Contractor by Andrew Ball Page B

need to find out what
    your talent is. A moment." Xik closed his
    eyes and murmured something. He waved his
    hand, but nothing happened that Daniel could
    see. After some silence, he looked up.
    "Speed. And a secondary ability, to imbue
    objects with durability and force. That goes
    beyond their ability to harm Vorid."
    "I thought I’d be throwing fireballs or
    something."
    "An important aspect of magic is
    physical enhancement. You can move faster
    than the average human. Running speed,
    reflexes."
    "So I’m the Flash?"
    Xik frowned, baffled. "Afraid I’m not
    familiar."
    "He’s a superhero."
    "Superhero?"
    "A hero," Daniel said, "only super."
    "…how illuminating."
    "Don’t worry about it."
    Xik cleared his throat. "Your secondary
    ability will be useful. Your enchantment can
    apply to more or less anything you touch, but
    you should work with your hands first. That
    will help you get used to manipulating the
    energy."
    Daniel rubbed his knuckles. "I don’t
    really want to touch that thing."
    "No time for squeamishness. But don’t
    be in a hurry, there’s plenty more
    fundamentals."
    "Felix doesn’t have the time for this sh -
    " Daniel stopped himself, and took a breath.
    "The sooner, the better."
    "I’ll explain as quickly as possible,"
    Xik said. "But this is important, so listen
    closely." Daniel leaned forward. "Contractor magic—your powers—are already
    undetectable by other magicians. Your soul,
    however, can still be detected. That’s going
    to be a problem if you’re ever found
    somewhere you’re not supposed to be."
    "Ok. So what do I do about it?"
    "What I’m about to teach you is more
    valuable than the strongest attack. Not even
    the Vorid have grasped Klide concealment
    techniques. To be hidden is to survive."
    ****
    Daniel trod down the stairs and into the
    living room the old fashioned way. Felix
    was still lounging on the couch. After-school
    cartoons blared from the television.
    Apparently all the fun upstairs didn’t leak
    out. Xik walked next to him, watching.
    "Hey Felix," Daniel said.
    Felix’s eyes stayed on the TV. "Huh?"
    "Stand up for a second." Daniel grabbed
    Felix under the shoulders, lifted him up, and
    set him on his feet. The Vorid wobbled
    slightly. Daniel’s face scrunched up. That
    thing was nasty.
    "What are you doing?" Felix said. "I’m trying to watch!"
    "Hold still. There’s something on your
    back."
    Daniel drew his fist back and
    concentrated. A tendril of force snaked from
    his core and out into his hand. The skin of his
    forearm and fingers glowed with soft white
    light. He punched the Vorid straight on.
    It shrieked like a cat thrown into a pool.
    A smoking, cracked crater was left on its
    spine, harsh and pale against the black. The
    tentacles withdrew from Felix and snapped
    back into its body like a turtle retreating into
    its shell. It leapt off Felix’s back and
    skittered across the floor.
    "Don’t let it get away!" Xik shouted.
    The Vorid made for the front of the
    house. Daniel pounded his legs into the
    ground, and, in an instant, he’d passed it by.
    He swiveled, surprised by his own
    speed, but managed to get himself between it
    and the door. The Vorid hesitated. Daniel
    came down hard with his foot, pushing the
    power into his heel. It tried to jump again,
    but the bottom of his shoe was faster. He
    crushed it like a cockroach.
    It twitched once, went still; and then it
    started to fall apart. The slimy black body
    crumbled to a fine dust.
    If they weren’t inside, he’d think a wind
    had caught the remains. The pile of crumbs
    drifted into the air like dust kicked high on a
    hot day—black, volcanic dust. The dark
    cloud rushed into Daniel’s chest.
    A surge of energy hit him like a rock.
    His heart skipped a beat, injected with the
    magical equivalent of an adrenaline shot and
    five cups of coffee. His fists clenched tight.
    It felt good.
    Felix turned around and scratched his
    head. "Uh…what was that about?"
    Daniel straightened and