Master of Magic Read online

  Chapter One:

  Ryker:

  I glared out the windshield. It was a shitty rainy day as I carefully drove through the dense summer traffic in the Metroplex of Texas. Owen and I had just flown in from Virginia to surprise Ivy. I hadn’t seen her all summer, well at least in the real world since I took the squire position for Admiral Gilgamesh. I had traveled all over the world, learning operational systems and tactics. It was an amazing experience, but I was ready to see my girl. She and Owen had met up in June to attend the MBIU application camp. They both made it, of course, and were sent home in the first week. No one doubted the capabilities of Team Camelot, and it was absurd that they even had to participate in the camp in the first place. Though school wouldn’t start for another couple of weeks, we were meeting up before we attended the annual International Knights Convention in Washington, D.C.

  The knights would either swear fealty to me, or civil war will ensue. Either way, it will all be determined at the convention. At least I had a couple days to get my head right before then.

  “Oh dude, Whataburger.” Owen gasped, his face pressed against the window. “Green chili cheeseburger with mustard, I need it.” Owen loved coming to Texas, just for the food.

  “We’re almost to her house, you can eat there.” I snapped, trying to keep my focus on the road. People acted like they had never seen rain before. An asshole in a baby blue Prius was swerving between two lanes. Owen let out a loud toddler-like huff and threw himself against the back of the seat, folding his arms over his chest.

  “I promise, before we leave, I’ll get you Whataburger.” I then conceded. He gave me a grin and then resumed to starring out the window. I hated this rental car, it was tiny, and the engine was only a four-cylinder. It was like driving a damn riding lawnmower at seventy-five miles an hour.

  “Oh, dude, Rosas.” He then pointed to a favorite Mexican food restaurant. I let out a deep sigh. Owen had now refused to eat Mexican food anywhere other than Texas, and I tended to agree with him.

  As we drove another half hour, the rain let up. Owen pointed out every place he wanted to eat. We were only staying for two nights. I wasn’t sure how we were going to fit in all those eating establishments in less than forty-eight hours. Taking the proper exit, I followed the turns and twists of the suburb until I pulled up to Ivy’s gigantic mansion of a house. Apparently, everything was bigger in Texas.

  “I’m starving,” Owen said, getting out of the car.

  “When are you not?” I sighed. Apparently, the massive amount of magical knowledge Owen had acquired from the Codex forced his body to go through nutrition much faster now. He ate all the time. It actually helped remind me to eat more. The trainers had put me at fifteen thousand calories a day – I was so tired of eating.

  “Hey, the magic is happening.” He replied, tapping the side of his head.

  Popping the trunk, Owen and I grabbed our duffle bags. Excalibur was safely in the garden at my fathers’ house, but I knew if I needed her, she could be here in less than a minute. I wasn’t about to take a millennia-old-magical-six-foot-sword onto an airplane in a post 9/11 world. She had thrown a fit when I told her I was leaving her behind, and then she asked what an airplane was. Ultimately, she respected the decision of her king.

  A shriek sounded to the left of us. Ivy ran out of the house.

  “Our covers blown.” Owen smiled, giving a nod towards her direction.

  I closed the trunk as Owen walked towards her. They high-fived, as Ivy ran passed him and threw herself into my arms. The sweet scent of coconut filled my nose as I squeezed her against me. An overwhelming sense of both peace and urgency filled me as I held her tightly against me. Pulling her to the other side of the car, out of the line-of-sight of the front windows, I pressed my mouth against hers. She kissed me excitedly, meeting me enthusiastically.

  “I missed you so much.” She said, smiling up at me, her green eyes shimmering with magic. That summer had taught me a lot about being a knight and my role in the universe. Seeing her again cemented my resolve about our relationship.

  “You’re beautiful.” As I stared down at her silky blonde hair and smooth sun-kissed skin, her wide almond-shaped green eyes, and the redness of her full lips, I couldn’t believe that she was mine. She smiled up at me, stretching up on her toes to kiss me again.

  “You didn’t have to come, you know. I was planning on going through the mirror tomorrow.” She said, pulling away.

  “I know, but Owen was bitching about the Mexican food in Virginia, and I couldn’t wait till tomorrow.” I smiled down at her. She kissed me again and then pushed away, glancing over the car to make sure her parents weren’t watching.

  “Come on, my mom prepared a feast for like thirty people. I wondered what the hell she was doing.” Ivy laughed. Owen and I had called ahead because it would be rude to show up at her parents’ house without at least some warning. With my hand in hers, she led me into the house.

  Owen was hugging Helena, a spread from Rosas and Whataburger in the dining room. I rolled my eyes, glad that I didn’t stop to feed him beforehand. Harold approached us.

  “Ryker, nice to see you.” He smiled, holding out his hand. I shook it and smiled at him, thanking him for his hospitality. Over the years, we had established a great relationship with Ivy’s parents. They were just so kind and welcoming it was hard not to like them. Helena gave me a hug and told us to go put our stuff in our rooms. We used the same guest bedrooms every time we stayed there, so now they were “our” rooms.

  Within ten minutes, we were all seated at the table, passing around trays of enchiladas, the fixings for fajitas, and green chili cheeseburgers.

  “I know what you boys like.” Helena winked at Owen, who was happily stuffing his face.

  “Oh, before I forget, now that the three of you are together,” Helena said, moving away from the table. She left the room for a moment and then returned with three envelopes. “My mother gave me explicit instructions to only give these to you when the three of you were together.” Each envelope had one of our names written on them.

  We opened them at the same time. A small notecard was inside with writing on it.

  “Them all.” I read it out loud.

  “One ring.” Ivy read hers.

  “To rule.” Owen read.

  “One ring to rule them all.” Ivy then said, giving us both a look.

  “My precious.” Owen hissed.

  “What does that even mean?” I asked.

  “Thanks for being super clear, Grams,” Ivy muttered, rolling her eyes.

  “There’s a weird symbol on mine,” Owen added. He passed it to Ivy, and I looked at it over her shoulder. It was an old Wiccan symbol of the seven-pointed star with a witches knot over it. That was a powerful symbol. The witches knot was a symbol of protection while the seven-pointed star represented great universal power.

  “I’ve seen this before,” Ivy said and then scrambled away from the table. I heard her run through the house and up the stairs. Helena asked to see the card, and I handed it to her.

  “I have too.” She said with a thoughtful look. What did the Le Fay women know that I didn’t?

  Ivy returned with Morgana’s huge history book of Camelot. Moving her plate, she set the massive tome on the table and then flipped it open. With her magic she flipped through the pages, looking for the correct place. Suddenly the book stopped about halfway through.

  “Chapter Thirteen, Merlin and the One Ring to Rule Them All.” Ivy read, showing us the book. Atop of the page was the same symbol. “I don’t understand.” Ivy then said with a contemplative tone. “I read this thing like twelve times. This chapter is about a drawn ring, like in the dirt, when Merlin banished the demonic creatures back into a hell plai
n.”

  “Let me see it.” Owen reached for it. Ivy hesitated.

  “Don’t get queso on it.” She said. Owen rolled his eyes and made a show of wiping his hands with a napkin.

  “Why would she separate the words like that?” I then thought to ask. It seemed odd, especially since the instructions were to give it to us together. I moved around the cards on the table.

  “To rule them all, one ring.” I read out loud. Ivy looked over, glaring down at the cards.

  “That’s two options now.” She said and then gave me a smile.

  “Do you know where Grams is?” Ivy asked her mother. Helena shook her head.

  “I’m sorry, but I don’t. She came to me in a dream, and the next morning these came in the mail – no return address.” She explained. Ivy let out a deep breath and leaned against the back of her chair.

  “I just feel so lost without her sometimes,” Ivy whispered.

  “Only something crucial would make her leave your side,” Helena assured her, reaching across the table to squeeze her hand. It was true. I had never seen anyone love someone so much as Morgana loved Ivy.

  “Here!” Owen said, pointing to a spot in the text. “Merlin drew a ring in the sand, summoning the magics of the Queen of Sorcery. To rule them all, there must be a ring. To summon the mighty sorceress, there must be a sacrifice, and therefore, there was no token or relic that could hold so much power. Merlin gathered his powers as the demonic creatures rushed towards him. He sacrificed his right pinky to the ring, summoning the chaotic powers of his Queen.”

  “Then what happened?” I asked.

  “It just says that he banished them, no details or anything.” Owen shook his head.

  “I wondered what that meant, not that this clarifies things,” Ivy mumbled.

  “Just another clue.” Owen nudged her shoulder with his, and they exchanged a smile. I wanted to ask what they were referring to, but I also knew their wizard secrets were important to them. I even knew that I would find out eventually. The more powerful they became, the more the universe influenced them, so sometimes they said or did things that they couldn’t explain the reasoning for.

  I just learned to go with the flow.

  “I knew there was King of Knights, but not a Queen of Sorcery.” Helena contemplated out loud.

  “The universe will reveal the answer,” Ivy said after a moment. “Grams is just laying the bread crumbs to get there.”

  Over the next two days, we relaxed at Ivy’s house. They had a huge pool and an excellent theater room. Ivy and Owen took turns carefully shifting through Morgana’s book to see if there were more clues, but so far they hadn’t found anything. I took the opportunity to catch some R&R. That summer had been rough, and I didn’t think I got more than four hours of sleep while I was with the Admiral, but seeing Ivy strut around in her little pink bikini made it all worth it.

  “So, do you think we’re walking into a trap?” Owen asked in the late afternoon of our last day there. We were lounging on the reclining chairs by the pool. Ivy sat in front of me, with her back against my chest, fast asleep. I took a moment to contemplate my answer.

  “Does it matter?” I decided to ask.

  Either way, I was committed to going to this conference. The knights of the world would have to discuss my role as king. The Pendragon line has held the title since Arthur, but since Excalibur had disappeared and none of them had shown any signs of external magic, it was more of a customary title instead of a power position. Now that Excalibur has resurfaced and I can use magic, all the qualifications are met according to the Code.

  “Rogers says the old Greek Knights are the loudest voice against you.” Owen moved forward in his chair, grabbing a grape from a plate on the table between us. Rolling the grape between his fingers, he looked up at me with a severe expression.

  “Somehow, Arthur managed to unify them and convince them to sign the Code. Therefore, their legacies at least showed some loyalty.”

  “The world is different now,” I grunted, giving him a long look. “People have become greedy because, unlike long ago, they have the luxury of being greedy. It’s time to show them that there’s a different way. That power is a responsibility, not a weapon.” It was something Rogers and I had spent many nights discussing while out in the field over the summer. Owen stared at me for a long moment, his blue eyes wide.

  “Well, saying shit like that to them would certainly help.” He replied.

  “We’re going to make a lot of enemies.” I pointed out to him. Owen let out a chuckle, popping the grape in his mouth and taking another.

  “Tell them to get in line.” He gave me a mischievous look, and I found myself laughing as well.

  When it was time to leave, Ivy took us through the mirror. I was just relieved I didn’t have to get on another airplane. In an instant, we were back in my father’s house in Virginia. Loading up in my car, we drove the hour drive to Washington, D.C. It was nice, the three of us being together again. Owen and Ivy sang along with the radio while Owen munched on snacks that Ivy’s mother had prepared – homemade trail mix and a box of pastries. It was a great drive on a warm sunny day.

  As we entered D.C., the traffic grew denser, but we quickly made our way to our hotel near DuPont Circle. The building was already filled with knights as every knight in the world was expected to attend the conference this year. There weren’t many of us in comparison to humans. Our population, including Legate Knights, had only reached about fifteen thousand. It was the natural balance of the world.

  We checked into our adjoining rooms. The conference was scheduled to start in the morning. The first day would be full of decision-making and status reports. The second day, if the vote dictated, would hold my coronation. It was going to be a trying couple of days, but both Agent Rogers and Admiral Gilgamesh assured me that I would gain my title. Though only knights were welcomed at the convention, Ivy and Owen would be the exceptions. Arthur had established an advisor clause into the original Order Doctrine so that Merlin could also attend the meetings.

  Owen and I shared a room with two queen-sized beds, and Ivy had the room next to us with a single bed. We set our bags down, and I looked over the schedule for the days ahead.

  “So uh, does anyone know that I’m actually here?” Owen asked, sitting on his bed.

  “They would be stupid to not think you’d come,” I replied absently. There was an odd blank space in the schedule between two and three in the afternoon. Usually, the entire day was filled.

  “And our Legacy of Le Fay?” Owen asked.

  “We all know that if Morgana hadn’t fallen into the wrong crowd, she would have been there with Arthur and Merlin,” I replied, wondering what the hell that blank hour was for. I could feel Owen staring at me. Dropping the schedule, I glared at him.

  “What?” I demanded.

  “I just don’t think this is going to be as easy as you think it will be,” Owen replied. I heavy silence passed between us.

  “Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.” I recited to him. It was a knight mantra that the instructors liked to use.

  “Are we prepared for the worst?” Owen then asked.

  Ivy came bouncing into the room then. Touching the mirror on the wall, she let Archimedes jump out of dream world.

  “It’s about damn time.” The cat grumbled, jumping onto my bed.

  “Well, it’s time to check out who we’re dealing with,” Owen said, standing and stretching. We exchanged a long look as he walked by. He was telling me to get my head in the game, and I was telling him to back the hell off. I didn’t want this title to begin with, so I was going to at least do it my way. He picked up Archimedes and left the room. Ivy bounced onto my bed and grinned up at me.

  “So, King of Knights, what do you want to do now?” She asked. The first thing that came to mind as I stared down at her sitting on my bed was wildly inappropriate.

  “Lets head down to the bar and restaurant, see if we see anything interesting,”
I suggested, holding out my hand. She took it and allowed me to lead her out of the room. On the other side of the long hall, I spotted Natalie, standing against the wall, her face in her hands. Oh hell. Owen was already on his way to her, so I decided to stand and watch for a moment, to make sure everything was all right.

  “You alright, love?” Owen asked her. Though humans wouldn’t be able to hear their conversation from this distance, I could. Ivy leaned against me, patiently waiting as she always did.

  “It’s stupid,” Natalie replied with a weak voice. “You’d think I’d be used to her by now.” My heart broke for my friend. Though her father, the Director of Mythos Intelligence, had accepted Natalie right from the beginning, always encouraging her and getting her the medical treatments she needed to look the way she felt, her mother was a different story. Gabi Belvedere was a hateful bitch, and if I could bring myself to hit a woman, it would probably be her. Owen pulled her into a hug, and she proceeded to sob against his shoulder for a moment.

  “Is she alright?” Ivy whispered up to me. I had to explain to her several times that when my hearing was stretched out like that; her normal speaking voice was painful. Sometimes she remembered and sometimes she didn’t.

  “Yeah, her mother isn’t nice to her,” I replied. Ivy glared down the hallway, looking like she was about to attack at any moment. A swirl of green magic wrapped around me. I nudged her shoulder, pointing it out. With a deep breath, she regained control.

  “Nathanial!” A sharp voice filled the air, and I turned to look back down the hall. Gabi Belvedere stood at the opposite end, glaring at Natalie and Owen.

  “Her name is Natalie,” Owen said, stepping in front of her in a protective stance. Though Gabriella had once been a beautiful woman, age and hatred had sucked the life out of her. Her eyes were much too big, and her skin was too tight from Botox. Her dark brown hair was always pulled back into a tight bun.

  “Listen here, you have no business in how I treat my son, faggot, or otherwise.” She pointed her finger at him. She was a human, but still, the gesture was insulting. I grabbed Ivy’s arm, keeping her from marching down there. Owen could handle this.