The Jade Mage: The Becoming: Volume 1 Read Online Free Page A

was coming, and it was rare he wasn’t prepared for a visit. Tartum’s training with Isidor was never very regimented. Isidor would have him concentrate on his newest spell, memorizing the words and the gestures needed to make the magic work. Opening himself up and surrendering to the flow of magic had been difficult at first. It had been almost impossible for Tartum to surrender himself to such an invisible and invasive force. It had terrified him. Plus, if he found himself losing his concentration, it would result in a loss of focus and then the loss of the magic. The sudden shock of being so filled with power, to being so empty of it, caused an acute pain that took time to recover from.
    Long and tedious were his early lessons with Isidor, but Tartum wouldn’t have traded them for the world. For the moment of success, the moment when the magic allowed him to use it to reshape his reality, was like pure, concentrated, ecstasy. There was no better feeling in the world, than when his spell worked. It made him feel accomplished, self assured, and powerful. Releasing the magic after the spell was done, felt like breaking up with your soul mate, or losing a favored family member. A feeling, Tartum was all too familiar with now.
    One of the first lessons Isidor taught Tartum, once he was able to open himself to the flow of magic, was that it could not, or would not, be controlled. Magic was too pure, to raw, and far too powerful to be controlled by any mortal. Magic itself, was what the Gods were made of, and as such was too powerful to be forced to do his bidding. When opened to the magic, if you knew how to manipulate it, how to ASK it to do your bidding, you could change your reality in anyway you saw fit. Provided you could handle the amount of magic required for the spell, said the correct words at the correct times, with the correct inflections, made the correct gestures, and had the correct components if the spell required them. A misspoken word, a failed gesture, a loss of focus, trying to force the magic to your will, or the absence of a component, meant the failure of the spell and with failure, came the possibility of burn out. Burn out occured when a caster took in too much magic, or if he lost control of his spell once he began casting it. It wasn’t a pretty or clean death, from what Isidor had told him, but it was a danger that one had to face, if they wished to obtain true power.
    It was the surrendering to the magic Tartum had the most trouble with. He did not wish to ask or plead with the magic for its power. Somehow, doing it felt...wrong. He wanted the magic to react to his will. Sadly, this was a point of much contention between Tartum and Isidor, and had on more than one occasion, lead to Tartum storming off in a huff and Isidor calling him a pathetic brat, not suitable for magic.
    “Well Tartum, I was beginning to think you had given up on life and decided to join your father in that nice hole by the tree.” Isidor said with a snicker. He didn’t want to hurt Tartum. Truth be told he loved Tartum like a son, but this pouting brat routine was old. Now that he was sixteen, Isidor decided enough was enough. He had to see what kind of change occured to his pupil’s character before he gave him his gift.
    “I apoligize, Isidor, I took my father’s death harder than I expected. I have made my peace with it now, and I wish to continue my lessons. However, if you ever insult his memory again, I’ll kill you and leave you for the dogs. Do we understand each other?” Tartum spoke with a voice born of anger and loss.
    His words hit home, and Isidor saw that the youthful look of happiness and joy no longer lingered in his eyes. The boy had lost his innocence, with his father’s death, and was now seeking to fill the void. It appeared anger was already starting to fill it. “Good” thought Isidor; “He’ll need to stop brooding and start acting like a man if he’s to take the next step.”
    “I