The Sorcerer's Apprentice Page #2

Cheerio, Balthazar!

I thought B- was generous.

I've recently been released

from a 10-year sentence,

during which the only reading material

available to me

was your so-called report

on Napoleon Bonaparte

from your school bag.

Your analysis was obvious,

your prose was weak.

- I was nine.

- Irrelevant.

Where's the Grimhold?

That doll you took from the shop.

The doll held something very powerful.

Something very important to me.

You had it last.

I want it back.

Listen, I'm...

- I threw it in the street.

- Where's the Grimhold?

It's been a long time.

I don't actually know where it is.

I'll cut the truth out of you.

Sweet.

Get him.

Wolves? No, no, no, no.

Oh!

Thank you.

Wolves.

Man, oh, man, oh, man, oh, man.

No, no, no.

Oh, no!

Kill him.

No!

Puppies?

Oh, my.

No way.

Where's the doll, Dave?

Him, him.

All right, get up here.

Now! Now! Hurry!

Oh, no!

This is not happening.

This is not happening.

I taste sour in my mouth.

Take it easy, Dave. Deep breaths.

What?

Now that is not happening!

What's wrong?

What is it?

No, no, no, no!

You are not doing this to me again!

Do you have any idea what my life

has been like for the last 10 years?

I've been stuck in an urn

for the last 10 years.

So have I! A figurative urn of ridicule.

Do you know that in certain parts

of the tri-state area,

they still refer

to having a nervous breakdown

as "pulling a David Stutler"?

Did you know that?

Try to be a good listener, Dave.

That doll is called the Grimhold.

It is a prison for the most dangerous

Morganians in history,

each one locked up

in a layer of the doll.

Horvath wants to free his fellow

Morganians and destroy the world.

This must not happen.

Yeah. For sure.

The truth is,

you have a very special gift.

You need to see that.

I just want to be normal.

Normal life. I want to forget about

that day at Arcana Cabana.

I want to forget about magic.

I want to forget everything.

- You should duck.

- What?

You want to forget magic?

Then why did you keep the ring?

I was going to sell that on eBay.

You're still a bad liar, Dave.

I like that about you. It's a good sign.

You have the gift.

No, I have a life.

You're the last person Horvath saw

with the Grimhold.

That puts you on his list.

So unless you want him to turn you

into a pig who just loves physics,

then you better help me

find that doll before he does.

This is crazy.

You see how crazy this is, right?

All right. All right.

You help me get it back, you're done.

- Really?

- You can walk away.

Can you please put my dresser back?

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

What are you... Oh, no.

Please don't do that.

What are you doing?

What?

- Whoa. What is that?

- It's my Grimhold tracking device.

Biometric pressure spell displaces

the atmosphere above the doll.

Looks like downtown.

If we can track the Grimhold,

so can Horvath.

- So why don't we just take the eagle?

- Too high-profile for a trip downtown.

- I'll have to call you a tow.

- Won't be necessary.

Yeah, but this car's been impounded

for 10 years.

This is low-profile.

She missed me.

I'm going to give you the basics.

Strictly Sorcery 101. Put on the ring.

Nothing's going to happen.

Yeah?

Kidding. You've heard how people use

only 10% of their brains?

Sorcerers can manipulate matter

because they're born with the capability

to use the entire power of their brains.

Which also explains why molecular

physics comes so easily to you.

So, wait. Is sorcery science or magic?

Yes and yes.

For now, all you need

is a basic combat spell.

Making fire.

What causes molecules to heat up?

They vibrate.

Everything we see

is in a constant state of vibration,

thus the illusion of solidity.

But how do we take

that which appears solid

and have it burst into flames?

We will the vibrations to go faster.

Step one, clear your mind.

Step two, see the molecules.

Step three, make them shake.

- Got it?

- No! I definitely don't "got it."

Trust the ring, Dave.

And keep it subtle.

Civilians mustn't know magic exists.

That would be complicated.

Says the guy in the 350-year-old

rawhide trench coat.

I threw it in the street.

It's been a long time.

I don't actually know where it is.

I threw it in the street.

Don't go in there!

Ew! He peed his pants!

The store's on fire! Don't go in!

Those guys are...

It's just water! There was a fire!

I threw it in the street.

But where?

Get out of the way, freak!

I need to pull in there!

Are you addressing me?

Hey, don't mess with me.

Where was I?

Chinatown.

This is it. I'll get the Grimhold.

Keep an eye out for Horvath.

Hi.

Can I help you?

Do you have an appointment?

I'm sorry to trouble you.

I'm looking for a...

Well, it's rather strange.

It's a nesting doll. It's about this big.

Angry-looking Chinese gentleman

on the front.

- Nesting doll?

- Yes.

It's possible. I collect so many objects.

Ah!

You speak Mandarin.

Ah.

That was Cantonese, Horvath.

The Grimhold. Where is it?

An old associate of mine

speaks impeccable Cantonese.

He lived about 200 years ago.

Know him? Sun Lok.

Of course you do.

You locked him inside the Grimhold.

Whoops.

Opened it.

Whoa!

Are you all right?

Looks like...

What the...

Yay!

I'm like one of them.

Dave?

You should run.

Sorry. Sorry. I'm sorry.

Be still.

Balthazar!

Oh, God. Come on.

You skipped the first step!

- Clear your mind!

- Skipped the first step.

Clear my mind? Are you insane?

Little bit.

Oh, man.

This is it.

Clear your mind. Believe.

Yeah!

Go Team Magical Stuff!

Did you see that?

Did you see what I just did?

I did it.

It can't be.

Unbelievable.

Hey, what do you got?

Did you see what happened here?

You know what? Bottle rocket meets

paper dragon in this Asian festival.

Lit it up like a birthday cake.

We got swamped with calls

saying there was a real dragon.

Between you and me, Cap,

I think some of these folks

were hitting the sake pretty hard.

Sake's Japanese, actually.

Carry on.

- "Sake's Japanese"?

- Well, it is.

- I was in character.

- Oh, right.

You may now return the ring to me.

I'm a man of my word.

You helped me, we're done.

Right. Right.

I'd like to learn some more.

We'll need a place to work.

Somewhere under Horvath's radar.

I think I can help with that.

This was originally

a subway turnaround.

They let me work down here

because some of my experiments

skew a bit dangerous.

Oh, my professor has a hookup,

so nobody knows we're down here.

Oh.

I didn't have a chance

to give you this before.

Your Encantus.

I remember it being bigger.

Pocket edition.

The Encantus is our textbook.

The art and science and history

of sorcery.

Including our recent history as well.

Come on.

See? There you are.

Oh.

Before we can put Horvath

back inside the Grimhold,

we must first turn you into a sorcerer,

which begins now.

Step back.

- I really was doing stuff.

- Eyes open.

Mouth closed.

This is the Merlin Circle.

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