The Sorcerous Prince - 9. Chapter 9: Princes in Training

Nubaki, Helafi

Prince Karan entered the throne room of the Palace of Darkness. With his raven hair, He looked different than his brother and sister, whose hair was lighter. The man on the throne had a similar color hair when compared to Karan’s, but it was curly instead of straight. They also seemed to have very similar blue eyes. Karan had always dismissed this fact as a mere coincidence, but at the moment, his main concern was the look on Emperor Justino's face. The Dark Emperor was named after Karan's great grandfather, who had been key in creating the Dark Empire of Magic, which was situated on the continent of Helafi on the planet Hebalon, and it was the only continent on the planet that was not under the Empire of Magic's control.

“Where have you been?” Emperor Justino growled. Prince Karan cleared his throat nervously, and then he explained his actions and the fact that his mother now knew who was directly responsible for the kidnapping of Prince Pavel. “You blundering idiot! How the f**k am I supposed to work against the Empire of Magic under the radar when you pull stunts like this?”

“I do not know, Your Imperial Majesty,” Prince Karan whimpered, his voice trembling in fear.

“I cannot work under the radar anymore!” Emperor Justino snapped. “Not only that, but I may very well be facing sanctions for this! I have worked too damn hard! My father, Ammon, worked even harder. In less than an hour, you f**ked it all up!”

“I'm sorry, My Emperor!” Prince Karan cried. “I'll make it up to you!”

“Well, all may not be completely lost, but that depends on you,” the Dark Emperor reasoned. “You must come into possession of the Medallion of Diederik. That is the only way to ensure that you will be the next emperor of The Empire of Magic and to secure our future dominance of the galaxy! You will go to The Embecrom Desert in search of it. There you will find a trail that leads to a powerful barrier. The barrier will lead you to the Cave of Spirits Only someone with imperial blood can enter the barrier. The locals will know of this barrier, and you must find it!”

The Embecrom Desert was on the continent of Tinoka, which was the most sparsely populated continent on the planet. The desert engulfed more than a third of the continent. The barrier was located somewhere close to the city called Giyanon.

“I will find the medallion, My Emperor!” Karan replied arrogantly.

“Good!” the Dark Emperor replied in a light-hearted voice. “You will leave as soon as you have the supplies. Do not let me down!”

“I will do as you will, My Emperor!” Karan said as he bowed in reverence. Emperor Justino smiled as the 25-year-old left the throne room. He knew that despite Karan mistakes, he would one day make a great emperor. He also wondered when he should reveal the secret that only he knew about Karan.

Candavorum

Mihai had been worried about Pavel the night of their birthday party. Luckily, Pavel woke up the next day feeling quite well. The strain of a large spell could wreak havoc on the body. Most others would not have recovered as quickly as Pavel. He remembered quite well the day that his father had shielded Candavorum, and he recalled that it took two days for him to recover.

Miha’s school days went quite smoothly. He had no reports due and only one test, which he passed easily. Luckily, he had little homework, which meant that he would have time to relax after his training lessons in magic and potions at home. However, he realized he would have some nights with homework, though he was known for breezing through material rather quickly and still earning one of the top scores in his class.

Mihai's first week of training was not difficult for the most part. Lord Charles Levesque was one of the finest magical trainers on Earth. Mihai first had to learn the most basic nonverbal spells. The first thing was the basic shield. While he had a powerful electromagnetic shield, it tended to drain one's energy when used for long periods of time. Unfortunately, there were some spells that could break a shield, including some demonic spells. The second day, he had to learn one of the wizarding spells that could break a basic shield, which was called the Force Blast. The force blast was a blast of visible energy. The maneuver, however, would not penetrate an electromagnetic shield. He found the move quite interesting nonetheless.

The third day was a repeat of something he had already done. Booster spells were quite effective, and he knew that it would not take long for him to master them. Booster spells were also nonverbal spells, and on a small scale, they did not require musical accompaniment. He managed to help Lord Charles Levesque create several fireballs that were about 1/3 the size of the ones he had launched at the mountain of magical wood during the first day of the festival. At this point, The Baron of Candavorum reminded him that there were three classes of spells and that it was possible for someone who did not possess pyrokinesis (but did possess magical ability) to create a fireball twice that size with a rhyming spell. When Mihai asked him when he would be expected to learn rhyming spells, he told him that he would not learn them at all until he was an Intermediate Sorcerer.

During all four days, Prince Mihai also had to make a potion with his mother. This week he was practicing making the Draught of Slumber, which was probably the easiest potion to make even though it took an hour to make. It required one finely chopped licorice root, two crushed poppy flowers roots, one cup of water, one cup of garter snake blood, and 1 teaspoon of lavendar. For flavoring, it required 2 cups of cherries as well as ½ cup wizard's sugar, which actually contained zero calories but tasted just as sweet as normal sugar. It then had to be stirred for one hour with a stirring wand. Alternatively, strawberries or grapes could be used. Mihai, however, preferred cherry flavor. He had tried all three flavors.

Stirring wands were wonderful. All a magical person had to do was will the object to stir a potion or food, and it could do so for whatever length of time was necessary. If a potion required a change of stirring direction, the magical person's will would cause it to change direction after a given length of time automatically.

For the first three days, he did not make the potion correctly, which meant that he had to try it again. The Queen reminded him that he was new to potion making and that mastering simple potions would eventually make it easier to create ones that are more complex later. She also told him that it had taken her over a week to master the creation of the Draught of Slumber, and she was now considered one of the best potion makers ever. He created a good potion on the fourth day, but he was to complete another the next day to prove that it was not a fluke.

The fifth day was basically a review of what Mihai had learned and the application of it. A holographic demon appeared, one that could actually inflict injuries. The spell to create it was one of the rhyming spells, but Mihai was not present during its creation. According to the rules, he could not use any of his gifts upon the demon. If he did, they would ricochet back into him whether he dodged them or not. Since teleportation did not involve projectiles, trying it would cause pain all over his body. While he had resistance even to electrokinesis, he had no intention of being subjected to it. Magical people had resistance to all forms of projectiles, much more than humans. Mihai thought back to when he electrified the pool. That blast could have severely injured or killed humans, but magical people as well as the gifted would only receive minor injuries. Because one of the spells required was a booster spell, Lord Charles Levesque would assist but only for fireballs.

The demon hologram was of a lizard demon soldier who was in lizard form, specifically a perentie demon, which was larger than a sand monitor demon. The demon had an off-white belly with dark green and light green patches. The snout of the lizard was long, and so was its neck. It was much larger than the animal it resembled and walked in an upright position, though it dropped onto all fours for some maneuvers. It also had something else, large and bony spikes upon its tail. When it was released from its cage, it was to take a stance on all four limbs and lift its tail to shoot Mihai with one of the bony spikes, which regrew on the lizard's body immediately. Mihai quickly pointed his wand in front of his midsection with both hands and produced a blue colored shield, one that reached the floor and several feet above his head. When the spike collided with the shield, it instantly disintegrated.

Mihai decided to strike back, and a small ball of fire began to form inches away from the tip of his wand. Lord Charles Levesque had lighting fast reflexes and he quickly summoned a booster spell upon Mihai. The whole process, according to Charles' assistant and lover, Mark Cameron, took .5 seconds, which was good, even considering that magical reactions were much quicker than that of mortals. The fireball was blocked as the demon used a shield of his own, one that Mihai quickly destroyed with a massive force blast that not only broke the shield but also sent the holographic demon into the wall behind it. Mihai quickly reacted when the Baron began to produce a fireball of his own as he promptly sent him a booster spell. The fireball was somewhat larger than Mihai's, and the holographic demon burst into flames, signaling that the fight was won.

“That was a great booster spell!” Baron Charles Levesque beamed. “You are a natural. I hope you're doing just as well with your mother when you're making potions.”

“Well, I finally brewed a good Draught of Slumber,” Mihai sighed. “I have to make another one today.”

“It took me two weeks to get that one down,” Lord Charles said simply. “I would say that getting it right on the fourth try is pretty damn good. You have to make it again for two reasons. First, it must be proven that it is no fluke, and second, you need more practice to make it even better. There is room for error with the Draught of Slumber. Others require near perfection before they will work properly. You must always remember this. Also, I wanted to let you know that next week will be more or less a written week. There will be a test next Friday about The Demon Houses.”

“That's fine by me,” Prince Mihai said confidently. “I already know a great deal of about the demons.”

“Then, for you, it will be a review, and the test should be easy,” The Baron said sweetly before winking at his student.

Mihai winked back at him. Now that Mihai was an adult, he wondered if he could get away with some things with the Baron even though he was now his instructor. He knew that the Baron and the Baronet, Mark Cameron, were far from being in a monogamous relationship, and he thought his best friend's father and her father's lover were sexy as hell.

Pavel's training only covered basic shields. He did not have extra hours in the afternoon to train. He also did not master the wand skills as quickly as Mihai. Sir Curtis reasoned that part of the problem was that he was not taking the training seriously. Because the Empress had already returned to Jevartus, King Frederico, Queen Viviana, and Prince Mihai (because he was now of age at 16) were in charge of his discipline. Sir Curtis was to report to Prince Mihai first. Prince Pavel was present when Sir Curtis brought the issue to his attention. Mihai told them that the punishment was that Pavel would have to train all day Saturday or until he mastered the spell, though he was to have breaks, both for meal times as well as fifteen minute breaks after each hour of practice. Later, Queen Viviana approved of the punishment and told Sir Curtis that he was to come to her if the Saturday session was not fruitful.

The King had left Monday for Canada. The Queen of Quebec and the King of Ontario were having issues once again over where their border was supposed to be. The two were both hot tempered, and this was not the first time he was expected to settle a dispute between them. Because of Canada's immense size and the fact that most of the mortal humans were within 100 miles of the US, the population of magical people was more than three times the number of mortals. The ability to make their communities much warmer than the surrounding areas made Canada a perfect place to hide magical cities and communities. This trip meant that the King would not have anything to do with disciplining Pavel this time around.

Queen Viviana was used to her husband's absences, and it was one of the main reasons why their relationship was open even by the magical world's standards. She was, however, relieved that Mihai was more capable of fending for himself and that he was more than willing to help with his younger cousin. Mihai entered her office beside the potion room, and she could not help but smile with motherly love and pride. “How was your training?” she asked.

“It went well,” Mihai said proudly. “Lord Charles is quite proud of how well I can perform the booster spell.”

“Well, I was surprised that you were able to use it last Saturday,” the queen chirped. “Your development so far is fantastic. Unfortunately, Pavel is not doing quite as well. I guess you already knew that though.”

“I'm afraid so,” Mihai groaned. “I think he misses his mother.”

The queen's expression was not one of sadness but more of one of annoyance. “That is no excuse. Young sorcerers have to learn early on how to survive should they be separated from a parent. This is a cruel world, and any one of us can die at any given time. We cannot coddle our own as much as mortals do. We cannot afford that luxury. The demons threaten everyone, and once we ascend and lose our fairies, we must be ever vigilant and ready for battle.”

“Mom, I understand...” Mihai temporarily lost his train of thought. His mom was right. The world was cruel. He understood that he could lose either of his parents. Their position made them prime targets for demons who had killed entire royal families in the past including many of his ancestors. “Still, it's obvious that he's been spoiled by his mother for quite some time. He also lost his father several months before Corazana was born. I'm sure he misses him too. Dad may be gone, but at least he's alive. It must be difficult for him. And then there's Karan. I think Pavel looked up to him even though he has obviously never been an angel. Pavel emulates some of his behavior. It will take time. I have heard Sir Curtis being stern with him. He is pushing him hard just like we wanted. He will respond eventually. But aside from his training, he may need some coddling. I do feel bad about scheduling an entire day of extra training, but you're right that he must learn these basic skills quickly. I think I will be in there with him tomorrow.”

“That's a great idea!” she rejoiced. “I think you should also spend some time with him tonight. Just because you are an authority figure does not mean that you cannot find friendly ways in which to relate to him. He needs someone to look up to.”

“I'll do what I can,” Mihai promised.

“Good!” the queen tweedled. “Now, you're supposed to make another Draught of Slumber. If nothing else, you can make up for the stock you borrowed when you used to put it in Lothario's food.” Mihai laughed. This time, he was bound and determined to make an even better potion than he had before, and within a couple hours, he had created what his mother had called a “flawless” Draught of Slumber, and coming from her, that meant something as she was a stickler for perfect potions. “It must be in your blood,” she said to him as she wrapped her arms around him tightly. “I love you, son.”

“I love you too, Mom,” he cried. What she had said about anyone dying at the hands of a demon really hit him. He had felt so scared when he had faced the demons recently, and he knew he was lucky to be alive and that he was lucky to have two parents still alive. Carissa's mother had died at the hands of a demon as she had gone on demon slaying quests after the divorce. “I don't know what I'd do without you.”

“Try not to think of it right now,” she insisted. “I wish I could promise to always be around, but you know how callous the demons are and how hellbent they are on killing witches and wizards, especially leaders like me. Should anything ever happen to me, you have to be strong. Your destiny is so much greater than me or your father. You are to be the saving grace of us all, and I am willing to lay down my life for the cause. But for now, I am here, and I hope I always will be.”

Mihai said nothing more, instead choosing to hold his mother. The idea of losing anyone in his family was difficult, and while he wanted to believe that they would always be there, he knew that the world's heroes often suffered great loss. Who was he to be an exception? Still, it was more pain than he could bear.

After dinner, Mihai decided it was time to have a talk with Pavel, who had retreated to his bed chamber. Pavel heard the tap at the door and growled, “Who is it?”

“It's Mihai,” a familiar voice said calmly. “I really need to talk to you.”

“Fine,” he bellowed. “Come in.”

Sitting down in a chair not far from Pavel's bed, Mihai looked at his cousin closely. The boy seemed troubled to say the least, and Mihai knew he was having a difficult week. “I wanted you to know that I understand why you're having trouble,” Mihai said carefully. “You have to miss your mother. After all, you've lived with her for years.”

“I do,” Pavel admitted. “Even though she was rarely around much, I miss her dearly. I at least always knew where she was. Her crown has always been of a higher purpose just as it should be, but sometimes I wish I could just be normal. Of course, I don't have a father to pick up the slack either. The damn demons... if not for them, he'd still be here.”

“I'm sure she loves you, Pavel,” Mihai chirped. “She always has your best interests at heart. She knew you had to be closer to me. For what reason I do not know. I do know that the hostility between us doesn't help. I too want what's best for you, and that's why I chose Sir Curtis to train you. He is a retired general, and he knows a great deal about battle magic. You can learn a lot from him. Our lives are not meant to be easy. It's a hard lesson, but it is one we must all learn. I'll admit that I still have lessons to learn myself. When everyone says that you must learn these spells, they’re absolutely right.”

“Demons are not known for showing mercy,” Mihai continued. “You are the son of an Empress. That makes you a major target for them. In your case and mine, we are targeted for becoming one of their minions. We have to elude capture at all costs, and learning how to use spells is paramount to our freedom and our survival.”

“I understand,” Pavel mumbled. His head was hanging low, and Mihai could hear sniffling. Mihai got out of the chair and sat on the bed. Pavel wrapped his arms around Mihai and rested his head on Mihai's shoulder. When Pavel's tears finally stopped, he whispered, “Mihai...”

“Yes?” Mihai asked delicately.

“Do you think you could sleep in here with me?” he said, still sniffling a little.

“I'm sure I can,” Mihai assured him. “I'd rather share a bed with Fabian though,” he teased, trying to lighten the mood.

“I don't blame you,” Pavel giggled, his mood starting to improve. “I'd love to get me a piece of him someday!”

“You're too young,” Mihai teased back. “I'll tell you what though. The day you're of age, I will you can have a night with him but only if that’s alright with him.”

“You promise that you’ll let me if he wants to?” Pavel asked, incredulously.

“I promise,” Mihai replied firmly.

“I'll hold you to it!” Pavel chortled. That night, the two princes slept in the same bed. It was innocent as it should have been, and Mihai really did miss Fabian. However, he understood Pavel's need for comforting. The boy was having a difficult transition, and Mihai knew that there was a lot of progress to be made. While Pavel needed firmness with his training, he still needed to be shown love. It was important for creating balance.

The next morning came much more quickly than Mihai and Pavel wanted. The start of the lesson was planned right after breakfast. Mihai instructed Pavel to take a shower and returned to his bedchamber. In there he found Fabian masturbating. “Oh, you are too tempting!” Mihai flirted. “And I'm supposed to be taking a shower.”

“I'll join you,” Fabian said seductively. Mihai had been wearing pajamas, and he quickly removed them before heading into the bathroom. Fabian was right behind him, and Mihai could feel his dick getting hard with anticipation. The shower water was a comfortable temperature as it always was, but Mihai paid little attention to the water. Once again Mihai received a blow job from his familiar and was delighted to return the favor. They did not have as much time as they would have liked, and Mihai had been more or less relieving stress the last two times he had been intimate with Fabian, and he knew he would need to make up for it the next time. While familiars were alright with a f**k, sometimes they needed to make love, and magical people had similar interests with their familiars.

After dressing, Mihai had a mission for Fabian. “I need you to find out where Empress Guadalupe is,” Mihai stated firmly. “She is most likely in Jevartus, but if she is elsewhere, I need to know. There is a large communication globe in my dad's office. You will need this to get in there.” He handed Fabian a silver key. “This particular globe can only be used by members of the royal family and their familiars. All you have to do is think her name. She will be able to answer on her own personal globe.”

“It will be done, Your Highness,” Fabian said obediently. “May I ask why you need to know?”

“You'll find out soon enough,” Mihai replied flatly. “I'm going to breakfast. You can join me when you're finished.”

During breakfast, everyone was unusually quiet. The Queen seemed preoccupied with some business she had to take care of in the afternoon. Mihai was thinking about what he would be saying to Sir Curtis, who had arrived about the same time Mihai reached the ground floor of the palace. He knew that the lesson would be long unless some steps were taken to persuade Pavel to try harder. Fabian arrived in the dining room ten minutes later with a piece of paper. Mihai read it and smiled, and then continued eating his steak, eggs, and biscuits.

After breakfast, Mihai met Sir Curtis in the secondary training room. “Mihai! You're just the one I wanted to see! Adrian could not make it today. I don't like to leave my 'hooligans' alone too long.”

“That's understandable,” Mihai sympathized. “Then again, I think they've learned a good lesson.”

“The question is, 'Will it be enough?'” Sir Curtis growled. “So, are you just here to watch, or do you have an idea for the training session?”

“I have an idea alright,” Mihai chirped and gave Sir Curtis a wink. Mihai explained the two-fold plan.

“I approve,” Sir Curtis beamed. Just then, Pavel entered the training room. A scowl was across his face, and he was walking slowly in order to delay the inevitable. “Front and center now, Private!” Sir Curtis yelled. Pavel scurried to the white square, which designated where he was to stand during his lessons. “Very good, Private. Now, here's how it's going to work. Mihai is going to shoot at you with giant water bubbles and thunderbolts until you block successfully. If you are able to perfect the basic shield by noon, Mihai will be taking you somewhere special.”

“Thunderbolts?” Pavel whispered. He knew better than to yell, because he would have to do fifty push-ups if he did.

“That's right!” Sir Curtis snapped as Mihai made his way to the yellow square about sixty feet from Pavel. “You'll also be wearing this,” Sir Curtis added as he gently touched Pavel under his left forearm and placed a golden bracelet on his wrist. “This bracelet specifically prevents you from using telekinesis, so don't even try. Now, take out your wand and take your stance. Mihai will not be using his wand, so none of these attacks will hurt you too much.”

Sir Curtis pointed his wand at both squares, which caused them to activate. Meanwhile, Pavel did as he was told and looked at Mihai's right hand. He noticed a clear ball levitating just above his hand, one that was growing in size. When Mihai seemed satisfied with the size, he hurled it with great velocity towards Pavel. A small blue light appeared at the end of Pavel's wand, but it was not enough to stop the ball of water from hitting him directly in the face. “That wasn't fair! Why is he firing them so fast?”

“Do you think a ball of acid from a snake demon would be any slower?” Sir Curtis hissed. “The stakes will be much higher when it's the real deal. Demons can and will kill. When you're in a long battle, you will tire quickly if you try to depend on telekinesis the whole time. You must know how to use battle magic.” Sir Curtis looked toward Mihai and used a chopping motion in the air. A thunderbolt appeared above Mihai's hand, and it was hurled toward Pavel with even greater velocity. However, this time, a small blue shield appeared, one that was still not large enough or in the right location to prevent the thunderbolt from smashing into Pavel's abdomen. Pavel started to fly backward, but the square's energy prevented him from going any further.

“Concentrate Pavel,” Mihai said firmly. “The next one will hurt more.” Sir Curtis balled up his fist this time and signaled with another chop. The first time the chop was open handed. Another ball of water appeared, and this one had electric currents flowing through it. Pavel panicked, but he finally produced a large shield, one that encompassed his entire body just in time to block the attack. “You've got it, Pavel! That was amazing!”

“Indeed it was!” Sir Curtis agreed. “Private, you should go pack an overnight bag! You're leaving the palace. Dismissed!” He yelled the last word. The dismissal also automatically disengaged both squares, and the princes were free to leave.