by Mike Ezekiel
Kerwyn felt the One Power being drawn in by his Master and decided that he ought to do the same. Kerwyn opened himself up to the One Power and let it fill his being. It felt so good to have the power in him that it was almost intoxicating. Opening up his eyes, which he hadn’t realized that he had closed, he saw the first creature burst from the forest. In front of them stood a creature from horrid, nightmarish dreams; a fifteen-foot tall Cyclops stood before them in nothing more then a linen cloth covering his private area and holding a huge branch like a club. Just then three more came out of the forest all dressed pretty much the same, except one was a female and she was bare-breasted. All of them had very hairy chests and Kerwyn thought how odd a female looked with lots of hair on her chest.
With out a warning the first Cyclops attacked the stout creature that was trying to dodge the club from crushing him to a pulp. Kaboom! The club sounded as it struck the ground where the little fellow had stood just seconds before. Kerwyn was amazed that the little fellow was able to get out of the way so quickly. In utter amazement Kerwyn watched as the first Cyclops raised his club again and took aim at his foe. Glancing to his right, Kerwyn noticed that the other three Cyclopses were starting to take action and were lining up his Master and himself for a deadly blow with their clubs.
Not wasting any time his Master yelled while pointing his new staff “Veneficus Require!” Master Sernett cast five magic missiles at the nearest Cyclops, sending it hurtling it backwards as though struck by a team of galloping horses.
Kerwyn took his Master’s lead and cast one of his own spells. “Lentesco Textus!” Out from Kerwyn’s open stretched hands there sprang a hundred strands of webbing towards the Cyclops that had been aiming at him. His webbing also hit the female Cyclops as well, entangling them both until they fell to the ground, covered in sticky webbing.
The leader saw his teammates fall and turned to attack Kerwyn. The stout fellow came up behind the Cyclops and hit him in the back of the legs with his hammer that he had pulled out from somewhere, bringing it to its knees. Now low enough for another hit, the little fellow jumped up and struck him on the back of the head. The Cyclops went down unconscious with a thud on the ground and with the last Cyclops down, the fight came to an end.
Master Sernett stepped up to the two Cyclopes that were tangled in Kerwyn’s webbing and asked them, “Why are you attacking us? What have we done to provoke this attack? I have never heard of a Cyclops attacking innocent creatures who were minding their own business.”
“Innocent? That little one stole from us. He took a sacred ceremonial head dress that we use on the solstice to welcome the coming winter. It is priceless and has been with our family for generations. Make him give it back and we’ll not bother you again,” explained the female Cyclops to Master Sernett.
“Is this true that you have taken form these good Cyclopes?” Master Sernett asked the little fellow with a look only a Master Wizard could give when he wanted an answer, and it that it had better be the truth.
“Uhhh, yes Master Wizard. But I knew not that it belonged to anyone, it was just sitting there in a cave waiting for the taking. How was I to know that the cave was the home to these fine Cyclopes? It’s not like they had a sign on their door saying "there be Cyclopes here.'”
“It looks like there has been a mistake made Miss, he will give you back your property and I hope we can all go in peace. It looks like our little fellow is sorry that he caused you distress over your family heirloom.” said Master Sernett addressing the female Cyclops.
“I uhhh, yes, Master Wizard, I'd be more then happy to return their rightful property,” said the little fellow with his head cast down, almost looking like he was ashamed.
“Kerwyn, release these fine Cyclops from your spell,” said Master Sernett.
“Yes, Master,” and gathering the One Power again, Kerwyn said the magic words “Aufero Veneficus.” At these words the webbing dissolved into mist and the Cyclops were free. Kerwyn looked over at his Master and saw that he was tending the Cyclops that he had hit with his magic missiles. He could hear Master Sernett cast his healing spell on the Cyclops, bringing it awake with a start.
“Easy my friend, we have had a misunderstanding and your family has agreed to stop the fighting if we give back the head dress,” Master Sernett explained to the big Cyclops lying on his back and trying to regain its memory and sitting position.
Kerwyn walked over to the Cyclops who had been hit from behind by the little guy who was still lying unconscious on the ground. Using his forest sight he noticed that its skull had been cracked. Reaching out to Mother Nature, he placed his hands on the Cyclops’s head all the while willing its skull to mend. Mother Nature felt his request and granted him the power he needed to heal one of her good creatures. A glow spread out around the Cyclops and Kerwyn and all the other occupants of the area turned to see the Cyclops lift from the ground and glow with an inner light.
“What is he doing to Byamee? I never saw him glow like that before. Make him stop Master Wizard! I am worried for my husband,” urged the female Cyclops, Celie.
Master Sernett looked over at Kerwyn and wondered himself what his apprentice was doing to the Cyclops Byamee.
Kerwyn felt the One Power pulse through his body could feel the Cyclops’s cracked skull healing but he also felt something else as well. He was channelling a great amount of energy into the Cyclops and he could feel him changing under his touch. Feeling that the healing was complete, he slowly released his touch from the Cyclops and they both drifted back to the ground. Looking down at the Cyclops, Kerwyn watched as Byamee opened his big eye and stared up at Kerwyn.
Moving faster than thought possible, Byamee was on his feet and stepped back from Kerwyn. Dropping to his knees, he bowed his head at Kerwyn and pledged his allegiance to him.
“Master, I Byamee, leader of the Cyclops of Alberic. We hereby pledge ourselves to you and will be there when you need. Aelita has blessed you and she spoke to me. I am your faithful servant, now and forever, this to you I swear,” Byamee looked up into Kerwyn’s eyes hoping and praying that he had been found worthy by his new master.
“Byamee, you said your name was? I am just an apprentice wizard so why are you pledging yourself to me? All I did was heal your cracked head,” Kerwyn asked with surprise
“Master, you have Aelita’s blessing. You are her chosen and you have given me her sight so I know what we need to do in the coming future,” said Byamee like it was the most obvious thing he could say.
“Who is Aelita?” Kerwyn asked with a confused look on his face.
The Cyclops all gasped and stared at Kerwyn as though he had lost his mind.
“Who is Aelita? She is non other then the Princess of the Planet, the light of all hope, the provider of her people: the goddess of Nature,” answered Elden, the cyclops tracker with flair of his hands and a bow towards the heart of the forest.
“That’s enough Eldon, the master knows who Aelita is, he just knows her by a different name then the one we know,” scolded Byamee.
“Master, what do you require from your servants? We the Cyclops of Alberic will guide you to where you need to go.”
While everyone had been distracted by the turn of events, the stout figure was trying to creep away. Spying him, Master Sernett shouted out the word of power for freeze, “Subsisto qua vos es.” The little guy stopped where he was and felt all of the muscles in his body clench and freeze in place. He was unable to move anything but his eyes and these he turned in time to see the female cyclops approach him and grab him by the scruff of his cloths. She picked him up off the ground like he was no more then a pretty flower she had just plucked from the ground. He stared in horror as she pulled him close and growled, the sweat starting to bead on the back of his neck.
“Where do you think you are going little man?” demanded Celie.
Unable to speak or move a muscle, he looked up at her as she removed his cowl, revealing that he was not a human. This little stout f
ellow was, in fact, a Dwarf. A young Dwarf but a Dwarf none the less. This particular Dwarf didn’t even have any peach fuzz on his face and, as far as Dwarves go, that is an insult to Dwarven Kind as even the women Dwarves have full beards.
“Aufero Veneficus,” Master Sernett spoke the word of power and the dwarf was able to move again.
“Down! You put me, you overgrown turnip! I demand you unhand me!” cried the squirming the Dwarf as he was set down and released.
“Give us our head dress back or I will squish you, youngling,” said Celie.
Reaching into his backpack, the dwarf pulled out a fancy and extremely expensive head dress used by the cyclops for solstice.
“Here, have it and know ye that I am not a youngling, but a Dwarf who can’t grow a beard. Why do you think I would be out here in the first place? I am not welcomed in me own house and me dad Bunyan, the king of the Dwarves is embarrassed by me and has told me to leave. I hide as best I can and survive anyway I can. But I will not have ye calling me a youngling. I am forty-two years old. I know that is still young as far as my kin are concerned, but I should have a face full of rich black Dwarven whiskers and, as ye can see, I am as bald as a newborn baby Dwarf. I blame me ma; she must have eaten some bad mountain grass when she was full with me. I’m a misfit in me own house.”With this confession, the Dwarf started to sniffle and make funny sounds like a blowing horn that was not getting enough air to really make a noise.
“Are you crying, Mr. Dwarf?” asked Byamee shocked that a Dwarf could cry.
“Have ye ever seen a Dwarf cry, Cyclops? No, I am not crying. I have something in me eyes tizz all; and me name be Durin. I be the eldest son of Koryan the great Dwarven King of Dorokk Mountain,” finished Durin with great pride and love in his voice.
“Ok everyone, for anyone that wants to travel with us we, need to get moving. We need to find the Elves by nightfall or we’ll be camping out in the open woods vulnerable to any type of evil creature that wants to come upon us,” said Master Sernett, getting everyone’s attention back to the task at hand.
“I would be honoured to travel with you, Master Sernett,” said Durin.
“We also would travel with you until you reach the Elves, Master Sernett,” Byamee spoke for the Cyclops and looked over at Durin, not trusting him to be alone with his Master and Master Sernett.
chapter four
FINDING ELVES
Gathering their things, the small company started out on the trail once again. Kerwyn thought to himself that it was very hard to travel quietly with four fifteen-foot-tall Cyclopes. Although it was a comforting thought to know that any creature foolish enough to attack would be in for a very painful lesson. What a company he was in! Four Cyclops, a beardless Dwarf and two wizards. “Yes,” he thought again, “if any of the Dark Master’s minions were silly enough to try anything, they would be very sorry indeed.” With a smile on his face, Kerwyn looked up at the Cyclops and their one big eye, and he started to wonder what Byamee meant when he said to Kerwyn that he had "given him her sight.” He made a note to remember to ask Byamee later what he had meant by that.
Over the next four hours and just before sunset, the little party crested a bend in the forest trail and came upon... nothing... a great big open field of nothing.
“Master Sernett, how is this possible? I know you said the Elves were in hiding but there is nothing beyond the trees. Now what are we going to do?” Kerwyn asked, feeling like turning around and heading for home.
“Master Kerwyn, can you not feel the powerful magic at work here? It is the Elves Alured, their Elf magic. They have cast Elvin magic on their boarders to keep all creatures out. They are here in hiding, protecting their trees and everything they hold sacred. No evil thing can enter this clearing,” said Celie.
“But why is it that Master Kerwyn can not feel the magic protecting the Elvin boarder?” asked Durin in a condescending tone.
“Kerwyn is tuned to natural magic; Elvin magic is foreign to him. Kerwyn has never met an Elf so he does not know their feel. They are in hiding so their Alured is doing its job even on Kerwyn who is not evil. He is just inexperienced with Elvin magic,” Master Sernett finished, looking down at him.
“Remember who you are in company of, Dwarf. I would hate to see Kerwyn turn you into a fish or a frog,” laughed Celie.
At that, all the Cyclopes started to laugh at Durin’s expense since he hadn’t earned a spot of recognition in their party yet other then for a theif. To them he was nothing more then a dog. He was a stray animal that had not yet earned any scraps.
Durin felt their contempt and got angry. Before he thought better about it he said, “Well that’s ok one-eyes, I still was able to not only to steal from you but I was able to put one of ye on the ground and he was your leader even. That just goes to show you that Dwarves are far superior then any Cyclops could ever be.”
Before anyone could react, Byamee had Durin by the throat and he was lifted six feet off the ground, Durin gurgled that he could not breathe.
Celie noticed that Byamee had gained amazing speed and strength even for a creature their size and began to wonder what else Kerwyn had changed in her husband. She looked at her husband with greater admiration as he stood in all of Aelita glory. What a proud day for Cyclops kind this had turned out to be.
“If you ever disrespect me again I will tear your head off and use it for my wife’s flower pot. Do I make myself clear, beardless Dwarf?” Byamee had the look of a Cyclops that would most certainly follow through his threat. In fact, it really did sound more like a promise.
“Gurgle,” said Durin trying to nod that he understood and that he would never say such a thing again.
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 th
e 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.