{"id":22129,"date":"2020-04-01T08:47:14","date_gmt":"2020-04-01T12:47:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tellest.com\/?p=22129"},"modified":"2020-04-02T15:40:04","modified_gmt":"2020-04-02T19:40:04","slug":"short-story-ancient-magic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/short-story-ancient-magic\/","title":{"rendered":"Short Story – Ancient Magic"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ancient Magic
\n<\/strong>A Tale by Michael DeAngelo<\/strong><\/p>\n

A stark blast of energy burst across the field like a bolt of lightning.\u00a0 Far from hitting its target, it instead struck a distant tree, smashing it to splinters and sending a loud report echoing through the region.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaster Augustus, please stop!\u201d the young lad pleaded.<\/p>\n

For a moment, it seemed as though the old wizard was willing to relent as the purple-robed youth requested.\u00a0 Augustus\u2019s eyes were opened wide.\u00a0 Indeed, the arc lightning was not the spell he had prepared to cast.\u00a0 As the stump of the tree he had hit smoldered on the other side of the field, he scrunched up his face, trying to recall what it was he had planned for his foe\u2014another wizard on the opposite side of the battlefield.\u00a0 Augustus\u2019s features\u2014his bushy eyebrows and his thick, snow-white beard and mustache\u2014framed his face in such a way that even from afar, he looked to be stricken with emotion.<\/p>\n

His expression was not lost to the other arcanist upon the field.\u00a0 Clad in sapphire and lavender wizard\u2019s attire, including a tall, blue, pointed hat, that other spellcaster, perhaps only a few years younger than elderly Augustus, was deep in thought.\u00a0 He brought his fingers up toward his yellow-bearded chin, passing the bands that tidied it as he went, and stroked his whiskers as he collected his thoughts.<\/p>\n

The sole witness to the peculiar duel watched the old man\u2019s gears turn and knew that nothing good would come of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever you\u2019re thinking, Master Yarborough, let it go from your mind.\u00a0 You two are fighting for no good reason!\u201d<\/p>\n

Hearing his name almost seemed to help the blue-and-violet dressed wizard find some clarity.\u00a0 He looked to the lad, his apprentice, and his features softened.\u00a0 But as his gaze swept out across the field, and he spotted Augustus across the way, he remembered the deadly electrical blast he\u2019d just cast out at him.\u00a0 With the hood of his golden-trimmed, dark brown robe pulled over his head, Augustus looked to be filled to the brim with the potential for sinister deeds.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet to the tower, Percival,\u201d Yarborough ordered.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ll be safe in there while I deal with this ruffian.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRuffian?\u201d Augustus echoed.\u00a0 \u201cHow dare you!\u201d\u00a0 He didn\u2019t have time to offer up a cleverer retort before his opponent\u2019s own spell began to materialize.<\/p>\n

A meandering blue path appeared on the ground between the two wizards, a cobalt glow snaking along the grass toward Augustus.\u00a0 His snarky threat caught in his throat, and he raised a bushy eyebrow as he tried to make sense of the conjuration coming his way.<\/p>\n

All along the path then, sharp and jagged icy spikes ripped upward into the air.\u00a0 One after another they burst forth, each outpacing the last and growing louder as they snapped into existence.<\/p>\n

Augustus\u2019s eyes went wide as he traced their preset path, and looked between his feet, where the trail came to an end.\u00a0 As the spikes erupted from the ground, he heaved himself to the side, crashing to the ground just as the final spike surged into the air.\u00a0 He thought he heard a crunch as he landed, and he couldn\u2019t be certain whether it was the cracking ice, or one of his old bones, though he hoped it was the former.<\/p>\n

The field was eerily quiet then, as Yarborough held his hand up and turned it toward his face.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was supposed to be a fireball,\u201d he muttered.<\/p>\n

\u201cA likely story,\u201d Augustus grunted as he labored to his feet.\u00a0 He winced as his bones set in place, and after a deep breath, he straightened out, looking imposing once more despite his aches and pains.\u00a0 \u201cYou meant to skewer me!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy would I do such a thing?\u201d Yarborough mocked.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d be better off if you were just a trail of smoke wisping out of your old loafers!\u201d<\/p>\n

Locking his jaw, Augustus couldn\u2019t hide his incense as he drew closer to his adversary.\u00a0 \u201cPerhaps you\u2019d be better off underground!\u201d\u00a0 He set his own hand before him then, moving it in small concentric circles parallel to the ground.\u00a0 To his side, behind the wall of icy spears, a fretful protest was lost beneath the sound of a high-pitched hum entering the air.<\/p>\n

A disc of green energy launched forth from beneath Augustus\u2019s hand, spinning forth with uncanny speed.\u00a0 It knocked the angry wizard back a step, and he watched it race across the field with confusion upon his face.<\/p>\n

Yarborough gasped as he watched the glowing disc rush toward him.\u00a0 In a desperate attempt to avoid the dangerous invocation, he quickly gestured with his hands, crossing them over one another and raising them into the air as though he were mimicking a bird.<\/p>\n

A wall of dirt and mud and clay ripped through the ground, settling into place before him.\u00a0 Augustus\u2019s magic disc tore into the enchanted barricade but was halted halfway through.<\/p>\n

That didn\u2019t stop a gasp from escaping Yarborough\u2019s lips.\u00a0 He turned to his apprentice, worry etched on his face.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to fly into the air,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cWhy aren\u2019t my spells listening to me Percy?\u201d<\/p>\n

The young apprentice hunched his shoulders and ducked his head.\u00a0 \u201cWell, it\u2019s because\u2026I\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s because you\u2019re an old coot!\u201d Augustus yelled.<\/p>\n

All the concern and worry on Yarborough\u2019s face seemed to fade away then, replaced by a stern reproach.\u00a0 \u201cYou think I\u2019m old?\u00a0 Bah!\u00a0 The ancients used to come visit you to listen to the old tales!\u201d\u00a0 He waved his hand, and his summoned wall exploded, cast out in all directions but backward.\u00a0 Far ahead, the spiny pillars of ice he\u2019d summoned earlier did the same, but they quickly turned to frost and snow, dissipating in the warm spring air.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly after they were done being swaddled by you!\u201d Augustus countered.<\/p>\n

The two men approached each other, stomping along as they crossed the field.<\/p>\n

Their lone witness, the young, hooded apprentice, watched their hands begin to glow as they attuned to the aether.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had enough of your\u2026your codgering!\u201d Yarborough sneered.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell I\u2019ve had enough of your bleating, you old goat!\u201d Augustus slung back his way.<\/p>\n

Yarborough stood taller and his nostrils flared as his eyes went wide.\u00a0 \u201cBetter to be an old goat than a shrill old bat!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m shrill?\u201d Augustus, forcing a gruff voice, protested.\u00a0 \u201cWhat about you, you crone!\u201d<\/p>\n

With a gasp, Yarborough placed his hand against his chest.\u00a0 He pursed his lips and grumbled, but it was indeed a mite higher pitched than his opponent had been.\u00a0 \u201cGeezer!\u201d he cried.<\/p>\n

\u201cPrune!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCrone!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHag!\u201d<\/p>\n

As they called one another names, and drew closer to one another, the glowing on their hands grew brighter and bolder.<\/p>\n

Against his better judgment, Percival charged forward, and came to a halt between them, ducking down and holding out his hands.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease stop, both of you!\u201d he begged.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re friends, and you\u2019ve nearly killed each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

A quiet harrumph shook Yarborough\u2019s narrow frame.\u00a0 He locked his jaw and turned aside, looking away from his peer and his apprentice.\u00a0 \u201cTell this old fool that I wasn\u2019t trying to hurt him, only shave off a few extra pounds.\u201d<\/p>\n

Augustus sneered, folding his arms over his chest.\u00a0 \u201cTell the pompous windbag that I can hear him just fine,\u201d he told Percival.\u00a0 \u201cAlso tell him I thought he was a giant, feral raisin, and I was trying to fight him off to save all our lives.\u00a0 Perhaps he needs a good steam and press to get rid of all those wrinkles.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the insult, Yarborough couldn\u2019t prevent a flash of a smile from appearing on his face.\u00a0 He bowed his head, hoping the brim of his hat would hide the reaction.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t even remember why we were fighting, my old friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

Percival swallowed away his embarrassment, and ventured glances at both of his mentors.\u00a0 \u201cWell, that\u2019s because I\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNor I,\u201d Augustus replied.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s this heat, isn\u2019t it?\u00a0 Spring really is finally here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yarborough nodded, a look of regret upon his face as he dared to look at his friend once more.\u00a0 \u201cWe should head back inside.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure you could use a nap,\u201d he teased.\u00a0 He took off his hat and wiped his brow, removing the sheen of perspiration that had built up there since the beginning of their contest.<\/p>\n

As he neared his friend, he wrapped his arm around Augustus\u2019s far shoulder, and the other wizard grabbed him around the waist.\u00a0 Together, they proceeded onward, toward their tower, not so far to the east.<\/p>\n

Behind them, Percival hunched his shoulders, and drew the hood of his robe further over his face.\u00a0 He hurried ahead, catching up with his instructors before they reached their home.<\/p>\n

The door opened with a creak, and the cold of the hewn stone tower seemed to creep out of the tall building.\u00a0 Percival left the door ajar for the two wizards while he sped inside to set their places along the first floor.<\/p>\n

All around the walls, books sat nestled in cases or shelves, except for a small stretch just along the southeast wall.\u00a0 There, a kitchen table sat at the ready, with two empty cups sitting upon it.\u00a0 Further back, another shelf held some dry goods and some water, and a woodstove sat beside it.<\/p>\n

After Percival finished his tasks\u2014putting blankets over some plush chairs, fetching the wizards latest books and lighting the lamps\u2014he rushed to the kitchen.<\/p>\n

\u201cCould I get either of you some tea?\u201d he ventured, though the sound of his anxiety was not lost to the elderly arcanists.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Percy,\u201d Augustus said.\u00a0 \u201cI think this calls for something a bit stronger.\u00a0 Why don\u2019t you get us some coffee?\u201d<\/p>\n

The lad\u2019s muscles tensed up, and he gripped the table, knowing that the next few moments would be decisive indeed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m afraid I can\u2019t do that, Master Augustus,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd why not?\u201d the brown-robed wizard asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cEasy on the child,\u201d Yarborough chimed in.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid we not give you money just yesterday to go to the town to fetch our supplies?\u201d Augustus pressed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, yes,\u201d Percival confirmed.\u00a0 \u201cBut I tried to tell you yesterday that they were all out at the market, and that I might need help getting to\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember no such thing,\u201d Augustus harrumphed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2026 It happened when you both were reading,\u201d Percival said.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t want to interrupt you, but I did, and we had forgotten about it until later in the evening.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, so now it\u2019s my fault?\u201d Augustus grumbled.<\/p>\n

\u201cSettle down now, my friend,\u201d Yarborough said, patting his friend on the back.\u00a0 \u201cSo, we haven\u2019t had our coffee yet.\u00a0 That explains a lot.\u00a0 We\u2019ll just have some, and then we\u2019ll be as good as new.\u00a0 Percival, why don\u2019t you brew us a few cups, and then\u2026\u201d\u00a0 His words trailed off as he saw their apprentice\u2019s confused look.\u00a0 Yarborough threw his hands up in the air, and blinked a few times, as though that would help him make sense of things.\u00a0 \u201cOf course.\u00a0 Ugh, well you can see why we need it.\u00a0 Just some tea to start then.\u201d<\/p>\n

Percival nodded enthusiastically and rushed to throw some wood in the fire.\u00a0 While Augustus grumbled and stomped toward his seat in the center of the tower, Yarborough stood near the table, musing on the happenings of their slightly unusual morning.\u00a0 After a few moments of watching Percival pour water into their kettle, Yarborough tilted his head and arched his eyebrow.<\/p>\n

\u201cPercy, why did Augustus and I nearly duel ourselves to death this morning?\u201d<\/p>\n

The lad turned about and looked at his instructor.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you mean, sir?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s because you let him get away with too much,\u201d Augustus groused from his comfortable chair.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, what started such an argument in the first place?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you\u2014that is, we\u2014we couldn\u2019t figure out who was going to get me to one of the more distant settlements to find the stuff.\u00a0 You two kept mentioning your other tasks, and before we knew it, the sun was setting, and\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPercy,\u201d he said, his voice growing sterner.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis morning when I mentioned we still didn\u2019t have any coffee, you both started calling each other names and blaming each other.\u00a0 Before I knew it, you two were storming out into the field to duel each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

Augustus leapt out of his chair, his bones crackling as he landed on the hard, stone floor.\u00a0 \u201cYou nearly let us kill each other!\u201d he yelled.\u00a0 \u201cAfter all we did, taking you in and beginning to tutor you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEasy Augustus,\u201d Yarborough said, holding his friend back.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u201d the slightly older wizard cried. \u00a0\u201cHe doesn\u2019t appreciate us enough!\u201d\u00a0 By that point, his eyes had firmly shut, and his bushy eyebrows swept upward as he began another emotional fit.\u00a0 He directed his finger at the lad and shouted.\u00a0 \u201cAfter all the magic we\u2019ve been teaching you, and this is how you repay us?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s alright, Percival,\u201d Yarborough said in as soothing a voice as he could muster.\u00a0 \u201cLet’s all share a pot of coffee, and we\u2019ll work our way through this.\u201d<\/p>\n

All the lad could do was stand there, staring at the unsettled wizards and wondering when the cycle would end.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ancient Magic A Tale by Michael DeAngelo A stark blast of energy burst across the field like a bolt of lightning.\u00a0 Far from hitting its target, it instead struck a distant tree, smashing it to splinters and sending a loud report echoing through the region. \u201cMaster Augustus, please stop!\u201d the young lad pleaded. For a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22130,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[463,349],"tags":[2038,2039,2042,2041,149,2040],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Featured-Gaston-Short-Story.png","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1UVey-5KV","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22129"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22129"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22129\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22153,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22129\/revisions\/22153"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22130"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22129"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22129"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tellest.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22129"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}