The Sorceress in Training: A Retelling of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

by Tapscott, Shari L.

  I bite my lip, waiting for him to think it through.

  Gavin ponders it for a moment, realizing there must be something he’s missing. When he groans, I know he’s figured it out. “You want to see the moment Rune reunites with Eva, don’t you?”

  “I simply want to help them if we can.” I bite back a grin. “It’s not my fault the task is a romantic one.”

  He sighs. “You’re certain those tethers you made will work?”

  Laughing, I scoot the wolf inside the manor, hollering for Mrs. Stone to take care of him while we’re gone, and start for the forest once more. “Am I certain? Not really.”

  “Brynn,” he says, exasperated.

  “What?”

  He takes me by the shoulders and turns me a quarter turn to the right. “The gateway is this way.”

  Trying to hide an embarrassed smile, I continue forward. “I knew that.”

  * * *

  Fortunately, Gavin remembers the way to the rift. Now we stand outside it, side-by-side, neither of us in a hurry to cross.

  I roll the hairpin in my hand. “What if…what if the tethering spell didn’t work?”

  “At least if we go through together, we’ll end up in the same place—even if it’s not the place we expect. Rune found his way back. We can as well.”

  “It took Rune three years,” I can’t help but point out.

  “It will be all right.” He then extends his hand, inviting me to take it.

  I press my palm to his and hold tight. Staring straight ahead, I ask, “Ready?”

  “Ready.”

  Together, we step between the trees.

  31

  We walk into a small clearing. I expected traveling between the realms to be painful, but it was no worse than walking through a door.

  Here, the sky is clear, not a cloud in sight. An orange moon shines down on us, lighting the glade. Keeping my hand in Gavin’s, I take in our surroundings. The dusky blue evergreens and dark green firs are gone, replaced with hardwoods. It must be autumn here, as the leaves are red and gold. There is little underbrush, just grass and low-growing perennials. It almost looks like we’ve been deposited in an overgrown orchard, one that’s been neglected for a great many years. Fruit hangs from the trees, apple-like in appearance, and even more of the over-ripe orbs litter the ground.

  “Which way?” Gavin asks, squeezing my hand before he releases it.

  “Marcus said the faerie witch built a castle. Perhaps if we can find high ground, we’ll be able to spot it.”

  Gavin agrees, and we begin to walk toward a nearby hill. I listen, preparing myself for unwelcome visitors. A cluster of boulders lies in our path. Gavin climbs them first and then reaches back, offering his hand. When I leap down on the other side, I startle a creature in the brush.

  I hold in a surprised yip as the fox bounds off, the white tip of his tail the last of him to disappear.

  A little spooked, I turn to Gavin and laugh under my breath. “I was expecting something a little more fantastic than a fox—”

  At that moment, something crashes through the brush behind us—something a little more fantastic than a fox.

  “What is it?” I demand, backing up from the stout, lizard-like creature. We have dragons at home, but this—this is different.

  Thankfully, the boulders separate us from the beast, but what if it can climb? Gavin is already shoving me behind him, drawing his sword. In all truth, the short blade looks worthless against the massive lizard. It’s as large as a cow, covered in dark, thick plating that glows red in the night. It stares at us, fluffing the frill about its neck, and then lets out a roar that’s so loud, it shakes the trees and disturbs a flock of resting birds. They cry as they take to the dark sky.

  Just as Gavin prepares to fight the beast, it decides we’re of no importance. It slowly turns, stomping its tree-trunk-like feet as it goes, and then leans down and takes a piece of fallen fruit in its mouth. He glances back at us, chomping slowly, and then moves on, sniffing the ground, searching for more.

  I take Gavin’s arm, and slowly, we back away.

  “Feel better now?” Gavin teases once we’re a safe distance from the creature.

  “Not especially,” I laugh softly. “I was hoping for something along the lines of tiny fairies in a tree.”

  We walk in silence for a while, and Gavin turns to me. “Marcus said something earlier that startled me.”

  “What was that?”

  “He said elves are half-human, half-faerie. How can that be? Have you ever heard of such a thing?”

  We have tiny fairies at home, no larger than hummingbirds. You don’t see them often, but they’re sweet and docile, and they usually bless lost travelers.

  “I’ve been thinking about that,” I answer. We’ve finally reached the hill, and I trudge up it, telling myself as I huff that I’ve spent too much time at Marcus’s desk. “I think when Marcus says faerie…he means fay.” I glance at Gavin to gauge his reaction, nervous myself.

  “Fay?” he demands, probably rethinking our decision to travel here.

  Female fay are dangerous. They’re enchantresses, wielders of pure magic. Though human in size, they are rumored to be alarmingly beautiful. They show themselves rarely, but when they do, they make a habit of exploiting humans’ often selfish nature—just as this faerie witch did with Marcus.

  We reach the top of the mountain, and I exhale all at once. The autumn world is beautiful. Fields and more orchards stretch below us, muted in the moonlight, a patchwork quilt of color. In the far distance, a forest grows, and beyond that, mountains.

  “Look,” Gavin says, motioning to our right.

  Not far away, on a hill of its own, surrounded by a tall, vine-covered wall, rises a castle. Its spires extend proudly into the sky, making it a focal point in the landscape.

  “That must be it,” I say, plotting our route. It doesn’t take me long to spot two figures far ahead.

  “Rune and Marcus,” Gavin says, seeing the pair at the same time as I. “If we hurry, we can meet them.”

  * * *

  Rune notices us long before we get close enough to call out to him. He and Marcus wait, one man looking pleased and the other…not so pleased.

  “What are you doing here?” Marcus demands the moment I’m within earshot. He stalks toward me. “I forbid you from coming here.”

  “I was attacked by a wolf,” I say instead of answering him. “I turned it into a cub just as it lunged at me.”

  He stops, his eyes widening. “Truly?”

  I grin. “Truly.”

  The sorcerer barks out a laugh, though I can tell he’s still angry with me. “That’s exceptional, Brynn, especially while you were distressed.”

  “You’ll have to change it back—I didn’t want to attempt it while we were wandering the woods. I figured it would come after me again.”

  Marcus turns his attention to Gavin. “And where were you while my apprentice was under attack?”

  Gavin stays silent, and I try to draw his attention back.

  “I left the cub with Mrs. Stone.”

  Marcus jerks his head back my way, incredulous. “You left the wolf with my housekeeper?”

  I frown. “It’s just a little thing. Harmless.”

  He shakes his head, looking amused…and somehow not. “We have to turn around.”

  “Because of the wolf?” I demand, surprised. “It’s nothing but a puppy!”

  “Because of you.” He lowers his voice and steps a tiny bit closer. “This is the last place in the world I want you. One look at you, and who knows what Galetta will plot.”

  “No,” Rune interrupts, watching Marcus with worried eyes. “She’s here now, and it was her choice. We need to press on.”

  “I’ll be fine,” I swear.

  Marcus stares at me for several moments longer, until Rune clears his throat and Gavin looks like he’s going to punch Marcus if he doesn’t back off.

  “We need to hurry,” Rune says. “I�
�m afraid Eva’s running out of time.”

  The terms of Eva’s curse circle my brain. If she leaves the lake, she dies. If she takes off the necklace, she dies. If Marcus falls in love with another before the curse is lifted… she dies.

  I don’t believe Marcus is truly falling for me, but it’s obvious Rune has doubts.

  “Do not speak with Galetta, even if she asks you a direct question.” Marcus’s gaze is hard, and it’s locked right on mine. “Do you understand?”

  “Yes.”

  “And whatever you do, do not use your magic around her. She feeds off it—it will only make her stronger.”

  My throat begins to tighten with nerves, but I nod.

  “All right.” He lets out a slow breath. “Then let’s continue.”

  We walk for hours, taking a break only when the sun crests the horizon. I collapse near the base of a tree, exhausted. A creek bubbles nearby, calling to me. After a moment, I work up the energy to stand and head toward it, hoping the water is cold. The creek is tiny and clear, and it runs over rocks that have been worn smooth by the constant flow. The small stones are beautiful, in an array of blue tones—indigo and cobalt, aqua and teal.

  I’m just dipping my hands into the running water, which is so cold it’s almost icy, when Rune jerks me back, causing me to fall right on my tail end. I look up at him, mouth open, shocked.

  “It’s poisonous,” he explains.

  I look back at the creek. “But it’s water.”

  Marcus comes to stand beside us, stretching one arm in front of his chest and then the next. “See the darkest blue stones at the bottom?”

  “Yes…”

  Rune holds up a finger, asking me for patience. He then leans down, picks up a very ordinary gray pebble, and tosses it into the creek. Suddenly, the dark blue stones leap, swimming about until they settle once again.

  “Frogs?” I ask, repulsed.

  “Poisonous frogs,” Rune says—as if that part needed clarifying.

  It didn’t.

  “There’s safe water up ahead,” Marcus promises. “Let’s rest for a few more minutes, and then we’ll continue.”

  Exhausted and still thirsty, I collapse on the ground next to Gavin. He wraps his arm over my shoulder and tugs me close.

  “I would make an appallingly bad adventuress,” I tell him.

  “Then I suppose it’s best you decided to become a sorceress instead.”

  I work up a tired smile and look around. At night, the faerie realm didn’t seem that much different from home—massive lizard-beasts aside—but in the sunlight…

  What I mistook for autumn colors are simply jewel tones. The tree canopies grow in a variety of shades—deep red, vibrant gold, and dark purple along with green. But even the greens are richer.

  The usual animals live here. We’ve seen deer, quail, bushy-tailed squirrels, and hawks, but there are animals I have no name for as well. We’ve avoided several more of the lizard beasts, though Rune swears they are docile unless provoked.

  “When do you believe we will reach the castle?” Gavin specifically asks Rune, though it’s Marcus who has made the trip numerous times.

  “At this pace?” Marcus answers anyway. “Just after sundown.”

  “This pace?” I slowly push myself up, ready to begin again, not about to be the one holding the group back.

  Marcus turns to me, smirking as if reading my mind. “I usually travel by horse, but Rune has no horse, so we decided to make the trip on foot.”

  I nod, feeling stupid. Though I probably am slowing the men down. Still, Eva’s been trapped here for over three years. What difference will an extra day make?

  We continue, stopping at Marcus’s fresh water source. I scowl at the murky pond. “You’re sure this is the place you’re thinking of?”

  Marcus pulls a handkerchief and a flask from his side. “I’m sure,” he says as he covers the top of the flask and dips it into the water, using the handkerchief to filter out the dirt.

  When he’s finished, he hands it to me. I take it gingerly, cringing as I wipe silt from the rim. I take a hesitant drink, relieved that it doesn’t taste as bad as it looks.

  We pass several more orchards on our way, and I stare at the fruit longingly. I’m starving. The little bit of dried meat Marcus gave me hours ago has long since worn off. At this point, I’d even take Gavin’s dried fish.

  “Are they safe?” I ask Rune, motioning to the fruit.

  He studies the trees. “Honestly, I don’t know. For every one safe thing here, there’s another that’s toxic.”

  The faerie realm is such a lovely place.

  Finally, when the sun is low in the sky, we’re near enough to the castle that I can see the closed gates.

  I glance at Gavin, wondering what he makes of the structure. He’s been especially quiet since we crossed through the gateway, and I don’t know why. Perhaps he doesn’t like feeling out of his element, walking through the unknown, unsure what to expect. I, too, am feeling a tug of apprehension, though it’s lessened marginally since we joined Rune and Marcus.

  “We must proceed with caution,” Marcus instructs. “I don’t know how Galetta will take to visitors.”

  “You’ve brought Mrs. Stone before,” I say.

  The sorcerer looks at me, frowning. “She’s different.”

  I’ll say.

  I glance at the men in our small party. Gavin’s hand rests on the hilt of his short sword; Rune’s fingers linger close to his dagger. Marcus carries no weapons, but I have no doubt he has an entire arsenal of spells at his disposal—though it sounds as if it’s best not to use them.

  A large brass bell hangs from the top of the gate, and its rope dangles to the ground. Marcus grasps it in his hand, draws in a long breath, and then rings it. The bell chimes, an ominous sound in the growing night. Once, twice, three times Marcus lets it toll, and then he drops the rope, and we wait.

  Moments later, the gates open, allowing us entrance. No one stands on the other side. Gavin looks uneasy, but neither Marcus nor Rune appear shocked by the lack of attendant.

  They do, however, seem surprised that we’re being admitted so easily.

  “Be on guard,” Rune whispers, and then we follow Marcus inside. The last of the sun’s rays glisten on the large lake. Soon stars will be reflected in its water. The wall meanders around the perimeter of the area, disappearing into the distant trees. It’s a protected forest, a sanctuary, and the castle with the tall, narrow spires sits at the edge of the water.

  What there doesn’t appear to be, is a swan.

  “Where is she?” Rune whispers, scanning the area. He moves like a horse eager to run, showing so much restraint, he’s practically twitching. He’s waited for this day for a very long time.

  “Where is Galetta?” I ask softly, feeling the faerie witch should probably be our priority.

  Marcus motions for us to follow him toward the castle. We walk the perimeter of the lake and climb the stairs that lead to a courtyard that looks out over the water. It’s a balcony, made of three tiers, each two steps higher than the last. It’s beautiful, as picturesque as a daydream.

  In fact, it’s the perfection that I find most unsettling.

  As we make our way to the front entrance, the doors slowly open. I hold my breath, waiting. A woman with flaxen hair steps out, her dress silver like starshine and her hair moving in an unnatural breeze. She smiles benevolently at our group and holds up her hands. Flames spring from the torches that dot the balcony. It’s not quite dark enough to need their light, but they add a warm and welcoming ambiance.

  “Welcome, Marcus,” she says.

  Her voice is rich like velvet, both feminine and sultry...and familiar. I rack my brain, trying to figure out why it’s tugging at my memory.

  I glance at Gavin, wondering if there’s a spell in her words, something designed to captivate. But my guard looks cautious instead of allured, which soothes my nerves.

  “You’ve brought friends,” she says
to Marcus, raising an eyebrow. Then she turns her eyes on Rune and Gavin, each in turn. “Do you believe one of them will break poor Eva’s curse?”

  As if she cares, she says it with great compassion. But the sentiment is hollow, considering she’s the one who cursed the elven woman.

  Then she laughs, a deep sound full of soft pity. “Do you hope that if you bring a selection of men with you each time you visit, you’ll eventually find Eva’s true love? I’m afraid you might not fully understand how love works Marcus.” She gives him a pouty look, one that makes me want to strike her. “But that’s been your downfall from the beginning, hasn’t it?”

  Marcus stands a little straighter, but he doesn’t answer.

  “Very well,” she says, walking down the steps, sashaying toward my sorcerer. “I’m feeling indulgent today. I will humor you.”

  “Where is Evie?” Marcus asks, his tone impassive.

  “Oh, poor thing. She changed as the sun set, but I’m afraid she’s feeling rather ill.” A wicked smile peeks through the faerie witch’s faux concern as she turns her attention to me for the first time since we arrived. The barely concealed, wicked glee in her eyes sends a shiver down my spine. “I wonder why?”

  As soon as the enchantress’s eyes meet mine, I remember. She’s the woman by the side of the road, the one who was gathering firewood the day my carriage busted a wheel on the way to the college.

  Suddenly, this all seems far more ominous.

  Rune shifts, looking very much like it’s taking every ounce of his restraint to stay still when he’d like nothing more than to attack the enchantress. Galetta’s gaze sharpens as she turns to the elf, appraising him. “Ah,” she says softly, and then she turns back to Marcus. “Perhaps you’re more clever than I gave you credit.”

  With another lingering look at Rune, she turns on her heel and walks inside, her silver gown trailing behind her. “Come.”

  We four exchange a look and then follow her into a massive entry. Several stories of balconies look down on three sides of the room, and a grand staircase, wider than most cottages, rises straight ahead. As I’m gaping, the doors shut behind us, making me let out a soft gasp of apprehension. We’re trapped, at the mercy of the mad faerie witch.