The Wizard's War Read online

  “You can’t leave me,” I said, because that was the only thing that mattered. If Mom and Dad decided to leave us and go to Earth, I would live as long as Hail was still with me. Nothing else was important compared to my brother.

  Finally, there was a moment, just a sliver of a glint of relent in his eyes that glared at me. “No. I won’t leave you. You’re my brother.”

  “Please tell me what happened. Mom hates me and you’ve never yelled at me before. I need to know what I did.”

  For much of our life on Earth, I was getting us into trouble left and right. I needed the chaos, the excitement. Hail would warn me every single time, but he would follow in order to protect me and usually tried to take the blame when we were in trouble. No matter how bad the trouble we found was, he would never get mad at me. This had to be exceptionally terrible.

  He sat on the steps, not looking at me. His body was still shaking and I went to heal him, but he held up his hand to ward me away. “You were looking at Dad when your eyes turned nearly white. It was a really creepy milky-green color, like your soul just vanished behind the darkness. You didn’t say anything or recognize our words when we tried to snap you out of it. I did everything I could. We thought our balance would keep it calm, like it always has before, but the darkness took over so fast.

  “You aimed your hand and some kind of white energy formed. I thought it was the void, at first. Mom got in the way, but you didn’t even hesitate. You tried to kill Mom and Dad and I couldn’t think of any way to stop you.”

  “But you did.”

  “I pushed you down, got in the way, and took the shot. You could have killed me.”

  “But I didn’t. You didn’t even lose consciousness. It would have killed Mom or Dad, a god and a Noquodi, but you survived it. It has to be because you’re my brother. Please let me heal you. Please don’t hate me for this, I couldn’t control it.”

  He looked at me and I felt a little wonder in him. “How do you not hate me? You never would have taken the balance into yourself if we hadn’t decided that I could stop it.”

  I stomped my foot, the brat in me coming back in the face of my own shock. “This isn’t your fault at all, stupid! You saved Mom and Dad. It came on too strong for either of us to stop it. Please let me heal you,” I said. He glared at me as if daring me to come any closer. “I will cry,” I threatened. He relented by hanging his head and I was by his side in an instant.

  I only had to touch him; my magic instantly realized that my brother was injured and it needed to heal him. It felt very much like a bad burn, but soon he was as good as new and I could breathe easier.

  Dad stepped out of the house and held the door open. “Go talk to your mother,” he told me. I really didn’t think it was safe, but Hail pushed me up the steps. I shut the front door behind me and knocked gently on my mother’s door.

  “Come in, Ron,” she said. I opened the door. The window curtains were open, giving the room full of dark satin and hard wood a friendlier appearance than normal. Our parents’ room had never been an uninviting place, but it could be very somber when our parents were angry. “Did Hail tell you what happened?”

  I nodded, gulped, and tried to speak. Only a choking sound came out. She held out her hand and I walked forward to take it. After a moment, Mom patted the bed beside her and when I sat, she put her arm around me and held me close.

  “When I first found out you were on the way, I was terrified,” she whispered against my ear. I tried to look her, but she held my head against her shoulder. “I had no idea what to think; a god and a Noquodi having a baby. Your father was so excited that it made me a little bit sick.”

  Talks with my mother could be dangerous. Sometimes, there was something very mortal and motherly about her, but sometimes, she was so very much a god. She was also occasionally very insensitive. I didn’t like where this was going.

  “I wanted to give him kids so bad. He loved you deeply before you were even born… but I was scared. I was sure you would never make it to birth. I knew I couldn’t be a mother; I wasn’t built right, I wasn’t loving enough, I wasn’t alive enough. Then you were born… So damn beautiful, you look just like your dad. You were alive, healthy, and perfect. I was proud of myself for being able to get you to him alive. You never spoke, ever, and that scared me. Again, I thought I screwed up, though I could see in your mind that you were normal, for the most part.” She let me go to look at me. “Then when you started talking, I had to apologize to your father.”

  My eyes widened and I started to exclaim something, but she shushed me.

  She smirked. “You looked like your father but you were my child. I knew from the first moment you spoke to us that you were full of fire, flair, and life. You could sweet-talk the gods into giving you their worlds, or you could take it over by force. Your brother would always have your back, steam-rolling anyone who got in your way or didn’t bend to your will. I realized at that moment that I had better learn real quick to be a good mother, because you weren’t going to wait for me to figure it out.” Her smile faded. “I made a mistake today. I turned away from you when you needed your mother more than ever. I was scared.”

  “I don’t want you to be scared of me,” I said. She wiped the tear from my eye.

  “Your father said the same thing to me once. Sweetheart, I’m not afraid of you. Yes, you could have killed us both, but that’s beside the point. I should have been able to keep the balance from you. Unfortunately, your stupid father outsmarted me. He figured it out first,” she rolled her eyes, “which he usually does.” She put her hands gently on my cheeks. “I couldn’t protect my mate, and I couldn’t protect my baby boy. Then I hurt you worse by abandoning you.”

  I tried to speak and she squeezed my cheeks lightly to silence me.

  “I know why you can’t stand abandonment.” She opened her mouth, sighed, and stopped. “A story for another day.” She flipped down the covers for me to climb in, which I did, then settled down and pulled the covers over us. It was one of those rare “mom” moments that I loved.

  I felt him approach a few minutes later, right before I was poked harshly in the chest. “If you get to sleep in the big bed, so do I.”

  I opened one eye to glare at Hail. “Your fat butt can’t fit in this bed. Go hog mine, you big Neanderthal.”

  “I’ll show you fat butt you little french-fry.” He tried to sit on me.

  “Mom!” I screamed for help.

  “Dylan! Control your children!” she yelled without opening her eyes. I flicked a warning spark at Hail’s encroaching butt, causing him to shout.

  “Dad! He tried to burn me!”

  “He tried to sit on me!” I screamed.

  “Alright, I see only one way to settle this.” Dad dived into the middle of the bed, pushing us apart, and wiggling himself into a comfy spot. Mom was determined enough not to end up on the floor that I was safely wedged between them, but Hail landed with a bang and grunt on the floor. Taking it in stride, he flopped himself back onto the bed, taking up the remaining inches as well as lying half on top of Dad. After a few minutes, Dad sighed. “It’s too hot. I need air.”

  “Oh, hell. There’re too many boys in this house. We need more estrogen,” Mom said.

  Dad gasped and started trying to push Hail off him. “Get out, boys! Get out! It’s Mommy and Daddy time now!”

  “Ewe. No schtupping on family day. We don’t want a little sister.”

  “You should at least offer me breakfast before trying to knock me up,” Mom said, to which Hail and I both gagged.

  “Ron, get in the kitchen.”

  “Hell, no,” I said. “I will never cook again if it means I never get a little sister. Girls are gross,” I said. When Hail didn’t immediately back me up, I slapped him.

  He grunted. “Um… yeah. Sisters are gross,” he halfheartedly agreed.

  “All girls are gross.”

  “Excuse me?” Mom asked.

  “Not… all girls. I mean Eddy’s girl
friend isn’t gross.” I leaned over my dad to gape at Hail. He looked at me. “I mean… she’s nice and quiet and pretty.”

  “Hail and Meri sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes my granddad killing my brother who was so asking for it.”

  Dad and Mom laughed as Hail’s face reddened. Shinobu couldn’t be left out for long; she pounced onto the bed, carefully keeping her claws retracted, and curled up on Dad’s chest. Shinobu had nearly attacked Dad right before we moved to Earth, so Dad thought we were going to have to get rid of her. Fortunately, when we returned to Duran to find her waiting for us, we discovered the problem was that naowen were aggressive when they were pregnant.

  Her tail slowly flickering back and forth across Hail’s nose until he sneezed, for which she gave him a dirty look before moving her tail.

  * * *

  One year later…

  My family was pretty amazing. Our vacations were to other worlds, everyone was supportive of each other, and the magic was powerful. Sure, Mom and Dad worked a lot, but they brought us back neat things and took us with them when they could. It helped that Dad felt responsible for teaching us to be good Noquodi. We only ever had to deal with public school when we lived on Earth for a few years; Dad and Edward were great teachers.

  Over the last ten years, everyday life was an adventure. We have been all over the universe, fought monsters, solved puzzles, and surfed at beaches. Our family was a little big, but it was diverse and great. The inner circle, of course, was Hail, my parents, Mordon, and me.

  Still, sometimes it was nice just to hang around home for a few days without a crisis from the Guardian Council, demon war, Raktusha, Lore, or Earth. Seriously, if Duran was having polar vortexes and stuff, I would want to move to another world, too.

  Vretial and Avoli thought they needed to race to get their world ready first, as if Hail and I would decide based on that.

  My mind was wandering over the last few months and how nice it was to be home… for like a minute, when I realized I was staring at the tan wall. So much tan… We had been home too long. I didn’t realize the bedroom walls were tan. I touched my finger to it. Light flashed from my finger like a miniature explosion, leaving behind an explosion-shaped splotch of neon green. I touched another spot on the wall, causing another light explosion to give it some navy blue. Next, some peach. Then a little dark red…

  I snapped my textbook closed and leaned back in my chair, looking at Hail upside down. He was lying on his bed working on his laptop. “Whatchu doin’?” I asked, because I suddenly wasn’t in the mood for painting the walls.

  He looked at me. “Messaging Sari.” He never lied to me.

  Duran had computers, printers, and a form of email, like Earth had, but such technology was unusual on Shomodii because this was the land of estranged wizards.

  I sat up right. “Did you finish your physics homework?”

  He smirked. “No, but I hope to finish my anatomy homework.” I got up and sat beside him on the bed, reading his screen. He didn’t try to hide it. My brother may joke about shirking his responsibilities, but he was actually very dedicated and focused. Unfortunately, he really liked a girl.

  “We have an appointment with Avoli tonight about the public drinking water of Lore,” I lied. Unlike him, I was the type to make an appointment and forget. I was also able to lie to him. With his attention on his girlfriend, I felt neglected, and that was when I got into real trouble.

  He gasped and snapped the laptop shut. “I’m supposed to go to Anoshii tonight to visit Sari! You have to go without me. Please tell me you can handle it. Sari would never forgive me.”

  I scoffed and flicked a dark purple strand of my hair. “No way. Ditch your girlfriend.”

  He sighed, heartbroken. “You’re right. I can’t leave you to handle Lore. It’s not fair. I’ll tell her I had a family emergency.”

  Guilt hit me in the gut. “We don’t really have a meeting; I just wanted to see which was more important to you.”

  He looked at me strangely for a moment as I walked back to my desk. I could feel the stare he gave me. “You know you’re always more important to me. When are you going to get a girlfriend?” he asked.

  “Please. Anyone would be jealous of my awesome hair. Besides, you know I don’t care about that.” Honestly, I wasn’t interested in a relationship, even a platonic one. I wanted to learn magic and science. What came through my head and what came out of my mouth were completely different, which complicated any relationship I had that wasn’t with my brother. Nobody else knew what I needed or wanted… not even myself usually.

  Whereas my brother was upfront, easygoing, and serious about his responsibility, I was not. Outside, I was snappy, rude, and narcissistic, but I was constantly learning. I was watching, always. I had to keep the balance at bay, learn how to use my Iadnah energy to become unstoppable, and beat my Granddad at a card game. Not even my mother has accomplished that.

  I hit print on my laptop, sending my report to my dad. He was a tough teacher, but he really just wanted our success. “You misspelled ‘electromagnetic!’ You get an ‘F’!” my father’s voice yelled through the wall.

  “I hate you!” I yelled back.

  Hail laughed as he passed me, ruffling my hair and ruining my perfect spikes. I threw my shoe at him.

  A while later I passed him in the living room on my way to the kitchen. He was having a serious conversation with Mordon, but I ignored them, figuring he would update me later. I was halfway through making spaghetti when I felt his dread. About a minute later, I felt Edward arrive. Odd… the whole family was here. I doubled my portioning.

  As I was getting plates ready, I heard Sen’s voice and groaned. Mordon brought Emiko and her son, Kaori-le Sen. The boy was a plague. Unfortunately, recognizing his presence summoned him to my side. “Hello, Ron,” he said pleasantly, like nails upon a chalkboard.

  “Hello, Sen. How is school?” I asked. The worse I treated him, the more he clung to my side, so I had given up my abuse many years before.

  The ten-year-old shrugged nonchalantly. “Okay, I guess.”

  He had the same gold and red hair with bright blue eyes that his mother had, so he was a very pretty kid. Unfortunately, he was nearly as tall as me already, and if a stranger saw us on the street, they would have a difficult time figuring out which of us was older.

  I frowned, remembering Hail at that age. Whenever he said that, it meant his mind was on other things. “Then are you going to stand there like a stump or help me set the table?” He jumped to it. “So if school is okay, what is wrong?”

  “Nothing.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He was acting nervous, which, come to think about, was common the last year or so. “Hey, Mordon and Mom are going on vacation… and they want to leave me here. Hail said he was going to see someone for the next few days, so I thought maybe you could help me with my potions test coming up?”

  I nearly dropped the plates in my hand. “Mordon is going somewhere? For how long?” I asked, trying to keep the panic from my voice. I couldn’t be left with Dad while Mordon was gone. “Wait, did you say Hail was leaving for days?!”

  He tried to say something, but I was out of the room before I could even think. “Calm down.” Hail stopped me in my tracks with his calm tone. “Dad is going with Eddy to Earth. They won’t be back until after Mordon returns.”

  “And what’s this I hear about you leaving for days?”

  “I already told you about that.”

  “You didn’t say it was for days.”

  “You’re fourteen; you can handle being on your own for a few days.”

  “Wait… on my own?”

  “Well, Sen is staying, but Mom is going to Zendii for some undercover work.

  Emiko, completely unaware of the turmoil, greeted me with a hug. I couldn’t even grace her with a response. What if Hail had a vision? He needed me. Sen was tugging my arm, trying to get me back into the kitchen.

  “Are
you upset that your brother is leaving?” he asked. I think I managed to nod, because he went on. “You two are really close, I know, but you need some time to yourself.” He was wrong. Nothing good would come of this.

  * * *

  I woke the next morning alone… except for a gargoyle, Shinobu, and Sen. I thought for sure I was wrong; that Hail had come back for me… but he was gone. I was abandoned here.

  Sounds from the kitchen made me sit up. I started for the kitchen before remembering Sen wasn’t family. Instead, I took a shower, dressed in my satin, button-up, burgundy shirt and black pants with silver chains, and meticulously spiked my hair, before changing it to a much more suitable black with red streaks. I knew Mom would kill me if she ever saw it, but I changed my eye color to an almost unnatural azure. Then I did a little illusion trick on my shirt to make it look the same color as my eyes when someone was looking at my eyes, but burgundy when they weren’t. I was a demigod; I had to at least look the part.

  I waltzed into the kitchen to the smell of eggs, bacon, and pancakes. So he had actually been watching me cook, not just hounding my personal bubble for no reason. I sat down and he set the plate in front of me. “Thank you,” I said.

  “You’re welcome. How did you sleep?”

  “Fine. I mean, it was quiet without Hail, but… I didn’t realize the room was so big,” I said. He was about to say something, but I heard the telltale chirping coming from the living room and got up. “I have to let Hobble out or he and Shinobu will destroy the house.”

  Sen sighed behind me. Odd boy. I let Hobble out. Unfortunately, it would rain soon and he would get covered in mud, which meant I would have to clean the living room. I turned back inside when I felt an all-too familiar presence pulling me away and was unconscious before I hit the ground.

  * * *

  “What’s with the no warning?” I demanded of the most powerful god there was.

  “Oh? Grouchy today, are we?” he asked.

  Alright, so I was usually more polite to him, but it was usually because of Hail. “Sorry. My brother had gone off with a girl and I’m left babysitting my cousin.”