him to laugh again.
“I hate you.”
“You lower species tend to do that. Listen, how much do you want to test your magic?”
“What do you mean?”
Cynder's red eyes swiveled from side to side, and he lowered his voice. “How good are you at webs?”
“You mean making them?”
“No, I mean unmaking them.”
It dawned on me what he meant. “You mean you want me to try and undo the web that Master Stradus made on the forbidden door?”
“Shhh! The air can carry our words.”
“He can't hear us all the way from his garden, can he?”
“He's a master air wizard. These days, I'm more surprised by what he can't do.”
I peered over my shoulder and lowered my voice. “Didn't Master Stradus say the web was in place to protect us because we're not the only ones in the White Mountain?”
“In all the years I've been here, I've not seen any sign that that's true.”
“You do realize your big head can't fit down the corridor to that door?”
Cynder blew smoke at me, enveloping me in it. I coughed and gagged before summoning wind to carry it away. “I realize that,” he said. “Which is why I'm asking you to do it. I'll keep him busy.”
“What if I get in trouble?”
“Our master will be impressed that your skill has come along so far that you could undo his spell. If you can.”
I nodded. I would love to be able to impress Master Stradus by showing him all I'd learned since arriving. But I still wasn't sure. “What if he's right and there is something dangerous down there?”
“So what? Think about it, little Hellsfire. What could harm one great dragon and one and a half wizards?”
I stared at him.
“If you get into trouble, you can blame it all on me.”
“I was going to do that anyway.” I glanced away from him. “I don't know, Cynder.”
“I'll take you for a ride.”
That got my attention. If a dragon gave you a ride, it was a huge honor. It meant they trusted you and you were their friend. And he knew I was dying to ride him, after hearing Master Stradus’s stories of how it made him feel like part of the wind, soaring and watching the way the ground looked like patchwork below him.
But Cynder could be tricky. “Do I have your word?”
Cynder snorted. “Do I look like a human? I'm a dragon, the most trustworthy and honorable of all the gods' creations.”
I just stared at him.
“All right,” Cynder said. “If it pleases you, I give you my word.” He lifted his foreleg and held out a massive talon. I grabbed it with both hands, shaking it until he flung me off. I landed on my feet near the tunnel entrance. “Get going and let me know what you find.”
----
Later that morning, when I was sure Master Stradus had left the garden and was well away from me, I exited the library, cutting my studies short. I tiptoed down the hall, looking over my shoulder as if Master Stradus was going to appear at any moment.
I got to the door and let out a breath I didn't know I held. I forced myself to take deep, normal breaths. Master Stradus had taught me to use my magical senses to peer beyond what a person normally saw. Up until then, I had been sensing magic by instinct, such as feeling the webs in his chambers and the magic of the mountain.
The strong web held the door in place, shining with the brightness of multiple manas. I gazed at the bright colors, watching them move and glisten across the door while I tried to figure out how to begin. There were so many strands, and they were so intricate. They overlapped, and the colors kept shifting.
And there was something else. Something about the web that bothered me and made me hesitate to undo it the way I had planned. I had learned that the strands could be woven in many ways. The more you took your time with them and created complex patterns, the stronger they were. Most webs were rushed and easy, since the magic wasn't intended to be permanent, not like an enchantment. But this web was different. Master Stradus had taken his time
“I hate you.”
“You lower species tend to do that. Listen, how much do you want to test your magic?”
“What do you mean?”
Cynder's red eyes swiveled from side to side, and he lowered his voice. “How good are you at webs?”
“You mean making them?”
“No, I mean unmaking them.”
It dawned on me what he meant. “You mean you want me to try and undo the web that Master Stradus made on the forbidden door?”
“Shhh! The air can carry our words.”
“He can't hear us all the way from his garden, can he?”
“He's a master air wizard. These days, I'm more surprised by what he can't do.”
I peered over my shoulder and lowered my voice. “Didn't Master Stradus say the web was in place to protect us because we're not the only ones in the White Mountain?”
“In all the years I've been here, I've not seen any sign that that's true.”
“You do realize your big head can't fit down the corridor to that door?”
Cynder blew smoke at me, enveloping me in it. I coughed and gagged before summoning wind to carry it away. “I realize that,” he said. “Which is why I'm asking you to do it. I'll keep him busy.”
“What if I get in trouble?”
“Our master will be impressed that your skill has come along so far that you could undo his spell. If you can.”
I nodded. I would love to be able to impress Master Stradus by showing him all I'd learned since arriving. But I still wasn't sure. “What if he's right and there is something dangerous down there?”
“So what? Think about it, little Hellsfire. What could harm one great dragon and one and a half wizards?”
I stared at him.
“If you get into trouble, you can blame it all on me.”
“I was going to do that anyway.” I glanced away from him. “I don't know, Cynder.”
“I'll take you for a ride.”
That got my attention. If a dragon gave you a ride, it was a huge honor. It meant they trusted you and you were their friend. And he knew I was dying to ride him, after hearing Master Stradus’s stories of how it made him feel like part of the wind, soaring and watching the way the ground looked like patchwork below him.
But Cynder could be tricky. “Do I have your word?”
Cynder snorted. “Do I look like a human? I'm a dragon, the most trustworthy and honorable of all the gods' creations.”
I just stared at him.
“All right,” Cynder said. “If it pleases you, I give you my word.” He lifted his foreleg and held out a massive talon. I grabbed it with both hands, shaking it until he flung me off. I landed on my feet near the tunnel entrance. “Get going and let me know what you find.”
----
Later that morning, when I was sure Master Stradus had left the garden and was well away from me, I exited the library, cutting my studies short. I tiptoed down the hall, looking over my shoulder as if Master Stradus was going to appear at any moment.
I got to the door and let out a breath I didn't know I held. I forced myself to take deep, normal breaths. Master Stradus had taught me to use my magical senses to peer beyond what a person normally saw. Up until then, I had been sensing magic by instinct, such as feeling the webs in his chambers and the magic of the mountain.
The strong web held the door in place, shining with the brightness of multiple manas. I gazed at the bright colors, watching them move and glisten across the door while I tried to figure out how to begin. There were so many strands, and they were so intricate. They overlapped, and the colors kept shifting.
And there was something else. Something about the web that bothered me and made me hesitate to undo it the way I had planned. I had learned that the strands could be woven in many ways. The more you took your time with them and created complex patterns, the stronger they were. Most webs were rushed and easy, since the magic wasn't intended to be permanent, not like an enchantment. But this web was different. Master Stradus had taken his time
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