Wizard's Quest: Book Two a work in progress

I have decided on something that I am not sure that I should, or should not, do. After short deliberation within my own mind the concensus is that it isn't a bad idea.

As a lot of you that know me know, I have one book published, through PublishAmerica, and am working, and have been for some time, on the second installment. The problem is this: I have come to a standstill in how to advance to the next stage. Because of this I have decided to post this manuscript here, on my blog, in chapter installments.

So, without futher ado, here is Chapter One of Wizard's Quest Book Two (working title). Please remember this: All works are copywrite Jay D Evans 2013

CHAPTER ONE

 

Colours swirled about them like a kaleidoscope of twisted, bent rainbows as planets, solar systems and entire galaxies flew by at dizzying speed; all the while the light around them growing brighter, blinding the travellers. Gradually the light faded and the colours vanished. Finding themselves on a barren, desolate world, Richard, Sean and Elizabeth watched as the deep crimson glow of the sun sunk lower in the western sky.  The sweltering, dry air was stifling and threatened to chap their throats as heat radiated from above and below making sweat pour from their young bodies.

 “You all right?” Richard checked with his comrades.

“Aye.” Sean gave a curt nod as he double-checked to see that all his parts were still in the right places.

“I am. That wasn’t as bad as the last time.” Elizabeth brushed off her shirt and pants as though they had somehow passed through the sand they now stood upon.

“This isnae exactly where I thought we’d end up. I thought we’d be on top of the mountain again. Aam nae sure where we are.” Richard frowned as he studied the landscape.

It had been six months since the three of them had been to this world. Returning to find lost friends, they expected to arrive at the same place as before, which would have been the top, or base, of the mountain where the accident occurred. The time/space controller dropped them where they had never been- the middle of a vast wasteland. This could be the same planet as before or it could be somewhere else entirely. Assuming that the controller was working correctly, taking them where they wanted to go, this should be the right world. They were just on the wrong part of it.

“I know that we need to get shelter. It won’t be long before the sun goes down. The trolls’ll be out then.” Elizabeth glanced around as though it might already be too late.

Richard gazed across the flat, rocky terrain and sighed, seeing nothing that would give them shelter. A mountain range to the north seemed the logical place to find shelter and to begin the search for their friends. It would take days to get to it though. Looking at the rocks lying around them, he decided the best thing would be to build a shelter for the night.

Stretching his arms wide, Richard closed his eyes and concentrated. Slowly he brought his hands together in front of him as if he was picking up a large bundle, brought them to his chest and, with palms forward, thrust outward. The rocks around the trio started moving and came together to form a small stone structure. Looking around again he spied a large flat rock lying in some glittering sand a few yards away and lifted it with the same magickal gesture he had used to move the rocks to build the walls, setting it on top as a roof. Knowing the size of the trolls, he made a door so small they had to stoop down to.

They ducked inside and surveyed Richard’s work. The interior of the modest hut was much larger than the three-metre square exterior. There was plenty of room for the three friends to lie down without being on top of each other and still be well out of reach of the small door.

Sean looked around appreciatively, “Ye done good, Mate. Where’d ye learn how to do this?”

“The Elvin world. They live in caves and make everything out of stone. I may tell ye ‘bout it one day.” Pausing for a moment, he added, “I think I’d better put a protection circle around the hut, just in case. I’ll be right back.”

Stooping low to go through the door, and looking around in the growing darkness to make sure there was no danger, he climbed to the roof of the hut and looked to the stars. Three moons painted the barren landscape with a lonely grey blue. The desert sands stretched out before him like a graveyard; the scattered rocks, looking like headstones, gave him an eerie feeling and a sense of urgency, sending a chill up his spine. Holding his wand at arms length and turning in a circle, he cast the spell of protection, “Coadey!”

Back inside, Sean had a small fire burning in one corner and Elizabeth had prepared a meal. It had been a long day and he hadn’t realized just how hungry he was until his stomach churned in response to the sweet scent of oatcakes that drifted through the hut. Welcoming the proffered meal, he sat on the floor and ate in silence with his friends, each lost in their own thoughts.

“The mountains are where we need to start our search. I dunno why we came here. It may be that one, or all, of our friends are out here, instead of still in the mountains. I just don’t know.” Richard’s voice shattered the silence and his friends jumped as he spoke, voicing what all three were thinking.

“This is the first time you’ve used the controller, right? Maybe you just didn’t set it right,” suggested Elizabeth, hoping that it might be some simple mistake.

“There is no settin’ it; you just concentrate on where you want to go. It should’ve taken us to the bottom of that mountain. Not out here where there’s nothin’.”

Sean piped up, “It’s supposed to get us where we want to be, right? Can’t we just use it to move a few miles? It shouldn’t just work over long distances.”

Considering Sean’s questions, Richard frowned and replied, “I think it put us here for a reason. It may be, like I said, that one or all of ‘em could be out here. I just don’t know. But, tomorrow we need to start toward the mountains. Whatever the reason, it should show itself on the way there.”

Settling down in a corner with his pack as a pillow and cloak as a blanket, Richard yawned and said, “We’d better get some sleep. Long day ahead of us.” The others, barely able to understand his sleepy, slurred speech nodded their agreement and each drifted into their own dream worlds.

It was still early when he awoke. The sun brought the golds and yellows of dawn as it peeked over the eastern horizon. The temperature hadn’t fallen much during the night and from all indications, it was going to get worse. Thinking about the long trek across the plain in the blistering heat, Richard woke his companions so they could get an early start.

“We should get goin’ before it gets much hotter. We’ll stop about noon for the day, and then start again when it gets dark, when it’s cooler.”

“What about the trolls? They roam at night. That’s when they got me,” Elizabeth’s eyes opened wide with remembered horror.

“If we keep an eye out, we should be all right. If we don’t travel at night, we’ll run outta water before we get to the caves.”

Elizabeth blanched at the thought. “The caves? We aren’t going to the troll caves are we?”

She remembered what she had gone through the last time on this world. The trolls had taken her and had come very close to killing her. The only thing that saved her was being found by Richard and the rest of his group. Sebastian had healed her and brought her back from certain death. This time there was no healer, and although she couldn’t remember every detail, she knew that dying of thirst in the desert was preferable to being found by a troll.

“I dinnae mean tha’ we were goin’ intae th’ caves,” he replied, failing to control his Scottish accent. “There’s water nearby, an’ th’ trolls hae tae eat somethin’, sae there’s food near there. Okay?” Richard looked at Sean with urgent pleading on his face. Elizabeth was justifiably terrified of the trolls, but they had to go there to begin their search.

“Richie’s right, Lizabeth. ‘Sides, we’ve got to start somewhere, might as well be somewhere we know,” Sean said. “Now, if we don’t get goin’, it’ll be too hot to do anything.”

Nodding his agreement, Richard headed out the small door with Elizabeth and Sean behind him. He turned and waved his hand across the front of their hut and the stones crumbled into dust. Return to the earth that which is of the earth. Master MacCorkadall had taught them that their first year at Crauford Castle. A good wizard never changed something for a temporary purpose without restoring it to the way it had been.

In the east, the white-hot sun had risen halfway to zenith with the temperature rising with it. If they made it five miles, they would be lucky. The heat and acrid air stole their strength and body’s water with every step. With no breeze to cool the air, it was getting worse by the minute. The mountains were at least fifty miles away and Richard figured it would take four days to reach them. Heading north, they began their trek.

Once the sun was at mid sky, or zenith, Richard stopped to make camp for the day. Once again, he raised the rocks of the plain into a shelter for them. To help dissipate the heat, he added vent holes at the roof. Without the benefit of even the weakest breeze though, the shelter was like an oven, even with the ventilation holes. Remaining out in the open wasn’t an option. They needed protection from the sun, and trolls, if they were going to survive. Sitting on the ground trying to think of a way to cool them off, he unconsciously dug a small hole with his hand. Suddenly he realized the sand was cooler the deeper he dug.

“Sean, Elizabeth, I have a way to make it cooler. We need to go outside so I can dig a hole in here.”

Sean and Elizabeth looked at each other perplexed. Richard had gone mad; dig a hole? They followed him outside into the blazing sun. Sweat drenched them almost as soon as they left the shade of the shelter. Even the lightweight clothing of the Elves they wore didn’t help stave off the heat. Once outside, Richard turned and faced the small stone structure. Concentrating, arms outstretched with palms cupped, he dug the air in front of him and threw it over his shoulder. Sand and rocks flew through the small door, scattering around the three young wizards.

Moving to the small doorway, Richard looked inside and frowned. Snapping his fingers as if he had just remembered something, he swept his hand across the door, looked again, and smiled. The hole he had dug was two metres deep with a small set of stairs along the side. Now it would be much cooler and they could get the rest they needed. Motioning them to follow, he entered the hut.

“Watch that first step. I don’t want you to fall and hurt yourselves.”

Sean and Elizabeth looked cautiously into the hut. The floor, now two metres below the surface, was flat; the walls were like polished stone. The steps came out of the wall like imbedded flagstone. They were amazed at the solidity of everything, and how cool it was, as they made their way down to their friend. If the two hadn’t known better, they would have sworn someone worked hard and long to build this instead of a young wizard just waving his hands.

Smiling and looking around, Richard asked, “Well, what do you think?”

“Who would’ve thought that a hole in the ground could be this comfortable?” quipped Elizabeth.

“It could be worse,” said Sean. “We could still be sweating at ground level.”

“That’s right. And if you don’t appreciate it, you can always go back up,” countered Richard.

“No! No, that’s okay. I’ll stay down here with the two of you,” Elizabeth stammered.

“I thought maybe you would,” Richard laughed as Elizabeth forced a grin in return.

Sitting down in a corner, Richard rested his head against the wall and closed his eyes. It was going to be a long night and he needed to get some rest. They hadn’t made much progress during the day and would have to push themselves tonight. It had been six months since Mary and the others had been lost here on this forsaken planet and he wanted to find them as soon as possible, whether they were alive, or dead. The next thing he knew, he was being shaken.

“Richie, wake up. It’s night now.”

Rubbing his eyes, he sat up and looked around. Elizabeth had prepared a light meal and Sean was headed up the steps. Moving over to the small fire, he accepted the bowl of porridge that Elizabeth offered him.

“Where you going, Mate?” He wondered if Sean had found an excuse to escape their latest meal.

“Gonna check outside to make sure there’s nothin’ around. And see how much light we’re gonna have tonight.”

Nodding his acknowledgement, Richard started eating. He had never liked porridge. It was tasteless and grey. This was no better than any he had ever had. But, with supplies that had to last who knew how long, he would eat what was given and be thankful. They would have to either find more food soon, or find their friends and move to the next world before their limited supplies ran out. He preferred the latter.

Setting his empty bowl next to the fire, Richard stood and stretched. Sleeping sitting up against a stone wall was uncomfortable to say the least. His muscles were sore and needed worked. The strain on him from finding the Power Stone had made him feel old despite his youth. His birthday was just a month away and he would be eighteen. His youthful visage had aged somewhat and his boyish blue eyes were clouded with the knowledge of death and loss.

He hadn’t been able to return home to Edinburgh for the summer holiday and suspected the same for the Christmas Holiday. It was already November. Father Christmas wouldn’t be visiting him this year. The quest for the Great Power Stone had taken six months and the lives of nine of his friends. This quest, hopefully, would not take as long. Finding Mary was the most important thing. With her help, he could find the others, both dead and, hopefully, some alive. Even with help from Elizabeth and Sean, he felt inadequate without the other half of him. With her help, this quest might be accomplished soon enough that they could all be home by spring. Without her help, it might be next Christmas by the time they found everyone.

Sean came back through the door, “All three moons are bright tonight. It’s almost like daylight out there, in an eerie sort of way. But, I could see a long ways. I don’t think we’ll have any problems making our way.”

“Did ye see anythin’ ay trolls? Ah dornt want tae be ambushed.”

“No, but I did find some tracks that I’m not sure about. If they were in the direction we’d come from, I’d say they were ours. Only problem is, they are on the other side of the hut, towards the mountains. We haven’t been that way yet.”

“Air ye sure they were tracks an’ nae shadows? Ye said yerself it was eerie out there. An’, if they were tracks, where did they gang tae?” Richard’s accent was thick and heavy. The fear of an encounter with an unknown enemy stole his usually clear speech.

“They came from the direction of the mountains, looked around the hut and went back towards the mountains. I didn’t see that whoever it was bothered anything. It was like they were just looking around.”

“Ah dornt need this. Nae the noo! We cannae lit it keep us frae goin’. We hae tae git tae th’ moontains. That’s where we’ll fin’ our friends. We’ll jist hae tae keep an eye open.”

Getting everything together, Richard led the group out into the open air. Nervously checking around to make sure their visitors weren’t nearby; he turned and waved his hands in front of their shelter. As before, the stone structure disintegrated into dust. The hole was filled and no one would be able to tell that they had ever been there. If th trolls made the tracks, and they returned, nothing was left for them to find. Heading for the mountains, Richard turned occasionally to wipe their tracks away. I love magick; it comes in so handy at times like this!

This is the way the three travelled the next four nights, sleeping during the day and moving on at night. Each time they stopped, the tracks of the unknown visitors would appear. Nothing was ever touched and no one ever saw who made them. Thinking it was a scouting party for the trolls, Richard had one keep watch during the day while the other two slept. At night, while continuing on to their destination, all three would jump at the slightest sound; each expecting a huge troll warrior to attack them. On the morning of the fifth day, they arrived at base of the mountains; a dry riverbed carved a canyon into the towering spires of rock, the perfect place for an ambush.

“Keep lively, Mates. This looks like a good place to be attacked,” Richard warned, glancing at the walls of the canyon.

“Should we camp here till night, Richard?” asked Elizabeth, adding, “I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted.”

Wanting his opinion, Richard looked at Sean, who nodded his agreement. “Aye, I suppose it would be a good idea. That way we will have our wits about us and not be tired.”

Inspecting the solid rock of the canyon wall, Richard raised his hands to make a shelter for them. Sean reached out and stopped him.

“Rich, I’ve been watchin’ you do that, mind if I give it a go this time?”

Stepping back and bowing to him, Richard said, “Be my guest! It’s about time you guys started doing some of the work.”

Sean stepped up next to the rock wall and placed his palms flat against it. Not having the experience, or the power, that Richard had, he needed to be as close as he could to make the magick happen. He closed his eyes and concentrated on what he wanted to do. Slowly the rock started to change, melting and moulding itself. When he was finished, before them was a stone lean-to type structure with a small doorway.

Looking inside, Richard nodded his approval. The interior was much smaller than what he had been making, but it was large enough for the three of them to stay out of harms way semi-comfortably. Entering the shelter, he was surprised to see that the roof was several metres high as if he was in the mountain itself. High enough that he could make niches in the walls for them to lay on above where anyone could reach, which he did. Let’s see some bloody troll get to us this way!

Elizabeth, looking from the ground to the ledges, frowned. “Just how are we supposed to get up there, Mr Evans? Scale the wall?”

“I didn’t think about that. I can make some steps to each.”

“Sean made the shelter, you made the beds, let me try something,” she said as she raised her wand.

Druid magick was not easy for her. Wand magick was much easier. Pointing her wand at the wall below one of the ledges she chanted, “Beds so high with no way there, let this stone become a stair.” Instantly steps appeared and she repeated the spell twice more for the other ledges.

“Nae exactly proper speel castin’, noo is it?” Richard exaggerated his accent. “Ah suppose its yer American upbringin’ ’at makes th’ rhymes wark.”

“I’m not too good at Gaelic. This works for me,” she replied, smiling.

Sean was already lying on one of the ledges, sleepily he commented, “You guys can talk all day, I need some sleep. Wake me when we’re ready to go.”

Looking up at Sean and then at each other, the two shrugged their shoulders and climbed to the other ledges. Soon, all three were sound asleep. They didn’t hear the tall, thin figure come into their makeshift home or see it inspect their packs. They didn’t know they had a visitor until that night when they awoke to the smell of a meal cooking on a fire.