The Mage of Orlon: The beginning

by Gene Rager

  “Do all the elves where this kind of magical clothing?”

  “Only when they pay for it, I admit most elves do not require this type of camouflage magic these days.” Crolin s smile faltered a little.

  “Lela my dear, this human seems a little on the naïve side, should you be going into Cravenwood with someone so unprepared for what might await you there?”

  Lela’s eyes narrowed a little in thought, finally she spoke “Crolin, this is why we are here, we require a few things before our journey and I know you can outfit us properly.”

  Crolin’s face split into a pleased smile, “Of course princess, what do you need from my humble stores?”

  “The invisibility cloak you had, two swords, a bow, one quiver of arrows, two hunting knives, and the standard camping packs for long camp trips in the forest.”

  “Crolin can I have an invisibility cloak too?”

  “Sorry Nate, as much as it would please me to see your tight butt in my cloak, the king only allowed me to keep one enchanted cloak.”

  “What happened to the rest of them?”

  “Lela can tell you, the journey you are about to start on is long, so there will be plenty of time for you two to chit chat.”

  Lela shot Crolin a dirty scowl, Crolin only smiled innocently and shrugged.

  “Princess, your supplies will be ready in the morning, unless you wished to leave sooner?”

  “No, tomorrow will be fine. Thank you Crolin.”

  “Anytime, princess, by the way Ezra is looking for you.”

  “Thank you Crolin, I will try to see her before we leave in the morning.”

  “As you wish princess.”

  As they left the store room Crolin peaked around the corner “Princess, try not to wear out our young mage on the first night!” Crolin disappeared into the stock room leaving the princess staring at the empty hall in shock. Lela composed herself only to turn around and see Nate who was smiling.

  “It will never happen Nate!” She snapped as she stalked off.

  Chapter 10

  After spending all that time with Nathan, Lela wanted to see Ezra. Ezra was only in her sixth month as an apprentice priestess, Lela decided to go to where most of the upstart priestesses started, on the lowest level of the high tower.

  The high tower held the scythe mirror, a pool of enchanted water that would allow a full fledge priestess to see faraway places. Only the most advanced students would be allowed to try the scythe mirror, the mirror could tear the spirit from the user if she was not experienced enough.

  Because of the danger the mirror proposed, the tower was sectioned into twenty one levels. Each level would bring the apprentice closer to being able to use the scythe mirror. The scythe mirror was the last level before the student was recognized as a full-fledged high priestess.

  Being as Ezra had only been studying the arts for six months Lela expected to find her childhood friend on the lower levels. It was a complete shock to hear that Kata had taken Ezra to the top of the tower. It must be a new way of training Lela had thought as she climbed the tower stairs. Kata was an experienced teacher, she would not put any student’s life in danger.

  Lela entered the scythe mirror’s room only to be stopped in her tracks by what she saw.

  Ezra was looking into the scythe mirror! Lela took two steps forward before Kata’s body blocked her path.

  “Princess, do not interfere with Ezra. She is close to mastering the scythe mirror.” Kata said.

  “Not to tell you how to teach, but I thought it took years of dedication to master the scythe mirror.” Lela said bewildered as she watched her friend intensely gazing at the mirror.

  “Normally it does, but every so often we get an apprentice that shows such promise we try her at this level, Ezra has shown that much promise in the six months she has studied with our discipline.”

  Lela watched her friend as her expression went from accomplishment to terror. With a shriek Ezra fell backwards from the stool she was standing on as a murderous claw swiped at the space where her face had been. Ezra curled up a fist and struck the floor. “Dammit to the fire!” She screamed.

  Kata walked calmly to her frustrated apprentice, “What went wrong?” she asked Ezra who was now rubbing her butt.

  With a frustrated gaze she looked at her teacher, “I don’t know, I could see the ocean, and without warning the claw swiped at me!”

  Kata laughed, “I think your visitor split your concentration a little. It will take practice for you to be able to focus on the mirror and not on your surroundings Ezra. Maybe we should go down a few levels before you try the scythe mirror again.

  “Noooo, Kata. Please let me try again. The lower levels are so boring!”

  Kata only shook her head, “I admire your tenacity, but the lower levels, as boring as they are teach you the discipline to control your focus. You will be a great high priestess one day Ezra, but not today.” The last was said with kindness.

  “Kata, why did you let her try in the first place if she wasn’t ready?” Lela asked.

  “Ezra has pestered me to let her try since the third month of her training. It is unheard of for an apprentice to tame the scythe mirror at six months. However, Ezra might have tried this by herself if I had not allowed her to try!” Kata said exasperated.

  Ezra blushed as Lela looked at her friend. With a smile that replaced her frustration Ezra approached her friend.

  “One more time Kata, pleeeeeaasee.” Ezra begged.

  “See to the princess first, I will think about giving you a second chance, later after you have rested.” Kata said.

  Having settled the business with the scythe mirror, the two childhood friends went to the garden behind the tower. The garden was in full bloom orchids, and flowers from all over the forest called the magnificent garden home. The fragrances sweetened the air. Lela always felt most at home in the garden.

  “How was your patrol Lela? I heard you found an unusual human roaming our forests.” Ezra said with an impish grin.

  “He is so strange Ezra. He says he doesn’t know magic, and then uses a common candle lighting spell and destroyed the mages’ spell book!”

  “Are you playing a prank on me Lela? No one has had that kind of power!” Ezra exclaimed.

  “He does, and claimed it was an accident. He comes from a strange place. He really seems to have no idea how to use magic, but then he tries a spell and destroys the most magically protected book we have!” Lela said.

  Ezra noticed something about how she spoke of the human. With a slight grin she blurted out the thought, “You like him don’t you!”

  Lela caught off guard stammered, “No, at least I don’t think so. Ezra he gets to me so easily. I couldn’t kill him in the forest, I couldn’t let the splintered kill him either, and then we talked outside the castle for an extra day before I brought him in. He seems so fragile at times. I think he likes me too.”

  Ezra smiled, “It’s about time you found someone to love again.”

  “I never said I loved him! I like him. I don’t even know why.” Lela stated a little too sadly.

  Ezra looked at her friend, and smiled at what she saw. Lela felt uncomfortable when Ezra looked at her that way. Ezra could always tell what she was felling just at a glance. Finally she had to talk and break Ezra’s concentration.

  “We are going to Cravenwood in the morning.”

  Ezra’s smile was wiped off her face by this news. “Lela, why are you going there? Bring the human to me and I will tell you everything about him!”

  “He feels he needs to repair the spell book. We are going to see Lex. I don’t want to know what he is thinking Ezra. It looks like he is the next mage of Orlon, you know how bad things ended for me the last time.”

  “Yes Lela, it hurt you so much you have sealed your heart away so that no one might find it! Listen to me, you can’t help what happened to Zorn! You might be able to find happiness again if you are willing to risk your heart. Just think about it.” />
  “I will Ezra, thank you.”

  “Hey what are friends for? Now I have a date with the scythe mirror!”

  Lela shook her head, Kata was right, Ezra would be a great high priestess if she didn’t get killed messing with the scythe mirror. Much like Kata, Lela knew Ezra well enough to know she would not be able to talk her out of the second try with the scythe mirror. Watching her friend walking back towards the tower Lela sat in the sunlight and enjoyed the garden’s smells.

  Chapter 11

  “What is all this stuff Lela?”

  Nate had opened up his backpack finding its contents arranged neatly. He quietly put in a few trinkets from his own backpack he had when he fell from the sky.

  “It is everything we will need on this little trip. Survival gear, be careful not to lose anything out of it, you never know when we will need an extra length of rope or hunting knife.”

  The morning had come too soon for Nate’s liking. The thought of going through a piece of forest even the elves are afraid of didn’t bold well for this trip.

  “Lela, why are the elves afraid of this particular part of forest?”

  Lela cast her eyes down, thinking intensely, trying to find the best way to explain what they were walking into.

  “The forest is dangerous, because my people made a mistake during one of the wars with the Dark Queen. The elders cast several spells that would make the forest impenetrable to invaders. The forest, animals, and water that runs through it are spellbound to destroy anyone that would try to cross them. As if that isn’t enough there is the demon archer that lives in the village that we have to cross.”

  “A demon archer, is this the same one that killed your love?”

  “No, but it is rumored that if he draws his bow someone will die. He never misses, and his red eyes will find you no matter how well you hide. I did not want to tell you all the perils that we will face because, you are the only one who can read the book, you have to come with me.”

  Nate was scared, who wouldn’t be it was a lot to take in. After a few minutes Nate set his jaw, he had destroyed the only book of magic that could save his life, it had to be restored!

  “Well, we should get going Lela.”

  Lela was shocked, when she first met Nate she had taken him for being a craven coward, a child, but now he knew what they would face and he was still willing to go.

  “Why are you willing to follow me into this dark place Nate?”

  “Lela, if I don’t go, the spell book won’t get restored, I will surely die. If I go and survive I might be able to go home, if not that I will at least be able to defend myself better than I can now. Besides I like you, and I know if you could look in the book you would do this by yourself, and if you are willing to do this so am I!”

  “Nate, do you like me?”

  Nate blushed. “I have ever since I saw you.” He smiled.

  “Yes, well, you want to leave so I guess that is reason enough.”

  “I want to leave to save my life Lela, not because I don’t want to be around you.”

  Lela tried to focus on his reasons to pick them apart and make him wanting to leave the most important reason, instead of the fact he liked her. She would not let herself fall for another mage marked for death by the Dark Queen.

  “Lela, why are we walking when you have a full stable of horses?”

  Lela looked at Nate, “Because if we take any animals into Cravenwood they will turn on us, the spells in that part of the forest still affect every animal that enters. That is why we are not bringing Astiria, you have seen how she hunts, if she turned on us we would be lucky to survive.”

  “So, why won’t we turn on each other?” Nate asked.

  “Nate, the spell was designed so people could enter, when they are attacked by the beasts then we would go in and see if there was anything left that could be of use weapons, magic items, anything at all. It solved some of the problems of replenishing raw materials for weapons and the like.”

  “That is horrible Lela.”

  “I never said I was proud of what we did to that section of forest, anyhow it does not matter. The protection spells we used to go in Cravenwood stopped working so our people fell prey to the same animals as the intruders.”

  “But they don’t seem to mind Lex, is that right?”

  “I do not know why that is, but the animals seem to leave him alone. He is one of the last of the ones who enchanted Cravenwood so who knows why they leave him alone?”

  Chapter 12

  The entrance to Cravenwood was not like anything Nate imagined. The forest was lush and green with deep green foliage and flowers. The smell of summer was heavy in the air. Cravenwood was pleasant to look at. The sound of a babbling brook was off in the distance. The forest looked like something out of a fairy tale, someplace you would expect forest creatures to be happy and singing, not the death trap Lela had painted it to be.

  “I wasn’t expecting it to look so beautiful Lela.”

  “It is beautiful, but that is how Cravenwood appears to people, as if nothing in the forest would even think of hurting the weary traveler, but it is a lie. People have died in that beautiful place in horrible ways. That is why the elves do not go in there!”

  “If you say so Lela, Cravenwood just looks cute.”

  “You will see Nate, so do what I say once we are in there!”

  The path they took was just as lush as the entrance had been. The brook was closer now lending the relaxing sound of gentle flowing water to this Eden in a strange world.

  “Lela, really it doesn’t seem so bad here, I understand why Lex likes it here.”

  Lela was tense, her every muscle was taught, ready to fight. She moved cautiously through the forested paradise. Nate was as relaxed as he had been since falling into this world. This land wasn’t nearly as foreboding as the section of forest where they encountered the splintered.

  The thought of the squirrel thing that nearly took his face off made Nate stop suddenly. Hearing the sudden stop made Lela turn around with an arrow knocked in her bow. Nate ducked with his hands covering his head.

  “Shit, not again!” Nate nearly screamed.

  “Why did you stop Nate?”

  Peaking up, Nate realized he was not going to be shot again.

  “I was all calm, and then I started thinking of the splintered, it spooked me that‘s all. Then you turned around and I thought you were going to shoot me again.”

  Lela gave Nate an eyeball roll when she spotted the tracks. She walked past Nate as he was getting up. She knelt and began to examine the tracks.

  “What animal made those Lela?”

  “Howlers, there is a pack of them and they are close.”

  Nate looked at the tracks, they reminded him of something he had seen on a wild life program, the tracks looked so familiar, and then it clicked. An icy feeling crept into Nate’s bowels, the tracks looked like wolf tracks, but they were slightly bigger. Why the hell did things have to be bigger in this stupid world?

  “We call them wolves where I am from, and now I am not so relaxed!”

  This was bad, if these things were anything close to what they are in his world they were in trouble, and don’t forget they are spell bound to kill intruders.

  “Okay, Lela I think I might want a weapon now.”

  “What do you want sword, bow, or hunting knife?”

  “I can’t shoot worth a crap, so a sword and hunting knife please.”

  “Nate do you know how to use a sword?”

  “Pointy end goes into the wolf?”

  Lela handed Nate the sword, it weighed a ton. Nate could barely lift it.

  “How the hell do you lift this thing so easily?”

  Lela smiled “I have been wielding a sword since I was old enough to walk.”

  “Okay maybe just the knife then.”

  Nate tied the knife to his belt. They began walking again. The sun shined through the trees, and once again Nate was lured into feeling calm and unassu
ming. That is when it began to rain. The travel cloaks Crolin had given them shed the rain with no effort. It was when they approached the clearing that Lela stopped. The tension rolled off her in waves. Nate picked up on her worry and peaked over her shoulder. The clearing showed nothing out of the ordinary.

  “Lela what is wrong?”

  “The clearing, it is perfect for an ambush, there is no cover. Nate if the howlers break cover they will try to separate us. If that happens climb the closest tree you can. That should keep you safe.”

  “What about you Lela?”

  “I will be fine, do not come looking for me, and just keep going Nate do you understand?”

  “Lela, I can’t leave you to be eaten alive by these things.

  “I will be fine, just do what I say okay?”

  They slowly entered into the clearing; they made it half way across when the first creature appeared in front of them baring their path. They turned around to find two more behind them. The rest of the pack emerged from the surrounding forest line. The howlers stood four foot tall, their jaws were lined with fangs that over hung the muzzles. They stared at Lela and Nate with hungry eyes. The howler that first appeared began closing the distance between them.

  “Lela, what do we do?”

  Lela remained silent for a few minutes watching the creature, the twig snapping behind them turned Lela around. The two howlers were running now. Lela loosed two arrows in rapid succession. Both arrows struck the lead howler downing him instantly. The pack began running at them now.

  “Nate run for the trees!” Lela screamed.

  She let two more arrows fly, but the creature dodged both arrows. Lela began to run towards the charging howler screaming. The howler kept charging, and leapt into the air. Lela slid under the airborne beast and let an arrow fly into the creature’s tender underbelly. It crashed into the ground, dead before it hit the ground. Lela turned around while pulling the invisibility cloak hood up disappearing. She side stepped the third howler who landed confused as to how its prey could just vanish from sight. This brief moment allowed Lela to see Nate running for the forest line with four howlers in pursuit.