Read Online Mage Catalyst by Christopher George - Free Book Online Page A

you looked last time we met I was sure you’d be a cloud of ash right about now,” Renee continued lightly.
“I guess that means you owe me a Coke,” I said.
“You don’t understand, but you will,” she continued, unabashed. “You’ve obviously learned some level of control.”
“Control? No, not really, I just can’t seem to control anything.”
She raised her eyebrows.
“I tore a hole in my mother’s garage roof,” I announced guiltily, then snickered involuntarily.
    “How?” Renee’s voice had taken on a dangerous quality, her eyes had narrowed and I could see her irises had taken on the ‘stranger’s look’ as she gazed at me. It was unsettling.
I glanced around the bar nervously. I was reassured by the fact there were witnesses about. Although, I reflected grimly, if she wanted to be rid of me, I doubted the presence of the other bar patrons would present much in the way of resistance.
“I threw a metal ring through it,” I said, deciding that it was best to opt for truth.
“Threw?” There was a small facial twitch. She was having trouble not grinning.
    “Like you threw me into that wall, last week.”
The grin disappeared.
“You saw me do that and now you’re attempting it?” Her voice went deadly quiet.
“Is that not normal?” I asked carefully.
“No, none of this is normal. Firstly, our kind usually manifests long before eighteen and secondly they don’t see other spells and then figure them out on the first try.”
“Hey, it took me all afternoon to figure it out!” I protested.
“What? It only took you an afternoon?“ she hissed. “Please.” She leaned in close and stared daggers into my eyes. “You’re not supposed to be able to learn spells simply by watching them!” Her voice had a hint of hysteria.
“Whoa, wait… calm down,” I pleaded, taken aback by her ferocity.
Renee’s eyes flashed angrily. “Eventually you’re going to kill yourself or, worse, you’ll end up on the nightly news! Which will bring your trouble down on me!” she yelled. “And you think I should be calm about it?”
I didn’t say anything. I was scared I would drive her away.
“I can’t tell if you’re telling me the truth or not,” Renee whispered darkly.
“Everything I’ve said is true!” I protested weakly.
“I wasn’t going to give you this, but I can see it’s no longer my choice.” Renee pulled an older style floppy disk out of her pocket and passed it over to me. She passed me the disk as if she was passing on something very dangerous.
“It’s a treatise on mana,” she said carefully, “written by my grandfather. It will help you.”
“Mana?”
I’d read about mana when I was researching magic at school. It was the term used for the magical force that powered the spells that wizards used. I supposed, looking down at the blue particles lining my arms, it seemed as good a term as any.
“This old disk is a spell book?” I asked as I slowly rolled the disk over in my hands.
“What were you expecting? A gold-plated, engraved, tome of a book bound in human flesh? That can only be read by moonlight?” she said.
I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but a piece of technology small enough to fit in the palm of my hand definitely wasn’t it.
“What would have happened if I hadn’t learned some control?” I enquired. I wasn’t sure if I wanted an answer.
“If you were still as jazzed up as you were last week, I would have let you go,” she said. She looked a little guilty to be admitting it.
“And what would have happened to me?”
“The mana in your body would have burned you out and you would have died.” Renee refused to look me directly in the eyes.
    “I could have died because of this? And you didn’t tell me?”
“Hey, I’m telling you now, alright? So just drop it!” she demanded. “Besides, I would have done you more harm than good last week anyway!”
“You were going to let me die,” I repeated, staggered.
“I said