Wizard's Quest: Book Two Chaters Eleven and Twelve

All works copywrite Jay D Evans 2013

CHAPTER ELEVEN

 

Richard stared at the throne and concentrated. Kahnlin had killed Queen Areoli just a few minutes before so he didn’t have to turn time back very far. “Trathsa ais queig jeig mynimmeeaghtyn.”

Time started reversing around the throne. The young wizard had turned back the clock only 15 minutes, which reversed quite quickly. Watching the scene unfold from just when Kahnlin threw the dagger and impaled the queen, Richard saw her disappear into the blinding light. The interesting part was that she was smiling at the Trelf. She knew something, something that the Trelf did not. Maybe she wasn’t dead after all. She may have just gone to a different plane of existence. If that were the case, she could be returned to this world, whole and alive. He would just have to find where she went.

As he stood there thinking, Aragon looked over at him. The Sphere was shining brightly against the dark black of his tunic. Richard did not notice the elf reach for the magickal instrument until he had it in his hand. Instantly he grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back.

“Dinnae try tae tak’ it. Ah will kill tae protect it.”

“Richard, you don’t understand.” Aragon squirmed under the pain of his shoulder. “With the Sphere you can find Queen Areoli.”

Letting loose his grip, Richard looked down on his friend. “What do ye mean that I can use it to find her?”

Rubbing his shoulder, Aragon continued, “The Sphere is very powerful. With it, you can do almost anything. With it, and the Sphere, there is nothing that you cannot do. It is told that Oberon could even raise the dead. The only reason Kahnlin was able to kill him was because he was blood to the great King and heir to both the sceptre and the sphere.”

“Why is it that the choob cannae hurt me, if he is the rightful owner an’ can control it?”

“The Sphere was given to you to control. Moreover, you found the Sceptre where Oberon hid it from his son. You are the rightful owner now. Only your blood can get past the magick that protects you. The only way that Kahnlin can regain control of them is for you to give them, willingly, to him, or for you to die.”

Mary had come up in time to hear the last part of the conversation. “And you will not give him either, nor will you die. Not as long as I have any say in it. Now, what happened?”

Richard related to her what had happened to Queen Areoli, that Kahnlin had tried to escape and that he had made the Trelf a statue until he could find the queen and then let her decide what to do with him. When he had finished with his story, he held the Sphere in his hand for everyone to see. “Now I need to find the queen. If only I knew how this thing worked.”

From behind them came a familiar voice. “If you concentrate on it, envisioning what you want to see, it will show you the way.”

“Professor MacCorkadall! How…?” Mary could not believe that her teacher was here with them when he should be at Crauford Castle.

Richard laughed. He had been through this before. MacCorkadall had appeared to him, Sean, Elizabeth and Kahnlin in the cave at the mouth of the canyon and Kahnlin had proven that the old man was not really there; it was only the astral projection of his body. Thinking about it, Richard realized that it must be his teacher’s shadow self. Now, he was back to help when he needed it most. The master sorcerer knew everything it seemed, especially when Richard was in the most turmoil.

Remembering the last time, Richard chided his teacher, mentor and friend. “Did I disturb your afternoon tea again?”

“No, I was in the middle of a chess game with Professor Thompson. I was winning so this distraction could break my winning streak that I have had for the last fifty years.” The ancient sorcerer smiled at his young protégé. “This may just make his day.”

“Professor, why did you come this time? There is nothing that I can’t figure out on my own. Nothing so important that I can’t take my time with it.”

“The Sphere of Oberon is why I am here. As I told you before, I should have told you how important it was, how powerful. I felt as though you needed more than you could find on your own.” It was then that Angus Seville MacCorkadall saw that Richard had the Sceptre of Oberon. “You found the Sceptre. How interesting. You took my advice and it proved fruitful for you.”

“Aye, and it was strange. As soon as I took hold of it, it was like I was hit by lightning. The power I felt was tremendous.”

“Now I know that I must instruct you on what you have and how to use them. Both of them. I cannot do that in this manner. You must return to Crauford Castle so that I can have the time to show you. It will take several weeks I would think.” The old man stroked his long grey beard thoughtfully.

“Leave here? I cannae do that. Ah hae tae fin’ me friends, help Aragon fin’ Queen Areoli an’ tak’ care of those that ur here wi’ me.” Turning, the young wizard indicated Mary, who had been ignored until now.

“Richard, if you have to go back to the castle, go. Sean, Connor, Elizabeth and I can take care of ourselves. We aren’t going anywhere. We can stay here and look for Stephanie, Quentin and Cassandra until you get back. If we find them, we can stay at the mansion and wait for you there.”

MacCorkadall looked at the young witch with approval. “Mary, you can all return home if you desire. It may take some time for Richard to learn all he needs to control the Sphere and Sceptre. The Christmas holiday is upon us. It would be a good time for you to return home for a while. It has been over a year since your families have seen any of you. Those that are still missing will miss the opportunity, of course. But, for those of you that can, it would be a nice diversion.”

Mary had not realized that it had been so long since she had left Crauford Castle on a quest for a mythical stone. In that time she had almost been killed from a fall off a mountain, taken captive and turned into a plaything by the trolls, rescued from that life of hell in the caves by her best friend and soul mate, met forest elves and shown this beautiful world. Now, she was being told it was almost Christmastime. Her parents and sisters would have been missing her by now and she would like to see them. If Master MacCorkadall thought that this quest could wait, in fact would be helpful if it were to be put on hold for a while, then she believed the same. Thinking about the other three, though, would they think the same way? If they wanted to stay, so would she. If they wanted to go home, she would go.

“There is not a lot that can be done at the moment here. Those that are missing will still be missing. Those that are dead will still be dead. Those of you that are here, alive and well, searching, need to take some time to rest and recuperate. Clear your minds so to speak.” MacCorkadall looked at Richard. “Queen Areoli will be found when she is ready to be found. If it will help ease your mind, she is not dead. The elvin queens are extremely long lived, almost to being immortal. Areoli is but the fourth to be queen of the forest elves and still has a long reign ahead of her. This is another thing I will discuss with you upon your return to the school.”

The old man’s image started to waver. “I must return. I am growing weary. I will see you in my study tomorrow afternoon when you are rested.” Then he was gone.

“What just happened?” Mary looked at Richard with confusion in her bright blue eyes.

“That was Master MacCorkadall’s astral self. He is in his study playin’ chess with Professor Thompson. He showed himself to Sean, Elizabeth and me once before, when I was fighting with Kahnlin shortly before we found you. He will only come when he thinks I really need him. Now he tells me I need to go home. I guess I’ll do what he wants. I do need to understand the Sphere and Sceptre better.”

Looking at Aragon, Richard felt sympathy. “I know ye want tae fin’ the queen, but we hae tae go right now. We will return an’ we will fin’ her.”

With effort, Aragon straightened his thin frame and squared his shoulders. “Angus MacCorkadall is known to us. If he says that Queen Areoli will be found, I believe him. He says you need to return home to learn about Oberon’s sphere and sceptre so you must return. We can wait.”

 

Richard and Mary returned to the mansion and related the incidences of the day to the others. When they heard that MacCorkadall had instructed Richard to return to school to learn more about Oberon’s tools they all agreed that he should go. When it came to decide whether they, too, should return home until after the winter holiday, feelings were mixed, Sean and Elizabeth wanted to stay and try to find Stephanie, Quentin and Cassandra. Connor wanted to return to spend the holiday with his family in Ireland. After some discussion Richard convinced them all to return to Crauford Castle until after the first of the year, that way they could all rest and he could learn how to use the sphere and sceptre to their fullest, hopefully to find the rest of their friends more quickly.

As the sun settled behind the lush green forest, turning the sky from light blue to deep violet the five young humans decided to stay until the next morning, if for no other reason than to enjoy the comforts afforded them by their shadow selves in the mansion. Their rooms at school were far from opulent and here they were like bedrooms built for royalty. In addition, Sean and Elizabeth wanted to be able to spend one last night together, as did Mary and Richard, which they were not able to do at the Castle. Connor would have his own room, alone.

“I see how it is. The four of you get to spend the night having fun and I get to spend it listening to you.” Connor gave his friends a look of annoyance.

Elizabeth gave him a sympathetic stare. “Sorry, Connor.  Just wait till you get back home and then think of all those girls that will be falling at your feet. I’ve heard that Dublin is a party town.”

Sullenly he replied, “Doesn’t help for the-night. I get me gooter back an’ canny use it!”

Richard laughed and in his thickest accent, “Connur, yoo’re a git. What’s a body mair nicht withit it?”

“’Tis not de doin’ withoyt, ‘tis de ‘avin’ ter listen ter al’ av yer doin’ an’ me not bein’ able ter.”

Elizabeth stared at the two boys, both using their thickest accents, one Irish and one Scottish, as they bantered back and forth, not understanding a word of any of it. As they continued on for several minutes, she became more and more confused. Finally she could take no more. “Would you two shut up? Or, at least use the Queen’s English so that I can tell what the hell you’re saying.”

Sean laughed at her and translated. “Richard just asked him what was wrong with waiting another night. Connor replied that it wasn’t the waiting that bothered him, it was that he would have to listen to everyone else having fun and he would be all by himself.”

Not wanting to know anymore than that, she interrupted, “Enough! I don’t want to know. Richard, quit antagonizing him and Connor, quit complaining. You won’t hear anything from Sean and my room because ain’t nothin’ gonna happen. I don’t know about Richard and Mary.”

“Nothing here, either. I’m too tired.” Mary looked at Richard and winked.

“Hang on a minute. What’s the date?”

Elizabeth, not understanding why the date was important, looked at Sean like he was daft. “What does it matter what the date is?”

“It matters. Just tell me what the date is.”

Richard looked at his friend with annoyance, knowing why the question was asked. “Lizabeth is right, the date doesnae matter.”

“Then I’m right in what I’m thinking. It’s the 12^th of December.”

It hit Mary like a piano falling from the third storey of a flathouse. “Happy Birthday, Richard! I totally forgot about that. Sean, what made you think of his birthday?”

“When you said that MacCorkadall said the Christmas Holiday was here. Richard’s birthday is just as we go home for the break. That may be why he wants you to go back, Rich. You need to spend time at home for your birthday.”

“My birthday is on the 15^th, not the 12^th. And my faither doesn’t care whether I’m home or not. I’ll stay at Crauford and study.”

“You may stay at Crauford and study when we get back, but, tonight we’re celebrating your turning into a man. You’ll be eighteen in three days.”

Mary looked at Connor with sympathy. “Sorry, Connor. I guess you may be hearing something tonight, after all. He’s got to get his present.”

Everyone laughed, even Connor. Richard was going to get what every boy wants for his birthday. Mary was at first confused as to why everyone was laughing until she realized that she had just let it be known what she and Richard were going to be doing. This was something that, even though everyone knew it happened, a person just didn’t let it be known by announcing it. As her cheeks turned a deep red, Elizabeth put her arm around her shoulders and hugged her close.

“Mary, you let the cat outta the bag and now we all know what you’re gonna do.”

“One of these days I’ll learn how to think before I speak. But, since everyone now knows; Richard, you and I have an appointment, upstairs, now!” And she headed up the grand staircase for their room.

Richard shrugged and followed right behind her, calling over his shoulder to the rest of them, “Please, don’t disturb us until late tomorrow morning.”

 

It was mid-morning before anyone ventured downstairs to the dining hall for breakfast, Connor being the last. Everyone was eating as he staggered in, still half asleep. They all looked up from their meal as he slumped into his chair. He stared at each of them through half open eyes as if blaming them for his condition. Each looked back at him innocently.

“Why so sullen, Connor?” Elizabeth was the first to speak.

“Yeah, and why were you so late coming down? We’ve been here at least half an hour. We did wait a while for you before we started to eat.” Mary tried hard to make amends.

“As if you don’t know.” The look of accusation was even more pronounced.

“You act like it was our fault that you overslept. What did we do?” Sean snickered.

“I told you that I would have to listen to all of you rock-n-roll. It was like trying to sleep next door to a brasser gaff.”

“I can guess what rock-n-roll is, but what is a brasser gaff?” Elizabeth was getting used to asking about the meaning of the slang of her friends. She had never had to try too hard before the quest as she and Cassandra were outcasts and no one really talked to them. Now, the slang was more important to her. She really wanted to learn about the culture of her friends and fellow students.

“A brasser gaff is a where girls sell sex,” Connor explained. “If you’ve never tried to sleep next to one, you’ll never know what it sounds like, all that moanin’ an’ screamin’. It can get bad.” Involuntarily he shuddered.

Slapping Sean on the shoulder, Elizabeth chided, “I told you to be more quiet!”

“I don’t think it was me….” He started then decided to keep quiet when she gave him a stern look.

Richard sat back and put his hands behind his head. “At least I know it wasn’t Mary and me. You were across the hall from us.”

“Don’t be so sure av dat, mucker.” Connor looked sideways at his friend.

Mary, always the responsible one, cleared her throat. “You know. We still have to get back home and Richard needs to see Professor MacCorkadall this afternoon. It’s almost noon and we’re still sitting here squabbling. Don’t you think we should finish eating and get ready to leave?”

Richard looked around at his friends. Life at the mansion was easy and carefree. Their ‘other-selves’ took very good care of them and they had nothing to do but live life to the fullest; as Connor would say, they were living the life of Reilly. However, the quest was not finished and this laid-back life would have to come to an end eventually. It saddened him to think that he would be too busy for the next month or so to spend any time with them. They had been through a lot the last few weeks, good and bad, and he didn’t want to be away from them. He had to learn what Oberon’s tools did and how to control them, both to find the rest of his friends and to protect the ones that came back with him, but it would make it difficult to discuss anything with these people that had become so important to his life.

“Mary’s right, let’s get ready to go. It’s not like we won’t be back.”

The five young witches and wizards filed out of the dining hall, through the main hall and out into the front garden. There, they turned for one last look at the mansion before leaving. Richard raised the Sceptre over his head and drew a large circle around the group. The world around them dimmed and then vanished completely. It was seconds later that the snow-covered courtyard of Crauford Castle appeared around them.

CHAPTER TWELVE

 

“Damn! It’s bloody baltic here. Let’s get inside before we freeze.” Richard shivered from the sub-freezing temperature. The elvin clothes they were wearing were fine for the warmth of Syrus, but the Highlands of Scotland in December were much colder.

 “Richie!”

Everyone looked to where the voice had come from. Onslo was hanging out of a window on the fourth floor of the north tower. The towers were where the students rooms were, depending on how advanced they were. The North Tower was for Entered Apprentices. Onslo had to have been promoted while Richard was gone. The dark haired boy had not been promoted with the rest of his ‘class’ a year earlier before Richard and the rest had started the Quest. Now, he was secured in the EA Tower, as the students called it.

“Onslo! You’ve been promoted. Brilliant. Meet us in the Main Hall, it’s freezing out here.” Richard smiled at his friend, happy that he was gaining in his knowledge.

As the five travellers closed the massive oak doors against the wind, Onslo entered the Main Hall at a run, almost running them over. Grabbing Richard and giving him a bear hug, his thin frame shook with excitement. He had not seen his friend since he left Crauford Castle the first time. It had been over a year since the two had seen each other and Onslo was not going to let the chance slip by again.

Stepping back from the hug, Richard looked into his friend’s eyes. “Onslo, Aam nae leavin’ soon. MacCorkadall says he needs tae he’p me. It’ll be a month or so before Ah leave agin.”

“Onslo, ye git! Aren’t ye gonna welcome the rest of us back?” Sean pushed against the smaller boy’s shoulder, almost knocking him down.

It was then that Onslo looked around at the rest of them. “Sorry. It’s just that I didn’t get the chance to see Richie while he was in hospital and then he left without a word. Where are the rest of you? Quentin, Duncan, Stephanie? Thomas and Fergus said that you were going to get them, too.” As an after thought, “Welcome back!”

Knowing his friend wanted to talk and find out everything, he had to see the Master, so Richard cut the homecoming short. “Onslo, I need tae see Master MacCorkadall. I promise- I’ll talk with you all night if you want. I just need tae go now.”

Unfettered, Onslo turned back to Richard. “I’m going to hold you to that.”

As he watched him walk away, Richard turned back to his fellow travellers. “I don’t know if MacCorkadall wants to see all of us or not. I think it would be prudent if we all went to see him first. Let him know everything and see if there’s anything that he needs to say to all of us. If he doesn’t, he’ll let us know.”

Connor, taking in a deep breath of the musty smelling air of the ancient castle, closed his eyes and grimaced. “It’s good to be home.”

Mary nodded, “Yes, it is. It’s been too long since I’ve walked these hallways. I’ve missed it.”

“Even the stinky smell?”

“Yes, even the smell of all the magick, the ghosts and the history of this place.” Mary had fought hard to come to Crauford. Not everyone was allowed entrance into its’ hallowed halls. Her determination, along with her innate ability, had shown Angus MacCorkadall that she had in her what it took to study here. Now, the ancient stone and mortar building had become home to her and she would rather be here than at her parents house in London.

“We can talk on the way. MacCorkadall doesnae like tae be kept waitin’, you all know that.” Richard winked at them and then headed up the stairs to the Master’s study.

Following him, each glad to be back, each reminded that the Christmas holiday was here by the impressive decorations bedecking the Main Hall, the stair cases and hallways as they traversed the familiar route to their teacher’s study. Finally, the silence was broken by Elizabeth.

“It’s Christmas and I won’t be able to go home. I can’t. Not without Cassandra. My parents will be disappointed. This will be the second year in a row.”

“You go home for the holiday?” Sean was incredulous. “You live in America. That’s a long way to go for just a couple of weeks.”

“I went home the first two years. Eighteen hours on a plane across the Atlantic and half a continent. But, Cassandra and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. We had no one here for us.” Elizabeth was not being accusatory, just honest. None of the other students, and most of the faculty, had wanted the two American girls at the castle, this was their world, not accessible to anyone that was not European.

“That’s over now, Lizabeth. You’re one of us now.” Sean pinched her on the backside.

Smiling, she slapped him on the chest, “If that’s the only thing you want me for, you can think again, Sean Conner. There’s more to me than my body.”

“He’s right, you know. We were wrong before, Elizabeth. We never should have treated you, or Cassandra, the way we did.” Mary looked at her with regret in her eyes.

“Don’t worry ‘bout it, Mary. It’s all water under the bridge. It’s time to move on. We have common goals now. Number one is finding Cassandra and the rest of them. We gotta be tight to get it all done.”

Frowning, Connor looked confused. “What do you mean, ‘tight’? Is that one of those American words that doesn’t mean what it sounds like?”

The American girl laughed. “Like you guys talkin’ all that slang of yours. Yep! What it means is that we have to be able to trust and count on each other.”

They had arrived at Angus MacCorkadall’s study as the last statement was made. The polished oak doors opened as they stopped in front of them and from deep within the room came, “Trust is most important. Without it, a group cannot accomplish anything.

“Welcome home, everyone.” Standing behind his desk, the ancient sorcerer smiled at his students.

“Master MacCorkadall, happy Christmas!” all five called to him at once.

“Happy Christmas to all of you. Elizabeth, I have received news from your parents. They will be arriving in Glenfinnan two days from now. They have decided to come to Scotland to see you, as you missed last Christmas at home. They, of course, are welcome to stay here at the castle if they wish. They must see the sights around the Loch, especially the Tower. I know your father is a history enthusiast and this area is full of Scottish history, with the Jacobites, Prince Charlie and even some Hollywood movie sites.”

“I’m sure they will want to stay in town, Master. That’s just the way they are. And, yes, my dad would love to see all there is to see. When I left last time, he had at least two dozen books on Scottish history; this is probably a learning vacation for him.” Elizabeth’s smile faded. “What will I tell them about Cassandra? They’ll want to know.”

“The truth. Always tell the truth. It’s all in how you tell it that matters. Cassandra is away on a quest. That is the truth.” MacCorkadall had a way to make things so simple.

“Professor, all the parents, do they know where their children are? Do Sebastian’s parents know he’s dead? And Duncan’s, Quentin’s and Stephanie’s?” Richard was starting to worry. This was the second Christmas that he and his friends would have missed, and some will. Parents would start to worry why their children weren’t coming home for the holiday.

“Not to worry, my boy. There were twelve sets of parents that were informed their children were going on a quest fourteen months ago and that they would return when the quest was finished. None have questioned further. Since Elizabeth’s parents are coming to Scotland, they will see that some of you have returned. Cassandra’s parents will be informed through them that she has not returned. This, also, will be dealt with as needed.”

The Master looked over his reading glasses at the five young students in front of him stopping, once again, to look into Richard’s eyes. “Now, Richard and I have things to discuss. It is not that the rest of you are not welcome, just that what we need to talk about does not pertain to you. If he so chooses he may discuss the matters with you later in the Journeyman’s common room. So, if you will excuse us.”

Coming around the big cherrywood desk, the master sorcerer put his hand on Richard’s shoulder and guided him toward the classroom door. Looking behind him, he smiled at the rest of the group and winked. Without reaching for the knob, the door opened and teacher and student disappeared through the doorway, leaving the four others alone in the study.

“What do you think they need to discuss that’s so important? Especially since Richard can talk about it later.” Sean was the first to speak.

“Probably just so MacCorkadall can get all the details from the leader of the pack. Too many different points of view will confuse the truth sometimes.” Elizabeth ventured a reason.

“That makes sense.” Mary was thinking other things. “Or, it may have to do with the Sceptre and Sphere. He knows we’ve been there when Richard used them, but it doesn’t really affect us. It’s all Richard, and it isn’t so important that he couldn’t share the information.”

“Whatever the reason, I don’t care. I’m hungry and tired. There should still be some dinner left in the Dining Hall. Then, I’m going to bed.” Connor turned to leave.

“I know what you mean, mate. These time changes are killing me. After all, it was only around noon when we left the mansion, yet here it’s almost seven. The least the little beastie could do is give us less jet lag.” Sean laughed at his own joke.

“You don’t know what jet lag is until you fly from Houston to Heathrow, and then take a train to Glenfinnan. That is definite jet lag.” Elizabeth laughed along with Sean.

“You can all do what you want. I’m going to wait for Richard. He’s probably going to want to talk when he gets done in there.” Mary glanced over at the classroom door.

Sean and Elizabeth both winked at her. Conspiratorially, Sean leaned close to her and whispered in her ear, “Are ye sure ‘at talkin’ is whit he’ll want tae dae?”

Mary shook her blonde head and scowled at him. “We are at school now, Sean Conner, of course he’ll want to talk.”

Laughing, Sean, Elizabeth and Connor gave her knowing winks and left the Master’s study, leaving her alone to wait for Richard. She had been here before, many times, but it seemed different this time. It may be because of all that she had been through or it could just be that MacCorkadall had acquired more items since the last time. The tall bookshelves still held hundreds of ancient texts and scrolls, the reading tables, and the desk were still covered with numerous mechanical items of different sizes and shapes. The windows were covered with long velveteen curtains of the deepest purple, open just enough that she could see that it had started to snow. As she moved closer to open the curtain more to look out at the falling snow, she noticed a strange object on the floor behind a table leg. Leaning down to inspect it, the object started to glow and then the world disappeared around her.

 

When everything came into focus again, Mary found herself someplace she had never been, yet it was familiar. The buildings were older, the streets were dirty and the people were rushing to and fro ignoring her. As she looked around she realized why it seemed familiar, this was Edinburgh, only it seemed out of time, older. The people were wearing outdated clothes and the cars were older models. Even at that, she knew exactly where she was. A block down was Richard’s father’s flat. Why was she here? She had only met Ian Evans once, two years ago when Richard had brought her to Edinburgh to meet his father. Now, here she was, out of time in a place she barely knew. From behind her a woman called her name.

“Mary! Come on, we need tae gie haem afair th’ rain comes.”

Turning to see who called her, the sight made her jaw drop. Even though she knew about visions, time travel, paranormal experiences and magick of all sorts, she was not prepared for what she was experiencing. The woman was someone she had never met, could never have met, as she was dead and had been for many years. She knew who it was only because Richard had told her about this woman, his mother. Carolyn Evans was dressed in the clothes of a working-man’s wife at least fifteen years ago and was carrying two bags of groceries. Her golden hair peeking out from under her headscarf had just a hint of grey and her face was just starting to show small wrinkles at her eyes and the corners of her mouth, just as Richard had described her from his vision.

“Dornt jist stain thaur. Th’ rain is comin’. We need tae hurry.” The urgency in Carolyn’s voice seemed over exaggerated for the situation.

“Mrs. Evans, the sun is still shining. The sky is blue and clear. There is no rain coming.”

“Ye dornt kin. Th’ rain is comin’.” The older woman was adamant.

Deciding it would be better to follow than to argue, Mary trudged behind the mother of her soul mate. It didn’t take long to walk the block to the flathouse and up the stairs to the Evans flat. Once the door was closed, she took the grocery bags from Carolyn and set them on the kitchen table, sorted them out and put them away while the older woman put away her scarf and coat. The flat looked basically the same as she remembered, only cleaner and with photos of the entire family, Carolyn included, as Richard was growing up. Knowing that his mother had died when he was very young it seemed strange to see him in photos with his mother at all stages of his life up to the time that he went to Crauford Castle.

She was standing at the sink looking out the window at the bright blue sky when Carolyn came into the small kitchen. Confused over the concern about rain, she turned to her host, “Mrs. Evans, the sky is blue still. Not a cloud in the sky. What rain are you talking about?”

“Mary, bairn. Ah didnae mean literal rain, but figuratively. Thaur is rain comin’ in th’ life ay mah special boy.”

The look on her face and tone of her voice made Mary concerned. “What do you mean there is rain coming in his life? Things are going pretty well right now for Richard.”

The look of sympathy on Carolyn’s face was a contradiction to her words. “Mary, thaur is trooble brewin’. Only ye can help mah Richie gie through it. Ye cannae lae heem aloyn fur a moment.”

“I can’t be with him 24/7, Mrs. Evans. Master MacCorkadall has to teach him about some things, he needs to sleep, shower, and other things. It would be impossible to be with him all the time.”

Carolyn spoke the next words softly, as if she were explaining why the sun rose and set everyday to a five year old. “Mah wee bairn. You are my son’s closest friend, his soul mate. There is nothing that you cannot do with, or for, him. He needs you now more than ever and he doesn’t even know it. He has enemies that would kill him no matter where he is. He has great knowledge and power, yet doesn’t understand it. With great power and great knowledge comes great responsibility. Responsibility that he is just learning, yet doesn’t quite grasp the meaning of. You are his strength, his anchor. He was lost without you for a long time. You were the one he needed the most and didn’t have. He will do anything to protect you from harm. What he doesn’t understand is that you need to protect him.”

Mary thought about what she had been told for a moment. Realizing that Richard’s enemies must be Kahnlin and his minions, she tried to convince his mother that all was under control. “If you’re talking about Kahnlin, Richard took care of him. He can’t hurt him at all.”

“Kahnlin is nothing!” Carolyn spit the words out at the mention of the trelf’s name. “He is nothin’ but a chanty wrassler an’ a choob. Nae worth worryin’ abit. The enemy has yet to surface, but will before the quest resumes. An’ Richard will nae be expectin’ it.”

Startled by this, Mary stuttered. “You mean it’s… it’s… a friend? Someone at school?”

“Aye. Beware, bairn. He’s my special boy, and he’s vulnerable right now. He thinks he’s safe and he is not!”

“Who is it? Can you tell me?” Mary tried to think who it could be and came up with no one that would be a threat to her friend.

“Nae, Ah cannae. All Ah can dae is warn ye.” Looking at the clock on the wall, Carolyn continued, “It’s time fur Ian tae come haem fur tatties and neebs. Ah need tae gie it ready fur heem.”

The room started to darken and soon became black. This must be what Richard calls Nowhere. Then her world came back to reality. The study was as it had been when it disappeared. The snow was still falling and had filled the corners of the windows. The sound of the classroom door opening made her jump.

“Mary, you waited for me! I’m glad.” Richard gave her a warm hug.

“Yes, everyone else was hungry and tired so they went to find something to eat then go to bed. I thought maybe you would want to talk.”

“Nae the noo. I guess I’m like everyone else, hungry and tired. Let’s find something to eat. I’ll let you know what’s going on later.” He put his arm around her shoulders and started walking towards the door.

“I need to talk to you, Richard. Something happened while you were with MacCorkadall. I met your mother.” Not knowing how he would respond, Mary looked into his eyes closely.

Shocked at this, Richard stopped and stared at her. “You met mah mum? How? What did she say?”

“There is an enemy within. Someone we won’t suspect and he, or she, is here at the school. Carolyn wouldn’t say who it was, just that I couldn’t leave you alone, not for a minute.”

“How can ye nae leave me alone? We’re at school. There are lots of times that I have to be alone.”

“I don’t know. She just told me you could not be alone. Maybe we should talk to MacCorkadall about this.”

From behind them came the deep voice of their teacher. “There is not a lot that I can do. Posting guards will not help. Without knowing who, or what, the enemy is, no guard would know what to watch for, Miss Stuart”

“Master.” Mary knew that the Master Sorcerer did not like to be addressed by only his last name. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean any disrespect.”

“None taken. As much as it is frustrating, I realize it happens all the time. I can let the indiscretion pass this time. As for Mrs. Evans’ warning, that is something different.”

“I didn’t really understand what she was talking about, other than Richard was going to be in danger.” Mary frowned, concentrating hard on the words of her friend’s mother.

“What were her exact words, not the words you thought she was saying?”

Richard interrupted, “Mary, every-time I’ve seen my mum she’s talked in a round about way. Kind of like in riddles. Her words have meaning, even if they sound like gibberish.”

Thinking hard, Mary furrowed her brow. “She kept saying the rain was coming. Yes, that’s it! The rain is coming. We had to hurry because the rain was coming.”

Master sorcerer, ancient magician and philosopher Angus Seville MacCorkadall sat down in his throne-like chair and started, absent-mindedly, to stroke his long beard. Staring beyond the two youngsters before him as if they did not exist, he let his mind wander. He had been visited by dead relatives, colleagues, friends and even enemies many times, each bringing a different message to him in a different way. This was no different than those visitations; all he had to do was decipher the meaning. Because Carolyn appeared to a child she would have used metaphors that a child would understand. After more than a few minutes had passed he came back to reality.

Shaking his massive head of long hair, he had to admit, “I cannot understand her meaning. I will have to ponder this over-night. Let my mind use sleep as a conductor. It will come to me.”

“Master, she must know that it’s winter. How could it rain in winter?” Richard was assuming that his mother had knowledge of the living world as it was. After all, she knew everything that was happening to him in it.

“Something you have to understand, Richard, is that you’re mother lives in a different world than we do. Everyone thinks that when a person dies, they cease to exist. This is not the case, they just move on to a different plane of existence. Life is energy, energy does not die, it continues on, forever. Some people believe this to be reincarnation, some believe that they move on to Heaven or Hell and some believe that we continue on here, as ghosts. However you believe you must understand that life continues even after death.

“This does not mean, though, that once a person has moved on, they experience the same things that we do. For instance, a ghost does not realise that it is snowing and the temperature is below freezing, thus, the summer clothing that they died in is plenty for them. So, your mother may not realise that it is winter here, or, she may be trying to let you know that you will be somewhere that it is much warmer.”

Richard thought about this for some time. It did make sense after-all, the soul lives forever, in whatever form a person thinks. He, himself, believed that the soul ended up in one of three places; Heaven, Hell or Purgatory as his Catholic upbringing had taught him. Since he started learning the ancient art of magick, seeing and talking to ghosts and learning about things he had always thought of as myths his beliefs had changed little but his mind had expanded and opened to other ways of thinking and other beliefs. No one person was right or wrong, just different.

“Master, why did my mum go to Mary instead of me? She has always talked to me, ever since I was a wee bairn.”

“Richard, it was about you, not for you.” Mary wanted to hit him she was so frustrated. “What good would it have done to tell you that you couldn’t be alone? You’d just forget about it and let it go without telling anyone. She came to me because she knew that I would make sure, somehow, that you were taken care of.”

After considering her questions, he had to admit she was right. “Aye, I would have taken me mum’s advice and decided that I could take care of mahsel’. Nae question there.”

“It is late and the two of you have not eaten as of yet. Go to the dining hall, eat and then get some rest. Richard, you will start first thing tomorrow learning all you can about Oberon’s Sceptre and Sphere. Now, off with the both of you. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Master MacCorkadall. Thank you for everything.” Mary turned to leave, pulling Richard with her.

“Aye,” Richard called over his shoulder, “goodnight. I’ll be here right after breakfast.”

The ancient sorcerer looked after his two students and smiled. It wasn’t until the door had closed and he was sure that they had done as instructed that his entire demeanour changed. Becoming agitated the old man started to pace from his desk to the windows, stopping to stare out at the falling snow momentarily, only to turn back to his desk. Richard had not mentioned that he had been visited by his mother. That she had been giving him advice. Now, the old woman was going to Mary to help her son with cryptic riddles. How would this affect the young couple during the rest of the quest? It was he, Angus Seville MacCorkadall that was responsible for their education, their well-being, not her. What was it that she was trying to tell them? ‘The rain is coming.’ It would come to him in time what she was telling them. He only hoped that it came in time.