Lucas Trent: Guardian in Magic, Second Edition

Contents

Prequel

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

About the Author

Prequel

It was a warm and sunny day, quite a bit too warm for a June evening. Two hours before sunset, the sun was already starting to glow red and the light started to fade slowly on this clearing in the middle of Griffin Woods, near the city of Luton, England. The place looked strange, a deserted fireplace in the middle of the clearing, with no other signs of campsites or any people. It was a little bit like one would imagine a hiding place for a bunch of thieves in the old times: deep within the woods where no wanderer would ever dare to go, far away from civilization—at least far enough to be alone—protected by the forest from three sides and a mountain on the fourth, perfect if you needed a place to be alone. And yet, right now you would not at all be alone here…

A group of six teenagers had gathered around a spot near the mountainside.

Look at that, the tallest one of them said, pointing towards a ring that had been attached to the rock wall of the mountain. He was close to two meters tall, very slim, approximately 17 years old, wearing small round glasses.

Yeah, that must be where it happened. Let’s split up and search the place. Perhaps we can find something interesting, another one replied. He was a bit younger than the first one and not quite as tall. They both looked well-educated, but the first one more like an intellectual and this one more like a geek. He didn’t look like a real leader, but the others followed his direction anyway, just nodding and starting to search.

What’s that smell? Do you have any idea, Professor? the older of the two girls in the group asked. She seemed to be the oldest of the group, somewhere around 20, about one and a half meters tall, a bit overweight, but still sort of nice-looking with her long, shiny red hair.

Not the slightest, the tall one with the glasses replied without looking up.

Perhaps it’s residue of the drugs they used, the leader said. But let’s concentrate on one thing at a time, shall we?

The others nodded in reply. After about five minutes of searching, suddenly the second girl in the group knelt down, looking closely at something on the ground. She seemed to be the youngest of them—not too tall, slim, very attractive with her long, dark blonde hair and her big blue eyes. I think I found something here, Lucas, ahm, Guardian, I meant to say! she cried, grabbing a small piece of plastic.

What is it, Airmid? the leader replied, walking over to her.

It looks like a memory card, but it’s quite dirty, the girl answered, examining the plastic in her hand. The rest of the group gathered around her quickly, everyone looking at the little chip. She handed the item over to the leader, whose name obviously was Lucas, who started flipping it around and cleaning it with his fingers.

It’s an SD memory module, the one called Professor said without trying to hide his excitement.

Yeah, you are right. Lucas nodded. Perhaps from a digital camera?

One of the other two guys, also around 16 years of age, average figure, with dark black hair, had just opened his mouth when a voice from behind yelled, I believe that belongs to us…

The group turned around, a little bit shocked, because no one was actually thinking that they could have company. There, on one side of the clearing, they stood, 10 meters away from the group, just outside the forest line—a young man, 180 centimeters tall, bald head, a knife in each hand and right next to him a girl, a little bit smaller, clenching her fists.

Lucas was to first to regain his voice. I don’t think so. But who are you anyway? He handed the chip to the Professor and took one step forward.

That doesn’t matter, the skinhead replied, and before anyone could react, he had thrown one of his knives towards the group. The knife missed Lucas by inches, hitting the Professor’s shoulder. Lucas didn’t realize this at first, as he thought that the knife was meant for him. He was all the more shocked when he heard the cry of pain from the Professor.

Darien! The girl called Airmid cried, trying to catch the Professor as he fell to the ground. The other girl jumped towards him, as well, no one noticing the chip falling out of the Professor’s hand to the ground. The dark-haired guy seemed to be the only one of the group to have a clear mind at the time. He was standing there, eyes fixed on the attacker, apparently in a state of deep concentration. The attacker had already grabbed another knife and was preparing to throw it as he pointed both his hands towards the attacker, closed his eyes completely and cried Ventus!

Out of nowhere, a strong blast of wind appeared throwing the attacker down on the ground. The girl next to the attacker seemed shocked for a moment. She stared at her comrade, not knowing what to think. Then, as she saw the caster faint, falling to his knees, she pulled herself together and charged towards the group with a loud yell. This time Lucas reacted on the other side. He moved his arms up as if he wanted to shield himself, crying, Seperatio!

One could nearly feel a ripple of energy flowing out of his hands and forming a barrier halfway between them and the girl. As she hit it, she was stopped in mid-run, as if she had just run into a solid wall. The force of her own movement brought her to the ground.

Nice shooting, Whirlwind, Lucas said, helping his companion back on his feet.

You too, Guardian, he replied as his eyes recognized a faint movement near the forest. Guys… he continued, I have a strong feeling that we should get the hell out of here…

Lucas started looking around. More strange looking people started appearing at the forest line. I agree, he replied. Airmid, Psycho, get the Professor out of here. Whirlwind, you go with them. Cougar and I will cover you.

The two girls grabbed the Professor and started to make for the cover of the forest. Whirlwind hesitated for a moment, but as he saw the commanding look on Lucas’ face, he finally followed them. The last member of the group, a very sporty looking guy around the age of Lucas, with short, dark hair quickly joined up with his leader, standing ready to defend the others. At first glance the situation seemed to be hopeless for them. Four more figures had appeared and both the girl and her knife-throwing friend were already back on their feet. It looked as if a gang of rowdies had assembled there, ready to crush anything and anyone standing between them and their destiny.

The knife thrower already had another one of his toys ready to throw. This time the target clearly was Lucas’ head. As the weapon left the attacker’s hand, Lucas again got into his defensive position. SEPERATIO! he cried, this time even louder than before, and as before, the knife stopped in midair and fell to the ground right at his feet.

What kind of bullshit is this? one of the attackers asked with a tremble in his voice that sounded like a mixture of anger and fear.

Don’t care, this stunt might work with a knife, but not with this, another one replied, pulling out a slingshot. He took quick aim and shot a steel ball at the boy.

Lucas wanted to react again and block the attack, but he just was too weak. His face was already very pale and his knees shaking. Brother to brother, yours to the end, he whispered, mentally preparing for what might be his final moments in life.

Suddenly he heard a voice right next to him screaming, Levipes! and someone jumping at him, pushing him out of harm’s way, down to the ground. It was a matter of split seconds; he could still feel the breeze of the projectile close to his face as he hit the ground.

Thank you, Cougar, he mumbled.

I don’t believe this! the attacker was outraged. Who are those pains in the neck? He was already in the process of reloading his slingshot.

Come on, Guardian, let’s move out. I don’t think we can stall them much longer. Cougar pulled up Lucas and started heading towards the forest when a flickering item on the ground caught his attention. The chip! We lost the chip! He made a sharp turn, trying to reach the tiny object.

Forget it, Cougar, it’s not worth dying for, Lucas commanded.

His friend seemed to be unsure, but when the next steel bullet missed his head by just inches, he decided to follow the Guardian’s lead and get out of range as quickly as possible.

High up on the mountain, covered by the shadows of the trees, two strangers stood silently, watching the groups on the ground. Shall we go down there now and help? one asked. She was good looking, close to 30 years of age, wearing a long red cape.

No, the other replied calmly. His face was hidden under the hood of his grey robe; it seemed that all of this meant nothing to him.

But Milord… the woman started again, they will get it now…

Yes, he replied.

But Milord, we can prevent this from happening; why don’t we just interfere now?

There is still much you have to learn, Angel, he said in the same calm voice as he turned around and walked away, vanishing into thin air just a few steps into the forest. Angel still stood there, tears in her eyes, unable to do anything, just watching the attackers pick up the chip and get away.

Chapter 1

The Founding of Circles

About one year earlier…

Lucas honey, hurry, you will be late for school! a voice yelled from downstairs.

Yeah Mom, I’m almost there, Lucas responded without taking his head out of the drawer he was searching through.

The room looked messy, a bed in one corner that had definitely not been made in a long time, a desk in another that was packed with books and booklets to an extent that it was hard to recognize the wooden frame below it, two computer screens in the middle with only the space for keyboard and mouse looking a little bit cleaned up. Aside from the bed and the desk, only two big closets were standing in the room. One was filled with clothes, the other was full of books and loads of indefinable stuff that seemed to be lying around without any order. This particular closet stood open, a drawer pulled out to its full extent, and Lucas was leaning over that drawer, throwing things out of it, searching for something.

He was a handsome young man, 16 years old, 185 cm, slim, looking quite nice with his short, dark blonde hair and his blue-grey eyes. As one could tell from his room, he was sort of a geek. Lucas was the kind of guy who was nearly always alone—no friends around, no girlfriend, no one to really stick to. Some would think this was the kind of social problem like you see with many teenagers these days, but Lucas was a bit different. He really was a geek, one of the best with the things he did. Unfortunately he seemed to be the only one who didn’t see this, thinking of himself as just an average student, leading to the fact that he was most of the time mystified why everyone else around him seemed so extremely incompetent. This, in combination with a lack of tact, meant that he easily got angry with people for not understanding the simplest things. Other than that he really was a nice guy—always trying to help, not the kind of guy that would leave anyone alone in a time of need, no matter the cost he would have to face personally.

Finally… he mumbled as he drew out a sheet of paper. TimeStop bar, Friday, 6 p.m. the paper said, followed by the address of the place. Lucas hurriedly pocketed the paper, grabbed his backpack and headed downstairs. Dressed in blue jeans and a red sweater, he ran by his mother, jumping into his jogging shoes and continuing outside on his hasty way to school.

Lucas liked school very much and normally was never late, but today was different. He was deeply interested in two things, and two things only: Computers on the one hand and the supernatural, magic you could call it, on the other. As most of the people around him would have flagged him as a lunatic for being that much into the esoteric, he always kept this to himself as much as he could, therefore spending most of his time with computers. And that’s exactly why he liked school so much, because he went to a school that was entirely about computers.

But today was different… A week ago Lucas was surfing the net looking for magical theories and phenomenon when he stumbled over a forum website where someone had announced a get-together of interested people only a few miles down the road from Lucas’ home. It was perhaps the most exciting discovery Lucas ever made in this sector. Now he would finally find some others that were into magical things; he would at last have someone to talk to and have a chance to be together with others without having to worry about being seen as a lunatic. And today was the big day… Friday… at 6 p.m. the group would meet. He was so excited that he had a really hard time following the lessons. Everything was about this very evening; his brain had no capacity left for anything else but that event.

Trent, are you listening? an old teacher asked him. It was 2 p.m. already. The topic of the lesson was sorting tree structures, a topic Lucas normally would have embraced, but today he didn’t have the slightest clue what was going on.

I’m sorry, Professor Tatarski, what did you say? he responded in a voice like someone who had just been awakened from a deep sleep.

You seem to be a bit beside yourself today, Mr. Trent, the teacher replied with a hint of laughter in his voice. Lucas’ face turned slightly red as he nodded silently. Don’t worry, the professor continued, patting him on the back, even you can’t have a perfect day every day.

Then he turned around to some other guys who were chatting a few rows behind Lucas and continued in a much angrier voice: But not everyone in this room can afford to let their minds slip… Or can you explain the difference between a Quad-Tree and an Oct-Tree to us, Mr. Tait?

The chatting stopped. The called student looked down to the ground, saying nothing at all.

Or you Mr. High? the professor continued in his angry voice, facing Tait‘s neighbor. No? What a pity… I am quite sure that Mr. Trent could give us the answer even though he was not listening, isn’t that right, Mr. Trent?

Lucas’ thoughts were far away again already, but even in that state of mind the question posed no real challenge for him. He nodded silently and starting babbling the answer without even thinking about it.

You see? the professor raised his voice again. Take an example from him. Then again lowered his voice to a calm friendly tone as he talked to Lucas. Trent, is this your last lesson for today?

Lucas nodded silently, a little fright surfacing as he thought of detention afterwards for not listening, but the professor had other things in mind.

Then get the hell out of here and get some sleep, he said.

Lucas looked up with a questioning look on his face.

Now, Mr. Trent, before I change my mind, the teacher repeated with a little impatience in his voice.

Lucas quickly grabbed his gear and ran out of the classroom. His mood started to get better the farther away he got from school. Now he had some time left to grab a bite to eat, finish his homework along the way and get moving to the TimeStop bar.

It was shortly before 6 p.m. when Lucas entered the TimeStop. The place was divided into five separate rooms, the main one with the bar and four extra rooms for private hire. It didn’t need much more than a single look for Lucas to realize why this place was called TimeStop… All the rooms had the same strange decoration: The walls were filled with clocks of different styles, starting with a modern digital clock like you see on airports or at train stations and ending with some very old clocks that seemed to have been around for decades, perhaps even centuries. And the very strangest thing was that not a single clock was ticking; they were all stopped, each showing a different time. It took Lucas a few seconds to regain his breath and continue into the main room of the bar.

Welcome to the TimeStop, stranger, the bartender addressed Lucas in a friendly voice. What can I get you?

Lucas stepped up to the bar, ordered an appetizer and started looking around, trying to find out where to go. The bartender seemed to read his mind. If you are here for the regular meeting of the Pagan group, then just head into the room over there, he said and pointed towards one of the other rooms.

Lucas nodded, mumbled his thanks and walked towards the room. He started feeling more and more queasy with every step. Was it really a good idea to go there? Would he make a complete fool of himself? Who else would be there? Thoughts were racing through his head as he arrived at the red curtain that blocked the view to the room. He took a deep breath, shook himself a little bit to gain confidence and then entered the room.

The moment he stepped through the curtain his mood began to lighten. The room had eight tables in it, each surrounded by chairs. About 20 to 30 people had already taken their places at some of the tables, chatting and laughing, having a good time. The group was completely mixed, ranging from his age, or even a little bit younger, up to the age of approximately 60 years. He threw a quiet Hello into the room, somewhat hoping to remain unheard, as he still did not really feel comfortable around here. His hopes seemed to go unnoticed by the others, as it seemed that everyone had heard his greeting. Many of them just nodded in reply; others answered with a hello themselves. Two of them jumped up and came to him.

One, an approximately 35-year-old man, had a big grin on his face as he said Cheers mate, welcome to our chat room. He pounded him on his back and led him to one of the tables.

The other one, a woman in her late twenties, shook her head and said with a laugh, Jesus, Drow… Don’t chase away our guest before he even arrives… Then she turned towards Lucas. Hi there! My name is Angel. I am a regular here, and this guy without manners, she pointed towards Drow, is Drow, the initiator of this meeting. Welcome to the Pagan chat room.

Thanks, Lucas replied, still looking around and then as he saw the questioning look on Angel’s face he continued Oh, sorry… I am Lucas, Lucas Trent.

Well, Lucas, Lucas Trent, take a seat and enjoy your stay. If you need anything just ask; no one is going to bite your head off, Angel answered with a smile on her face pointing toward an empty chair.

Lucas instantly liked her. She was nice, good looking and had something else he just couldn’t explain. He felt sorry that she was at least ten years older than himself, otherwise he perhaps would have tried to talk her into dating him. He took a chair, still looking around as he saw a face he recognized on the table next to him. A very tall, slim guy with glasses was reading a local newspaper. The person was one year older than himself, and somewhat familiar. It took him a minute before he was able to make the connection. Jesus… he mumbled as he turned towards him. Excuse me? The other one looked up from his newspaper. Aren’t you Darien Stance? Lucas continued.

Yes, Darien replied seeming a little bit insecure. Do I know you?

No, Lucas answered with a laugh, but I definitely know you… You are the scientific genius in my school. I am Lucas Trent, one grade below you. Stance’s look changed into a nice smile. Come to think of it… Lucas continued, what is Mr. Science from Luton IT College doing at the Pagan chat room?

Keeping an open mind, Stance responded. And what brings the most promising IT expert of this decade to this location?

Lucas turned dark red. So you know me, too?

Yes, Darien laughed. Everyone in school knows you, Trent. You are certainly more famous than I am. And after a moment of silence he continued, Oh, by the way, it’s really nice to meet you, Mr. Trent. With these words he extended his hand towards Lucas waiting for him to shake it. Lucas didn’t hesitate a second. The most famous student in school, the one everyone just called The Professor, was offering his hand to him. In school he would have never even dreamt of that honor.

More than nice to meet you, Mr. Stance. he replied, shaking his hand.

Please call me Darien, or Professor if you like, but let’s stop the formalities.

Lucas couldn’t believe it. He was offered a first name basis with the Professor… Lucas… he replied a bit shyly.

Darien lifted his glass toward him Cheers. Lucas, to a new friendship.

Cheers, Lucas replied, taking a deep sip. The drink helped him regain a clear mind. He changed his seat to sit next to his new friend and they started chatting about school and computers while Darien was reading the newspaper and Lucas continued checking out the others in the room. The tables were filling up rapidly and Lucas was really amazed how many people around here responded to an invitation like that. It seemed a bit hard for him to talk with the others, as they seemed to know each other so well, so he decided to stay with Darien and see what would happen next.

It was around 7 p.m. when the first person approached Lucas’ table. It was a girl, seemingly a bit younger than Lucas and really good looking. Excuse me… she started in a very shy voice, not really looking at them with her big blue eyes. The two boys hadn’t recognized her, even though it seemed that everyone else in the room only had eyes for her at that point. Lucas and Darien looked up at the same moment. Is this chair taken? she pointed to an empty chair right across from Darien.

No, no, Darien replied. We would be happy to have such nice company at our table.

Thanks, you are sweet, she said with a smile as she sat down. I am Stephanie. This is my first time here.

The name’s Darien and that’s Lucas. Join the club of newcomers. Darien took the liberty of performing the formality.

So you are into magic as well? Stephanie asked with curiosity in her voice. I always thought I was the only one that spent her time with it.

Join the club, again. Lucas laughed. Everyone around me would have thought I am a complete nut job if they knew.

Not everyone, the Professor entered the conversation with a calm voice, but you are quite right that it is better not to talk about this too much in public.

So what are you guys up to? What are you trying to accomplish with magic? Stephanie continued her inquiry.

Well… Darien started folding up his newspaper, I am not trying to accomplish anything with magic. I just want to understand what’s behind it, as it might help me in seeing a clear picture of science at all levels.

Stephanie nodded emphatically and looked at Lucas.

I don’t know, he said. I really don’t. I always was fascinated by what I read about it but I still don’t think it is possible. It mostly seems like fiction to me, but who knows… Perhaps someone around here is open to proving me wrong… What about you Stephanie?

She smiled. I am into healing. I want nothing more than to cure things that no one else can. That’s why I want to learn magic so much. Well, let’s see how far it goes, because so far I haven’t really had much success.

What did you try so far? Darien asked.

Well, I read many books, and experimented a little on myself, but like I said, no success so far, she responded.

Excuse me, a voice from behind interrupted the discussion. They looked up at another arrival, around the age of the three, kind of a sporty guy. Most tables are overcrowded—do you mind?

Not at all, Lucas said pointing at a chair.

Thank you! the new guy replied, seeming relieved. You know, I don’t know anyone around here, and most of the others don’t look very inviting. The name is Marcus Gracer, by the way. Nice to meet you all.

The others introduced themselves, welcoming Marcus and then continued their discussion.

What kind of experiments did you do, Stephanie? Lucas was curious.

Mostly rituals as they are described in books, but I didn’t get that far with it. I also tried spell magic but that came up even worse. Stephanie was back in the discussion immediately.

Wow, you seem to have a lot of experience already, Marcus said, amazed.

Darien started laughing. Don’t let yourself be misled, Marcus. Looks are often deceiving. What’s your point in the game, anyway?

Marcus face became thoughtful. I am into sports and hope that mental training will help me become better.

Isn’t that a bit far away from ‘just’ mental training? Lucas asked.

Well, yeah, it might be, but I thought if I start it, then I could go the whole way as well. Doesn’t change anything, does it? Marcus commented. But again, I am still at the beginning of it all.

A table where the topic is actually magic… Again a voice spoke from behind. Marcus turned around to face a man and a woman standing right behind him. Are we allowed to join the circle or is this a private discussion? the woman asked. She seemed to be near 20, short, a bit pudgy, with long red hair and a nice, friendly grin. The boy beside her was younger, about Lucas’ age, with no smile on his face—actually no feelings at all that one could read from his face.

If this was a private discussion, the place would be very badly chosen, don’t you think? Lucas said with a smile as he pointed them toward two chairs, filling the table fully.

The boy nodded his head with a face that might have meant Thank you but didn’t say anything. The girl seemed more willing to talk.

Thanks, she said, grabbing a chair. "May I introduce myself? Jasmin Kramer, but my friends just call me