Young Writers Society

This is the beginning of a story i wrote, compared to my other wannabe novels, i got a long way on this one. I might start writing on it again eventually

Prologue

Dorin slowly forced his hands towards the fiery gloves. Even though he claimed he was never afraid, at that moment his hands were shaking violently. If you do this you will be very, very, powerful, he told himself, running the words over and over in his head. You are Dorin, the prince, the most strong and powerful man in the world, just do it! Finally, he did it, he slammed his hands into the fiery gloves, expecting the worst, expecting the gloves to burn him up, but that is not what happened.

Dorin could feel warmth, but he was not on fire, and slowly, the fire crept up his arms, and onto his torso and legs, and finally to his head. He wasn’t on fire, he was the fire; it was like an extra skin. With a sharp cry he ran out of the cave, onto the platform of rock, and started to climb the huge cliff that went straight up above him.

As he climbed, he yelled, “Orenx, I will find you, and I will kill you! Fear me!”

On a field on the mountain of Glorath, a young shepherd sat below the only tree in the field, humming a song. His sheep were all grazing nearby, and to pass the time, the boy counted them. Seventy-three. They were all there. Then, he looked across to the unnamed cliff that lay across from him, and he saw an amazing sight. Climbing the mountain straight across from him was a fire, only it was a human form. It could only be a demon.

He crossed himself and ran away, across the fields, back to his house, closely followed by the sheep he was supposed to be watching.

In a village at the bottom of the mountains, a young girl left her house. She was tall and had long, light brown hair. She was sixteen, yet she was five feet and ten inches tall. She wore a leather hood, a tunic, and tight brown pants. This was her archery clothing, which she wore since she was going hunting. She also had a quiver that was stuffed full of arrows slung over her back, and a longbow in her hand.

She walked to the stable and saddled her horse, a red mare named Sorren. Then she mounted Sorren and rode away, going down the main road to the forest of Henrid.

As she rode under the clear blue sky, she thought about her father, he was getting even more ill than he had been before, and she was getting worried. Especially since she was hunting alone. Normally her father would never let her hunt without her brother, but now that he was so ill they had to take turns staying home to stay with their father. Luckily her mother was coming back from Lord Corum’s castle soon. But then her thoughts were cut off, because she saw something on the path ahead of her.

Sir Orenx rode his white stallion down the path, going to the Henrid Castle. He had recently been knighted, and was going to see his uncle, the Lord Corum, who was the ruler of the castle. As he rode, he whistled a tune. He could hear birds singing in the woods to his right, and as he looked at the clear sky, bright forest, and nice rolling hills, he thought of how lucky his uncle was to live here.

But then his horse suddenly stopped. He trusted his horse, more than anyone or anything else, and he immediately knew something was wrong.

Something moved in the brush to his right, and he drew his sword and turned that way, but knew right away that it was a mistake. He felt a sword at the back of his neck, and a rough voice saying, “Drop your weapon, and hand over all of your valuables.”

The King’s cousin’s son was being robbed.

1

Sir Orenx dropped his sword onto the ground and reached into his coat for a bag of gold. Suddenly, the bright, beautiful day seemed darkened. He didn’t want to arrive at his uncle’s castle like this, without anything. But as his fingers closed around the bag, the sword that was pressed against his neck left his neck, and he heard a groan and a thump. He grabbed a knife that he had and spun around.

The man who had been holding the sword was lying on the ground with two arrows sticking out of him, and another robber had a bow aimed at a figure at the top of a hill. Orenx threw the knife at the other robber, and it met its mark. The other robber slumped and fell to the ground.

Right as the robber fell off the horse, it ran away, leaving Orenx alone with his own horse and the two dead men. Then the figure that was at the top of the hill rode down, and Orenx called, “Hello, may I ask who this archer is that saved me?”

“Archeress, is actually what I prefer,” the rider called, pulling her hood off.

“What is your name?”

“Elara, may I ask yours?

“Of course you can. I am Orenx. Well, Sir Orenx, now.”

“What are you doing in these parts? I have not seen you before, and I know everyone in this village. In fact, I have not seen an outsider knight in these parts for a while. The only knights are almost always in Lord Corum’s castle.”

“I am here to see my uncle, do you think that you could direct me to him?”

“Well, I would first have to know his name.”

“He is the one that you just mentioned, Lord Corum.”

“Lord Corum is y-your uncle!”

“Aye.”

“But, t-that would make you the second cousin of the king!”

“Aye, so, do you think you could lead me to him?”

“Oh, aye, I will.”

“Good, then let us ride.”

As they rode across the path, Elara said, “That is a fine steed, what is his name?”

“His name is Shadow,” Orenx said, patting his horse on the head.

“Interesting name for a white horse.”

“Aye, I got him right before I became a knight, my master, Sir Lowell, helped me name him. He got his name because he is like a shadow of the angels. He is a fine horse, and I could not ask for a better friend.”

“Yes, Sorren is a good friend as well.”

“Is that your mare?”

“Oh, yes.”

Orenx looked up and saw a large stone castle appear as they came over a hill. “So, this is the famed Lord Corum’s castle,” he said.

“He is a famous Lord?”

“Well, the king knows of him, so he is somewhat famous.” Orenx chuckled.

“Ah,” Elara still hadn’t gotten used to talking with someone who was so closely related to the king.

“I noticed that you seem to have hunting clothes on. Did I interrupt a hunting trip?”

“Well, I….”

“I am sorry.”

“No, it’s, ah, it’s fine….”

But they were interrupted by another voice, one of the guards, who said, “Who goes there?”

Orenx looked at him and said, “Tell the Lord Corum that his nephew is here, Sir Orenx.”

“Aye, you have been expected, but who is the lass that you ride with?”

“I was not familiar with this land, and she was just leading me to the castle.”

Then Elara interrupted, saying, “Sir, I was wondering, is there a maid here named Nata, Nata Smith?”

“I believe,” the guard replied, “that she left very recently.”

“Then I must be going.”

“No, wait!” Orenx said, “I was going to give you some food since I-” But it was no use, the brown-haired girl was already far away, traveling the other way.

“So,” the guard said, “Do you wish to come in or not?”

“Yes, open the gate.”

The guard signaled to the gatekeeper, and slowly the portcullis raised and the gates swung inwards.

From a window inside the castle, Lord Corum inspected his nephew, the young knight. His mind took in all of the details, Fair hair, shoulder-length, strong, handsome, young, no trace of a beard. Lord Corum noticed everything, how Orenx rode, his height, weight, skin color, he could even tell how comfortable Sir Orenx thought his armor was. But then Orenx left his horse with the stable master, and Lord Corum walked down to the entrance hall to greet his young guest.

2

Ullam, the shepherd boy, ran back to the village, his feet pounding down the streets, going to his father’s house.

Inside one of the houses in the village, a man saw the boy, sand colored hair, bare feet, and raggedy clothing running down the street. Quickly the man ran outside and yelled, “BOY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING! YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE WATCHING MY BLOODY SHEEP! GET BACK HERE! BOY! ULLAM!”

Ullam saw the man leap in his path, but he tried to dodge around. But as he feinted to the left, and then ran right, the older man grabbed him, and said, “What the bloody heck do you think you’re doing? Why aren’t you watching my darned sheep?”

“B-because, s-sir, I…there…I SAW A DEMON!”

“Oh, really?” the man said mockingly, then changed to an angry tone and yelled, “YOU DIDN’T SEE A DEMON! YOUR MIND IS PLAYING TRICKS ON YOU! GO BACK…AND…WATCH…MY…SHEEP!”

“S-sir, I-I really d-did see a d-demon.”

“NO YOU DIDN’T! YOU ARE GOING TO LOSE MY SHEEP, GO BACK AND FIND THEM!’

“I SAW A DEMON!”

“FINE! THEN SHOW ME WHERE THE DEMON IS, AND BE QUICK ABOUT IT!”

“S-sir, I’ll show you, j-just let me get my pa. P-please?”

“FINE, BUT HURRY IT UP!”

Ullam started to run, and the man said, “And I bloody mean it!”

Keldar sat at his table, eating a hunk of bread, when Ullam burst into the house. “P-pa,” Ullam said, “Come, and quick, or Heil will have my skin.”

“What the ‘eck is it ‘bout this toim?”

“I-I saw a d-demon.”

“Huh.”

“Please, pa?”

“Aye, I’m cummin, just lemme ge’ a jack’t.”

“Pa, it’s summer.”

“Oh, aye, I’d forgetted.”

“Hurry!”

“I’m acomin’”

Ullam ran out of the house, followed by his father. They met the man, whose name was Heil, out on the street, and Ullam ran down the road, wanting to get back to the field before the demon was gone. But when they finally got there, the other mountain was bare.

“So boy, where the bloody heck is this demon?” Heil said.

“W-well, it w-was on….” But it was no use, the demon was gone, and Ullam knew he wouldn’t have a chance.

Heil then turned to Keldar. “Man,” he said, “your son is mentally ill. And…if…I…find…out…that…ONE…of…my…bloody…sheep…is…missing…” he stopped, turned to Ullam and then said, “Well, it won’t be too pretty for you, boy.” Heil turned and stomped away.

“Huh,” Keldar said, “you ‘ave gotted youself in a real bod p’sition this toim, you ‘ave.”

Silently, Ullam walked away to find all of the sheep.

3

Dorin went to the cave of his father, Morcant. He didn’t pay any attention to the mountain scenery as he went past it.

His father had never liked Dorin, mostly because Dorin was so weak, but Dorin thought that now that he had found the gloves, the Kor Nel Phrakn, his father would be much more proud of him. He just hoped that Morcant wouldn’t be too angry that Dorin had found the Kor Nel Phrakn before him. But he could not think of that, for Dorin had arrived at the cave of the evil Lord Morcant, who was a sorcerer, and a deadly killer.

Dorin saw the cave; he had arrived. At first, he was afraid to knock on the hard rock door, but then he remembered that he had the Kor Nel Phrakn, which meant that he should easily be more powerful than his father, and he stepped up and pounded on the door of the cave. He waited a few minutes, but finally, the rock door opened, and Dorin walked into the cave of his father, Lord Morcant.

Morcant stood, shadows flickering across his face. The cave was very dark, illumined only by a few torches on the walls.

Dorin looked at his fathers face. Morcant had dark, dark eyes, almost black, but there was a slight tint of brown and gray in them. His nose was long, but straight, his lips very white, and they had a slight downward curve at the ends. He had surprisingly small ears for his large head, and they were flat against his head. And across his entire face, from the top of his left ear to the right side of his chin, was a scar, still vividly blood red, though Morcant had received it many years before that day.

Morcant looked over the demon-looking, fiery human carefully, before saying, “Dorin, my son, is that you?”

“A-aye, father,” Dorin spoke with a slight stutter as he said that, still fearing Morcant’s power.

“Hmm,” Morcant said quietly, then roared, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? DO YOU NOT REMEMBER ME TELLING YOU TO LEAVE, TO NEVER RETURN?”

Dorin’s stuttering increased as he answered the yelling sorcerer, “Y-y-yes, f-father, but n-n-now that I-I h-have the-the K-Kor-“

But Morcant interrupted him, “THE KOR NEL PHRAKN! DOES IT MATTER? I TOLD YOU NEVER TO COME BACK! LEAVE! IMMEDIATELY!”

But finally, Dorin managed to get enough courage to say: “Yes, it does matter that I have the Kor Nel Phrakn, because they give me a great advantage. I am more powerful than you with these, I have my powers, and the help of powerful magic items, you cannot stop me!”

“GET OUT, FOOL! YOUR POWERS ARE WEAK! SO MUCH WEAKER THAN MINE! LEAVE!”

“NO! I MAY BE WEAKER THAN YOU IN MAGIC, BUT THESE GLOVES ARE THE KOR NEL PHRAKN, ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL MAGICAL OBJECTS IN THE WORLD, SECOND ONLY TO THE STAFF OF NORMUDA! I WILL DESTROY YOU!”

“YOU ARE A FOOL!”

“NO, I AM NOT, YOU-YOU ARE THE FOOL, THE FOOL MORCANT, MORCANT THE FOOL!”

At that moment, Morcant’s eyes turned totally black, not just the irises and pupils, but the entire eye. And when he spoke, his voice thundered out in what sounded like a hundred voices, some deep, some higher, some roaring, some hissing, and the Lord Morcant said, “I GAVE YOU THE CHANCE TO LEAVE, BUT YOU REFUSE, SO I WILL HAVE TO USE FORCE…BUT I WILL GIVE YOU ONE MORE CHANCE, LEAVE!”

“NEVER!”

Dorin launched a huge ball of fire at Morcant, but Morcant lifted an arm that had been cloaked in the shadows, and in it, he held a staff. The fireball was gone, before it had gone a foot. Then Morcant raised his staff, and Dorin was raised into the air, and thrown against one of the walls of the cave. Luckily for Dorin, the Kor Nel Phrakn gave a cushion of fire, which took away most of the shock from the blow, but it grew a bit weaker from Morcant’s power. Morcant flung Dorin to the other end of the room, and slammed him against the wall there. Finally, Morcant lifted him up and threw him out of the cave. Then he said, “ARRAQUER ERADUS OHRM!” At that moment, a huge wave of water hit Dorin sending him into the air, but quickly, the water evaporated because of the fire, and Dorin hit the ground. But this time, the cushion of fire was almost gone, and he cracked his head as he hit the ground.

Then, the rock on the cave started to close, and Dorin jumped up, wobbling slightly as he stood, and yelled, “NOOOOOOO!” Then he launched the biggest ball of fire that he could, which was actually quite small, at the space in between the doors, but there was a magical barrier there, and when it hit, it exploded in a huge flame. Then, the doors closed, and Dorin knew that he would not get back in.

Dorin got up, leaned against a tree, and started walking away from the cave. He got more faint by the second, but he made sure that he didn’t lose consciousness, at least, not until he was far away from the cave. As he went, he spoke to himself quietly, “No, no, no, no, he won’t, he will NOT win. I may have lost this battle, but I will win the war! I swear, someday, I…will…KILL him!” At the very end he yelled, and that made him dizzier than ever, and quickly, he collapsed to the ground of the forest, unconscious.

Back at the cave, Morcant set the staff against the wall. It was an odd looking staff, but one that you could easily remember. It was crooked, and a knot in the wood made a perfect gripping area. It was made of a dark wood, from some magical tree, but no one knew what it was, or where it came from. On the top of the staff, there was a large, heavy white stone, and electric beads still crackled around it. It was the most powerful magical object in the world; it was the Staff of Normuda.

Then Morcant pulled out a book and muttered as he read, “Legend says that Vohr is the most powerful wizard ever, even though he never used any magical objects…no, he is said to be the most powerful user of magic; magician, wizard, witch, sorcerer, faerie, magi, spell-maker, goblin, and, elf, but now he has disappeared. Oh well, soon I will be the most powerful…I will control the world, I, the Lord Morcant!”

Then, a voice from a dark corner of the room hissed, “Aye, you bloody will, master, and I will be your servant the entire time.” Then out of the corner a figure stepped, wearing black robes, and a hood, with a long black sword hanging from the figure’s side, on a black belt. Everything about the man was black, his charcoal-covered face, gloved hands, his weapons…there was nothing on the man that was not black…even his eyes were black. It was Morcant’s servant.

“Arr, Heil, you will, but I have no need of you now, go back to your village…NOW!” Morcant said.

“Master, it is as you wish,” Heil said, and quickly slunk out of the room.

Then Morcant muttered a few quiet words, and a huge fire leapt up in the middle of the room.

4

Elara rode home as fast as she could from Lord Corum’s castle. When she got to the house, she quickly tied Sorren to her post in the barn. Then she ran inside to find her mother, Nata.

Inside the house, Nata sat with Abrahr, Elara’s brother. Both of them were taking care of Ieuan, Elara and Abrahr’s father. “Mother!” Elara cried as she burst in the door, and Elara and Nata quickly embraced. “How is he?” asked Elara, quietly.

Nata sighed, and said, “I’m not sure—his breathing is shallow, and slow, but I believe that he will live, at least for the next month.” Then Nata burst into tears. “It’s my fault, if I hadn’t gone to the castle, he-he—“ but she could not finish, because just then there was a knock at the door.

Abrahr stood up. “I’ll find out who it is,” he said, in his deep, rough voice. He walked to the door, and pulled it open.

Outside, one of the guards from the Henrid castle was standing, holding onto the reins of two horses. One was a fine black stallion, the sun shining off it’s back, and the other was a smaller, older looking brown mare. Slung across the mare’s back was a large bag. Abrahr looked at the man and said, “What d’yoe want?”

“Sir,” the soldier said, taking the bag off of the mare’s back, “this is some of the finest food from Lord Corum’s castle, and I was told to give it to a young maiden named Elara. ‘Tis from Sir Orenx, as complements for saving him from robbery, and also as an apology, for interrupting her hunting trip.”

“Huh, let me find Elara.”

“Aye.”

As Abrahr walked into the room where Elara, Nata, and Ieuan were, Nata asked, “Who was that?”

“Some sold’er, wanted Elara, something ‘bout some food from a knight, Sir Orenx were ‘is name, I think.”

Elara stood up and walked to the door, when she got there, the guard said, “Arr, you’re the right one,” he held out the food, saying, “Here ye are, compl’ments o’ Sir Orenx.”

“Thank you, sir,” Elara replied, taking the bag in her hands. It was heavy, and Abrahr quickly took it from her and set it on the square bit of wood that was the family’s table. The soldier bowed his head slightly to Elara, and then jumped on his horse and rode away towards the castle, the packhorse following him.

Elara walked back to the table, opened the rope that the bag was tied in, and looked inside. She gasped. Then she pulled everything out, one at a time. There were fresh, fine-looking fruits and vegetables, and four newly baked loaves of bread, which were still warm. Then she found lots of fine chicken eggs. But then, Elara got to the meat. There was more meat than she had ever seen in her life. She pulled out a large boar, a big slab of venison, chicken, and a small stuffed pig. “Oh Lord,” she said, “Thank you for sending this knight to our country.”

In the corner, Abrahr watched her, and he too was thankful for the food, and he knew that they would prepare for a feast that night, and he quickly slipped through the doorway to the bedroom where Nata and Ieuan were.

When Abrahr walked into the bedroom, Nata asked, “So, did he have food?”

Abrahr excitedly answered, “Yes, and a lots of it, we can ‘ave a feast t’night!”

5

Orenx looked around the vast hall that he was standing in. Lord Corum seemed to be a rich man, judging by the fine tapestries and statues that were all over. Of course, that was not surprising, seeing as he was the king’s cousin, but it was still breathtaking. Corum entered the room. “Hello, sir,” said Orenx.

“Enough of that,” Corum said. His voice was rough, but it sounded kind and friendly. “Call me Corum. ‘Tis my name, is it not?”

“Aye, sir—I mean, Corum.”

“Ho, ho,” Corum laughed, and then suddenly his face became more solemn. “How many years have you lived, boy?”

“Twenty-three, er, Corum, as of one score and seven days ago, the day I was knighted.”

“Ah, so I guessed right. Are you wondering how old I am?”

“No, sir.”

“Corum.”

“I’m sorry, s-uh, Corum.”

“Well, even if you are not wondering how old I am, I will tell you. I am fifty-six.”

He didn’t look like he was fifty-six; he looked a bit more like he would be forty, and Orenx said so, but at this, Corum laughed and said, “I thank ye, Orenx, kind of you to say that. Ah, well, we must get you out of these horrid clothes, and find you some proper ones.” Orenx knew that he would get along well with his uncle, and he went away to change into some ‘proper clothes’.

After he got dressed, Orenx went to talk to his uncle. “Corum,” he said, “I, uh, could I send some food to a family that lives in this village?”

“Maybe,” Corum replied, “Who?”

“I don’t actually know the name, but apparently it was a girl named Elara Smith, I believe, and her mother or sister was named Nata, I think. Do you know who that is?”

“Aye, the old blacksmith’s daughter, Elara. Her mother, Nata, was working here until today, but she had to go back to take care of Ieuan, Elara’s father.”

“Oh, thank you.”

“Why do you want to send them food?”

“The girl—Elara—saved me from getting robbed today, and then she showed me the way to your castle, but she was supposed to be hunting, so I wish to send her food, as an apology. I have money, I will pay you for it, if you want me to.”

“Of course not, I wouldn’t dream of making you pay me.” Then Corum led Orenx to the kitchen, and said to the servants, “Fill a bag with plenty of meat, fresh vegetables and fruits, four loaves of freshly baked bread, and lots of eggs. Make it enough for a small feast! Then you must give it to Ghare, and tell him to take it to the house where the blacksmith, Ieuan, lives. Tell them that it is for Elara, complements of Sir Orenx, and an apology for stopping her hunting trip.” Then Corum turned around and left, and Orenx followed him.

“Thank you, Corum,” Orenx said, “I am very grateful.”

“You are very welcome,” Corum said with a smile, “and I’m sure that the Smith family, as they are called, will be very grateful as well.”

That night, Corum called together a feast for the arrival of Sir Orenx. Everyone in the castle was there, and many people came from the village. When he stepped into the room, Orenx looked for Elara, but to his disappointment, she wasn’t there.

As Corum and Orenx entered, everyone grew silent. Corum told everyone to sit down, and he would sit at the head of the table, with Orenx on his right side, and his wife on the left. Orenx looked at his aunt. She had blonde hair and bright, twinkling blue eyes. There was laughter, joy, and kindness all over her face.

Finally, Corum said a short prayer, and he took one bite of the wild boar, chewed it slowly, while everyone watched, and finally he swallowed it, saying, “Where is the cook? I must tell him that this is the finest boar that I have ever tasted!”

Then everyone piled huge portions of boar, chicken, duck, venison, ham, turkey, fish, cheese, eggs, salad, soup, and bread on their plates and in their bowls, and filled their goblets with water, ale, wine, tea, and for the children, a specially made blackberry juice, which Henrid was famous for all over the kingdom. “So,” Corum said quietly to Orenx after Orenx had eaten some of the delicious food. “How do you like it here?”

“Mm,” Orenx mumbled, with his mouth full of the juicy boar meat. He held up one finger to tell his uncle to wait a moment, and then he finished the boar and replied, “It’s a fine castle, and the food—there is only one word for it—it’s amazing!”

Then, a new voice entered the conversation, it—or she—said, “Well, you must thank the cook for that.” It was Lady Eleanoera, Duchess of Henrid Castle.

“Greetings, Eleanoera—if I may call you that,” Orenx said.

Eleanoera laughed, she had a very joyful laugh, and it made her sound very young. “Of course you may, Orenx. We are close relatives, and I think that it would be stupid to go around calling each other ‘Sir’ and ‘Ma’am’.” She laughed again.

“Aye,” Corum interrupted, “I quite agree.”

Just then, a jester leapt onto a stage that was across from where Corum, Eleanoera, and Orenx sat. He shouted, “Hello, good sirs and ladies! Prepare to be astounded, amazed, and awed at the best jester that has ever walked the earth! I am Arfillius Awrc Avloown! The thrice-aced jester!” Then he did a flip, produced seven juggling balls from seemingly nowhere, and juggled them everywhere. Between his legs, around his back, horizontally around his chest and his head, and then he started juggling three balls in each hand, and the seventh he bounced back and forth through the other two circles of balls, in an amazing feat of speed. Then he finished, and took his bow.

Orenx was disappointed to see him leave, but then a riddler came and he turned his attention on trying to answer each one of the riddles the man asked before anyone else did. Orenx was very good at riddles, but he still was not the first to guess many of the confusing riddles that the riddler asked.

After the riddler left, a bard came in and sang the old tale of the Paladin, Yoeroun, who was said to be the most powerful user of magic that ever lived, and that ever would live. He was one of the old elves, who lived for many years.

However, many people thought that the story and the elves were just fables, stories told to entertain people and children. But some people believed. Those were the ones that said the Vohr was not the most powerful user of magic. Those were the people that Vohr disliked. And when the tale was done, the bard left.

Then came a small group. It was a traveling circus that Corum had invited. There was a man and a young girl, who seemed to be his daughter, and they did many tricks—they balanced on a small slat of wood that was high above the ground, and began to dance on it. Then they each flipped to the ground, and the man took the girl on one hand and raised her high into the air on one of her legs. A helper picked up a small ladder, and set it in the middle of the room. Finally, the man climbed to the top, with a helper holding the ladder, and when the man got to the top, the helper let go of the ladder, and the man stood, balanced on top of the on one foot, with one hand raised into the air, and the girl balanced on one foot on his hand.

Then, the ladder suddenly dropped, and Orenx gasped. But it turned out that it was all part of the act. The ladder clattered to the ground and the man and girl dropped to the ground and bowed, and then they left the stage. Orenx thought that it was the most amazing thing that he had ever seen.

After them, a musician and two dancers came out. The musician had a beautiful looking flute, which sounded clear and bright. The dancers were a man and a woman, and they danced to the music perfectly, without missing a beat. After dancing to two songs, the dancers left, but the musician stayed, and he played one last song. It was soft and sorrowful, played with care, and respect. By the end of the song, Eleanoera was weeping softly, and although he did his best not to show it, Corum was very close to tears, as was Orenx.

Then the last person of the circus came on. It was a young lady, and with her came a huge lion. It’s fur looked purely gold, and its mane was huge. The circus leader cried, “Welcome Sierra and her majestic lion, GOLDENPAW!” Sierra whispered something in the lion’s ear, and then she turned to face the audience, standing in front of Goldenpaw. Goldenpaw stood up slowly, and soon he was at his full height. Orenx could see that he was big, even for a lion. Then Goldenpaw slowly put his front paws on Sierra’s shoulders. Everyone started to clap, but then, Goldenpaw leaped forward, over Sierra, and right in front of the table. Orenx heard many women and children scream, and quite a few knives being unsheathed. But then Goldenpaw put his paws on the table, and finally, he stood up and clapped his paws together, roaring loudly. As he did this, the sound was deafening, because everyone in the crowd was clapping, and the lion roaring. It lasted for about ten seconds, and then Goldenpaw stopped, and everything was silent. Then Sierra called to Goldenpaw, and he walked onto the stage and left.

Finally, the circus leader yelled, “Thank you all for watching, and special thanks to Lord Corum for inviting us!” And he walked off the stage.

For a moment, it was silent, but then the cook came into the room with dessert. There was blackberry pie; custard; fresh, sweet, plums; bowls of honey with sweet crackers to dip; and a huge, nine-layered cake, with all kinds of fruits covering it. They each had a small plate to get the food on, and everyone loaded their plates with as much food as they could fit.

Then, the curtain on the stage opened one more time, but nothing came out. Everyone sat, watching silently. Nothing happened for a minute, and most of the people started eating their dessert again, but suddenly, there was a bang! and the room filled with faeries. There were short faeries, tall ones, some walked, some crawled, some had wings and they flew. Then a huge firecracker flew into the air, came within an inch of the high ceiling, and exploded; then came many small explosions, fireballs, and colored smoke. A fiery hawk flew straight at Orenx, but at the last second flew upwards, exploding into purple sparks. The faerie magic continued, awing everyone in the crowd, until finally, all of the faeries got into a circle. Out of the circle came a huge fireball. It flew around the room, leaving a trail of multi-colored smoke behind it. Then it flew to the center of the room, directly in the middle of the table, rose to the ceiling, and exploded. Thousands of small fireballs rained down on the table, and every one fell into someone’s goblet.

Orenx looked into his goblet, to see what had happened to his ale, and he saw a tiny bit of some drink that he did not recognize.

Corum stood up and raised his glass, as everyone fell silent, then he said, “TO SIR ORENX!” The room quickly filled with echoes of ‘TO SIR ORENX!’ and then everyone drank of the faerie liquid. It was cold when you tasted it, but as it went down your throat, it was fiery, and it seemed to warm the soul. It was sweet, yet both bitter and sour as well. It tasted of so many different things; it was entirely indescribable.

Then the faeries bowed, and everyone clapped. Corum leaned over and whispered to Orenx, “That was the Fire Faerie, the most rare and magical drink in the world. Cherish it, for you will most likely never drink of it again.”

“Thank you Corum,” Orenx replied quietly, “But why would they do this for me, I have heard of the Fire Faerie, but I know that it is only for people who are very special. I don’t know why they should think that I am special.”

“Orenx, they said that their Prophecists say that you will help save us from a great darkness. I do not know what, but that is what they say. They wanted to give it to you.”

Then all of the faeries, having finished their bow, disappeared. “I just wish that I could thank them,” Orenx said.

“You can, Orenx,” replied Corum, “Just say it.”

“Thank you,” Orenx said to his plate, because he didn’t know where else to say it, “Thank you very much, all of you.”

He heard a chorus of many, many voices say, “You’re welcome, Sir Orenx the Great.”

Great? he thought, What did I do to become Sir Orenx the Great?

Corum stood up and said, “Thank you, everyone for attending.” Then he said a short prayer and a few people hurriedly gulped down the rest of their food, and everyone left. Soon the only people left in the room were Corum, Eleanoera, and Orenx. Corum said, “That is all. We should leave.” They all stood up to leave the room.

6

After four hours of searching and herding, Ullam found every single one of Heil’s sheep. He was bleeding, bruised, and scratched in many places, from climbing down steep hills, and chasing sheep all over the town. He got all seventy-three of the sheep in the Heil’s stone pen, and walked home as the sun was setting. He was tired and hungry, and he hoped that his father, who was a very good cook, had made some food.

He got to his house and stepped in the door. Ullam’s house was separated into three rooms: the entrance hallway, the bedroom, and the kitchen and dining room. Inside the kitchen, Ullam heard Keldar and another man talking. The voice that he did not recognize said, “-tell him. We have to, Keldar, the time has come.”

Keldar’s voice what shaky. “I-I knah,” he said. “I knah. Bu’—I-I really have gotted close to ‘im.”

“Of course you have, after twelve years and nine months.”

That was when Ullam stepped in the room, “Hullo, pa. Who’s this?” he asked.

“Well-” Keldar began to say.

The older man, who had a white beard and shoulder-length white hair said, “I’m sorry, Ullam, but this is not your father.”

Although he had thought that that was what the two men were talking about, Ullam’s heart still slammed into the bottom of his stomach. He sat down in one of the wooden chairs at the table, letting the truth sink in. He could feel the tears filling his eyes.

He had always been close to Keldar, as they spent lots of time doing things together. Keldar said that Ullam’s mother had died a few days after he was born, and now Ullam wondered if this was true. But more than that, Ullam wondered who his real parents were, and why they weren’t with him. Quickly, the older man began the story. “Ullam, twelve years and nine months ago, on this day, you were brought to this house by a mage. He said that you were eight days old, and that your mother had died within the hour that you were born. She had just enough time to name you, and she named you after her father—your grandfather.

“So, your father, your real one, came to this house, which belonged to a good man that your father knew, that was Keldar. I came with your father, and he told me to come back to this house on this date to tell you exactly what I am saying now.”

“Sir,” Ullam said, “who are my-”

“Of course you want to know your parents names.”

“Y-yes, and, does my father still live? And why didn’t he keep me?” Ullam had many more questions, but he did not ask them.

“Boy, I will tell you your mother’s name first. She was Madileina. And your father was named Vohr, and no one knows whether he lives or not.”

“Sir, you don’t mean-”

“That is what I mean, and I believe that now you may know the answer to your other question?”

“Y-yes, sir.”

“Good. Now we must begin your training.”

Ullam looked up at Keldar, who had a very sorrowful look on his face, and Ullam said, “What training?”

The man said, “Don’t be a fool, Ullam, your magical training, of course.”

“Oh.”

Just then, Ullam’s stomach growled, and Keldar said, “Hmm, we mus’ get yer some food.”

“No,” the old man said simply, “He must learn to live without food if we are to train him to be strong.”

“Arright.” Ullam could see that Keldar did not want to argue with the man.

“Come, Ullam, we must leave. Say your goodbyes if you must.”

Ullam walked up to Keldar, and they embraced. “Goodbye, pa,” Ullam said. This is all a dream, he thought. I can’t be…I-he, Keldar is my…no, no…. His tears dripped against Keldar’s chest.

“Goo’bye…Ullam,” Keldar replied. Ullam could see that it hurt Keldar to call him that, instead of ‘son’.

“Well then,” the man said, grabbing Ullam’s shoulder. “Come on Ullam, we must get you to the training area.” The man steered him out the door, and waiting outside was a large, fancy carriage.

Ullam stepped into the carriage and they started to leave. As he looked out the window, Ullam saw the form of Keldar, which was blurry because of Ullam’s tears, outside the door, with tears in his eyes. But soon he was out of sight.

Soon, the carriage stopped and a man stepped out, with a sign in his hand. Ullam saw that the sign said: ‘Magic Tutor Needed’ and it had a spell on it to transport you to the place where Ullam was going to be taught. “Sir,” Ullam said to the man that had been sent to get him, “Do you not already have a teacher?”

“We do,” came the answer, “But we need someone more powerful than what we have to teach you. Oh, and, you may call me Aghor.”

“Thank you, Aghor.”

They stopped a few more times to put more signs up, but finally, they arrived at the place where Ullam was to be taught.

Dorin woke up, groaning. His whole body ached. He was lying in the middle of a forest. He stood up, but immediately fell down again. He didn’t know which way he was going, but he began to crawl. For a long time, he did not know how long, he crawled, and sometimes got up, leaning against trees and limping. After a long time, the Kor Nel Phrakn began to heal him, and he stood up and walked. His throat was very parched, and he longed for even a drop of water. Slowly, the Kor Nel Phrakn began to make him stronger, and soon his magical powers were at their highest, but he was so thirsty, that he had given up hope.

But just as he was going to sit down and let death come to him, he saw a village up ahead. He forced himself to walk a little bit further, and he saw a farmyard. There was a well, and Dorin walked up to it and slowly, slowly drew the bucket up out of the well. He drank all of the water in the bucket and then dropped the bucket back into the well. Then he walked to the town to see what he could find. Immediately, he saw a sign that said: ‘Magic Tutor Needed’, and Dorin thought, Perfect.

Morcant stood against the far wall of the cave, barely visible in the flickering light that the torches gave off. He watched his servant creep in the barely noticeable crack that was the door of the cave. “What news of the boy, Heil?” asked Morcant, his voice a dark-sounding whisper.

“Master, they have told him,” came the whispered reply. “They’ve taken him away to the bloody training square, aye, and they were looking for a good tutor, apparently they don’t have any that they think’ll be good enough for Vohr’s son.”

“No luck, then, on finding one?”

“Ah, master,” Heil squeaked, “I am s-sorry to say…. Yes, they found one; they found him bloody quick, too. Within the hour, I think.”

“Hmm,” Morcant grunted. “Do you happen to know who it is?”

“W-well, sir, I-I, y-y-y-”

“Out with it, fool!”

“Yes….”

“Who was it?”

Heil remained silent.

“WHO WAS IT, YOU FOOL!” Morcant bellowed, and he used his magic to lift Heil into the air.

“I-it was,” Heil choked out, “D-d-dorin, y-your son.”

Heil fell to the ground in a black heap, sobbing.

Morcant cursed and said, “He’ll soon be trying to raise an army against me. He forces me to kill him sooner.” Then he looked at Heil and yelled, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE! GET OUT, YOU IDIOTIC FOOL! GO GET ME MORE NEWS OF THE BOY!”

Heil crawled out the door, sobbing, “Yes, master.”

“Curses,” muttered Morcant after Heil left. “They’re all idiots.”

7

Elara had set out all of the food on the table, and in the other room, Nata took care of Ieuan while Abrahr stood in the corner, watching and praying.

The table was set, the food sitting, steaming hot, in the middle, and Nata, Abrahr, and Elara stood around it. Elara had made sauces for the meat, fried the eggs, made a salad with the vegetables, sliced the fruit, and cut one of the loaves of bread. The smell of the food was amazing, especially for the Smith family, since they had mostly had rough venison and small amounts of carrots and tomatoes from their garden. After a short prayer, they all sat down to eat.

“Mm” was all anyone could say.

They ate the food, not quickly, but not slowly, savoring it, and they ate twice as much as they would have thought was fair before, and about halfway through the meal, a miracle happened.

Through the doorway Ieuan walked, leaning on the wall and limping, breathing heavily. “Smell…food,” he said slowly. Nata gasped and burst into tears.

Abrahr and Elara quickly leaped up and helped him into a chair. “Father,” Elara whispered. “You-you…”

“Yes.”

Nata was crying, half happily, but half because of how weak he seemed. Once, she thought. Once he was strong, but now…”

Abrahr pulled out a large plate, stuck an entire loaf of bread, and huge portions of everything else on it, and gave it to Elara, who helped her father eat.

After Ieuan was finished eating, they all said another prayer, one of thanks, for the food and for Ieuan’s recovery, and Elara and Abrahr helped Ieuan back to his bed.

That night, in the room the Abrahr and Elara shared, Elara whispered, “That was…with father…it…it was…”

“Amazing,” Abrahr finished for her.

“No. It was more than just amazing…it was…”

“Miraculous?”

“Yes! It was miraculous…father, he…”

“It was miraculous.” Abrahr then turned over and went to sleep.

In the other bedroom, Nata cried, while Ieuan slept peacefully beside her.

8

Corum showed Orenx the door to go through to get to his sleeping quarters, and Corum and Eleanoera exited through a different door. Orenx walked to the door that Corum had told him to go to, and just outside of it he found a lady waiting. She looked to be about twenty years old, and she was dressed in the attire of a maid. “Sir, I was told to escort you to your room,” she said. Her voice was sweet and clear, and Orenx thought that she was beautiful.

“Yes,” he said lamely. “Uh…what-what is your name?”

“It is not right to tell you that, for I am but a maidservant.”

Orenx sighed. “Tell me. And that is an order.”

“Yes, sir. My name is Avar, my father had planned to name me that before I was born, it was his dying wish that I be named after one of the Ancient Kings, though I was a female.”

“So, you go by Avar?”

“No, sir.“ Then she bowed her head and said, “I’m sorry, it is not fitting that I tell you what I prefer to be called. My name is Avar.”

“What do you prefer?”

“A-Ava.”

“Ava. It is a wonderful name.” The last sentence he had muttered to himself, and then he flushed, and said, a bit too loudly, “Well then, take me to my room!”

But Ava had heard what he had whispered.

The next morning, Orenx sat up in the large, expensive bed that he had slept in, and got up and washed in the tub that was full of water in the adjoining room. Then he went down a hallway, trying to find Corum, but ended up getting lost and he could not find anyone to help him, so he began to wander around, exploring the castle. After about an hour, he heard a voice, and saw that there was a maid. To his disappointment, it was not Ava, but he was glad that someone was there to help him. “Sir,” the maid said formally. “Your uncle has been searching for you, it is time to break your fast.”

“Thank you, ma’am. Er, I am, well, I am lost here, could you please show me where I need to be?”

“Of course.” The maid turned around, saying, “Follow this way,” and he followed her down a short passage to a wooden door. “This is the informal dining area.” Then she turned silently down another passage and was gone.

Orenx knocked on the door, and heard Corum’s voice saying, “Enter!”

Orenx opened the heavy door and walked in. There was a table that was set for three people, and Corum and Eleanoera already occupied two of them. Orenx sat down in the remaining chair and said, “Good morning, sir.” Then he quickly added, “You too, ma’am.”

“We are Corum and Eleanoera,” said Corum solemnly. “Have you already forgotten?” Then he laughed and said, “Good morning, Orenx!” Then he rung a small bell, and two servants entered with food.

There were eggs cooked every way that you could think of, and ham on the side. The cook had also provided them with bread and butter, and a delicious sauce with crackers to dip. And to drink they had strong, expensive coffee.

“Where did you manage to find a cook that could make delicious food like this?” Orenx asked.

Corum laughed, saying, “When I hired him, he was young, barely out of apprenticeship, and my other cook had recently died, so I really had no choice but to hire him. Of course, now I am glad that I hired him, and that he was the only one that I could hire, because if there had been a more experienced cook, I would have chosen him, and we would not have had the wonderful cook that we have now.”

“Yes,” Eleanoera agreed.

They finished the meal in silence, and then Orenx stood up, asking to be excused, and turned for the door that he had come in through.

“Orenx,” called Corum, as Orenx was about to leave the room. “Orenx, would you like me to find you someone to show you around the castle and it’s ground?”

“Please, Corum, that would be great,” Orenx replied.

“Good, I will send someone immediately.”

As Orenx got to the end of the hallway that led back to the main area of the castle, he saw someone waiting for him. Orenx recognized him as the guard that had been outside the gate the day that Orenx had arrived at the castle. “Hello, sir,” said the guard.

“Please,” Orenx said. “Call me Orenx. I hate all this ‘sir’ junk. Sir, do you mind?—sir, will you?—terrible, I hate it. Call me Orenx!”

Orenx thought that he heard the guard chuckle as he said, “Yes, Orenx.”

“Good. Now, what is your name?”

“Orenx, I am just a peasant servant here who has had a little training as a guard. You are a knight, and in the King’s family, it is not fitting for you to know my name.”

“You are wrong. Though some may think differently, all men are equal. The King may be the King, and his servant a servant, but they are both men. How can we judge people by their rank, by their jobs? It is a foolish thing. I am equal to the lowest servant here. Please, tell me your name.”

“Sir-Orenx, I mean, that was a-it was a very good speech, so I will tell you, my name is Ghare.”

“Ghare! You were the man who delivered the food, correct?”

“Yes.”

“I must say thank you for that. Now, what are we doing? Are you not supposed to be showing me the castle?”

“Of course, follow me.”

Ghare showed Orenx all of the rooms, halls, and passageways of the keep, and then they went outside and walked around the large courtyard. Then they went on the walls, and Orenx got a good view of the forest and the village. They went back down and looked at the dog kennels, the barracks, and the falconry, and finally, they got to the stable. Orenx wanted to see Shadow again, because he felt guilty that he had not paid any attention to his horse since he had left him with the stable keeper. When Orenx stepped inside the stable, Shadow saw him and whinnied loudly. Orenx walked to him, pulled out a sugar cube, fed it to Shadow, and rubbed Shadow’s nose. “Hey, Shadow,” Orenx whispered. As Shadow heard ‘hay’, he neighed, and Orenx got a pitchfork and dumped a load of hay into Shadow’s stall. After Shadow finished eating, Orenx took him out of the stable and rode him for a while.

As Orenx was riding, Ghare walked over to him and said happily, “Come, Orenx, there is one more place that we must go.” Orenx stepped off of his horse and began to lead him to the stable, but then Ghare called, “Orenx! You will need your horse!”

“Oh.”

“Come on, then!”

Orenx leaped back up on his horse, turned around, and rode after Ghare.

9

Ullam began his first lesson in magic, beginning with magical history.

“The history of magic goes back forever. It began with the elves; who usually lived to one thousand years of age. A Paladin, which was an extremely powerful wizard, led them. The most powerful Paladin was named Yoeroun. When he became Paladin he decided that the humans should learn magic also, so the elves taught them. It was a good decision, until a band of humans used their magic to destroy the elves. Now no one knows of any elves, and many think that they never existed,” Colinh, Ullam’s teacher, said. “Those are the men that think that your father was the greatest wizard. Do you have any questions?”

“No sir” was Ullam’s reply.

“Good, then we will—”

“Colinh,” interrupted Aghor.

“Yes?”

“That will be enough for now, we must go to the Element Chamber.”

“Yes, you should. Goodbye then, Ullam.”

“Aye,” Ullam muttered, and he was led to the ‘Element Chamber’.

“The Element Chamber,” Aghor said as he and Ullam stepped inside a large room. “This is where we will find your Magical Element, and your Transformation Beast?”

“Er…” Ullam had not understood anything about the ‘Elements’ and ‘Transformation Beasts’. “Aghor, what are these things that you’re talking ‘bout?”

“Ah. Every wizard has to have an Element. There are eight. The main four are Fire, Water, Earth, and Air. Stone and Ice are also Elements. And the last two are the most powerful: Darkness and Light.”

“Darkness and Light? Those aren’t Elements.”

“They are in magic.”

“Oh.”

“Darkness has only been chosen by two wizards, very evil wizards. And light has only been chosen by one.”

“Who chose Darkness?”

“Zaar was an elf. He tried to destroy the Paladins, and create his own group of rulers, which he called the Czar, pronounced the same way as his name. Fortunately, he did not prevail. The other still lives. He is called Morcant. Many have died trying to defeat him.”

“And who chose Light? Was it Vohr?”

“No. Your father was a regular Air wizard. The Light wizard was Yoeroun.”

“So, how do I choose? And what is a Transformation Beast?”

“One thing at a time, Ullam. You will see how you choose.”

Aghor led Ullam to a table. On the table sat eight jars, and each had a coin-shaped piece of silver, with an emblem on the top. Standing next to the table was a tall Element Guide. He explained how each wizard would choose his Element. “To find your Element,” he began, “you must concentrate on all eight Elements. Close your eyes if you have to. If you think only of the Elements, you will know which one is to be yours.”

“So, I just think about all eight of them, and I decide?” Ullam asked.

“You will see.”

Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Stone, Ice, Darkness, Light. Wouldn’t it be great if I chose Light? Yes, that’s what I want. But suddenly, he wasn’t thinking about Light, even though he wanted to. He thought, Stone. I’m a wizard of Stone. Stone, Stone, Stone, Stone, Stone.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and realized that he had closed his eyes. The voice of Aghor softly said, “That is enough, Ullam.”

Ullam opened his eyes and saw that on the table, a layer of fog had covered all of the jars except the one that was third from the left, which was glowing brightly.

“Ullam,” the Element Guide said. “Ullam, your Element is Stone.”

“Yes, sir.”

“That is interesting.”

“What?”

“Many times families have the same elements for many generations, I am surprised that you did not choose Air, like your father.”

“Well,” commented Aghor. “Ullam never knew his father, and he grew up on a mountain.”

“True.”

“Well then!” Aghor turned to Ullam. “Let us go find your Transformation Beast.”

Aghor led Ullam to another side of the room, where a leopard sat waiting. Ullam had never seen a leopard, so he refused to enter until the lioness formed into a middle-aged woman. “Come, Ullam,” she said quietly, and he finally entered the area. “I am the Transformation Guide, but you may call me Elestia.”

“Elestia.”

“Aye. Now, you must find your Transformation Beast.”

“How do I do that? What is a Transformation Beast, anyway?”

“A Transformation Beast is the creature that a wizard can swiftly become. Mine, as you have seen, is the leopard. All wizards have one, and it is time for you to find yours.”

“How do I choose?”

“Much the same as you chose your Element, just think of all of the animals that you know of, and your brain will choose one.”

Ullam began to think. Mountain goat, sheep, fish, robin, hawk, mountain goat sparrow, eagle, mountain goat, dog, mountain goat. Mountain goat, mountain goat.

Again he felt the hand on his shoulder and the words: “That is enough, Ullam.”

Ullam opened his eyes and saw…he was a mountain goat. Then he suddenly changed back into a human and said, “I-I changed!”

“Yes, Ullam,” said Elestia. “But, a mountain goat? That isn’t exactly a noble animal, like your father’s eagle.”

“He was an eagle?”

“Yes.”

“Come, Ullam, you have learned some of the history, found your Element, and also found your Transformation Beast. Now you must learn the basic Incantations for Incantation Spells, and after that you must eat and rest.”

“Arright.” Ullam sadly remembered Keldar and his rough speech, and he could feel tears starting to leak out of his eyes, so he turned and said, “Come on, then!”

As Ullam and Aghor walked to the room where Ullam was to learn the basics of Incantation Spells, Aghor said, “Remember the three men I told you about earlier, Zaar, Yoeroun, and Morcant?”

“Aye.”

“Their Transformation Beasts were the Tiger, which is a beast of power, the Lion, which is of Light, and the Stag, for Strength and Courage. Though he is evil, Morcant is both strong and brave, but wants power more than anything else, he must be destroyed.”

“Yes, sir. Aghor, would you-would you please tell me about my father? About Vohr?”

“Vohr. Vohr was a great wizard, from his first training. He caught onto many spells quickly. His Transformation Beast was the eagle, and his Element Air. He was a good man, a good wizard, and he tried very hard to make things better. But suddenly, he disappeared. No one knows what happened to him, though many believe that it was Morcant.”

“Hmm,” Ullam muttered.

“We have arrived.”

Ullam saw a large wooden door, which slowly opened as they walked towards it, and he stepped in the room.

“Hello Ullam.” The words came from an old man who was leaning on a staff.

“This,” Aghor said, “is Gerand. He is our oldest teacher, and very good at Incantation Spells. The staff that you see is called the Silver Staff, a powerful magical artifact.”

“Yes, yes,” Gerand said impatiently. “We don’t got to worry ‘bout me, c’mon, less get to work. An Incantation Spell is a spell tha’s created by words. If you say the c’rect word in the Magic Language, you’ll create something of the matter that you called for. It’s more precise if you use multiple words, ‘cause you say exactly what you want, but that ain’t what we’re gonna be workin’ on today. Any quest’ons?”

“Er, no, sir,” Ullam answered.

“Good.” Gerand pulled Ullam to a table that had seven artifacts on it, and he said, “Now, we will first learn Fire. The word is Phrakn.”

“Fron?”

“P-H-R-A-K-N. Phrakn. Say it.”

“Phrakn. Phrakn. Phrakn.”

“Good, now say it with power.”

“Phrakn! Phrakn! PRAKN!” A small fire shot up in the middle of Ullam’s hand.

“Good.” Gerand picked up the first item on the table, a small wooden stick. “Try to light this.”

Ullam put the fire under the stick, but nothing happened. Gerand ran his hand through the fire and said, “Hmm. You have the fire, but there is no heat, stop.”

The fire was gone, and Ullam leaned against the table, sweating.

“Yes, it is tiring the first time, isn’t it? Now, Water! The word is Arraquer.”

“Arraquer,” Ullam said tiredly.

“Yes. You know what to do.”

“Arraquer!” A small jet of water flew out of his outstretched hand, but disappeared after a few seconds.

“Try again, and this time, put this fire out.” He pointed to the second item on the table, which was a jar with a small fire burning in it.

“Arraquer!” The jet of water came out of his hand again, and he hurriedly put it over the jar, causing the fire to sizzle, but he did not quite put it out. When Ullam stopped, he was panting.

“Better. Now, let’s go to Air.”

“Gerand,” Aghor said. “Let him use Stone, as it is his Element, and we will finish for the day, he can learn the rest tomorrow.”

“Yes, Aghor. Then, Stone! The word, Ullam, is Roqur.”

“Roqur.” Ullam looked down at his hand and saw that it was covered in stone. “What the—” Suddenly, it disappeared.

“Good. Now, here is a test. Instead of just saying ‘Stone’, you will say ‘Stone Spear’. Then you must break through this wooden wall.” He gestured towards the sixth item on the table. “The word for spear is Portwe, so you will say: ‘Roqur Portwe.”

“Roqur Portwe!” A pointed pillar of stone seemed to grow out of his hand, and Ullam stabbed it into the wood, expecting to fail again, but instead, the pillar smashed through the wood, and the splinters flew everywhere. Ullam fell to the ground, gasping for air. “I…did…it.”

“Yes,” Aghor said, lifting him up. “Come, you must get food.”

Aghor helped Ullam to a small table that had a bowl of broth and a hunk of bread. It wasn’t as good as Keldar’s food, but Ullam didn’t care. He gulped the soup down and stuffed the entire piece of bread in his mouth, and let Aghor lead him to his bedroom. As they walked, Aghor said, “Ullam, I need you to work on Transforming. Try to be able to change with a single thought to your Transformation Beast.”

“How do I do it?”

“All that you have to do is think about changing. Try to do it before you sleep.”

“Aye.” They had arrived at the room where Ullam was sleeping, so Ullam pulled off his tunic and forgot about Aghor’s instructions: instead he immediately fell asleep.

10

Orenx followed Ghare to the other side of the castle. There was a small area surrounded by a wall. Two guards stood with their pikes at the gate. “Hello, mates!” Ghare said.

“Aye” was the two men’s reply.

“This is Sir Orenx.”

“Aye.”

“I suppose he wants ter c’min, aye?” said the guard on the right.

“He does.”

“C’mon in,” the other guard said with a sigh. The guard muttered to himself: “This job is so terribly boring. Why do they need guards here, anyways?”

“You know why!” Ghare answered. “This place is only for knights.”

“Mm-hmm. Get in.”

Ghare led Orenx and Shadow into the area, saying, “Sorry ‘bout that. Only the lowest ranked guards get stationed here, they don’t have anything interesting to do. Much worse job than being stationed at the main gate.”

“Aye, I can understand that.” Then Orenx looked up. They were standing in a large field. About one hundred knights were practicing. They were jousting, sword fighting, and practicing on obstacle courses. There was lots of practice equipment. Orenx mounted Shadow and rode out.

“Orenx!” called Ghare. “I am leaving, but if you need any help, call for me!”

“Thank you!”

“You’re very welcome, anytime!”

Orenx rode to a stand where the lances were, picked one, and rode to the jousting fields to practice.

He rode towards a knight with shining silver armor and a red shield. “Hullo,” the other knight said cheerfully. “A joust?”

“Aye!” Orenx replied. “What is your name?”

“Sir Lowell.”

“Lowell, eh? That was my lord’s name. Mine is Sir Orenx.”

“I could tell! Did you like your feast?”

“Who wouldn’t?”

Lowell chuckled, and he rode to the other end of the turf. Orenx lowered his lance and set his shield in position. They charged. They clashed, and Orenx was thrown off of his horse, his lance shattered. “You’re good,” Orenx said, “I’ll give you that, but I’m just getting warmed up!”

“Ha, ha. Fine then, Orenx, again!”

Orenx took another lance, mounted Shadow and they each rode to the opposite side. They charged again, but the second time, Orenx flicked his lance, knocking Lowell’s lance to the side, and Orenx hit Lowell in the chest, barely going under Lowell’s shield. Lowell was tossed off of his horse and landed on the ground with a groan. Orenx stepped off Shadow and said, “Let’s say ‘tis equal.”

“Aye, that was a good move, there.”

“Thank you. May I ask, what is the name of your magnificent steed?”

Lowell patted his gray horse. “He’s called Keytero, but you can call him Key.”

“Key. A good name for a good horse.”

“You are nothing but complements, aren’t you?”

Orenx laughed. “Come, we must make way for these other knights.” There were two knights on the field, waiting for Orenx and Lowell to leave.

Orenx walked out of the knight’s field after being there for an hour. He had fought with Lowell and many other knights, and he w