Shine on you Crazy Diamond. 22

Shayn Whitehall sat in class at the Andrake Academy and listened closely to Maduso the instructor talk about gesture magic. The fact that sometimes spells could not be spoken and all you had were your hands. Certain movements of your hands could bring on very elaborate magic and complex spells. The twist of the wrist, the movement of a finger, the turning of the hand could cause magic just as powerful as any spell. To demonstrate the instructor raised his hand and simply twisted his wrist and a glowing disc appeared. The class all exclaimed a sigh in wonder. This was great Shayn thought. He was glad Drobi had suggested he learn this magic. Every since the young blond boy had came to Winterhaven and he had met Drobi his mentor, his fascination with magic grew more everyday. Drobi had seen the potential for magic in him and shown him the possibilities of what he could do. He had explained spells and incantations, potions and hexes. All the different kinds of magic that he knew. He told him of the evil things to. Demonology, necromancy, certain types of sorcery, how it changed you once you started using it. He called it the Path to Destruction. Once on this path, it was almost impossible to get off. Shayn swore never to use any of these practices. Shayn was very good it magic. It seem there was no spell or incantation he couldn't master. Some spells like a simple fire or light or healing spell could be used again and again. Elaborate spells could only be used once. Shayn had finished spell making courses and Drobi had taking him on as his apprentice. His master was the one that sent him to learn gesture magic. He had said it was one of the most important things he will every learn. For years he had been taking random classes and this was the day he graduated, if he passed his test. So he sat going over all his lessons in his mind waiting to be called. He watched student after student take his test. Some passed and some failed miserably. He spotted all the mistakes the failed ones made. To nervous, not concentrating, wrong hand movement for what they wanted to do. The ones that failed would have to study and wait a year before taking the test again. He was so glad his father had insisted he come to Winterhaven for schooling. He expected him to learn all the things a king would be expected to learn. Strategy, diplomacy, law making, all these thing Drobi made sure he learned before his magic studies. And he did.
Shayn was a medium sized boy with blond curly locks and twinkling blue grey eyes. He was an excellent student all his teachers praised him and he had many friends here. What a surprise it will be when he returned home and they learn of his abilities, how well he had done here.
" Shayn Whitehall."
It was his turn. He pushed back his chair and suddenly a note appeared on his desk. It was from Drobi. As he stood and started forward he opened it and read it.
SHAYN, THERE'S BAD TROUBLE. I NEED YOU TO STOP WHAT YOUR DOING AND GET BACK TO OUR COTTAGE NOW. SPEAK TO NO ONE AND HURRY!
The note disappeared in a puff of smoke. Shayn looked at Maduso and shrugged.
" I have to go." He said.
" You know you won't be able to retest again for a year?" Maduso said.
" Yes." Shayn nodded saddly. " But my master says to come now."
" Then you must go. He knows how important this is. It must be urgent. If I can work something out for you Shayn. I will."
Shayn walked up and clasped hands with him. He had really enjoyed his class. Then with a few quick hand movements, Shayn produced a golden dove which landed on Maduso's shoulder. The dove was the last part of the test, the hardest part.
" I will consider that a pass." He said applauding his approval. " Now go."
Shayn grabbed his bag off the desk and ran out of the room. What could cause Drobi to call him now? He almost didn't pass. Thank the gods Maduso had seen how well he did all year and passed him. Shayn ran down the hall and into the exit booth. He disappeared and reappeared outside the building. Quickly he ran through the city until he reached Drobi's cottage. He stopped at the door. It was open. This door never opened. It was one of Drobi's rules. Magic in, magic out, never use the door. It helped Shayn learn to transport himself. He heard a noise inside. Shayn crept closer and listened.
" He's not here." He heard, " What do we do?"
" We get rid of this old man before someone finds us." Another voice said. " Then we come back and wait. The Prince will come back sooner or later. Come on get his feet."
Shayn had no offensive spells ready for fighting. But there was always gesture magic. He raised his hands and waited for them to come out. Two men walked out carrying Drobi. Shayn pointed his hands at the men and flicked his wrist. Both men froze as if someone was holding them in giant hands. They dropped Drobi's bloody body.
" What is this?" One said.
" Magic stupid." Shayn said walking out to confront them. " You won't move until I let you go."
He rushed to Drobi's side and knelt down at his side. He propped him up and wiped the blood from his face.
" Master." Shayn cried." Your hurt."
" Get rid of them." He said. " I have much to tell you."
" How master?" He asked.
" Use a spell." Drobi told him coughing up blood and wheezing.

PAIN YOU CAUSED,
PAIN YOU BRING
LIFE TO YOU CAN'T.
MEAN A THING
I SEND YOU OFF AWAY FROM ME
A FAR OFF PLACE YOU WILL BE

With that the two men shimmered and vanished from sight. Shayn bent down and held Drobi. The master was in bad shape. Blood ran from his bruised face and mouth. All his fingers were broken. Shayn tried a healing spell but to no avail, his injuries were to bad. Drobi had lost to much blood. He was dying.
" Master." Shayn cried tearfully.
" I'll get someone that can help you."
" No." He said as he reached up and took his hand. " Listen, your home has been invaded. Your family is dead. Im sorry to have to tell you all this but they're after you now and I don't have time to go easy. You must get away from here."
Shayn listened to him in shock. His mother and father. His brothers dead. Who was behind this?
" How?" he asked as Drobi choked on the blood in his throat. Shayn wiped his mouth.
" Mavata was taken by a necromancer." Drobi said. " He's sweeping through the lands conquering every city and state he falls on. Soon they will be here. I don't think the Council will be able to stop him."
" Then what do I do?" Shayn asked through tears. " Run?"
" No." He said. " You must go down to the sewers. What you need is there. Find it."
" What is it master?" Shayn asked him confused.
" I don't know." His eyes began to close. Drobi was fading. " Take my ring. It will help you. I saw dragons Shayn. You and dragons. Be safe little one. Find the dragons......"
Drobi died there in his arms. Shayn held him and cried. He took the ring off his finger and put it on. The ring changed size to fit him.

A beautiful city loomed in front of them, as they walked out of the forest. Rage and Jandar stood and gazed it at. It sparkled and gleamed with magic. Rage had never seen buildings like these, neither had some of the others. Jandar and Jayce had. They had been in Winterhaven before long ago in there youth.
" What a fantastic place." Dreik said. " I've never seen a city so big."
" Its easy to get lost here so all of you stay close." Jandar told them. " Your all sensitive to magic, So don't be drawn to anything you see. This city is much bigger then it looks, and there are people here you can't trust."
" Polan's people are here." Rage said.
" What?" Blaze asked. " We should be far ahead of him."
" Things have changed." Rage said with a frown." Somethings not right about him."
" He's the one that sent the dead dragons?" Cutter asked as he and his sister walked out and joined them.
" Yes." Rage told them. " Polan made them."
" Well your right." Ariel said. " Somethings not right with him."
" There's something else." Cutter told them." I can feel all the fear that's being sent out. Its like I'm being bombarded with fear. Its coming from everywhere, and its getting stronger everyday." " What do you mean?" Jandar asked. " There's always going to be fear out there."
" Yes." Cutter said. " I felt the fear around me as soon as I merged. But this is different. In the last few days its become so strong that I know there must be a war going on close to us. And I feel its coming from the north and its getting closer and stronger."
" How do you know its Polan?" Jayce asked him. " You've never met him."
"No I didn't. But I was around the dragon." Cutter told them. " That dragon has the same feel. My powers stem from emotions. My magic can trace the fear, and it leads back to a man in black, shadowed by a BLACK DRAGON."
"And that's Polan." Dreik said. " So what do we do.?"
" We get on with what we are doing, we find that last egg. Ono's counting on us." Rage told them. "Come on everybody lets go."
They all started walking toward the city with hope in mind. This was the last egg, the one they needed to save Ono. Jayce would do anything to save him. He was almost as important to him as JP, his love at home. Then a thought hit him. What if JP was in trouble. Fear hit him hard, he felt his stomach turn as they walked. Cutter walked up next to him and touched his shoulder. Jayce looked back at him.
" Jayce, I feel your fears." Cutter said. "If you want, I can check."
" Check what?" Jayce asked.
" I felt the fear hit you. Your worried about someone." He said. "I can check on him with your help."
" Really?" Jayce smiled. "Please, after what you said I'm worried about him and his family."
" Take my hand. and think about him." Cutter reached out and took Jayce's hand. He closed his eyes and felt Jayce's fear. That took him to JP's home in Dorlanth. He found him helping his brother with his school work. They looked happy.
"They're all fine." Cutter told him.
" Can we contact him?" Jayce asked feeling his distant love, almost close enough to touch.
" No I cant, maybe Jandar can." Cutter smiled.
" Thank you." Jayce said to him shaking his hand.
" I'm glad I could help." He said.
Jayce ran up to catch up with Jandar and Rage. They were planning there movements once they reached the city.
" We may have to search the whole city." Jandar said. " This is not going to be easy"
" No." Rage said. " I'm going to have to do the searching. You forget, I feel the egg when I get near it. Its my egg, I feel it already. Its here.
" Can I ask a question?" Jayce asked.
" Of course." Jandar smiled.
" My wings?" Jayce flexed them out to full wingspan. " Shouldn't I be hiding them? We don't want to bring to much attention to ourselves."
" You can if you want." Jandar told him. " But your traveling with seven dragons and a werewolf. You think anyone's going to notice your wings?"
" Good point." Jayce said. " What are we going to do? There not going to just let us walk in. Seven dragons can't just walk into a city. Can you hide them?"
" Not a chance." Jandar said. Rage stopped and turned to Jandar. He had a look of annoyance on his face.
" Then what do you plan to?" He asked. " I thought you would be able to do it. Hide us I mean. I need to search."
" Relax." Jandar said. " There's no possible magic in the world that could hide us from them. This is the most magical place I know of in the world. With more mages, warlocks, witches, sorcerers and other magical folk together in one place. Someone's going to see us as what we are."[
[I AGREE.] Shine sent from Blazes shoulder. [IF WE EVEN TRY, SOME OF THE MOST POWERFUL MAGE'S IN THE WORLD WILL BE ON US. NOT TO MENTION THE SPELLS AROUND THE CITY THAT ARE THERE JUST FOR THIS REASON.]
" Then how?" Rage asked.
" Your a King. I'm a Prince. " He said. " And dragons aren't wild animals. The Council will recognize us as intelligent beings. We're going to have to ask permission to enter. They'll Let us in, don't worry."
[YES THEY WILL.] He sent as he jumped over to Rages shoulder. [THEY WILL CONSIDER YOUR RANK. ROYALTY GETS THEIR ATTENTION.]
" There's one more problem." Cutter said.
" What?" Rage asked out of frustration.
" There here too." He said. " I can feel the fear they carry with them."
" Oh great!!" Dreik said. "We're gonna have to worry about Polan too?"
" No." Cutter said. " He has people here, but he's not here."
" That's a relief. Dreik said with a shrug

After placing Drobi in the cottage in his bed, Shayn put a concealment spell on himself and set off for the sewers to find whatever it was Drobi wanted him to find. He looked like an old noble man to the untrained eye. Only a more trained wizard could see through his disguise. Shayn felt safe walking around. He doubted they had any wizards with them searching for him. There were many entrances to the underground. For rain, trash, waste or for people, Shayn had to find one with the least amount of people around it. He didn't want anyone to see what he was doing or be followed. He'd seen the soldiers looking for him. Dressed in their black armor they stood out here among all the people dressed in robes. Not even the city guard here wore armor, with magic there was no need for it. Ahead of him were three black armored men watching him move down the street. Out of the corner of his eye he saw them start to follow behind him. Shayn quickened his pace, he wasn't sure if they somehow had pierced his disguise and he didn't want to take that chance. He hurried around the corner and noticed he was on a street lined with taverns. Young girls in the pleasure business were out on the street. Sipping water from cups as they smiled at all the sailors and other men visiting the bars and taverns. He whispered a new concealment spell, this time he became a young woman dressed as a strumpet. She wore bells and silk, in different shades of blue and red. Bangles of gold and silver around her wrist, waist, and ankles. He moved to mix with the rest of the girls on the street. Standing at a table he watched the armored men come around the corner looking for him. Shayn moved slowly away from them, he wasn't sure how they saw though his spell and he didn't want them to get to close in case that could see though his magic. They checked every man there but ignored the woman. He had an idea. He walked up to a sailor drunk and alone. He wrapped his arms around him and whispered a simple spell that hypnotized him. Then laughing he led him off down the street leaving the armored men searching the taverns.

" My God!!: Jayce said as they walked up to the gates." It really looks like heaven!!"
And it did. Everything was pearly white and perfect. No debris or weeds. Not a thing out of place. You could even almost hear soft music on the wind. Everyone stared it the beauty of it all. Up on the top of the wall stood men dressed in white robes. No arms or armor could be seen none would be needed here in this magical city.
" GREETINGS!!!" Jandar called. " We would enter the city."
The massive gate opened and a gray haired man walked out. He carried a staff and was dressed all in black. He walked up to them and stopped. He bowed to them.
"Greetings to you all." He said. "What can we do for you?"
" I am Prince Jandar Tyr, of The Dark Wolf Clan." He said. " This is Rage, King of the Keanna Dragons. We want to enter your city."
" Dragons and a werewolf." The man said. Then he saw Jayce, his eyes widen. " I will send in your request." He said and hurried back in. They all looked at each other.
" What just happened ?" Asked Sarah. Jandar and Rage looked at Jayce.
" Seems he was more interested in Jayce." Rage said.
" Told you I should hide the wings." Jayce said.
[ HE WOULD HAVE SEEN THEM.] Shine sent. [THAT WAS A COUNCIL MEMBER. WE COULDN'T HIDE FROM HIM. BUT RAGE IS RIGHT. HE WAS INTERESTED IN YOU. STAY CLOSE ONCE INSIDE.]
" You think we will still get in?" Ariel asked. " After that?"
[ I'M SURE OF IT.] Shine curled his tail around Rage's neck. At that moment the gates swung wide open, The gray haired man stood there to greet them as they came in.