Chapter 36

Tean and Rod found Zeke in the workshop about an hour later.

“This is a sweet ship, Boss,” Tean said as they came up to Zeke.

Zeke gave her a slight smile. “She is growing on me. I ran Bella, my old ship, for many years. She wasn’t laid out as well as Freya is. Most of the reason why I designed her this way. I have a question for you both?”

Looking at them, he felt he already had his answer, but he had to ask anyway.

“Would either of you be opposed to becoming Rookie magicians? You will both answer to me and be my responsibility.”

They grinned at him.

“When?” Tean asked.

“Now, if you’re agreeable. You will have to take the pledge. Once you do, there is no going back. It is a life-altering experience, and it is for life. You need to understand the restrictions and live by the rules of magic and the laws of where you reside.”

“I’ve read everything that Lee has posted online and talked to several of her people. I’m in,” Rod responded emphatically.

“Same here, except that, I’ve also heard all the family stories. If you have any spare items, I know a few people who would love to meet you. While we all admire Queen Lee, it would be nicer if we had a wizard who lived a bit closer to report to and to get help from.”

“Can you tell us which gems you have?” Rod asked politely.

Zeke gave a soft laugh. He didn’t have to go any further if he sought converts. His entity, or magical guide, as he thought of him, gave Zeke the feeling that he was pleased that Zeke was finding more people like himself. His guide often gave Zeke the impression that he worried about him being alone.

Zeke released the seal of his jumpsuit and opened it to his waist. He pulled the collar open to bare the points of his shoulders. It felt a bit weird exposing his Usekh to others. He knew that Ptah, his predecessor, often wore the Usekh openly but with the gems and magical symbols hidden.

Ptah had also spelled the wand to display Egyptian symbols when extended, so it looked like the one in the carvings and statues people had made of him. Zeke had removed the spell. He had no intention of emulating Ptah or creating a religious cult. It just wasn’t his thing.

Zeke may not have been the entity’s first choice as a host, but at the time, he was its best choice if it wished freedom from exile. Zeke had the potential to wield higher magic, just not the same mindset as the previous owner.

At the time, the entity thought he could modify the boy to his way of thinking. He was at a malleable age, even if very young, to be a Lord Wizard. He hadn’t reckoned on Zeke’s force of will or innate sense of justice.

The entity couldn’t change the spells on an item that selected a candidate, only its own willingness to also accept that person. He did like that Zeke had an adventure mind. Ptah had become so paranoid towards the end that he wasn’t fun anymore.

So, it accepted Zeke.

Zeke had the Usekh appear.

He wasn’t really surprised to receive stunned looks from Tean and Rod. However, them dropping to their knees and taking the classic Egyptian supplicant’s position shocked him.

“Shit!” he exclaimed angrily.

“Ptah, you were definitely a bastard, and a fucking, son of a bitch. No wonder you didn’t object to slaves.”

Zeke formed a spell in his mind and then wiped his hand down over the front of the Usekh to remove the devotion spell from it. The Usekh glowed brightly, and the glow changed colours several times as he forced the spell to unravel and dissipate. It had a firm hold and didn’t go willingly.

Once Zeke was sure that it was gone and no other nasty spells were on the item, he then touched Tean on the head. He removed the spell and, hopefully, its effects before removing the spells from Rod. He helped them to their feet.

“Sorry about that. Lee didn’t react when I showed her the Usekh, so I didn’t know about the damn devotion spell. Hopefully, it won’t leave any residual effects. She could have told me. I now realise that she subtly tried to remove it.”

“That was a bizarre feeling,” Tean admitted. “I could see how people who are happy to let someone else direct their lives wouldn’t even question their devotion.”

As Zeke did up his suit, he replied, “Unfortunately, there are a lot of people like that. From what I’ve read, both online and from his journals. Ptah, the previous owner, had a huge cult following that lasted centuries.”

“I guess he thought that if people were devoted to him, they were less likely to want to kill him. A twisted logic, but then the culture at the time was more barbaric than today. I can only guess that my friends weren’t affected because I didn’t expose them to the Usekh.”

Rod chuckled, “I don’t think people have really changed that much. We just hide our natures better and use different tools and methods to achieve our desires. People are still people, regardless of their culture or laws decree.”

“Unfortunately, I have to agree with you. I just need to train my entity to understand the differences. He can be a bit bloodthirsty and believes in an eye for an eye. I’m not after devotion or supplicants, just friends and respect.”

Tean shrugged, “Either way, I have no objections to having a Lord Wizard as a boss, Boss.”

The trio had a lot of fun.

Tean received the gems for Physics and Lore. Rod got Psychic and Nature. His opals indicated his orientation was more towards people. While he had first-aid training, he wasn’t inclined towards medicine. He was more interested in why people did what they did.