The Sorcerer's Quest by Rain Oxford

crackling sphere of magic above me.
Encouraged, I concentrated harder. Soon, the energy started darkening until it
was black, after which it began to grow. As it grew larger, it became more
solid, until it was the creature from my mind. My wand and staff stopped
pouring magic into it.
    The beast was dark brown, furry, and about the size
of Merlin, with two arms and two legs. Although it looked skinny, I knew it had
much more strength than any man. It also had two large, black, bat wings
suspending it in the air and a row of four tentacles down each of its sides.
The tentacles were black and writhing wildly. The creature itself studied me
closely like it didn’t know if I was dinner or not.
    “ Control it before it gets away ,” Merlin
cautioned.
    I waved my wand at it. “Sit,” I said. Its wings
clamped shut and the poor beast hit the ground hard. I winced, but didn’t go to
it because it was still dangerous. “What do I do now?”
    “ Banish it for now. Lock the power in your mind so
that he is basically only in your head. Later, you can call him again and
practice having him do something simple. You need to teach him to come when you
call and that he is not to exist when you have no use for him .”
    “That seems a little harsh.”
    “ No more than making him sleep. Use your wand for
this and set aside your staff .”
    I nodded. My staff was unstable. Unfortunately, when
I set it down, the crystal at the end flashed brightly and shot energy into the
wand in my other hand, which vanished. “Oh, no.”
    Merlin sighed, and the creature took flight. When the
beast dived threateningly at Merlin, I swung the staff instinctively. The
creature got out of the way in time to avoid the blow and then flew off into
the sky until I couldn’t see him anymore.
    “We have to find my wand.” I knew it hadn’t been
destroyed; I always felt it when my mother disposed of my previous ones. “I
have an idea, but you’re not going to like it.”
    “ I have a premonition that I will feel that way
about all of your ideas .”
     
    *          *          *
     
    “So, let me get this straight. You found a magic
staff with a dark and mysterious background and you used it. Each time, it was
unpredictable and dangerous. Then you decided to create a monster using the
staff and bind the monster to your wand. Once the monster had formed, your
staff shot your wand and the wand vanished, effectively freeing the monster. Is
that right?” Dessa asked.
    “Well, when you put it that way, it sounds
irresponsible.”
    Fortunately, the seer tournaments last for days, so
we were able to return and find Dessa.
    The seer sighed. “Obviously, your staff holds a power
neither of you fully understand.”
    Merlin made a low growl. “ I am hundreds of years
older than you, soothsayer .”
    Of course, Dessa couldn’t hear him, and I wasn’t
about to insult her for him. “The only reason I can think of for your staff
attacking your wand is that it was jealous you were using the wand.”
    I blinked, not sure I heard her correctly. “Jealous?
How can a sorcerer staff be jealous?”
    “Set it here on the table,” she said.
    I did, carefully. She opened a silver case where she
kept one of her crystal balls, pulled out a pair of white silk gloves, and
slipped them on. I felt uncomfortable when she ran her fingers delicately over
the crystal, as if I was afraid she would break it. Then her eyes turned white,
the crystal pulsed with a dim glow, and my skin crawled.
    When she finally let go, I stepped between her and
the staff. “So, do you know where I can find my wand?”
    “I do. Your mother is the only sorceress known to
have slayed a dragon.”
    “Actually, she was just trying to train… never mind.”
    “The staff has sent your wand to---”
    “I’m not fighting a dragon,” I interrupted.
    “No. It sent your wand to the ruins of a castle that
was brought down by dragons. Your wand is hidden in a mound of treasure and