The Legend Of The Wizard's Apprentice (Book 1) (15 page)

After dressing, Kerwyn and Erlina made their way downstairs for something to eat. Upon reaching the kitchen, Kerwyn realized just how hungry he actually was. The smells of roasted boar, bar-b-q’d venison, grilled partridge, stuffed duck and all the wild vegetables such as leeks, potatoes, carrots and mushrooms filled his nose. The smell of freshly baking bread tantalized his taste buds and brought a growl to his stomach and saliva to his lips.

“Oh my, Erlina, all the smells are wonderful! I want to try a little of everything!” Kerwyn said with love in his eyes.

“You are funny, Kerwyn, and yes, you can try a little of everything. You are our guest and all this food is in celebration of having honoured guests in our domain,” said Erlina with a big smile on her face.

As Kerwyn walked up to one of the cooks, he asked her if he could have a plate of food. She looked up at him and tried to stifle a small scream, failing that, she looked down quickly and asked forgiveness from him and the princess. Kerwyn could tell that she was visibly shaken. Remembering his black eye, he looked away and became very self-conscious of it. It didn’t feel any different, but he noticed that he was now very light sensitive and when he looked into the shadows he could see all the spaces that could be hiding something in the darkness. Erlina seeing the look on Kerwyn’s face about his evil looking eye stepped in between the cook and Kerwyn making it so the cook could not see him. The cook was relieved and thankful for the princess’s intervention and quickly gathered up a huge plate of food and handed it over to them. As an extra special treat she added a couple of pieces of fresh apple pie. Turning around, the cook went back to her duties as it was only a few hours away until lunch and there was still plenty of work to do. Also, keeping busy kept her from having to look at Kerwyn again.

Sensing the tension in the kitchen, Kerwyn and Erlina turned and walked back out the same way they had come in. Taking Kerwyn by the hand the Princess pulled Kerwyn up a path that ended up leading them into the gardens. Here the aroma of roses, hibiscus, daisies and lavender filled Kerwyn’s nose. Breathing in deeply, Kerwyn shut his eyes for just a quick second to take all the smells in. Not only had his eyes become more sensitive, but his nose had as well and the smells were almost captivating and very peaceful. Tilting his head just a little, Kerwyn picked up the sounds coming from the little stream that ran through the gardens. He could hear the birds chirping and the frogs croaking. When he put his mind to it, he could almost understand what they were saying to each other. He was sure that the frog was warning the blue jay to stay away from its tadpoles and he was certain that he heard the blue jay call back that it didn’t like the taste of swamp hoppers. But Kerwyn dismissed it and thought to himself that he must have just been imagining the conversation and, opening his eyes, he followed Erlina deeper into the gardens.

After a time they came to the center of the garden and here Kerwyn was amazed to see the stream had a little waterfall in the middle of it. He wasn’t entirely sure how the water climbed the waterfall to flow over the front of the falls to make the pleasant waterfalls but turning he looked at Erlina and she was smiling.

“Kerwyn, this was a present to my mother from my father. He had a lot of the Elvin magic, which we call Alured. With his Alured, he created this waterfall to bring my mother happiness and peace when he had to be away fighting wars or defending our domain. As king it was his duty to ensure our domain was always safe from evil and creatures like orcs and goblins that wander the forest,” said Erlina.

“Erlina, you never told me what happened to your father. I believe that I heard that he was dead but I don’t know how he died. If it is too painful for you, you do not have to tell me,” Kerwyn said sincerely.

“No Kerwyn, it isn’t too painful but truly I’m not exactly sure what happened. My father was out patrolling the forest and one day he just never came home. My father and his entire party were never seen or heard from again. My mother sent out a hunting party to try and find him but when they came back all they said was they had found a massive battleground where there were hundreds of goblins and orcs dead. But there wasn’t any sign of the Elvin party or my father. It was like once the fight was over they just ceased to exist. There was no blood or any bodies to be found. That was a very long time ago. I was just a child at that time, maybe eight or nine years old,” said Erlina.

“Do you remember him much, Erlina? I really don’t remember my real parents much and sometimes I have flashes of memories with pictures of their faces. But I couldn’t tell you what they were like or who they were as people. I know my mother was a beautiful woman and my father was a handsome man but I don’t really remember much else about them.

All I really remember is Master Sernett. He has been my Master for as far back as I can remember. I once called him father but he didn’t like when I called him that. He told me that I had a father out there somewhere and that one day he would come back and get me. He has told me that for almost the last seventeen years of my life. I don’t think he really thinks that they would come back for me but I think he just feels uncomfortable when I call him father and prefers it when I just call him Master,” said Kerwyn.

“Kerwyn, you are lucky to have Master Sernett in your life. Just think; you have become a powerful wizard and he has been there for you since you were a very young child. He must love you a lot but just doesn’t tell you. I saw how worried he was when you went unconscious and I also saw how mad he was at the Elvin wizard’s who wouldn’t stop. My mother had to intervene because your master was so mad that he was going to take all the wizards on in the forest if you didn’t wake up, and you know something, with that staff of his, he might just have won. I think he is almost as powerful as you are with that staff.”

Laughing uncontrollably, Kerwyn couldn’t focus on what Erlina was saying,
“Master Sernett is almost as powerful as I am
, ha-ha! That’s funny Erlina; my master is almost as powerful as his apprentice. I can’t even get a simple light spell to work right. I’m lucky if I don’t kill someone or myself every time I cast a spell,” laughing so hard Kerwyn had to sit down, as tears were running from his eyes and his stomach had started to hurt from all of his laughing. Erlina was getting very mad at Kerwyn that he would laugh and make fun of her, how dare he make fun of a princess. Not only that but an Elvin princess, who has been alive longer than he has been by almost two centuries.

“Kerwyn, please stop laughing at me, I don’t find it funny that you are making fun of me. Here I am telling you that I think you are the most powerful wizard that has been around in a thousand years and you laugh at me. I give you honour and you show me disrespect,” said Erlina sternly.

Stifling his laughter quickly by almost swallowing his tongue, Kerwyn stopped and just looked at Erlina with a serious expression.

“Erlina, I’m just an apprentice wizard. I have been learning magic from Master Sernett for the last nine or so years; ever since Master Sernett felt that I was old enough to start learning how to wield the One Power. I am a far cry form being the most powerful wizard in a thousand years,” said Kerwyn simply.

“Kerwyn, didn’t you hear Elvin master Faunus when he said that you have Mother Nature existing inside you? Do you think that is normal? Mother Nature
the goddess
living inside of you. Also there is another entity living inside of you. Is it a god as well or a demon or what? Master Faunus didn’t say. In fact, he said that you would have to go and see the forest witch, Druantia, to find out.

A witch, Kerwyn. They are not like a wizard that needs to draw on the One Power like you do and they do not need to say any magical words to cast their spells. A witch is closer to Mother Nature but usually they are evil and change nature to be what they want it to be. If she wanted to change you into a frog, she could. If she wanted you to become a tree, she could and if she wanted to eat you, she might be powerful enough to that too. I have heard that witches eat children for supper. I do not know if Druantia is an evil witch but I would say that you being a powerful wizard yourself, you should be prepared to defend yourself in order to get the answers you need. I think you are wonderful and I do not want you to be eaten by a witch, and if not the witch, I do not want to lose you to a dragon either. Or the Dark Master.

You need to prepare for the worst and I am going to help you,” said Erlina with an expression that he had best not argue with her or she was going to make him very sorry for it.

“Ok Erlina, what would you have me do? I can not feel the flows of the One Power so I do not know how much I will be able to do,” said Kerwyn almost testily.

“Don’t get mad at me, Kerwyn. I am trying to help keep you alive, so here’s what we are going to do. I figured this would be a good place to eat our lunch and then we can try and get you to cast a spell. With my help hopefully you will be able to. We need that barrier opened up so that we can pass through it. We need you to fix it so that we won’t be trapped in here and then we can go see the witch for the answers to our questions,” finished Erlina full of energy and happiness now that Kerwyn had agreed to do what she wanted.

They sat down and began eating lunch in silence, neither one of them wanting to break the peace that they had come to. Once the decision was made, all that was left to do was to try and cast some spells. But that would have to wait until after Kerwyn finished his apple pie.

Licking his fingers for what seemed to him like a wonderful eternity, he finally had to put the plate down. He was disappointed that he didn’t have another piece of pie to eat, as it was the most delicious pie he had ever had. He also wished that he had one of those honey-dripping pastries that he had the first night they had come to the Elvin domain in the big banquet hall inside of the tree. Those were his favourite and they were the most delicious things he had ever eaten in his life.

Packing up their mess Kerwyn and Erlina stood facing each other. With a smile on his face, Kerwyn said to Erlina, “With a wonderful meal like that I think I am ready for another sleep why don’t we call it a day and head back so that I can go to bed?”

Erlina, not smiling, shook her head and started to draw in the One Power,

“You might want to try and draw on the One Power as I am getting ready to cast elvin magic at you.
“Creperum,”
she said and with that, Kerwyn was blanketed in darkness.

Kerwyn felt kind of funny and looked around. He noticed that his blue eye couldn’t see through the magical darkness, but his black eye was able to penetrate it easily. Trying to draw in the One Power to cast a return spell, Kerwyn couldn’t feel anything. Not wanting to be bested by a girl, he concentrated on a spell he wanted to cast. Closing his eyes and making the motions, he said the magical words,
“Colo Colui Cultum Spray.”
Out of the darkness a blast of colours spray-coated her from head to toe making her look like she was a court jester. With her hair dripping a bright fluorescent green, Erlina angered at being bested by a man who shouldn’t have been able to even see her, let alone cast a spell and strike her dead on.

Enraged and letting her temper get the best of her, Earlina drew on the One Power.
“Veneficus Requiro”
and from her hands shot a magic missile aimed at Kerwyn’s chest. Kerwyn, knowing what was about to happen, dropped to the ground hoping that she couldn’t see him and that her aim would be high. As he dropped to the ground the missile flew harmlessly overhead. Kerwyn realised that she was angry and was using offensive magic. He needed to stop her before one of them got hurt.

Kerwyn wondered what to do and came up with he hoped was a solution. He reasoned that if he were able to make a common enemy appear, then Erlina would begin to attack
it
and leave him alone. He thought back to his days of studying legendary creatures with Master Sernett and one creature stood out in his mind. Concentrating on his spell and pointing his finger behind her, close to the waterfall, Kerwyn whispered,
“Voco Shrieker Quod Suscipio Shrieking!”

Suddenly, from behind Erlina there came a female creature that looked like a human ghost. Erlina had only heard about these creatures but had never actually seen one. She couldn’t believe that a creature from legend was here in her domain. It was rumoured that its wail could paralyze any living thing with fear and then it would feed off of the frozen victim’s life force while it was unable to move or defend itself. Legend had it that many lives were lost to these creatures. Erlina thought to herself how odd it was that one was here, before her, as they were usually only found in the oceans far to the south.

That was all the time for thinking Erlina had before the Shrieker began wailing directly at her as Kerwyn was still hidden from view. Erlina knew that she only had a moment before the Shrieker’s wail hit her she so she quickly took aim and lined up her magic missile spell again and said,
“Veneficus Requiro!”
Another magic missile flew from her hands and went straight for the Shieker, catching it in the center of the chest and was forcefully thrown back. Erlina could see smoke coming off of it but, unfortunately, all her spell did was make the Shrieker more angry and bought Erlina a few more seconds.

From inside the darkness Kerwyn was watching and decided that it was time to enter the fight. Again Kerwyn reached out for the One Power but was still unable to feel it, so he closed his eyes and concentrated on his inner energy. Thinking about the spell he wanted to cast he opened his eyes and said the magic words.
“Radiance Of Silentium!”
Out of Kerwyn’s outstretched hand came an invisible beam that hit the Shrieker in the chest. With that the area went completely silent. It is not like everything just went quiet, but, rather, became an absolute vacuum; absent and void of any sound. There were no sounds of birds chirping, no sounds of the waterfall rushing and no sound of even the air moving over the grass: just total and utter silence.