The Sorceress of Aspenwood Trilogy Pack

by Sam Ferguson

  “That’s what we want,” Kyra said.

  Linny tapped on Kyra’s shoulder and edged forward. “Allow me,” she said as she hunkered down and slipped in through the doorway. She crawled on all fours, stopping behind a large table where the cook cutting the onions suddenly gave in to a fit of sneezes and had to walk away from the table. Linny looked back to Kyra and offered a wink, then she shot off through the kitchen like a mouse, quiet and fast.

  She yanked the bowl of dough down and scurried back to the doorway.

  The two of them were running back through the halls long before any of the cooks knew the dough was missing. They ran all the way back to their room. Kyra took the bowl of dough in hand and smiled. There was still the pang of sadness that accompanied the memory of her mother throwing bits of dough at her, but it was lessened by Linny’s presence.

  She took a small amount, rolled it into a ball and then turned to Linny.

  “What do I do?” Linny asked.

  Kyra pointed to the clothing trunk. “First, get your wand out. We know you need a little bit of help.”

  Linny nodded. “Right!” She moved to the trunk and retrieved her wand.

  Kyra then decided it was best to demonstrate the technique. “Here, you take this ball and throw it at me when I tell you.” Linny took the dough and cocked her arm back, waiting for the command. Kyra steadied herself and turned to face Linny fully. She then tried to recall the rhyme her mother had taught her to remember the words of the spell. “All right, the word you want to remember for this spell is ‘damwiu,’ got it?”

  “Dom-wee-ooo,” Linny repeated slowly, enunciating each syllable.

  “This is another reason my mother used dough to teach me. The word is spelled D-A-M-W-I-U, and you can remember it by saying the phrase, ‘dough at me, ward I use,’ it’s a pneumonic device.”

  “Dough at me, ward I use,” Linny said. “Damwiu.” She nodded. “I say it out loud?”

  “Or you can focus on the word,” Kyra replied. “Throw it.”

  Linny launched the dough. A second later it splatted against an invisible wall in front of Kyra. The dough flattened and then began to peel off, rolling off backward and then plopping on the floor.

  “Like that,” Kyra said. “Now, ready your wand.”

  Kyra took a bit of dough and lobbed it in an underhand toss.

  “DAMWIU!” Linny shouted as she flicked her wand. The dough plopped onto her shoulder. Linny grimaced and brushed the dough away with her hand. “Again,” she said determinedly. Kyra tossed another ball of dough. This one smacked Linny in the cheek.

  Kyra giggled softly and Linny gave a toothy grin. The younger girl then grabbed the gob of dough and hurled it back. Kyra had not been paying attention, so it struck her in the forehead. Kyra’s mouth fell open and then curled upward into a large smile.

  “That’s it,” she said, “no more playing nicely.” Kyra grabbed a huge handful and slowly moved it into position to throw, all the while Linny was shaking her head and waving her wand. Kyra heaved the glob into the air. Linny shrieked and pointed her wand at it while she scrunched her face and turned away.

  To Kyra’s amazement, a blue bolt of fire leapt out from the wand and struck the dough, splattering the ball into smaller gobs that fell all around the room, showering both of the girls in the process.

  Linny looked as shocked as Kyra.

  “What was that?” Kyra asked.

  Linny shrugged. “I don’t know, I just thought of the flame we were trying to cast earlier and… I guess it worked.”

  Kyra nodded approvingly. “Excellent!” she said. “Come, let’s keep trying the wards. I bet you will get it quickly enough. Kyra shaped five small balls out of the dough, laying each one on her bed until she was ready to start throwing. The first two smacked Linny in the arms. The third bounced off of something that looked like a blue shield upon impact and the two girls shrieked with delight.

  “You got it!” Kyra shouted.

  “I did it!” Linny squealed at the same time.

  Kyra threw the last two dough balls. One bounced away and the last one got through before the ward went up. They continued until all of the dough was spent and there was a thorough mess in the room, then they sat upon their beds, laughing and trying to pull all of the bits of dough up from the walls, floor, and their clothes so they could place them back in the bowl.

  “Isn’t there a spell for cleaning this mess up?” Linny asked.

  Kyra shook her head. “My mother never taught me that one,” she said, still laughing. “We usually just made messes.”

  It took them a couple of hours to clean all of the dough and place it into the bowl. By that time, lunch had been prepared and the two went down to eat. As they slurped their soup in silence, they couldn’t help but blush or giggle any time someone asked for bread and the cooks had to apologize that there was none, which then led into a tirade by said cook as she returned to the kitchen, fussing all the way about the missing bread. After lunch, Linny got up and said she was finally going to unpack.

  She thanked Kyra for listening to her, and for showing her some more magic, then she left.

  Kyra watched her go, this time confident that the younger girl was not going to break down into tears and curl up on the bed. Kyra left and walked outside.

  She glanced over her back a few times, ensuring the priests hadn’t somehow seen her. None of them had been at lunch that day, so she wasn’t sure where they were. Once she made it to the rocky nest where she had first found Leatherback’s egg, she opened her portal and stepped through to the aspen wood.

  She found the dragon sitting and listening to Njar play his panpipes. The satyr merely waved with his free hand and continued playing while Leatherback purred and swayed his tail in the air behind him. Kyra moved in to her usual spot and petted Leatherback just behind the jaw as she slid down and leaned back into the large animal.

  The panpipe music was melodic and sweet. Kyra couldn’t help but nearly be carried away into sleep as she closed her eyes and simply enjoyed the moment. She let go of all thoughts and allowed the music to penetrate her soul.

  When it was finished, Njar slipped down from the boulder he sat upon and moved to sit cross-legged in front of Kyra. Leatherback arched his neck around and placed his head off to the side of them both, still purring with his eyes closed.

  “I must admit,” Njar said, “I am more than a little surprised by our friend here. He seems to be strong enough to resist the taint so far. None of it has permeated his being, and more than that, he has the sweet disposition of his mother.”

  “You said you would show me about the beasts today,” Kyra reminded Njar.

  The satyr nodded. “Yes, but after the priests have finished with their examinations,” he replied. Njar looked to the sun and nodded. “I should go. I will return later today.” The satyr rose to his feet and opened his portal to Viverandon. He waved farewell and then stepped through. The magical doorway closed behind him, leaving no trace of him in the aspen wood.

  “Priests come,” Leatherback said as his eyes opened lazily.

  Kyra waited, trying to put on a confident face, but her heart was pounding in her chest. She knew they would know what she had done. They would read it somehow, in her aura, like they always did. There was no secret that was safe from their magic.

  It wasn’t long before the three priests entered the grove, the youngest one holding aside a large bush that had grown over their usual path into the grove as the older two priests entered.

  Kyra thought it strange that they had never offered their names to her. No, it was more than strange. It was hypocritical, she realized. They could read her inner most thoughts and feelings, but she was not even allowed to know their names. Not even Headmaster Herion had told her.

  That was why she had made up her own names for them. First there was Dumbly, he was the taller of the two priest who were clearly older than their third companion. Dumbly was so named because he never seemed to speak. Oc
casionally he would clear his throat or make other noises, but he hadn’t spoken more than two or three words since Kyra had met him in the Headmaster’s office. The other older priest, who was a bit shorter than Dumbly, was named Glumly. He always appeared to be frowning, even when he was delivering good news about Leatherback’s state. The younger priest, who appeared to be in charge, still seemed friendly enough, but it wasn’t the same kind of warmth she had felt from him before. So, as she had seen a large wart on the back of his hand, she dubbed him Warty.

  The three priests approached, hands tucked into their sleeves in front of their waists and their gray eyes scanning about.

  “We are here to see him,” Warty said with a smile.

  Leatherback puffed some smoke from his nostrils.

  Kyra nodded and got up to her feet. She moved away, as she had always been instructed to do before.

  Glumly walked by her and placed his hands on Leatherback’s side. Dumbly did likewise. Warty, however, stayed with Kyra. He turned to face her and smiled.

  “What have you been up to lately?” he asked.

  Kyra sighed, and tried to concentrate on the two priests who were examining Leatherback. The dragon did not purr or close his eyes. He watched the priests warily, and that unnerved her.

  Warty glanced to Dumbly and Glumly and then said, “They won’t hurt him. I promise. They are only ensuring the taint is not present.”

  “I read a book once,” Kyra said quickly. “It said that you worshipped dragons, so how is it you now lord over him as if he is a threat? He has done nothing wrong. He has never hurt anyone.”

  Warty smiled wider and nodded. “Well, perhaps no one human,” he countered. “I heard about the wylkins. We all agree that the two of you were responsible.”

  Kyra grew silent.

  “Your aura tells me that I am right,” Warty said.

  “We helped a shepherd save his flocks,” Kyra said after a while. “Leatherback never touched any of the sheep, and we don’t need your lectures any more than we need praise from the shepherds.”

  “Quite right,” Warty said with a nod. “I understand your motives. You seek not only to hunt your mother’s murderer, but also to prove that you are not merely the daughter of a vampire.”

  Kyra’s face flushed with anger.

  Warty put a hand on Kyra’s shoulder and the young sorceress pulled away sharply.

  Upon seeing that, Leatherback stood up, pushing both Dumbly and Glumly away a few feet. The dragon snarled and looked down upon Warty with fierce eyes.

  “Easy,” Warty said as he put his hand in the air. “I was only talking with her.”

  “You make me uncomfortable,” Kyra said honestly.

  Warty gestured for Glumly and Dumbly to step away. Then he backed away from Kyra a couple of steps. “I must apologize, for that was actually my intention,” Warty said with a bow of his head. “For weeks we have examined him,” he said, indicating Leatherback. “We have seen nothing in him that showed us the taint was present, but we can see a streak of ferocity in his aura that we have been trying to probe. It is true, we do worship dragons, but not all dragons. We worship only the Ancients. All other dragons are highly revered and respected, but they are less predictable, and capable of violence and destruction as much as benevolence and wisdom. Forgive us, but I had to know what actions might provoke a violent response from him.”

  Warty then turned and bowed his head to Leatherback. “I now see that your ferocity is placed within your loyalty to Kyra. This is what we had been hoping to see. This helps us understand that your strength is not on the cusp of turning into feral anger.”

  “What are you talking about?” Kyra asked. She folded her arms across her chest and glared at Warty.

  The priest turned and smiled. “I am afraid we have not been entirely honest with you. You see, we can easily discern your aura at a glance. We could examine you even from a distance. However, dragons are more complicated. We cannot decipher their auras as clearly. We can see parts of it, but not all of it. In the past, some dragons have even been able to fool a few of our priests, which resulted in disaster. This is why we come so often, and must physically touch Leatherback for our examinations. This is why it also unnerves him as much as it does. I imagine that though our examinations are not painful for him, they might feel something like a worm or a snake working its way through his veins. Still, even with our combined efforts, we couldn’t see the extent of his ferocity. So, today we tried a new tactic. I am happy to say that if his anger has only ever been provoked upon him seeing you uncomfortable, or possibly under a perceived threat, then he is more than likely not a threat to others, so long as the taint never touches him that is.”

  “I don’t want you to do that anymore,” Kyra said. “You can check for the taint, but don’t try to provoke him again.”

  Warty smiled. “No, Kyra, we will not need to do that again. I have seen enough of him now to know his character. What you have here is a special bond.” Warty then turned to Leatherback once more. “Tell me one thing, if you love her so much, then why place her in danger by hunting wylkins?”

  Leatherback snorted and a ball of fire shot out into the air a few feet before turning to a cloud of smoke. “Something hunts her. I protect her. I fight like Gorliad did. I protect my family.”

  Warty nodded. He turned back to Kyra. “And why do you not just fly north, beyond the curse’s grasp?”

  Leatherback answered for her. “Kyra still in danger. I am not strong enough to fly her with me that far. Now we fight. When I am bigger, we will leave.”

  Kyra nodded and met the priest’s gray eyes. “Hopefully he will be ready soon, but until then, we will hunt down the creatures that have threatened me.”

  Warty nodded. “We will reduce our examinations. From now on, I believe once a week is enough.”

  Glumly cut in. “I should think that we ought to check him the same as we do now.”

  Warty shook his head. “No, we do not need to.” He then smiled and bowed his head once more to Leatherback. He turned to Glumly and Dumbly. “Let’s head back now.” The other two priests began walking to the edge of the grove. Warty stepped in closer to Kyra. He didn’t fail to notice Leatherback tense. “Kyra, your bond here is something more than special. I should like to send a letter to our prelate. We have been keeping him apprised of the situation here, of course, but I want to ask him to send someone else here.”

  Kyra shook her head. “I don’t want others to know where Leatherback is. What if the dragon slayers should see the message?”

  Warty shook his head. “We priests do not command a wide array of spells, but along with our gift of true sight, we have the ability to write with magical runes. The paper will seem blank to anyone who should intercept it. Furthermore, the message itself will ask only that the individual meet us at the academy. I shall not divulge Leatherback’s location.”

  “Who is it you want?”

  Warty let out a soft sigh. “I will send for the Keeper of Secrets. It is a special officer within our order. I believe he may want to speak with you.”

  “With me? What for?”

  Warty pointed to Leatherback. “Whether it is by chance or design, you have stumbled upon the first dragon to be untainted by Nagar’s Blight in the last several hundred years. More than that, you have bonded with him and formed the most unlikely of alliances. The Keeper of Secrets would come to speak with you, for there is a prophecy about a dragon’s champion that is to rise, and save this land from Nagar’s Blight. I do not have the right to say it, but I wonder whether you might be that champion.”

  Kyra’s eyes widened and she looked to Leatherback.

  “What do you say, may I have your permission to send for the Keeper of Secrets?” Warty asked.

  Kyra shrugged and continued to watch Leatherback.

  The dragon grinned and nodded. “Send for Keeper. Kyra is a mighty champion.”

  Chapter 9

  After the priests had left the aspen wood,
Kyra could tell that Leatherback was still a bit unnerved by how the entire examination had gone. She had a remedy though, as she usually did on examination day. She motioned for the dragon to lie down and then slipped a small book out of her bag.

  “I brought another short story,” Kyra said. “I could read it if you like.”

  Leatherback snorted, refusing to answer verbally.

  Kyra moved in and sat in her spot, leaning back against the dragon’s neck. “I’m going to start reading. If you don’t like it, then we can go and swim.”

  Leatherback closed his eyes and took in a deep breath.

  Kyra patted his neck and then opened the book of children’s stories. “Once there was an old man. He was poor, and had very little to eat. His shack had holes in the roof and cracks in the walls. His clothes were torn and dirty. Yet, despite his poverty, he was a happy man. He loved to whistle as he repaired his leaky roof or mended his clothes. He also sang while he worked in his garden pulling weeds and planting seeds.

  “One night, late in the summer, a terrible thing happened. The air was so cold that ice and frost descended on the old man’s garden and killed all of his fruits and vegetables. The old man was very sad when he woke and saw his garden destroyed. Worse yet, he had only a small amount of food left in his shack.

  “He tried to save something from his garden, but it was no use. Everything was ruined. The old man decided to travel to the city to hopefully find some work so he could buy enough food to get through the winter. He packed the last loaf of bread left in his cupboard, a bag of nuts, and the last of the pickled beans he had prepared the previous fall for him to eat on his journey.

  “As he walked through the green forest, he met a man sitting next to a broken carriage. The man was obviously tired.

  ‘“Do you need any help?’ the old man asked.

  ‘“The wheel broke,’ the tired man replied. ‘My brother went for help yesterday, and should be back soon.’ The tired man’s stomach grumbled. ‘Do you have any food?’ he asked.