The magician obliged, filling them in on the latest about Ranen Alexander, Rosalind and Jeremiah’s oldest son, and their younger twin daughters, Lily and Molly. He said that Ranen would eventually rule over Endora at Rosalind’s request since she would remain beside her husband in Solárin.
“And how is Ulric these days?” Christopher asked.
“He retired as King Rupert’s chief guard. Ardon now holds that job,” Artemas said. “Ulric, though, remains quite busy. When he’s not off exploring the Katánin Mountains, he serves Endora and Solárin as a military advisor. Never a dull moment!”
Christopher fondly recalled his own travels across the sweeping plains and near the mountains. He couldn’t wait to arrange another adventure for him and his wife if ever he could find the time.
When two hours had ticked away, Mr. Smithers left the restaurant and returned shortly with Emma, not wanting his wife to walk alone through the timedoor. She was delighted to have spent a warm summer’s day with her sister in Endora, asking Artemas to return as soon as possible. He promised to visit again after the tests on his latest timedoor spell were complete. Anyone wishing to go back to Endora then could do so.
“Despite some aches and pains, there are still a few good years left in me!” Artemas said, the youthful gleam in his ocean blue eyes contradicting the slightly bent frame of his aging body. “I’m sure our worlds will reconnect before all is said and done.”
After everyone reluctantly said their final goodbyes, Christopher and Molly accompanied Artemas back to the bridge. The night had darkened like coal as they walked down the grassy embankment, guided by a bright white beam from the flashlight. The timedoor silently waited in the stone support underneath, weak and wavy like a veil of fog upon the still surface of a lake. Christopher shook the magician’s hand, thanking him for a lifetime of adventure, hoping in his heart that they would meet once again. Molly hugged Artemas as tears welled up in her eyes, wishing the very same thing.
They silently waved goodbye as their friend stepped through the timedoor and disappeared into the dark stone, their hearts heavy and their spirits downcast. Neither was eager to return to the restaurant until the timedoor closed, and so they waited for that moment, saying only a few words or glancing up at the stars. Then Christopher and Molly heard what they thought was a gentle brush of wind through a pile of dried leaves, though the air was still and the ground around them bare. Christopher aimed the light at the stone support and noted that it was completely solid. The timedoor had quietly closed. He glanced at his sister and smiled.
“I guess Artemas tweaked that part of the spell, too,” he said with a laugh.
“Not the usual dramatic closing we were used to, is it,” Molly replied.
“No, but that’s okay. I like it.”
“So do I.” Molly gently punched Christopher on the arm. “Well, let’s get going, big brother. Tonight’s a school night. We both have kids to put to bed.”
“No need to tell me twice. They’ll probably wake us all up before sunrise!”
Christopher and Molly marched up the grassy embankment and walked along the side of the road to the restaurant, taking their time to get back. They glanced up at the grand display of stars blazing above, wondering if one of them might be the very sun shining down upon Endora at this moment, warming the late summer skies of that faraway land. Both contemplated the many roads they had traveled through that magical place, and through life itself, to arrive at this particular point in time, wondering what drama and adventure the years ahead might bring. Yet deep in their hearts, Christopher and Molly knew that with their families along for the ride, any trip through life would be a joyous and memorable one.
They couldn’t wait to continue the journey.
THE END
As promised, I finally found some time to convert my Endora Trilogy novels to the Kindle format, having made a few minor edits from the print copy in the process. Thank you for reading this book and I hope you’ve enjoyed it very much. Below is my original Author’s Note from the paperback version. Your support is much appreciated!
Thomas J. Prestopnik
February 3, 2014
AUTHOR’S NOTE
When I wrote the winter scenes for The Saving Light last year, the grass was green and lush outside my windows as we plunged headlong into summer. Now, as I apply the finishing touches to the final book in the trilogy, an icy wind whips across a trail of shoulder-high snow banks stretching across town, trumpeting the obvious: time marches on no matter what you do. So I hope I have made good use of my time while sitting at my computer desk for the past year or so completing THE ENDORA TRILOGY. To all the readers who have been awaiting its conclusion, thank you very much for your patience and for taking the time to stroll through these pages. It was both a pleasure and a challenge to write them, nurturing the characters and settings that first popped into my head over twenty-two years ago while walking underneath an old bridge one night in my hometown of Little Falls, New York. My sincere thanks are also extended to my sister Theresa Ricci and to Jean, Barry and Quintin Smith and Joyce Leskovar for previewing and proofreading my book. Many thanks also to my sister-in-law Jan Prestopnik for her extensive editing and commentary which helped me get this final volume into shape. Finally, more well-deserved thanks–again!–to my nephew Nathan Prestopnik for all of his time and patience to produce another fantastic cover for the series. And as for my next novel? Well, time will tell!
Thomas J. Prestopnik
February 24, 2007
~ Books by Thomas J. Prestopnik ~
A Christmas Castle
a novella
The Endora Trilogy
a fantasy-adventure series for pre-teens & adults
The Timedoor - Book I
The Sword and the Crown - Book II
The Saving Light - Book III
Gabriel’s Journey
an adventure novel for pre-teens & adults
Visit Thomas J. Prestopnik’s official website
www.TomPresto.com
*** ONE LAST NOTE ***
I hope you enjoyed reading the Endora Trilogy. I am currently busy at work on another writing project, and though I am not yet ready to reveal the title or first chapter, I will give you a little information about it here.
I’m in the final editing stages of my latest book, an epic fantasy I began planning and outlining in 1978 and didn’t start writing until 1999. I completed the first draft of the book in May 2013, a massive 103 chapter novel I was inspired to write a few years after reading J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings in 1975 at age twelve.
At the end of January 2014, I finished my first edit of the book as a whole and, after taking a little time out to convert my Endora Trilogy books to Kindle format, will resume another round of editing based on feedback from two people brave enough to jump into the 2,400+ pages I have written. Perhaps by the spring of 2015 it may be ready to reach its first readers in Kindle format.
In the meantime, if you’re interested in more information, I have been writing a monthly update since April 2011 about my progress as I write this book which I post on my website www.TomPresto.com under the heading My Next Book. Until next time, take care.
Thomas J. Prestopnik
February 4, 2014
updated April 29, 2014
Thanks for reading!
The Endora Trilogy (The Complete Series) Page 71