This is a work of fiction. The events and characters described herein are imaginary and are not intended to refer to specific places or living persons. The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the materials in this book.
The Eye of Elicion
The Kinowenn Chronicles Vol 1
All Rights Reserved.
Copyright © 2014 Rachel Ronning
v3.0
Cover Photo © 2014 thinkstockphotos.com. All rights reserved - used with permission.
This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Outskirts Press, Inc.
http://www.outskirtspress.com
Library of Congress Control Number: 2014905943
Outskirts Press and the “OP” logo are trademarks belonging to Outskirts Press, Inc.
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 1
It all started out as a joke. Lucy never imagined things would go as they did. It is best to start at the beginning though, as it makes for a more organized story.
Lucy Evans had recently graduated from college. Much to the disappointment of her practical-minded parents, she had gotten an English major, two of them actually. Now she was sitting at her parents’ kitchen table paging through the want ads.
It should be noted that Mr. and Mrs. Evans were not bad people at all. They encouraged imagination at every opportunity. They read fantasy books to their children from shortly after birth until Lucy had been in 8th grade or so. The whole family so enjoyed story time that even Lucy’s older brother Peter and her older sister Susan sat in and listened well into their high school years. You may recognize the grouping of the names Peter, Susan, and Lucy. If so, you have most likely also read Mr. and Mrs. Evans’s favorite books. In fact, had there been a second son he would have been named Edmund.
However, thus noted, Mr. and Mrs. Evans also firmly believed that although an imagination is a necessary part of life; it had little or no place in the work force. Certainly, Lucy should not expect it to. They believed in practical jobs that made decent money. They preferred majors that led to easily definable jobs. Things like majoring in nursing, law, dentistry, engineering, or even business were acceptable.
Susan was a marketing director and married to an accountant named Nick. They worked normal business hours and came over for Sunday dinner every other week. They had a modest first house, but were working their way on up and had all their student loans paid off. Lucy and Susan got along well enough, but Lucy found Susan boring, and Susan found Lucy impractical. Susan kept telling Lucy to grow up.
Lucy got on much better with her older brother Peter. He retained his love for all things fantastic and encouraged Lucy in all her crazy endeavors. Peter had also lived up to his parents’ expectations. He had gone to a good school and majored in Aerospace Engineering. Lucy had no clue what he did exactly at his job, but she was sure it involved lots of math, a subject Lucy did not care for. Despite his well paying and practical job, he did tell anyone who would listen that his goal was to be the first resident of Mars. Most people looked at him as though he were nuts, but Lucy just smiled and encouraged him in turn.
Then there was Lucy. Her parents might not approve, but she thought the English majors were a step up. Throughout high school, art had been Lucy’s greatest joy and she had debated majoring in that, but settled on something she deemed more practical. Her parents kept asking her what she was going to do with her degree, so there she was paging through the want ads.
Lucy read through column after column becoming more and more discouraged as she read. She was either overqualified or under qualified for everything listed. Obviously she had no nursing training, she could not weld, she wasn’t a carpenter, she knew very little about cars besides being able to change a tire, and she wanted nothing to do with accounting. Likewise, she felt her college degree should put her above having to be a waitress, work in fast food, clean hotel rooms, or heaven forbid work in day care. Lucy liked children, but liking them and watching large groups of them everyday were two entirely different things. There was always grad school, but Lucy wasn’t sure she wanted to do that either. Anything she was interested in further pursuing was obscure enough to only be found at very expensive universities. Sadly, those degrees still wouldn’t provide her with a definite, well paying job that would help pay off the sure to be acquired student loans. Lucy wasn’t sure what she was looking for, but she hoped she would know it when she found it. She continued to scan.
Suddenly, something caught her eye. It was a little, unassuming ad in the bottom right-hand corner, easy to miss. She reread it. She could not believe it was real, but there it was.
Wizards Wanted
Requirements:
College graduate (degree unimportant)
Adventurous and open-minded
Willing to learn and travel
Some on the job training required
Lucy was sure it was a joke. At the same time, if it was a joke, what was the harm in responding to the ad? Lucy studied it further. At the bottom, in small letters was written:
If interested, send handwritten résumé, letter of intent, and favorite color to:
Wizard Work, Inc.
PO Box 5191
WPO, CL 61746-5191
There was no number to call. Lucy pondered the ad some more. Favorite color? Why favorite color? It would be lovely to go on adventures like the books she loved and learn how to cast spells, but it all seemed too fantastic to be real. She kept her finger on the ad at the bottom of the page and turned the paper over to read the columns on the other side. She debated secretarial work. She was very organized. Every time she thought about applying for one of the jobs i
n the paper, she got a sinking sensation in her stomach. There had to be something better out there for her. There had to be something that didn’t look as if the entire monotony of the job would slowly drain away her soul. She turned back to the Wizard ad. Why not? What was the harm in applying? At least then she could tell her parents that she’d spent the day filling out applications. She didn’t have to tell them for what. Besides, if it turned out it was a joke, she could tell her parents she didn’t get the job, apply for something else, and that would be the end of that.
Once Lucy made up her mind, she felt suddenly at ease. She felt relaxed. The sinking feeling went away, and she was almost excited. She went to her computer to write up a résumé. Then, she reread the ad and noticed it said handwritten. She wondered about that but came to a decision rather like Pascal’s wager. If she wagered the ad was a joke, why bother going through the work? If she wagered it was real, she might as well do what it asked, or she might be turned down for being unable to follow simple instructions. She had nothing to lose and everything to gain by doing things right. She wondered if ink color made a difference. Probably blue or black were preferable to colors like purple or green. She chose blue. Now, what to write? She smiled as she began with the thought at hand.
I was unsure what color ink to use, but since the ad did ask for a favorite color, I settled on blue ink as blue is my favorite color.
That sounded silly, thought Lucy. She shrugged her shoulders and kept writing. The important thing was to get something written. She could edit once she got something down on paper. Lucy began to think about what she had done and the classes she had taken, but none of that seemed to be the right thing to write on an application to become a wizard. It did ask for a résumé and a letter of intent so she did the resume part first, also including on it her love of fantasy books. Then she began the letter of intent.
I know you probably have to read through hundreds of applications so I will try to keep this simple, short and to the point. I want this more than I have ever wanted anything in my life. I have never felt that I totally belong here. I prefer to live vicariously through the books I read. I would like that to stop. I would like to find a place where I belong and where my talents are appreciated. I would love to take classes and learn how to become a wizard. Please give me a chance. That is all I am asking for.
Lucy reread what she had written. It sounded rather desperate. But then, wasn’t she? If this was real and she was not accepted it would eat at her for the rest of her life. This was her one chance to do something she had dreamed of doing all her life, make her fantasies reality. Lucy did some reworking, folded her résumé carefully, addressed the envelope, put on a stamp and mailed it. She briefly pondered why a letter to a wizard school should be sent by regular post and then dismissed the idea.
Lucy sighed with relief. Then, a funny thing happened. It no longer seemed real to her. She began to wonder what was going on. She went back to the paper, but the ad was gone. She looked everywhere and could not find it. This struck her as odd. What had she been doing all afternoon? Lucy sat at the kitchen table in confusion. Shortly, she convinced herself it was all a joke or a crazy daydream she had created. It wouldn’t be the first time. She must have misread something. Wow, whoever got her letter was going to be in for a surprise. Thinking she was writing to a Wizard school. She began to laugh at herself.
By dinner she had forgotten all about the letter or ever seeing the ad. Lucy helped her mom cut up lettuce for a salad and set the table. She had an enjoyable, normal dinner with her parents. Her mom worked part-time at the local library. She insisted there was a job there for Lucy if she ever wanted one. Her dad told them about work. He was a pharmacist. He also said Lucy could have her job back there as a tech if she ever wanted it. Lucy had really enjoyed the job through high school, but now that she was out of college she felt she should be able to get a better job than she had had then. Not to mention, either way, she’d prefer to get a job on her own rather than rely on her parents to provide her with one. It seemed wrong somehow.
Her parents asked Lucy about her day. Lucy told them about going through the want ads and not finding anything much. She mentioned she might make a good secretary. Her dad thought this was a capital idea. It was a practical job that he could understand, and she could make a modest living. They all agreed that her attention to detail would make her an excellent secretary. She did not mention Wizard Works, Inc. Not so much because she was afraid they would not approve, but because she did not remember it. Lucy went to bed that night again debating a secretarial position.
Chapter 2
Everything in Lucy’s life continued in the normal way. She sent out applications for jobs she did not want and continued to look through the want ads. She helped out with housework. Since she was not working full time, her parents thought it was not unreasonable to expect her to mow the lawn, weed the gardens, sweep the floors, and do laundry. Lucy did not mind the work. It kept her busy, made her feel useful, and kept her from constantly thinking about her lack of decent post college employment and the fact that she was essentially freeloading off her parents.
She was beginning to feel worse about the job thing. She had sent out a few applications to jobs she did not really want, but she had not received any communication back from any of them. It was as though they were lost in the mail or something. At least a letter of rejection would have showed someone read one of her applications. She was almost beginning to feel insulted because she was overqualified for most of the jobs she had applied for. They would be lucky to have her. Someone should have jumped at the chance to employ her by now, or at least made her an offer.
One sunny afternoon, just like any other, Lucy took her daily stroll down the driveway to the mailbox. On her way back to the house, Lucy always flipped through the letters. There was rarely anything for her, but she enjoyed doing it all the same. Then Lucy reached the last letter. Her heart gave a little leap. It was addressed to her. Well, sort of. All the letter said on the outside was:
Lucy
Her name was written in beautiful blue ink, but that was all that was there. There was no last name, no formal address, no return address, and most perplexing of all, no stamp. Who was the letter from? How did the postman manage to deliver it? Part of her wanted to rip the letter open that second. The other part of her felt that this could be important, not to mention the most interesting thing she was going to do that day so she restrained herself. She pondered these things as she took her shoes off at the door, put the rest of the mail on the kitchen counter, drank a glass of water, and walked upstairs to her room. She sat cross-legged on her neatly made bed and carefully opened her letter. As she read, her eyes widened. She could not believe it.
Dear Lucy,
I am pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to our school. We shall do our best to train you to become a wizard. If you disagree with our training or prove to be unteachable, your memory will be erased, and you will be returned to your world. You need not bring anything. You will be outfitted and equipped upon your arrival. Your room is already being decorated in various shades of blue. I will pick you up tomorrow at noon. I look forward to meeting you.
Eric
Lucy was not sure what to do or believe. At first she had no idea what the letter was referring to, but upon her second reading, she remembered the ad. Was it real? Was she truly accepted to this school? Or was this still part of some elaborate joke? It seemed odd to her that this school did not have a name. What was this about her world? Her room was being decorated? This was turning into either a very scary situation, which could at some point end up involving the police, or the most wonderful opportunity in the world. Skeptical though she was, the more Lucy thought about it, the more excited she became about the possibility of this all being real. Either way, she would know tomorrow at noon.
Momentarily she wondered how the letter sender, Eric, whoever that was, knew when she would get the letter as to know when tomorrow was. Th
en, she figured, if she was really dealing with wizards, it probably magically appeared there at the perfect time. Tomorrow at noon. Tomorrow was Sunday and Lucy’s parents would still be at church at noon. What should she tell her parents? They would be bound to wonder if she suddenly disappeared. Lucy decided to stop worrying about this. She figured she could ask Eric tomorrow. A valid Wizard school was not about to kidnap students. Or so she hoped.
Lucy also wondered about the part in letter about being unteachable. This idea worried Lucy very much. What if after all this, she turned out to be unteachable? She would have failed. Lucy did not fail at very many things. Her parents expected that she try her best. When Lucy did her best, or even moderately tried she succeeded if not surpassed expectations. She was unaccustomed to failure. She set her mind to the fact that if all this was real, she was going to try her best, and she was not going to be sent back with her memory wiped clean. For someone whose memory was much better than average, that thought was terrifying.
Suddenly, it seemed a very long time until noon tomorrow. It was a good thing she did not get the letter weeks in advance or she would have gone nuts. Lucy wondered if they arranged things like that on purpose. If Lucy would have had something to pack, shop for, prepare, anything to keep her busy, it would have been less agonizing. She didn’t really have that long to wait, but every minute seemed to take three times as long to pass.
She did all the housework she had been putting off doing. That way it would be done if she could not come home for a while, and it also kept her from checking the clock every couple of minutes. Normally she was efficient when it came to chores, but today she found ways to make every task take longer for fear of running out of things to do. She dusted twice, emptied the dishwasher, swept and mopped the floors, vacuumed (her least favorite job) and even cleaned the sinks in the bathrooms. She was not in the mood to do the toilets no matter how bored she got. Lucy took the family dog, Merlin, of course, for a walk. She would miss Merlin. She wondered if Wizards were allowed pets at school. She supposed they weren’t. Lucy had lived in dorms at college and even though she had missed having a dog there, the idea of the packed dorm also having a variety of dogs and cats running around was not a pleasant one. That was assuming all the dogs and cats managed to get along. Tensions among roommates could be high enough without throwing in the possibility of one person’s pet attacking or eating the others. Lucy even managed to involve her parents in a rip-roaring game of Trivial Pursuit, but still the seconds crept by.
The Eye of Elicion: The Kinowenn Chronicles Vol 1 Page 1
