Wizard in the Woods

by Jeffrey M. Poole

  Gareth’s eyes dropped to the ground. Lissa timidly approached the boy and held out her hand.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Gareth.”

  Gareth warily shook her hand. Lissa clasped her hand firmly around the boy’s and slowly brought it up close to her eyes. She gently rotated the arm and saw that the cut was about two inches long, looked messy due to the amount of coagulated blood around the wound’s edges, and saw that it would undoubtedly become infected if not treated soon. She gently released Gareth’s hand and looked around the area.

  “What are you looking for?” Mikal asked her as he walked over to her side.

  “I need some type of disinfectant. We could also use some water to wash that wound out.”

  “I have a water bag inside Peanut’s sack. It’s not much but I thought we should have it in case Peanut gets thirsty.”

  “Perfect. Get the water and I’m going to see about finding something to cleanse the wound.”

  After Lissa wandered off Mikal eyed Gareth.

  “I can only imagine you had a reason why you’ve done all the things you’ve done. You mentioned you had a treasure? Trust me when I say no one at the castle cares. We’re more concerned about your past accomplishments and those you’re contemplating. I don’t know how you can do what you’ve done but I will say that on many an occasion you’ve left Shardwyn scratching his head in frustration. Although, if you want to know the truth, it doesn’t take much to confuse Shardwyn anymore.”

  Gareth briefly smiled again. He wandered over to an overturned log and sat down.

  “So you’re Mikal. I always wondered when someone would come looking for me. I never imagined it would be you.”

  “You wondered if someone would come looking? You’ve caused quite a few headaches over the years. Of course we’d come looking. We’ve been looking for you for quite a while. As for me, I volunteered to find you. Lissa and I are the ones who figured out who you are.”

  The boy yawned and gazed at him with a neutral expression. “Why would you volunteer to find me? Weren’t you afraid of me? I worked so hard to make everyone think I was the most dastardly wizard this kingdom has ever seen.”

  “You certainly didn’t make any friends,” Mikal admitted with a laugh. “My foster father certainly isn’t any fan of yours.”

  Gareth blinked a few times.

  “Your foster father?”

  “Aye. Steve. You may know him as the fire thrower. He’s the one who figured you out.”

  “The fire thrower. Of course. I had forgotten you lived off world for a number of years. Wait. Figured me out? What does that mean?”

  Pravara settled down onto the ground but kept her head lifted as high as it could. She was staring straight at the wizard with unblinking eyes.

  “Do you remember when you switched their minds and their bodies? While Steve was in Pryllan’s body he told me he had some type of conversation with you. You encouraged him to stay a dragon. Do you remember?”

  Gareth nodded. “Aye. That was a few years ago.”

  “He noticed something then. You hadn’t really tried to cause any of them harm. You were making their lives difficult, sure, but you didn’t hurt any of them and from what I can remember, you had ample opportunity. That told us back then you had a strong sense of morals.”

  “Back then?” Gareth scoffed. “And what about now?”

  “After you shrunk us you stirred up the griffins to try and kill us, didn’t you? I know that wasn’t a coincidence. It’s a little harder to overlook when someone tries to kill you. Thanks to that little incident my father decided it was time to identify and locate you. Up until that time you had been classified as an annoyance. As soon as my father learned about the attack on my life then you were reclassified a threat.”

  Gareth’s head fell in shame.

  “I’m sorry about shrinking you. I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but I was on my way back to nullify the potion. I felt horrible about it. I only wanted to scare you off. I never dreamt you’d find your way to my house. Imagine my surprise when I came home to find you talking with my mother and my aunt. I panicked. I followed you back to the valley. Once you had rejoined your dragon friend I released the potion into a gust of wind and sent it your way.”

  “Well, it worked,” Mikal told him. “I never want to be that small again. Hey, I have to ask you something. How are you able to work so many spells? You’re ten times better than Shardwyn will ever be and a hundred times younger than he is!”

  Gareth let out a short bark of laughter, the first time anyone had heard him laugh. After a few moments he sobered, as if he suddenly remembered he was supposed to be trying to hide his feelings.

  “It’s just something I could always do,” the young wizard confided. “I can see the inner workings of spells and enchantments in my head. In order to cast a proper spell you have to be thinking about what you want it to do. You have to make sure you include the correct words, cover loopholes, and so on, or else you’ll get lousy results. I…”

  Gareth trailed off as Lissa returned with several black turnip-like roots and a dozen broad hairy leaves.

  “Alright. We’re going to need a fire. I need to be able to slice these roots up and then mash them into paste. Ideally these leaves need to be bruised and dried, but for now I’ll settle for just bruised. Pravara, would you take those and crush them in your hand? Mikal, look for a couple of flat rocks. Do either of you have a knife?”

  Gareth produced a tiny boot knife and presented it to her, handle first.

  “Will this do?”

  Lissa took the proffered dagger.

  “It’s perfect. Thanks. I have a dozen or so comfrey leaves, but they weren’t ready to be picked. In case they’re not strong enough I dug out two of its roots. Either way I can make a passable poultice with this that will insure Gareth’s arm doesn’t become infected.”

  Gareth felt one of the hairy leaves as Lissa walked by him to give the bundle to Pravara.

  “I will confess my knowledge of herbology is severely lacking.”

  Mikal nodded. “Join the club.”

  Fifteen minutes later Lissa was finished. She had expertly rinsed the wound, dried it, and then smeared a thick paste made from a mixture of chopped comfrey roots and crushed leaves. She bound Gareth’s arm with pieces of cloth cut from Mikal’s undershirt. Gareth had watched, bemused, as Lissa had used his little dagger to slice the prince’s undershirt into strips.

  “Uh, sorry about your shirt,” Gareth quietly muttered once Lissa had her back to them.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Mikal told him.

  Peanut barked, causing everyone to jump. Mikal squatted down to the playful corgi and gave her a few pats on the top of her head. Peanut ignored him. Her eyes were fixed on Gareth and she was patiently waiting to be released so she could properly greet their newest companion. Mikal eyed the boy only a few youngers than he was, sitting quietly on the log and watching them both with solemn eyes.

  “Do you like dogs?”

  “I haven’t met many. I don’t have any problems with them, if that’s what you’re asking.”

  “You do realize what’s going to happen once I release her, don’t you? She’s very friendly. She’ll be in your face in no time flat. As you can see, that’s what she wants to do.”

  Gareth looked down at the corgi and gave the dog a friendly smile.

  “It’s alright. You can let her go. I don’t mind.”

  “I’m only going to ask this once. Are you sure?”

  Intrigued, Gareth nodded. “Aye.”

  Mikal unclipped Peanut’s leash and gave the corgi an encouraging pat.

  “Okay, Peanut. Are you ready? Release!”

  The corgi bolted, covering the distance to Gareth in three huge leaps. In the blink of an eye Peanut had leapt up into Gareth’s lap and shoved her face up next to his, plastering the young wizard’s face with doggie kisses.

  “Ack-pbthh!” Gareth started to laugh, which only encouraged th
e friendly dog to double her efforts in covering Gareth’s face with kisses for a second time. “I - mmmph! Wow, this is a strong dog. Maybe we could - ugh! That one landed in my mouth!”

  Mikal chuckled while Lissa giggled.

  “Sorry.”

  “My mouth was open.”

  Mikal snorted. “I know what that’s like. She’s done that to me a few times.”

  “On purpose?” Lissa quietly asked, concerned. “I’ve kissed you a few times. I’d just as soon not kiss you after Peanut has, thank you very much.

  Mikal flushed with embarrassment.

  “No, not on purpose. Really? Sheesh!”

  What Gareth did next rendered both Mikal and Lissa speechless. Peanut had reared up on her hind legs and nuzzled her face next to his. Gareth wrapped his arms around the dog and began sobbing. Peanut, sensing one of her pack members in distress, whined in empathy and wiggled closer. Mikal worriedly looked over at Lissa and mouthed what do we do now? Lissa’s eyes filled with sympathetic tears. She joined Gareth on the overturned log and waited with him. After a few moments of awkward silence Mikal sat down on Gareth’s other side. Pravara finally relaxed her stance and let her guard drop. Marginally. The dragon lowered her neck to the ground and continued to watch the proceedings.

  Lissa put a friendly hand on Gareth’s shoulder.

  “Why are you doing this, Gareth? You must have had a reason for this desperate ploy for attention. For over two years you’ve been quiet. That came to a stop once you had those dragons burn your mark in the forest. Why now? What were you doing for those two years? Is everything alright?”

  Gareth shook his head no. He lifted his tear-stained face and returned Lissa’s frank stare. He took a deep breath.

  “Two years ago my father disappeared. I’ve been looking for him ever since. Someone out there knows something. Someone out there must know where he is. I’d trade all my treasure if I could just get my father back.”

  Unsure of what the appropriate response should be, Mikal looked helplessly at Lissa and then nodded at Gareth. Before either of them could think of a proper response, Gareth, who was still holding Peanut to his chest, looked over at Mikal.

  “You’re the prince. Do you think you could find out what happened to my father? Please. I’ll do anything!”

  Chapter 7 – Cat’s Out of the Bag

  “You want me to tell my mother? What part of ‘she’ll kill me’ did you not understand? All the jhorun in the kingdom wouldn’t be able to protect me if she ever found out what I’ve done.”

  “You did say that you’d do anything, remember?” Mikal reminded him.

  “You could always tell her you were just acting out,” Lissa suggested. She and Mikal were walking, hand-in-hand, beside Gareth as they made their way back to Delythia’s house. “You’ve taken your father’s disappearance badly and didn’t know how to handle all the emotions that you’ve been bottling up inside you.”

  Thunder rumbled overhead, causing both Mikal and Lissa to glance up. The sky was rapidly turning dark as ominous-looking storm clouds rolled in from the western horizon. Lissa nudged Mikal on the shoulder and made a point of staring at Gareth. Their new companion had his head down, his hands were shoved in his trouser pockets, and he was scowling. Mikal laid a friendly hand on the boy’s shoulder to get his attention and then looked back up at the darkening sky.

  “Are you doing this? If so, please stop it. It looks as though it will start raining at any time.”

  Gareth glanced up and frowned.

  “You think I’m responsible for this storm? I may know my way around a spell but not once have I ever messed with the weather. There are way too many ramifications if you mess something up.”

  “Like what?” Lissa wanted to know.

  Gareth was silent for a few moments as he considered.

  “Let’s say I noticed that some nearby fields are looking dry and the farmer that works the land is going to lose his crops. I could easily write a spell that would summon a huge rain cloud.”

  “So what’s wrong with that?” Mikal asked. “You’re helping a farmer feed his family and provide food for the village. How could that be a bad thing?”

  Gareth sighed.

  “You can’t conjure a physical object from nothing. It has to come from somewhere. So, if I summon that rain cloud then I’m pulling the cloud away from where it was originally intended to go. Whoever gets the rain benefits, but whoever loses the cloud suffers.”

  Mikal slowly nodded his head.

  “I understand. The rain you’re summoning has to come from somewhere.”

  Gareth nodded.

  “Exactly. Several years ago I would have summoned that cloud and damned the consequences.”

  “And now?” Mikal pressed.

  “Contrary to what everyone might think, I really don’t want to hurt anybody.”

  “You certainly could have fooled me yesterday.”

  Gareth raised his arms in a what can you do gesture.

  “I’ll admit you didn’t catch me at my best, alright? Two people show up, asking questions, accompanied by a dragon? I panicked. I didn’t want worry my mother.”

  Peanut, trotting out in front of their little group, had perked up her ears and started pulling on the leash, encouraging her pack to hurry up. They could see Gareth’s house off in the distance. The young wizard groaned and started walking slower. Much slower. In fact, he was walking so slow that Peanut turned to give him such a look of disgust that Mikal burst out laughing.

  “It’s not funny. You don’t understand. I’m dead. Once my mother finds out what I’ve been up to she’s going to punish me so badly that I won’t see the light of day until I become a grandfather.”

  “You told us just a little bit ago that you were relieved this day had finally come,” Mikal reminded him. “No more hiding and no more lying. You’ve done some pretty bad things, Gareth. It’s time to atone for them. The first step is to level with your mother. She deserves to know, don’t you think?”

  Gareth sulked.

  “That’s not necessarily a topic that’s easy to bring up.”

  Mikal snapped his fingers as a thought occurred to him.

  “You did say you have a treasure, right?”

  Gareth’s eyes lifted from the ground and found Mikal’s.

  “Aye. What of it?”

  “Have you considered bribery?”

  Gareth snorted. “Bribery? You want me to bribe my own mother?”

  Mikal shrugged. “I don’t know. How about something like, ‘Mother, you look tired. Why don’t we all go into the village and let someone else worry about doing the cooking tonight? While you’re at it, I think you would look lovely in this new dress with this tiara set in your hair.’ Take it from someone who’s been in a lot of trouble, Gareth. This could work.”

  Lissa was shaking her head.

  “I disagree. She doesn’t need a tiara to try and lessen the blow. Just tell her. Be honest with her. I’m sure she’ll appreciate that more than any tiara. By the way, if you do have a tiara, I’d be more than happy to give you a girl’s opinion on it. I’m just saying.”

  Mikal was staring at her with a bemused expression. He turned to Gareth and laid his arm companionably across the boy’s shoulders.

  “Come on. We’ll help you through this.”

  Gareth turned to his new friend with a look of surprise etched all over his face.

  “You will?”

  “Aye. It’s what friends do.”

  “You really don’t know me,” Gareth protested. “How can you claim to be a friend?”

  Mikal pointed at Peanut.

  “Because she trusts you. I trust whoever Peanut trusts. If Peanut didn’t like you then she’d show it. As it is, she won’t leave your side. I think she knows you’re not feeling well.”

  Gareth clutched his stomach.

  “I am feeling ill,” he admitted.

  “You’ll feel better once everything is out in the open,” Lissa assured him.


  “Remember,” Mikal whispered as the three of them watched the house’s front door open, “no more lies. Your mother deserves to know. Be honest with her.”

  “Easy for you to say,” Gareth muttered as he watched his mother’s smile slowly dissolve from her face to be replaced by a frown.

  Mikal turned to Adyna and bowed.

  “Hello again. I’ll bet you didn’t think you’d see us again this soon, did you?”

  Adyna stared at Mikal for a few moments before shifting her eyes to Lissa’s, and then finally down at Peanut’s. Her face softened. Then she looked at her son and noticed he was unable to meet her eyes.

  “Gareth. I see you’ve met the prince. I… look at me, boy. What’s the matter with you?”

  “May we come in?” Lissa hesitantly asked. “Gareth has a few things he needs to get off his chest.”

  “Does he now?” Adyna took a step back from the doorway and looked to her right. “Del, I think you need to come here.”

  “What is it?” a second voice asked. Delythia appeared, wiping her hands on her apron as she moved into view.

  Adyna stepped out of the doorway and held out an arm.

  “Please. Come in. Make yourselves comfortable.”

  Mikal and Lissa were ushered into the house’s living room and sank down onto the same worn but comfortable sofa that they had seen before. Peanut settled to the ground by Mikal’s feet, but angled herself in such a way that she could watch Gareth, who had just taken the chair closest to Mikal.

  “What’s going on, Gareth? Is there something you need to tell me?”

  “I, uh…” Gareth let out a loud breath. “I don’t think I can do this.”

  “Yes you can,” Mikal told him in as patient a tone as he could muster. “You can do this. Tell them.”

  “Tell us what?” Delythia wanted to know. She had taken a seat next to her nephew and was now giving the boy a concerned look.

  “Mother. Aunt Del. I, uh, well, for the past two years I have been searching for some sign of Father.”