The Impossible Wizard: The Aegis of Merlin Book 1 Page 2

  Maria tried to swallow, but found her throat too dry. She clenched her fists to stop the shaking of her hands.

  The wizard looked up at her with a bland expression. “Sometime today would be good.”

  “Sorry.” Maria dried her hands on her skirt, sat across from the wizard, and nodded.

  “Grasp the handle,” the wizard said.

  “Right or left hand?”

  The older woman groaned. “One of the women in your family is a wizard, isn’t she?”

  “Yes, ma’am. My mother. How did you know?”

  “All the girls from families with wizards are the same. They all want to make sure they do everything perfectly, afraid if they make a single mistake they won’t pass.”

  Maria winced at the flawless description of her emotions. Had the wizard used a spell on her?

  “Let me tell you something, kid.” She gestured at the device on the table between them. “All this thing does is give a rough measure of how much magical energy your body can process. That’s it. Anything over a hundred means you can cast at least simple spells and you need to go to the academy to be trained. Now grab the damn thing and let’s get this show on the road.”

  Maria found the woman’s indifferent attitude exactly what she needed to alleviate her nerves. The wizard had done this thousands of times and found the process ordinary to the point of tedium. This might be the most important day of Maria’s life, but to the wizard it was just another day at work. Somehow that took all the pressure off.

  She grasped the handle with her right hand and stared at the gauge.

  Nothing happened.

  The seconds ticked by like hours as the little red needle sat frozen at zero.

  Maria’s heart raced.

  This couldn’t be happening. She squeezed until her knuckles turned white.

  Move!

  Damn it, move!

  “Sorry, miss,” the wizard began.

  The needle twitched.

  “Did you see it?” Maria asked, the relief palpable in her voice.

  “Yeah. Let’s give it a couple more seconds.”

  The needle twitched again then climbed. 100. 200. Steadily on past 1,000.

  When it passed 1,500 Maria’s head spun and it took all her focus not to let out a hysterical laugh. That put her in the ninetieth percentile.

  It continued on before finally stopping at 1,950. She’d finished fifty points higher than her mother.

  “Congratulations, kid. You’re going to the academy.”

  Maria peeled her aching hand off the grip. A red, curved impression ran the length of her palm. She rubbed the mark and smiled. “What happens now?”

  “You get out of here so I can test the next girl. The Department of Magic will send you something in the mail before the end of the summer that’ll explain the rest of the process. Now scoot.”

  Maria hopped out of the chair. She had to tell Conryu.

  “I pulled nineteen fifty.” Maria quivered with excitement. Conryu couldn’t remember ever seeing her this worked up.

  “Congratulations.”

  Jonny gave her a thumbs up. “Awesome.”

  “Thanks. I need to call Mom.” She spun to go then turned back. “You guys want to go to Giovanni’s for pizza after to celebrate? My treat.”

  The test must have damaged her brain. Maria never offered to pick up the check. “I’m in.”

  “Me too.” Jonny never passed up a free meal, let alone free pizza.

  “Great. I’ll meet you by the bike.” Maria walked off, digging through her purse.

  When she’d gone Jonny asked, “Is nineteen fifty good?”

  “If she volunteered to buy lunch it must be fantastic. Savor this pizza, Jonny. She may never offer again.” They shared a laugh.

  The last four girls took their turns, but none of them passed. The boys came next. Each one was in and out in about thirty seconds. An hour later Jonny came out and shrugged. “Hurry up. I’m starving.”

  Conryu entered the office. Instead of Nurse Abrams with her long legs and ridiculous heels he found a withered old woman in gray robes sitting behind a cheap folding table holding some contraption. Would it have killed them to send a nice-looking wizard to administer the test?

  “You the last one?” she asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Sit down and grab the handle.”

  Conryu plopped into the plastic chair and grabbed the dowel. The little needle on the gauge snapped over to 10,000.

  “Oh, come on.” The wizard rapped the device twice with a gold ring just above the swollen knuckle of her right middle finger. The needle didn’t move. “Cheap piece of junk. Let go.”

  Conryu did as she said, not at all certain what was going on. “Can I go?”

  “No. Sit still and keep quiet.”

  Her tone didn’t invite argument so Conryu folded his hands in his lap and watched as she muttered in a language he didn’t recognize while waving her hands over the device. A minute later she stopped and touched the grip with one finger. The needle went to 300. She removed her finger and it sank back to 0.

  “Grab it again.”

  Conryu gripped the dowel and the needle immediately snapped back to 10,000. He looked up at the wizard. Her face had twisted into a vicious snarl.

  “Sorry.”

  She snatched the device off the table, muttering about cheap bureaucrats, faulty equipment, and how could she do her job if the junk they gave her didn’t work right. Conryu wouldn’t have dared speak even if he had some idea what was happening. She dragged a tan satchel out from under the table and started rummaging through it.

  “Ma’am—”

  “Quiet. We’re going to have to do this the old-fashioned way.” She pulled out an eighteen-inch length of slim, tapered black wood. A second later the tip glowed with a faint light.

  “Is that a magic wand?” Conryu asked.

  “Not in the way you mean. It’s a first-generation tester. If it glows you can do magic and the brighter it lights up the stronger you are. Same as the first one you tried, but without the gauge so it’s less precise. Hopefully it’s also less apt to break. Take it.”

  He took the wand and it immediately burst into a blinding glow. He clamped his eyes shut.

  “Drop it!”

  The wand clattered to the hard tabletop and the light went out at once. The wizard stared at him with a curious little frown that made him more uncomfortable than the earlier snarl.

  “What’s going on?” he asked in honest confusion. “Everyone knows boys can’t do magic.”

  “Young man, that’s an excellent question. Either there’s something wrong with all my equipment or we have a serious situation. Whichever it is, I can’t resolve it here. You and the young ladies are going to have to come with me to the Department of Magic. They have a much more precise unit they’ll run you through. Can you do me a favor and collect Miss Kane and Miss Morrow? I’ll call my superiors and meet you out front. You’ll see a panel van with the government seal on the side.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Conryu stood up and left the office in a daze.

  No way could he do magic. There were no male wizards and never had been. Something must be wrong with her equipment, nothing else made sense.

  Jonny jogged up to him. “Pizza time.”

  Conryu looked up, noticing his friend for the first time. “What?”

  “Dude, you okay? You look like you seen a ghost.”

  “I’m fine, I think. Pizza’s going to have to wait. The wizard wants to take me, Kimmy, and Maria to the Department of Magic for retesting. She thinks there’s something wrong with her equipment. Want to help me find Kimmy?”

  “Sure.”

  They walked down the all-but-empty hall. It looked like everyone had gone home already. Conryu hoped Kimmy hadn’t left yet. He didn’t have her cell number and it would be a bitch to have to track her down.

  They continued on past the empty library and Jonny stopped. “Why would they need to test you a
gain?”

  Conryu sighed. “Because the machine reacted to me. The little needle went all the way to 10,000 when I touched it. It’s got to be broken, but she says they can only straighten it out at the Department.”

  “That’s nuts.”

  “Tell me about it. Why don’t we have the office page Kimmy? We could wander the halls for hours and never find her.”

  “Good call. What about Maria?”

  Conryu shook his head. “She’s waiting out front, remember? Shit! What about my bike?”

  Jonny laughed. “With everything that’s happened, that’s what you’re worried about?”

  “What do you mean ‘retest’?” Maria asked.

  “Yeah!” Kimmy added.

  They stood beside a blue van with a picture of bronze scales of justice on the side. The plates on the front simply read, GOV. The wizard hadn’t joined them yet and the girls were getting antsy. Not that Conryu blamed them. He wasn’t exactly thrilled about things either.

  It was an hour after noon on what Conryu had hoped would be a short day of school and a long afternoon of tweaking the carbs on his bike. He gazed longingly at the sleek black machine twenty spaces to their right. Maybe the wizard would let him follow along behind her. It wasn’t like he planned to run away. He wanted this sorted out as much as anyone.

  “I don’t know what to tell you. The wizard asked me to find you and bring you here, so I did.”

  “But why? There had to be some reason she wanted us to take the test over again.” Maria eyed him. “You’re hiding something.”

  “What are you doing here at all?” Kimmy asked. “Testing us again makes a little sense, but why you?”

  He wracked his brain, but saw no way around telling them. “The machine reacted to me. She didn’t know why, but just to be safe she wanted me to be tested again at the office. The wizard seemed to think there was something wrong with her equipment.”

  The wizard emerged from the main entrance, her satchel slung over one shoulder. She raised her hand and the lights flashed on the van. “Everybody in.”

  Conryu pulled open the sliding door so Maria and Kimmy could climb up. When the wizard reached them he asked, “Can I follow on my bike? I don’t want to leave it here.”

  “No. My boss doesn’t want you out of my sight. She almost took my head off for sending you to find the girls. We’ve kicked a hornet’s nest with this and I’m afraid things will be tricky for a little while.”

  Conryu shook his head, gave one last look at his bike, and climbed in. She’d be okay. He had the key and the parking lot was covered by video cameras. Besides, how long could a retest take?

  “Did you speak to my dad?” Maria asked.

  In all the excitement Conryu had forgotten Mr. Kane was the number three man in the Division of Magic and the city chief. They had always gotten along well. Maybe he’d be able to get Conryu out of this mess.

  “Not directly.” The wizard started the van and pulled out of her space. “But I’m sure word will reach him soon enough.”

  “I should call my mom.” Conryu fished his cellphone out of his pocket.

  “No calls until after the retest.” The wizard pulled out onto the highway and turned toward the city center. “Just be patient. This shouldn’t take any time at all.”

  Maria took his hand, whether to comfort him or herself he couldn’t say and didn’t care. He felt better at once.

  “Don’t worry. Dad will let your mom know what’s happening. She’s only one building over after all.”

  “Mom was working from home today, but I’m sure you’re right. He’ll let her know.” Conryu shook his head and laughed. “And I thought the only excitement we had to look forward to was the carnival this weekend.”

  “Hey,” Kimmy said. “What about me? My parents don’t work for the government or have anyone to contact them.”

  “Everybody relax,” the wizard said. “My boss will take care of everything and have you guys home in time for supper.”

  They spent the rest of the trip to the city center sitting quietly, each lost in their own thoughts. The van finally stopped in front of a stone-and-steel building with a giant iron pentagram hanging three stories up. They all piled out and gathered in front of the van.

  The Department of Magic was one of four buildings all connected by enclosed walkways. To the left was the Science Department, where Conryu’s mother worked. To the right was the sector seat that housed courts, the DMV, and a variety of other small bureaucracies, far more than Conryu cared to keep track of. The final building held the security force headquarters. The only difference between the four buildings from the outside was the symbol hanging from the facades.

  “Come on, come on, everyone’s waiting.” The wizard hustled them toward a bank of doors.

  Conryu did a quickstep and held the door for the ladies. When everyone had passed by he followed, letting the door close behind him. A tingle ran through him as he stepped past the wards. The magic wouldn’t allow anyone to enter if they carried weapons. The spell was much more efficient than metal detectors.

  The lobby consisted of an open area with polished stone floors, bland artwork on the walls, and three secretaries behind a bank of windows. Four halls branched left and right leading deeper into the building. Their guide showed no hesitation, taking the second on the left.

  “Where are we going?” Kimmy asked.

  The wizard glanced back, but didn’t break stride. “To the primary testing machine. It’s enchanted with permanent runes and tied to the building’s defensive wards. There’s no way it’ll give a false reading.”

  “What does it mean if we get the same results here?” Conryu asked.

  She shook her head. “That problem’s above my pay grade. Soon as I deliver you, you’re someone else’s problem.”

  Conryu appreciated her honesty if not her compassion. The wizard finally stopped in front of a door labeled Testing Department. She knocked once and pushed the door open.

  Four people waited inside, three standing, one pacing. The only one Conryu recognized was Mr. Kane. He had a salt-and-pepper goatee and sharp brown eyes. They had all gathered around a steel-and-ceramic cylinder. Two handles protruded from the rune-covered device below a digital readout. It looked way more impressive than the flimsy wooden thing they’d given the wizard.

  “Dad!” Maria ran over and hugged her father. She barely came to his shoulder. “What’s going on?”

  “I’m not certain yet, sweetheart. Conryu.”

  Conryu went over and shook his hand. “Mr. Kane. Did you call my mom? What’s going to happen?”

  “Take it easy, son. Connie’s on her way and she said she’d fill your father in.” Mr. Kane turned his gaze on Kimmy. “I contacted your parents as well, Miss Morrow. They’ll be here as soon as they can.”

  “Thank you, sir.” Kimmy’s whole body visibly relaxed.

  “We may as well start the retest. Thank you for bringing the kids in, Mercia,” said one of the other occupants of the room, an older woman whose bright blue eyes were surrounded by fine wrinkles. Her graying blond hair seemed to meld with her matching gray government-issue robe.

  The wizard began touching a series of runes on the device, causing them to light up. When she finished she grasped both handles and the digital readout said 1,376. She nodded once, seeming satisfied.

  “Excellent idea, Terra, thank you,” Mr. Kane said. “Would you like to go first, Maria?”

  “I’ll just get out of your hair,” Mercia said.

  “No one’s going anywhere until this matter is settled.” A hard-eyed man in a red-and-gray security service uniform moved to block the door.

  “It’ll be okay.” Mr. Kane patted Mercia on the shoulder and guided the wizard to an empty chair in the corner of the room. He turned back to Maria. “Go ahead, sweetheart.”

  Maria walked over and grasped the handles. A few seconds later 1,943 appeared on the readout.

  Terra consulted a notebook she’d removed fro
m her robe. “Your original result was 1,950 so this is well within the margin of error for the portable device. Miss Morrow, if you please.”

  Kimmy switched places with Maria and touched the machine. Her result was 953.

  Terra nodded. “Good, also well within the margin of error. Mr. Koda, your turn.”

  Conryu took a breath, said a silent prayer for zero, and grasped the handles. Three seconds later the readout read 12,756. Stunned silence filled the room. Conryu couldn’t take his eyes off the display. How could this be happening to him?

  Finally Mr. Kane said, “I thought you only pulled 10,000 on the portable device?”

  “The portable tester only goes to 10,000,” Terra said before Conryu could gather his thoughts. The blond wizard looked at him, her eyes shining. “I’m looking forward to determining how you can exist, Mr. Koda.”

  Good thing someone was looking forward to it, because he sure as hell wasn’t.

  The Department wizards and Mr. Kane huddled up in a little conference as far from Conryu and the girls as possible given the size of the room. For five minutes they talked in low voices, totally ignoring the subject of their deliberations, that is to say, him.

  Finally the last member of the gathering said, “He can’t be human.”

  She was an attractive woman in her late thirties with pixie-cut brown hair and eyes so dark they almost looked black. The wizard dressed in the familiar gray robe of a government wizard though unlike the others hers had a small badge with a scale on it.

  Conryu moved away from the machine and stared at her. “Say what?”

  The door to the little room burst open, nearly flattening the man in red as Conryu’s mother came running in. She rushed over, hugged him, then patted him all over looking for injuries. Just what did she think these people had done to him?

  “Mom, relax, I’m fine. Where’s Dad?”

  “At the dojo, where else? He says he’s sure you’ll be okay and he’ll see you at supper.” She turned to Mr. Kane. “What’s going on, Orin?”