The Young Mage Ch. 02

The next day, he dueled against Voron, and then again against Lanaya. They switched every day and Magnus felt grateful for the priceless practice he was getting. He realized his skill with the sword had risen considerably since he first came here. He could now hold his own against both of them. Yet, satisfied as he was at his progress in swordplay and his chance to see and feel the life of Elves, he was still feeling restless. He didn't forget the true purpose of his stay among the Elves. But he couldn't do anything else except wait. Lanaya told him he wouldn't be able to see the Seer until she summoned him.

Patience. It wasn't really one of his strong points, but he had no choice. That morning, he got up somewhat earlier than usual and went to the sparring spot, hoping Lanaya would be there earlier as well. It was her turn for sparring, so Magnus looked around, expecting to see her any moment. Instead, he saw Sela running towards him, her face a mask of panic. Magnus felt his heart suddenly gripped by fear.

"Magnus! Come quickly! I... I can't wake Lanaya!" Sela exclaimed, breathless.

"Take me to her!" Magnus said, setting off after Sela.

Magnus followed Sela into a lovely, medium-sized building. It was a work of expert craftsmanship, yet Magnus had no interest in the beauty of architecture in his state of mind. Lanaya was the only thing occupying his thoughts. They entered a big room where several Elves were gathered around the bed, trying to rouse Lanaya from her sleep, some of them praying to the Goddess, and some of them even crying already. Magnus felt his heart clench. He breathed out and gritted his teeth, struggling to put his panic under control. He pushed through the crowd and knelt next to the bed, taking Lanaya's hand. He heard voices arguing in Elvish, recognizing one as Sela's, but he didn't care about any of that. He cleared his mind, letting it work...

He felt the familiar resistance and he pushed through, getting a feel of Lanaya's body. His mind roamed, trying to figure out what was wrong... without result. He tried again, straining his mind, and again, he found nothing wrong...

"There is nothing physically wrong with her..." he said finally. The arguing quieted down, all eyes settling on him. "But I feel her life force weakening... somehow," he said, his panic rising again. This... affliction wasn't an affliction of the body... it was clearly an affliction of the mind. How could he help with that?!

He heard voices arguing and crying everywhere around him. He fought down the feeling of despair that was threatening to overwhelm him. He had to do something... The mind... The only time he felt another person's mind was when Fiona was testing his magical ability, years ago...

"Wait... Can I use THAT? Lanaya said all Elves have an innate feeling for magic... Maybe I can try to reach her through my magical ability..." Magnus thought, feeling his mind work in overdrive. He lay on the bed next to Lanaya and all eyes turned to him once again.

"I am going to try something. Please, do not interfere..." Magnus said, taking a deep breath. He reached out and touched Lanaya's temples. Her beautiful face was so peaceful. Resisting the urge to kiss her, Magnus closed his eyes, trying to remember his contact with Fiona's mind. He probed, feeling some resistance, and once again feeling it disperse when he pushed through. He felt he was inside, but what now? He was sensing something, some different presence... Was that Lanaya?

"Maybe if I touch it... OOHH!!"

Suddenly, Magnus felt his mind being pulled into a vortex that seemed to have no end. The vortex took him, pulling him around and around until he saw a flash of light, and then once again everything went dark.

Magnus opened his eyes. He sat up, looking around and realizing he wasn't in the room anymore. Without thinking, he grabbed a handful of dirt and then raised his hand and opened it. The grains of sand poured out of his hand, making a small pile on the ground.

"Red sand... I've never seen anything like it... Where the hell am I?"

He rose to his feet, looking around once again. He could see large rocks and a small hill on one side and a stretch of desert on the other side. There was no sign of life of any kind... It was clearly some kind of a wasteland. Making a decision, he climbed the small hill, thinking he might have a better view from there.

"Still the same damn view.... Wait! There is something there," Magnus said, straining his eyes. He thought he saw some kind of luminescence... something that wasn't red, at least. He raised his hand and tried a spell. He could cast here.... although this place didn't have much natural energy. Magic was nothing else but an ability to manipulate energies that came from all around... yet there weren't many sources of energy in this place.

"Well, it is better than nothing I guess..." Magnus said, sighing deeply. He set off in the direction of the luminescence, occasionally turning around to check his surroundings. This place was giving him the creeps.

"Is this place real?" Magnus thought, looking around once again. He touched his arms and then his chest...

"It feels real enough... Yet, I know I was lying next to Lanaya not more than a few minutes ago... Either way, I better search for some answers..."

The dot of luminescence wasn't as close as it seemed at first. Magnus felt like he was walking for a long time, yet the dot wasn't getting much bigger. He pressed on, feeling in his gut that time was of the essence. Turning as usual to glance around himself, he stopped suddenly, holding his breath. There were three black dots coming from his right... and they were coming fast. Magnus licked his lips in anticipation. He took a deep breath and reached out for his concentration. He was going to need it.

"What is that..." Magnus said as black dots turned into black shapes. Those were... some kind of dogs, but they seemed huge...

"I doubt they will just sniff me and let me pet them," Magnus thought, preparing the spell. He had to strike first if he wanted to have a chance of winning... His fireball sped over the ground, giving a peculiar shade to the redness of the sand underneath. The fireball crashed into the first dog, barely affecting it.

"Damn... that doesn't work," Magnus thought, pouring energy into a lightning bolt. The spell took much longer to energize properly... This time, he saw the big dog try to avoid the spell, yet the bolt was too fast. The lightning hit the first dog in the chest, and Magnus heard something between a roar and a hiss and then the big shape fell to the ground and started rolling and shaking. Magnus started casting a second lightning bolt with more urgency. The other two dogs were almost upon him. He saw them closing the distance so damn fast, and the spell was taking forever to energize...

"Come on... come on!"

"Ghhh!" Magnus exclaimed as he released the spell. Both dogs were only a dozen feet away from him and the lightning hit the one to the left, the beast collapsing to the ground, rolling and twisting, its maw releasing a roar of agony. Magnus turned quickly to the third one, trying to cast in near panic. He watched the huge teeth, glinting with saliva, coming closer and closer...

"AHH!" Magnus cried out in pain. In the last moment, he released a half-finished kinetic push and it made the huge beast miss, but not entirely... Its sharp claws raked his left arm, leaving four deep red lines that were dripping blood.

"Damn it!" Magnus roared as the beast fought to stop its momentum and attack him once again. He didn't have time for another spell. Magnus took out his sword, keeping his eyes on the beast. The gigantic dog turned around and came closer warily, eyeing the sword. Magnus knew if he started to cast, the dog would attack him at once. His arm was burning in pain, the red blood dripping on the sand, barely leaving a distinguishable mark.

"I don't think I can hope to be faster than this beast... Swinging the sword at it would probably be a suicide..." Magnus thought as the man and the beast circled each other.

"Gods only know how thick that fur is even... No, I need to make it come at me, and use the dog's momentum against it..." Magnus thought, taking a deep breath to get a grip on his nerves. He raised his left hand, starting to cast a lightning bolt. In a blink of an eye, the beast leaped at Magnus, its jaw opening wide to show its razor-sharp teeth. Expecting the attack, Magnus gripped the sword with both hands, putting all his strength into it. The beast impaled itself on the sword, its blade barely managing to pierce the thick fur below the dog's muscular neck. A terrible roar of pain resonated through the wasteland and Magnus felt pain in his arms as he pushed on the sword with desperate strength. The blade lodged itself deep inside the beast's chest and Magnus felt the handle being ripped out of his hands, as the huge dog fell to the ground, thrashing in agony. The beast rolled on the ground in its death throes, until Magnus' wary eyes finally saw the massive body settle down...

"Huh, that was close... but where did they come from? I've never seen dogs this big..." Magnus said, pushing the dog's corpse to the side in an attempt to take out his sword. He pulled at the sword and felt it dislodge itself from the dog's chest, but when the sword came out, there was another unpleasant surprise in store for him... The blade had... melted, apparently. The edges were uneven and completely dull, and even the shape of the sword was all wrong...

"Gods! What could possibly melt steel like this..."

Magnus watched the useless sword for several seconds as if expecting it to revert to its initial state, yet the sword remained the same useless lump of steel. He discarded the sword with a frustrated sigh. His arm was on fire and Magnus glanced at it, trying to assess the damage.

"It should be completely healed already... yet, I've barely managed to stop the bleeding," Magnus thought, watching his arm with a concerned look. For some reason, his healing magic wasn't working properly. Was it because of the poor source of energy in this place, or was it because the wound was inflicted by this strange beast? He couldn't tell. Yet, there was no use in dwelling on it. Taking a moment to collect his thoughts, Magnus set off towards the luminescence once again.

As he was closing the distance, Magnus noticed that the source of luminescence was some kind of crystal. It was radiating blue light and it seemed such a strange contrast to this red wasteland. Coming even closer, Magnus finally realized that the big crystal was set at the bottom of some kind of altar...

"What is that... Wait! There is someone lying on that altar..." Magnus exclaimed and quickened his pace. Nearing the altar, he recognized the form lying on it...

"Lanaya!" he exclaimed and rushed towards the altar. He was only a dozen paces away from her and he could see her motionless body. It appeared as if she was sleeping. He didn't dare to think about a different possibility...

"HUMAN MAGE!"

Magnus stopped and looked up in surprise. The voice had come from above... yet there was nothing there to be seen.

"YOU HAVE COME FAR, HUMAN..."

There it was again. The voice was distinctly... feminine.

"Who are you... and WHERE are you?" Magnus said, turning and looking in every direction.

The sound of female laughter was unmistakable.

"YOU ENTER MY WORLD AND YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO I AM... AH, YOU HUMANS NEVER CEASE TO DISAPPOINT ME," the voice said with a chuckle.

"MY NAME IS SOMNA AND I AM A LADY OF THIS PLACE. OF COURSE, YOU PRIMITIVE HUMANS WOULD CALL ME A DEMON, I SUPPOSE... THEN AGAIN, YOU COULD BE RIGHT!" the voice said, the cold laughter resonating through the wasteland again.

"What have you done to her?!" Magnus said, looking at Lanaya once again. She seemed so peaceful...

"LET'S JUST SAY THAT SHE IS REALLY TASTY... ALL ELVES ARE. THEY ARE FULL OF SUCH SWEET NATURAL ENERGY AND THEY ARE SO... SUSCEPTIBLE TO MY INFLUENCE!"

"You are some kind of dream demon?!" Magnus guessed, after taking a moment to process Somna's words.

"AH YOU HUMANS... EVER SO CRUDE," the voice said, chuckling.

"Release her!" Magnus exclaimed suddenly.

"BIG WORDS, LITTLE HUMAN... AND WHAT IF I DON'T?" Somna said, her voice becoming more harsh.

"Then I will release her myself!" Magnus said, rushing to the altar. He shook Lanaya, he slapped her face, but she wasn't waking up...

"GREAT EFFORT! DO KEEP UP," Somna's mocking voice echoed in Magnus' ears.

"There must be something I can do... The crystal! Maybe that is the key," Magnus thought, moving to examine the large crystal. The crystal itself was red, yet the light it was giving was light blue... the color of Lanaya's skin. Magnus took a deep breath.

"Gods... I need your help now... if I am wrong I might be harming Lanaya..." Magnus thought building up a spell.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING, HUMAN!? STOP AT ONCE, YOU FOOL!"

Magnus gritted his teeth and released a strong kinetic push. The crystal shattered, its shards flying in every direction.

"NO! NO, YOU CURSED WRETCH!"

Magnus watched the altar, feeling fear grip his heart. Did he do the right thing? Did he doom Lanaya? As if to answer his question, Lanaya stirred on the altar, her eyes fluttering open.

"E'arin Siann..." she said, smiling weakly at him. Magnus smiled back, feeling the weight of the world lift off his shoulders.

"Lanaya... thank the gods," Magnus said, rushing to help her get on her feet. She took a few tentative steps, testing her strength.

"I am fine... I think," she said, looking around herself. "Thank you for coming for me... This dream... or was it a nightmare..." she said and took a deep breath. A moment later, a light appeared next to her. It looked like a passage... an exit from this place maybe?

"Let's get out of here!" she said and stepped through the passage. Magnus nodded and went to join her.

"NOT SO FAST, HUMAN...YOU DID ENTER THIS WORLD VOLUNTARILY!" Somna said, with a wicked laugh.

Magnus felt an icy hand gripping his neck. He struggled against it, trying to grab the hand, but there was nothing to grab... His vision began to dim until the redness of the wasteland was replaced with complete darkness...

***

The sound of nightingale echoed through the meadow, its lovely song always a sign of spring or early summer. It is to this amazing sound that Magnus came to, releasing a groan that contrasted the beautiful song of life. He stood up quickly, touching his body and looking around himself warily. There was no wound on his left arm and even his sword was hanging from his belt. Where did the wasteland go? Where was Lanaya... Where was Somna? As he struggled to gather his thoughts, his eyes wandered around...

"Gods! This, this is..."

He couldn't finish his sentence. It was much too surprising. He looked around himself in wonder, struggling to understand it...

"My meadow... and there is the tree..." he said, feeling his posture relax. This had always been a place of absolute peace and safety for him. How did he get here? Was this Somna's doing?

"If she thinks she will keep me here just because I love this place so much..." Magnus thought, his train of thoughts interrupted when he laid his eyes on a shape, lying underneath the tree.

"Ah... I bet it is Lanaya... an illusion more likely though... I am pretty sure she managed to break free. Somna probably thinks I will succumb to this lovely prison if I have her as company..." Magnus thought, moving towards the tree. He could only see her feet as the tree was hiding the rest of her body.

"Hey Lan-, "Magnus exclaimed, and then froze. He had circled the tree expecting to see Lanaya in all her beauty, but the face he saw wasn't the one he had expected. Yet it was a face he knew so well... The creamy skin, the beautiful dark red hair, and those lovely, playful eyes...

"Hello, Apprentice!" Fiona said in a merry voice. Magnus watched her, stunned. He was quite sure this wasn't real, yet seeing her again after so many months was something he wasn't prepared for. The image of their farewell came to his mind and he just stood there, indecisive.

"Come, sit next to me," she said, giving him a smile he had seen so many times, a smile he loved so much. He sat down awkwardly, leaning against the tree... his favorite tree. Fiona put her head on his shoulder and took his hand, caressing it lightly. Magnus turned his head and put his face in her hair, breathing deeply, her scent overwhelming his senses.

"Oh, I underestimated this demon..." Magnus thought as he sat in the shade of his favorite tree, holding hands with Fiona and smelling her lovely hair. The nightingale song was in the air, the butterflies moving from one flower to the next, the sun shining its golden rays through the canopy, creating wonderful shapes on the ground. Everything was perfect. Magnus couldn't tell for how long he was sitting there, enjoying the sensation of peace and love, the feeling of fulfillment. In the back of his mind, he knew none of it was real. He knew he wasn't in his meadow, he wasn't under his tree. He knew this lovely creature leaning on his shoulder wasn't really Fiona, but gods, it felt so good. He couldn't believe how much her presence affected his emotions and senses. He missed her so much.

"The solution... the escape from this dream must be in rejecting it completely... but I feel so reluctant. I want to leave, and I don't want any illusions in my life, no matter how amazing they are, yet deep inside of me, every fiber of my being wants to stay... Will I be able to reject this dream strongly enough, to escape its... reality?" Magnus mused, still keeping his face in the lovely hair. He was caressing her face and neck, feeling the smoothness of her silky skin.

"No, I won't... I don't have the strength... I have to... I have to do something outrageous, something unthinkable if I want to leave this place... Oh Gods, give me strength..." Magnus thought, taking a deep breath and slowly rising to his feet. He felt like his limbs were made of lead, like he had no energy left. He gritted his teeth, almost making his gums bleed. He reached out for his sword, feeling it heavier than ever.

"Somna?! I curse you a thousand times!! Do you hear me?! DAMN YOU TO HELL!!" Magnus cried out in pain and anguish as he plunged his sword into Fiona's heart, her surprised eyes betraying pain. It was a look he would never be able to forget. As his heart was being ripped apart, Magnus felt the world flicker and dim, darkness taking its place once again...

"AAAHH!" Magnus sat up, his face sweaty and distorted with pain. Dozens of elven eyes were upon him. His eyes skipped from one face to the next until they settled on Lanaya's. She was sitting on the bed, holding his hand, her beautiful face showing serious concern. He felt pain in his left arm and saw it was bandaged. His sword, or what used to be his sword, was lying on the floor, useless. Somehow, that part of the dream had been real, apparently.

"Are you all right?" Lanaya said, squeezing his hand.

"Yeah... I... Somna was... never mind..." Magnus said, not wishing to go through it again.

"So it was Somna, after all... Lanaya told us, but I was hoping that she was wrong," the Queen said, watching him with concern and sympathy.

"You know of her?" Magnus said after a moment's hesitation. His mind was still reeling from the unthinkable act he had done.

"When I was a young girl, I heard elders talking about Somna, the dream demon... But according to those stories, she hasn't been among us for centuries," The Queen said, her face creased with worry. "But the most perplexing and the most worrisome question is: How was she able to cross over to our plane? Somna is a High Demon, a powerful entity who can't simply appear in our world... She must have been summoned by someone very powerful..." the Queen mused and then suddenly went quiet. Everyone was holding their breath and listening. The shouts, the cries of anger and fear could be heard outside.