The Jade Mage: The Becoming: Volume 1 (42 page)

Tartum took in all that he was just told. He wasn’t fully human. A part of him was something else, something not human, that was powerful in magic. It didn’t make sense; he knew for sure his dad was human. He had raised him for sixteen years before he died. He had asked his dad about his mother numerous times, and he had never been lead to believe his mom was anything other than human. His father had decribed her as tall, lithe, beautiful, with long black hair, and brown eyes. He had told him she had died when he was young and that he never found another woman to be with because it didn’t seem right.
No
, Tartum thought,
No that’s not right...he never said she died, he said that the gods needed her more than us
. His head raced with the possibilities. So many questions and no answers. Tartum looked up at Rashlarr.

“It doesn’t make sense. I knew my father, and he was completely human. He told me my mother was human, told me about her. She...died...when I was young so I never knew her, but if she wasn’t human what else could she have been? What am I!? Why won’t Calimsha tell me what I am?” Tartum asked, he was getting upset at this new revelation.

Rashlarr seemed to be having another conversation in his head and after a few moments responded. “She just won’t. I won’t lie to you, Tartum, Calimsha is in charge. I get to walk around and have control of my body and functions most of the time, but when she wants control she gets it, and there’s nothing I can do about it. If she doesn’t want to tell you something then there’s nothing you or I or anyone else can do to change her mind. I advise you to be grateful she told you anything and leave it at that.” Rashlarr seemed nervous, he was struggling with something, and with some effort, he continued, “She, almost seems...scared...” Rashlarr’s head snapped back and he cried out in pain. Tartum watched helplessly as Rashlarr was punished for revealing this information to him. He didn’t know what to do to help him, and he didn’t know if he wanted to. The way Tartum saw it, Rashlarr made this deal with the devil, so he had to deal with the consequences. After a few minutes, Rashlarr stopped screaming and balled up into fetal position shaking. Tartum gave him some time to compose himself. About ten minutes later, Rashlarr sat up. He looked defeated and saddened. The look reminded Tartum of a child that had just been beaten for doing something they shouldn’t have. The thought made Tartum laugh to himself. Rashlarr was in a living hell, and Tartum decided no amount of magical ability was worth what he was going through. Being a half-breed suddenly didn’t seem so bad.

“So, in return for my silence, and my ability to entertain Calimsha, she said something about teaching me secrets. I assume that means more powerful magic spells, correct?” Tartum asked, trying to get the conversation going again. This part was important to him, and he was getting tired of all the soul searching.

Rashlarr simply nodded. At first, Tartum was irritated at his silence but realized that this deal with the devil he was making really didn’t require any more conversation. Smiling to himself he stood up.

“I find these terms acceptable then, Calimsha. I’ll stay quiet, you show me your secrets. I promise to keep you entertained as long a I can.” Tartum’s confidence was heavily present in his voice. Rashlarr simply nodded again and pointed at the wall. Tartum took the hint and picked up his bag of sulfur. Taking his position in the middle of the room, he prepared himself to cast another fireball at the wall.

...

Picking up the bag of sulfur one last time, Tartum scraped the residue off the bottom of the bag. It had been full a few days ago, and Tartum was disappointed that this was the last time he was going to be able to cast the fireball spell today. For the past three days, he had done nothing but practice his new favorite spell. The jade green spheres of fire and destruction were as familiar to him now as his own hands. Tartum loved this spell; now that he had gotten the hang of splitting his concentration between two focuses, it was second nature. Looking at the sulfur dust that sat in a small pile on his palm, Tartum opened himself to the magic.

“Doctay-von-we!”
he spoke, as he felt the magic flowing through him into the sulfur. The small amount of dust could hold very little magic and the green fireball that formed from it was only about the size of a child’s fist. Far from discouraged, Tartum felt a thrill at knowing what he had created. Almost without thinking, Tartum willed the flame into a flowing green sphere of hot destruction and split his focus so he could choose his target at the end of the room. The hole he created in the wall had become quite large. About thirty feet deep and just as wide, he was proud of the damage his spell had caused. At first he had been worried that Rashlarr might not let him continue casting this spell due to the damage he was causing to the room. When he had voiced his concern, Rashlarr had shrugged and told him, “It’s just a room.” It was the response Tartum had hoped for.

“Beath!”
he commanded. The small, green, fireball shot out of his hand and sailed across the room, slamming into the center of the crater in the wall and detonated, with significant force considering its size. As expected, the explosion started a few small green fires that grew in intensity as they burned. Rashlarr, or perhaps Calimsha, had told Tartum that the residual flames were remnants of his subconcious power and only Tartum, or another equally gifted caster, would be able to extinguish them. It was the reason Calimsha had to take control of Rashlarr the first day in order to stop the flames from spreading. It was also the reason Tartum now gave the command
“Uush!”
At his command, the flames winked out of existence.

“Well done, apprentice, very well done. I do believe you have mastered the fireball spell.” Rashlarr said. He had regained some of his old self, since Calimsha had punished him for saying too much. Although not completely at ease around him, Tartum noted that as time went on Rashlarr’s guard was going down. He still wasn’t sure if it was Rashlarr or Calimsha that was the most nervous around him. He didn’t much care as long as the training continued.

“Thank you, Masters. What do you have in store for me next?” Tartum asked. Pluralizing “master” seemed right, given the circumstances and as long as they were alone Rashlarr didn’t object. In fact, he had told Tartum that Calimsha found it entertaining. That alone was worth remembering to address them both. As long as Calimsha was happy, his training would continue. He dreaded the idea of angering her and having to fight against whatever she was. Her voice alone had almost broken his sanity. He didn’t want to imagine what she could do to him if she wanted to harm or kill him.

“Well, we were thinking, in order to give the room a break, that we would teach you a defensive spell.” Rashlarr told him. As he finished his explanation, he tossed something small to Tartum. Catching it, he looked down and saw that he had just been given a tiny blue sapphire.

Tartum was intrigued, and Rashlarr was smiling. He almost seemed like himself for a moment. The smile vanished almost as quickly as it appeared, and Rashlarr was all business once again. “The spell I will teach you is a preemptive one. It takes longer to cast than the fireball spell because it’s more powerful. It creates a magical dome that completely surrounds you and will absorb one aggressive attack that is made on your person. So, for example, if someone tried to stab you in the back or shoot you with an arrow, the dome will absorb the attack but will be dispelled in the process. Do not think of it as an armor. It’s more of a warning, a last chance to defend yourself if your enemy gets the drop on you. It also requires some foresight on your part. Since it takes longer to cast, I don’t advise you attempt to cast it if you’re already in a combat situation. You’re very exposed during the casting, and if you move or mispronounce the words, well as you can guess, the spell will fail, and you’ll not only be exposed but severely weakened. Also, the component required, as you can see, isn’t the cheapest of items. The sapphire required can be a tiny pebble, like the one I gave you, or the size of a house. It doesn’t matter. The effects and the traits of the spell will be the same. I advise you try to keep a few sapphires on you at all times...as your purse allows.” Rashlarr’s smile returned.

Tartum nodded his understanding and waited for Rashlarr to continue. Rashlarr’s eyes glazed over, Tartum was getting used to the look. It indicated that he was having a conversation with Calimsha and all he could do was wait for them to finish. The fact that it occured more and more often didn’t bother him as much as the feeling that he was being left out of something important did. Tartum was finding their behavior rather inconsiderate. The fact that they would talk amongst themselves like he wasn’t in the room made Tartum feel insignificant and awkward. He made his peace with it by telling himself that it was just one more indignation he would have to endure to further his own power. The knowledge of that fact allowed him to deal with the situation, but he didn’t think he would ever be comfortable with it.

Rashlarr’s eyes refocused, and he continued his lesson. “The spell can also be used to protect someone else if you choose. The component requirements are the same, as are the words to the spell. The difference is instead of focusing the spell on yourself, you focus it on the person you wish to protect. Much like with chosing a target for your fireball.” Rashlarr explained.

Again, Tartum nodded his understanding. He wasn’t quite as excited to be learning a defensive spell as he was at learning the fireball spell, but he couldn’t argue with the logic of having a protective dome surrounding him when he was out on missions or gathering components in the wilderness. He really didn’t like the fact that sapphires were the cost for such protection. They weren’t the most valuable of gemstones, but they were still gemstones and therefore not cheap. He made a mental note to see about aquiring some for personal use once his training was complete. He still had a considerable amount of money left that Isidor had given him.

Rashlarr was approaching him, and the movement brought Tartum out of his thoughts. “Ok, Apprentice. You put the sapphire on the ground in front of you, like this.” Rashlarr said, as he leaned down and placed his sapphire on the ground. The sapphire was the twin of the one Rashlarr had given him.

Satisfied with the placement, Rashlarr stretched out his arms with his palms facing out to either side of his body. Leaning his head back Rashlarr took a breath, and Tartum knew he was opening himself up to the magic. His body looked like he was on a rack about to be stretched. He realized that Rashlarr wasn’t kidding about being exposed and vulnerable while casting this spell. He couldn’t think of a more helpless posture to take before casting a spell. Rashlarr began to speak.

“Esotlie bon-bon-ytei.”
As Rashlarr spoke the words, the sapphire rose up off the floor and hovered in front of his chest. Rashlarr took a breath and continued the spell.

“Duun-fwalyte katai romo-wei.”
As the last word was pronounced, the sapphire began to glow with a bright blue light. It seemed to be getting larger the longer Tartum looked at it. It was beautiful! Rashlarr said the final verse of the spell.

“Tun-turu vet-jerwat lei!”
The sapphire expanded as Rashlarr finished the spell and it quickly formed into a man sized, blue, glowing bubble. The bubble moved and encompassed Rashlarr’s entire body. For a moment, it looked as though Rashlarr was cocooned inside his sapphire. The blue glow disappeared, and Rashlarr put his arms down. He smiled his old jovial smile and pointed towards Tartum’s staff. There was no change to his appearance. Tartum wasn’t sure the spell had worked.

“Try to hit me, apprentice.” was all Rashlarr said.

Tartum hesitated, he really didn’t want to hurt Rashlarr. He needed him, and he didn’t want to upset Calimsha; she had referred to him as a “vessel” once, and Tartum highly doubted she would take kindly to anyone damaging him, whatever the reason. Rashlarr saw his hesitation and his smile vanished. It was immediately replaced with a sneer of anger.

“Strike me
now,
Apprentice! Or maybe it’s time to end your lessons!” Rashlarr spat at him. It was all the encouragement Tartum needed. Picking up his staff with lightning quickness, Tartum swung his staff, aiming to hit him directly in his chest. Tartum knew that if he hit him, his ribs would be pulverized and without any intervention he would be dead in minutes. Just as Tartum was sure his attack was going to crush the life out of his Masters, he hit something, spongy a foot from his target. All the momentum of his attack was gone, and Tartum fell to the ground due to the unexpected halt of his attack. Rashlarr laughed and reached down to help Tartum up.

“Not as flashy as the fireball, but much more effective; wouldn’t you agree, Apprentice?” he said, as Tartum got to his feet. Tartum thought about what had just happened and couldn’t help himself, he began to laugh too.

“That was very impressive, Masters! So, now that the spell absorbed my attack, it’s dispelled?” Tartum asked. He thought he already knew the answer but wanted to verify. With magic, you can never be to sure.

“That’s correct. However, as you just saw, if you had been an assailiant, you would have been in no position for a follow up attack. I also wouldn’t have helped you by reaching down to pick you up, I would have put my foot into your throat.” Rashlarr told him. Tartum gave his masters a puzzled look, and Rashlarr continued, “What!? Not everything we do has to be magical!” At that, they both shared a laugh. Rashlarr cut the moment short with a wave of his hand.