A dragonslayers tale
Chapter 4: Power within

Then it let go of him in an almighty rush of energy and he fell down onto the now smoldering floor, gasping and sobbing and utterly terrified and shocked. His legs felt as if they suddenly were made by paper and he was so dizzy everything sort of swam in front of his eyes. He got up onto his knees, gasping for air and did notice that both crystals now were glowing and that the glow illuminated just one thing. A small book hidden underneath the shelf, it looked like an ordinary note book, the type almost every scholar carries along to make notes in but he just knew that it was important so he stretched out a shaking hand and grasped it. It bore no name nor any sort of signs, it was just an ordinary cheap notebook and if someone saw it there on the floor they probably thought it was one someone had dropped by accident. It was small and thin and couldn’t contain that much but he put it in under his shirt and managed to get to his feet although he felt that he resembled a newborn foal or something.

As soon as he managed to walk properly he took off, ran away from the shelf as fast as he could, still shaken and still afraid. He didn’t feel anything unusual about himself so he was still Ivran, not some transformed beast of any kind. He found the hatch and crawled out of it, hurried back to the dorm while feeling how sweat soaked his shirt. He needed a bath, a long bath. He placed the book and gems in his private box underneath the bed and then he found some clean clothes and walked off towards the baths. The school had some very nice bathing facilities, no expenses were saved and it was just as nice as the one in the royal palace at Twelve towers. Ivran went into one of the hot pools and laid there to soak for a while, he slowly calmed down and tried to make sense of what had happened. Had it been a prank after all? Some sort of warning to not stick one’s nose into his grandfather’s business? He had no clue, he washed himself thoroughly and got clean clothes on and then he did stop at the dining hall to get some food. He was starving and the food there was good. At the beginning of his stay he had been in serious danger of becoming a rather obese person but the real training started and he lost it all again, now he was rather thin and lean looking and nobody who saw him would confuse him for a warrior.

He got a bowl of his favorite stew and some beer and sat down to eat, the hall was half full since it was lunch time and the noise level was intense. Some were arguing, others were practicing spells and incantations while a few had gathered in a corner singing a very inappropriate song about a boar and an ogre. They were celebrating someone’s good results. Ivran finished the stew and had some honey cake for dessert, he had a sweet tooth and couldn’t resist the temptation. While he sat there the daughter of the janitor entered the room, she was a very shapely maiden who probably was the one eighty percent of the students thought of while jerking off. She was a grand flirt but she never allowed anyone to get too close for her father was an old grouch who would geld and blind anyone daring to touch his darling daughter so the students stayed clear although her mere presence caused some serious cases of drooling and tented pants. In this male dominated world the sight of such a lovely example of feminine grace was both appreciated and like a breath of fresh air. Some of the teachers were ancient and they did look that way too, even the old washerwomen who sometimes cleaned the halls were better to look at than them, in fact anything wearing a skirt would become the object of naughty dreams if she was spending any time at the academy. Ivran had been among the many who had entertained himself while thinking naughty thoughts revolving around the young lass attributes and he blushed slightly and wished for the thousandth time that he could have seen a little bit more of her than just her face and some square inches of milky smooth skin above her collar.

She walked by the table he sat at and then it happened, she apparently slipped on something on the floor and fell backwards with such force her skirts flew up as her legs pointed towards the ceiling. Ivran got to see more of her indeed, in fact he saw it all! And she had nothing to be ashamed of for she was as shapely as they come but the shrill cry she made told everybody that she disliked the idea of showing the entire dining hall her nether regions. Ivran swallowed, oh by every God and Goddess. That was one sight which would haunt him for quite a while, he was blushing all the way to the top of his head and couldn’t believe his own luck. The poor lass tried to get back onto her feet but slipped yet again and this time she ended up with her rear in the air and her skirts down around her upper body, she let out yet another angry shriek and finally she managed to get her skirts back in order and herself back into a proper upright position. Ivran was blinking, with her standing there on all four and her butt pointing towards him he had come into that uncomfortable and very undignified situation where he couldn’t get up from his seat at all. His pants were tented and he took a quick peak around to check if anyone had noticed and he almost yelped, almost every one there was staring at the fair maid and the blushing cheeks and somewhat glassy eyes told him that they all suffered from the same problem. They had all seen it, and now they all suffered the consequences too.

Ivran saw that the girl ran out of the hall looking rather distraught and he did feel sorry for her but he would never have been able to look the other way, he was a young man and he was just as eager as everyone else to get some real experience with the opposite sex. He had to wait for several minutes before he could leave the table, he saw that many others there too were clinging to their tables as if it was a life raft of some sorts and he walked straight to the dorm again. He couldn’t believe his own luck, the sight was glued to his mind and he closed the screen and sat down on the bed, trying to think of something else. What about the book? And the letters? No, he wasn’t able to concentrate, not at all. He laid down and tried to force himself to sleep but it was no use, the only thing he could think about was the fact that he was aching with lust. He had never been with anyone for real, the only real experience he had was with a bar maid who had been a bit drunk and put a hand down between his legs when he was visiting an inn by the road. He had helped one of the masters gather herbs and they had been caught by a rainstorm and sought refuge in the inn. The light touch had almost been the undoing of him. He closed his eyes and couldn’t stop thinking about the janitor’s daughter, oh how he desired her, if she only had been his…

He was breathing hard and had to stuff his hands down into his pants, then he just pushed the entire garment down and started to stroke himself rather vigorously. He was alone there, nobody would hear him and he bet that he wasn’t the only one seeking some relief after the incident in the hall. He kept seeing her, that smooth rounded ass, the silky skin, he was almost there when he heard the screen move and he yelped in panic and grasped for a blanket to hide himself thinking that it was the lady in charge of the dorms checking in on him. It wasn’t, it was the object of his desires, the janitor’s daughter. She was staring down at him with glassy eyes and before Ivran even had the time to cover himself up or ask what in hell’s name she was doing there she jumped up onto the bed and straddled him. Ivran was in shock, he could just lay there, staring as she lifted her skirts and sat down onto him, leading him straight with a very skilled hand.

He couldn’t believe it, his mind was swirling and he couldn’t think. He just let out a groan as silky warmth embraced him and the pleasure just exploded within him. He yelled with each move she made and she was loud too, gasping and keening as she rode him like there was no tomorrow. Her eyes were dark with desire and she pulled her bodice down so he got a good view of her rather generous bust too. The sight almost made him swoon, he had never seen anything that lovely before and she pulled him up and he got a face full of her charms. Ivran had never had much confidence when it came to females, and he believed that he was no prince charming, he did look rather ordinary, not overly handsome but not ugly neither and the only thing he did find some pride in was the fact that he was rather well endowed downstairs, that was at least something he could brag about. He was popular enough but he lacked the confidence to really dare to go anywhere with the girls who tried to approach him.

She was enjoying it, there was no doubt about that. The bed was hammering against the wall and creaking so bad it sounded as if it would break in half at any moment. Ivran felt it starting, he couldn’t stop himself and she too tensed up and lost her rhythm. He could feel her clench onto him and pulse and it was too much, he came so hard he was roaring and trembling, his body reduced to sheer pleasure and naught else.

It did take him some time to gather himself from his high and he felt as heavy as a sack of lead, he couldn’t believe that it was real, that he actually had had sex with someone else than himself. It was unbelievable and it had been wonderful, no, more than wonderful, it had been the best experience of his life. The girl giggled and sighed, a blissful smile on her face as she slid down off him and got back onto her feet. She did shake her skirts out and sent him a mischievous grin, straightening her bodice. Ivran was still heaving for air, feeling the aftershocks rush through him, he had to be dreaming, this couldn’t be real? He managed to force himself to speak. “Why?”

She giggled. “I just wanted you, all of a sudden. You were good, very good in fact.”

She bent over and kissed his cheek. “A girl does appreciate some good cock and yours was just perfect”

He just stared, confused, happy and also a bit startled. It was rather certain that she had enjoyed this quite a lot before he became the object of her desires. Did her father know that his daughter in fact was rather promiscuous? He hoped not, for if the janitor did find out about this his ass was toast for sure, that man would tear him limb from limb. She patted him on his thigh and blew him a kiss before she just sauntered off, pushed the screen closed behind her and then he heard her walk away. Ivran just laid there, staring at the roof until he had to laugh, a bit hysterically. He had just gotten laid, oh Gods, it was amazing. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the memory and if he hadn’t just come very hard he would have gotten aroused yet again just thinking about it. His right hand would never be quite the same after this, it wouldn’t accomplish anything even close to what he just had enjoyed.

He felt sluggish and sleepy and he found a piece of cloth and wiped himself clean before he pulled his pants back on and decided to take a nap. He fell asleep like he had been shot, completely exhausted by all the turmoil of this day. He didn’t even dream and when he did awake it was rather late and he felt surprisingly well. He was a man now, for real, and she had liked him. He felt his chest swell with pride and knew he had a silly grin upon his face, it had been so unexpected and yet so fantastic. He returned to the hall for some food and it was almost empty, he ate fast and returned to his bed to take a look at the notebook before he went to bed.

The notebook was full of text but it was unreadable, the letters were placed randomly and he did have to scratch his head until he did see one clue. There was one empty spot on each page, a letter was missing and he remembered the letters he had found on the shelves. Could it be? He had used them already but what if they were meant to be used again? He opened his box of belongings and found a small pen and started filling in the holes with the letters from the library. It was just the right number, and he finished and held his breath, something ought to happen. At first there was nothing, then the letters started to move and reorganize themselves. He heard that the others returned to their beds for the night but he didn’t bother with them, this was too exciting. He waited until the pages yet again came to peace, the movements seized and he swallowed and started at the first page. It was his grandfather’s handwriting for sure and the first thing it said was “Read this”

Ivran frowned, what followed looked like some sort of spell, it was in a language he didn’t know but it did seem easy enough to pronounce. He read it slowly and in a whisper and then the text changed yet again, the words switched place and it all became spells, some he did recognize as very powerful ones and others were unknown but the letters started to glow and suddenly he knew them all. It was as if something opened within his mind and he was flooded with information. He was unable to make a sound, his body tilted over onto its side as it convulsed, it was quite similar to what had happened down in the basement but even more brutal and when it let go of him his head was swirling with a knew sort of knowledge, one deeper and more profound than any before.

He gasped, the notebook was empty now and he knew what had happened. He had gotten his grandfather’s gifts, all of his knowledge, at once. By every God, how was this even possible?

He shivered, he had a terrible headache and he was nauseous and he had to sit down and think but was unable to. He had to tell the masters of this, or….he felt a surge of fear, no, nobody could be told of this. Why he didn’t know but the very idea filled him with sudden dread, he couldn’t let anyone know that he suddenly possessed everything which had made his forefather grand. He had to pretend to be unchanged, and leave the next day. He laid down with a sob, he wished that he never had been given that box in the first place, this would change his very world forever.

He did fall asleep yet again, in spite of his pain and confusion. This time he did dream and he was standing on a barren hilltop, around him were scorched black land and someone was walking towards him out of the mist. It was a very tall figure and it walked with slow but determined steps. Ivran couldn’t move, he just stared wide eyed at the person who stopped and pulled down his hood. It was his grandfather, he recognized him from the countless portraits hanging in his parent’s home. Ivran swallowed and his grandfather nodded silently. “Child, you have been given a gift both wonderful and terrible. I am sure you by now are both confused and frightened and you have every right to be. And yes, you do have the right to hate me, what I have done to you is beyond forgiveness and pardon”

Ivran did wet his lips. “What are you saying?”

His grandfather sent him a sad smile. “There is something very few sorcerers and mages know these days, that the power we use can be controlled in more ways than just one”

Ivran frowned. “What do you mean?”

He had never heard anything about that, magic was seen as a sort of stream flowing through everything within creation and spells were the way to make it cooperate. His grandfather smiled again. “It is forgotten that magic can be controlled by the will alone. I did that child, and you have already started to see what it can do whence it is awakened within someone born with that skill”

Ivran swallowed, feeling very confused. “Uh, what do you mean? I haven’t felt any sorts of magic until now?”

The tall man cocked his head. “Oh but you did, you used it earlier today. You wanted to see the “charms” of that young lady didn’t you? And you wished to enjoy them too, and you most certainly did”

Ivran yelped. “Oh Gods, was…was that me?!”

His grandfather snickered. “Indeed it was, we carry a terrible burden child, our will and our wishes can change the very fabric of time and space, we can influence others and change history. “

Ivran felt cold through and through. “Why me? Why now?!”

The man sighed. “You know that the ability to use magic always skips one generation? The child of a magician can never follow in his father’s footsteps, but the grandchild can. You are my grandson and in you the magic has done something very unusual. You have been blocked from it until now”

Ivran just got more and more confused and scared. “That wasn’t you?”

His grandfather shook his head. “No, that wasn’t me at all. The ability to control this power not through spells but by sheer will alone does allow you to do things none other can. You don’t need to create a spell to do what you wish for, you just need to focus upon the wanted result and there you have it”

Ivran frowned again. “That easy?”

The tall man shook his head with a grin. “Not easy at all, you need complete focus, no stray thoughts can be allowed at all, the risk of failure is great. But the reason why you have been blocked so long is that this ability is very dangerous, as I am sure you can imagine. The deep ancient magic does have a will of its own and by giving you my gifts and knowledge I have unleashed it from the bonds it put upon you. You are ready now, the training you have been trough have finally found its purpose”

Ivran looked down. “So what must I do? I don’t understand….”

His grandfather placed a hand on his shoulder. “Go, leave the academy. Do not let anyone know of this gift for it is one many will covet. I hid my abilities, I never revealed the full strength that I carried.”

Ivran felt tiny, why he didn’t know, but he realized that there had to be a reason why his grandfather wanted him to hide this. “Why?”

The older man took a deep breath. “What have you learned about the brother hood of chaos?”

Ivran blinked. “Ah, uh, a little? They were a guild of dark magicians?”

His grandfather nodded. “That is one way to say it yes, they were eradicated thousands of years ago after having wreaked havoc among the magicians. You see, they had a spell which enabled them to steal the power of others, to make it their own, together with all their knowledge and all their spells”

Ivran nodded, he felt a bit eager, this he had in fact heard of “Yes, they almost wiped out the entire magicians guild?”

His grandfather nodded. “They did and only one very powerful mage managed to fight them and defeat them. “

Ivran smiled. “I remember having read about that, but that was millennia ago”

His grandfather nodded slowly. “Yes, but they weren’t eradicated, not completely. There are still dark mages around and if one of them managed to get his hands upon the type of magic we possess? That would be a most terrible disaster my child, the end of everything. Darkness would replace the light and everything would fall into ruins.”

Ivran gasped. “They do still exist? But…nobody has ever told…”

The old mage squeezed his shoulder gently. “No, because very few does know, and it has to be that way. They wait child, wait for something which will give them the opportunity to seize power once more and someone like us would be it. What one person knows is a secret, what two people know is soon spread around so never mention this to anyone”

Ivran swallowed hard, he was scared again. “I won’t, I will not say anything about it at all. But…what do I do? With the power I supposedly have I mean?” Sᴇaʀ*ᴄh the (F)indNƟvᴇl.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

His grandfather frowned. “You cannot use it openly, but you do have a job now don’t you? Be happy with that, if you can help people then do but discretely. Do never reveal just how powerful you are”

Ivran looked down. “And how powerful am I then?”

His grandfather ruffled his hair. “That is something you will have to discover for yourself but remember this, the power is like a double edged sword. There has to be a balance, and everything you do will have consequences.”

Ivran nodded. “I know, they taught me that”

His grandfather smiled and lifted his chin. “They taught you well child, use it for good. I have faith in you”

Ivran gathered his courage. “What happened to you? Where are you?”

The magician tilted his head. “That too is something I think you will discover someday, this is farewell child, I don’t think I will see you again but I know you will make me proud. “

Ivran felt oddly emotional. “I…I wish I could have met you grandfather, for real I mean”

The older man smiled and patted him on the back. “So do I, sleep now, rest and be ready to face the world once more.”

Ivran just had time to feel a swift and tender kiss upon his brow before he was fast asleep once more.

When he did wake up the next morning it was very cold outside and he shuddered as he gathered his belongings and went to eat. The notebook had gone blank now and there was nothing in it and the gems too had changed, now they did look like two pieces of colored glass, not very special at all. He did put them in his sack but he felt that they no longer were of any value, they had done their job. Afterwards he walked to the offices again and he felt oddly guilty, as if he was doing something illegal by hiding his strange experiences from the masters. He took a deep breath and entered the office and the head master was smiling at him. There was a huge heap of clothes there and other things he did need and he tried to look calm and eager. The headmaster placed some items on the desk, it was a small sword and some knives and also a cloak with the academy’s insignia upon it. He did also get a pouch full of silver coins and he felt even more guilty now, as if he didn’t really deserve all this trust and acceptance. The headmaster sat down and smiled. “I am very glad you agreed upon this young man, I am sure you will do your job with the outmost skill and patience.”

Ivran blushed slightly. “I…I will do my best master”

The headmaster chuckled. “Oh I do not doubt that, listen, we do already have an assignment ready and if you’d like to it is yours”

Ivran frowned. “Already, alright, what assignment?”

The headmaster found some papers and smiled widely. “One of the younger students is going home to visit his parents and he does need an escort. It is a rather easy job, you should probably be back here within two months”

Ivran frowned, “Two months? He lives far off then?”

The headmaster nodded. “To the north, one of the trading cities up there. But it is safe, good roads and lots of inns and we will give you good horses too!”

Ivran felt an odd urge to storm out of there and just get going, he wanted to leave all of this behind, there and then. “I will do it, I have always wanted to travel. It can…it can do me good”

The headmaster smiled and his smile was compassionate. “Of course my poor lad, you will surely be able to see things differently whence you have been away from this sad and dreary place for a while. Go, have fun, meet some ladies. You deserve that.”

Ivran felt a need to roll his eyes, rumors said that the headmaster had been a real lady killer back in his youth but Ivran had a hard time believing that anyone would be interested in someone that strict. He blushed and looked down and the old man got up. “Here, put this on, there will be supplies ready for you, I will give the orders right away and when you return there will be a small apartment ready for you in the employee’s wing”

Ivran managed to smile. “I am most grateful master”

The headmaster bowed his head. “Go get yourself a good meal, everything will be ready soon”

Ivran took a deep breath and gathered the clothes he had been given, walked into a small room used as a wardrobe and changed. The new clothes were nice, much better than those a student would wear and everything was in black and red or brown. He even got new knee high boots and with the cape on he did look like some nobleman. He felt like a stranger, he didn’t really recognize the man staring back at him from the mirror. He attached the sword to his belt and felt awkward, he did know how to use a sword, he had been trained also in that art but he preferred that he never would have to use it. He went to the small dining hall reserved for the employees and the food there was way better than the one served in the large one. Then he sat down to rest a bit before he slowly walked to the yard where the headmaster said that the horses would be ready.

He took a deep breath, the headmaster stood there with the stable master and a young lad stood there between them, he was pouting slightly and Ivran saw that the boy had to be rather spoiled. The headmaster grinned widely. “Oh there we have him, our dear Ivran. This is Josphu, he is a little disappointed that he isn’t getting a carriage”

Ivran smiled but he did already dislike the boy. “It will be a much faster journey by horseback”

The boy almost sneered. “I will get dirty, and I don’t like horses”

Ivran saw that the stable master had saddled two animals, he realized that the boy was to ride a lithe grey mare with a temper which indicated that the lack of enthusiasm was shared. The horse he was to ride was a very tall brown stallion and it looked calm and collected. Ivran let out a sigh of relief. The stable master had also brought out two more horses, dark grey geldings both and they were docile and friendly. Ivran smiled at the boy. “I think we’d better get going then, the faster we leave the faster we’ll arrive”

The boy just glared at him but did haul himself onto the mare with a groan. Ivran had put his things into the saddle bags and he was ready to leave now. He felt hunted somehow, if what his grandfather had said was true then there could be danger even there. Nobody would know if any of the masters in reality did serve the darkness. The headmaster did shake his hand, “Have a safe journey my friend, there are maps in the saddle bags and the pack horse has everything else you may need”

The pack horse which was tethered to Ivran’s stallion was a very stocky dun mare and it looked as if it was terribly bored. The pack saddle was full and Ivran felt a surge of gratitude. They would travel as rich men no doubt. “Thank you master, I hope I will see you again soon”

The old man smiled and Ivran got in the saddle. He hadn’t ridden in quite a while but it was the sort of thing which comes back to you. The boy stared at the neck of his horse and Ivran wondered of the boy had been allowed this vacation because he was an obnoxious person? That wouldn’t surprise Ivran at all. He smacked his lips and the horse moved and he threw one last glance behind him as they rode through the main gate. The headmaster stood there and waved his hand and Ivran suddenly knew that he would miss the academy, and miss it a lot. It had been a safe haven for him for years and now he had no idea of what the future would bring. The lad did cling to the saddle and rode like a sack of flour and he would probably suffer from a sore rump rather soon. Ivran thought that it was well deserved. The lad stared at him with a poisonous glare. “So, what have you done to be so popular, sucked the headmasters cock?”

Ivran felt a surge of rage, not only did the lad insult him but he did insult the headmaster too. He wished he could shut the lad up but he didn’t say anything, he was afraid that he would unleash something unexpected. He just made the horses gallop and the lad had to concentrate upon not falling off. Oh this would be an interesting journey, a very interesting journey. If that kid continued like that Ivran would wrap him up in tarp and transport him the way they transported corpses, over the pack saddle. There was just so much he was ready to accept and the lad would discover that he was no push around, no absolutely not!

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