Oh this is it! The finale of everything the last few Friday posts have worked towards! The last part of A Trial for a Dragon!

If you weren’t already aware, the celebrate the release of Axtara 2, this previously Patreon-supporter exclusive bonus story is now being made available for all. For those who read Axtara – Banking and Finance, you might recall mention of Axtara’s older sibling, Ryax, who was apprenticed to be a wizard. And if you ever wondered what happened with that, well … we’re finding out! Because this is Ryax’s story. And today’s post? It’s the final piece of it.

And who knows. Maybe you’ll see him in Axtara 2. For now, kick back, and enjoy the conclusion to A Trial For a Dragon. A story in four parts, one part each week. This bit is fourth and final, so if you missed part one, two, or three, you might want to check those out. As always, enjoy.

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A Trial For a Dragon – Part Four

The rain had gotten heavier, but Ryax didn’t care. It wasn’t as if the weather bothered him the same way it did humans. He didn’t have any clothing to get wet, and the satchel hanging around his chest was waterproofed. Simply cupping his wings above him, while a little awkward, was more than enough to shield his head from the increasing downpour.

It was fitting weather. Grey skies, flush with rain. A perfect companion for his dampened mood.

He was not going to be a wizard. Not this year. Perhaps not for decades, assuming any future councils wished to revisit the decision.

His meeting with Pinel had been both abrupt and humiliating. It hadn’t helped that the wizard had been sitting in one of the halls off the council chamber with several of his fellow council members, discussing something completely unrelated to Ryax’s trial. But Ryax’s appearance and request to speak of it had been met with—

Mockery. Derision.

Outright rejection. They hadn’t gone so far as to threaten him, but Pinel had laughed to his face when Ryax had suggested even discussing the possibility of his passing the trial and then told him to leave, laughing behind his back as he’d done so about how ridiculous it was that a “beast” like Ryax could ever dream of being a wizard.

Now he was sitting in the rain, watching as one of the council groundskeepers worked their way past, their blue-and-white livery soaked completely through. Odd that they don’t give them some protection from the rain, a small part of his mind insisted. Water-repelling spells don’t last long, but they’re not too difficult to perform.

He gave one idle claw a quick wave, pushing magic through it and shaping the mental constraints of the spell. The groundskeeper looked up in confusion as the rain abruptly stopped striking her, eyes widening as she saw the raindrops slide past, deviating from their fall.

“It won’t last long,” he said, and her eyes flicked to him in shock, widening further. “And you’re already soaked, but it can’t hurt.”

For a moment the groundskeeper seemed stunned and unsure, but then she offered a slight bow. “My thanks, great dragon.”

“You’re welcome. Hope it helps.” She bowed again, then grabbed her tools and went back to work, rain shimmering around her as his spell repelled it. He watched until she was out of sight, vanishing into another part of the grounds and leaving him alone.

What am I going to do now? There was still another day before the final judgement would be rendered, but … Both sides opposed to me have dug in their claws. I can talk to those who already support me, but … What good was that? They were already in his favor, but they couldn’t convince those who were not. A sigh slipped past his lips, sliding out into the rain and fading almost instantly.

So what now? As hard and painful as it was to think that he might never be a wizard … What will I do now? Become an apprentice once more? A hedge magician? They were respected, but not nearly so much as wizards were.

Without that title, how will I find the patronage I need for my research? Even with the title, his status as a dragon would still be a disqualifier with many places and kingdoms. Without it … I’ll have little support but my own.

Maybe I could ask uncle for some support. He’d help and he has connections. But without the title, he’d want proof of a return on his investment. Sell my magic?

“That—”

He jerked upright, the voice catching him completely by surprise, water spilling over his face as his wings flared out. The voice cut off abruptly with a laugh, and he turned to see Hyal’s assistant covering the lower half of her face, trying to hide her amusement.

“I’m sorry,” she said after a moment. “For both laughing and startling you. But that was … It was funny.”

He tried to smile, but it felt forced. Still, there was no reason not to be congenial. She had been one of the few to treat him with utmost respect since he’d arrived, after all. He shifted, clearing part of the bench he was lying on so that she could sit down.

“I suppose your meetings with Chobran and Pinel weren’t what you’d hoped for?” Shanlee asked, wiping the bench dry with the hem of her cloak before sitting down.

“That would be a polite way to put it,” he said, carefully shaking some of the rain from his wings before tucking them against his sides. “They made their positions quite clear.” For a moment they sat in silence, then Shanlee spoke up.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “It doesn’t feel fair.”

“That’s because it isn’t.” The words were out and spoken before he could call them back, and he turned, twisting his neck to look at her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“No, you’re right, it isn’t fair,” Shanlee said. “I spoke with Master Hyal about it last night, mentioning how proficient you were with your spells and use of magic, and his only response was to lecture me about proper application. It’s unfair that you can do so much but they’re turning you away because you’ve found another way to do it. It’s not right.”

“There’s room for many approaches to magic,” he said, the words rushing out with a tired exhalation. “Or so I thought.”

“I believe you’re right,” Shanlee said quickly. “Otherwise your spells wouldn’t work. But they do. That was you who cast that shield on one of the grounds workers, wasn’t it? I’ve never seen a spell like that.”

“It’s a modification on a repellant spell,” he said, shrugging. “Gionoatari’s distance principle and a few other minor tweaks.”

“You’re selling yourself under, Ryax,” Shanlee said, her eyes piercing into his. “I don’t think Master Hyal would be able to replicate that, and here you are dismissing it as if it’s nothing.”

“Well …” He paused for a moment. “Thank you. That’s nice to hear.”

“Nice nothing,” Shanlee said. “This is my second year doing the paperwork for the trials, and this is the only time I’ve felt angry that someone isn’t passing. You should be teaching some of the wizards on that council. Not begging them to let you into their little club.”

There was a fire to her voice that surprised him, and he paused again before replying. “Well, again, thank you. I’m unhappy with it as well.”

“Angry? Or unhappy?”

“Oh, I’m angry,” he said, extending his claws slightly and letting just a little of the ember in his chest make its way into his voice. “But a wizard, as any other person with any sort of power, can’t afford to let anger rule his—or her—judgement. That doesn’t mean it can’t exist. Just that I can’t let it control what I do.”

“Wise words.”

“Frederico Adernat,” Ryax said. “He was my first teacher.”

The rain continued to pour down around them, filling the small channels that cut across the stone garden. A minute passed, and then two. “I’m sorry,” he said at last. “I’m not usually this quiet.”

Shanlee shook her head. “I’d be silent too, if a bunch of stuck-up wizards had thoroughly blocked my path forward just because they were jealous.”

“Adherence to tradition isn’t jealousy.”

“It might be.”

That he had no answer to, so he let it slide, choosing instead to shake his wings slightly, casting water away from his scales.

“Why didn’t you cast that spell on yourself?” Shanlee asked.

He shrugged, shifting his wings. “Didn’t feel like it. And scales are easier to dry than cloth.”

“Well,” Shanlee said a moment later. “With that spell alone, you could always find work.”

“I suppose I could.” Just not the work I’d dreamed of.

“After all, I’m sure she’s already told half of the king’s house about your generosity with the spell. And how useful it was. If you were to—”

“Wait,” he said, turning to look at her once more. “What do you mean ‘the king’s house?’”

“The palace,” Shanlee said, as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. “I’d bet that she’s already told half of them about it.”

“Why would she tell the palace?” he asked, feeling slightly lost.

“Because she works there?” Shanlee countered, giving him an odd look. “For the king? Why wouldn’t she tell them? Especially if it hasn’t worn off.”

“It stops once water hasn’t struck it for a minute or so,” he said, with a wave of his claws, his mind still catching on the other half of the conversation. “But why does she work in the palace? I thought she was tending to the grounds here? For the council?”

“Because the king owns the council,” Shanlee said, her tone matter-of-fact. “Or sponsors it, really, but it’s the same thing in the end. The groundskeepers are all members of the palace staff, assigned on rotation.”

“The king of Rietillia owns the council?” he asked.

Shanlee nodded. “You didn’t know that?”

“No,” he said with a quick shake of his head. An idea was forming inside his mind, like a ray of light cracking through a cloudy sky after a storm. “So then it’s the Rietillian Council of Wizards …?”

“Because it’s based in Rietillia. The king sponsors and pays for the whole thing. Why?”

He didn’t answer. There was a path along that ray of light. If the king sponsors the council … Then Soban …

“Storms and skies, I’ve been a fool!” he said, jerking upright. The motion startled Shanlee, who let out a squeak and fell over backwards off the bench.

“Sorry,” he said, helping her up with his tail. “But I’ve been a fool. Wizard Soban praised my ability to see things from another angle, but I flew ahead with my eyes on the wrong course!”

“You’re not thinking of going to the king himself, are you?” Shanlee asked, wide-eyed. “Because—”

“No no,” he said quickly, waving a paw. “No, that would simply go over the council and make me more enemies. But the king sponsors the council. In Rietillia.”

“Well … yes.”

“So I’m going to see a king,” he said, grinning. Shanlee paled slightly at the sight of his teeth, and he flinched.

“Apologies. That was a smile,” he said quickly. “A very happy smile. But I’ll need to leave quickly.” It’ll take quite a while to fly that far. And I’ll need …

He looked down at Shanlee once more. “Do you have access to the charters and regulations of the council?”

“I … Yes, I do,” Shanlee said, the expression on her face saying that she was trying to work out what he was up to but hadn’t quite gotten there yet. “But that won’t help you with the king—”

Again he shook his head, droplets of water flying from his horns. “No, I’m not going to speak to the king of Rietillia. But I will need copies of those documents. That’s allowed, correct?”

“Well … yes. I mean, you can look at them,” Shanlee said. “Copying I don’t see why not, but it would take some time.”

“A spell might make it go faster,” Ryax suggested, running over the idea in his mind. It could work. It could absolutely work. I’d need to talk to uncle, and then from there—It could work! “And I will need to fly quickly.” That’ll be the hardest part.

“Well … there’s a spell for copying text, I think,” Shanlee said. “But it’s only good for quill movements, not something that’s already been written. And it’s not very quick.”

“It’s a base to start from,” he said, looking down at her. The abyss in his chest was gone, replaced by a fiery flame that burned with purpose. “Surely between the two of us, we can think of some ways to make it quicker.”

“Well …” She hesitated slightly, eyes darting away from his for a moment and looking down at the wet stone. “You’re not going to talk to the king?”

“No,” he said, holding a set of claws to his chest. “I’m not going to speak with the king of Rietillia, nor anyone from his staff. On the shell of my egg.”

Curiosity was replacing the uncertainty on Shanlee’s face. “Well,” she said after a moment, her eyes tracking upward once more to lock with his. “I’m not sure what you’re getting at, but I can help you copy those charters.”

“Excellent,” he said, turning and looking at the council building. “Where—”

“If,” she interrupted him, holding up a hand. “If you teach me that spatial distortion spell of yours, and how it’s not a simple shrinking spell.”

“Agreed. Just not tonight. Once this is all over. Provided Wizard Hyal allows it.”

“Master Hyal may leave once the trials are over.”

“I have wings. I can follow long enough to teach you,” he said, extending and flexing his wings. “Again, if he permits it.” And he may be unhappy enough with my actions that he does not. He left that bit unsaid. “Again, agreed.”

“All right,” Shanlee said, nodding and turning on her heel. “This way.”

*             *             *

Nearly two days later, an exhausted Ryax landed on the front grounds of the council building, his chest heaving for breath and his wings burning and aching as if he’d breathed his own flame on them. The stone felt cool and inviting under his paws, like he could just curl up and go to sleep. Part of him certainly wanted to.

But he couldn’t. He ignored the burning in his limbs, the ache in his muscles from long hours of sustained flight. The pit in his belly, a sign that an earlier pause for lunch hadn’t been nearly enough to see him through the day.

But he couldn’t have afforded another stop. Or any luxury that might have slowed him down. In fact, he wasn’t sure he wasn’t too late as it was.

He turned to the nearest groundskeeper, who was still giving him a rather unwelcome look for his sudden arrival.

“My apologies,” he said, trying not to gasp for breath. “I may be late. When was the midday bell?”

The groundskeeper paused for a moment. “I’m not sure,” they said. “Maybe a while ago?”

Storms. “Thank you.” He turned and ran for the door, loping over the ground on legs that protested his every movement, stiff from being held in flight position for so long. He ignored it as best he could, bursting up the steps and through the doors, noting with new awareness the stonework proclaiming “The Rietillian Council of Wizards.”

Shanlee looked up at him from behind the admissions desk as he ploughed through the doors. “Am I late?” he asked before she could say anything. “Did I miss it?”

“It just started,” she said, motioning toward the doors. “You’re not too late—” But he was already moving, casting as he went and just barely slipping past the doorframe to burst into the council chambers.

“—not even …” Pinel’s voice died off as Ryax entered the room, leaving an uncomfortable silence in its wake.

Ryax took a moment to pull himself up, trying as best he could to not look as tired and worn as he felt. Even through the fatigue however, there was a faint thrill of nervous energy, and he fought to keep from grinning. “My apologies, councilmembers,” he said as he stepped into the center of the room, dispelling the distortion spell. “I took advantage of the recess to take care of some important business that was some distance away.” Keep the momentum going. “I trust you’ve come to a decision?”

Pinel let out a scoff and folded his arms, his voluminous sleeves reaching down below the dais. A quick glance at the other council members showed quite a few unimpressed or nonplussed faces … though there were a few also that were giving him curious, almost expectant looks. Soban’s included.

“We have,” Pinel said when no one else spoke. “We regret to inform you, apprentice—” There was a tone to the way he said “regret” that made it clear there was no such feeling where he was concerned. “—that we find your current skill and temperament unsuited for acceptance by this council.”

“Not all of us, Pinel,” one of the other council members said, glaring at the wizard.

Pinel let out another scoff. “A few may feel otherwise, but this is a council, and the rules are clear. To accept the posting of a new wizard, a number of us must agree. Far too many of us, Apprentice Ryax, find you unsuitable for the title.” Pinel was staring right at him now, and Ryax had to fight not to grin. “Therefore, you are not to be granted the title of wizard at this time. Nor, with the showing you’ve made, from your theories to your obvious disrespect to this council in showing up late to your own trial, would I expect you to ever be ready for such.”

Ryax couldn’t hold it back any longer. He smiled, and for a brief moment Pinel’s smug expression slipped to one of confusion.

“Thank you for the answer, Wizard Pinel,” Ryax said, bowing his head slightly. “But I actually came today to announce that I was withdrawing my candidacy before this council. In addition, I must ask that you address me by my proper title.”

”Proper title?” The look of self-assured aggrandizement was back, but it didn’t quite reach Pinel’s eyes. There was a hint of alarm there. “What title?”

“Why wizard, of course,” Ryax said, smiling. “Wizard Ryax.”

The outroar from the rest of the council was instantaneous, overshadowed only by Pinel’s swift response. “You dare?” he began, rising and leaning forward over the dais. “You insult this council after hearing their decision—”

“The decision is not yours to make!” Ryax shot back, applying his spatial distortion spell but growing this time rather than shrinking, rising above Pinel. “Nor,” he said more quietly as Pinel jerked back in shock, momentarily stunned, “am I insulting this council or their decision. I do not hold the title of wizard … from the Rietillian Council of Wizards.”

At the edge of his focus, Soban smiled.

Keep the momentum. Keep flying.

“Because that’s what this is,” Ryax said, spreading his claws and waving at the rest of the chamber while he looked down at Pinel. “The Rietillian council. Funded, sponsored, and operated by the royal governing family of Rietillia.”

“And in that sense,” he continued, now turning his gaze toward Chobran. “You are free to accept or refuse members as you see fit, according to the charter and authority granted to you by the King of Rietillia, to teach and mold members accordingly.”

“Exactly.” It was Chobran who had spoken up. “We are wizards. And you cannot just call yourself—”

“Do you speak for the whole of the known empires then?” he asked, cutting her off. Chobran’s eyes widened, but she didn’t reply.

“No,” he said. “I thought not. Or rather, I know you do not. At its heart, this council is of the Rietillian kingdom, not the empires as a whole.”

Soban was still smiling, his amused look the glancing focus of several other curious councilmembers.

“As such,” Ryax continued, “you have the authority to grant or strip someone of the title of ‘wizard’ … but only so far as the limits of your own council are concerned.”

“But we are the council!” Pinel finally spoke up, red faced. “The only council of wizards in the empires!”

“Not anymore,” Ryax said, grinning and giving the councilmember a glimpse of just a bit of tooth. He reached into his satchel, pulling out the document he’d flown back with so quickly. “This,” he said, holding it up. “Is a copy of a new charter, signed by the Imperial Council of Delaria, establishing a new council of wizards in Helmson, officially operating under the jurisdiction of—and therefore recognized by—the Delarian Empire. Neighbor state to Rietillia.”

“As you can see,” he said, pointing at the document. “That is the Imperial seal, and those are the signatures of each of the Imperial Councilmembers and the Emperor himself. They have established the Imperial Wizard’s Court, of which I am a recognized member.” The only member thus far, he added mentally. Though he suspected that would change quickly as word got around.

“You— You—” Pinel seemed to be having trouble speaking, his face having taken on a shade somewhat reminiscent of a root vegetable. “You—!”

“So, councilmembers,” Ryax continued, dispelling the spatial distortion and returning everything to its normal space. “You cannot at this time reject my trial, as I withdraw it myself, requesting only that you address me by my proper title, as is fitting of equals.” Pinel let out a strangled sound not unlike that of a dying goose. Chobran didn’t appear to be very happy either. “Wizard Ryax. Though, of course, as equals, we may simply dispense with the formalities and refer to one another by name alone.”

“No.” Chobran spoke again. “You cannot do this. You cannot!”

“By whose authority?” Ryax asked, turning to look at her. “Do you command the Imperial Court of Delaria?”

“You’re not a wizard,” Chobran replied. “You’re just … some fool dragon with delusions!”

“Then you are a fool woman with the same delusion,” Ryax replied, folding his wings and sitting casually on his haunches. “You’re only recognized as a ‘wizard’ because the title is given weight and authority by the kingdom of Rietillia. And that only happened because two-hundred years ago the Rietillian king decided to organize magic users across the kingdoms in a council that he backed.”

“This will not stand,” Chobran said, eyes narrowing. “I won’t allow it!”

“Wizard Chobran.” The words were stern as Soban rose from his seat at last. “Kindly refrain from accusing fellow wizards or speaking ill of them based off of your personal differences in this chamber.”

“Fellow wizards!?” Pinel had finally found his voice. “You actually expect—?”

“Yes!” Soban’s voice thundered through the chamber like a storm, taking Pinel aback. “Because what are we going to do about it, Pinel? Go crying to the king, like wayward apprentices who have had our hands slapped? Demand that they what? Enter a war with the Delarian Empire over another formally recognized council of wizards?” He shook his head. “We’d only make a mockery of ourselves. Wizard Ryax, whether or not you respect the title, now bears it, from a hand other than our own. And we have no say in it.”

“Thank you, spokesman,” Ryax said with a nod of his head. “And I believe that concludes our—or rather, my—business here. As I am no longer in need of the approval of this council, and no longer an apprentice, my trial is therefore, no longer a concern. But I thank you for your time, and look forward to speaking with you in the future.”

“Well,” he added as he looked at Pinel. “Some of you, anyway.”

“It’ll never work.”

“Pardon?” He turned to look at Chobran.

“It won’t work,” she said again. “It’s a farce. You may have been granted the title of wizard, but you’ll never truly be one.”

“I won’t be the kind of wizard you aspire to be,” he countered. Then he grinned. “And personally? I’m at peace with that.” He turned his focus back to the council as a whole. “News of the new council will be arriving shortly, I’m sure, but for now councilmembers, I must bid you farewell. I have a lot of work to do.”

He turned for the exit, noticing as he did so that the doors were still open. Shanlee was holding them, a look of stunned astonishment on her face.

The council, at least, waited until he had left to explode in a flurry of shouting that was still faintly audible even behind closed doors. Soban will have his hands full keeping order, Ryax thought with a smile. But none of that matters to me!

And it didn’t. That was the best part. Sure, there might be some sociopolitical rumblings from the Rietillian King when he realized he no longer sponsored the only council of wizards, but that wasn’t going to dissuade the Delarian Empire.

“So.” Shanlee’s voice interrupted his warm thoughts, scattering them. “That’s who you were going to speak to. It was a king. Just not the Rietillian one.”

“I did specify that,” he said, raising one claw. “I was very careful with my wording. Also, technically he’s an emperor, not a king.”

“That was why you wanted copies of the charter.”

He nodded. “So that the imperial Council would have a framework to examine while building their own, yes.”

“All right,” Shanlee said. “But how?”

“My uncle is a respected banker in Helmson,” he explained. “With his connections and sponsorship, I was able to meet with a few members of the council, who then called an emergency meeting to discuss it, brought it to the emperor’s attention, and approved it. It’s been … a frantic two days,” he admitted, wings and shoulders sagging slightly. “And I ache from the flight. I’m exhausted.”

“And officially a wizard now.”

“Yes.” He smiled. “I am.”

“Well then … what now?”

He shrugged. “Back to the inn to rest. Eat. Clean up. I stink of travel.”

“You do,” Shanlee said with a laugh. “A bit. But what about after that?”

“Head back to Helmson.” There had been a lot of time during his flight back to think about it. “By now news will have spread through the empire. Finding patronage should be easier. And I’ll have some slight financial backing from the Imperial Council as well, though I’m not certain how much. But then? Research! Wonderful spell research!” Despite his weariness, the thought sent an elated surge of energy through him. “On the ancients and their ruins, I think.”

“Is there time in that plan for an apprenticeship?”

“I …” His thoughts scattered like a flock of birds on the wind. “What?”

“Wait for me for just a moment?” Shanlee strode back over to the doors, wrenching them open. Shouts poured out in a cacophony of noise as she stepped inside, one hand holding the portal open. Ryax had just enough time to catch someone saying “—never stand …” before the voice trailed off, and then Soban’s voice carried through the chamber.

“Yes, apprentice? Is it time for the next trial?”

“No,” Shanlee said, shaking her head. “I just needed to speak to Master Hyal for a brief moment. Master Hyal? I hereby withdraw from my apprenticeship. Thank you for your time and instruction. Good day.”

She backed out of the doors, letting them swing shut on a stunned silence.

“He was never really interested in teaching me anyway,” Shanlee said as she looked back at Ryax. “He only did it because the council asked him to. Besides which, I learned more spell theory helping you copy the charter the other night than I have in two years serving as Hyal’s apprentice. Therefore—” She straightened, then bowed. “Wizard Ryax the Dedicated, I respectfully request that I be allowed to serve and learn as your apprentice.”

“I …” He tapped a claw against his chin, stalling as he formed a response. “I’m not certain my new position has a title for that. But until we can ascertain what the position will be …” She is bright, friendly, and intelligent. “I accept.” Shanlee’s face lit up. “Though I’m not certain what sort of teaching it may be. Are you all right with learning as we go?”

“Master Ryax, it would be my honor.”

“Very well then.” He took a quick look around the entryway. “Then let’s go to the inn, and you can send for your things, wherever they are. We’ll figure out the formalities later. Just … don’t call me ‘master.’ Ryax will do.”

She smiled. “Very well then. Ryax it is.”

“And you Shanlee?”

“I’d like that. Wizard Ryax.”

He grinned as he moved for the exit. “That I’m more than all right with. I like the way it sounds.”

“So would I.”

“No,” he said, glancing at her as she cocked her head to one side. “So will you. You’re committed now.”

Shanlee grinned. “I like the sound of that, too.”

He returned her grin with one of his own, and this time she didn’t flinch. “It’s going to be a lot of hard work.”

“Will it require me to fly across an entire kingdom in less than two days’ time?”

“It might,” he admitted as they stepped out under the brilliant blue sky. “But if it does, then rest assured I will have been sure to teach you well enough that you will have wings. Now, let’s get some food.”

Tired as he was, he felt like he was soaring.

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Woo! How many of you saw that coming? Ryax is on his way into the history books, it seems, and who knows what chaos his presence might cause next! I hope you enjoyed this look into Axtara’s older sibling. If you liked what you read, you might want to check out the best-selling Axtara – Banking and Finance, a fantastical Young Adult Cozy Fantasy about dragons and banking, available wherever you get your books. Or if you’ve already read that, then you’re probably even more interested in the sequel, Magic and Mischief, which is almost here (check the site news)!

Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you soon for another adventure!