The Attack of Ganhai Mountain

I've done it!

Leevan paced back and forth.  He was getting anxious.  He still couldn't think of a spell.  making people fall up the mountain?  No, they would still have to pass through the magical traps, which they couldn't afford to at those speeds.  Flying?  No, that enchanted fog would leave them wide open to attack from Hurvun's lightning.  Magic stairway?  Teleportation?  None of it would work!

He had no way up getting up the mountain, and either could he think of something to protect them from lightning.  That kind of attack would eventually destroy any defenses he could come up with.  The only way to protect against it when it shot from his eye

He tripped and fell.  He looked but didn't see what he had tripped on.  He felt around and found that rock he had managed to turn invisible before.  He almost threw it in frustration!

"You stupid!" but he stopped and looked at it.  Making the rock invisible because it didn't want to be thrown around wouldn't work on much else, but it was a start.  The only way to beat the lightning, as far as he could tell, was to not be seen.  Maybe an enchanted fog, but he couldn't think of how to cast such a spell.

He had only one choice.  True invisibility.

The trouble was his spells either wouldn't work, or he couldn't think of how to perform them, and it was the same for getting up the mountain or turning invisible.  It was maddening!  The thing is he knew it didn't matter if he or the other magicians thought up the spells.  They needed one to get up the mountain and one to beat Hurvun.  It didn't matter where it came from.  But to see another smirk on Maelin's face

He had to think up a spell.  Besides, General Hevman was counting on him.  In a way, there was someone else counting on him.  His father

He pulled out his amulet.  It was a symbol of his the order of the sun, which the amulet was shaped like.  He remembered when he first got accepted a magician there.  He was only twelve, but he was beginning his journey in magic.  He promised his father

"I'll be the best magician ever father, just you wait!"

His father chuckled, "You see that boy over there."

Leevan had looked and seen Maelin for the first time.  His was with his own father, who looked rather scary with his sharp eyes and goatee.

"That man," said Leevan's father. "Expects his son to be the best.  You see how scared that boy is of his own father?"

It was true.  Maelin looked nervous, especially when he met his father's gaze.

"I don't ever want you to look at me like that.  You hear me?  Don't try to be the best magician here.  Be the best you can be."

Leevan nodded.

Back in the present day, holding that invisible rock in one hand and his amulet in the other, Leevan thought.  He didn't have to make both spells.  Just one.  The other magicians could figure the other one for all he cared.  He just needed one.

He looked at the rock, trying to think of something.  He scratched his arm.  His cloak really was itchy.  And ugly too.  He would rather not have to look at it.  And maybe...it wouldn't want to be looked at!

That's it!  All he had to do was convince his cloak it didn't want to be seen!  He spoke the magic words   and his cloak disappeared   but he didn't.

A linen shirt with long sleeves and long linen pants might not seem very embarrassing to you, but as far as Leevan was concerned he was in nothing but his undergarments.  He let out a yelp and said magic words to convince the cloak it would rather not be known as the cloak of someone who went out in public like this.  The cloak faded back.

Leevan calmed down, and then sat down.  He was getting closer.  He knew it.  He could make anything ugly invisible.  That was a start, but he wasn't very ugly himself.  And there was no way his amulet was ugly. It was the only attractive thing he had really.  His cloak was definitely a start though.  It was so ugly that Maelin and the others rarely let him be seen with them.  As attractive as their cloaks were, they didn't want to be seen with his ugly brown one.  A pauper magician's cloak.

Attractive, and not wanting to be seen with something so ugly?

He had another idea.  It was his last shot.  If it didn't work, he was sunk.  He convinced the amulet that it didn't want to be seen with such clothes, or someone who would wear them, and that it would be better to go unseen.  He spoke the magic words, put on the amulet

And disappeared.

He took the amulet off and reappeared.  It worked!  It really worked!  he could only use it wearing ugly clothes, but he had a spell that could beat Hurvun!  He had a spell of his own that could be used more than once!

He ran out to the rest of the army and shouted at the top of his lungs, "I know how to beat Hurvun!  I know how to beat him!  We just need to make our clothes really ugly!"

Everyone looked at him open mouthed, as if he was crazy.