Stacy Pendragon

A whole new world . . . just not in the Aladdin sense

CHAPTER SEVEN

       I was floating. I think I was dreaming. I was floating in vast white nothingness. Was I dead? I felt as dead as death itself. My body felt light and lifeless in this space that had no gravity. But I had awareness. I couldn’t feel my body but I managed to keep my eyes open. The brightness hurt my eyes. I shut them immediately.

        “Stacy?” Zeke’s voice was barely a whisper.

        It called again, then again and again getting more audible with each call. I tried to call back but I couldn’t find my voice. I wondered if the explosion had killed him and Serah too. That's what he must have seen when his magic circle malfunctioned and blew up. But why did he jump toward the circle if he knew it would explode? Was he trying to save me again? I opened my eyes to the general direction where I thought the voice came from. I saw no one. The bright light dimmed. It kept dimming till I could fully open my eyes.

       Colors swirled into view, creating images and painting a scenery. When it was all done, I now floated in the middle of a great  medieval hall. At one side was a hearth, blue flames from it lighting up the room. I saw the silhouette of a man seated on an elaborate chair in front of the fire. He sat regally and in charge. Whoever he was, he had lots of authority and control.

          On the side opposite the seated man was a set of double wooden doors which swung open letting in a man dressed in black (why is it always black). His left hand rested on the pommel of his sword. He had jet black hair and skin as white as the limbo I just left. Following him, was the largest wolf I had ever seen. It was the size of a buffalo, with gray fur and cold dark eyes like its master’s. I was floating right in front of them, but they walked through me like I was just an insignificant cloud of smoke. That was the last straw it took to convince me I was really dead. He reached the man in the chair and knelt on one knee.

       “My lord” he said in an icy voice. His teeth were sharp and pointy like he filed them regularly. “We have received no news about the girl.”

      Man-in-the-chair said nothing for a while. Then he spoke in a voice that was strangely familiar.

     “How does she escape your grasp each time? How is she alive? From what I heard she is not even aware of her magical heritage. She doesn’t even know about her powers.”

        So this is the guy who wanted me dead. If only I could float over to get a better view of his face. But I had no control over this form.

       “It is true that she came of age just four days ago. At the hour when she did, I sent two of the Alpha Screechers under my service to kill her. They did succeed to kill her escort. But something happened that we never expected. The outlaw came to her aid.”

        He clutched his armrests tighter now.

       “He is no longer on Earth.” came his voice. “He is within our reach. I think, Vitrax, it is yet again time for you to go hunting.”

       Vitrax smiled a sick smile that reminded me of a shark.

       “About time, My lord” he said.

        “However,” said the chair guy “the boy must live. I want him alive.”

         Vitrax’s smile wavered.

        “I understand Master” he said “I will do all I can to ah, restrain myself from killing the boy. However, I cannot promise you I won’t lose control.”

         “Stacy?” came Zeke’s whisper again.

         “Go Vitrax. I am sure the boy won’t be easy game. But I hope I can rely on you”

        “Stacy?!”

        “Absolutely my lord. You can rely on me.”

     “STACY!”

      The colors swirled like they were being sucked into a vortex. It was dark now. Pitch black. I struggled to open my eyes and this time, I saw neither whiteness nor pitch blackness. I saw Zeke who was leaning over me. His eyes were bloodshot like he had little sleep. When he saw me wake, he sighed with relief and collapsed in exhaustion. I felt a surge of energy in me and sat up.

       “I'm not dead.” I said.

       “Of course Stacy you idiot.” He said. “You had me worried there.”

       “Where is Serah?” I asked taking in my surroundings. We were in a forest. Light was streaming in from the canopy of leaves up in the trees, strange birdcalls sounding in the trees. I was lying on a pile of gathered leaves, with a leather bag at my head as a pillow and Zeke’s travel cloak keeping me warm. I saw the ashes of a fire that had died only a few hours ago. A wisp of smoke rising from it.

     “Apparently, she had jumped to a different location other than ours” he said wearily.

     “Wait, the explosion! What happened?”

     “What explosion?” he asked.

     “Your magic circle changed color and your magic didn’t work right. It exploded.”

    “Haha! The circle never exploded. It worked. But not like it was intended to.”

     “What do you mean not like intended?”

     “Well you see, I made it blue because my aura is blue.”

       I was about to ask what aura he was talking about when he held out his palm. Wisps of blue vapor swirled around his hand then he shut it.

       “That's the color my magic takes when it manifests. We call it aura. I was going to start the Jump by placing my pendant on the circle, which will power it up. Instead, you placed yours. Normally, I draw It out with my aura, and not blue chalk. Your pendant changed the circles color and powered it up.”

       “But why did I pass out?”

       “Well the strain of it was too much. It seeped out power from your life force. You had performed too much powerful magic in the last few days you had spent your reserves. You are lucky to still be alive.”

        “Ok I'm confused. I performed magic?”

        “Yeah. You did.” He got up and went to restart the fire.

        “Magic is real?”

         “It is the foundation of this world.” He said. “Real as you and me.”   

        “That means Vickie really was a witch?”

        “I knew you didn’t believe me.”     

        “And I can do magic?”

        “I didn’t know you could either.”

        “How?” I asked, still puzzled.

        “It’s a long story.” He said. “Basically, all life forms have a life force made of mysterious energy we call katsuri. Originally, it did nothing but keep you alive, but after the events of the Great War, man was given the ability to draw on his own life energy and manipulate the elements within and around him. But it doesn’t mean everyone here can perform magic. There needs to be the proper concentration of katsuri in your blood to pull it off.

      Katsuri is the fundamental make up of your life force, which explains why you keep depleting yourself to near death each time you perform a fit of magic!”

        “When? I don’t remember using magic.”

        “First when you screamed at the parking lot.”

       “Nothing magical about screaming at the parking lot.”

      “Your scream not only shattered the glasses, it stunned both Screechers momentarily. That is called The Screaming Calm. A stupid name for the technique, but I didn’t name it. Not just anyone could do that. Then at the Cartman’s, you had used magic to blast the house into an eye searing mess, and the inhabitants along with yourself, into unconsciousness. And two days ago, you had powered a Jump portal by changing its aura into yours. You don’t see that everyday.”

        I remembered the red mist that hung in the air after the explosion at the house. So it wasn’t really a gas explosion then? Then something he said just hit me.

      “Hold up!” I said “did you say two days ago?”

      “Yes I did. You have been unconscious for two days now.”

       I took a few minutes to digest what he just told me. He placed a small pot on the glowing embers and was stirring whatever was in it with a crudely carved wooden spoon.

        “I had magic?” I asked. “How come I never noticed?”

       “If you didn’t know you did before, then it must have been suppressed.” He said. “Then you would have had to come of age to notice those signs.”

     I remember my parents saying something about me coming of age.  They knew. They had always known. Why did they not tell me?

    “Your aura,” he said “I noticed it’s red.”

     “I . . I guess.” I said.

      He nodded and said “We haven’t had a mage with a red aura in three hundred years since Agadastro died.”

      “Ok.” I said.

     “The most powerful mages are those with red auras. You are really special. Could be why you are still alive.”

     “Your pendant, its just like mine but its blue and it glows.”

      He looked at his chest where his own pendant lay.

     “They are called whisps.” He said. “They represent a mage’s strength, his personality, power and they always come in the same color as a mage’s aura. There are seven of these in existence, each one representing a certain aspect of a whisp mage’s powers. The seven owners form what is known as the Whisp Order.

       In times of great need, the whisp will tap into its owners magical reserves and use some of the magic to protect its owner from imminent danger. Oh yeah, like yours did when it vaporized that Screecher. I forgot to mention this one.”

      “My parents said it would protect me.” I said examining mine.

     “Well, they were right. It did protect you. But it won’t protect you forever. The more you learn about your powers, it protects you less and less.”

      “Why isn’t mine glowing?”

     “Because you are still a mage in training. In fact, you have no training at all. I am fully aware of my capabilities. My whisp knows that. So the glow signifies my level of skill and power.”

    “Oh. So is there like a school for it? You know, magical training? Like Hogwarts of some  sort.”

      He gave me a really puzzled look.

      “What's Hogwarts?”

      “Oh you must be joking. You must have heard about Harry Potter.

It’s like the most famous book ever!”

       “I never heard of it. Every mage with katsuri energy in their blood trains at one of the Keeps all round the world.”

     “The irony! How can a magician like you not know about another like Harry Potter?”

     “I am not a magician. Last I checked, your world has no mages.”

     “My world? Where are we?” I asked.

      “Eidenvellir” he said.

      “I have never heard of this place. You keep mentioning it.”

      “Oh this is my world. We are no longer on Earth. We have Jumped from Earth to Eidenvellir.”                  

      “Jumped how?”

      “You call it wormhole portals, I call it whisp portals. We just traveled from one planet to another.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

       CHAPTER EIGHT 

      Screechers, magic, assassins, magic circles, protective whisps, vampires with wolves, strange masters by firesides, blackouts, news about a world different from Earth. What else could possibly surprise me? He told me how somehow, Earth and Eidenvellir are sister planets, connected by currents of mystical energy through time and space. He said that Eidenvellir has aided in the growth and evolution of Earth for millennia, but for some reason, Eidenvellir could never develop technology. The planet’s spirit was somehow alive and would never allow that. He even gestured to the drawstring bag that had my stuff and I noticed it had transformed into a leather drawstring bag. I would say this planet overdid it a bit.

       Zeke handed me a bowl of whatever he was cooking. He told me it was wild turkey stew. I shoveled in a spoonful. His cooking was great. But I didn’t see where he had taken the ingredients and items to cook it. I checked in my bag and saw nothing other than those I had seen already. Even the burritos were gone. I asked him where he took the stuff he used. He told me he had looked for herbs and medicine to revive me and had found some spices as well. Then he had hunted the turkey. When I asked him where he got the salt, he said.

      “Well getting the salt was easy. I simply leave my pee out in the sun. When the water evaporates, I used what was left for cooking.”

      I stared at Zeke in absolute horror. I threw down the bowl of stew and turned around then I threw up. Zeke howled in laughter. How could one person be so despicable? He laughed so hard he choked on his stew. He was now laughing and coughing at the same time. He reached into the folds of his cloak and pulled out an animal skin water pouch. He took a swig and he stopped coughing. But he was chuckling. Where could he have taken that animal skin? His cloak had no pockets or secret compartments. Did he magically summon it?

       ”I'm messing with you Sam.” He said reaching into the folds of his cloak and pulled out a little bottle containing little white grains of salt. He laughed even harder. But I had lost my appetite. I had also gained interest in his summoning trick.

     “How did you do that?” I asked. “You know, the water skin thing appearing out of nowhere.”

    “Oh no” he said setting down his bowl of stew. “you see, mages manipulate energy and currents of nature. But not matter and reality and time. Not that we cant, but because those are extremely difficult feats to pull off. We also can’t just conjure up things. Well except really special things like weapons of power and mystic artefacts that have power of their own. And some very few things too, but generally, we can’t just pull things out of thin air. What I did, I simply retrieved something that I had kept in my cloak.

       There are in fact other ways to store away objects, like the Midworld for example, a dimension between reality and non existence which is a great deal handy, but you cant store food in it, and most of what you put in there, ends up disappearing anyway. It’s very unreliable. It’s also a sort of temporal prison for threats”

      “Oh, so your cloak is magical?”

      “It’s called a shadow cloak. A piece of cloth that is enchanted to hold an infinite amount of objects without ever getting heavy or full. They are very rare. Only about three shadow cloths are left. And mine’s the only one that is left among humans. The shadow hat is among the Elves, and the shadow bag is lost among the Dwarves.”

     “You guys have Elves and Dwarves too?”

     “Of course. I have a few Elf and Dwarf friends of my own.”

     “How did you end up with the shadow cloak?”

     He stopped eating. He set down his bowl.

     “It was my father’s. He uhm, collected artefacts. Magical artefacts. He had all these really cool objects that were so interesting I could just sit down and admire them all day. He gave me the cloak some years back.”

    He pulled his sword out of its sheath and ran his fingers along the length of the blade. It was a fine blade, about was about forty to fifty centimeters long, give or take, with an icy blue color. It had a fine leather bound grip and it had a dark blue jewel fitted on its end as a pommel.

      “This was another gift. This sword’s name is Skifnilvida.” He said. “Its name means Backstabber in the Dwarf dialect. It was forged by the Elves. In their native tongue, it means a word that is translated into English as Slayer of my Enemy.

       They gave it this name because the blade could kill anyone or anything living. I mean about anything. But if damage is inflicted, if the user wishes it,” He pulls out the stone at the pommel and holds it in his palm “he can heal the wound. All he needs to do is just touch this stone to the wound inflicted by the sword. Nothing else done to a wound inflicted by this blade will heal it.”

       “Wow.” I said. “But why do the Dwarves call it Backstabber?”

       “Well, the Dwarves and Elves hadn’t gotten along for centuries. Some dispute they had about some artefacts one stole from the other. But when this sword was forged, it was meant for whoever wielded it to harm Dwarves alright. The stone was never meant to work on a Dwarf. You can’t heal a Dwarf with this stone after you have inflicted damage to him or her with this very weapon. They will eventually bleed to death. The stone at the pommel is well known as Frigur.”

        “Wow.” I said.

        “The enmity between the Elven wielders of this blade and the Dwarves was so strong the sword developed a will of it’s own, a blood lust you can call it. I never grab this sword with both hands as a result.”

       “What if your sword kills someone, could you use Frigur to bring him back?”

       “No. It can’t bring a dead person to life.” He said. “It did me bring me ill luck once. I'm still running from the consequences of my actions.”

      Zeke’s face was almost unreadable. This sword was truly amazing. And scary too. When he said running away from the consequences, I remembered Vitrax calling him an outlaw. I had forgotten to tell him about it.   

      I told him about it. When I did, he was immediately alert. He sheathed his sword grabbed the dishes and flung them into his shadow space. I took my leather bag and slung it over my shoulder. I was still wearing the clothes I had on four days ago. When all was packed, I walked up to Zeke and asked him.

      “Where are we going? There are still a lot of questions I would like to ask you.”

      “We are officially being hunted by a ruthless Shadeon and you are worried about unanswered questions? Really Stacy, grow up.”

      “Where are we going? Are we getting there on foot?”

      “We are getting out of this place and no Princess,” he turned around and whistled a strange note. Out of nowhere, a black beautiful stallion galloped out of the woods straight at us. Zeke grabbed its reins and stroked its mane. It snickered lovingly. He put his foot on one stirrup and hoisted himself unto the saddle. I held out my hand expecting him to hoist me over to sit at his back before I asked anything about the stallion, when he said “You are getting there on foot. I’ll just ride on Storm.”

          And there I was, thinking nothing else could surprise    

CHAPTER NINE

                After minutes of insulting, cursing, begging, pleading, asking Zeke to act like a gentleman, feeble attempts at blasting Zeke off Storm and a little girl charm (yes, I cried. Zeke didn’t like it. It unsettled him.), he let me ride Storm with him. Once I mounted, the horse galloped at full speed, moving so fast the surrounding trees were blurs. Soon, the forest started to disappear behind us.

         We rode through beautiful green fields and would occasionally pass wind mills and few houses. I had never seen such a beautiful view. We passed some kids playing in the fields, their mother calling for them to get in and have lunch. The sun rose higher as we rode on. We soon reached a creek where Storm and Zeke drank from. I did not trust the purity of it so I sat by, not ready to have germs from a different planet in my system. Zeke filled his leather pouch with water and slipped it into his shadow cloak. He also washed his face and hands. I hadn’t noticed but they had been grimy.

        I splashed some water on my feet after taking off my red dancing slippers and washed of the grime that had accumulated these past days. I have never gone a day without taking a bath. Not taking a bath in four days, I could never have imagined.                     

      We mounted storm and continued our journey. After a while, we spotted a village brimming with life and activity. Zeke asked me to dismount and he followed suit. When he got down, he took Storm by the reins and whispered some words to his ear. He let go of the reins and Storm galloped off.

        “Where’s he going?” I asked.

         “Storm’s a free stallion. I only call him when I need him, and he always comes. Besides we don’t need Storm where we are going now.”

      “So where are we going?”

         “We are going to the village Stacy. We will need a place to stay for the night. And with Vitrax hunting us now, you will need more protection.”                                                                                           

         And with that, we descended into the village. Zeke pulled out an extra cloak which he gave me to cover up my flashy clothes and make me look less suspicious. We wove our way through a thick crowd of people who were busy doing one thing or the other. Some even shouted curse words us as we ran into them by accident. Others stood behind stalls selling fruits, both strange and familiar, others sold house wares and others sold woven carpets and tapestry. This town and its people were something straight out of a book about medieval times.

        We made our way to a tavern whose sign had a severed bulls head on a platter, a cleaver still in it. Zeke pushed his way in, hood drawn over his head. The tavern was full of people. There was lots of laughter and merriment, lots of drinking and people banging their cups on the tables. Luckily, no one paid any attention to us. Well, to Zeke anyway. Occasionally, men will “oooh” as I walked by. Some will invite me over for a drink, others will say I should come feel their biceps (which, according to what Zeke told me, most girls had literally killed for). One guy had even ventured to take hold of my arm and pulled me toward his table. I tried to pull back but my strength was nothing compared to his. Zeke came over and tried to talk him into letting me go, but he wouldn’t listen to reason, and so Zeke had to head butt him which not only knocked him out, but started a bar fight. Zeke  grabbed and pulled me up to the inn keeper and spoke a few words, was given a key and he passed a little pouch to the inn keeper and pulled me upstairs.               

          Zeke unlocked the door to his room and we both went in. It was simple with a bed big enough for two, and a large wooden bowl at one corner which Zeke told me was a bath. It was filled with scented water with rose colored petals floating on its surface. On the opposite corner was a smaller bowl with a lid which Zeke said was for when someone needed to ease him/herself. A window looked out into the village square where a fountain stood (a fountain. I said a fountain. Apparently, they knew how to make one). An unlit candle stood on a wooden drawer by the bedside near the window. To the other side of the bed stood a simple wardrobe. I opened it and wasn’t really surprised to find it empty of clothes, but only one towel hung inside. There was a knock on the door. Zeke answered and in came a bellboy (not that I could tell) with two strange birds in each hand.

       “Your two mindeloos mister.” He said. Zeke took the two birds and

set them down on the drawer.

        “Thank you.” He said “You may leave now.”

        Zeke closed the door as the boy left. I studied the birds even more now. They had this weary looks in their eyes like “Whatever. Boring.”  They also had a bright red plumage with blue and purple tail feathers. They were fat, with small wings. Their beaks were short and really curved too.

        “What kind of birds are those?” I asked.

        “These are mindeloos.” He said. “ Messenger birds.”

       “Oh, so you like write a message, tie it to one of its legs, tell in who to deliver it to and feed it a cracker?”

        “No Stacy. These birds are magical.”

         I looked at the birds which looked at me as if I was the stupidest person on Earth, sorry Eidenvellir. They didn’t at all look magical to me.

       “You tell them the name of the person you want to send a message to, then you tell the mindeloo what your message is. The mindeloo finds the recipient and delivers the message by speaking to him or her in your voice. They are very loyal.”

      “These birds can talk? I mean really talk and not that trash parrots do?”

     “They only talk when they are delivering a message. They also eat  gold coins for each message they deliver.”

      “Wow.” I stared at the lazy looking birds on the drawer. Zeke took each one and spoke an inaudible message to it, then fed them gold coins and they flapped out of the window with speeds unlike any bird I have ever seen.

        “Take a bath, clean up, change your clothes, eat something and sleep. I got things to check up on.” Zeke said moving to the window. I was relieved. I was not looking forward to sharing a bed with a guy. And this place had no bathrooms. I wasn’t sure I could have taken a bath with him anywhere around here. So I asked no questions as he jumped through the window. I went over and drew it shut, drawing the light curtains over it. I took off my clothes and got into the bath. The water was cold, but it felt satisfying to me. I hadn’t imagined I would have the time to take a bath before I was killed.

         A lot was happening to me at once. Too much in fact. Two days ago, I was in jail.  Now I am in a bath tub on another planet. I still didn’t know what became of my parents. Zeke said they never existed. He didn’t tell me the entire truth. I was barely coming to terms with this new reality. I needed to relieve my mind of this stress. It wasn’t like my bathtub at home where I could kick back and take my time. Zeke could return any time soon, so I had to make haste.

         I scrubbed myself with a sponge that looked like a mass of mosses. It did make me clean though. I stepped out and wiped myself clean with the towel from the closet. I made sure it was clean and unused before I used it. I took my leather drawstring bag and checked out what clothes Zeke had packed for me. A linen T-shirt, a pair of leather pants, leather boots, and, thank goodness, girlie underwear. I was relieved. I had feared that maybe Eidenvellir’s magic had transformed them into some strange clothing I would never have realized what they were. At least the ladies here wear bra, though I was sure they still preferred corsets. I put on my clothes and didn’t mind not applying any lotion, since they had none. I took out the mahogany chest my parents had left me and collapsed on the bed.

     I first examined it on the outside. Its carvings depicted sceneries of people and monsters, battling each other, killing each other and mostly people performing magic. Where there should have been a keyhole, there was a red piece of sea glass. I tried prying the chest open but it wouldn’t budge. I hugged it close to my chest after I gave up trying to open it and soon fell asleep.                                              

      I had a dream. This time, I was rushing through a cold dark corridor. It looked like it was at night because the corridor was lined with lit torches in iron brackets. As I ran along, my left hand touched the stone walls for support. I looked down at what my right hand was carrying. Immediately I knew something about this dream wasn’t right. I was holding a sleeping baby. Her face was serene and innocent in her sleep. She was wrapped heavily in a red cloth. I tried to stop, but it was like my body was not mine to control.  I realized this was no ordinary dream. This had already happened, or is happening and I am experiencing this in the view point of this woman. As I neared the corridor’s end, I grabbed a torch with my free hand and raised it above my head as I moved. I reached a stone wall dead end. I walked over to the wall and said “I'm here.”

         The words echoed along the length of the corridor and for a moment, nothing happened. Suddenly, green mist seeped in through the cracks in the wall before me. Soon, I was standing before a curtain of green mist. The stone wall seemed to have dissolved because through the mist, I saw a forest and the shape of a woman. Hanging on her neck was a glowing green gem. I walked through the mist into the forest.                                                                                 

       “Thank you for coming.” I said in a voice unlike mine.

       “What you ask of me is very difficult, Moryna.” Said the woman who I could now see clearly. She was wearing a green whisp pendant on her necklace.

       “Please, take it away from her.” I begged.

       “Her powers cannot be taken away. Her destiny cannot be changed. She is the one who will either defeat the Shadow or be vanquished by his power.”

      I shook my head. How can fate be so cruel to this poor child?

      “Why? Why wasn’t it someone else? Why did it have to be my daughter?”

      “That question, I cannot answer. The Shadow’s forces are already sniffing her out as a threat. Soon, they will come. They won’t rest till the life that threatens their master’s is taken.”

       “My daughter is not a threat!” I said. “Look at her! She can’t harm a soul.”

       “I'm afraid that's why she was chosen. She will grow up to be kind and compassionate just like her mother. She has been given power no mage has received for over three centuries now. It was foretold that power of the Mage of Red will only return when the Shadow rises.”

     I held the child even closer to me and cried harder than I ever did.

     “You only have two choices now Moryna, take the child with you and watch her die in the hands of our enemies and doom us all, or surrender her to me. I will make sure she is returned when the time is right. She will be safe and hopefully, she has time to get ready before the fate of Nirvana and all of Eidenvellir is decided.” She folded her arms across her chest. “In fact, you only have one choice  you give me the baby.”

          The only sounds that could be heard from the silence that followed were the sound of my sobs and the sound of insects and rustling of the leaves as the wind blew. Slowly, I handed her the sleeping child along with a mahogany chest I produced from my cloak.

    “Your decision was wise.” Said the mage who took her whisp and dropped it at her feet. Green light seeped into the runes she had drawn on the ground and travelled along the whole circle which burst into bright green light and she was gone.                                         

          Even though my eyes were closed, I still had spots of light dancing in them. I opened my eyes to clear them and it only got brighter. A shadow crossed my face and I saw Zeke looking at me. My dream was over.

        “I have heard of people talking in their sleep.” He said. “but I have not heard of anyone crying in their sleep.”  

CHAPTER TEN

             It was morning already. And Zeke was back. I didn’t tell him about my strange dream. I barely had time to even make sense of it. Zeke did not also talk about where he was. We only packed what little belongings we had and checked out. When we left, Zeke called Storm who gave us a ride to another village, which Zeke said was called Nohm. This one was closest to the Black Forest and so it was occupied mostly by warriors and fighters. Occasionally, Dwarves would stop by. He said this village was for those who enjoyed lives of danger and adventure and would often go into the forest to fight monsters.

      He took us to a tavern which was so full occupants had to stand while drinking from their cups. Some stood on the tables telling wild stories of how they slew this monster or the other, exaggerating a bit. Or maybe much. Moving through this sea of people would have taken forever. But for some reason, people would uneasily shift out of the way to let Zeke through. He wove his way around them and found his way to a table which was empty, but for a strangely beautiful lady and a rough looking big man with a really thick and bushy beard. The woman was playing with a wooden bow while eyeing at the man suspiciously. The man’s hand was under a table, firmly gripped on a double bladed axe also shooting deadly glances at the woman seated on the other side opposite him.

        When they both saw us, their eyes widened in surprise. They shot looks at me, then at Zeke who sat between them. I looked at the man and something told me he wasn’t a man. Just a feeling I had. When he looked at me, I concluded at once that this guy was definitely not human, even though I knew it was rude of me.

      “I'm glad you guys came.” He said.

        “What took you so long Zeke?” said the lady.                              

          I was about to ask her how she knew my name when I took a closer look at her. I realized I actually knew who she is.

        “Ivy?” I said not really believing it. “You are here too?”

        “I am. And the reason why Zeke called me here had better be a good one.”

        I actually meant here like in this world, not in this tavern.

       “I wouldn’t have called you two here if I never needed you both.” Zeke said.

      Ivy looked at the man in distaste.

      “You insult me Zeke.” She said. “Why did you have to bring this Dwarf?”

      “Look here she-Elf,” started the man (Dwarf) “I would have loved to have been somewhere else but here, but I was bound to answer his call.” He nodded in Zeke’s direction. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t kill you when this is over.”

       Wait, Elf? I looked more closely at Ivy’s features. She had silky blonde hair, sharp jaw line, high cheekbones and long really pointed ears. Ivy was an Elf! For real! And she called this guy a Dwarf. Aren’t they shorter?

     “You think you can take on me?” Ivy said reaching for a knife on her hip. “Bring it on. . . “

     “Guys, guys, no one is taking on anyone now.” Zeke said cutting off Ivy. “I told you. I told you guys you will be travelling together with me and Stacy.”

     “Why do I have to travel with her?” the Dwarf asked him.

     “Stacy this is Ivirna Eurelian, I'm sure you two have met.” Zeke said ignoring the question he was asked. Ivy nodded in my direction. “And this is Asterix.”

      “Son of Thrvyn.” The Dwarf completed, also nodding in my direction.

       “Hello. Pleased to meet you two.” I said.

       “Is she the Pendragon?” he asked. Zeke nodded. Ivy and Asterix bowed their heads in my direction.

       “I called them last night and asked them to help me serve as your escorts to Nirvana.”

       Nirvana. That was that word again. I am guessing that's where my new home is, with foster parents. But something about the dream I had last night still disturbed me.

       “I thought you were my escort. Are you going somewhere?” I asked.

      “I won’t always be around.” He said. “They will be there with you full time and take care of you in my absence.”

      Only when they are not trying to kill each other. I thought to myself.

     “You keep avoiding some of my most puzzling questions Zeke. Where are you taking me?”

       Ivy frowned in Zeke’s direction.

       “She doesn’t know?” she asked him.

       “I'm letting her save those questions for Zarina.” He said.

      “Who is that? My new mother?”

      “You don’t have a new mother. And you two will have to give me your word that you won’t engage each other, or kill each other, till our mission is over, am I clear?”

       Ivy and Asterix looked at each other and silently, they nodded.

       “Thank you. You don’t know how much this means to me.” Zeke said.

         We left the tavern after a few minutes. We moved to a pen behind the tavern and I saw three horses tied to a post. A fourth was wandering around free. That was Storm. Ivy took a horse with a white coat and a quiver of arrows hanging on one side. Asterix, as I noticed, was taller than I realized. He stood about five foot seven. So tall fir a Dwarf. He had strapped his axe on his back. Twin hammers hung from either side of his belt. He mounted a dirt brown horse. The last one was for me. I rode a horse once when I still lived in the state Pacific Kansas. I miss the fifty-three states. I always wanted to journey to them all. My parents had given me horse riding lessons. Zeke took storm, and we rode away from Nohm.    

          I spoke with Ivy as I rode. She told me about her own family, her kind and its wonders. I asked a lot of questions which only made her smile and laugh sometimes. I would also talk about Earth. I looked at Zeke riding up front with Asterix and asked Ivy another question.

        “Zeke has been looking after me for the past five days, he says he is taking me home. Who paid him?”

       Ivy’s face darkened.

      “No one paid him, no sent him.” She said. “This is all him.”

     “But how can he be so noble?” I asked. “He’s only known me for a few months.”

      Ivy sighed and said “Zeke is in pain. He has done horrid things in the past. His childhood wasn’t exactly smooth. He believes returning you home is a way to atone for his mistakes. The one your parents paid to return you, I hear, was killed by Screechers.”

       “Yes he died.” I said. I kept wondering what a nice guy like Zeke had done that had been so horrible he would risk his live to save me. What had he done that had made him what he is? An outlaw?

        “What made Zeke an outlaw?” I asked Ivy.

        “I am in no position to tell you.” She said.

         “There it is.” Came Zeke’s voice up ahead. We were out in a vast field. The only thing visible for miles was a hut in the distance, smoke billowing out of its chimney. We rode a little more and dismounted. We walked the rest of the way to the hut. Zeke stopped before the entrance. He looked like he was having an internal struggle as to whether or not he should go in. It was over soon and he walked in. We followed. The hut had a fireplace which was blazing with green fire. It was mostly empty except for sets of clay pots, clay people, amphorae, and other clay stuff. In the middle of the room sat a woman on a potter’s wheel working with a huge lump of clay, slowly caressing it as the wheel spun. She looked like she was in her early forties. She was concentrated on her work while humming a tune. A strand of hair had fallen over her eyes but it only made the scene prettier. Like a painting. She looked up at us and smiled.

       “Welcome Zeke.” She said. “And Ivy, and Asterix, and Stacy.”

        Everyone in Eidenvellir seemed to know who I was.

        “Hello Zarina.” Zeke said.                                                       

         Zarina took her foot off the pedal and stood up, blowing the hair out of her face. Somehow, her face struck me as familiar. I was sure I had seen it somewhere before now. But in Eidenvellir, one can't be really sure.

      “I told you Zeke.” She said. “I said you will be the one to deliver her to me.”

        “That's it?” I asked Zeke. “You got Ivy and Asterix to accompany me from Nohm to here? I could have easily walked that distance.

          Zarina looked at Zeke and then at me.

         “No child.” She said. “Your journey has only begun. But first I had to see you before I fulfilled my promise to your mother.”                 

         “You knew my mother?” I asked in excitement hoping she will tell me anything but “they never existed.”

       “Yes of course. I know your mother. Not the one from Earth, mind you. Your real mother.”

       “I have real parents?” I asked getting even more excited.

       “Matter of fact, you do. Sixteen years ago, the royal family had to give you up to save your life. You have come of age. They expect you returned anytime soon.”        

                   I was gonna say I don’t understand what she means but then I realized where I had seen Zarina. Images ran through my mind like a filmstrip. Images of a woman weeping for her child, the dark form of a woman standing in a forest giving out options, and the serene face of a sleeping child, and a green whisp, the same one Zarina is wearing now.

       “ I don’t understand.” I managed to whisper.

      “You are a Princess of Nirvana.” Zeke said. “Once you were gone. You have returned, and now we are to escort you to the royal family.”

 He said it all too casually it was hard to take him seriously. I looked to Zarina, waiting fir her to tell me he was kidding. She was smiling. I was aware of all this but my mind was only focusing on one thought. I am a Princess.                                         

 CHAPTER ELEVEN

          Ever since I set foot on Eidenvellir, I have been given more reasons than one to lose my appetite. Fear, disgust, no time to eat, and shock. Zarina had offered us food. The only ones eating were Ivy and Asterix. Zeke had refused for some reason, I had refused out of shock. I still could not believe this. I was the baby in my dream. My mother had reluctantly given me away so I could temporarily escape my destiny. Zarina had taken me to earth. This was just so disturbing. I never once imagined anything of this sort. I had thought of the carefree life I would live once I reached college. Away from the eyes of my parents. Away from all the control they had on me. Then they all disappear, and someone wants me dead, and Zeke says I'm a mage and Zarina confirms I am princess. It was all so much to hold in. I wanted to cry. But I held on. Zeke broke the silence.

       “I don’t like the fact that you are so mysterious all the time, Zarina.” He said. “You could have at least told me she was Agadastro’s heir.”

       Ivy stopped eating. “What?” she said.

       “Stacy also happens to be the Red Mage of the Whisp Order.” He said.

       “There hasn’t been one for over three hundred years.” Asterix said.

       “Don’t tell me it wasn’t fun when you first saw it for yourself, Zeke.” Zarina said.

        “She is a Princess and also the Red Mage?” Zeke asked.

         “Come on.” Zarina said. “You must have wondered why she was on Earth in the first place.”

         “Why did it have to be me?” I asked. “I didn’t want to be this red mage.”

         “I will tell you as I once told your mother. I cannot answer that question.”

        “Because you don’t want to?”

        “Because I can't. I don’t know the answer.”

        “Who were those people who claimed to be my parents then?”

        “They were real, but only just. They were shadows, remnants of what they used to be.”

        I shivered at what thought crossed my mind at that particular moment.

      “You mean they were ghosts?”

        She laughed. “No. Sphyxar and Helena were pixies who had given up their nature, their natural form to become human so they could look after you till you came of age.”

     Wow. More shocking news.

     “So since I came of age, does that mean they are pixies once again?”

     “No.” She said flatly. “Pixies only give up their natural forms if they have a mission. Once they do that, they can live for as long as it takes to complete the mission. When it is complete, they die.”            

        I lowered my head and silently mourned the pixies who had passed as my parents.

        “Why can I not just walk away from this?” I asked.

        “Because you can't. Even if you try to, you won’t be able to. This whisp chose you at your birth. It was a shock to all those who had witnessed your mother take it out of your chest. Even the court mage knew the future that beheld you.”

      “This whisp chose me?” I asked ripping the necklace off my neck. “Well it can easily choose another then. I don’t want this.”                    

         I flung out the door with all the strength I had in me.

        “It’s not that simple.” Zarina said with a sigh. “Your whisp belongs to you. Nothing you do will get rid of it. Believe me, I tried it myself when I heard I would be the new Eye of The Mist. I had dreams where I could briefly see fragments of the future. Only the inevitabilities, not the outcomes. Not even you, with all your great power, can get rid of it. It’s part of you. Look.”                        

          She pointed to my neck where, by some means, the whisp had reappeared on my neck, hanging there like it had never come off. I growled in frustration.

          “How could this happen to me?” I shrieked. “How could any of this happen to me? I was never even an outgoing person. I only had two friends. Only two! Zeke, Mallory. I never fought back when bullies picked on me, I never called anyone names,”

         “You once called me a moron.” Zeke said not actually helping.

        “I never disrespected anyone,” I went on. “I hardly ever spoke to anyone else. I minded my own business, I never did anything to hurt anyone, I never even had a phone. At least with a phone I could say some hurtful things. And I never said any without one. What could I, a harmless, boring girl who does nothing but read pathetic stories and comic books, possibly do to anyone? How could anyone want me dead?”                                                                                                    

          Asterix and Ivy looked up from their bowls. Zeke wasn’t looking at me. His gaze was focused outside. Zarina looked at me with a motherly smile. I was hoping maybe she would help me out and say these past days were all a really long dream. My luck ran out days ago.

        “It is true you did nothing wrong.” She said. “It is true you are innocent. All these things you said, you never did any.”

       “Except maybe calling Zeke a moron.” Asterix murmured and then laughed. Ivy shot him a look that clearly said “silence you fool”. He stopped laughing and had a staring contest with Ivy.

      “But you were chosen. That's enough reason for your adversary to kill you.”

      “Why do things have to be that way?” I asked with tears streaming down my face.

         “You are threat to The Shadow’s return. That is enough reason to ensure you a death warrant.”

        “I never wanted this life. I never asked for any of this. I never asked to be a princess, I never asked for the power to deal with some evil guy, I never asked for two pixies to give up their life so they could take care of me, I never asked for Zeke to save my life, I never asked Zeke to ask two people who are likely to kill each other to come watch over me in his absence,” at this point, Ivy and Asterix broke their stares and looked at me, then at each other, and then at Zeke.

“I never asked to be transported to another world where my life gets weirder by the day. I just never wanted any of this. Why is life so unfair?”                                                                                                            

    I expected Zeke to make a comment like “Oh you are welcomed by the way” but strangely he stayed silent. It was Zarina who spoke once again.

       “Fair means everyone gets what they need.” She quoted my parents. They always said that each time I complained about something unfair they did to me. I was scared. I wished I was not the one she meant. I did want to beat any villain. I’d rather those stay in storybooks. I mean why wasn’t it Zeke? The guy had a cool magical sword, and he could freaking catch bullets!

       “Wait!” I said. “You said you can see the future right?”

       “Yes I see it. I saw you when you will be born, I saw the Shadow rise, I saw Zeke bringing you home, I saw both of you confronting him, and you finally accepting your powers. I don’t see the outcome of your future. I only know this, one day you will face him.”

       “How come you never saw who wins?” I asked. She must have, right?

      “I never see how any great event ends. I only know that the forces of good and evil are always equally balanced. You could easily be crushed by the Shadow. You could also easily take him down. The outcome only depends on the choices you both make. The future cannot change. But it’s your actions and choices that will determine its outcome.”

        “I don’t get it.” I said after a few moments, wiping the tears off my face.   

         “I like to think of the future as a lump of clay sitting on my potter’s wheel.” Zarina said. “I know for sure that it will end up as a piece of pottery. A jar, a pot, a bowl, a clay figurine, it could be any of these. It must be any of these. But it is how I decide to mold the clay, how much clay I use, how much I take, how long I bake it, the amount of heat I need, that will determine what it will turn out to be. My choices define what form it will take.”                                       

          I was starting to understand what she meant. My feet were so wobbly I sat down, shaking with sobs. I asked the last question I had on my mind.

         “Who is this guy who wants me dead? Who is this Shadow?” 

         “It’s not a who.” Zarina said. “It’s a what. You will come to know more in due time though.” She said.

          I buried my head in my arms. Why is she keeping this from me?

          “How did everything about my parents and I just vanish into non existence?”

          “That will be me.” Zarina said. “I gave you the life you had on Earth, until your guardians died when you came of age and the seal that locked your powers within you broke. As the seal grew weaker, you leaked out magical energy and made it easier to be located. When you came of age and the duties of your parents had been fulfilled, I had to fill in the void your family left, replacing them with different individuals and putting traces of their past in present times. To the people you knew, the Cartmans exist in your place.”

          “That was my life!” I said. “I . . . It was all I had!”

          “It doesn’t really matter now. What you need to do now is master your powers. The faster you do, the better for you.”

          “I don’t know anything about these powers.” I complained. “I don’t know anyone who can teach me.”                                                    I realized I actually knew someone who could teach me how to use my powers. I looked at Zeke. His head turned around and his gaze rested on me, then he shifted his gaze to Zarina who smiled and then said. He shook his head.

      “Of course he will. That's why I chose him to escort you.”

       “It was never part of our ordeal!” Zeke said. “I told you I could only use my powers to create jump portals.”

          “Zeke, my dear, I told you. You don’t argue with me.” She said.

         “You make arguing with you very hard.” He said. “I don’t want to use my powers.” At this point, I was very much interested to know what they were talking about.

        “Did I ever tell you how much you are like your mother? You are more like your mother.”

        “Every time you get the chance.” He said. “And don't talk about my mother.”

        “That whisp chose you for a purpose. It gave you powers and you are meant to accept them, and not try to limit them or suppress them. You know a lot about magic than most. She couldn’t have a better teacher than you.” She said. “Why are you so ticked about it?”

       “You are restricting some of my powers. I could do this easily with a Midworld jump.”

       “You will have to experience the journey first hand. It will help.”

      “The deal was I deliver her to her parents and then I earn my redemption. You promised me.”                                     

          Zarina tilted her head to one side and took on a puzzled look.

“No Zeke.” She said. “I promised you taking her to the royal family was going to change your life. I never specified on the redemption part.”

          Zeke threw his hands in the air in frustration.

          “What does that have anything to do with me and restricting my powers?”

        “I asked you to embrace them, Zeke, because in the near future, your life and Stacy’s life will depend on it. It doesn’t matter who trained you and the techniques you use, because that is what this is about and not because I restricted them. Besides, she needs magical training. I agree it was wise of you to bring these two together.” She gestured at the Dwarf and Elf. “You will see the part they play as well in the long run. And as much protection they can offer when you are off on your little, ah, excursions, Stacy still needs to protect herself too. You should consider that.”        

        There was a longer silence now. Everyone was staring at everyone else, and there were looks of confusion on the faces of Asterix and Ivy who were still wondering what Zarina meant. Zeke sighed in resignation and voiced his last question.

         “I have to know for sure.” He said. “Is getting her back going to clear my name?”         

          Zarina laughed out loud. She took her time before she answered.

         “Oh my dear Zeke,” she said. “I don’t know that.”

         “Liar.” Zeke said.

         “You caught me.” She said with a smile. “I do know, but I cant tell you. That, you will just have to find out.”

CHAPTER TWELVE              

      We were soon on our way. Zarina gave us more supplies; food, sleeping bags, and better clay bowls and wooden spoons (as you may have seen, those Zeke had sucked). As I mounted my horse, Zarina walked up to Zeke and they exchanged words. She then came over to me and said.

         “Have a safe journey. And say hello to Moryna for me.”

          I nodded. And we were off. The hut was slowly disappearing behind us. Zarina stood where I had left her, silently watching us leave. We finally got out of each other’s sights. No one had said a thing since we left. Asterix and Ivy could obviously not talk to each other. Zeke was too silent. Our visit to Zarina had a major effect on him. Whatever shady secrets he was hiding, I was very curious to know. I pondered on what Zarina had said about me. I was finally starting to accept that this wasn’t all a dream. It was all too real. I was actually a mage, some guy wanted me dead.

         I held out my palm hoping to accidentally perform some sort of magic. Nothing happened. Maybe I could only do magic when I was angry? I sighed. My hand moved to the leather bag that I carried on my back. I felt for the mahogany chest in it. I was still there. I would figure out how to open it later. I thought about Vitrax who was supposedly hunting me right now. I wondered where he was now. I wondered if his giant wolf had picked up my scent and they were following my trail now. I looked over my shoulder out of instinct to check if he was following me. I saw nothing. It was so silent I could hear my beating heart. I needed to speak with someone. I rode over to Asterix who was inaudibly humming to himself.

         “Hey.” I said.

         “Your majesty.” He bowed his head a little toward me.

         “Uhm, call me Stacy.” I said.

          “Are you sure?” he asked.

         “Yeah sure, why not?”

        “If you wish it.” He said.                                                                 

        I waited a few seconds before I asked him. “How long have you known Zeke?”

        “Zeke and I are old friends.” He said. “We have known each other for two years now.”

        “How did you guys meet?” I asked.

       “Well you see, I got in a tangle with black trolls once.” He said. ”I was coming back from the Dwarf mines with a cart full of gold. The black trolls, you see, have a greedy eye for gold. They ambushed me and killed my horses. They were going to rob me, then kill me. I was ready to defend it with my life. One way or the other, I was going to die. The Dwarven elders would have had me beheaded, and then my family name will be disgraced and shunned if I had returned without the gold. I would be a thief. That's the worst kind of crime for a Dwarf.

          I was hopelessly outnumbered. I was beaten to near death. At that final moment, when I was about to be finished off, he came along.” He nudged his head in Zeke’s direction. “He fought them off. He used Backstabber, he hacked them to pieces. The boy fought them off taking out most of them. The rest retreated. He then turned to me and offered his help. He summoned Storm, who single-handedly pulled the cart back to Midlgur. He was welcomed as a friend. He received thanks for saving me and the gold, and he is always welcomed to any Dwarf residence. I owe him my life.”

        “Oh.” I said. “You must be very grateful.”

         “I am very grateful. I am doing this favor for him. It’s the least I could do.” He said smiling at Zeke. 

          I remembered something Zeke said about Dwarves and Elves not getting along for centuries now.

           “About this feud you guys have with the Elves, what went wrong?”                              

           Asterix’s smile wavered. His face darkened a few shades as he stared at Ivy.

         “The Elves stole something from us.” He said finally. “Long ago, we were meeting with the Elves to help a king win a war. The meeting was friendly. In those days, the Elves and Dwarves were really close friends though we were complete opposites. The night of the peace meeting, the Elves stole the legendary hammer of Thrain while the king slept.”

       “Uh what is that? I have never heard of it.” I said.

        “I would be surprised if you did.” He said. “The hammer of Thrain was the symbol of dwarven royalty and prosperity. It was also the king’s weapon. The most powerful of all items Dwarf made. Without it, we had no king. The very next morning, this treachery was reported by a servant who had watched it all happen. When we had tried to get back the hammer, we were accused of stealing the Helm of Nature.

          We had a disagreement and became sworn enemies from that day. We fought wars, magical weapons were forged, like Backstabber. Our king had to step down and become one of the members of the council. We have not had a king since that day. Our mines are running out of treasure to mine. Our dwellings have been less favorable. We have to dig more tunnels under different mountains in hopes for a better place. Our crafts have been less magical and we are even losing our crafting abilities.”

           “Oh my,” I said. “I’m so sorry. I mean, how could they do that? Why would the Elves do that? I mean they are so gentle and kind and-“

          “That's what they want you to see when you look at them treacherous swine.” He said in disgust.

         “Is there any way this feud can be resolved?” I asked.

        “Only if the Elves decide to return our royal hammer. But it’s been three hundred years. If they never did so three hundred years ago, why should they now?”

       “Did you guys steal their essence of nature?” I asked.

        “Of course not. Why would we?”

        I decided to change the topic lest his emotions overcame him and

        he threw his blade and lodged it on Ivy’s back.

        “How old are you?” I asked.           

        He scratched his beard and said.

       “I don’t know. I'm roughly two hundred.”   

        My mouth hung open. I looked at this guy who sat before me. He looked really young. In human standards, he was about thirty four years old. I guess Dwarves take longer to age. I was about to say

something else when I saw Zeke riding toward us.

          “I'm going to backtrack.” He said. “Buy some time. You guys go ahead. I will catch up tomorrow. Take care of yourselves.”

          “Where are you going?” I asked him.

          “Vitrax is after you. I have to go back and slow him down.”

          “Be careful.” I said.                                                                                   

           He smiled and turned Storm around. He galloped full speed into the woods. Ivy rode up to me and said. “He’ll be fine.”

         I nodded. I turned around and we rode onward. Asterix was leading us ahead. We rode for a couple of hours and we came by a river.

        “We will stop and rest here.” Asterix announced.

         “Who made you the leader here?” Ivy shouted at him. “We won't stop here.”            

          Asterix cursed in a strange language and came off his horse. Ivy did same.

          “I say we stop here and water the horses. They need rest.”

          “Just because they do, that doesn’t give you any right to issue me commands!”

          “Why in Njord's accursed forge would I waste my breath giving a slimy Elf orders? I was talking to the princess.”

         “In case you didn’t notice you oaf, the princess is riding by my side, and she is under my care.”

        Asterix barked out a humorless laugh. It startled Ivy who drew her sword. Asterix grabbed his axe.

       “Under your care? Who would put a princess in the care of any snotty thief like your lot?”

      “Look who’s talking you stinking, hairy, sneaky little-“

     “Guys!” I said. They both turned their attention to me. “You guys gave Zeke your word that you won't kill each other.”   

          They each looked at the weapons they were holding and then put them away.

         “The horses need water. Once that is done, we can move on. Just please, let’s all get along till this is over.”

          They seemed to consider this and so they each took their horses to the river. I brought mine too. We sat by while the horses drank. Ivy shared some of her food rations with me. Bread and cheese, and some strange fruits which tasted good. Asterix ate bread too, but not cheese. He drank wine from a bottle and ate something that looked like reddish brown rock.

         “Are you eating rock?” I asked. Ivy looked up and her face contorted in disgust.

         “Oh no. It’s not actual rock. It’s a tasty treat we Dwarves like. It’s called rock sirloin.”

        “Like, rock meat?” I asked. He nodded.

        “It’s a really tasty treat.” He said. “It’s a pity only Dwarves can eat it. Your teeth will break if you try to.”    

          Ivy made a sound like humph, and looked away.         

          We hit the road minutes after. We rode while Asterix sang a ballad loudly. It was about a warrior who went to war without seeing his lover first because she had gone to see someone else. So he died in battle and I don’t know what his spirit did to his lover because Ivy yelled at him telling him his voice was horrible and that it never even happened that way. They proceeded to call each other names. Why oh why did Zeke have to get this two together?

       After about half an hour, they stopped. The sun was slowly setting on the horizon leaving a warm orange glow. I saw a really large bird fly over me, high up in the sky. Ivy nudged me and said it was something called a Naeomian dragon. I looked up at it in marvel. So even here, dragons existed?

          “No way.” Said Asterix. “That's a giant Naeomian dingy.”

         “Does that thing look like fruit bat to you, you stupid nonentity?”

        “You good for nothings spend way too much time above ground. I knew you would never recognise a dingy even if it were chewing at you right in the face.”          

         Whether it was a dragon or a dingy, I never found out. They just started arguing again. We travelled further and camped in the woods for the night. Ivy made a fire while Asterix gathered wood. Ivy said she won't make fire with wood that was found by a Dwarf. I had to talk them into working together, though they did so grudgingly. Ivy was skinning and gutting a kill she had acquired earlier before we made the fire. When she was done, she put in on a spit she had made and slowly roasted its meat. Asterix was on look out as he said Dwarves have excellent sight at night. I had nothing to do because they won't let me do anything, so I took out my mahogany chest and tried once again to open it. It still wouldn’t open up.

       “You have to open it with your whisp orb.” Came Asterix’s voice.

       I looked at him and he stared at me with his calm, gentle eyes. I silently nodded and took my whisp off my neck and touched the ruby to the sea glass. They both glowed for a second and the lid popped open. I looked at Asterix who smiled at me.          

         “How did you know that?” I asked him.

         “Well,” he said. “it has this relation to certain Dwarf crafted objects. This one has certain magical properties. Besides it was quite obvious with the red whisp, red glass thing.”       

          I heard Ivy mutter “show off”. Apparently, Asterix did too. He looked at her with nothing but gentleness and maybe a bit of doubt. He didn’t say anything. He just turned around and kept watch. I pulled the lid open and saw only one thing inside. A really large, thick book bound with fine brown leather. I took it out and examined it. It had a title on its front cover written in runes. Why would my pixie parents leave me a book in a language I can’t read?

          “Try again.” Said Ivy who still focused on her work. “You can read it. You just don’t know it.”

         “How did you...” I began. “Do Elves read minds?”    

          Ivy laughed softly. She shook her head.

         “We don’t read minds. We can read facial expressions and emotions really well though.”   

          I waited for Asterix to make a comeback but he didn’t. He just sat there, watching. I took another look at the runes on the book. I could now read them as if they were plain English. It read The Spell Book of Agadastro. I read it out loud. Ivy and Asterix both turned their heads to me.

         “What?” they both said at exactly the same time. I read it again.

        “No way!” she said. “That spell book is the only one of its kind and it was modified by Agadastro himself centuries ago!”

        “Zeke told me about that guy.” I said. “He said he was the last mage to wear the red whisp orb.”

        “Well it’s no surprise it will show up when the red whisp does.” Said Asterix. “He was like the most powerful whisp mage who ever existed. He was the one who defeated the Shadow and chained him in the Netherworld.”

        “What's the Netherworld?” I asked.

         “It’s a prison that hangs in the place where nothing exists.” Ivy said. “A space occupied by nothing by chaos.”

         “Uhm . . . okay.” I said opening the book, not at all understanding her description of the Netherworld. 

          I flipped through the pages of this large book. They were empty.

         “It’s got lots and lots of empty pages!” I said.

         “Don't worry.” Said Ivy who was now rubbing salt on the sizzling meat. “When you master each spell, the next spells appear in the next chapter.”            

          I opened to the first chapter which was about standard spells. According to the book, every mage has the power to levitate and move objects at will with telekinesis. I lay the book at my feet and followed the instructions which were explicitly written. Visualize, concentrate, channel energy from within and all that stuff (that's not how it was written in the book, mind you). I stretched out my hand toward a log that was just a few steps from me. I concentrated on it, I willed it to move toward me. Red mist swirled around my open palm and in a moment, the log was encased in the same red mist. I moved my hand up and slowly, the log rose away from the ground. I was filled with excitement! My first act of magic.

          I willed it to move toward me while I drew my hand closer to myself. The log flew lazily in my direction. I smiled. I yanked my hand into the air and the log flew up as if it were fired from a log cannon. It disappeared into the night and the glow of the mist died from my hands. I only had time to grin before I fainted to the ground in exhaustion.        

          I felt two pairs of hands grab me and raise me off the ground.

         “That was amazing!” Asterix said while laughing. “You were only a beginner and you got the levitation technique right on only your first attempt!”  

          I was put on a rock in a sitting position.

         “Why do I feel so exhausted?” I asked.

         “Your first attempt at a spell always drains you. You practice more you will get the hang of it. The more you perform magic, the more you expand your energy reserves, the less you feel drained after each spell.” Ivy explained to me. She gave me a portion of her roast animal. I didn’t know which, but it tasted like rabbit.

      “I'm good.” Asterix said as Ivy reached for the roasting carcass on the spit. “I'm not having any.”                          

       He didn’t say this with any hostility in his voice. Ivy screwed up her face and said “Wasn’t going to give you any!” Asterix stayed silent. I wrapped myself up in my sleeping blanket, opened the spell book and read about more spells till I fell asleep.