Kazin's Quest: Book I of The Dragon Mage Trilogy Read Online Free PDF Page B

blew toward him, threatening to put out his flame. His flame wavered slightly but his concentration did not as he waited for the wind to die down. It would take more than a gust of wind to blow out his flame, he thought, considering all the practice he’d been getting the last few weeks. He barely needed to concentrate on it anymore. He waited for several more seconds in case there was another attack, but finally decided to check the contents of the pouch.
    His pouch opened easily after freeing the magical seal. There were several contents inside, many which Kazin would have brought with him if he had been allowed to choose. There was a small rock, some flint, several dried leaves, animal fur, a piece of cloth and one of leather, several small vials of water, pouches containing either sand or salt, tree bark, a chunk of clay, a pigeon feather, and a raven’s feather. This last item he picked up, trying to recall the spells it was used for. Unfortunately, he didn’t have time to think about it, because another gust of wind came along, whipping the feather out of his hand and blowing fiercely at his flame. He waited patiently, silently berating himself for losing the feather. Soon the wind died down, giving way to a steady downpour of rain. Kazin quickly reached into his pouch with his free hand. Grasping the small rock firmly in his fist, he chanted several magical incantations and a magical shield appeared over his flame, keeping it dry despite the deluge. A few minutes later, the wind picked up again, blowing the rain horizontally toward the flame. Kazin merely concentrated a little harder and extended the shield around his entire hand. This continued for several more minutes until finally both the wind and rain stopped abruptly. By this time Kazin was drenched to the bone. He shuddered and cancelled his shield spell, knowing how important it was to conserve his magical strength. If he had covered his entire body with a shield spell—yes, he would still be dry—but he would also be exhausted. At this point magical energy counted for more than physical comfort.
    After a brief pause, Kazin heard a distant droning sound that seemed to be coming closer. He quickly created another shield over his flame and waited. He didn’t have to wait long before he felt a sting on his cheek. Then another. Hornets! Kazin frantically pawed the stone in his hand and added to his original spell. Instantly his shield covered his entire body, and not a moment too soon. There were such a large number of hornets around him that they created a shield of their own. Kazin began to relax but then caught his breath. His flame was beginning to weaken. He might have protection from the hornets, but he had cut off his air supply! In order to get enough air for both himself and his flame, he needed to open his shield. But how could he do it without exposing himself to the hornets? Then an idea occurred to him. He raised his hand with the flame on it and lessened his concentration on the shield spell just enough to weaken it. Then he pressed the flame up into the top of the shield, allowing it to burn through. Then he drew it back only slightly, holding it close enough to the hole to stop the advance of the hornets. This seemed to work effectively and several minutes later, the hornets were gone. Kazin wearily let go of his shield spell. He nearly lost his flame in the process but the sudden rush of fresh air revived it to its original brightness. That last spell drew a fair amount of his magical energy. The flame, although a lesser spell, was also draining him continuously. He didn’t know how much more time there was to the test, but he knew he would have to use his magic wisely in order to succeed.
    Meanwhile, Max was encountering the same thing Kazin was. When he entered the test room, he half expected to see Kazin, who had entered just moments before. This was not the case, however, and Max quickly adapted. The downpour had just ended and Max