by Mike Ezekiel
“Kerwyn, look at this,” called his Master. Kerwyn looked over to where his master was standing near one of the edge of the forest and saw Master Sernett holding up a couple of bunches of glowing flowers.
“Ha ha, I found some of the flowers that we started out looking for. I had forgotten about looking for them during our run through the forest trying to escape the wolves. Now I can make the healing potions that I wanted these flowers for. Boil me some water so that I can begin making them.”
Kerwyn went over to his Masters pack and removed a small pot that he used for making his potions. Next he pulled out the small water sack they used for their drinking water. After setting up the pot above the small fire, he poured the water into the pot and waited for his master to come over and bring the flowers. A few more time, Kerwyn felt the draw on the One Power and he saw that the sigils had all been set up around the clearing which made it invisible from searching eyes.
After watching his master make the healing potions, Kerwyn counted off fifteen little vials of the precious liquid that lay on the ground cooling. Kerwyn thought to himself that until they got out of the evil forest, those little vials might be the only thing between life and death for him and his master.
“Kerwyn, we have an hour till first light so why don’t you try and get some rest? I’ll wake you in a couple of hours when the sun is up and shining brightly. I don’t want to set off again until it is light enough in the forest to see our footing. Hopefully the undead things moving around in the forest tonight will find somewhere to hide from the sun for the day. I really don’t want to have to battle every evil creature from here to the Forest Elves if I don’t have too.”
“Ok Master, I will try and get some sleep but I don’t know how I will ever get to sleep knowing there are dead creatures out there in the forest wanting to kill us.” Kerwyn rummaged around, set up his sleeping roll and eventually climbed under it and laid down.
“Master?” asked Kerwyn
“Yes, Kerwyn,” answered Master Sernett, as he turned toward his apprentice, noticing how much Kerwyn had grown since that first day he had been left on his step. He also thought back to how lonely he had been before Kerwyn had come into his life and now he couldn’t imagine a life with out him in it. Kerwyn was like a son to him.
“Do you think the Forest Elves will really help? I mean the Fairy Queen said that they are in hiding and that they won’t welcome us. It sounded to me like they won’t even come out to talk to us.”
“I know it’s a risk but one that we have to take if we are to have any hope of stopping the evil from taking over the world. We have to find a way to get the elves to come to their senses. You heard what the Fairy Queen said; that we will need all of the good creatures to unite and that includes the elves. For without all the good creatures we are surly going to lose this war between good and evil. Now roll over and try and get some sleep; you’ll be up soon enough and you have all day to ask me questions. Remember she said that it was about a day’s walk away.”
“Yes Master, wake me when you are ready to go.”
With that, Kerwyn rolled over, and thought about all the day’s events. With a grin he recalled that the Fairy Queen had really had kissed him. Just as he drifted off to sleep, his last memory was of her, one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen, pressing her lips to his.
chapter three
KEEPING ONE EYE OPEN
“Ok Kerwyn, time to get up. I let you sleep for about three hours. We need to get going, first light was about an hour ago.” Master Sernett nudged Kerwyn in the shoulder with the toe of his shoe.
Kerwyn rolled over, opened his eyes and noticed that it looked like it was going to be a rainy day. The sun he had expected was still hiding in behind the clouds. The feeling that the forest was still in pain was equally as strong as it had been before he had fallen to sleep. The only difference was that it was now daytime and Master Sernett was waiting patiently for him to get ready to go.
“Ok Master, I will be ready in just a few minutes.” As Kerwyn got up and started rolling up his bedding, he felt the need to find a good tree to pee behind. Looking around the clearing, he spotted the wolf statues and Kerwyn felt an ominous air about him and didn’t want to stray to far from his Master. But sometimes the call of nature is stronger then common sense. Walking toward the edge of the forest, Kerwyn heard his Master call out.
“Don’t go too far by yourself Kerwyn, we still do not have any idea what may be hiding and just waiting for a chance to capture or eat one of us. Also, we have no idea of what other helpless creatures have been mutated into something that comes from hell.”
“Don’t worry Master, I will be back in just a minute. I just need to find a good tree.” Smiling, Kerwyn picked the closest tree and relieved himself.
As he was finishing up, Kerwyn felt an odd feeling, as though he was being watched or maybe even being judged. Looking around, he couldn’t see anything or anyone. His Master’s back was turned away from him as he finished gathering up the rest of their campsite. But the feeling remained and grew stronger. He sensed rather than heard movement and looked up into the branches of the tree and saw that he was indeed being observed. Crawling down one branch at a time was a Tree Sprite. She was just a little thing, only about three feet tall and couldn’t have weighed very much. Still, here she was, a little girl that looked to be about the same age as he, making her way down the tree towards him.
When she noticed that he had spied her, she put her finger in front of her lips signalling him to be silent. When she was about one foot away, she reached out and climbed into his arms, lifted her head up and whispered into his ear.
“Be very quiet, mortal, for we are not alone in these woods. There are things that don’t belong here at the far edge of the clearing and just outside your Master’s sigils. They are evil creatures and they do not know that you are here because of your Master’s magic. What they do know is that there is something hiding in here and they want to know what it is.”
“What are they? Are they more undead wolves like the ones we killed last night?” Kerwyn asked in a scared, excited voice that he tried to keep at a whisper.
“No, mortal, they are alive and they are Imps; fallen fairies. They are evil creatures that have magic. That’s why they know someone or something is hiding because they can feel the magic coming off of the sigils. They are unable to break through or to see in, but they can feel that someone is hiding in here. They are not part of the evil that has come from the Black Tower, but they are creatures that would win the favour of the Black Master if they could.”
“How would a fairy become an imp? I can’t believe that a fairy would give up a life of beauty and fun to become something evil,” Kerwyn said in a shocked voice
“Mortal, you have a lot to learn. Fairies would never choose to become Imps for they are an abomination to the fairy kind. Fairies become imps by being captured by bad humans who keep them in jars away from all light. A Fairy needs either the sun or the moonlight to keep their fairy magic strong and bright. Being kept away from either of these will distress a fairy so much that they lose all hope; their glow fades and their wings dissolve and fall off. A fairy that loses it wings and its magic glow become a very bitter creature, filled with hate and bent upon revenge. After that there is nothing left of the beautiful fairy that it once was and all that remains is an ugly evil imp that will cause as much mischief that it can. They have such a hatred of humans that they will do whatever they can to cause them harm. An imp will stop at nothing to work some dark mischief upon a human and cause suffering. This is why you need to be very quiet and tell your master about the evil Imps.”
“Thank you for letting me know about them. How can I repay you for your kindness and help?” Kerwyn asked the sprite.
“I feel that you have a tree’s love about you and that it is a very special tree,” said the sprite, “It has magic about it, and I can feel that you are the reason why this tree lives. You are a tree lover like
me and that makes us friends. I love my tree and I would die without it. Since you are a wizard, I would ask that you bless my tree with your magic to help protect it from the evil that has come to the forest.”
Kerwyn was taken aback by the sprite’s request. He never actually meant to bring his apple tree back to life. How was he supposed to use his magic to protect a tree? He wondered if he should talk to his master about it before trying it but, he reasoned, he had done it once before. Besides, this request was to cast a spell to protect a living tree and was not at all like he was trying to bring a dead tree back to life.
“Ok, Tree Sprite, I will try to cast a spell to protect your tree from evil.”
Kerwyn didn’t know any of the words of power for this spell but he figured that using the basics should work. Drawing on the One Power Kerwyn started to fill up and once he felt as though he had enough of the One Power’s energy, he cast his spell saying these magic words: “Servo is nemus ex malum!”
Two things happened that would be remembered for the next thousand years, perhaps not by any mortal, but by all the magical creatures that live in the forest.
The first thing that happened was that Kerwyn’s spell worked. In fact, it changed the wood of the tree into crystal and the spell super charged the tree with so much of the One Power’s energy that it will shine with the blessed light of the sun until the end of days.
The second thing that happened was that that spell made the tree sprite shine with the same light as her tree and it gave her the magic powers to not only protect her tree from evil, but also to become the guardian of light for the whole clearing. No evil would ever be allowed to enter as long as this tree lived.
“You have protected my tree and for that I am grateful. What is your name, mortal?” asked the now shining Tree Sprite
“My name is Kerwyn,” he said, looking away as she was now shining so brightly that it was almost too much to bear. Kerwyn again was amazed at what had happened when all he wanted to do was to protect the tree from evil. He didn’t understand how he had managed to super charge the tree with the One Power as to give it such life.
“Kerwyn, your name will be forever remembered among the trees. Because of this favour you did for us, I name you Tree Brother.” Reaching out her little hand she touched Kerwyn on the head, closing her eyes and Kerwyn felt her inside his head very much like he had felt the Fairy Queen. But this was different; the tree sprite wasn’t probing but instead was leaving something inside of him. He could feel it pulse with magic and life. After what seemed like an hour he knew that she had released him and knew also that he now had a magic seed inside of him, beating as one with his heart. His awareness expanded and he could hear the other trees whispering a welcome to their new Tree Brother. As well, they were whispering to each other about all the evil changes that were happening in their forest. Kerwyn never knew that trees talked to each other so much. He never would have guessed that they communicated as much as they did. Looking around at the trees, he could see clearly which trees had sprites and which ones didn’t. He realized that the gift the Tree Sprite gave him was almost as amazing as what he had done for her and was amazed at having such a gift bestowed upon him.
“Kerwyn, what have you done? You have cast such a powerful spell that every evil creature in the forest will be out looking for us. Sometimes, boy, you don’t use your head,” Master Sernett said with disappointment.
“Master Wizard, you are wrong to be angry at Tree Brother,” said the sprite. “He has done the forest and my tree a great service that will protect us for all time from the coming evil. Tree Brother has blessed my tree with the power to keep the evil at bay. This clearing will never again know the stench of evil and will be a safe haven for all good and just creatures to shelter in from the coming storm.”
“Kerwyn, what does she mean when she calls you Tree Brother?” Master Sernett asked with concern
“Master, she has planted a magic seed in me so that I can hear the trees talking and I can even tell which tree has a tree sprite attached to it. I can tell which tree has the sweetest fruits and which trees to avoid as they could be crabby like crab apple trees.”
Master Sernett looked from his apprentice back to the shining tree sprite. He could already see the change that had come over Kerwyn. Master Sernett had never heard of any human, wizard or otherwise, ever having being gifted with nature’s pure magic. Master Sernett was concerned for his apprentice, as he had no idea what shape this new source of power in Kerwyn would take. Tree sprites are usually very shy, solitary and peaceful creatures. But since Kerwyn had changed the nature of this tree sprite’s tree, she has become one of nature’s warriors and she had given Kerwyn the same gift.
“Kerwyn, explain to me what exactly you did to her tree. I need to understand what you have changed her tree into. Tree sprites are not supposed to shine with the One Power but I can sense the power radiating from both her and the tree. It is a strong, peaceful feeling that I’m sure the creatures of the forest can also feel. They will come here to hide from the evil that is all around this clearing.”
“Master, all I did was cast a spell of protection from evil on this tree,” Kerwyn shrugged his shoulders indicating that he really didn’t understand what he had done.
“Miss Sprite, may I approach your tree so that I can look at it closer to see what Kerwyn has done with his spell?” asked Master Sernett.
“You are Kerwyn’s Master and he respects and trusts you. I can do no less for the Master of my Tree Brother, so the answer is yes; you may approach my tree.” With that the tree sprite bowed her head and stepped away from her tree.
The old wizard approached the magical tree and the closer he got to the tree, the more it looked like it was made of living crystal and not of bark and wood. Master Sernett was puzzled by what he was seeing. Again he thought to himself that Kerwyn should not have been able to do this. Kerwyn was changing the natural laws with the One Power. Kerwyn had become much more powerful then Master Sernett. He was just a junior apprentice but when the need presented itself, Kerwyn always found a way to accomplish what he set out to do. Shaking his head in bewilderment, Master Sernett placed his hands upon the tree wanting to see if it indeed felt like crystal or if it would feel like wood and bark. To his surprise the tree addressed him in an ancient voice inside the master’s mind.
“Master Sernett, I know that you are very much concerned for your apprentice. Kerwyn has changed me from being just a simple tree into the single most powerful symbol of hope for this forest. Mother Nature has been talking to me about Kerwyn and when he blessed me with this gift of protection from evil, he inadvertently opened up a direct link from my sprite, to me, and Mother Nature herself. The seed that has been planted into Kerwyn is a seed that has come from me but it is a direct gift from Mother Nature. This is her way of thanking Kerwyn for giving the forest a place to protect her children from the evil Black Tower’s creatures. In a sense I have become a conduit, a direct link to Mother Nature and my tree sprite has become her priestess. All who come to this clearing will have Mother Nature’s blessings and protection. I want to give you something to help you protect Kerwyn as he grows into the man and wizard that he will become. Take it and help him unite all of the creatures of Mother Nature. You will need it to protect yourself when you approach the dragons. But be careful; for they are a very old race and have been here since the time the first Legendary Wizard battled the Evil Master. There were even Dragons that changed sides in the middle of battle. Do not ever fully trust or turn your back on some of the more unpredictable Dragon species, for they may just be the ones that you will need to run from when the war truly starts.”
With that, the voice in Master Sernett’s head disappeared and looked down at his outstretched hands where they had been touching the tree. Now there stood the most beautiful staff he had ever seen and it was made out of the same crystal that the tree was made of. It sparkled and glowed with an inner light and sitting on the top of the staff was a sma
ll pointed leaf, making the staff appear as though it could even be used as a spear. While Master Sernett was examining the staff, he could feel the One Power surging within it. He knew that he was holding a very powerful magical relic, one that could channel and focus the One Power. With such a staff as this, Master Sernett was confident that they now had a chance to save the world.
“Thank you Tree and Mother Nature. I shall wield this staff for the good of the land and in Mother Nature’s name.” Master Sernett cast one last glance at the great tree and bowed his head to it. Then he turned back to face Kerwyn and the tree sprite with a look of pride on his face.
“Kerwyn, my boy, you were right. You did what needed to be done and I’m very proud of you. You are growing stronger in your magical ability and control over the One Power. One of these days you are going to be the greatest wizard this land has ever known.”
Kerwyn smiled at what his master had said and then looked down at his Master’s hands to see that he was holding the most amazing staff he had ever seen. The tree sprite then also noticed what he was holding dropped to her knees, “Master Sernett you have been blessed with a mighty gift from my great tree and our goddess, Mother Nature. You both will be forever welcome in this holy clearing as honoured guests and as you both now belong to Mother Nature, she also belongs to you.
“Tree Sprite, what of the imps just outside of the clearing? I had almost forgotten about them,” Kerwyn asked
“Please, my name Tree Brother is Sal-A-Re. You are the first humans to ever know my name. A name can be used in evil magic and we the fairy creatures are very secretive of our names. Names can give an evil wizard power over you. He could make me want to leave my tree, and if I ever left my tree for long time and could not return, I would die and be no more. But you two are kindred now and if you should ever need some aid, just call my name into the forest and the trees will tell of your need. Just remember that I am unable to leave this clearing but as Mother Nature’s priestess, I will have my ways. Now as for the imps, I sense that there are about thirty-three of them hiding, waiting for you just outside. They are not with the Evil Master or his creatures. So far they are just curious as to who is hiding in here. They have no way to see through your master’s sigils, and now there is no way they could enter this clearing because of the power of my tree.”
