"What?" Sam exploded. "You've got to be pulling my leg! It's a piece of metal. How on Grayham can I ask a sword for permission? It isn't alive. It's unable to speak. And if it is alive, it hasn't said one word to me since Ba.s.sorine gave it to me. Whatever power it's said to have, I'm sure it will come from me." Sam looked at BJ and then at Mosley. He could see the deep level of concern on their faces.

Both the instructor and the wolf took a few steps back. Sam's worry was growing with each step they took. "You guys are messing with me, aren't you?"

Just as Sam finished his question, the sword grew red hot in his hand, and it forced the ignorant warrior to release it. The sword rose from Sam's palm and hovered in front of his face for only a short moment before it turned to place its point beneath his chin like an unseen warrior was wielding it.

The sword made three thumping taps to the bottom of Sam's jaw with the flat of its blade and then spoke. "My uninformed Sam!" The sword's voice was commanding, and its blade pulsated with every syllable as if a shallow light had been forged inside it. "I had high hopes for you, but it appears you are an ignorant, arrogant boy who has learned little since his arrival on Grayham."

Sam watched as the pulsating of the sword went from a shallow white to a soft red, almost as if the blade was becoming angrier as it continued to speak. "I'm extremely disappointed. I've waited for more than 10,000 seasons to be wielded by you, and it's clear to me that my wait was in vain. Someone with your intelligence should understand what you considered normal is long gone."

The sword hovered close to Sam's ear and spoke so only Sam could hear. "You know of the Book of Immortality, and you know it has a soul of its own and the power to govern the G.o.ds. Since you know this secret, why can't you accept that a sword of my caliber can communicate?" The blade backed off and spoke again so the others could hear. "In spite of your intelligence, Sam, your inability to accept your surroundings is your greatest fault. The G.o.ds have made a mistake. You are a waste of my moments. Return me to Ba.s.sorine! You're useless!"

Sam was speechless. This world was throwing his mind some serious curve b.a.l.l.s, and he was not even swinging the bat. He watched the sword float away. It was leaving. He regrouped and chased after it. "Hold on a moment!"

The sword stopped and hovered above the ground, eye level with Sam.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. I had no idea I was doing something wrong. I also had no idea you could speak. It's not like I talked to swords every day when I was on Earth. I would still like to train with you. I'm sorry for my ignorance."

The sword pulsated a hotter red. "For such a brilliant man, you spend far too many of your moments apologizing for your ignorance. You had to apologize to Soresym as well. I hate to admit it, Sam, but I believe you are pathetic."

After a long, awkward silence, the sword turned to place its blade beneath Sam's chin once again. "I might allow you to train with me if you ask properly."

Sam dropped to one knee. As he started to speak, he realized he still did not know the sword's name. He improvised as best he could. "I'm sorry ... umm ... sir, for my ignorance. If you'll allow it, I'd appreciate the honor of training with you."

The sword held its position for a long while, observing Sam's demeanor as he kept his head bowed. The light emanating from the blade went from red to white. "Your apology is accepted." The weapon redirected its point at BJ. "Barthom Jonas, you will beat the ignorance out of him. Teach him humility, and ensure his Peaks are filled with suffering. I want his education to be pounded into him."

BJ dropped to his knees, along with Mosley, and lowered his head. "I shall do as you command. Thank you for blessing me with this opportunity."

The weapon floated toward Mosley, stopped, and lowered to a position that was eye level with the wolf. "If it's your responsibility to watch over this human, teach him to respect what he doesn't understand. Stop failing in your duty."

The wolf nodded, "Your message has been received. I will do better."

With that, the sword returned to Sam and descended back into his hand. The pulsating stopped, and the blade went cold.

" Thanks a lot, Sam!" Mosley growled. "Perhaps you could think before you speak from now on. You made me look bad, and don't apologize for your ignorance. I don't care, and I'm not in the mood to hear it."

The wolf turned and trotted a few steps before he stopped. "I'm going to check on Shalee. BJ, please train this fool!" Mosley's green eyes found Sam's. "And one more thing, I've never met an incompetent genius before. You're my first. You're stubborn and hardheaded. You remind me of a cub. I dare say you'd be considered the weakest of the pack if this was the Peak of your birth." Mosley turned and ran toward the village.

BJ shook his head, stood and motioned for Sam to put the sword on his hip. "Until you name the blade, you cannot train with it."

Tossing the virgin swordsman a wooden stave, BJ laughed. "We'll start with these. This will hurt you far more than it'll hurt me."

Helga's School of Magical Studies Helga walked into the training room. She smiled as she saw Shalee sleeping. Mmmm, I remember what that feeling was like, she thought. The sorceress leaned over and shook her student to wake her.

Shalee struggled to open her eyes. When she realized Helga was in the room, she tried to explain what had happened.

Helga listened, smiling as she saw the excitement on Shalee's face. After a brief series of moments, Helga motioned for Shalee to stop talking. "There is a reason you've been given these feelings, Child. It's the staff's way of motivating you to master it. As you learn how to command it, you'll make many mistakes. We all have. You'll try to use more power than you're strong enough to handle, and there are consequences for these choices. I should know."

Shalee pushed her hair clear of her face. "Will the staff reward me every time ... ugh ... I mean, every moment I succeed and do something correctly? If so, a girl could get used to something like that," she said in a playful manner.

Helga looked to the ceiling for a response. "Rather than ruin the surprise, just enjoy your training for now. The benefit of your staff could extend your life more than 1,000 seasons. But beware, your failures can have the adverse effect.

"I am 247 spring seasons old, Child, and I don't think I look a day over 50. I would've aged better, but I chose an unwise path when I was younger. I tried to command power that I was ill prepared to wield. It took me many, many Peaks to reverse the effects. I wanted to be the strongest teacher I could be when you arrived, and because of this, I forced myself to grow faster than I should've."

Shalee hung on every word until Helga was finished. Her response was energized as she stared at Helga's skin. "247 seasons? Holy mackerel! Mary Kay would love you. Your skin looks amazing for a woman your age. If you ask me, 247 seasons seems like an eternity. I bet you're the best teacher ever."

Shalee paused and then changed the direction of the conversation. "I'm pretty tough. I should be able to handle this magical wonderland." Shalee grinned with a playful wickedness as she made her next statement. "So what-da-ya say? Let's get to work on my first success. I don't want to keep Precious waiting."

Mosley pushed the bear rug aside as he entered the room. "Yes, let's see her try something." The wolf dropped his head and sniffed the mattresses covering the floor.

Helga stared at Mosley "Don't even think about it, mutt." She pointed the tip of her staff in the wolf's direction. "I've told you on more than one occasion that you pee outside like the rest of the animals. You may be Ba.s.sorine's messenger, but you'll respect my establishment."

Mosley gave a low growl, but reluctantly submitted by sitting on his haunches as Helga left the room.

When she came back, she was carrying a steel ball that equaled the size of her fists. She bent down to whisper in Mosley's ear. "Let's see how this child handles a little failure before I allow her a little success. Let's give her a challenge."

Mosley huffed, "Do whatever you like. This is your territory. Clearly, you've already marked it."

"Clearly!" Helga confirmed in a condescending tone. "You stay here. I'll scratch the back of your ears later if you're good." The sorceress moved to the center of the room and placed the ball on one of the mattresses. Seeing all was as it should be, she moved away and told Shalee to retrieve Precious from the floor.

"Let's start with something to challenge you, Child." She pointed to a target that had been painted on one of the pads at the far side of the room. "I want you to point your staff at the target and then command the ball to fly through the room and hit it."

"Goodness-gracious, how do I do that?"

"You'll need to learn the Elven language. First, you must say the name of the object you're trying to command. You must say it with authority. The staff will retrieve the desired outcome from your mind's eye and deliver the result ... providing you possess the power to obtain the result. Your thoughts need to be clear and focused. If you don't possess a magical foundation that is strong enough, the command will fail, and failure can manifest in many forms. But we shall speak of failure and how to handle it when it happens."

Once Shalee was sure she had digested Helga's words, she replied. "I think I get it. So, first things first. I named my staff Precious, so all I need to know is the Elven word for ball."

"The name for ball is karon," Mosley replied, as he looked up from sniffing Helga's feet and snorting his displeasure.

Shalee and Helga looked down at Mosley.

"What?" the wolf shrugged. "She smells, and I just so happen to speak every language. As you know, I work in the service of Ba.s.sorine." He captured Helga's eyes. "Unlike you, he values my presence."

Shalee watched as Mosley and Helga stared each other down. "Ummmm ... maybe we should focus on my training?" She waved her hand between them to break the tension. "C'mon, y'all. Don't make me throw a foot into this argument."

Without waiting for a response, Shalee raised her staff toward the target. "Anyway, let's give the name of this ball a shout. Y'all ready for this?"

Helga motioned for Mosley to move back. Commanding the staff, Shalee hollered, "Precious, karon!" The ball launched from the floor and flew across the room. It hit the target with such a tremendous force that the padding was destroyed-but the ball did not stop there. It blew through the wall and struck a large, wooden barrel of water that was sitting across the alleyway. The barrel exploded, drenching a woman and her children who were standing near it. The woman screamed, grabbed her children and ran.

Shalee bent over, dropped Precious onto the mattress beneath her feet, put her hands on her knees, and trembled as she received the benefit of the successful command. Her body quaked as she laughed and cried during the same moments. It was a while before the sensation subsided. But when it did, she looked up at her astounded audience. A large smile appeared on her face as she wiped the tears off her cheeks. "Woo, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo!" she shouted. "That was incredible! Oh my Lord in Heaven ... I'm loving this!"

Reaching down, Shalee retrieved her staff and oozed, "How precious are you, Precious?"

Mosley walked over and sniffed Shalee. Before he could get too carried away, Shalee reached down and grabbed hold of his snout. She lifted his head until their eyes met. "What do you think you're doing?"

The wolf allowed his jaw to rest in the palm of Shalee's hand as he responded. "The scent of your success is intoxicating. Does my curiosity bother you? Or perhaps my nose is too cold?"

Shalee released his jaw and stood up straight. She pointed a finger and drew an X across her mid-section and across her behind. "Wolves not allowed in this vicinity!" she exclaimed in a stern voice. "Keep your nose away from there. Otherwise, you can sniff whatever you want."

Still stunned, Helga broke her silence, "Shalee, you're going to be powerful, Child. In all my seasons, I've never seen anyone complete this exercise before the end of their first season. I've picked up many a new sorceress off the floor. Quick, Child, let's try something else."

CHAPTER 11.

Tough Lessons Learned SHALEE WAS EXCITED BY Helga's revelation that no other young sorceress had ever commanded the ball to hit the target. It was satisfying, and with Helga in a hurry to start the next lesson, she was itching to continue.

Helga moved one of the mattresses from the floor and lifted a hidden door beneath it. A dark staircase was revealed that disappeared under the school. Helga commanded, "Use your staff, Child, I need to see what I'm doing. The Elven word for light is me'u."

Once Shalee understood how to p.r.o.nounce the word, she lowered the tip of her staff in the direction of the darkness and shouted, "Precious, me'u!"

The stairway and room beneath lit up. With her eyes closed, Shalee stood motionless, once again receiving the benefit of the successful command. "I think I'm gettin' the hang of this magic stuff," she giggled. "Was that the next thing you wanted me to learn?"

The elder sorceress smiled and started to walk down the stairs. "That was not your next lesson. That was far too easy a command. I thought I would allow you another success before I ensure you fail. I'll be back in a moment."

Shalee waited while Mosley explored the hole in the wall. Suspicious of the wolf's intent, she whispered, "Mosley, don't do it. Helga will get angry."

Mosley lifted his head and found Shalee's eyes. "You worry for naught. I intend to respect that cantankerous woman's wishes."

From below the floor, Helga responded, "I heard that, mutt!"

Shalee could only smile as she watched Mosley continue sniffing.

Soon, Helga ascended with five pieces of dried wood. She motioned for Shalee to close the trapdoor and replace the mattress.

Helga headed toward a corner opposite the hole in the wall and prepared the area. Using her staff, she commanded the padding from the floor, walls, and ceiling to peel away. As they did, they revealed an area covered with thick, large sheets of iron.

Shalee was amazed as she watched the padding float across the room and settle in a neatly stacked pile against the opposing wall. On more than one occasion, Mosley had to duck as a few of the mattresses flew over him. When Helga was finished, all that was left was a secure spot to place the wood.

Mosley motioned for Helga to speak with him in the next room. "Are you sure this is a good lesson to teach on her first Peak? If the task is to command fire, this skill should be attempted by someone with keener senses. She's just a cub, magically speaking."

"Who's the teacher here, you ... or me? Isn't there something you should be sniffing while I see what her limitations are?"

Annoyed by Helga's demeanor, Mosley lifted his leg and released a spurt onto the rug near her feet. "Perhaps I've already found the smell I was seeking. Shall we continue this confrontation, or shall we civilly discuss more important matters?"

Helga scowled as she shook off the moisture on her shoe and then stormed into the training room to set everything in place. She summoned two pails of water and continued to eye the wolf as she used her magic to place the buckets in close proximity in case they were needed to extinguish a flame.

Once the older sorceress calmed her nerves, she called Shalee to her side. "Child, there are many forms of fire. There are simple forms, like striking a piece of flint to start a campfire. Then there are stronger forms that burn hot enough to turn things to ash in the briefest of moments." She snapped her fingers. "A moment this quick," she said as she looked at Mosley to emphasize her point.

Mosley cringed.

Helga enjoyed the wolf's discomfort, and then she turned her attention back to Shalee. "Simple or difficult, you'll be able to use the same command for various outcomes while manipulating fire. The only difference will be what your mind tells the staff to accomplish. Let's begin with something simple. The Elven word for fire is nuar."

Shalee looked down at the pile of wood. "So ... you want me to set it ablaze. Seems simple enough."

"No, Child. I want you to think of how you can achieve different outcomes. Fire can be molded to serve you in many different manners. It can be used for more than destruction or warmth. This exercise will show me your imagination and expose your limitations. I'll give you an example of how fire can be used to intimidate your enemies."

Helga retrieved her staff and spoke the words of power. A thick wall of flame formed. Feeling the heat, Mosley backed away to the far side of the room while Shalee felt nothing and watched in amazement as Helga walked into the flames and then turned around. She waved at her student, and after a long series of moments, she exited as the flames as they dissipated.

Helga smiled as she gave the wolf a vengeful wink. "That's what I mean by using fire to intimidate." Reclaiming Shalee's eyes, she continued. "In my mind's eye, I told the staff to allow the mutt to feel the heat. The two of us felt nothing. My mind called for the fire to be smokeless since I didn't want the smoke to permeate the room, nor did I want the flames to burn the floor or the ceiling since they were tall. As you can see, I'm unharmed. Fire can be used to create the illusion of power." The older sorceress turned her head. "Do you see what I mean, mutt?"

Without saying a word, Mosley lifted his leg and released a continuous stream onto the stack of mattresses. His deep, green eyes challenged Helga as he responded while c.o.c.king his head in a condescending manner. "A stream has the ability to put out a fire. Do you see what I mean, you difficult woman?"

Helga raised her staff.

Shalee intervened. "My Lord in Heaven, you two. Stop that. This is supposed to be my series of moments to train, not yours to argue." She stepped between them so that Helga could no longer see the wolf. "Anyhoo! Let's move along. Why don't you guys give me some s.p.a.ce, and I'll whip up one of them fabulous walls of fire for ya."

Helga pulled her attention off the wolf and placed it where it belonged. "No, no, no, Child. That was advanced magic. You're not ready to try something of that magnitude. You must be careful and start simple."

"Simple is boring," Shalee protested.

Helga grinned. "Agreed, Child. Your magical foundation will fortify, but it must be formed properly. Eventually, you'll be able to command power that equals what I've displayed. You may even advance to combining words, but magic like that is far beyond your abilities at the moment. For now, let's focus on simple, practical uses of fire."

"Tell me more about combining words," Shalee inquired. "That sounds far more interesting than s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g around with sparks."

"Oh, Child, Child, Child ... I refuse to answer that question. I should never have said anything. You will focus on the task at hand. Do you understand me?"

Shalee frowned. "You're b.u.mming me out. Texans can handle anything. You don't have to be so careful with me."

Seeing that Helga would not reveal any additional information, Shalee looked at the pile of wood, rolled her eyes, raised her staff and then shouted, "Precious, nuar!" A ring of fire appeared around the wood. The heat could be felt, but it was not uncomfortable. There was no smoke, and over a lengthy period of moments, the flames faded.

Shalee enjoyed the benefit of her command, but the strength of the magic caused her body to quake uncontrollably. She was forced to drop Precious and lean against her teacher until the intensity subsided.

"Well done!" Mosley howled. "I'm impressed. You're the cub that would make any wolf proud. Once you've collected yourself, you should see what else you can conjure."

"Oh, my goodness!" Shalee exhaled once she was able to stand. "Whew! I'm sweating like a hog on a hot summer day. I bet I look like a mess. I'm just loving this magic stuff. I can't even tell you how much." She looked at Helga and grinned. "This is definitely not like anything I've ever done before." An aftershock hit. She reached out and placed a hand on Helga's shoulder until she stopped trembling. "Oh my! I just need to catch my breath."

Helga rubbed Shalee's back until she was able to stand upright. "Child, it's okay to take the moments you need to recover. This has been a wonderful Peak for you. I'm a little jealous. I haven't felt that way in over 200 seasons."

Shalee smiled and retrieved Precious off the floor. "Shall we try something else?"

Before Helga could object, Shalee raised her staff, prepared her next thought, and spoke the words of power, "Precious, nuar!" The top piece of wood on the pile started to burn, but the ones beneath it were unaffected. The fire burned hot and strong, and it took a considerable amount of power.

The benefit of her success seized control of Shalee's body as the spell dissipated. It brought her to her knees, and she was forced to place her hands on the floor for balance as the tears of joy flowed. The reward lasted for a much longer series of moments than it did with the previous command. With the sensation continuing to build, Shalee lowered onto her back as her chest heaved to catch her breath.

"Ohhhh, Child, Child, Child ... I've never seen anyone command fire on their first Peak. Not only have you commanded it, you isolated it to a specific piece, and you didn't allow the flame to touch the others. This is the most exciting Peak of my life!

Mosley spoke up. "Perhaps it's best if she stops."

Helga nodded. "I completely agree." She adjusted her gaze back onto her student. "Besides, it's getting late, Child, and you must be exhausted. I've never met a woman blessed enough to shed so many wonderful tears and experience the joy of life as you have."

Shalee agreed. She was tired, but she did not want to stop now. She peeled herself up off the floor and forced herself to stand upright. "I know I should stop, but I am dying to try just one more thing before we do." She looked at her teacher and produced an innocent smile. "What are the Elven words for wood and life?"

A deep look of concern appeared on Helga's face. "Oh no, no, no, Child! It isn't wise to be toying with uniting words. That isn't something I would teach you for many, many Peaks. I should not have said anything about it. I apologize for my lapse in judgment."