Magic and Destiny: Fate

Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Draco turned to look at Miranda. His eyes were pleading his questions, even though his mouth did not speak them. "Calm yourself, Draco. You will know in time what is to befall your precious bond with my granddaughter. To sum up that which I did not tell my son, I cannot and will not tell you either. She cannot be protected forever. And if you try to stop what is to come, you will only fall upon the end of the sword you swore to uphold."

Draco refilled his teacup, and sat down, sipping at it slowly. "Now that that is out of the way, I can see through the deception, and I dread the future. My important question to you however," He pulled an envelope out of his left inner jacket pocket, and handed it to her.

Miranda opened the envelope.

It read:

To: The Oracle of Centauri.

From: The three sages of Crystal Lake

Your pupil that you have sent to us to learn the final ways of the mage, and to be granted leave to travel has surpassed our hopes, and we would wish to inform you that his training is drawing to a close.

We would be most appreciative if you were to administer the final examination. He will be with us for about another three years before we deem that he is ready. He is going to undertake the Crystal Dragon training when he returns.

We are making you aware of this to offer a formal chance for you to protest if you do not think your pupil would survive this training.

Please send your response with Draco.

Sincerely,

The Three Sages.

Miranda swallowed. The Crystal Dragon training was dangerous. Once started, the training did not finish until it was either mastered, or the pupil was killed. Draco, for as long as she had known him from a young age, had passed every single magical test he had been put through, but she knew he was ready for it. She barely passed the training her own pupil was about to be going through. But she had every confidence that he would be able to pass.

She took out a quill and some ink, walking over to the counter in the kitchen to be away from her pupil to write the response.

The answer to your question is yes. I would be honored to be the administrator of the final examination. I have no fears that Draco will surpass me in the training of the Crystal Dragon. He has passed every single test I have put him through, and you praise him as well, which could only mean that you recognize his abilities. You will want to set up the Jade Citadel for this test, however. It could get rather destructive if the examination gets out of hand, and the spells that protect it will be necessary.

I will come to administer the test in three years' time. I need to refresh myself in regard to the training of the Crystal Dragon. It has been many years since I have had to use it.

Darkness Consumes what light cannot shine upon,

And nature overruns that which is not maintained.

Until the examination,

The Oracle of Centauri

She sealed her response back in the same envelope, sealing it with wax. She walked back over to Draco, and handed him her response. "Make sure the sages get this the moment you get back."

"Of course, teacher." He said, as if he were still her student. He hadn't been her student for the last two years. There was something nagging at the back of his mind. "What do you make of the situation, teacher?" he asked.

She sighed, looking into the fire, and grabbing her mug of tea again. "The future is difficult to read without the power of sight. But if the past were to repeat itself, then I can suspect eight years shall pass before the moment when the powers really begin to roll about, and my granddaughter's life will change forever. You, however, being tied to her the way you are need to prepare yourself. There will be a lot that you need to accomplish, and you will not always have time to rest."

"I am aware of this. The Sages state that my training completion is only three years away, and that I am to undergo special training as my last level. I hope I can pass it. I have been struggling with some of the more complex intricacies with the nature magic, but I did master it eventually."

She chuckled at this, and he just sat there, with a slightly bewildered look upon his face, wondering what she thought was so funny. "Oh, dear boy. You have no idea of your own potential. You have faced every single test I have put you through. And you passed every single one of them. You are a smart one, but sometimes you can be a bit dim. Think you I didn't have troubles in learning all the skills in which I possess?" She placed her empty mug back on the table. There was no more water for tea anyways... they had gone through the entire kettle.

"That may be so, but did you ever gouge the Crystal Lake?"

She smiled, nodding. "Indeed I did. I almost fell into it, as a matter of fact. That would not have ended well, for sure. But you have to have faith in yourself. When you were eight years old, and my granddaughter still in the womb, you bound your loyalty to her for eternity. Not something even I could have managed to do. You will do great things, of that I am sure. You will not always have an easy life, and you will sometimes be hunted.

"But then again, I am sure you must have been aware of that after the final test I gave you before sending you to the Sages of the Crystal Lake."

"Be that as it may, I have better control of the magic, and where it comes from. I have a better understanding as to its nature, but some spells still elude me."
"Then those are the ones you should pursue in all of your spare time until they are no longer eluding you, but can be called to mind just by thinking about them.

"I am sure your advice is sound, and I should trust it. I will do as you bid, and study those spells until their comprehension, and the subtleties of working them are made revealed to me. It has been a pleasure. I wish I could see you off in the morning, but I must be off now." He stood, and went to the front door. Reaching for his coat, staff and hat, Miranda was behind him.

"I wish you a safe journey back home."

"Do not leave your house until dawn." He said, drawing something from his right pocket. "Any attempts to leave through the door will open a portal that will backlash once this door has been closed. The spell works until dawn, and not a moment after." He said, before opening the door and sticking a no entry until dawn sign on the door before closing it, and tossing the small pebble like item at the door.

The pebble didn't bounce back, it sunk into the door, outlining it in blue, making a portal linked directly to the Crystal Lake, and his awaiting training. Teleporting in this matter sometimes made him sick. Here was to hoping that didn't happen this time. He was about to grab the door handle, and open the door to walk through when Miranda grabbed his hand. "How came you by this spell?"

His hat slid down to hide his eyes. He didn't turn to face her as he responded. "Among my other training, I was allowed access to the library, where I came across this spell. I brought it to the Sages, and they instructed me in the exact intricacies of what I needed to do to make sure that nothing went wrong. I ended up four-hundred miles south once, and without the ability to get back, I had to run, and hitch rides all the way back. Longest three weeks of my life."

She nodded, and released his shoulder. It was an emergency teleportation spell. Used in the event that he needed a quick escape and did not wish to be followed. Not many could successfully craft this item, but it seems she had chosen right in choosing him as her pupil.

The door opened, and then closed, and he was no longer there. The blue edged door frame was no longer blue, but a light blue, with a shimmering ever so slightly of green.

She nodded her acceptance, and walked throughout her house, into her bedroom, and readied herself for bed. There was nothing left for her to do tonight. Within minutes, she was in a deep sleep state.