Capturing magic the lega.., p.1
Capturing Magic (The Legacy of Androva Book 2), page 1
Capturing Magic
By
Alex C Vick
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2016 by Alex C Vick
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
First eBook Printing, 2016
For Imogen, I hope you always believe in magic.
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter One – The Seminary of Magic (four weeks earlier)
Chapter Two – The Only Magician on Terra
Chapter Three – Finding the Right Spell
Chapter Four – A Seed of Doubt
Chapter Five – Professor Lenora
Chapter Six – The Dinner
Chapter Seven – Secrets and Rumours
Chapter Eight – The Binding Spell
Chapter Nine – The Concealing Spell Explained
Chapter Ten – Revus Remembers Arianna
Chapter Eleven – Pink Redefined
Chapter Twelve – Before Open Day
Chapter Thirteen – Distraction Spell Number One
Chapter Fourteen – Aliens Walk Amongst Us
Chapter Fifteen – Distraction Spell Number Two
Chapter Sixteen – A Question of Trust
Chapter Seventeen – First Morning at the Seminary
Chapter Eighteen – Building Blocks
Chapter Nineteen – InterPharm
Chapter Twenty – Hesta Eavesdrops
Chapter Twenty One – Rollercoasters and Rejuvenation Spells
Chapter Twenty Two – P is for Pretend
Chapter Twenty Three – Capturing Magic
Chapter Twenty Four – After the Prologue
Chapter Twenty Five – An Ending
Chapter Twenty Six – Two Weeks Later
By the same Author
Prologue
Jax stepped through the portal from Androva into the half-light of a Terran summer’s evening. Night would fall within the next hour, and the sky was already dark grey. He had not been able to wait any longer before coming to look for Shannon, despite the fact that it would have been safer in complete darkness. Where was she? If only they hadn’t had that stupid argument.
Jax had opened the portal for Shannon that morning as agreed, but she hadn’t turned up. It was an important day, because they were supposed to demonstrate their new Rejuvenation Spell to the Council. At first, Jax had blamed Shannon’s absence on their argument the day before. He had planned to apologise, but when Shannon failed to appear through the portal, he became angry with her. It wasn’t until later, when his anger had died down, that he realised it was completely out of character for Shannon not to keep an appointment with the Council.
After that, he started to get worried. The more he thought about it, the more worried he got. But he couldn’t go to look for her until it was dark enough that there would be no Terrans wandering about. And now here he was, and there was no sign of Shannon.
Then he noticed the letter, propped against a nearby tree. Snatching it up in relief, he began to read. His relief soon turned to dismay.
“Dear Jax,
I imagine you are wondering what has happened to your friend Shannon? Well, she is with me. As my prisoner. I had hoped to be able to uncover the secret to becoming a magician from her, but it seems we are going to need your help. Don’t tell anyone about this letter. If you disobey me, she will suffer. I might not be able to use magic yet, but I can still be very unpleasant. Be back where you found this letter at nightfall, and someone will collect you.
Regards,
Oh, you didn’t really expect me to give my name did you?”
Chapter One – The Seminary of Magic (four weeks earlier)
“You have got to be kidding me,” said Jax, looking scornfully at Professor Alver. “There is no way on Androva I’m doing that spell.” He pushed his black hair impatiently off his forehead, and then put his hands into his pockets, clenching them into fists as he did so.
Professor Alver looked back at Jax, his expression remaining calm, though there was a hint of amusement lifting one corner of his mouth.
“And would you care to share with us all your reasons for refusing?” he asked, glancing behind Jax to the rest of the class.
There were ten other underage magicians seated on chairs around the training room. It was one of the smaller rooms in the Seminary of Magic, used mainly for teaching magic theory, and some of the more contained and quieter spells. The day was warm, and the sunlight shining through the high windows brightened the blue glow of the Protection Spell that enclosed the room.
Jax narrowed his green eyes briefly, struggling to keep his temper. He opened his mouth and then shut it again.
“Yes?” prompted the Professor, crossing one leg over the other as he settled back into his chair. He was dressed similarly to his students, in slim trousers and a shirt of dark cloth, his Sygnus glowing silvery-white near his shoulder. The Professor’s hair was a light brown, and his eyes sparkled with intelligence.
“It’s ridiculous,” Jax burst out, “it’s stupid, it’s demeaning!”
Some of the other magicians giggled, but quickly stopped as the Professor directed his steady gaze towards them. Then, raising his eyebrows, he turned back to Jax.
“Indeed?” he asked evenly. “Please elaborate.”
Jax stared for a moment at the square of bright pink material resting on the table next to the Professor. It was not particularly large, but it was infused with enough magic to make the colour almost fluorescent. It was the most hideous shade that Jax had ever seen.
Androvan clothing tended to be on the conservative side, to ensure visibility of the Sygnus. The more Jax looked at the square of material, the more impossible the spell seemed.
“I can’t do it,” he said flatly. “This is not the kind of magic I asked you to teach me. How is this going to help me to build an underground portal room on Terra? How is this going to help me do anything?”
His voice rose as he struggled to contain his frustration. The Professor’s expression became thoughtful as he waited for Jax to finish.
“I see,” he began. “Let me make sure I understand your objections. You say that you can’t do it. Do you mean that the spell is too difficult for you?”
Jax glared at Professor Alver.
“The spell is not too difficult for me,” he answered, though as he spoke he knew that this was not entirely true. The spell was very advanced, and it would be a challenge even for someone with as much natural magical ability as Jax possessed. There was no guarantee that Jax would be successful even if he agreed to try.
Placing a Concealing Spell over his Sygnus, as Professor Alver had asked Jax to do, would not be straightforward. The Sygnus is not just a family symbol that represents your bloodline. It is also a magical key that can be used to unlock more sophisticated spells.
Traditionally each underage magician’s first spell is to formally adopt their family Sygnus. From then on it is magically engraved on every item of clothing they ever wear for the rest of their lives. It is meant to be visible at all times. It will resist any Concealing Spell with all its might.
The Professor expected Jax to make the spell last for one entire day and night, which is an incredibly long time for a Concealing Spell. But Jax knew, and the Professor knew, that the main problem was not the type of spell or its duration.
The problem was the method of concealment. For a period of twenty-four hours Jax would have to cover his Sygnus with something so unbelievably pink, it would be visible to every single person within a hundred metre radius.
“Alright,” continued the Professor, “let me address your next concern. You say that this is not the kind of magic you asked me to teach you. We agreed that I would teach you to how to build a portal room underneath the Terran soil, did we not?”
Jax nodded. Professor Alver was one of the few magicians who possessed the ability to construct a portal room with magic. More importantly, he was the only one prepared to share that knowledge with Jax.
“And do you believe me capable of determining what spells need to be mastered along the way in order for you to achieve this?”
After a moment’s hesitation, Jax nodded again. Then he shook his head.
“But I don’t understand! Wearing that hideous thing will not teach me how to excavate an underground chamber!”
Privately he thought that once his classmates had seen him walking around with that pink beacon on his shoulder, he would need to live underground for several weeks to get over the embarrassment. And how would he explain it to Shannon, his Terran girlfriend?
Some of the other underage magicians had started to snigger again at the thought of Jax wearing pink. Professor Alver raised his hand, and the noise stopped.
“The Council has permitted significant changes at the Seminary in recent weeks. You have all felt the benefit of these changes. We are able to teach more advanced magic to underage magicians than has ever been allowed before.”
&nbs
“However…” he continued slowly. “However. You remain underage, and you still have a lot to learn.”
He inclined his head towards Jax and said “One Spell of Removal does not a senior magician make.” Then he smiled to take the edge off his words. “No matter how brave or life changing that spell may be.”
Jax closed his eyes briefly. He remembered a small room at the foot of a cold, dark mountain, and the heart-stopping moment when he had desperately projected the Spell of Removal towards an ancient, evil magician of unimaginable power. The twisted face of Angelus as he attempted to cast the Death Spell on Shannon still haunted Jax in his nightmares.
“So,” went on Professor Alver, “you will tackle the Concealing Spell. All of you. I will decide what you will each conceal, and for how long you will conceal it. Next time, if you prove yourselves suitably skilled, you may be lucky enough to follow Jax in his battle against vanity.”
Jax frowned, and started to speak.
“I’m not vain,” he protested. “That’s not the reason I don’t want to use that pink monstrosity. It’s because there’s no purpose to it. I can do the spell without it!”
“I am sure that you can,” responded Professor Alver. “But that is not the point. The point is whether you can do the spell with it. Can you project this difficult spell, when you don’t actually want to succeed? Can you persuade your magic to follow the request of your teacher even though you think you will look ridiculous?”
He looked at Jax, making sure that Jax understood. This was not just a question of magical skill, it was a question of discipline. Never a strong point for Jax, but unfortunately very necessary if a magician wanted to reach his or her full potential.
Professor Alver had been more than a little like Jax in his younger years. He knew that Jax did not yet understand the importance of self-control in channelling magical ability. The Professor spoke again.
“Or perhaps you are not ready for this test. Perhaps I was wrong.”
Jax clenched his fists tighter in his pockets. He glanced across at his best friend Darius, who was trying not to laugh. Darius knew that Professor Alver was just the kind of teacher that Jax needed. And he was also looking forward to seeing Jax wearing pink.
He had no doubt that his friend would succeed at the spell, difficult though it would be. But Jax could hardly blame him for finding the prospect of it all quite funny.
Darius wondered if he could manage to take a record of it with Shannon’s mobile device. Jax and Darius were both intrigued with the Terran technology they had heard about so far, especially taking photos and videos.
Unfortunately, Shannon’s mobile seemed to stop working after going through the portal, and Jax and Darius were still trying to identify a suitable Protection Spell for it.
Jax gritted his teeth, but reluctantly admitted defeat.
“OK, I’ll do it,” he replied to Professor Alver. “I may never live this down, though.”
The Professor smiled. “You have one week to master the spell,” he told Jax. “Good luck.”
The other underage magicians stepped forward to receive their individual assignments, with only Darius and one other, a girl called Cassia, being challenged to conceal their Sygnus symbols. The rest were given easier magical objects, and no-one else was required to use such a flamboyant means of concealment as Jax.
Jax and Darius walked part of the way home together. It was a Friday afternoon at the beginning of summer, and classes were finished for the week.
Jax continued to attract the occasional stare of recognition from other Androvans, even though it had now been more than a month since he had battled Angelus alongside Shannon.
Androvans were gradually getting used to life without the threat of Angelus escaping constantly hanging over them. The Code of rules and regulations had been rewritten, and trips to Terra to harvest its magic were no longer needed.
There was even talk of rebuilding the Foundation for Research. Jax really hoped that this would happen. He loved nothing more than experimenting with magic.
“Jax, Darius, wait up!” came a voice. Jax and Darius turned to see Hesta, another underage magician running towards them. Her blonde hair fell around her shoulders as she came to a halt a few feet away.
“Are you going straight home?” she asked, looking disappointed.
“Well…” began Darius, “we kind of need to get started on our assignments. Shannon will be here tomorrow and we promised to help her prepare for her year one assessment.”
Hesta’s pale blue eyes flashed with annoyance, and she turned away for a second to hide her reaction. When she faced the boys again, she was smiling sweetly.
“But I was really hoping you could show me your portal room spellstations. Professor Livia insists that I learn how to create my own. I was hoping that I could stay in her class with you, but apparently I’ve gone as far as I can in Combat,” she finished, with a little frown.
Jax and Darius exchanged a look, both trying to keep a straight face. There were six disciplines in total at the Seminary of Magic. Every known spell was categorised within these six. On one side of the building were Remedies, Living Magic and Combat. On the other side were Manipulation, History and Physical.
Each underage magician was required to attend classes in all six disciplines, but it was up to the Professors to determine when their full potential in a particular area had been reached.
Hesta was about as suited to Combat as a fish was suited to dry land. Her screams and hysterics when on the receiving end of anything more than the most basic of Containment Spells were well known. Jax and Darius had nothing against Hesta, but did not take her seriously as a magician.
Hesta, on the other hand, wanted Jax to be her boyfriend. He was the most promising underage magician at the Seminary, and when he turned his cool green-eyed stare in her direction, Hesta got butterflies in her stomach.
Despite her limited magical ability, she was a very pretty girl with lots of friends. She couldn’t understand his indifference, which had only increased since he had met Shannon. She was determined to get Jax to notice her, and didn’t care what she had to do to make it happen.
“Look Hesta,” answered Jax apologetically, “I don’t think we’ll have time tonight. Alver’s given me a nightmare Concealing Spell, and I still have to write my history assignment on portal creation. They won’t let me build a portal room on Terra until I’ve proved that I understand all the implications.”
Hesta shrugged, trying to look as if she didn’t care.
“Well, I suppose it can wait, but you have to promise me we can do it some other time.” She turned to Darius, putting her hand on his arm.
“It is Seminary protocol that we help another student when they ask, after all.”
Darius blushed slightly, as Hesta stared into his eyes for a moment. Then she turned to walk back the way she had come from, and the two boys continued home.
Jax’s thoughts immediately returned to Shannon, and he wondered what she was doing. She needed to pass the year one assessment to be able to join Jax and Darius in their classes, but she was finding the spells something of a challenge…
Chapter Two – The Only Magician on Terra
Shannon looked exasperatedly at the giant toy bear in the corner of her bedroom.
“You have got to be kidding me,” she said, echoing the words that Jax had said at the Seminary the same afternoon. Her Augmentation Spell had got a little out of control. The bear stared back at her, its large button eyes and rather stern mouth managing to convey an expression of indignation.
It was now slightly taller than Shannon herself, and twice as wide. Facing the bear’s offended stare, Shannon was reminded of Mr Charles, the headmaster at her school.
“Shannon Blackwood, explain yourself,” she imagined the bear saying.
“I didn’t mean to make you this big. You were only supposed to double in size!” Shannon said helplessly. “This is a nightmare. What on earth am I supposed to do now?”
Her hands were still giving off a silvery glow from the end of the spell, and she stared down at them for a moment. Then her head lifted back up sharply as she heard her mother’s footsteps reaching the top of the stairs.
