Wizard Dawning (The Battle Wizard Saga, No. 1) by C. M. Lance Read Free Book Online Page B

would have preferred help with carpool duty. There are carpools for football or hockey. Not for karate, kendo, or fencing."
    When Grampa Thor ducked his head in mock submission, Sig said, "I have to shower and change." He gestured with his sandwich plate. "I'll take this upstairs to eat."
    He started out of the kitchen and then turned back. "I probably never thanked you for all the rides you gave me to practices and meets. I'm sure you will be rewarded in heaven." His mouth twitched in a half smile as he pivoted to leave.
    She grabbed a towel off the table and snapped him on the butt with it before he got away.
    "A lot of good a black belt does me. I'm defenseless against a mother armed with a kitchen towel." He laughed as he walked out.
    "How did it go today?" Meredith asked after Sig left.
    "Physically, even I'm impressed. He makes things even I couldn't do look easy." He raised his hand and waggled it. "Magically, not so much."
    Frowning again, she said, "That's too bad. I know he's always been disappointed at not having magic."
    "He obviously has magic. You saw what happened to him yesterday. He can't seem to summon it up. We'll work on it."
    "He's never shied away from hard work."
    Grampa gestured at the laptop folded over on top of her journal and the WSJ. "It doesn't seem that you do either. Sig told me you're a wizard at investing."
    She felt herself blush. "I've been doing OK."
    "Surprisingly successful. Sig told me that your financial advisor said your stock picking is uncanny and he even asks you for suggestions."
    She smiled and shrugged.
    "What would you say your stock picking success rate is?"
    "I've never analyzed it."
    "Take a guess."
    Meredith picked up her journal and flipped through, pausing every few pages. She laid it down. "Eighty or ninety percent," she said in a small voice.
    "Hmm. You said you have expected Sig to have a growth spurt. Did you see that in a dream like you saw the zombies with Martin before he died and saw them falling apart in your yard?"
    "Martin was six-five, Edward was six-four and I'm five-ten. Anyone would assume that Sig would grow taller."
    He looked at her from under his bushy white eyebrows.
    She held his gaze before her eyes shifted toward the doorway behind him. "I may have had a few dreams about it."
    "He certainly had a growth spurt yesterday."
    Her smile felt strained.
    "You need some help."
    Her heart skipped a beat. "Do you think I'm crazy?"
    He laughed. "Not at all. You are sensitive enough to magic that you sensed it in Sig's talisman. A series of your visions have come to fruition. I don't think you're nuts, I think you have untrained powers. You need training, both to improve your skills and to keep you out of trouble."
    She didn't see that coming. "Oh. How do I get trained? Do you do that?"
    "Oh no, not me. Whatever magic you have is completely outside of my experience. There's a good friend I will call on to make recommendations. He's the Dean of the Physics of Magic School at Northwestern. He is very well connected and Wizard himself."
    He rose from the table. "Until I hear from him, think about what I said. Training will require your full commitment." He rubbed his chest. "I need to rest now."
    She watched him walk away; stunned at the conclusion he came to.

 
    Sig walked to the back of the library. When he rounded the research kiosk at the entry to the study area, he stopped and scanned the area for his lab partner. Toward the back, overhead fluorescents reflected from Madeline's red gold hair as she bent over her text book. It looked like she wore a halo.
    She looked up with a grin when Sig shook himself out of his reverie. Her creamy complexion with its dusting of freckles accentuated the even white teeth that sparkled in her smile. He never realized that teeth could be so pretty.
    Books were spread across the table next to her and she reached out with both arms to pull them closer, making room for Sig. "Right on time", she said.
    "I thought I was late", Sig