Alfie was a little surprised at how easily Orin shrugged off what could have been a huge disaster, but the druid seemed to have unusual ways of finding things out. He continued to read…
You have almost mastered the use of your timeslip ability and encountered threats I could not foresee. Therefore I have decided to begin your training early, six months before the traditional age of thirteen.
It is your choice, but if you are willing, please send word to Caspian through his ravens. He has his ways of communicating through time. The castle is yours, whatever you decide, but I hope to train you in our ways, for your protection and that of your loved ones and also to carry our sacred knowledge and traditions into your world, which must be suffering for lack of the old knowledge.
On receipt of your answer I will either accept your decision, or begin to prepare your first lesson.
Your friend, always,
Orin Hopcraft.
Alfie read the letter again and then placed it into one of the secret compartments in his bed. His inheritance had brought great danger twice now, and he knew it wouldn’t be the last time. He had accepted the castle, and now it was time to conquer the magic that came with it.
A raven was waiting on the window sill. Alfie opened the window and met the bird’s black eyes.
“Yes,” he said.
The raven bobbed its head, leapt from the sill and soared away into the sky. Alfie watched as it disappeared into the clouds, dreaming of what Orin would teach him.
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Alfie Bloom and the Talisman Thief Page 17
