Chapter 1
It was dark. So dark that it seemed nothing could be seen at all. But unknown to anyone else there was a boy there. Completely alone sitting at the entrance of a beachside cave, there was a boy. And he came there almost every night for that exact reason- he loved the dark sky. He never much felt alone, with all of the stars gazing down on him, and he considered the moon to be one of his closest friends. Night seemed to have so much more mystery, so much for adventure than the day time. Myles, the boy, was so tired of his life in the same old town. Yes, he loved his family and his friends but he wanted something more. He wanted adventure, the kind of adventure he had seen in countless movies and read in hundreds of books. And so he sat, staring out along the coast and the night sky, wishing for more.
This particular night Myles stayed out much longer than he usually did. His mother was aware of his night time ritual and although she worried, she never tried to put a stop to it. She knew her boy was a dreamer and she encouraged it as much as she could. Myles knew his mother was probably asleep by now, but he didn’t feel like walking home. Not yet. So he gazed for a while longer, until his vision of the night sky seemed to fill up everything and he closed his eyes. Soon after he fell into a deep dream filled sleep. A sleep so soothing it couldn’t have been entirely natural. And there was much truth to this.
For what Myles didn’t know, even though he wished for it so often, was that there was magic in the world he lived in. The kind of magic one sees in movies or reads in stories. And it came from visitors of even more magical realms than his own. On this night, his deep sleep was granted by a wizard. A wizard who just happened to be walking along the beach that night, perhaps on his way to a convention or on a journey to cast a magical spell. One can never know for sure the business of a wizard, for sometimes they don’t even know themselves.
For one reason or another the wizard was curious that night. He may have been looking for a form of adventure or entertainment himself. He had a long white beard that seemed to have a life of its own, moving this way and that even though there was no sign of wind on the beach. He wore a blue satin robe and carried a long staff with some sort of orb on the top that emitted a greenish glow. On his head he wore a hat most would picture a wizard to wear, and it too was dark blue in color. He sat down on large flat rock, out of Myles’ sight. And he sensed the boy’s longing for adventure, he could feel it radiating off of him in a great wishful energy. So he made a decision, one that he hoped he wouldn’t regret. He placed a small dream spell on Myles, one that would make him sleep until the wizard removed it. And when the spell had been cast, he walked down to the cave entrance and gazed at the boy.
“Seems like a friendly little fellow. Brown hair, fair complexion, and although I can’t see his eyes I have the most certain sensation that they must be a magnificent green. Probably at the ripe age of 14 too! Oh how his parents are going to worry, am I making a mistake?”
The wizard took a moment to think and then seemed to reassure himself.
“His yearning for adventure is too great, I must take him with me and reveal the wonderments he’s imagined so often.”
And with that he scooped the boy up in his arms, tapped his staff twice on the sand beneath him, and they disappeared.
Chapter 2
Darkness. “Wait no, I just have my eyes closed.” thought Myles. He opened them slowly, blinking in the warm sunlight.
“What? This isn’t the cave! Where am I?” he exclaimed as he began to notice his surroundings had changed tremendously.
He was in a large comfortable bed in a room decorated in the most brilliant shades of blue. Arching windows spread across each wall, pouring in delightful sunlight. In one corner of the room sat an older looking man whose eyes seemed to twinkle like the stars.
“Why, my dear boy, you’re in Lavantala! Home to most wizards in the world!”
“Wi-wi-wizards?!” stammered Myles looking at the strange man in the blue robe.
“I know, you must be quite confused so let me just tell you this for now. My name is Alfaron The Curious, but of course feel free to refer to me as just Alfaron. Or Al! I’ve always wanted a shorter nickname!”
“Um sir. I don’t understand what’s going on.” Myles pondered with a little bit of fear but mostly interest.
“Ah yes, we wizards tend to drift from the subject at hand a bit too often, haha! Yes well you see, I was taking a walk along the beach last night when I felt the strongest aura of curiosity hit my senses! Me being Alfaron The Curious and all, I have a certain way with this feeling. And so I used a bit of magic and it was revealed to me that this feeling was coming from you- the boy in the seaside cavern! So great was your urge for adventure that I was taken aback. I hadn’t encountered anyone in my two hundred years of life that could even get close to my curiosity, and yet there you were!”
“So how did I get here in uh, Lavantala you said?”
“Yes, quite right. Well you see, so great was your yearning that I decided to grant your most wishful thought of adventure and to do so I had to bring you with me. But- fear not little friend for I would never force you to stay. The choice is entirely yours- you can stay here with me or you can go back home, right away!”
“Well sir, Alfaron sir, I do indeed wish for adventure, more than anything in the world. But I worry about my parents, what will they think if I don’t come home?”
“No worries lad, a wizard makes such preparations you know! You see, when you reach a certain age you acquire a sense of knowing about magical things. So of course, your parents, and all of the other adults in the world, know of magical beings like me. And they also know that every now and again something will happen that is caused by magic that may just affect their entire lives. And so what I’ve done is written a letter, but no ordinary letter! In this letter I have described to your parents that you will henceforth be my apprentice, if you so choose. And in addition to this, the letter will display an image of you saying that you are safe and wish to accept the apprenticeship. Your parents will understand, I assure you, and you will positively see them again!”
“This is all so much to take in, but I know this is an opportunity I can’t pass up! I mean, a real wizard! I will miss my parents, but if they do indeed understand I will be happy to accept.”
“Fantastic! Look here into the orb on my staff and say whatever it is you would like to your mom and dad.”
Myles peered into the glowing green orb, took a deep breath, and offered his most sincere message to his parents.
“Mom. Dad. I’m sorry if you’re scared. But I promise you I’m okay. I’m with Alfaron and I’ve decided to accept his apprenticeship. Try not to worry too much, I’ll come back and visit soon. I love you both!”
As he finished his sentence the orb began to glow brighter and brighter. Alfaron pointed it at his letter and the light seemed to transmit something onto the paper. It was Myles! Or an image of him at least- saying exactly what he had just said. And with that the letter whooshed out a nearby window and was gone.
“That’s all there is to it my boy! The letter should be reaching them right about now! It won’t be long before you see them again Myles, no need to fear. Now how’s about we get some breakfast and I’ll show you around the place!”
All other feelings seemed to be set aside and replaced with excitement as Myles shouted, “Let’s do it!”
They walked down an incredibly long hallway which eventually led to a grand staircase. The home of Alfaron seemed to be the size of a castle. As they walked down numerous marble stairs, they eventually came to two great oak doors. With just the slightest wave of the wizard’s staff the doors swung open and Myles gazed in awe. In front of him lay a village of sorts. There were beautiful structures and hom
es everywhere he looked. In the distance he could see mountains and what appeared to be several other castles similar to Alfaron’s. People were moving around everywhere, they seemed to be conducting some sort of business. Some were buying exotic fruits and other strange ingredients from what looked to be a marketplace. Others sat and chatted joyfully with one another in an extravagant park. The trees were blue, and so were their leaves! In fact, it seemed that just about everything in Lavantala was one shade of blue or another.
“Today is a very important day Myles, for you start your wizard training!”
“I do? I’m going to learn to be a wizard?”
“Well of course boy! You are, after all, a wizard’s apprentice! Now come along with me so we can get out of the hustle and bustle of town.”
Myles followed Alfaron across a wooden bridge that covered the most amazing blue river. They walked through the forest of blue trees for several minutes. Myles could hear several strange noises within the forest that surrounded him, but he was so excited about what was to come that they seemed to fade into the rustling of leaves. Eventually they arrived in a clearing that had a great blue rock in the center.
“Alright here we are, at last! Now Myles what do you know about wizards?”
“Well I suppose I only know what I’ve heard. They’re powerful and use magic to cast spells and fight monsters and stuff I guess.”
“Not too far off! Now where do you think a wizard’s power comes from?”
“Well to be honest with you Alfaron, I always assumed wizards were born with their powers.”
“Ah that is the general stipulation, but it is actually quite the contrary. You see, everyone is born with the ability to practice magic. Most simply never take notice of these capabilities. The power of a wizard, in the simplest terms, derives from his surroundings. We work with natural entities like trees, rivers, and even rocks to combine our own magic with theirs. And when we say the right words and make the correct motions while drawing all of this energy in, we are able to unleash it in the form of a spell.”
“Wow, so I’ve been able to do magic since, forever?”
“Exactly. And most people simply shrug off the magic they experience by calling them things like Deja Vu or karma. Now enough talk, let’s do some magic! Step up on that rock Myles. This rock has been used for centuries to train new wizards in Lavantala. We call it the Boisterous Stone, for it has quite a lot of energy to lend to younger wizards.”
Myles jumped onto the side of the Boisterous Stone and pulled himself onto the top. He oddly enough had the feeling that the rock was alive. It seemed happy that he was standing on it, and Myles calmed his nerves a little bit with this thought.
“Now I want you to take off your shoes and socks and close your eyes. After a while you won’t have to take off your shoes to obtain magic energy, but it makes it a lot easier for your first time.”
Myles did as Alfaron instructed him. His feet felt warm against the great stone beneath him, and it felt more and more alive by the second. It was like it was trying to tell him something but he couldn’t quite hear what it was saying. Myles opened his eyes for a second to see if Alfaron was about to tell him what to do next. He wasn’t there! Myles was alone in the clearing, standing on the Boisterous Stone.
“Alfaron, are you out there? Hello! Alfaron?”
“Now why would you be looking for that old mischievous wizard little boy?”
Myles couldn’t believe his ears, the rock was talking to him!
“Well you see, Alfaron is supposed to be my mentor, I am his wizard apprentice! Only, I think he’s just left me here!”
“Ah an interesting teaching method indeed. No need to worry, Myles was it? I’m sure he’s not too far away and in the meantime, I will assist you in casting your first spell.”
For the first time Myles looked down at the Boisterous Stone and was shocked to see its face! It had a large mouth and eyes filled with glee. And was that dimples on its “cheeks” he saw? What a strange day this has become, thought Myles.
“Okay Mr. Boisterous Stone what do I need to do?”
“Simply close your eyes and really focus on your feet until you can feel my energy making contact with them. Then when you do, imagine the bottoms of your feet pulling this energy up into the rest of your body.”
Myles closed his eyes as the rock had said and focused all of his attention on his feet. He couldn’t feel anything at first, but after a few moments he thought his feet were feeling cooler. It was like there was a calming mist arising from the rock and covering the bottom of his feet.
“Is this the energy?” he thought to himself.
Hoping that it was, he focused even harder on the sensation he was experiencing. He imagined the cool mist rising up through his legs, then his torso, and all the way up through his head. Myles felt amazing! He felt like he could run the entire length of the beach he had once visited so often. He felt as if he could be as light as a feather or as heavy as the Boisterous Stone itself!
“Wonderful job Myles! Now step off of me, if you don’t mind, and set your eyes on the ground in front of you. Yes, just like that, thank you. I’m certain you can feel the energy inside of you, so now imagine pushing that energy out of your palms and raise your hands as you do. The goal here is to make the dirt in front of you rise up and create an earth sculpture.”
“Got it!” replied Myles.
Fixing his eyes on a particular spot on the ground, Myles situated all of the energy into his palms and slowly motioned them upwards. Nothing happened.
“Haha! Do not be discouraged young wizard, most do not get it on their first try. In fact I can remember Alfaron taking several days to move his first inch of dirt! The key is in your imagination, for imagination and magic are closely tied together. Really think about that dirt doing what you want it to do, and you’ll be delighted to see it probably will!”
Myles refocused on the ground in front of him. He willed all of his newfound energy and directed it at the dirt. He glared at it, frustrated at its lack of movement. And then finally, yes it was starting to move! The very slightest ant hill could be seen to have grown out of the ground!
“Marvelous work Myles! And quite a nice home you’ve made for the local Bitfire Ants!” exclaimed Alfaron who had popped back into the clearing.
Myles, obviously discouraged, replied “I thought I could do better than a measly ant hill.”
“The point is you learned the basics of using natural energy, now come along with me and you can practice on the way.”
Myles offered a quick thank you to the Boisterous Stone and trailed after Alfaron down a leaf covered path.
“We’ve got a long walk ahead of us, so on the way I’d like you to practice harnessing magical energy around you.”
Myles felt slightly better at the thought of getting to practice his new abilities. As he walked behind Alfaron he imagined the great blue trees lending their energy to him in every direction. He could feel the magic pouring into him from all sides, only now it felt like a sturdier form of energy. Then an interesting idea popped into his head. The sun. It must be full of incredible amounts of natural energy, so why not try to harness some of it? He didn’t even point his head up, but instead embraced the warm rays falling upon him between the tree branches. He continues to collect from each passing tree in addition to the sun’s power. He felt so hot, but not in a harmful way. After about ten minutes of doing this he began to feel an incredible build up of power. “I’m going to surprise him with this!” thought Myles.
He focused in on the ground about ten feet in front of Alfaron. In one quick move of his hands upward, he released all of the energy he had gathered. The loudest crumbling could be heard as the earth beneath them began to shake. And then suddenly the dirt rose up into the air in a magnificent fashion. Myles couldn’t believe his eyes! He had constructed an earth statue of Alfaron himself, but instead of his staff he had a leash with a little dog on the end of it.
“My boy! How i
n the world have you done that? It took me days to even make an ant hill like you had before. And the dog, quite a humorous touch Myles!”
Alfaron turned around to find Myles laying on the ground, panting in the purest form of exhaustion.
“I think I overdid it a bit Alfaron, I feel so weak.”
“Yes, drawing energy from something as powerful as the sun can leave you feeling not so good. I’ll cast a regeneration spell on you so we can get to our destination.”
The blue wizard gently laid his staff’s orb on Myles’ chest. It glowed a bright shade of blue and the light seemed to be absorbed into Myles. After laying still for a moment Myles sprung up from the ground.
“I feel amazing!” he exclaimed.
“Great, the spell did the trick. Now hurry along, we don’t have much farther to go!”
The walked for a while longer, Myles thinking about how exciting this all was, while Alfaron whistled a mystical tune. Eventually the trees started to thin out on either side of them and they arrived at a small lake in front of a mountain.
“Wow, we’re already to the mountains!”
“Yes, now we must heed the most caution when crossing the lake. Our final destination is a cave on the other side.” Alfaron explained.
With a wave of his staff, Alfaron began to chant words unknown to Myles. It was a language he had never heard prior, but it sounded pleasing to the ears. Bark began to fly off the remaining trees and landed on the bank. Alfaron gazed intently at them as he moved his staff and hands this way and that until a makeshift boat had been formed. Myles was speechless at what he had just witnessed, so instead of saying anything he clambered into the boat after Alfaron. The boat had two oars on either side that propelled them forward completely on their own. They appeared to be joyful, if a paddle could feel such a thing, as they glided the boat across the lake.
As they reached the opposite bank, Myles for the first time could see the cave Alfaron had been talking about. It was a dazzling sight, with crystals of all colors making up the circular entrance. They glimmered in the setting sun and seemed to emit huge amounts of magical energy.
Wizarded Away Page 1
