“I think so, but summoning something sounds very hard,” I said. The pounding in my head became louder.
“It is, but over time you will learn how to do it. Do you have any questions on what I've just said?”
I had a lot of questions. Who wouldn't? How to grasp onto the different types of mana, what type of sacrifices would have to be made, what other kinds of energy existed, was I already experiencing visions, and so many other things that I suspected would take years for me to comprehend. But out of all the questions running through my head, there was one that piqued my curiosity the most, though it was probably the least important.
“Why do you have a dragon?” I asked. “I thought there were no more.”
Stradus’s wrinkled face grinned. “It seems people think everything is dead, just because they haven’t seen us in awhile. When it comes to dragons, they don’t live in these parts. Most of them live west, past the Burning Sands, and haven’t been around since the war.”
“Why is that? I thought they protected humans. Alexandria uses their symbol.”
“There was a time when dragons watched over and protected us, but that was a very long time ago, during different times. Each wizard gets a guardian sometime in his life. Mine happened to be a dragon, that’s all, but he was a friend before that. Guardians could be anything: a dragon, turtle, eagle, fish, unicorn, and so on. Usually it's something you least expect.”
“How do I get a guardian?” I asked, bright-eyed. I knew I would need one.
“You're not handed a guardian, if that's what you're thinking, and you don't get to pick your guardian, either. It's not like going to the market.” Stradus stroked his long beard. “One day, you’re going to meet an animal. There’s going to be this special bond between the two of you. You may not see it at first, but it’s there. Kind of like when you’re in love, but it doesn’t compare to that.” His voice got dreamy and distant. “Then again, what does?”
My heart sped up as I thought about Kathleen, my first love. I nodded. I understood how that bond felt, despite the fact that loving Kathleen had been mostly confusing and painful.
“Something significant will happen between the two of you, and you’ll know you were meant to be together,” the wizard said. “Odds are you will find it, or it will find you. You’ve just got to have patience. Not all guardians will be able to verbally communicate, but you'll understand each other nevertheless. Come, and let me show you the last room on this tour. Sorry for trying to cram so many things in your mind at once, especially on your first day. I remember when they tried to do that to me in school, and I hated it. To rub it in, they gave us all a test.”
We got up and exited the practice room. Stradus showed me the privy and afterwards said, “My young Hellsfire, we are done with the grand tour and with your first lesson. I suggest you retire to your chambers and get some rest, and think about what I've just told you. Or you can go and talk to Cynder. I think he's glad to have someone besides an old man around.”
Cynder? Glad for me to be here? I massaged my damaged shoulders, wincing at the mind-numbing pain.
“You can let go of your mana now.”
My eyes widened. I had forgotten about it. It truly had become a part of me. When I let it go, there was an empty, gaping hole where it once was.
“Tomorrow, we begin another step of your journey. I'll be in the garden if you need me.”
I went back to my chambers. I needed to be alone to digest what the wizard had said. There was far too much to think about. I had thought I was just going to learn how to control my fire. Being a wizard entailed far more than that. It was a great responsibility. One I had to learn to handle.
I failed the first chance I got.
CHAPTER 7
Months Later…
The dragon grinned, exposing rows of sharp teeth. He blew his fiery breath. The flames rushed in my direction, trying to burn me. I put a hand out and pushed. The fire split and went around me, crashing into the cave walls.
The dragon released another stream of fire. This time it twisted and twirled. Instead of misdirecting it, I willed it to extinguish before it touched me. Cynder snorted before spewing more fire. I held it in front of me with my mind, creating a wall of flame that rose to the ceiling.
“I'm not impressed,” Cynder said. He peered down his nose at me.
I winked at him, then began to manipulate the wall of fire. The fire mana within me stirred, transforming the flames into my own flying dragon. My dragon wheeled and darted towards Cynder.
“You're supposed to be working on defensive magic only,” Cynder said. His tail swung out to disperse my magic. My creature's form melted, and it almost disappeared into the air. I held onto the flames and pumped my own magic into them. The fire burst through the cave. I closed my hands and merged the flames, once again imagining and shaping a dragon. I sent my creature diving after Cynder.