The Wilder (The Trouble with Magic Book 1) by B. J. Beach Read Free Book Online Page B

we have an excellent basis to work on.”
    Expelling a great breath, Karryl looked around the room while he marshalled his thoughts. His dark brows knitted in a frown, and Symon could see he was striving to frame a question.
    He looked hard at Symon. “So-o-o, you can teach me how to get the two together. It would seem I’ve got more power than ability. Is that what you’re saying?”
    “Exactly! And having power in itself is not enough. On its own, power, for the most part, can be dangerous. To be effective it needs to be harnessed and given direction. Ability is knowing how to direct it to the best effect. It’s knowing how much to use and, more importantly, what form it should take.”
    Karryl shook his head. “I know you said I’ve got ability, but I don’t think I could do any of that.”
    “Not yet you can’t. That’s why you’re here.” There was a sparkle in the little magician’s grey eyes as he leaned forward. “And I’m willing to wager that your aptitude will surprise both of us.”
    Karryl looked dubious. “You can’t know that. I’ll find I can’t do it, and probably just end up breaking loads more stuff.”
    Symon gave him a knowing smile, and shook his head slightly. “You already have one of a good magician’s most essential tools.”
    “I do?”
    “Of course. How else would you have risen through the ranks of a seemingly fair-sized street gang unless you had a quick mind?”
    Karryl shrugged. “Dunno. Maybe because I went to school and read books. Perhaps that had something to do with it.”
    “Partly, maybe. But something else was needed, and from what I’ve seen so far, you obviously have it.”
    Unaccustomed to praise and compliments, Karryl squirmed a little, looking everywhere except at Symon. His glance fell on the space under the table. He gazed for a moment at the intricate design on the little rug. Pulling himself upright, he began to look around more intently.
    The little magician had been quietly watching him. “Is something wrong?”
    Karryl bent down and peered under his chair, then looked hard at Symon. “Where’s the cat? She just seems to have vanished.”
    Symon smiled and flipped a dismissive hand. “Oh! She disappears from time to time, but no doubt she will turn up again shortly. Being a cat, she has her own agenda, as I’m sure all cats do. Now, let’s go outside and see if we can discover what you’re made of.”
     

CHAPTER NINE
    A short while later, magician and apprentice were strolling through the woodland in a companionable silence, broken only when Symon would scuttle up to some tree, berried shrub or wild flower and explain with unrestrained enthusiasm, its name and its various properties. At first, Karryl feigned interest, but as the morning wore on he found himself warming to the subject. He began to realise that what he had once considered to be merely weeds, or just trees and bushes, were in fact useful and in some cases, valuable. He began to ask questions. Symon nodded and smiled in approval, his smile sometimes becoming almost beatific when his pupil asked a particularly pertinent question. It was only when Karryl’s stomach began to grumble and growl most alarmingly, that Symon suggested they should return to the tower for lunch.
    Karryl’s face fell. “I thought we were going to do some magic.”
    The little magician wagged a finger at the boy’s impatience. “All in good time. I understand your eagerness to get started, and that’s why you will find the first few weeks of your training the most difficult. You will spend seemingly endless hours studying and observing, thinking and assessing.”
    Tilting his head to one side he gave Karryl a wry smile. “We don’t want you going off like a crossbow that’s only half cocked, do we? Who knows what damage that wayward bolt would do?”
    Hands shoved into his pockets, Karryl stared at the ground as he moodily scuffed at a grass-root with his foot. His stomach growled again.
    He