A bright hole tore into this world. It laughed as its transparent body began to fade. “It’s not over yet, Wizard. I’ll have my revenge.” Master Stradus roared and sent a whirlwind of lightning at it. The maleika's ghostly face smirked at Master Stradus before it dissolved like fog on a summer morning’s day.
Master Stradus came over to me and put a hand on my shoulder. “Are you all right, Hellsfire?”
“I-I don’t feel so good…Master.”
The pain flared into my head and sides. I shivered and wrapped my arms across my body. My stomach growled until it erupted and I spewed up my dinner, heaving all over the floor. The fire within me disappeared, replaced by coldness. Chills overtook me, and I curled into a ball, unable to stop shivering.
Master Stradus bent down and turned me over. He placed his warm hands over my forehead and chest. His pupils became white, and his hands glowed, filling with the power of white mana. The warmth melted into me until I stopped shaking and tasting my own vomit.
“Thank you,” I whispered. I closed my eyes.
“Don't sleep. Not yet.” Master Stradus extended his magical senses. Magical needles pricked me. “That damned thing. It put a curse on you. You’ll live, but we must hurry before the spell gets worse. Let’s go to my garden.”
Master Stradus helped me up. I wiped drool and vomit off my face with the sleeve of my tunic. We made our way to the garden, me using Master Stradus as a crutch. He gave me his staff while he prepared a potion to counteract the maleika's spell. I leaned on the staff, using its power to help stabilize me.
“Master…how did you know-w-w that ma-ma-maleika?” My teeth chattered and I couldn’t stop them.
Master Stradus looked up and away. When he didn't move or say anything for several long moments, I let the subject drop. I had pressured him before when I asked to do the ritual, and he got angry with me. Considering the line I had crossed by doing it anyway, I had no right to expect him to talk about it again.
His voice was quiet, but his words had the weight of a storm. “I'm only going to tell you this once, Hellsfire, and not because I want to, but because I must. You need to learn that when I tell you not to do something, you must not do it.”
I opened my chattering mouth to say something, but it was as if he read my mind.
“I know being here is very hard for you. I know you've left your loved ones and you sometimes feel trapped in this place. I understand that and know what it's like to be away from them. But unlike me, you weren't dragged away and forced to become a wizard.”
I stared at him and raised an eyebrow.
“But that's a story for a different time and not one I'm going to tell you now.”
His voice got quiet and small. “In my arrogance, before the Great Barrier, I thought I was skilled enough to take an apprentice even though my training wasn’t technically complete. Tara said she always wanted to be a witch, and she wanted to protect her mother in case the war came to them. Against my better judgment, I decided to teach her what little I could before I left for the war. What harm could there be in teaching someone basic magic?” Master Stradus sighed. “I was a fool.
“I suppose the real reason was that Tara looked up to me. I didn’t want to let her down. She was much younger than you are now—about ten or eleven—with beautiful blond hair. She often came to see me, constantly smiling and asking questions. She was like an annoying little sister, but I sensed there was a great power in her waiting to be released.” He created a flame and boiled the pieces of a plant in a liquid over the fire.
“What…happened…to her?” I looked with fascination at my now-pale hands.
“Don’t worry, my boy, I’m almost done. As I was saying, I had her perform the same ritual you did just now. It went quite well, but in the back of my mind, I sensed something wasn’t completely right. I should have listened to myself.” Master Stradus picked up the bowl and said, “Oh spirits, please alleviate the curse that was put upon the boy. Bless this potion. Here, drink this.”
The potion was warm and sweet, and I guzzled it. It was far better than the potion I had drunk earlier to summon that one-eyed freak. It took a few moments, but I stopped shaking, my body warmed up, and my stomach and head stopped swirling. I smiled and took a deep breath, watching the goose bumps disappear from my arms.
“Thank you, Master.”
“I’m just glad you’re better,” he said. “If that maleika had had more time it would have done worse.” Master Stradus sighed. “I suppose I should get back to my story.”
I handed his staff back to him and said, “You don’t have to.”