Without a Trace
Jon and Charles found Quixoran and Cressidia in the tree house. While Cressidia treated Charles’s wounds, Jon related his conversation with Lialia. His eyes slid to his uncle. “You were amazing, by the way. I hope you at least found a big diamond?”
When Charles emptied his pouch onto a table, it was as if he’d overturned a cup of crushed ice. “I got a selection. You can have the leftovers.”
“I wish I’d had more time to ask Lialia questions. She’d just started to tell me how she lost the Key when Guinn interrupted us. Grandfather, do you know anything about the Portal Key?”
“I heard rumors about it many turns ago, but I have no idea what the Portal Key looks like.”
“Apparently neither does Guinn,” Charles said.
“Then we’d all best hope Lialia stays one step ahead of the Fox Clan,” Quixoran replied.
****
Mr. Dace went straight into the pre-final review on Monday. When the bell rang, Fred sauntered over to Jon’s desk. Jon’s notebook was lying open, its pages covered with scrawled notes. Fred scowled. “I should beat you up just on general principle, Smarty-Pants. I gave up writing after ten minutes.”
“Cut me some slack, Fred. My hand has a cramp.”
“I’ll cut you some slack if I can I borrow your notes.”
“Sure, but I’m not sure they’d do you any good. I think I caught only every other word.”
Just then Brett reached around Fred to pick up the notebook. “May I?”
Fred and Jon exchanged an alarmed glance. She flipped through the pages. When she found what she was looking for, she shoved the notebook under Jon’s nose.
“When did you see this?” Brett tapped his drawing of the Fox Clan ring.
Jon’s mouth opened but no sound came out.
“How did you know my father had a ring like this? When you drew it you hadn’t met him yet.”
“Um, does he really have a ring like that? What a coincidence.”
That sounds lame, even to me.
“His ring probably looks kind of like this one, Brett. Lots of rings look similar. You know, like luggage,” Fred said.
“It’s an exact copy. I saw him wearing this ring for the first time a couple of days ago, and I remembered this drawing.”
His mouth dry, Jon pretended nonchalance. “The ring was something I dreamed about, Brett.”
With a sound of disgust, she dropped the notebook and returned to her desk. Aghast, Jon quickly packed up his stuff. With Fred on his heels, he hastened toward the door.
“Hold it.” Brett’s voice nailed Jon’s feet to the floor. “We’ve got to talk.”
Wide-eyed, Fred pushed past. “I’ll catch you later.”
Brett pulled Jon into the hallway, but there were too many kids around. She led Jon out of the building and onto the quad, where there was no chance their conversation could be overheard. She peered at Jon’s face, a determined set to her jaw.
“Okay. How did you know my dad didn’t like you?”
“He had every reason to hate me after we broke up.”
She shook her head. “But you said that before you dumped me.”
“I didn’t dump you. Anyway, I just knew.”
“He’s been asking me all sorts of questions about you, Jon. And there’s something else. Casey’s still your best friend, even after you stole his girl.”
“I didn’t—” Jon stopped himself. “Er… I guess Kira didn’t mean that much to him.”
“You think I don’t notice you staring at me all the time?” Brett’s eyes filled with tears. “Something’s going on, and I want you to tell me what it is.”
“I can’t. I shouldn’t even be talking to you.”
“Help me, Jon, I feel like I’m going crazy. Is my father a… a wizard?”
Just then he noticed the necklace Brett was wearing — a silvery rune signifying the Fox Clan. When he touched it, the thrill of energy flowing through his fingertips told him the necklace was an amulet.
“Did Guinn give this to you?”
Brett gasped as if he’d thrown ice water in her face. “Guinn is my mother’s nickname for my father. How did you know? And don’t change the subject.”
Jon rested his hands on her shoulders. “Listen to me carefully. Don’t ask any more questions. You and your mom should do some traveling over the summer, just the two of you. Go and don’t tell anyone your plans, especially not your father.”
He’d said too much. I should walk away right now. His resolve melted when Brett gazed at him with her beautiful green eyes, scared and vulnerable. Jon pulled her into an embrace.
“Brett, I couldn’t take it if anything happened to you.”
“Get your hands off my daughter,” Guinn said from directly behind Jon.
The wizard’s voice felt like acid poured down Jon’s spine. Ophelia was screaming, but too late.
“Slap me, Brett,” Jon whispered.
“What?”
“If you ever cared about me hit me, now.”
Brett smacked him so hard he knew he’d feel it into next week. Jon wheeled around and gave Guinn his best Max smirk.
“Hello, Mr. Tanner,” he said, rubbing his jaw. “This is awkward. Can’t blame a guy for trying, right?”
Jon retrieved the backpack he’d dropped, swung it over his shoulder, and sauntered toward the gym. Although he projected an air of relaxation, he was in a panic. In a moment of weakness, he’d put Brett in mortal danger.
Where had Guinn come from?
****
When Jon arrived home, he was relieved to find his father in his study. “Got a minute, Dad?”
“Sure.” Dr. Hansen peered at the mark on his son’s face. “Did someone hit you?”
Jon told him about Brett and Guinn.
“I blew it big time, but I don’t understand how Guinn happened to be there at that exact moment.”
“Could’ve been bad luck.”
“He showed up right after I touched the amulet Brett was wearing. I was wondering if Guinn might have put a trace spell on it.”
“That could be. As long as he can hold it in his hands, a wizard can put a trace on almost any object.”
“Do you think Efysian found you using a trace spell?”
“That was a far trickier piece of magic as it turns out. Efysian discovered how to locate any magical object anywhere on Earth or Yden without ever having touched it.”
“But he was looking for wizards, not magical objects.”
“Once he located a clan ring, he put a trace on it from afar. It was really quite amazing actually. As soon as I touched my clan ring, he came for me.”
“You didn’t know he could do that?”
“I wouldn’t have considered giving you Ophelia if that were the case, Jon. I never imagined Efysian could put a trace on clan rings here on Earth. It had never been done before.”
“Wait a minute… couldn’t we use Efysian’s spell to locate the Portal Key?”
“It’s possible, but we’d need to find the spell in Efysian’s mess of a library. It took Dorsit and Quixoran a long time to uncover the spyrrow spell.”
“I’m trying to learn runes so I can help, but it’s really slow going. I don’t see how you do it.”
“I confess runes was never my favorite subject either.” Dr. Hansen chuckled at the imprint of Brett’s hand on his son’s face. “Why don’t you put some ice on that?”
****
Jon moved through the rest of the week as if he were wearing blinders. His classmates were preparing for final exams anyway, so the general mood at school was subdued. Although Brett had obviously begun to piece things together, she avoided him as well. Jon hoped she would take his advice to go to Fiji with her mom or somewhere Guinn couldn’t find them. Of course if she were wearing her Fox Clan amulet, he could still track her down.
The Hansen family went to Charles’s house for dinner Friday night. Jon noticed a huge diamond ring on Lynn’s finger as soon as he walked in the door, but he didn’t say anything. Sure enough, Charles and Lynn announced their engagement. Mrs. Hansen was thrilled they’d set the date around Christmas. Lynn’s younger sister, Jan, was to be her maid of honor. To Sela’s delight, Lynn asked her to be the flower girl. Thereafter, the conversation largely revolved around wedding plans. Despite his best efforts to stay focused, Jon’s attention wandered.
Early Saturday morning, Jon loaded his book bag with everything he needed to study and took it with him to Dragon Isle. When he materialized on Dragon Isle beach, he was startled to find Quixoran, Dorsit, and all the apprentices staring out at the ocean. Pods of long-necked creatures were swimming off the coast of Dragon Isle, heading west. Their graceful necks were as tall as the masts of sailing ships and there were scores of them.
“What are those things?” Jon asked.
“Sea serpents,” Quixoran said. “On their annual migration.”
“Magnificent,” Ronny said, transfixed.
“It’s the Loch Ness monster,” Ian said.
“Aye, and Nessie brought some friends with her,” Ilene added.
Every few moments the graceful creatures called out, a haunting melody that carried across the surface of the water.
“It sounds like they’re singing to one another,” said Linda.
Jon’s heart swelled with emotion. I’ve only begun to scratch the surface of Yden’s wonders. He longed to see more of Yden and to capture its magic on paper. The daydream was quite appealing. And then Quixoran had to spoil the moment.
“Okay, children, it’s time for runes.”
More than one apprentice let out a groan. On the way back to the Dragon Clan stronghold, Jon fell into step with Dorsit. He hadn’t had the chance to speak with him since the birthday party.
“Morning, Dorsit.”
“Greetings, young wizard. I understand you will soon be joining the apprentices full time?”
“For a few months anyway. My summer vacation starts next weekend.” Jon paused. “I suppose I should ask how Kira is doing?”
Dorsit frowned. “I cannot tell you. She keeps her own counsel.”
“So she’s not talking to you now?” Jon scratched his head. “I would have thought finding out she was a wizard would’ve made her happy.”
“I don’t pretend to know what makes Kira happy anymore, Jon Hansen. She’s been difficult to talk to lately, and I don’t understand why. I think I shall not be cultivating female companionship for a period of time.”
Jon laughed. “That’s pretty much my strategy, too.”
****
At lunch, Quixoran announced he was bringing in a master instructor to intensify training. That sent a ripple of excitement through the apprentices, and everyone pressed to know more. Unfortunately, Quixoran wouldn’t give up any details, and if Dorsit knew something, he kept the information to himself.
“It shall be revealed to you in due course,” Quixoran said. “I cannot say too much about him until it’s absolutely certain.”
“This is great,” Jon said to Max.
“Yeah, but I’m wondering why the sudden need for speed.”
“Hmm. I guess you’ve got a point.”
When Quixoran and Dorsit called Max, Ronny, and Jon into the tree house for their next class, they learned why. The landscape in the spyball had stopped its linear movement and had begun a slow circling pattern.
“The spyrrow has found the Fox Clan stronghold,” Quixoran said.
Nestled in the foothills of a mountain range where patches of snow were visible, the fortress was huge. A stream flowed on one side of the central castle, forming a natural moat against non-magical assault. A twenty-foot wall surrounded the property, thick enough for three men to walk abreast on top. At the moment, the wall was being patrolled by the rag-tag remnants of Warlord Mandral’s cygard army.
“Guinn has allied himself with the cygards!” Jon exclaimed.
Max bent over the spyball. “That’s not the only bad news. You counted seven apprentices with Guinn in Efysian’s cavern, but I see at least two dozen training in the interior of the stronghold right now.”
“And for all we know there are more apprentices in the castle itself,” Ronny said.
Jon gulped. The Dragon Clan had only nine apprentices — some so new they’d barely mastered levitation. “How soon can the master instructor be here?”
“Not soon enough,” Ronny said.
“Maybe we should step up recruitment,” Max said.
“According to Efysian’s map, I’ve located all the children of Yden,” Dorsit said. “The ones who are of age have been apprenticed.”
“So for now, the numbers are set,” Ronny said.
“Let us keep this information to ourselves,” Quixoran said. “No need to cause a panic.”
The spyball revealed cygards stationed at each of the tower stations built into the stronghold wall, with cygards patrolling in between the stations.
“I bet there are more than a hundred of ’em,” Max said. “And cygards look like big boys.”
“The bigger they are, the harder they fall,” Ronny said.
“They’d do well in pro basketball,” Jon said. “And the ones I met were cruel.”
“This reminds me of David versus Goliath. I guess we’d better brush up on our slingshot skills,” Ronny said.
“The Dragon Clan is not without resources, are we?” Jon asked Quixoran. “We can make alliances too if the Fox Clan becomes aggressive, right?”
His grandfather nodded. “The Andresen Waterfall nymphs are no friends of the Fox Clan. If they agree to help, their power would be invaluable.”
“Don’t forget about the dragons. Kira told me Adam and Eve decimated the cygard army when they tried to slaughter the Nomads,” Jon said.
“The baby dragons are growing so fast, it won’t be too long until they can fight,” Ronny said.
“I admire your courage and resourcefulness, all of you,” Quixoran said. “Now let’s head over to the outdoor classroom — what are you calling it these days, Jon?”
“Dragonhenge.”
“Yes, Dragonhenge. You must learn how to cast a shield spell.”
Jon soon discovered a shield spell required a huge burst of energy. After only one afternoon of practice Jon, Max, and Ronny practically passed out in the center of the arena. The three sprawled in the grass, spread-eagled, staring up at the clouds.
“I’m toast,” Ronny muttered.
“I’m burnt toast,” Max said.
Jon groaned. “My shield spell will keep me alive one, two seconds tops.”
“You must practice until you can hold it for minutes. Indeed, your life may depend on it.” Quixoran nudged Jon with the toe of his boot. “Enough rest. Get up and try again.”
****
The next morning, Jon and Max had a difficult time getting out of their hammocks. Ian had already dashed out to breakfast, but Finn paused in the doorway.
“You both drooled in your sleep last night.”
“Thanks, Finn,” Max said. “See you later.”
After the Owl Clan wizard left, Jon exchanged a bleary glance with Max.
“I don’t know about you, but I like to drool without an audience. I wonder if we can’t get some screens or curtains or something installed between our hammocks.”
“I don’t think that’ll keep out your shadow,” Max said, referring to Finn. “He’s got a hero worship thing happening.”
“It’s sort of my fault he’s here in the first place, so I try to be nice. There are times, though, I feel like transporting myself into the volcano to get some privacy.”
At breakfast, Jon decided to go home so he could prepare for finals. While everyone else ate a second helping of Cressidia’s scrumptious battercakes with creamy honeyberry topping, he packed up his books. He sought out his grandfather in the tree house afterwards to say goodbye.
“I’m sorry, Grandfather, but I have to study.”
“No worries, Jon. You’ll be back soon enough. A message has come for you, however, from President Szul. You must address it before you depart.”
“A message from Szul?” Oh great. It’s probably a rant, chewing me out for having upset his precious daughter. “I didn’t know you had mail service here on Yden.”
“Shortly after the Wizards’ Consortium was convened, the Executive Council devised a network of message boxes called the Wiznet. I believe it’s the only useful thing the Council has done.”
Quixoran showed Jon the Wiznet box he’d installed inside the tree house. The interior was roomy enough to hold a large watermelon and the exterior had been beautifully shaped into the head of a golden dragon. Jon was impressed.
“Wow, that’s nice. The Executive Council didn’t make this, did it?”
“The Wiznet box they devised was too plain, so I re-imagined it. I can send messages or parcels to any other Wiznet box on Yden so long as the messages or parcels are addressed properly.”
“That’s a neat trick.”
His grandfather handed him a scroll. Since the message was written in runes, however, Jon could only decipher a few words. With a sheepish grin, he handed it back.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not that great with runes yet. Can you translate?”
With a lift on an eyebrow, Quixoran cleared his throat and read out loud.
“To Jon Hansen of the Dragon Clan, Dragon Isle,
From the Office of the President of the United Territories;
Greetings, young wizard! After seeing your sketch of my daughter, Kira, I wish to engage your services for a Szul family portrait to be displayed in Castle Ytherium. If you would call upon my office at your earliest convenience, I would be most obliged.
Warmest regards, President Szul.”
No rant, but Jon was dismayed nevertheless. Rampen Szul wanted him to expend more precious time capturing yet another image of his beautiful daughter. Most artists would jump at the opportunity. He reached for the scroll and a quill.
“How do you write ‘thanks but no way’ in runes?”
“You needn’t accept this commission, Jon, but as a member of the Dragon Clan and my grandson, I cannot allow you to be disrespectful to President Szul,” Quixoran said, chidingly. “You will tell him in person you must decline.”
Jon crushed the scroll in his fist and the parchment began to smoke with the heat of his anger.
“Watch yourself,” Quixoran said.
He eased off. “Sorry.”
“Yesterday you spoke of alliances. Today, however, you seem eager to alienate someone who has been a friend to the Dragon Clan.”
“Kira Szul insulted us, Grandfather.”
“I don’t feel insulted.”
“Okay, I’m insulted. She practically threw Ophelia at me, grandfather. It seems like Kira’s always throwing things in my face.”
“I don’t excuse her behavior entirely, Jon, but you should at least be fair. You made your resentment toward her entirely too clear.”
A long silence ensued. “Maybe I did… a little.”
“I believe you and Kira will both be happier when you’ve mended fences,” Quixoran said.
“That’s a two-way street.”
“Somebody must make the first gesture.”
“I’ll pay President Szul a visit on my way home and I’ll be polite. Beyond that, I’m not making any promises.”
“I have faith in you, Jon. I know you’ll reach the right decision.”