The Awakening Page 5

  “That doesn’t make them any less awesome.” The little blond scampered out from behind the giant’s robe. “Are you saying our golems aren’t awesome?”

  “They’re the first golems I’ve ever seen so I’m not sure I can judge. I do think that if you adjusted those struts on the spider you’d have a much stronger design. Their angle of alignment is all messed up. Try going at forty-five degrees.” He held his hands so they formed a little pyramid.

  “We do not need your advice,” the little blond said.

  Conryu shrugged. “You and everyone else at this school. Good luck.”

  He ambled off toward the woods to enjoy a little peace and quiet. A dirt path went all the way around the lake. That would make a nice hike. The whole loop was maybe five miles, just enough to get his blood pumping. After a week sitting in classes for eight hours a day he needed the exercise.

  Conryu set off at a quick walk and soon broke into a jog. The breeze off the lake was brisk and kept him from sweating too much. At the halfway point he reached for his phone to check what time it was before he remembered it was back in his room at home.

  Stupid no technology rule. How was he supposed to keep track of time if he couldn’t even have a watch? The wind spirits guided them to class on time, but out here he was on his own.

  A branch snapped in the woods. Conryu dropped into a fighting stance just as three girls in masks and matching robes stepped onto the path from either side, blocking his way.

  “You ladies out for a run?”

  The girl wearing a red mask and robe raised a hand and cast a fire spell. A cat as tall as Conryu’s waist made of solid flames appeared before her. “Attack!”

  The cat spat fire.

  Conryu leapt aside and rolled back to his feet, his back warm from the close call. These had to be the same girls from the night of his arrival. One of them had worn a red robe.

  The fire cat leapt at him, claws and fangs blazing.

  He dodged again, sliding back onto the path. His opponent was quicker than he expected, turning and giving chase before he was ready. Fiery claws burned shallow grooves in his back.

  Conryu hissed and kicked out at it. His foot passed through the cat, accomplishing nothing except singeing his ankle.

  Shit!

  He couldn’t fight it without magic of his own and the only spell they’d taught him so far was a glowing globe that he could make with either light magic or fire magic. He hadn’t learned a single dark magic spell, though he did know a few words of Infernal.

  Twin blasts like lightning streaked past him, cutting gouges in the earth to his left and right. Looked like the two in white had decided to join in.

  He only had one real option. Conryu turned back the way he’d come and ran for it.

  Conryu zigzagged as lightning blasts sent dirt and debris flying all around him. A small tree exploded at the edge of the trail, showering him with splinters.

  Damn it! If this was a wizard battle he didn’t want any part of it, especially since he couldn’t fight back. Being used for target practice sucked.

  The fire cat lunged in from out of nowhere, forcing him to skid to a halt and let it fly past.

  The moment he stopped a bolt struck at his feet, staggering him and sending needles of pain dancing up his legs.

  He was too exposed on the path. Conryu ducked into the woods, darting between the thick hardwood trunks. The only bit of good fortune was that the woods were mature and little brush covered the floor.

  He ran as fast as he dared and soon the blasts came less frequently. The light wizards must have lost sight of him. A low hiss brought him up short.

  Somehow the fire cat had gotten in front of him. The fire spirit arched its back like a real cat and spit flames. Conryu dodged behind a tree. Streams of flame rushed by on either side. Sweat soaked through his t-shirt and robe.

  The moment the flames let up he darted out and raced past the cat. It batted at him, but only shredded his robe. What he really needed was a fire extinguisher.

  Idiot! He had a perfect fire extinguisher only a hundred yards away.

  Conryu ran for the lake. It would take a while, but swimming back to the dorm wouldn’t be a problem.

  The moment he burst from the woods onto the trail a blast of lightning slammed into him and blew him ten feet backward where he landed with enough force to knock the wind out him. Every nerve screamed so that he barely noticed the gravel digging into his back.

  As he choked off a moan of pain Conryu came to understand their plan. The girls had waited for him to figure out the lake was his best bet to escape the cat and set a trap. Like a fool, he walked right into it.

  While he fought his spasming muscles the three wizards strolled down the path toward him. The fire cat emerged from the woods and pranced over to the red-robed wizard. She patted it on the head and he swore the creature started purring.

  They stood in a circle around him, looking down through their masks. “He’s not so dangerous, is he, sisters?” the wizard in red said.

  “Not at all,” a white robe replied. “I’m not sure why the Hierarchs were so concerned about him.”

  Conryu tried to sit up, but the fire wizard stomped on his chest, forcing him back down, and gouging him with her sharp heel.

  “Who gave you permission to move, abomination? Behave and we’ll make your end painless.” He heard her smile. “Reasonably painless, anyway.”

  The first name on Conryu’s forearm burned. Cerberus. The demon dog’s name was one of the words of Infernal he’d learned.

  Mrs. Lenore, as well as the dean, had warned him to be careful when he first tried dark magic. He would have loved to obey, but if he didn’t do something in a hurry he was going to die.

  Conryu concentrated on the pain in his arm.

  The fire cat snarled.

  “What is—” the fire wizard began.

  “Cerberus.” Conryu called the demon dog’s true name in Infernal.

  The temperature around him dropped twenty degrees.

  The girls jumped back as dark wisps gathered around him and took on the shape of a giant mastiff. The nub on its neck split and formed three snarling heads.

  The leftmost head looked down at him and whined. Somehow the monstrous demon beast managed to look concerned. The other two heads snarled at the three girls.

  The white wizards threw up their hands and blasted Cerberus with lightning. The moment the bolts struck his shadowy form they vanished.

  Cerberus’s snarling grew deeper, angrier. The head that was looking at Conryu turned back to the now-quailing girls.

  “Attack!” The fire wizard pointed at Cerberus and her cat leapt at the demon dog.

  Cerberus’s bark was more like a roar. The cat’s flames were blasted out of existence.

  Cerberus took a step toward the girls. The grass under his foot withered and turned brown, like a powerful frost had struck it. The demon dog lunged and snatched the fire wizard off the path and shook her like a terrier with a rat.

  “No,” Conryu choked out. “Don’t kill.”

  Cerberus released his grip on the fire wizard and sent her crashing into the trunk of a maple just off the path, where she slumped to the ground, unmoving.

  The demon dog turned his attention to the light wizards. They spoke in unison and a blinding flash forced Conryu to look away. When his eyes had recovered all three of his attackers were gone.

  Cerberus changed from snarling protector to whimpering, worried puppy in an instant. Conryu struggled to his feet and slumped against the giant dog.

  “I’m okay.”

  Cerberus’s whine carried a tinge of doubt.

  “I’ll live. How about that?”

  Three heads displayed black tongues as long as his leg and began to pant. At least there wasn’t any slobber.

  “What do you say we head back? I’m going to have to visit the nurse again.”

  Cerberus’s bark sounded happy this time and he shrank a little to let Conryu drape h
is arm over his back.

  “Good boy.” Together man and demon dog stumbled down the path.

  Maria watched Conryu walk through the fair and ignore the withering disdain from every girl he passed. What was their problem anyway? Conryu didn’t choose to be a wizard, none of them did. It was just something you were born with. He didn’t even want the power, unlike everyone else at the academy. They treated him like a leper just because he was a guy. If they’d just give him a chance they’d see how amazing he was.

  She sighed and started walking. Some of the clubs actually looked pretty cool. The astronomy club and the alchemy club especially interested her. Maria’s problem was she had trouble getting around the idea that they’d never even consider letting Conryu join with her, not that he’d necessarily want to. Both clubs revolved around math and science, not his favorite subjects except as they applied to motorcycles.

  The point wasn’t whether he’d like to join, it was that they wouldn’t even consider letting him because he was a guy, like that made him dirty or wrong somehow. It made her so angry she wanted to scream. Stupid, arrogant, hidebound girls!

  “Maria!” One of the girls from her light magic class, Irene Cohen, waved a hand to grab her attention. Irene just managed to fit in her white robe. Maria guessed she weighed three hundred pounds. She was standing beside the herbalist club’s tent.

  Even though they’d just met, Maria already liked the girl. Irene had a sweet, shy disposition and of all the girls Maria had spoken to she was the only one that didn’t immediately say something bad about Conryu.

  Maria waved back and made her way over. “Irene. Everything okay?”

  “Oh yes.” Her rolls jiggled as she bounced from foot to foot. “I joined the club. The herbalists have their own greenhouse where they grow all sorts of rare plants, even three Elf Orchids. It’ll be great fun studying them.”

  “I didn’t know you had a green thumb.”

  Irene brushed her blond hair out of her eyes. “Oh yes, I love plants. So much easier to deal with than people. Just give them a little water and fertilizer and they never complain. What about you? Join a club yet?”

  “No, I can’t decide which, if any, I want to join. None of them would even give Conryu a chance. I’m not certain I can hang around with such narrow-minded people.”

  Irene’s face flushed. “He’s very handsome. Perhaps the girls fear he’d be a distraction.”

  “I almost wish that was it. I think they’re afraid if Conryu does well maybe more male wizards will be found and they’ll no longer be special. It’s disgusting. I assumed wizards would be more open-minded considering all the astonishing things they see every day.”

  “What if you told the dean? She could threaten to ban any club that refused to let him join. That might force them to give him a chance.”

  “Maybe, but Conryu would hate the idea of the dean giving him special treatment. The truth is he doesn’t even want to be here. He thinks once he finishes school he can go back to being a mechanic like he always wanted. I’m afraid he’s going to be disappointed.”

  Irene was about to say something else when a powerful burst of dark magic washed over Maria. She raised her hand to silence her friend and tried to hone in on the source of the energy.

  On the far side of the lake dark energy radiated in waves. There was a path that wound around that way and Conryu said he was going for a walk. It had to be him.

  “Maria, what is it?” Irene didn’t share her sensitivity to dark magic and so had no idea what was happening.

  “Trouble. Have you seen any of the teachers?”

  “Assistant Dean Saint is down by the lake doing a water magic display.”

  “Thanks. I have to go.”

  Maria left Irene staring and ran down to the lake. Mrs. Saint was controlling a serpent made of water while ten girls in blue-green robes watched with rapt expressions. She hated to interrupt, but this was an emergency.

  “Mrs. Saint? Mrs. Saint, I need some help.”

  The assistant dean let the serpent fall back into the lake and turned to face Maria. “What is it?”

  “Powerful dark magic.” Maria pointed across the lake. “That way. I think it’s Conryu.”

  Mrs. Saint muttered a spell and her eyes went wide. “I think you’re right.”

  She wove her hands through a complex design while chanting in a clear, bright tone. The surface of the lake nearest them shifted into the shape of a boat. “Maria, climb aboard. One of you girls fetch Dean Blane and tell her Conryu needs help.”

  The girls all looked back and forth amongst each other. Clearly none of them was eager to carry out Mrs. Saint’s request.

  “Now!” Mrs. Saint roared.

  One of the girls finally ran off toward the school to hunt up the dean. Maria ignored them all and climbed into the magical boat. The dark power seemed to be growing by the second. They needed to hurry.

  She sat on the railing and didn’t get wet. In fact if she hadn’t known the boat was made of water she would have thought it was wood. Mrs. Saint joined her and spoke a word of command. The boat raced across the lake toward the source of the dark energy.

  They were halfway across when the power died down and started moving. “I think he’s following the trail back to school,” Maria said

  The boat shifted course to intercept Conryu as he made his way toward home. Please let him be okay, Maria thought over and over as they drew closer.

  They had almost reached the far shore when he stopped. The boat pulled up at the base of a steep cliff. Conryu was right at the top, but there was no way to climb up, much less carry him down if they did.

  Mrs. Saint cast another spell and the boat shifted under them as a pillar of water lifted them up to the top of the cliff. Twenty feet away on the trail Conryu lay facedown, a huge, black, three-headed dog standing over him.

  The beast spotted them and let loose a growl so deep it vibrated in Maria’s chest. “How do we get to him?”

  Mrs. Saint cast a spell and two jets of water lanced out at the black dog. The instant they touched its hide the jets collapsed.

  “Don’t bother trying that.” Dean Blane flew toward them at the top of a small tornado. “Cerberus has inhabited a body of pure dark magic. Any spell we cast will be canceled at once.”

  “Then how do we save him?” Maria demanded, forgetting for a moment who she was speaking to. “Ma’am.”

  “Cerberus is drawing power through Conryu. He has to shut it off. Call to him. Let the boy know we’re here and he’s safe.”

  “Safe! How can he be safe with a giant black dog standing over him?”

  “Cerberus is there to protect Conryu, not harm him.” Dean Blane gave her a reassuring smile. “Once he no longer feels threatened the link should sever and Cerberus’s spirit will return to Hell where it belongs. Call to him, Maria. If he was in enough danger to instinctively call the demon spirit to his side, there’s no one else he’ll trust.”

  Maria nodded. “Conryu. We’re here now, but Cerberus won’t let us help you. You have to send it back.”

  No movement from Conryu, but all three of the dog’s gazes focused on Maria. A chill ran down her spine when those crimson eyes bored into hers.

  “Conryu, please.” Maria rubbed her face. “Come on, we don’t have all day. If you don’t send that dog away we’re going to be late.”

  Conryu’s hand moved and he lifted it two feet off the ground. Cerberus rubbed one of its heads against his hand and whined. Conryu patted the giant beast like it was a puppy and the monster vanished along with the crushing dark presence. The three women rushed to Conryu’s side.

  Up close his wounds were obvious. Four deep lines ran down his back. They looked like claw marks, but the wounds had been cauterized. Three red, blistered patches of skin covered his legs and chest.

  “Someone attacked him,” Maria said.

  “Obviously.” Dean Blane chanted a spell and made several mystical passes over Conryu’s body. “The claw mar
ks are clearly from a fire elemental spirit and the red patches are from lightning blasts. Hanna, be a dear and see if you can find where he was ambushed. We’ll take him back to the nurse’s office.”

  The assistant dean jogged up the trail to look around while Dean Blane conjured a bigger whirlwind and flew Maria and Conryu back toward the school. Maria took his hand and held it until the nurse ushered her out of the treatment room.

  Conryu didn’t hurt anywhere, which was a pleasant surprise. Maybe he’d died. You weren’t supposed to feel pain when you were dead, right? On the other hand he doubted either Heaven or Hell smelled of disinfectant.

  He opened his eyes and stared up at the familiar lights, which, combined with the thin, hard mattress underneath him said he was once again in the nurse’s office. Someone had stripped him down to his underwear and a little chill ran through him. You’d think if they were going to strip a guy almost naked they’d turn up the heat a little.

  A quick look around the curtained room didn’t reveal any replacement clothes, though his boots poked out from under the bed. He held up his arm and ran a finger along Cerberus’s name. The demon dog had saved his life today, no question about that. He didn’t know what sort of treat you bought for a dog from Hell, but whatever he wanted Conryu would get it for him.

  He tried to sit up and found he had sufficient strength to manage it. He was a little stiff, but considering the beating those three had given him it might have been much worse. The moment he shifted his weight the bed creaked and the curtains were pulled back revealing the school nurse and Dean Blane.

  The dean favored him with a lascivious grin which served to remind Conryu that he was almost naked. “I think I’m going to need a new robe.”

  The nurse reached around behind the curtain and emerged with his robe, looking none the worse for wear. She tossed it to him and Conryu slipped it over his head.

  “Did you have to give it to him so soon?” Dean Blane asked. “I was enjoying the view.”

  “A woman your age shouldn’t lust over a young man. Especially one who was almost killed.”

  “I am not that old. Besides, almost getting killed tends to make men eager for female companionship.” The dean licked her lips.