Wizard's Sword (The Battle Wizard Saga, No.2) (32 page)

He looked at Sig as he finished and disconnected. "That was the hospital about Thorval. We should get over there right away. There has been change in his condition. Come with me. I′ll drop you back here to pick up your vehicle afterwards."

Sig ran around to the passenger side and jumped into the Professor′s car. For once, he gave no thought to the fully reclining rear seats, the Electro-transparent Glass Roof, or any of the Maybach′s high tech luxury features. He just hoped Grampa Thor would live long enough so Sig could see him again.

The Professor dropped him at the hospital entrance and drove off to find a parking space. Sig hurried to Grampa Thor′s room. A doctor and nurse stood outside when he arrived. The doctor waved him in.

Grampa lay still in the bed, hands folded on his chest, breathing and feeding tubes no longer connected. Sig stood at the foot of the bed with his head bowed. In a few moments, the Professor treaded softly into the room. "How is he?"

Sig looked up to him with a heavy heart.

A horse voice whispered, "I′m a lot better today thank you."

Sig′s head snapped to look at Grampa Thor. His blue eyes were open.

"Hello Sigurd, Arthur. How are you doing?" He croaked with a twinkle in his eye.

"You′re awake!" Sig stepped around the bed, leaned down, and grabbed him around the shoulders for a hug.

"Yup, since last night. I tried to get up, but between all the tubes and being weaker than a newborn puppy, I couldn′t make it. Then I gave up and fell back to sleep and didn′t wake up until this afternoon. You should have seen the nurse jump when I woke up and asked her where I was. After I scared her, I feared they wouldn′t take the tubes out, but the doctor finally relented a little while ago."

Sig looked at the Professor. "Last night?"

"I guess last night. It was dark."

Professor Herman walked over to Thor and felt his chest, head, and shoulders. He held his hands over him and ran them up and down his torso, not quite touching. After a few moments, he straightened. "I would like to run tests to make sure, but from what I can sense, I believe you are free of the demon."

"Hallelujah. I felt like it was gone, but I′m so weak I wasn′t sure."

"A Dark Mage with a white streak in his hair died last night, at the hands of a demon."

Grampa Thor′s eyes narrowed. "White streak in his hair? That bastard sicced the demon on me."

A large nurse strode in and stood with her arms crossed. "He′s very weak and needs rest. Please don′t upset him. It would be best if you go now."

Sig nodded and took Grampa′s hand. "I don′t want to tire you out. Get some rest. I′ll be back as soon as I can."

They stopped at the nurses′ station. The doctor scribbled on his tablet.

"How is he doing?"

"For someone who′s spent months in a coma, he′s doing very well. It will be some time before he can leave here, but he should be back to himself in a few months."

"I think you′ll be surprised at how quickly he′ll be out of here," Professor Herman said.

"That will be a pleasant surprise. We′ll have him up as quickly as we can."

"Thank you."

Back in the car, Sig asked, "If he recovered last night when Dean Heathcoat died, do you think the Dean is the Dark Wizard who invoked Grampa′s demon?"

"I hoped that his demise would liberate both of you. That′s why I tested you today. Your barrier obviously has another source. Remember, there are two Dean Heathcoats and we don′t know that it was one of them who sealed you away from your magic."

"But the trolls said the Dean claimed responsibility."

"Yes. That makes it probable, but not a certainty."

"But he went into that dimensional portal. We don′t know where he is or if he′s even alive."

"If he is the Dark Mage who locked you away from your magic, then we know he′s alive because your magic is still imprisoned. We must find him to get your magic back.

"Even if we have to follow him there?"

"I expect that he will resurface in this dimension. We will pick up his trail then."

Not a certainty, but there was hope if he could find the other Heathcoat.

Sig arrived at the hospital as soon as it opened for visitors. Before he reached Grampa′s room, the doctor stopped him.

"Your grandfather has made the staff nervous. He wants to leave and it′s too soon."

Sig appraised him levelly. "Have you ever cared for a Wizard with this type of ailment?"

"No, but he′s been in a coma."

"I′ll talk to him, but he′s used to getting his way."

Sig walked into Grampa′s room. He was dressed and sitting in the visitor′s chair.

He sprung to his feet. "Thank God you′re here. Let′s get out of this place. They think I′m sick."

Sig chuckled. "Imagine that." Grampa Thor′s cheeks had regained color and some of the wrinkles had smoothed out. He stood erect. His shoulders didn′t slump. The drastic change was surprising.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw the doctor hanging around outside. Sig walked into the room, just out of the doctor′s sight. He pointed. "Grampa stand over there" indicating a point in full view of the doorway. He held his hand out where the doctor could see it at the level of his head. "OK, if you can kick this, I′ll get you out of here."

Grampa Thor whirled, raised his forward knee, and leapt, leaning back to snap his rear leg up into a roundhouse kick. Sig dropped his hand about six inches to allow Grampa′s foot to make contact and whacked his chest with the other hand to ensure a resounding thump. Grampa dropped to his feet and clapped his hands. "Ah hah! I did it."

Sig winked at him and turned to the door. "Doctor, do you think someone who can do that can be released from your care?"

The doctor walked into the room with a sheepish expression. "As long as I don′t have to do it. I′d end up in a hospital bed if that were a requirement for release. I′ll take care of the paperwork."

As Grampa Thor walked out with Sig, he nudged him and whispered, "Thanks for dropping your hand. I thought I could do it. I guess I haven′t recovered as much as I thought."

"I challenge any other one hundred ninety three year old man to do the same."

Thor nodded. "There is that."

†††

Sig opened the door of his Jeep. "Hop in."

Grampa looked the Jeep over. "Nice, but I like pickups. What happened to yours?"

Sig rolled his eyes. "We have a lot of catching up to do. The last months have been interesting."

Sig caught Grampa up on everything that had happened while he lay in a coma. They were still catching up in the early afternoon, when Professor Herman pulled his car up outside. He walked into the kitchen where Grampa and Sig finished the second of three pizzas.

Thor jumped to his feet and gave Professor Herman the man hug, both of them clapping the other on the back and beaming.

"I didn′t think they′d keep you in the hospital for very long, but even I′m surprised that you′re out in just one day."

"Two days, if you count from when I woke up."

"All right even two days is miraculous. How are your powers?"

Grampa Thor looked around and spotted a candle on the window ledge over the sink. He raised his hand and made a flicking motion. The candlewick flared as the candle floated through the air toward the sink. With another gesture, the faucet turned on as the candle floated under the running water and extinguished. It then glided to a stop on the kitchen counter.

Sig stood up, reached behind his head, and pulled the amulet chain over his head. He held it out to Grampa Thor. "Here, now that you′re well, you can take this back."

Grampa took the proffered chain and looked at Sig. "It doesn′t work that way. Once you have it, it′s yours. It′s no longer mine."

"Grampa, I′m not a Battle Wizard. I don′t have any other magic. You can do more good with it than I can."

"But I can′t, watch. He clutched the amulet in his hand and said, "Aðalbrandr."

Nothing happened.

He handed it back to Sig. "It doesn′t work for me anymore. Once I passed it to you, I lost the power to wield it. It′s yours now. I know you will make me proud."

Sig took it from him with a frown. "Thank you Grampa, I′ll try my best."

Grampa Thor held out his hand and clasped Sig′s firmly. "Don′t worry, I may not be able to amplify my magic through Aðalbrandr anymore, but I still have magic, and you′re a Battle Wizard. I pledge to you that together we will find the Black Wizard who did this to you and get your powers back. Agreed?"

Sig continued to grip Grampa′s hand as he smiled at him and said, "Agreed. Whatever it takes."

I dedicate this effort to all of the readers of Fantasy who by their participation, encourage writers to keep putting their imaginings into stories that we all can enjoy.

On a personal note, this book is dedicated to my Family—Kjersten, Curt, and Brianna, but most of all to Kris.