Read Off to Be the Wizard - 2 - Spell or High Water for Free Online

his training was complete, and he’d passed his trials, that Martin would set him up with a laptop, so that he could go back to his own time at will, if he wanted.
    “That’s if you accept the training. If you choose not to, I’ll just assume you’re up to no good and send you back home so the CIA can pick you up. So, Roy, do you accept the training?”
    With a sales pitch like that, Roy didn’t have to think long.
    Martin spent a little time at the computer, getting Roy set up in the shell, then Martin announced that it was time to go. There had been some unpleasantness a while back, and now he and a few of his wizard friends were making a point of getting together once a week to compare notes and share new shell scripts they’d devised that could be used in an emergency. He brought Roy along so he could meet the guys and see what kind of things they’d been working on. Having worked in the defense industry, he might find it interesting.
    Martin and Roy materialized in the middle of a large clearing about five miles away from Leadchurch. Martin’s friend Gary had picked it because it was large, flat, and surrounded by thick woods on all sides. The wizards had all the room they needed to demonstrate and test new spells without having to worry about any locals sneaking up on them. Even if someone did sneak up on them from the forest, that person would have to move amazingly fast to reach the middle of the clearing before the wizards could react.
    Martin, in his silver robe and hat, staff in hand, and Roy, wearing his trench coat, skinny tie, and sensible shoes, stood alone in the middle of the field. Martin spun around, then said, “Oh, no.”
    A gray shape emerged from the tree line, moving amazingly fast. Two more shapes, one purple, one black, were closing on their position from other directions.
    Martin remembered Gary proposing a new plan to keep each other on their toes. He called it the Kato Protocol . It was a simple idea. The wizards would attack one another without any provocation or warning. It would ensure that they all stayed in fighting shape, it would force them to be aware of their surroundings , and, most important from Gary’s point of view, it would be fun.
    “Sounds good,” Martin had said. “When do we start?”
    “We’ll see,” had been Gary’s reply.
    The streaks of color were almost on top of them when Martin yelled, “Time out!”
    The streaks stopped in midair, floating motionless in a rough triangle around Martin and Roy. Tyler’s purple robes hung beneath him, flapping slightly in the breeze. The sun glinted off of the Rolls Royce hood ornament that topped his staff. Jeff landed, tucking his wand into the pocket of his gray flannel robe. Gary drifted around in front of Martin and Roy. His long, scraggly brown hair jutted out from around his jet-black hat. Beneath the hem of his black robe, his skinny legs and black canvas high-tops hung five feet above the turf. He pointed the head of his staff, adorned with KISS action figures, toward Roy, and said, “Hey Martin. Good to see you. Who’s the new guy?”
    “Gary, Tyler, Jeff, this is Roy, my trainee. He just arrived last night. He doesn’t have any powers yet, and doesn’t know what’s going on, so it would be really unfair to attack him.”
    Despite his clear age difference, and uptight demeanor, the three younger wizards welcomed Roy in a genuinely friendly manner. Martin was relieved to note that despite Roy’s age, cultural background, and year of origin, he didn’t seem to miss a beat when introduced to Tyler, who was possibly the only black man in England at this time in history.
    They all agreed that they couldn’t attack him, since he couldn’t really defend himself.
    Jeff said, “I could explain to him what’s going on, though.”
    “Good thinking,” Tyler said, still floating in an aggressive posture. “That’ll free Martin up to be attacked.”
    “And us, to attack him,” Gary added.
    Martin said,