Nicholas Raven and the Wizards' Web (The Complete Epic Fantasy)

by Thomas J. Prestopnik

  “Sounds about right,” Leo said, remembering their time with the wizard to plan their secret route. “Bear southwest after we leave the Gap to the forest beyond. That’s where we’ll sell or abandon our horses and go on foot. In the meantime, enjoy the ride.”

  “No one promised us an easy journey,” Nicholas said as he stored away the map and continued on, the warm sunlight touching his face and easing his worries. For a moment he felt at peace from all the troubles that had plagued him recently. “After slogging along the dreary grasslands, this path should be a treat.”

  “I hope so,” Leo said, happy to see Nicholas in a cheerful mood as their horses contentedly wandered across the brittle grass turning brown with autumn’s frosty touch. “And I hope the wizard is still alive, otherwise this journey will be for nothing. Tolapari hadn’t seen Frist since he guided him to Wolf Lake years ago.”

  “He’ll be there,” he confidently replied. “Tolapari also said he could feel magic within the medallion even though the spell had been altered and weakened. I’ll take that as proof that Frist still lives. Regardless, our road to the Dunn Hills will take us close to where the Islanders are moving upriver. Who knows, but maybe we’ll stumble on some information that would lead us to Ivy. If she’s been taken to the Northern Isles…”

  Leo glanced skeptically at Nicholas, sympathizing with his friend’s personal pain but knowing that he was spouting unrealistic words. “I don’t want to wring all hope out of you, but if you think you’re simply going to chat with some Islander rafting up the Lorren who’ll happen to know something about Ivy, you’re in for a huge disappointment.”

  Nicholas grunted. “I’m not naïve, Leo, but I was just thinking that maybe…”

  “Maybe what?”

  He shrugged, not ready to reveal his intentions to Leo just yet. It was too early in their journey to tell him. They needed to find the wizard and reforge the key before other plans could be discussed.

  “Nothing,” Nicholas casually replied. “It’s not important. Let’s ride a few more miles and then we’ll take a break.”

  “Suit yourself,” he said. “But whenever you want to tell me what’s on your mind, I’m here to listen.”

  “Thanks,” he replied, dreading that future conversation.

  Should their task be successful, Nicholas was confident that Leo could take the key to Morrenwood on his own so the Spirit Box could be unlocked. He hoped his friend would understand his need to depart midway through their journey. After their planning sessions with Tolapari, who had instructed them about the geography of the Dunn Hills, Nicholas felt confident that he could make it to the shores of the Trillium Sea from Wolf Lake on his own. From there he could travel south along the shoreline to the mouth of the Lorren River where ships from the Isles were arriving and sending men and supplies to Vellan’s stronghold in Kargoth. Would it be possible to stow away on one of those vessels and sail to the Isles to find Ivy?

  Nicholas admitted that the idea sounded preposterous and so was hesitant to tell Leo, but what other alternative was there? He felt responsible for Ivy’s kidnapping and vowed to find her. And though they had only known each other a short while, his affection for the young woman had grown in their brief time together and during their abrupt separation. He convinced himself that he had to attempt a rescue no matter how improbable the odds were for success.

  He cast a furtive glance at Leo as they continued silently under the midmorning sun. He promised himself to tell him of his plan only after they completed their mission. Such a revelation might be a distraction otherwise. Nicholas nodded, confident he was making the correct decision. Besides, that would give Leo less time to talk him out of such a foolhardy notion.

  They passed through two villages during their travels that day, eating sparse meals on the side of the road and enjoying the sunshine while their horses grazed and drank from nearby streams. They made camp for the night on the edge of a field after the sun had set and the purple-red glow of twilight cloaked the landscape. The Fox Moon, just past first quarter, sailed through a sea of icy stars. After dining on strips of fried beef, apples and biscuits, Leo turned in for the night, lying on folded blankets next to a crackling fire while bundled in his hooded coat with another blanket draped over him.

  “Have the innkeeper wake me at sunrise,” he mumbled.

  “Consider it done,” Nicholas replied, sitting comfortably near the flames in quiet contemplation. “I’m going to tend to the fire. I’m not sleepy.”

  “All right,” Leo said through the blanket before dozing off.

  Nicholas added twigs to the fire, studying the flames while thinking about Ivy. He wondered about life in Kanesbury and how his friends were faring after his departure thirty-two days ago. He had learned from King Justin that Maynard Kurtz was now acting mayor and that Otto Nibbs was missing. What shocked him even more was that the five hundred Enâri cast asleep in the Spirits Caves had awakened and escaped. He fingered the medallion hidden beneath his shirt, astounded that the fate of those creatures and others like them was tied to such a nondescript piece of metal.

  He felt a surge of power course through him, realizing the enormity of his task. Yet he also experienced a paralyzing awe knowing that he controlled the lives of so many. Though the Enâri deserved defeat for the destruction they had caused to so many over the years, Nicholas’ thoughts turned to Jagga who had remained behind at the Citadel under Carmella’s guardianship. As an individual, that one Enâr seemed friendly enough, almost comical, and he wondered if others in the group had likewise turned away from Vellan in thought or in deed. Still, Jagga had been part of the force that created havoc in Kanesbury twenty years ago and had probably murdered Arthur Weeks, so his momentary bout of compassion for the creature quickly diminished. Perhaps it was fitting that one of the Enâri should serve as the conduit for their own demise.

  Nicholas let go of the medallion, believing that events would play out as they should despite what he thought. But for good or ill, he knew there was no turning back now. He accepted that this is where he was meant to be. Maybe all the chaos at home and in his personal life had happened for a reason, preparing him and flinging him out in the wilderness for just this task.

  He sighed and glanced up at the stars before grinning, realizing the lofty pedestal he had just climbed upon in his mind. Maybe he had blindly stumbled into this affair instead and was simply doing the best he could. In either case, he would move forward with determination and a bit of humility, hoping that all would work out in the end. Perhaps when this chaos was behind him, he could one day walk hand in hand with Ivy along the lazy back roads or by the quiet winding river of his village and enjoy a few moments of simple, silent peace. Right now, that’s all he truly wanted.

  Around noon the following day, after traversing miles of dirt roads, soft grassy fields and desolate patches of hard, stony ground, Nicholas and Leo paused near the entrance of Gliwice Gap in the southwestern arm of the Trent Hills. The skies had turned cloudy and the air was damp, but the two travelers’ spirits were lifted as they had arrived this far without any problems other than a lack of sleep and some aching muscles.

  “So far, so good,” Leo said. “Tolapari’s instructions were right on target.”

  “Now another day of traveling through these hills until we see the woods of the Cashua,” Nicholas replied. “Yet as pleasant as this stage of the journey has been, I’ll be glad to slip into the trees for more privacy. The farther we go, the more uneasy I become.”

  “I understand. That thing around your neck must be a weight on your mind.”

  Nicholas nodded. “Though I keep it hidden, I sometimes imagine that people we’ve passed on the road somehow suspect that I’m carrying something of value, something dangerous.” He appeared slightly embarrassed by his confession. “Perhaps that sounded silly, but it is how I feel. I’ll be glad when Frist reshapes it into a proper key for us.”

  Leo chuckled. “So instead of a medallion around your neck, you�
��ll have a key. And we’ll have to retrace our journey back to Morrenwood with an even more perilous object in our possession. But that’s what we agreed to do.”

  “Yes,” Nicholas replied as he imagined a ship sailing toward the Northern Isles upon restless waves. Pangs of guilt swept over him, nearly causing him to reveal his plan to abandon Leo and search for Ivy after their mission. But he held his tongue. “That is the task we agreed to, Leo. And it will be done–one way or another.”

  “I’m sure of it,” he replied, looking askance at Nicholas when hearing the faraway tone in his friend’s voice. He knew something was on his mind, but didn’t pursue it. Leo snapped the reins of his horse and led the way into Gliwice Gap, signaling with a smile and an easy sense of confidence for Nicholas to follow.

  Gliwice Gap stretched on for about five miles, the slightly undulating landscape winding here and there and varying in width at spots for up to a mile or more. They crossed several streams flowing down from both the northern and southern hills, the clear, crisp water reflecting the ashen skies like a finely polished mirror. Acres of lush pine and nearly leafless trees dotted the landscape. Occasional farmhouses were visible in the distance as they neared the western border of Arrondale. Neither Nicholas nor Leo had ever stepped foot outside the kingdom and both looked forward to the sights and adventure that awaited them.

  Several hours passed uneventfully as the majority of their path took them through deserted woodland or fallow pastures awaiting a distant spring. Both were happy to see cattle grazing near a haystack at one point, though they encountered no one to talk to on the few roads they traveled upon. They took their time passing through Gliwice Gap since they had no plans to enter the Cashua Forest until the following morning. They only wanted to arrive at the edge of the woods before dark to allow themselves some rest before the more difficult part of the journey commenced.

  Near mid-afternoon with about a mile to go before leaving the Gap, they observed in awe the distant green swath of the Cashua Forest looming on the western horizon. They stopped to eat an early dinner which they washed down with cold stream water. Nicholas gazed in the distance, more eager than ever to reach the edge of the woods before sundown.

  “I see a farmhouse beyond that next field,” he said, pointing. “We can try to sell our horses there. I hope you’re ready for some serious walking.”

  “Suddenly this adventure is going to require a bit more effort,” Leo joked. “Too late to turn back?”

  Nicholas laughed. “Such talk won’t stand you in good stead with Princess Megan.”

  “Or her grandfather,” he replied. “King Justin seems amiable and formidable at the same time. But I think he took a liking to me, at least from what Megan said.” As Leo sat in the grass leaning back on his hands, he couldn’t help but chuckle in the cool serenity of the late afternoon.

  “What’s so funny?” Nicholas asked, munching on a biscuit.

  “Just realizing where I am,” he replied. “Not long ago I was selling apples for my father up and down Orchard Road and cleaning out horse stalls with Henry. Now I’ve been to the Blue Citadel, met the King of Arrondale and am smitten with his granddaughter, a princess.” He looked at Nicholas, his face scrunched up in disbelief. “How did that happen?”

  Nicholas laughed. “I’m still wondering why I was framed for robbery, accused of murder and run out of town. And you expect me to figure out your life? We should give up worrying about the whys and just see where it leads us.”

  “Maybe that’s all we can do,” he agreed. He stood up and brushed the grass off his pants. “In the meantime, let’s sell these horses and get to the woods. Daylight is fading fast, and with these thickening clouds, we’ll get no help from the Fox Moon.”

  They continued on, arriving at the farmhouse and successfully making a deal with its owner to buy the pair of horses, claiming they were going to explore the Cashua Forest before seeking out their fortune and a new life along the narrow stretch of land surrounding the eastern edge of the Dunn Hills. While examining the horses near the main house, the farmer introduced himself as Larry Kerns and wondered why the two men were leaving so late in the year.

  “We like to take risks,” Leo said, putting on an air of bravado as he leaned against one of the horses with his arms folded. “We wanted a little adventure on the way to our new lives, whatever they turn out to be. Things back home on the farm were getting dull. I mean, how many crates of apples can a man pick every year before going completely mad? And don’t get me started on raking out the horse stalls day after day, right, Nick?”

  “Something like that,” he replied, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing at Leo’s slightly dramatic burst. But whether the farmer believed Leo’s story or not, he didn’t indicate one way or another.

  “Well good luck to you both wherever you end up,” Mr. Kerns said as they concluded their deal. “I hear that many young and adventurous souls have built lives for themselves in the villages scattered up and down the Crescent. But it must be a hard, lonely existence, lodged in that narrow strip between the sea and the forest with no one to protect them except themselves.”

  “We’ll put in a good word for Arrondale,” Nicholas said. “Perhaps one day they’ll petition to join our kingdom.”

  “Don’t know about that. Most there are fiercely independent from what I’ve been told,” Mr. Kerns replied. “Still, I hear stories from people passing this way from the west that men from the Northern Isles have been sailing into the area. I’m not sure why, but maybe they’ve got their eyes on expanding onto the mainland. The protection of King Justin might not be such a bad thing for them.”

  “We’ve heard similar rumors,” Leo said.

  “It’s more than rumor,” the farmer insisted before raising his head and sniffing the air as a smile appeared on his face. “I smell bacon from my wife’s kitchen!”

  To the delight of Nicholas and Leo, they were invited to sit down to a meal of bacon stew and freshly baked apple bread with Mr. Kerns and his wife who allowed them to sleep in their barn that night. And though it would delay an early start the next day as they would still have to travel the remaining distance to the Cashua Forest, the two men felt that a fine meal and a good night’s rest were worth it. By early evening, each was sound asleep on a warm pile of straw, blissfully unaware of the handful of horses and cows sharing their quarters that night.

  The sun peeked over the eastern horizon the following morning, casting its cold, pale light through a veil of torn clouds and swirling mist. After trudging to the barn and waking Nicholas and Leo, Mr. Kerns invited them to the house for an early breakfast. While seated at the table, the farmer insisted that they ride their former horses the rest of the way to the forest to save them some traveling time.

  “I’ll ride with you and take my purchases back with me,” he said, envying their journey. “Besides, I deserve an occasional break from the farm and intend to take one.”

  Nicholas smiled gratefully as he savored a cup of hot tea while relishing the sound of crackling wood ablaze in the fireplace. “We appreciate the offer, Mr. Kerns, and gladly accept, though you and your wife have been far too generous already.”

  “Happy to do it,” he said, cutting into a fried pork chop that Mrs. Kerns had just set upon his plate.

  “I’ll fix you up some breakfast leftovers along with bread, apples and cheese to take with you,” she added. “Who knows how long it’ll be until you’re with people again? Can’t have you starving to death in the middle of the forest.”

  Shortly after, as the mist evaporated and the morning shadows lazily stretched across the sleepy autumn landscape, the trio departed the farmhouse. Mrs. Kerns waved goodbye near the front door, telling her husband she expected him back before lunchtime as he still had chores to do. He promised her so as the trio disappeared down the road.

  The journey to the border of the Cashua took less than two hours, though longer than Nicholas and Leo had hoped since Mr. Kerns was far mor
e interested in telling them stories and pointing out and discussing particular parts of the landscape. But as the man and his wife had been so kind to them, they happily showed an interest in his enthusiastic offerings. They traveled slightly southwest after leaving the Gliwice Gap as Tolapari had instructed until they reached the edge of the woods. There they dismounted and returned the horses to Mr. Kerns, thanking him several times over for his help as they donned their heavily laden backpacks for the journey ahead.

  “You’ll have several days of hiking before you,” the farmer said, “though the falling leaves will allow you more daylight on your way. Still, watch yourselves. I suspect some of the terrain will be treacherous.”

  “But it’ll be many days and miles less compared to going around the forest,” Nicholas said. “Or at least I hope so, assuming we don’t get lost.”

  “Thanks again,” Leo said as he and Nicholas shook hands with Mr. Kerns and watched him depart with the horses Nedry had given them three nights ago. The two travelers turned around and faced the Cashua Forest, its leaves shedding and brilliant color fading as autumn raced past its midpoint. The vast collection of maple, beech, elm and pine trees solemnly welcomed them with a bittersweet scent of fallen foliage, pungent soil and stony silence, punctuated occasionally by the caw of a distant crow or the sound of a blue jay winging over the grand and thinning canopy.

  Nicholas glanced at Leo, noting the same tinge of uncertainty in his eyes that he himself was feeling. “Well, no sense thinking about it any longer. Let’s go,” he said. “It’s about time we earned those extravagant wages the King is paying us for this mission.”