I
grabbed him by his hood and pulled him out of the way, just in time. The car
never even slowed down. It just honked as it sped down the road. The gnome
squeaked and hung there, limp in my hands for a second. He blinked, shook his
head, and gave me a surprised look. It was apparent that he could see me now.
Fetch came bounding up behind me, his cameo mode forgotten. It was already dark
and I had the idea that Fetch didn’t always like having to stay hidden. I
didn’t think too much about it at that moment as I was more concerned over the
little guy. He saw Fetch coming and his eyes got even bigger with surprise. I
gently set him down.

“Are you ok?”

“Oh, yyyyes,” he stammered. He kept moving his head back and
forth between me and Fetch. "Thththank you for saving me,” he squeaked. 

“No problem,” I said, trying not to laugh.

He looked so comical standing there, head bouncing back and
forth.

“Just be more careful next time.”

He stopped moving and stared at me for a second. All of a
sudden his eyes filled up with tears and he started breathing rapidly. I was a
little concerned that he was going into shock when he reached out and grabbed
my hand.

“It’s true! You really do exist,” he said.  “Everyone is
talking about you, but here you are so it must be true. You saved me! Oh, thank
you! Thank you!”

He was really starting to get worked up. I didn’t want to
leave him like this, so I sat down on the curb next to him. Fetch had gone back
into cameo mode, but, as the sun was going down, I could see in the gloom the
orange smoke of concern that was pouring out of his snout.

"Hey guy,” I said, patting him on his shoulder. “You’re
ok. Calm down now. My name is”

“OH! I know who you are,” interrupted the gnome, “You’re the
dragon survivor.”

He pointed in the direction of Fetch's smoke and in a
whisper said, “And this is the dragon with a name. You are the protector. You
fought off the goblins and won."

With these words I now knew just how far my story had
traveled, and, with a rush of concern, I also realized that by saving this
little guy I had my first exposure to the magical world. How would I explain
this to Johnathen?

It was the second time I had been called the dragon
survivor. I couldn’t think of anything cornier to be called, but the way it was
said by this little guy, let me know just how serious it was to him. The way he
was looking at me made me feel uncomfortable. I didn’t really know how to
respond to him. He looked as if he was able to see right through me. His dark
little eyes seemed to twinkle in the disappearing light of day. I hadn’t
thought about it for a while, but I was glad for my ability to see in the dark.
This guy seemed harmless but I didn’t want to take any chances.

The way he was talking, I surmised people in the magic world
were talking about me and Fetch. I liked the idea. The more people knew about
me, the better. That way when I revealed myself it wouldn’t be such a shock to
them. I realized I wanted to be accepted in the magic world. I didn’t want to
be this mysterious thing that creatures like this little guy thought of as a
savior or a protector. Is that what Johnathen was training me to be? How could
I be any kind of a protector?

I looked down at this funny little guy. He was looking at me
with a look of awe. Johnathen would look at me like that sometimes. I wanted
him to stop looking at me that way. I stuck out my hand again and said.

“I don’t really think I am anything like you just described.
My name is Jack. This is Fetch. What's your name?”

His eyes got bigger with surprise at the gesture, and slowly
a smile started to appear on his face. Grabbing my hand, he pumped it up and
down. It surprised me how much strength he had as he squeezed my hand.

“Jack and Fetch,” he said with just as much enthusiasm as
his handshake.  “Thank you for saving me." He spoke clearly without the
stammering.  “My name is Smith. That’s my whole name, not my last. Gnomes don’t
really have last names, so it’s just Smith. “

He threw back his head and laughed. It reminded me of a
groundhog jabbering in the park. I wasn’t sure if I understood what was so
funny, but, seeing what I thought was a sad sack type character laughing this
way, I couldn't help but join in. From his cameo hidden mode I heard Fetch
laughing too.

Smith motioned for us to follow him into the park. We walked
a little way in and he stopped at a bush. He put his face up to it and blew on
one of the leaves. The bush shook a little and split apart, revealing an
opening to what seemed to be a tunnel. Smith motioned for us to follow as he
walked into it.  We still had time before meeting Michelle, so with a look in
Fetch's direction, I shrugged and followed Smith into the hole with Fetch at my
side.

We entered the tunnel by crawling and, to our surprise; it
opened up into a big room. It was the most fantastic and strange room I had
ever seen. First of all, it was enormous! There was a mishmash of magic items
and non-magic items. Smith had planted himself on an overstuffed couch in front
of a big screen TV.  On a table next to the couch was a small cauldron,
bubbling and popping with some sort of potion. It smelled like a tennis ball
and cinnamon stick.  There was a toy plane flying overhead being chased by what
I thought was a silver ball at first, but, when it hovered in front of my face
for a second, I could see that it was a quarter spinning in the air. The room
seemed to stretch all around us, with broken toys and little gizmos tweeting
and hooting as they chased each other on the floor. I realized that these
little things were playing tag. They stopped playing as Fetch came into view.
They slowly moved over to him. Before long, he had a whole group of them just
sitting there staring at him. One little car moved up and started crashing into
his back paw over and over again. Fetch bent down and, with an amused look on
his face, he blew purple smoke in the toy's direction, sending them all running
behind the couch, accompanied with squeaks, whistles, and buzzing sounds. After
they all disappeared, one little stuffed mouse stepped out from behind the
couch. It shook a tiny fist at Fetch, squeaking and hooting. You could tell
that he was really chewing him out. This was more like the magic world I had
fantasized about.

I glanced at a workbench that was cluttered with different
objects. In the middle of this table was a laptop computer.  I looked back over
at Smith. I was in full geek mode again. It felt good to have these familiar
feelings. So much had changed for me that a familiar excitement was a comfort.

Smith had a can of soda and was loudly slurping it down. He
patted the seat next to him and waved us closer.

He burped loudly saying,”Please sit. I’m sorry the place is
such a mess. As you can see, I have been busy with a few projects that have
gotten away from me."

He smiled and his eyes twinkled. I couldn’t believe that
this was the same little guy who seemed so meek just a few moments ago. Here,
in this cave, he seemed to be in his element. I had a feeling that the meek
little guy was more of an act and this confident little fellow was more like
the real Smith. He handed me a soda and offered one to Fetch. He stared at
Fetch with a look of curiosity and wonderment.

“Amazing!" he said. “You have to forgive me for staring
at you, Fetch. I have never seen a dragon up close before. I’ve cleaned up
after one that has caused trouble, but even that has been while ago.”

Fetch seemed a little bothered by this last statement. Once
again word reached our ears that dragons might not have been seen for a while.
I wondered if Smith knew anything about the dragon eggs that had been spread
around. I thought I would see what he knew about dragons.

“What do you mean it’s been a while?" I asked.

Smith looked at me with a blank look on his face. “Don’t you
know?” he asked. “Fetch is the first dragon to be seen in this area for twenty
years. That’s why everyone is talking about you. When you were seen on YouTube
together, it got everybody in a dither. First, there was Fetch hatching, and
then choosing not to take your life force, then the two of you fighting
together. Why for years now there have only been rumors of other dragons
hatching, but no evidence, only trace magic of an essence exchange, a smell of
magic gone dark and nothing else. Just the fact that you are both alive is a
great mystery. You see Jack, if Fetch didn’t consume your essence, then he
shouldn’t be alive. That your life force wasn’t consumed, whether Fetch wanted
to do it or not, is just as big a mystery as what you have become. You both are
forces against the very nature of magic.”

He reached for another soda, giving us time for this to sink
in.

“There are many stories about you. It is believed that a
wizard is helping you. If I may be so bold as to ask, would this wizard's name
be Johnathen?”

My stunned silence was enough of a reply

“Ah, yes. He has always had a connection to the world of
humans, and for years he has been trying to discover the mystery of the
dragons. His past is a tragic one full of misery. No one knows his full story.
He is very mysterious and there has been talk that the council has not agreed
with what he does. He is a wizard with great power. He keeps them on their
toes. Wizards have a way that can keep others guessing about their intentions.
Johnathen is a good man and a better wizard. It is just hard to read what his
intentions are sometimes. We gnomes have a saying, 'A wizard's glass is always
half full, but you never know what it is full of.' Smith laughed at what he
seemed to think of as a good joke. I didn’t know how to respond to this. I took
a drink of my soda and glanced over at Fetch. He sat there listening to every
word trying not to look too interested. I felt a little uncomfortable at how
the conversation seemed to be going. It seemed like our new little friend knew
more than it had first seemed. After a short pause and a long drink of his
soda, he continued talking about Johnathen.

“He has had a lot of difficulties with the Fey. Many a time
he has accused them of causing trouble. There was one incident that involved a
little girl, but no real strong evidence has surfaced.  Some say it is because
a Fey sits on the council. Have you had any interaction with the Fey?”

I looked him in the eye at this comment. There was that
little twinkle. I wondered just how much he really knew about me and what had
happened. I wrestled with the idea of saying 'No'. I looked over at Fetch and
saw his eyes changing colors rapidly. They stopped on their neutral green
color, giving me the idea that he seemed to think it was ok to answer
truthfully about my run in with the fairy.

“Yes. Just before Fetch hatched, I saw a fairy. She tried to
kill me.”

At these words Smith's eyes got big and round. He sat there
in stunned silence.

“Tried to kill you?” he asked.

I nodded my head 'Yes'.

“How?”

Again I looked at Fetch for some guidance. He nodded his
head 'Yes'. I felt that I needed to tell my story. It could be helpful and I
was in too deep as it was. I was taking a chance telling our new little friend
as much as I was, but it was my story. I wanted to get the word out, so I went
for broke. I described how it all happened in as much detail as I could
remember. I wished I had my computer with me so I could read the whole story to
him. I finished up to the point when Fetch began to hatch. I didn’t want to go
any farther than that for now.  Smith sat there rubbing his chin. I felt
something bumping my foot. I looked down to discover the little toy car that
had bumped into Fetch was now trying to get my attention. In fact, all the toys
had gathered around me. I guessed that they had been listening to my story.