The Legend Of The Wizard's Apprentice (Book 1) (10 page)

Dropping Durin on the ground hard with a thump, Byamee looked down at his own hands and realized just how fast and easy it would have been to tear the Dwarf apart with his bare hands before he would have even had a chance to do anything to try and stop him. He was wondering what else Aelita had granted him. He was now the most powerful Cyclops to ever walk the land and he just hoped that he could live up to Aelita’s expectations. Anytime a God granted power, it was usually done because you were going to need it for a fight.

“Ok, enough of this fighting amongst ourselves. Whether you like it or not we have all agreed to be companions for a greater cause. We are here to find the Elves and if we cannot gain entry into their realm we will not be successful against the Dark Master,” Master Sernett said, anger apparent in his voice.

“Sorry, Master Sernett, I need to apologize to our Cyclops comrades. I should know better then to insult such fine and honourable beings,” Durin turned to face the Cyclops bowed and said, “Please forgive this Dwarf, me mouth has been known to get me into trouble and looks like it has done it again. As a member of the royal family I have shamed meself and I pledge to do ye no wrong in the future. With your forgiveness, I will be a better comrade at arms and I will give ye my life. For I am Durin, Son of Koryan, and I am the prince of Dorokk Mountain.” Durin stated this with his hand on his heart indicating that this was a pledge that he was going to follow through with.

With that they all made their way back over to the entrance to the Elves’ boarder. As they approached, Kerwyn started to have that feeling of nothingness again. “Master Sernett I am feeling like there is nothing there beyond the trees again and I want to turn around and go home. If there is something there shouldn’t we see it?” asked Kerwyn.

“No, Kerwyn, that is part of the Elvin magic: the illusion is complete. There are only a few creatures in this world that could penetrate the Elvish magical protection. One of them would be a Dragon, another would be the Dark Master himself and he also has a few evil Minions that are powerful enough to break though if given enough time. But I have the feeling that we are being watched and we will not gain access unless we are welcomed by the Elves behind this wall.” Master Sernett nodded toward the trees.

Kerwyn forced himself to step up to the barrier and raised his hands. As his skin touched the magical barrier, there was a flash of light and Kerwyn could see everything that was hiding behind the barrier. The Elves that were watching the group started to take up a defensive position and were looking at each other bewildered, as no one should have been able to pass through the barrier the way Kerwyn just had. Master Sernett from the other side of the barrier was calling out to Kerwyn. He reached his hands out but he did not go through the way Kerwyn did. The wall was as solid as concrete and it was not going let anyone else through.

Back on the side where Kerwyn was, the Elvin gaurds sent word that a human had somehow breached their barrier and the Queen of the Elves was called to see how he had done it. Kerwyn began to feel very nervous and backed up against the barrier and could feel the magic washing over his back. By instinct he drew upon the One Power and said the magical words
“Patefacio Panua!”
and his friends were all able to pass through the wall.

Feeling threatened as their barrier had failed them, the Elves pulled out their weapons. The Cyclopes raised their clubs getting ready, Durin rushed to the center yelling his Dwarven battle cry and Kerwyn and Master Sernett drew in the One Power. As they all readied themselves for battle, a long drawn out sound from a horn resonated throughout the clearing and was followed by a women’s voice that was a pure as new morning dew.

“Stop in the name of the Queen,” the voice rang out and drowned out all other sounds, “I, Elysia the Queen of the Forest Elves, command you all to stop and lay down your arms.” This person was used to having their commands obeyed and didn’t even wait for the weapons to be lowered before walking into the center of the clearing and facing the small company that had mysteriously walked though the Elvish protective barrier.

“Who are you?” she asked, looking around and taking in and evaluating the entire party for what seemed like hours but was, in fact, just a few seconds.

Kerwyn heard a voice in his head talking to another being much older than the queen. He wasn’t entirely comfortable knowing that there was a conversation going on in his head that didn’t involve him. Just then, the queen focused on Kerwyn and said in his mind, “You are a very special young mortal and I am pleased that you have come into our domain. Your guardian has told me all about you and how important you will be in the coming storm.” Kerwyn was a bit confused by what she was saying but knew that it would be all made clear when the time was right.

Kerwyn also spoke in his mind and said, “Your Majesty, thank you for welcoming me into your home. I have seen things beyond your boarders that are an atrocity to nature. Master Sernett and I have come to find you. We saw the Fairy Queen and she wanted us to come to you.”

“I know all about the Fairy Queen and her wishes; she and I are kindred spirits and although I will not live forever like she will, we both share the long life and neither of us want to see the Dark Master spread his evil across the land. I am in agreement with her that the Dark Master needs to be stopped or it will affect all of our peoples. I will listen to what Master Sernett has to say. Be welcome into my home, Kerwyn, and enjoy all that we have to offer. You and I will talk again and I look forward to it.” With that, her voice melted from his mind and he could hear her talking to each of his party members. Kerwyn wondered if he really had heard her, as it did not appear as though anyone else had heard his or her conversation.

“Welcome to our home. I’m afraid that we do not have lodgings for such tall guests as our new friends, the Cyclopes, but I have a room waiting for you Master Sernett, Kerwyn and Durin. Please follow Alvar; he will bring you to your rooms to freshen up. We will meet for supper later on after you have rested and freshened up,” the queen was happy with how the events had turned out and she left them, walking back the way that she had come.

Kerwyn smiled and walked over to his master. As he was walking he could hear the Cyclopes talking excitedly amongst themselves. He could hear Baldred the Cyclops warrior say in a hushed whisper that the Elf Queen said in his head that he would be taught how to be an Elvin warrior and how to use bow and arrows. Celie was saying that she was promised how to use a sword and that she would become a great warrior. Even Elden the Cyclops tracker was saying that she had told him that he would be taught all the secret knowledge of the Elves in tracking prey and would be able to track so silently that he would be able to pluck a feather from a pheasant’s butt. He laughed at that, “Can you imagine, a big guy like me sneaking up on a little wee bird and plucking a feather from its butt before it knew I was there? That would be something!”Looking over at Baldred Kerwyn saw that even he was smiling.

Turning back to his Master, Kerwyn said, “Master Sernett, I thought I heard her in my head just like when we met the Fairy Queen.”

“You did, Kerwyn, we all did. Look at Durin; he looks like he has seen a ghost or just eaten a big bug.” Kerwyn turned to look at Durin and saw that Master Sernett was right; Durin did not look too happy about the encounter at all.

“Master Durin, are you alright?” Master Sernett called out. Durin shaking his head quickly and clearing his expression looked at Master Sernett and made a sign with his hand. Kerwyn almost missed the hand movement but looking at his Master he knew that it had meant something to him.

Just then the Elvin warrior Alvar stepped out of the ranks of Elves and told them all to follow him. Turning to follow him, Kerwyn really started to look around for the first time. Craning his head back as far as he could and looking up into the most enormous trees he had ever seen in his life, he felt very small and insignificant.

“These trees are sacred to the Forest Elves, Kerwyn, you will be amazed once we enter them and you will see an amazing Elvish feat,” Master Sernett spoke from his right side.

“I hear that they are very much like what us Dwarves do with our kingdom inside our mountains, except that the Elves use magic, where as we Dwarves take pride and carve out our domain the hard way; using sweat and blood,” said Durin from Kerwyn’s other side.

As Alvar walked into one of the tree’s bases, Kerwyn’s eyes opened up so wide that he thought he might loose them onto the floor. Walking inside the tree was like walking into another universe; there were carpets, silks and furniture everywhere. The space was so much bigger and wider inside the tree than outside. Also the trees were huge but the inside of them were easily five times the size as the diameter of the outside of the tree.

“Master Alvar, how is this possible? The room is much bigger than the tree is on the outside?” asked Kerwyn

“Master Wizard, the answer is in the magic. Have you not heard of the Sack of Holding? That item is based on our magic. What you have is a space and time void that allows it to be much bigger inside then outside. Another item that uses the same magic is the Elvin Quivers. We are able to store hundreds of arrows in our quivers compared to normal quivers that can only hold up to fifty arrows or so. That is why we do not run out of arrows on the battlefield very often. We carry more arrows for a lot less weight,” explained Alvar as though he were talking to a small child.

“I have heard of them but I have never seen them before. This is all new to me,” said Kerwyn, still fascinated by his surroundings.

“If you’d like, Master Wizard, I would be more then happy to show you around and answer any of your questions once you have freshened up and had something to eat,” offered Alvar sincerely.

“I would very much like that Alvar. I would really appreciate the opportunity to see your wonderful home,” said Kerwyn smiling.

“Just remember, Kerwyn, that we are here on a mission so don’t get into any trouble and stay out of the Elves’ way. We are guests here so we want to be on our best behaviour and that goes for all of us,” Master Sernett pointedly looked at the four Cyclops with a stern expression on his face.

“What does he mean, Byamee? We are full grown Cyclopes warriors. What kind of trouble does he think we could get into?” asked Baldred with a chuckle and Elden and Celie joined in the merriment, laughing as well.

“No, Baldred, Master Sernett’s correct. We need to be thoughtful of our hosts. They are not used to company and definitely not the way we showed up. We need to ensure we represent the Cyclops nation and prove that just because we are big does not make us slow or stupid. We are Cyclops and we need to show that we are proud and honoured to be here,” said Byamee sternly.

We understand, my husband, and we will be on our best behaviour as well. Besides, they have offered to teach us the way Elves fight and this will give us a much-needed advantage when the time comes,” said Celie with pride for her family and husband. Smiling, all of the Cyclopes agreed to be the best they could be.

“Ok, Master Dwarf, here we are at your room. I’m sure that you will find everything that you require inside. If you need anything further please just ask any Elf and we will get it for you,” said Alvar pointing to a room on the left. Up a little further, they came to another room but this one was on the right hand side. Walking through the door, Kerwyn was amazed again. The room was bigger then Master Sernett’s whole house. Kerwyn’s sleeping chamber here was about the same size as Master Sernett’s house. Kerwyn could hardly believe that this was inside of a tree. It even had indoor plumbing for running water and a chamber pot so they did not have to go outside to use an outhouse.

“Master Sernett! Come look at this; they even have a chamber pot inside of a tree! This place is amazing! How do they get the water to come to these taps and how do they get the waste to go out? Where does it go, anyway, and where are they getting the water in the first place?” Kerwyn was so excited that he was asking too many questions at once and Master Sernett had no way to keep up with the answers because Kerwyn had another question out before he would even wait for the answers to any of his questions.

“Ok, Kerwyn, take a breath my boy. Yes, I agree, this place is amazing. There is no other place like it in the world. Take it all in and learn as much as you can in the time that we are here. You may never see another place even close to this ever again in your life. You know how old I am and this is the first time I have ever been allowed into their trees. Now go get washed up and look; they even have clean laundry for us. Please get ready as fast as you can. I would very much like to taste some of the Elvin food that I have heard so much about throughout the years,” said Master Sernett with an almost childish step in his movements. Kerwyn giggled to himself and went into the wash area and saw the big tub filled with hot water. He stripped down and climbed into the hot, soapy water with a sigh of contentment.

About a half hour later, Master Sernett was knocking on Kerwyn’s washroom door. “Sorry, Master Sernett, I must have fallen asleep but I’m getting out now,” Kerwyn pulled himself out of the tub and started to dry off and walked towards the window to look out at the beautiful sky and trees. There below on the ground, sun tanning, was the most amazing girl he had ever seen in his life. She was almost as pretty as the Fairy Queen. She had honey coloured hair that looked like it would run down the entire length of her back; she had a petite but very well toned figure. All of her parts were in perfect perportion to the rest of her parts. Looking at her more closely he could tell that she was one of the prettiest Elves he could have imagined them to look like. He could not take his eyes off her. She must have had the feeling that she was being watched because she opened up her eyes and looked around with a start. Catching Kerwyn’s eye, she smiled up at him and gave a shy little wave.

Being shy himself, Kerwyn jumped back into his room, embarrassed at getting caught looking at this girl the way he had. Nevertheless, he thought to himself what a women she was and he found her perfect in every way.