Wizard Dawning (The Battle Wizard Saga, No. 1) (7 page)

Sig received a sniff inspection before Grampa called Czar to his side and motioned for him to heel. Czar set up obediently on Grampa's left side.

Sig chuckled and shrugged. "You're the only one he always obeys."

"Why don't you try it? I've always been able to do it and I don't know if it's my magic, the latent Battle Wizard, or my intense natural charm. I want to see if he obeys you better now that you've changed," Grampa Thor said.

Sig pursed his lips. "Hmmm, Ok I'll give it a try. Czar, come, heel."

Czar bounded over to Sig and stood on his left side facing forward, then sat at Sig's hand signal. "Wow, he obeyed better than ever before. Let's see how it works when we get him out of the arena."

Grampa nodded. "Change back first and let's see if he has the same reaction. It's time for lunch; I'm hungry even if you aren't."

"I hoped you'd be ready. I'm starving." Sig reached over his back to clutch the sword hilt. He rumbled "Koma aftur" and everything around him grew.

Back to normal, he looked down. Czar still sat by his side, looking up, tail wagging. Sig raised his eyebrows. "Wow, maybe it will work. Czar, heel." He turned to his right and the Borzoi swung around him to remain by his side. Outside, the dog paced obediently next to him as they walked to the house. A squirrel dashed across the yard, toward a tree. Czar's ears perked forward and he tensed. Sig said "Heel." Czar relaxed and continued at his side.

Sig looked to Grampa Thor as the three of them went up the stairs to the house. "If nothing else comes out of this, at least Czar pays attention now."

Grampa smiled. "I think you'll find that you get that response from more than just Czar. Of course, nothing works with cats."

As they left the arena, a wisp of smoke rose from a blackening spot on the wick of the small candle on the right.

Meredith scrolled her pen like a pointer across the laptop screen. Zeroing in on the number desired, she wrote it in the investment journal on top of today's copy of the Wall Street Journal.

Of the fourteen stocks highlighted with a yellow marker in the WSJ, and researched on the internet, she had a strong feeling about the growth potential of Luce Solar Power.

She made a note in her journal to buy at the price she had scribbled in the journal and added a projected sale price.

Her fingers raced through the commands to purchase 5,000 shares of the stock as well as the command to sell it automatically when it reached her planned sell price.

She smiled contentedly as she picked her coffee mug up and took a sip.

No one could fault her now for taking over finances after Martin died.

The town's banker, he'd always handled family finances which included a good size life insurance policy along with instructions for a financial advisor. His idea had been that the insurance, along with selling the farm would allow her to live comfortably.

She decided instead to take over the finances herself and not to sell the farm and the horses she loved if she didn't have to. She considered taking on boarders. Her reputation as an equestrian and trainer would help. People were always asking for her advice. That wouldn't be necessary now.

She looked at her online balance. In the year since she took over, she'd more than doubled the insurance money and was on the way to doubling it again.

She spent two hours a day, four days a week analyzing stocks. Her dedicated work was paying off.

The outside door opened and Czar trotted in and laid his head on her lap to get his ears rubbed before he sought his place by the fire. Grampa hobbled in, followed by Sig.

She smiled at the picture her son made. The cold morning air lent a ruddy glow to his light golden skin. He brushed his wavy sable hair out of his eyes. She didn't comment on an overdue haircut. She liked it longer. Like hers, his hair and skin tone evidenced that Vikings raided and interbred with slaves from the Mediterranean. With rangy shoulders, and long arms and legs, he made a fine figure of a man.

"Mom, did you make anything for lunch or should we scrounge?" Sig asked.

"There are a couple of ham steaks frying in the pan, German potato salad in the frig, and a green bean casserole on the counter. If you want a ham sandwich, there's ciabatta bread in the keeper."

"I knew there was a reason I liked staying here," Grampa said as he slapped a ham steak on his plate and spooned up the side dishes. He sat at the kitchen table as she cleared her things out of the way.

"Why don't you take the rest of the day off," Grampa said to Sig. "You should be weary from the first day's workouts."

Meredith thought Grampa looked gray and drained.

"Good idea. I have a study session with my new geology lab partner tomorrow I have to get ready for." Sig said.

"What happened to your old partner?" she asked.

"That was freaky. A feral dog pack attacked while he waited for the school bus and tore up his arm and leg. It got all infected and he's in the hospital in critical care."

"That's terrible. When did it happen?"

"Three days ago. I haven't been able to visit him because of the infection danger."

"I wasn't aware that there were any feral dog packs around."

"No one was and then they couldn't find the dogs after it happened. Since they couldn't find 'em, he has to have rabies shots too."

"How awful. Who is your new lab partner?"

"A new girl started school last week and needed AP Geology. Another lab team offered to triple up with her, but after Jason got hurt they put her with me."

"It's hard to start a new school in the middle of the year. Is she cute?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. She's from California and came to stay with relatives here. I'm going to help her catch up to where we are,"

He hadn't had any social much less romantic interests since Martin died. He even quit team sports. Expected to be the starting quarterback and lead scorer on the basketball team, his teammates resented him for quitting.

Maybe a new girl would shake him out of his slump. He needed to get back into a social life. She would like to have grandchildren some day.

She glanced at Grampa Thor and he winked at her.

She frowned at him. "I hope you aren't planning on starting Sig on any more martial arts this time." She said.

Grampa raised his hands in feigned innocence. "He has plenty of other things to keep him busy now, but haven't I always paid for all his karate, kendo, and fencing lessons?"

"I would have preferred help with carpool duty. There are carpools for football or hockey. Not for karate, kendo, or fencing."

When Grampa Thor ducked his head in mock submission, Sig said, "I have to shower and change." He gestured with his sandwich plate. "I'll take this upstairs to eat."

He started out of the kitchen and then turned back. "I probably never thanked you for all the rides you gave me to practices and meets. I'm sure you will be rewarded in heaven." His mouth twitched in a half smile as he pivoted to leave.

She grabbed a towel off the table and snapped him on the butt with it before he got away.

"A lot of good a black belt does me. I'm defenseless against a mother armed with a kitchen towel." He laughed as he walked out.

"How did it go today?" Meredith asked after Sig left.

"Physically, even I'm impressed. He makes things even I couldn't do look easy." He raised his hand and waggled it. "Magically, not so much."

Frowning again, she said, "That's too bad. I know he's always been disappointed at not having magic."

"He obviously has magic. You saw what happened to him yesterday. He can't seem to summon it up. We'll work on it."

"He's never shied away from hard work."

Grampa gestured at the laptop folded over on top of her journal and the WSJ. "It doesn't seem that you do either. Sig told me you're a wizard at investing."

She felt herself blush. "I've been doing OK."

"Surprisingly successful. Sig told me that your financial advisor said your stock picking is uncanny and he even asks you for suggestions."

She smiled and shrugged.

"What would you say your stock picking success rate is?"

"I've never analyzed it."

"Take a guess."

Meredith picked up her journal and flipped through, pausing every few pages. She laid it down. "Eighty or ninety percent," she said in a small voice.

"Hmm. You said you have expected Sig to have a growth spurt. Did you see that in a dream like you saw the zombies with Martin before he died and saw them falling apart in your yard?"

"Martin was six-five, Edward was six-four and I'm five-ten. Anyone would assume that Sig would grow taller."

He looked at her from under his bushy white eyebrows.

She held his gaze before her eyes shifted toward the doorway behind him. "I may have had a
few
dreams about it."

"He certainly had a growth spurt yesterday."

Her smile felt strained.

"You need some help."

Her heart skipped a beat. "Do you think I'm crazy?"

He laughed. "Not at all. You are sensitive enough to magic that you sensed it in Sig's talisman. A series of your visions have come to fruition. I don't think you're nuts, I think you have untrained powers. You need training, both to improve your skills and to keep you out of trouble."

She didn't see that coming. "Oh. How do I get trained? Do you do that?"

"Oh no, not me. Whatever magic you have is completely outside of my experience. There's a good friend I will call on to make recommendations. He's the Dean of the Physics of Magic School at Northwestern. He is very well connected and Wizard himself."

He rose from the table. "Until I hear from him, think about what I said. Training will require your full commitment." He rubbed his chest. "I need to rest now."

She watched him walk away; stunned at the conclusion he came to.

Sig walked to the back of the library. When he rounded the research kiosk at the entry to the study area, he stopped and scanned the area for his lab partner. Toward the back, overhead fluorescents reflected from Madeline's red gold hair as she bent over her text book. It looked like she wore a halo.

She looked up with a grin when Sig shook himself out of his reverie. Her creamy complexion with its dusting of freckles accentuated the even white teeth that sparkled in her smile. He never realized that teeth could be so pretty.

Books were spread across the table next to her and she reached out with both arms to pull them closer, making room for Sig. "Right on time", she said.

"I thought I was late", Sig said looking at the pile of books next to her.

"Nope, I have a lot of catching up to do, so I came early." Her emerald green eyes twinkled at him.

He plopped down his textbook as he took the chair next to her. "Wow, I thought we'd just catch up to where we are in the class. This looks like you have a serious study project."

"I have to catch up in all my classes, but most of this is for our geology class. I've been researching possible lab projects."

He caught her refreshing smell, a combination of bright, clean citrus, and a mysterious musk. Just like a California girl should smell, not the sometimes cloying floral aromas used by local girls.

"Look at all the possibilities Minnesota geology gives us for our project" she bubbled. "It ranges from the volcanic basalts and glacial deposits to limestone formations from the shallow prehistoric oceans that buried the state."

Sig grimaced. "Most of the volcanic outcrops are in the North and East, up toward Duluth."

She placed her small warm hand on his shoulder. "I'm thinking a limestone project. My uncle told me there are subterranean caves etched out of limestone in the area. Some even have stalactites and stalagmites. Wouldn't it be neat if we could find one and take the class there to explore?"

"Yeah neat", he parroted as he gazed down into her upward turned eyes. He though of deep green pools.

"Oh good" she said and hugged his arm against her chest. "Now it's your turn to tell me what I need to know to catch up."

Sig took a deep breath. "Let's start at the beginning. Ask questions as we go." He flipped open his text.