Prologue

It was not a quiet night. Outside the magical town of Draida, past the fields and among the trees, creatures were stirring. As the full moon gradually rose in the dark sky, they came out of their holes to get some fresh air. By midnight there were hundreds, crawling, slithering, sneaking in the darkness. And now they were staring hungrily at the lighted houses in the distance.

The people of Draida knew this as they were in bed. It didn't bother them though. The town was protected by its finest sorcerers to prevent siege by the creatures. But one child was still afraid. He crawled out of his bed and ran desperately to his mother.

"Mommy, I can't sleep."

half asleep, the boy's mother got out of bed as well and smiled sleepily at her son. "Okay, follow me."

They walked down creaking stairs to the softly glowing fireplace, which penetrated the darkness of the house and made the boy feel safe. His mother got a blanket and a book and joined him on the couch.

"How about I read you a short story," she said sweetly, "about the demon who tried to steal the sun."

While meant to be scary, he always laughed at this particular story. He didn't think it was possible for anybody to possess something so big, even a horrible demon. It also helped if his mother said it, in her gentle, loving voice. So he made himself comfortable and listened.

"Once upon a time, there was a demon named Amaatlik. He was very small, and not very strong, but definitely more evil than the others. He was jealous of the other demons because they were so big. As you can imagine, this made him angry. So he tried to find a way to make himself as big as them, if not bigger.

"One day, he thought he discovered how. He needed to consume something that was really powerful. Something that was naturally giant and omnipotent. Then, if his plan worked, he would have its energy all for himself. He would destroy the world and all the other demons with it. But this was easier said than done. Amaatlik was very weak in his small size. He traveled all over the world, searching for a source of power and size, but he found nothing that he could defeat. This made him angry - not sad because demons are never sad. He went into a frenzy, smashing everything in his cave. He couldn't stand the thought that he would always be weak and insignificant. The rage only got worse, as he slammed harder and harder against the cave's walls.

"Suddenly, he struck a weak part and a hole appeared. Sunlight streamed through the hole, lighting the cave. 'Aaahhhhh!,' Amaatlik screamed. As a demon, he was very vulnerable to light, especially sunlight, and it burned his flesh. He hurriedly fit a stone through the hole. But then an idea flashed through his mind. The sun was extremely powerful. But it couldn't move. If he could somehow make himself immune to it's light, it couldn't hurt him. Then he could absorb its power and become strong like all the other demons. He laughed evilly to himself as he rushed back into his cave and came up with his plan. It is said that to this day, Amaatlik still tries to steal the sun. He would never give up on his goal."

The boy's mother looked at her son. He was fast asleep under the blanket, his face illuminated by the fire. Smiling again, she carried him to his bed.

"Good night, Jason," she said softly, going back to her own bed.

 

Chapter 1
Jason

At first my day seemed like it was going to be normal. I woke up, went back to sleep, and finally got out of bed at about 10. Driven by hunger I got dressed and hurried downstairs. The irresistible smell of breakfast cooking filled the air.

I'm not good at waking up early, as I always tell my parents. I like to get my sleep. It's too bad, because early in the morning is the perfect time to make people's days interesting. They're too sleepy to get back at me, having just woken up. Bacon is another benefit of getting up when I should. But I can annoy people and eat bacon at any time of day, if I try hard enough.

Anyway, that morning I was looking forward to eating bacon, and doing what I normally do.

Um...yeah. I was disappointed. As I reached the kitchen, my mom wasn't at the stove. Neither was my dad. Instead a tall, old bearded guy wearing blue robes and an apron was cooking. I pinched myself, but the dude was still there. And no, I don't have any older siblings.

"Who are you?" I asked. "Are you making bacon?"

The man turned towards me. "Jason, you're up." He turned back to the oven and continued cooking. Whoever this guy was, he had become blatant in his crime, and I would make sure to get him for that.

Okay, maybe my day didn't seem like it was going to be normal. Strange things happen all the time in Draida. It is a magical town, after all. But breaking into someone's house and cooking on their stove is against local laws. Even if you give them the food you make. So I put on my determined face.

"You better explain yourself!" I declared assertively. "Or...I'll call the police!" Yes, a magical town does have magical police. You don't want to mess with them. And no, I never had any particular encounter with the police. When I threatened to call the police, I expected the stranger to leave. But he just continued cooking. To make it worse he was whistling, too.

I opened the nearest window. "Police! Help! Some guy broke into my house!"

There were people walking past, but no one seemed to notice. I continued yelling at them and the guy kept cooking. I couldn't go and get the police because I couldn't let the guy steal anything. I couldn't use magic either because I, as a citizen, could not use magic. That was reserved for people who could be trusted with it. But magic shouldn't be needed to get the attention of others.

Eventually, the man stopped cooking. He placed some food on the table and gestured to one of the plates. "Go on."

I looked at it. "Not until you tell me what the heck you're doing here. I don't trust you, or the food you just made." That was probably a little rude, but so was breaking into the house and cooking on our stove. And ignoring me. As you can probably tell, I didn't like this guy.

The man sighed. "Do you really not know who I am? You've been living in this town for 16 years."

I mentally shrugged, deciding that he must have been an uncle or something. I'm not that good at staying mad at people. "Sorry. Who are you?"

He looked upset. I thought that maybe he was well-known in Draida, or liked making himself known. "I am Amisto, the Head Mage of Draida."

"The Head Mage? Don't we have a mayor? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought towns are run by mayors."

Amisto covered his face, shaking his head. He didn't seem too offended that I didn't recognize him, but there was still something on his mind. Something that bothered him. "Jason...I can't believe I'm saying this, but I require your assistance."

I stared at Amisto. Wondering if it was a joke, I laughed. "What? Why would you want my help? I'm flattered, but you may want to reconsider."

"I know that all of this must be very hard for you. But please, listen to me."

"Okay, I guess. What do you have to say?" I sat in one of the wooden chairs, wanting to know why he thought I was so important. Something told me it was all a joke played by my friends, but I listened in case it wasn't.

"As you don't know, Draida is run by mages. And sorcerers. We use our power to support the town. Something you should be grateful for. Eat a sausage." I ate a sausage. It wasn't bacon, but not bad. "However, we must all come to an end. We age, and must step down. Now there are few people these days who are willing to learn magic and become a sorcerer. Would you like a napkin?"

I shook my head. "No, thanks. I put food in my mouth, not on it."

"Suit yourself."

"So...what about people who are willing to learn magic to become a mage?" I asked, resuming our conversation. This magic talk was really confusing me. Then again most things confuse me.

"Mages are more experienced," Amisto said. "One starts out as a sorcerer, and becomes a mage as they grow older. You-" He stopped talking and hesitated. "How dangerous do you think it is, being a sorcerer?"

I thought about it. Why did he care about my opinion? "Very. The citizens who are jealous of their magic abilities are always trying to overthrow them." That may or may not have been true, I just wanted to mess with him. I popped another sausage into my mouth. "And...they have to fight the creatures of that forest." Ever since I was little those monsters had creeped me out. They sometimes howled and yelled all night. The thought of having to fight them didn't really appeal to me.

Amisto gave another frown. "And what do you think are the benefits of being a sorcerer?"

"Nothing!" I answered, laughing. Was he serious? This conversation was getting really weird. I tried to think of something I may have been missing. "Well, maybe it would be cool to have magic powers..." Yes. The things I could do...

"Do you think it's lonely being a sorcerer?" he asked, seeing that he was starting to persuade me. "Like you have to do everything yourself?"

"Where are you going with this?" Then I realized that I hadn't answered his question. "I never thought about that. Is it really lonely?"

"Not at all. Most sorcerers work alongside their best friends. It gives them courage and support." I wondered what it would be like. I would, of course, probably be with my best friend, Sadie. Of all my friends, she was probably the most reliable for that sort of thing. But I gradually lost interest in this conversation.

"So...where are my parents?" I questioned.

"They went on some errands. Jason, you know what I said earlier? About needing your help?" He seemed nervous again. "There's no easy way to say this... so I won't." He snapped his fingers, and another figure appeared in a third chair.

I recognized them instantly. Lo and behold, it was Sadie. The one I mentioned earlier. She looked like she was in the middle of brushing her long red hair - I mean, why else would she be holding a brush - and the surprise was evident on her face. Yeah, it was a surprise for both of us.

"What are you doing here, Sadie?" I asked. This was the second time someone had magically broken into my house. By now you're likely thinking that we're crazy. But, in our defense, you would be too if you lived here.

"Tell him, girl," Amisto ordered. She gave him a look that said, I have a name, you know! and looked at me seriously.

"Jason, on behalf of Amisto-"

"That's Head Mage Amisto to you!" Amisto said firmly.

Sadie was by far the least patient person in the room. Trust me, I know her. But she didn't show it by arguing. "Jason, on behalf of Head Mage Amisto, I would like to request you to become a sorcerer."

I laughed. "You can't be serious. What makes you think I want to become a sorcerer? Do you think I'm stupid? Sure, I would love to use magic, but...you have to fight monsters! I would get killed immediately. I don't want to do that!"

"I was afraid of this," Amisto muttered. I suddenly realized what our talk was about. The old man was trying to make me want to be a sorcerer. He needed new, young people, because nobody wanted to be a sorcerer these days. Not that I blamed them. "Girl, why aren't you talking to him?"

Sadie blinked. "Oh! Um... Jason. It's not so bad. You get to do things you could never do as a citizen. Think of it-"

"Are you in this now?" I interrupted, surprised. "Why do you think nobody is doing it these days? Because it's dangerous and we could die out there!" I don't like dying.

"We would be properly trained before we go on any missions..." she argued. "Come on, Jason."

"Give me some time to think about it," I huffed, going out the door and slamming it behind me. But I had already decided.

The street I lived on, Unicorn Way, was very narrow. I had to push through a few people to get away from my house. "Excuse me!" I would shout. "I'm in a rush!" It took me a minute to leave the street, but as I looked back, I noticed that they weren't following me. I kept running though because I had no idea where to go.

While I was fleeing, I thought about what had happened today. I woke up and found that my parents were gone, instead the head of Draida cooking on our stove. I mean, it's not like the king himself stormed into my house and told me that I had to learn magic, but Amisto brought my best friend to my table and they tried to make me do something I told them I didn't want to do. So I was running. Running to...? Anywhere.

My stomach growled. I realized I was hungry. Amisto only let me eat two sausages, and as a growing 16-year-old boy, I always had a giant appetite. This caused a problem, as I couldn't run very fast while I was hungry, but I couldn't go back home. I looked around until I found a market. There were a lot in Draida, we sure do love our food and stuff, so it wasn't hard. I walked over to one of the food stalls. I had to wait in a long line.

"Hello ma'am," I said to the lady at the counter, giving her my best smile. "Could I please have some fruit?"

"You lousy beggar! Shoo!" the lady shouted. She took a loaf of bread and started hitting me with it.

"No! I have money!" I said weakly. It was true - I always carried a few coins in my pocket. But she wouldn't listen, so I ran away. Talk about bad service. But, in her defense, kids in this town usually are beggars, and adults don't trust us. So I resorted to plan B.

As the lady went back to her stall, I snuck up behind her. When nobody was looking, I borrowed an apple and ran away. It was probably a sneaky/bad/illegal thing to do, but hitting poor defenseless kids with bread wasn't so nice either last time I checked. Anyway, I ate the apple as I walked down the street, then saw something out of the corner of my eye. At first I thought I was seeing things, but when I double checked, I noticed that there were some police going down the street. One officer made eye contact with me and stopped.

"I see him! Over there!" he shouted.

Oh no...not again...

2: Finding Jason

Chapter 2

Sadie

I watched helplessly as Jason bolted out the door. "I told you he wouldn't want to do this!" I scolded Amisto. I started to run after my friend, but Amisto grabbed me.

"No. Let him run. We will catch him," he said, grinning.

I didn't want Amisto to be the one who caught him. This made me wonder, why did he want him so bad? I mean, I was only with Amisto because I wanted to be a sorceress. And I really wanted a friend to join me as I learned magic. But Amisto should have left me to do the talking.

"Head Mage Amisto?" I asked.

"Yes?" he asked me, sounding annoyed.

"Why won't you let me talk to Jason, one on one? You're too hard on him."

Amisto chuckled and ruffled my hair. "You're so silly, Sadie. No...I can't force him."

"Then why are you trying?" I put my hands on my hips. Amisto was really getting on my nerves because Jason wouldn't join for anything in the world, not if he went on the way he was. Jason had...well, self confidence issues.

I waited for the Head Mage to answer me but he ignored my question. I hate it when he acts like such a jerk.

"I don't care what you say. I'm going to find Jason before you do," I told him. With that, I left through the door.

Looking for Jason isn't a very easy thing to do. We used to play hide-and-seek when we were little, and he was almost never found. But Amisto was magic. I wondered what kind of magic Amisto would use to find him, and how long it would take. So I ran as fast as I could to beat him to it. But Jason could be anywhere.

I know what you may be thinking. No, Amisto wasn't a bad guy, not really. I'm sorry if the story went off at a crazy start, boys are like that. But there wasn't much we could do. Draida is a pretty crazy place. Amisto, while he is actually a really nice guy, can become crazy once he sets his mind to something.

"Yo! Dude!" someone shouted. I glanced in that direction. A lady behind some random market food stall was gesturing to me. As I walked over to her, annoyed by the interruption and the people who shoved past me, she had the nerve to glare in my direction. That was strange. I usually gained the respect of adults in Draida.

"Tell your beggar friend to get away from my stall!" the lady shouted. Even more strange. None of my friends were homeless, and they wouldn't beg for food. Except...oh, she was talking about Jason. He did cause a little trouble here and there.

"Um...okay. Do you know where he went?" I asked.

"Don't know, don't care," she answered.

That was helpful. At least now I knew that Jason was there.

I walked around some more. I'd never hung out by the outer section of town. Like most of Draida, it had narrow cobbled streets and lots of shops. But the houses here were brick, not wood. Then I remembered that I was looking for Jason, not sightseeing. He would probably run away from the mean stall lady, towards the even narrower alleys, so I walked towards one. A couple bumped into me as they were going in the opposite direction.

"Oh! Pardon me!" I said, embarrassed.

"Sadie?" one of them asked.

I looked at them. To my surprise, they were Jason's parents. A million thoughts went through my head. "Hello. Can I please ask you guys a few questions?" I asked.

"Of course!" his mom said. "What is it?" She didn't seem at all confused. Jason's mom was very nice. I felt comfortable talking to them about the problem I was facing.

"First of all, do you know what's going on in your house?" I asked. Obviously that wasn't a good start.

"What?" Jason's dad said sternly. "What happened? Did Jason try cooking again?"

It occurred to me that maybe I shouldn't tell them about Amisto. He was nice to me, and I didn't want to see him get caught breaking into Jason's house. That was against the law, and would make him look bad. But Jason's parents were nice as well. Maybe they wouldn't get too mad if I told them.

"You have to see for yourself," I answered. "Let's go!"

When we got to the house, the door was open. For a second, I was worried that perhaps Amisto had left. Then things would get pretty awkward. Jason's parents walked up to the open door. Reluctantly, I followed them.

To my surprise, Amisto was still there. Jason's dad froze, glaring angrily at the Head Mage. I could tell that he was about to say something very harsh, but his wife stopped him.

"Good morning, Head Mage Amisto. What can I do for you?" she asked him without a hint of anger in her voice.

Amisto looked more than surprised. It seemed as though he had just woken up from a deep sleep. "Hello...Jason's parents. I was just leaving." He left. Jason's parents didn't stop him. Well, that was strange.

"Sadie, what happened while we were gone?" Jason's dad asked. He still looked angry.

"Amisto broke into your house-"

"I can see that!" he interrupted rudely.

"Let her finish, honey," Jason's mom said.

"So he broke into your house and made Jason breakfast-"

"That's so nice of him!" Jason's mom interrupted. "Sorry, go on. No more interruptions. What were you saying, dear?"

"And he started talking about sorcerers. Eventually he teleported me here, and I'm like, 'whoa!' and he's like, 'Girl, tell him'-"

"Girl?" Jason's dad asked.

"That's what he calls me. Anyway, he made me tell him that he wants Jason to become a sorcerer. And Jason ran out the door, angry at him, and I'm like-"

"What?" they screamed simultaneously. "Jason? A sorcerer?"

"Yeah. And he ran out the door," I added.

3: Second Thoughts

Chapter 3

Jason

The police ran toward me. How embarrassing. It looked as though I had committed a crime. Of course, I did deny the government and steal from the market, but still. Both Amisto and the lady were being rude to me, and I was simply avenging myself. There was no reason to call the police. I let them catch up to me.

"There must be some mistake," I stammered with my best acting skills. "I didn't do anything wrong."

The lead officer stared at me, his mouth open so wide I could have stuffed the apple in it. For a second I thought that he would scold me.

"Do you know what you've done?" he asked, shaking his head.

"Yeah, I told you something. I said that you're mistaken, I didn't do anything."

"There is a mistake. You didn't do anything wrong," he murmured strangely, nodding. "You didn't do anything wrong at all. Please, go on with you life." He walked away. The other officers looked at me angrily, but had no choice other than to followed the first guy. They just left me standing there.

Whoa, that was creepy. Something was wrong with the police. They never acted like that. The only reasonable explanation I had was that they must be tricking me. I didn't care, though. I just started running again.

Naturally, I headed toward the nearest dark alley. I don't know how long I was running, maybe a few minutes, maybe an hour. Maybe something in between. It was only when I got lost that I realized I was still in big trouble.

In front of me was a dead end. I started to walk back, but that way was a dead end too.

I did a double take. How could that be possible? Was that apple poisoned? Was I going delusional? Maybe I was dreaming about everything. It was all an illusion.

But that didn't explain why Amisto was being so weird. Unless he was an illusion too. Were the police an illusion? Was I awake?

"If anyone can hear me, don't worry, I just ate a bad apple," I said loudly. "I'm not going crazy."

Apparently my mind didn't agree with me. I soon heard a voice in my head, so clear it would have sounded the same if Amisto was right next to me.

"Jason, don't be difficult. You don't understand."

I did recognize the voice as Amisto's, but it sounded foggy and distorted, like he was yawning while talking.

"This isn't what you think," he said. "Listen to me. You must listen, or-" The voice was cut off. Was there a ghost here? Was Amisto using his magic to talk to me? Either way, it could no longer talk to me so there was silence. Okay, maybe I was crazy. Nothing new.

"Just go away, I don't want you!" I shouted, wondering whether the thing heard me. The imaginary wall that blocked my exit disappeared. I ran away from the alleys, thinking that I better go back to the open roads. Again I wondered what would happen next. I had nowhere to go. When could I go back to my house? Would things ever be normal again?

Oh, totally. Everything would be all right, since I ran away from Amisto and wouldn't listen to what he was saying. I didn't even give him a chance.

Why had I run away?

I remembered the real reason I didn't want to be a sorcerer.

I know it's stupid, and I shouldn't make such a big deal out of it, but I used to have nightmares. Like, a lot...

 

* * * * *

 

Jason walked cautiously through the forest. It was called the Forest of Nightmares for a reason. This was the forest surrounding Draida where monsters lived. Jason should have been scared, but he knew that he could do it. He was a sorcerer.

Out of nowhere, but not to Jason's surprise, a disgusting monster appeared. It had the body of a bruise-colored fish. Instead of fins, it stood on grungy ape-like legs. The monster's arms were long, with sharp claws as fingers. It's head was a human skull grinning wickedly. Dark purple smoke drifted from its scaly body.

"What are you doing here?" it asked in a raspy voice.

Jason was unfazed. "I came to kill you. You have been causing trouble for a long time now." He took out a green wooden wand. "Relago!" he yelled. 'Banish'.

His wand glowed. The satisfying hum of a powerful spell pierced the awkward silence of the forest.

He waited for the spell to take effect. But nothing happened. The fish thing grinned evilly. "Many sorcerers before you have tried to stop me. And guess what? None of them succeeded!" It leaped at Jason. They fell to the ground, wrestling. It was hard for Jason, as the monster's monkey arms were strong and spells didn't seem to work. He tried to remember this monster in his field guide.

There were counless species of monsters, and keeping track of them was hard work. There were many fish monsters, and many monsters that had skulls for heads. But then Jason remembered. This monster was Ichthymu, the Death Fish, and an undead creature. That meant that it was effected by spells in the opposite way it was supposed to. So a damaging spell would heal it, and a healing spell would damage it. All he had to do was cast a healing spell on it. And healing spells were easy.

He grinned and thrust his wand over the fish's heart and focused on putting his energy into the spell. "Hasta la vista, fishy!"

The wand glowed, and light flashed dramatically as Jason cast his healing spell.

The monster screamed. As it looked down, it noticed that its body was starting to disintegrate. It had underestimated this new sorcerer. Now it was dying. How terrible.

As it gradually turned to dust, Jason breathed a sigh of relief. His first mission was a success! He couldn't wait to tell the people of Draida. But defeating the fish had drained him of his energy. Ichtymu was a pretty powerful creature.

Maybe I should rest for a few minutes before I go back, he thought. He leaned against a tree. But then the dust in front of him started to move.

"One thing you should know," Ichthymu said as his remains circled Jason's feet. "I never die."

 

* * * * *

 

Yeah, that's why I don't want to be a sorcerer. I would have multiple dreams about being killed by monsters and they all seemed so real. Especially that one.

I was so deep in thought that I tripped on a rock and fell. "Ow! Why is there a rock here?"

"Are you okay?" someone asked, laughing. I looked up.

In front of me was a girl with short black hair. She wore a black skirt and a white shirt with long sleeves. She had a wand in her hand. Was she a sorcerer? She seemed my age, so she couldn't be experienced.

"Are you a sorcerer?" I asked.

The girl laughed again. She had a pretty laugh. "No. I'm a sorceress. In case you haven't noticed, I'm a girl."

I stared at her. She did have a point. "So do you work for the Head Mage?"

"We have a Head Mage? I thought we had a mayor!" I could tell she wasn't messing with me. So I wasn't the only stupid one.

"I know!" I said. "But I thought all sorcerers/sorceresses work for the government."

She seemed genuinely shocked. "Why would I work for the government? Everybody I know is a citizen that uses magic."

I was incredibly jealous. "Does this part of Draida work differently?" I asked. "I would love to move here, then. I mean, if I have to learn magic."

"I don't know. Magic should be fun either way, though. You don't-"

We realized that I was still on the floor. She helped me up. (Pretty embarrassing, getting help from a girl, but nobody was watching. I wasn't in the alleys anymore, but there was nobody else on that street.) "I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Bianca."

"Jason," I said, shaking her hand. We made eye contact and Bianca gasped. She backed away a little.

"But you- how...?" Bianca looked me over, studying me like I was a ghost.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

Bianca sighed sadly. "No. I'm sorry. It's just that...you remind me of my brother."

"Oh. Is he...?" I felt bad about reminding her of her brother. It was obvious that something bad happened to him.

"I don't know. He left on a mission a few years ago...he was a very good sorcerer, he wouldn't let himself get killed." She looked away. "And...you look almost exactly like him, with your ruffled brown hair and blue eyes."

"I wish I could help you," I said, patting my hair. "But I'm not...a sorcerer, or anything."

"You aren't?" she asked. "But you're a natural. I can feel it...there's something about you. Something that says you are very powerful." Awkward...

I remembered my dreams, where I was a sorcerer battling monsters. I was a sorcerer and everything. Like, the real thing. But every time I failed. But...those were just dreams.

Why did everything have to be so complicated? Why couldn't I be smart, like Sadie? Then I would know what to do. Whether or not I should be a sorcerer. I didn't necessarily have to use magic, did I? Her brother was lost, and I could help the girl find him. I made up my mind. I would help Bianca by finding her brother. It couldn't be too hard. "Where did your brother go?" I asked.

"He traveled to Port Barcos. I don't know where he went to next though."

Port Barcos was the nearest port. My dad told my about it once. According to him, it was a popular spot for traders and travelers, but also thieves trying to escape the scene of their crime.

"We'll go find him!" I said. "You can teach me magic. Come on!"

But Bianca shook her head. "I can't leave this spot. I have to look after Figaro and Isabelle." As she spoke, two pure white kittens came out from behind a crate. They were not typical alley cats. Figaro and Isabelle were completely clean and in good health. "They are my familiars. I recently adopted them. But while they are magic, I can't leave them alone or take them anywhere. They're too young."

One of the kittens meowed at me, rubbing against my leg. I'd never been near a kitten because pets were rare in Draida. They tended to go into the Forest of Nightmares and get eaten. So seeing...these ones...I didn't know how to react. "Go ahead. Pet her," Bianca said gently.

I reached down and stroked Isabelle. She purred. Eh...I'm not really much of a cat person.

"Okay. I guess I'll take my friend Sadie with me and we'll find you brother!" I offered.

Bianca looked upset for a second but smiled. "Would you really do that?" she asked. I wondered what bothered her about me finding her brother with Sadie, but like her I covered it up with a smile.

"Sure! I have nothing else to do!" I probably shouldn't have said that last part.

"Then you'll need this." She took the amulet from her neck and placed it around my own. "When Alex sees this, he'll know you came from me. Don't take this off." I looked at the amulet. It consisted of a silver chain and a bright white gem.

"Yup..." I guessed that Alex was her brother. But did I really have to wear a necklace?

"And you'll need this too!" She handed me a white cloth sack. "Don't look inside until you've started your journey!" She seemed excited and her voice was full of hope. "Thanks so much, Jason! You're awesome!" She kissed me on the cheek and ran away, followed by the two kittens.

What had I gotten myself into? Did that girl, like, use some kind of sorceress magic on me? How did she get me to learn magic?

I had to find Sadie. Maybe she could go instead. She was already a sorceress. Maybe she would go on the mission and save Alex.

As it turned out, finding Sadie wasn't so hard.

"Jason! There you are!" she shouted from the other side of the alley. Thankfully, she was alone.

I smiled nervously. "Sadie! I have something to tell you..."

4: Starting our Mission

Chapter 4

Sadie

I listened as Jason told me about his experience. He seemed to be leaving out a few important facts. All he said was that he met a sorcerer that gave him a mission and the materials needed to do it.

"It's all in this bag," he said, gesturing to the bag in his hand.

"So...what exactly is this mission?" I asked. "And since when were you willing to leave Draida?"

Jason's face turned red. "We have to find some guy," he said. "And I'm not going to live my life afraid of everything." I could tell that he still was afraid of everything. He didn't want to do the mission. Why was he doing it though?

"So are you going to go to Amisto so he can teach you magic?" I asked. That seemed to make Jason angry.

"Why would I go to that creep?" he asked. "I was hoping that you could teach me."

"Me? I don't know as much as Amisto does."

"But that's all we need, right?" Jason asked.

Then I realized that this was all a joke. Under the pressure of being a sorcerer, he had gone crazy. "Oh. Yeah," I answered. "I can definitely teach you the basics."

"Come on then!" Jason said. "Let's go!"

We headed out on our imaginary adventure, with just a sack. First we crossed the cobbled street that intersected the one we were in. Around us people constantly walked in and out of their houses. No two houses in Draida looked the same. Most were built by the people who lived inside them. The non-uniformity made it easy to navigate through the town, giving landmarks, and Jason had no trouble leading me to the spot of his "mission." He stopped at a dirt clearing with rocks and tufts of grass scattered around randomly. It was about 15 feet wide, giving us enough space to practice.

"Okay, lunch break!" Jason announced, opening the bag. He started swearing. "There's nothing in here! That witch, she tricked me! She does work for Amisto!"

I looked in the sack. While the sides bulged as if there were objects inside, it was indeed empty. But something that Jason said caught my attention.

"You said she?" I asked, grinning. "You met a girl?"

Jason glared at me, saying nothing.

"Sorceresses specialize in trickery-"

"Apparently!" he interrupted.

"No, look." I said, placing my hand over the bag. I imagined what was inside. Food, water, medicine. Maybe money. Magic things. As we watched, the items started to appear in the bag. "By trickery I meant that if someone tries to steal the bag, they will see nothing inside like we just did. Only we can see. It's an illusion."

Jason looked ashamed. "Oh. I...I'm sorry." He took out a sandwich and threw it to me, then got one for himself. I wondered why this quest meant so much to him...

"So who was she? The person who gave you the mission?" I asked after sitting on a rock and biting into my sandwich. "Is she pretty?"

He sat down too and munched on his sandwich. "I guess," he said simply. "I haven't told you who it is that she wants me to find."

"Please tell."

"Well...it's her brother. He was a sorcerer, and went on a mission a few years ago. I believe his name was Alex. Something like that."

I couldn't believe it. "Alex? As in Alexander? Are you sure that's his name?"

"I don't know. She just said Alex."

"Jason, there was an amazing sorcerer 30 years ago named Alexander. Many people looked up to him, but one day he went on a mission and never came back."

What I just said didn't match what he told me. They couldn't be the same Alex.

"I know!" Jason exclaimed. "He had a son, Alex II, who also went on a mission and didn't come back! Bianca said that her brother left a few years ago, not 30." That was more believable, so he stuck with that. I didn't understand why his Alex had to be the son of mine, but oh well.

"Come on." I stood up, brushing myself off. "Now that we've finished lunch, let's continue!"

"No. You have to teach me magic before we go through the Forest of Nightmares." I realized he was right. I remembered that it was all just a joke, but I could teach him little, as I had just started myself. Maybe he would think that it was cool and reconsider.

"Um...okay. First you need to make a wand. I think." I got him a stick. "This should do. Now...um...say empier while waving your hand over the stick."

He did as I instructed. At first nothing happened, but then the stick started to change. The wood darkened and started to glow dark purple. The surface became more smooth, and the stick straightened.

"Cool!" Jason exclaimed. He jumped up and down like a little kid. "Now how do I use it?"

"Point it at a dry tree and think of water. Life. Something like that."

"Got it." He pointed the wand at a tree and closed his eyes. Water poured out of the wand and onto the skinny little tree in front of him. But as his wand touched the tree, it didn't moisten. Instead all the leaves fell on top of Jason, exposing the bare branches underneath. The bark peeled away from the trunk, which slowly withered and turned to dust.

"Jason!" I ran forward. "Are you okay?"

He rose from the pile of leaves and wood, coughing and spitting. "I don't think I like magic," he said. "Are you sure this is right?"

"Um...no. But when we fight some monsters, just think of water and the same thing will happen to them," I answered. We both grinned. "Oh, and don't use that spell on yourself. Or any spell." It would take quite a while for him to learn, but at least he had potential.

All of a sudden, we heard people yelling. Behind us was what looked like an angry mob, armed with swords and wands. The town's police.

"Think of water, think of water..." Jason muttered.

"No! Don't! We'll talk to them," I said. I held my ground and faced the riot. "People, I think we can be rational about this. Jason has done nothing wrong. He is simply a victim. A victim of fear and destiny. He does not want to learn magic from Amisto. Head Mage Amisto, whatever. I will teach him what I know, and that is all he needs. We are just going on a mission to find a guy. Then we will be right back. After that, Jason might go to Amisto to learn magic. Or he might not. But that is for him to decide. Nobody can force him to do it. And neither can you force us to move from this spot because we-" I stopped.

I was alone. The mob had disappeared...and so had Jason.

5: The Monster

Chapter 5

Jason

I will admit. As the mob came running towards us, I freaked out. Sadie wanted to just stand there and wait for the mob to kill us. But I had other plants. I mean plans. Quickly, I thought of a spell that I could use to get us away. One of the spells from my nightmares came to mind. I looked at Sadie and raised my wand.

"Oredne!" I yelled. 'Teleport'. Some other spells had a brief waiting time before they took effect. This one worked instantly. I started to shrink.

The spell seemed to effect Sadie differently though. She didn't shrink. I waited for us to teleport away but nothing happened. However, as I watched, the angry people stopped, looking confused. They turned around and went back the way they came. Sadie kept talking to them.

"Sadie! They left!" I shouted. Then I realized that I was still fun size and she couldn't hear me. Maybe I should use a different spell. "Kob"! I tried. That spell should have made me bigger. But nothing happened. One day I would get myself killed, trying to cast these spells.

"Jason? Where did you go?" I faintly heard Sadie ask.

I jumped up and down. "Here! Over here!" I shouted. Somehow I could jump really high. Like, really high. This seemed to catch her attention really well.

"Jason? Is that you?" she asked. "Why are you a frog?"

I looked at my reflection in a puddle of water which was conveniently nearby. "Ew! Help me become a human again!" I shouted back.

Sadie looked doubtful. I couldn't tell whether she couldn't, or maybe she liked me better as a frog. "Do you want me to get Bianca, so she can kiss you?"

"Are you kidding? Just...try!" I couldn't hold my wand with frog hands. Sadie had to do the spell. She tried a handful spells. Each one hurt more than the last.

"On second thought, maybe I'll just be a frog for the rest of my life," I said hopelessly. "You obviously don't know what you're doing."

"Maybe Bianca should kiss you then," Sadie remarked, smirking. My body jerked as she said those words, and I felt my bones expanding as my body grew, turning back into a human again. I stood up and dusted myself off.

"Maybe not!" I said, grateful. One of her spells must have taken several seconds to take effect. "Ow. Why did those spells hurt so much? Wait, you didn't make them hurt on purpose, did you?"

"Like I said, I'm just a novice," Sadie answered simply. "Should we get on with our mission?"

We headed off into the forest. It was still daytime, and there wouldn't be too many monsters. But the trees in the Forest of Nightmares were so close together that it was dark even in the day. Strange symbols were carved into the rough black wood. The leaves rustled above, and stopped when someone, i.e. me, glanced up at them. The ground was mostly muddy, but quicksand and deep pits were frequent. In other words, whether it was day or night, we had to be careful. It was good that Sadie's a careful chic.

The trip was pretty silent. I was still in pain from earlier, and Sadie was focusing on warding off any nasty things that might want to attack us. We had many occasions where we almost fell into a hole, and I could tell that monsters were watching us. Why did the forest have to be so long? We had walked for an hour and we still weren't half way through. It would be foolish to try another teleport spell.

"Oredne!" I said all of a sudden. Yeah, I do foolish things all the time. This time I didn't turn into a frog, but Sadie's wand exploded like a fireworks rocket.

"Why did you do that?" she screamed. "Now we are unprotected!" That was perhaps the first time she'd ever raised her voice. She's usually very quiet.

"I thought that would work." I whispered. "At least you're safe."

"From now on, don't do any spells. Don't do anything! You will never do anything right!" It didn't seem fair for her to just yell at me like that. I mean, it would have been wiser to pay attention to what was sneaking up behind her.

I thought of nourishing the monster. Making it more powerful. Guess what happened? It didn't rot, like the tree. It got closer to us. Fortunately, Sadie looked behind her to see what was happening. "Jason, this is your fault. Now we're going to die."

The creature was glaring at me. I'm talking about Sadie, not the guy. The real monster was also looking at me though.

"I do not want to eat you," it told Sadie.

"What, you just want to kill us and leave our bodies here to rot?" I asked.

"No-"

"There are no good monsters here. DIE!" I kicked it. Probably ruined our chances of survival, but...I will always be me. My foot passed through the monster's body.

"Listen. Or die," it grunted. I still couldn't see what it looked like, it was too dark, but I could see the silhouette of a dinosaur-like body. Maybe a T-rex.

"Yeah Jason. Listen. Or die," Sadie hissed. Was she really that mad? I sighed and decided to listen.

"I used to be a sorcerer like you. Then I took a magical blast to the knee." He showed us his knee, which we couldn't see. Ha ha, that rhymed. "I can prove it. I still have some of my magic powers. Iglem!"

The trees around us were set on fire. I was starting to question this guy. He was even dumber than me.

"Don't worry. It's magical fire, and won't spread or burn the trees," the dinosaur said briefly. I noted that they also didn't give off much light, so I still couldn't see what he looked like.

So that was great. There wouldn't be a forest fire. It almost made up for the fact that we were lost, and stuck with a magic dinosaur.

"Can we leave now?" I asked. "It's getting dark."

The dinosaur/ex-sorcerer turned to me. "No. You will be safe as long as you're with me. Now let's go." I had no idea as to where we were headed. A few minutes later, I found out. "This is my camp," he declared.

His camp was a spot with slightly less trees and slightly drier ground. Around a campfire I could see more dinosaur shapes. I really wanted some light so I could see them.

"Do you really want to see what we look like Jason?" one dinosaur asked. He had a heavy accent that I couldn't identify. "Okay then." The fire started to give off light. How could he read my mind? That was disturbing. A bit too disturbing... "I can't stop Jason. It is my curse." The fire lighted the camp and I could see the monsters. They weren't dinosaurs, but kangaroos.

"Wow. My mind has been blown. I thought you guys were dinosaurs," I said. That's why they didn't want me to see them. The blowing of my mind was almost too much for me to take. Oh yeah, I forgot to talk about Sadie. She didn't do anything. Just thought I'd say that.

"We have been waiting so long for sorcerers to come and help us. Most people who enter this forest have died," the one we met first said. That was a happy thought. I looked around the kangaroos/ex-dinosaurs/ex-sorcerers. I assumed that they were all male, but they all had pouches. In the pouches were various objects, probably to tell them apart as they looked exactly alike otherwise. The one who led us here had a torch, one had a stuffed animal, another had a bunch of rocks...I really don't want to describe all of them, there was probably a dozen kangaroos. Just know that they had stuff in their pouches.

"Help with what?" I asked. They were starting to sound like Amisto. The kangaroos looked around like they wondered if I was serious.

"We need to turn into humans again."

"And it can't be done with a spell," the mind reader kangaroo added, as I thought about when I turned into a frog.

The torch kangaroo nodded sadly. "You must defeat the monster who turned us into kangaroos. You probably don't know him. He looks like...I don't know how to describe what he looks like. But you'll know what I mean when you see him. Take my word for it. When you see him, he will challenge you to a contest. If you win, he grants you a wish. If he wins, you turn into a kangaroo."

Sadie didn't seem to thrilled about that. "But I can't do anything now that my wand is broken." She glared at me for the millionth time. "And Jason is bad at everything so he shouldn't do a challenge." Wow. She was being a complete jerk for some reason. This wasn't like her.

"Don't worry. You don't need a wand to do the challenge. What's needed is smart thinking."

Sadie snorted. "Then I will do the challenge. Where is the monster? I'll kick his-" The kangaroo put his paw over Sadie's mouth.

"Please don't talk anymore. As for your question, he's at the end of that path." He gestured to a path that I hadn't noticed before.

"Ideti!" Sadie said. Vines came down from the trees and wrapped around my limbs - my arms and legs. I couldn't move. "I'm not letting you ruin my chances of winning the contest! You would mess everything up!" She ran down the path.

"Kids these days..." a kangaroo with a book in his pouch muttered. "Are you okay over there?"

"Yes. But I'm worried about her. Usually I'm the one who does this kind of stuff. I mean, even I never get this extreme. I'm not that kind of person. No. What I'm trying to say is that...I don't exactly know what I'm trying to say."

The kangaroos nodded their approval. Then there was awkward silence.

"So are you both sorcerers?" one with a teacup in his pouch asked.

"Uh...ha ha. Not really. We can do spells and all that but we didn't get proper training. And I'm not a good sorcerer at all. Like, that tree is better than I am." Everybody looked at the tree I pointed to. "What about you guys? Are you sorcerers?"

The teacup one answered. "Yes. That is, we were. Until...We became kangaroos! Gosh, we were so freaking handsome too, I hope that monster dies in a hole or something!" His friends put him away.

Another moment of awkward silence. A kangaroo came hopping to the camp, muttering.

"I could have won...he probably cheated...now I'll be a furry animal forever..." The other kangaroos avoided Sadie and looked at me.

"Jason! You are our last hope. You have to do this for us," the torch one said desperately.

I had a bad feeling about the situation I was in. "A dozen skilled sorcerers and Sadie couldn't do this. How could I do it? I'm just a...an epic failure. I can't do anything right."

"He's got a point!" Saddie said. Kangaroos put her away too.

A kangaroo with a doll in his pouch hopped over to me. "Jason, you can do anything." He looked at me with sparkling eyes and cut the vines restricting me. "Have this for good luck!" He gave me the doll. I wondered if he was serious, but took it.

"Um...thanks. Okay, I guess if I'm the only one..." I knew what I had to do. I walked up the path...

 

In front of me was the monster. Holy cow, the torch kangaroo was right. I'm sorry, but there really was no way at all to describe him. No wonder he didn't even have a name.

"Good evening. What is your challenge?" the monster asked. Since 13 people had come before me, I guess he thought there was no need for him to explain what he was talking about.

"I can pick my challenge?" I asked him.

The monster sighed. "Just pick a challenge. We will compete, and I will win."

I thought about it. I thought about any hints that would give away the answer. Some of those things the others said...

"What's needed is smart thinking"

"I'll kick his-"

"He probably cheated"

Somehow...I figured it out. not all challenges were physical. I had to think outside the box.

"I know my challenge!"

"Just tell me what it is and let's start," the monster grumbled.

"You know what it is. And you know that I've won because I am by far superior to you." I know, right? Looking back on what I said...well, I had to. So shut up. I wouldn't be able to say something like that again without throwing up.

The monster gasped. "How could this be? You have won. Now I have to grant you one wish. What is it?"

"Oh, I get a wish? Well then. Take away the punishment from all your victims. That is all."

 

When I got to camp, there were no kangaroos. Instead there were men and Sadie cheering. "You did it Jason! You did it! You've freed us!" the sorcerers said happily.

I looked at Sadie, who was sitting off to the side, staring at her hands. She wouldn't look at me, so I walked up to her.

"Jason...I'm so sorry..." she managed. Was she...crying? "I didn't mean to say all those things. I don't know what got into me."

"But I do," I said, walking to the center of the campsite.

"Kangaroos! I mean, um, people! I must tell you how I conquered the monster!" I looked at the only one who wasn't holding what was in his pouch. To my surprise, he was a she (yes, like Bianca). "What is your name?" I asked.

"My name is Lily," she answered. She was tall, with blond hair and a motherly appearance.

"Lily, if it weren't for your doll, I wouldn't have been able to beat the monster. All of you, you gave me confidence. That is what I needed. The monster somehow controlled my mind, making me less confident. He also made Sadie keep telling me that I couldn't do it. My challenge was to realize that I could succeed after all."

There was more cheering. And also a giant party. In the middle of the night, in the Forest of Nightmares. The sorcerers created drinks and food. Since it was too dangerous for Sadie and me to leave now, we stayed at the party. It was great, but we were probably too young. Oh well.

In the morning, when the party was over, Lily came up to me. "Jason, I want you to keep the doll," she said.

"What? But it's yours." I was shocked. The doll seemed so powerful. So powerful, I didn't understand how it worked other than the fact that it helped me find what to say.

"No, it is yours. I made it a year ago. It's a magical doll, a charm that cheers people up and brings happiness. And...it talked to me. It said that it loved me, but was destined to be with someone else. Now I know who. Think of it as a thank-you gift for saving us." She handed it to me.

"Wow. Thanks...so much." I put the magic doll in the bag. Then the torch sorcerer, who earlier introduced himself as Rick, came up to me. I think I forgot to describe him. It was the first time I'd recognized him in human form. He looked like a daredevil, with a face that made you think 'oh no, what is he thinking?' and long brown hair. I think he's a fire sorcerer.

"Jason, I will never be able to repay you. But as we go our separate ways, I ask: is there anything that I can do?"

"Yes. You could teleport us to Port Barcos. Yeah, that would be awesome. Thanks," I said, smiling.

"Easy. Good bye, and thanks again Jason!" With that, he waved his hand and teleported us to our destination, and we lived happily ever after.

6: A New Setahr

Chapter 6

Amisto

Jason had just left the house. I had no intention of letting him get away.

I couldn't force Jason to be a sorcerer. But he doesn't know that, I thought. I decided to track him with magic. This was possible only if I concentrated really hard, completely ignoring what was going on around me and focusing on the boy.

There was a flash, and I was in the sky. Below me was Jason, running through the streets of Draida. He was at the intersection of Unicorn Way and Sunset Avenue. But he didn't seem to be looking where he was going, dashing through the crowds of people and constantly running into them. One of them was a police officer.

"Kid! Come back here! What are you running from?" the officer asked. He summoned five more officers.

Catch that kid. I need him, I telepathed to them. One of the perks of being a mage is using mind magic. Instead of looking like a fool saying magical words, you can cast spells and do other magic with your mind. The officers nodded, showing that it worked. They then ran down the street after Jason, towards the market. He didn't notice that armed magical police were chasing him. The only reason they didn't catch up to him was that there were too many people in the way. The officers pushed them back, trying to get to Jason, but soon there were too many as the sun grew higher in the sky. The police lost sight of him, and I did too. Fortunately the boy had had nowhere to run to. This couldn't go on forever.

The police looked around desperately. We can't find him! Plan B? one of them asked. Plan B was something we had thought of a long time ago.

No, you idiot! Plan B is a last resort. We will find the boy, I answered. I never imagined this to be so difficult. Maybe I should tell you how all this started, thirty years ago. You've read up to chapter eight, and deserve to know. Just don't tell anyone.

 

Amisto looked at the man in front of him. He had always looked up to him, and couldn't bear the thought of him leaving.

"Are you sure you want to do this? It's dangerous," he warned.

"They need my help. I have learned all four of the ways of magic and I am more than capable," the man said confidently. But there was a hint of doubt in his voice.

"You have a wife and son. They need you!" Amisto argued. He had met the man's family more than once.

The man looked away and sighed. "They knew that one day I would have to go. My brother is with them now to take my place."

"But...we need you," Amisto whispered. The man was the most popular sorcerer in Draida. Without him, there would be a hole in the daily lives of it's people. All the other sorcerers looked up to him and learned from him. There was no telling when or if he would come back.

"There will be another sorcerer here. He will be the new setahr, the new master of magic, champion of the town, and teacher of sorcerers," the man told Amisto.

"Don't say that! You're acting like you will never come back!" Amisto said.

"Good bye, Amisto."

"Good bye Alexander." Alex left the room, leaving the little boy alone and confused.

A week after Alex left, the town started to feel the difference. All of the Head Mage's attempts to lift their spirits were in vain.

"I must find the new setahr!" He muttered in his room. He called his secretary. "Have everybody look for this guy. Ask around. Draida will fall apart without somebody to take Alex's place."

"Yes sir!" the secretary said, leaving the room. But the Head Mage doubted that anything would work. As the days passed, there was no sign of the guy that Alex was talking about. He was desperate.

One day he called the whole town in front of his house. "It is time we took things a step further. Is anyone here a diviner?" he said. One person stepped forward. Amisto pointed to her. "You! Come here. Tell the town who the next setahr will be!" The woman stepped forward, but she looked unsure.

"Head Mage, telling the future is risky business. We could see things we shouldn't. Especially at times like this."

The head mage glared at her. "We must know who. Now stop wasting time and find out!"

The diviner sighed. There was no point in arguing with the Head Mage. So she closed her eyes. And stood there. After 20 minutes she was still standing in front of Amisto with her eyes closed. "Oh no, she fell asleep!" someone shouted. The diviner opened her eyes.

"I have seen the truth. He will come to us in 15 years. He will be born, to stop the tears. We shall have patience, and wait a while. And... then you woke me up." She looked at the person who shouted, and everybody followed her gaze. He looked at them, and told them.

 

That's all I remember. I was only a boy at the time, and didn't really care about all that. Do not get mad at me - you've seen enough. Enough to know why I think the new setahr will be Jason.

A strange word, setahr. It's one of those magic words that nobody understands. But I believe we were talking about the chase.

By the time Jason left the market, my officers had caught up to him. I watched in anticipation as they ran toward the boy. He faced them, no longer bothering to run. What is he doing? I wondered.

Jason spoke to the officers.

Really? You don't want the boy? the head officer asked me. The police left, going back the other direction.

"Good morning, Head Mage Amisto. What can I do for you?" a voice said, waking me up. Startled, I looked at the speaker.

"Hello...Jason's parents. I was just leaving." I left, embarrassed. They hadn't known that I broke into their house. As I walked back to my own, I thought about what I should do. How did the officers think that I told them to stop? What was Jason doing? There was only one way to find out. I hurried over to my house, where I would be undisturbed. It was about a mile from Unicorn Way, so when I arrived, I was out of breath. "Water!" I called, a servant getting me a glass of water. Then I went upstairs to my room. And started scrying again.

Jason had ended up in an alley. It was bordered by tall gray houses on either side. There was trash all over the ground and he was about to end up at a dead end. This was my chance. "Jason, don't be difficult. You don't understand. You must listen, or-"

"I hope I'm not interrupting you sir," a little boy said. I turned around.

"Yes, you are. What are you doing here? Go away!" I shouted. Little kids made me sick. They always messed around and did stupid things.

The little boy started crying. "I'm lost and I can't find my mommy and daddy." he said. "Never mind. I'll get a nice grownup to help me." Thankfully, he ran away.

"Well that was annoying..." I said to myself. I tried to go back to my scrying, but every time disturbing images came up. One was Draida burning, its people screaming in horror. Another was me, but turning into a monster with a disgusting face and scaly wings. I also saw a cave, where people came in but never came out. The last image was of Jason, about to be eaten by a fish-like monster.

I gave up on trying to find him. Maybe destiny was trying to tell me that Jason was not the setahr.

7: Rex

Chapter 7

Sadie

So we were teleported to the hills that surrounded Port Barcos. Over a nearby ridge we had a perfect view of the seaside town.

I was afraid of talking to Jason because of things I said last night, but I told myself that it wasn't me talking but the monster. I decided to speak. "Where do we start looking for Alex II?" I asked.

Jason was staring at the town. "Um...I'm not exactly sure. Maybe there's something in the bag that will help us find him." He didn't seem to be mad at me, which was good, but I focused on our mission.

We looked inside the bag, then poured the contents onto the ground. Inside was several canteens full of water, food wrapped up in cloth (I couldn't tell what kind of food it was), medicine, rope, maps, spare clothes, money, Jason's doll, and a wand.

"Hey! A wand!" I grabbed it, feeling power return to me.

"Yeah, but there's nothing to find Alex," Jason said, frowning. "He could be anywhere in this town, and we have no way of finding him."

I looked at his neck. "Hey, what about the amulet she gave you? Does it have some kind of locating power?"

Jason tugged at the amulet. "She said that I have to show it to Alex when we find him. He will know that we came from her."

I looked back at the town, wondering where a young sorcerer would be. By the water, many boats of all different shapes and sizes were docked, their owners staying at the taverns close by until they left. The locals lived farther away, to avoid trouble with pirates and thieves who could be found by the docks. Where the locals lived, the buildings were more well-built and arranged more neatly. The architecture was also more beautiful, and helped to clearly separate the two halves of Barcos.

"Come on, Sadie. We should go ask the locals if they've seen him," Jason said. We headed off down the hill. The second we were at the gate, we encountered our first problem.

"You two can't enter unless you have an adult," one of the gatekeepers told us. "Sorry kids."

Jason walked up to him. "You don't understand. We are sorcerers and if you don't let us through...um...there will be trouble." He took out his wand. "Alkezem!" he shouted, pointing at the door. But instead of opening it, the spell knocked Jason back several feet in the opposite direction.

"Oh yeah, I am so worried!" The gatekeeper mocked. "Go home, why don't you?" Was this it? Our first mission was over?

"Come on, Jason. Let's go," I said, helping him up. But I had no intention of giving up. At night, we would somehow get over the wall and into the town. Somehow.

"Emily! David! There you are! I've been looking all over for you guys!" An old man came running over, panting. "They're with me, guards. Could you please let us in?"

The gatekeepers looked confused, but saw that we had an adult. They opened the wooden gates that lead into Barcos. "Go on in. But don't cause any trouble," the second one warned. The three of us went in. I waited until we had walked several meters away until talking to the man. He had salt and pepper hair, but a strong muscular body. He seemed to be about 50 or 60 years old, not really old but not young. I don't know how else to describe him.

"Thanks a lot, sir. We couldn't have gotten in without you," I told him.

The man chuckled. "No problem. I could tell you guys needed to get in. Now why don't we head over to my house and have some tea?" Since he seemed really nice, I had no problem with going off with him, even though we just met. If he tried to harm us, I could use my magic for defense. So Jason and I followed him down a side road to his house, which was a few minutes' walk from the front gate. It was a simple cobbled house, with a gated front yard. In the yard a brown dog barked happily. Typical grandpa home. "Just make yourselves comfortable and I'll start the tea." He walked into the kitchen.

"Wow, this guy is awesome!" Jason whispered to me. I couldn't tell whether he was joking. Jason usually didn't like old people because they're "boring." But on the other hand, the guy was pretty cool. I noticed that Jason didn't have his amulet on.

"What happened to the amulet?" I asked. "You didn't lose it, did you?"

He pulled it out from under his shirt. "No. I don't want anybody to see it and try to steal it."

"Good idea," I commented. We sat on the couch for a while. "Should we ask him?"

"Ask him what?"

"If he's seen Alex. The guy we're looking for.""

"Nah. He's helped us out enough already. And he might not like sorcerers. We should act like normal people."

So it was decided. He wouldn't find out that we knew magic and that we were on a mission here.

"Hey kids, tea is ready. Why don't you come on over here?" The man said. We joined him at his table. His house was decorated with multiple personalities. Hunting trophies of different monsters were mounted on the wall, among posters and photos of people who are probably dead now. The carpet had an ornate pattern on it, and looked really cozy, as well as the couch. The rest of the furniture, though, was plain wood. An electric guitar sat in one corner, a grandfather clock was in the other corner, ticking away behind a rocking chair. There was a marble fireplace equipped with a basket of pinecones and lighted candles on the mantle. In the cramped kitchen, there was a white tile floor and neat white cabinets, but there must have been a party because there was a banner that said "Congratulations!" and bottles all over the counter. I really couldn't tell what the guy was like.

He handed us teacups and poured us tea. There was also a plate with cookies. "Oh dear. Forgive me, I have not introduced myself. My name is Rex. And you guys are? Not Emily and David, I assume."

Jason laughed. "My name is Jason, and this is my sister, Sadie. We came to see our cousins who live here." He took a cookie.

"Well it is a pleasure to meet you two." The man took a seat himself. I wondered if this guy liked to talk. If we carried on a conversation, he might discover our identities. "You know, I like to talk. When I was your age, things were so different. I don't remember how they were different, I'm so old, but I remember that they were indeed different. Yes. Things weren't the same." He poured himself a cup of tea. "So who are your cousins? I might know them."

"Um... Ben and Bob," I said. Jason facepalmed.

"I happen to know Ben and Bob! But they seem a bit too old to be your cousins... and, now that I think about it, you guys don't really look like siblings." We looked at each other. No, we didn't necessarily look alike.

Jason decided to do the talking. "We were adopted. From separate families."

Rex nodded. "Ah, that explains things. Where do you guys live?" Curse old people and their love of talking. If he figured out that we were from Draida, he would figure that we were sorcerers. And magic was unpopular in regular towns. What other towns were nearby?

"We're from Odom," I said, remembering the town nearby from when I looked at our map. Jason shifted the conversation. He also likes to talk.

"Do you live alone?" he asked, making it my turn to do the facepalming.

The man frowned. "You better be getting along. I know your cousins are waiting for you. Tell them I said hello." He herded us to the door. As I was about to leave, I smelled something.

"Is that smoke?" I asked. Rex sniffed the air. We all ran back to the kitchen, where the oven was on fire.

"The oven! How did this happen? Now my house will burn down! This is bad!" I realized there was no sink in the house. Jason nudged me.

"Forget what we were talking about. Do your stuff!" he said. I took out my wand and pointed it at the burning oven.

"Aupu!" I shouted. Water poured from the wand and onto the flames, putting them out. Smoke filled the room, leaving through the window. When it had gone completely, I could see that Rex was clapping.

"Well done, Sadie. Now I know you two are who I thought you were."

Jason looked as confused as I felt. "You knew we were sorcerers?" he asked.

"I'm not senile. I saw your little fight with the gatekeeper. Or should I say, your little failure." He laughed, making Jason go red. "You know, I haven't been honest either."

He took a walking stick from his cat-shaped coat rack. With a flick of his wrist, it glowed gold. Magic runes wrote themselves on the wood, which was now a lighter shade. The walking stick was a staff. "There's a reason I wanted to talk to you guys. You are obviously on a mission. And you obviously need help. I was wondering if I could go along with you guys, just long enough to teach you a few tricks. Then I'll leave if you want me to."

Jason and I exchanged looks. Would we like an old guy with us?

"We'd be happy to have you!" Jason said excitedly. "We need someone to teach us." But there was something wrong. What if Rex wasn't to be trusted? What if he was tricking us? I looked at Jason and we agreed. Rex still couldn't know the details of our mission.

"I'll teach you the basics first. Let's sit on the floor." We sat cross-legged on his plush carpet. "First a little about the different types of magic of magic," he started, grinning. He knew how much we young people hate learning. But Jason and I listened as politely as we could. Well, I did.

"There are four ways of using magic. With the body, the heart, the mind, and the soul. Body magic-" Jason snickered. "Body magic is using wands, staffs, and words to cast spells. It is most common. Heart magic means you focus your emotions to cast spells. This one is not so common. Usually only lovers use it." I looked at Jason. "The next, mind magic, involves using your mind. You have to have mental strength to use mental magic. You have to be...what do you kids say these days? You have to be smart. Lastly, soul magic. Soul magic is the most powerful by far, but it uses your energy - your aura - to get its power. If you use it the wrong way, bad things could happen. We always learn magic as body magic first because it is the easiest to learn. Any questions?"

I raised my hand. "I have a question, Mr. Rex. When will we go back to our mission?"

"When you both learn six spells. Two offensive, two defensive, and two utility spells."

That didn't seem like it would take too long. "Okay."

Rex nodded. "Could I please see your wands?"

We both handed him our wands. First he looked at Jason's. And snapped it in half.

8: Calvin the Crab

Chapter 8

Jason

When my wand was broken, I felt like I was also snapped in half. Not really, but I had a connection to that wand because I made it myself. "Hey! Why did you break my wand?" I asked, rather annoyed.

Rex looked at me. "It was for your own good." He threw the two halves of what used to be my wand out the window. I think I heard a voice screaming in misery and pain.

"That's what you get for breaking mine," Sadie muttered.

"Where did you get that wand?" Rex asked me.

"I made it myself. I got a stick and enchanted it."

Rex shook his head. "What made you think you were skilled enough to do that?"

I looked at Sadie. "It was all her idea! It was Sadie! She told me to say empier to a stick and I did."

"Thanks a lot," Sadie whispered.

"Empier means curse. The word for enchant is cantaren. I am ashamed of you, Sadie." He shook his head for a few seconds, thinking. "Did you make your own wand too?"

Sadie shook her head. "It was in our supplies."

"Good. Jason, I happen to have an extra wand that you can use. But I only have one." He gave me a new wand. "Now show me what you guys already know. And make sure you know what they really mean."

I guess Sadie knew a lot of spells from studying. But how would I know that much? I only remembered a few from my dreams, like...oh no, I forgot them already.

Sadie stood up first, knowing I wouldn't want to embarrass myself further. "I would be happy to!" Then she was smart. "Um... should we go outside first?"

Rex laughed. "Go ahead!" So we went outside, to his front yard. The dog barked and wagged his tail, but kept his distance.

"Empier!" Sadie said. The rock she was pointing at grew a face and legs and started running towards us. Probably not very useful... "cantaren!" she said next, still pointing a the rock. It stopped, the face and legs disappearing. I let go of the breath I was holding.

"Hey, wait a minute!" I interrupted. "If enchanting something takes away a curse, why didn't we just enchant my wand?"

"That's two utility spells, Sadie. Keep going!" Rex said, ignoring me.

Sadie nodded. She pointed at the rock once again. "Ideti!" I remembered that spell from when she used it on me. 'Bind'. Ropes from the yard come forward and wrapped around the rock. "Posefre!" The rock was pushed back towards the wall. That was two defensive spells. Sadie was on a roll. "Iglem!" A ring of fire surrounded the rock. "Pior!" Nothing happened.

Rex was impressed. "You can't poison a rock, I have no idea what's wrong with you, but very well done! That's six spells! I'm sure that you know more, you obviously study hard!" He turned to me, and the smile on his face disappeared. "Yes. Why don't you go ahead...Jason." I prepared myself. "Oh, and don't use any of the spells that your sister used, that would be cheating."

What wasn't very fair is that Sadie got the two spells that Rex told us about. And she did them so fast...

"Um...relago!" The rock disintegrated. I grinned at Sadie. "I did it! My first successful spell! I wonder how..."

Rex's frown turned into a smile. "You do have potential! That's a much more powerful spell than any of Sadie's!" I laughed. More spells came to mind.

"Alol!" I said, pointing at a scarecrow. It toppled over. great, that was two offensive spells. "Aegis!" The earth around the scarecrow rose up around it, forming a barrier. I turned away from the scarecrow and tried another spell. "Enom!" This time I directed it at a seagull. It stopped moving.

"Now you must show me two utility spells!" Rex told me. I looked at him. He was leaning on the wooden fence, watching me with amusement and happiness on his face.

"Oh. I...don't know any." I admitted, hating to disappoint him. I tried to think. "No- wait! I do!" I pointed at his front gate. "Alkezem!" The gate creaked as my spell opened it. And then I realized that Sadie hadn't used all the spells I heard her use. I turned to a hole. "Aupu!" Water filled the hole.

"Well, it looks like both of you are ready to return to your mission," Rex said. "It seems as though you two are in quite a hurry."

I realized that he was right. We were in a hurry. "We need to take care of some business here in Barcos first. Do you mind?" I asked.

"Not at all. I'll get ready for your next lesson while you two are out," Rex said. With that he walked back into the house.

"Are you ready?" Sadie asked.

"Um...yeah. Let's go." I followed her back to the main street. "So where do we start asking about Alex? Who can we trust?"

"Nobody can know that we're looking for a sorcerer. Let's put up posters, simply saying that we're looking for a guy named Alex. He'll see them and come to us. We'll have to leave Rex's address on the posters."

"Where are we going to get posters?" Leave it to me to ask so many questions. But Sadie was the more experienced one.

"I...didn't think of that. And something else. He would be hiding, if he's a sorcerer. We need to think of something else." We walked over to a bench, resting our elbows on our knees and our chins on our hands. Thinking. We came up with a few ideas. One was to call his name. We could also look through all the windows like creeps. Or we could go back to Rex and ask for some kind of homing spell. Sadie thought of the last one.

"I like your idea more," I admitted. "Let's go back to Rex." We went back to Rex and knocked on his door.

"Well that was quick. Are you guys ready for your next lesson?"

Sadie shook her head. "No, we need your help. With...what we're doing. Do you know a homing spell?"

Rex laughed. "That was going to be your next lesson! Come on!" We went over to his yard again. I loved how he didn't ask why we needed a homing spell in the first place. "Now it is easy to mess this spell up if you are not precise. It is one of those spells where you don't have to say one of those stupid words. Watch this." He took out his staff. "Find Merlin the dog, my loyal companion," he told it.

The staff slid out of his hands, and pointed to the house. Then it flew over to Rex's dog.

"As you can see," Rex said, "It found Merlin. But watch what happens if you don't say it right. You guys might want to step back. A lot." He recieved his staff. "Find Merlin the dog, destroyer of souls."

The staff flew higher than before into the air, and spun crazily. It pointed down, and flew to me. I'm pretty sure that doesn't describe me at all.

"I am not a dog named Merlin, and I do not destroy souls," I assured them after dodging the staff.

He laughed. Was it just me, or did he laugh a lot? "I know, that's what happens when you say the spell wrong. It acts all crazy, then leads you to a random person."

"Okay, thanks for showing us. Bye!" I grabbed Sadie's arm and ran to a spot where Rex couldn't see us. "Come on, let's get on with it!" I urged her.

She took out her gray wand and started the spell. "Find Alex II, son-"

"Wait!" I interrupted. "I want to do it!" I wanted to show her again that I could actually do magic, to rub it in her face. And to make up for the first few fails.

"Oh. Go ahead." She took several steps back.

I looked at my new wand. It was green, and a shiny emerald was at the tip. Otherwise it was pretty simple. No mystical runes or anything. But I liked it anyway. Green is one of my favorite colors.

"Jason, are you going to do the spell?" Sadie asked impatiently.

"Oh yeah." I looked at my wand again, this time not letting myself get distracted. Maybe I was afraid of failing, but too bad. "Find Alex II, son of Alexander the legendary sorcerer." My wand glowed green, and pointed towards the docks. It flew over really fast.

"Great job, Jason! Looks like the non-cursed wand is working for you! Let's follow it before it gets lost!" We ran after it. I couldn't believe that we were going to find Alex. Everything was happening so fast. It seemed too early to finish our mission. We were having so much fun. Kind of. At times.

I realized that it might be strange, seeing two teenagers running down a street, following a flying stick. But the locals of Barcos didn't seem to care. They just went about their daily lives, not judging us for our strange actions.

Sadie frowned. "Jason, be careful now. I heard that there are lots of bad people downtown here in Barcos. The closer we get to the docks, the more dangerous it is."

"Okay, Mom!" I said exasperatedly. Danger was my middle name. Actually, it's was my nickname when I was little. I used to cause all sorts of trouble to people.

The wand stopped at a dead end. It hit a wall, and fell to the ground with the clank of wood on stone.

"Oh crab," I muttered, disappointed. This was due to the fact that my wand turned into a crab. A green crab. I decided to call him Calvin. Calvin the crab. The result of magic's complete uselessness.

"Jason, I am sorry. I have failed you," Calvin told me. He didn't sound like a crab. More like...I don't know, more like he was hissing. Do crabs hiss? Do they make any sound? I wouldn't know, because I came from a landlocked town. Don't get mad at me for not knowing whether crabs hiss.

"Wait, do all wands turn into animals?" Sadie asked. She threw hers at the ground. Nothing happened.

"No. I'm special," Calvin said. "But all wands are alive, if that's what you mean."

I sighed. "That is all very nice, Calvin, but how do we find Alex? The second?"

He hesitated. "My senses tell me that he is that way, but far off. He is not in Barcos."

As if we hadn't had enough drama, three men came up to us. "What are you two kiddies doing there? We're going to rob you." They were all tall and thin, all beat-up from multiple street fights. I figured they were thieves, but they looked like they couldn't hurt a fly. But we weren't flies.

"Oh yeah? Well I disagree!" I said, picking up Calvin and pointing him at the ugly thieves. "Iglem!" I shouted, waiting for the flames to swallow the theives. Nothing happened. I grabbed Sadie's wand and tried it once more. "Iglem!" I repeated.

The thieves laughed. "What are you trying to do to us? Are you sorcerers? Oh no guys, we're in trouble. They can do magic. We're going to die!"

Sadie nudged me. "New sorcerers can't use magic on regular people. I thought I told you that."

"Well that sucks. Who would make such a stupid rule?"

"I don't know. Maybe people our age tend to abuse their magic powers. Behind you."

One of the thieves hit me in the head with his club. I fell to the floor, dazed. One thing I gained from the experience - I learned to not have a conversation with someone while being mugged. Smart, huh?

Sadie hit him, but it wasn't very effective. The other two thieves started to come in, brandishing their weapons. "Any last words, you helpless children?" one of them asked. Then everything went dark.

I was in a dark tunnel. I couldn't see anything, just blackness. Dark blackness. Until a light was shining at the other end. I slowly walked toward the light.

If you think I'm just being dramatic, then you're right. What really happened was I wound up on an island, standing in front of a young man who was lying on a hammock. Just as Bianca said, he looked like me, with the crazy brown hair and blue eyes. He was wearing worn trousers, a dirty white shirt and a brown vest.

"Alex?" I asked.

The man looked at me, smiling sadly. "Yes. I heard you were looking for me. I'm on an island...Grandor Island, it's called. But it's very small, and people never visit it. Only an experienced sailor would know about it, it can't be found on a map."

"Okay. Um...it looks like I already found you though. And I have no way of getting back to Port Barcos."

Alex laughed. "This is just a dream. You hit your head pretty hard. I'm glad I could finally reach you. My telepathic powers are limited, and I can only talk to people who are sleeping. You haven't slept in a while." I realized he was right. We had been up all night with the kangaroo people.

"Well, the mission is going to be easy now that I know where you are." I patted myself on the back. "Anything else you would like to tell me?"

He thought about it. "I just wanted to help you...and to say thank you so much. Tell my family I love them and that I will be back home soon."

"You're welcome. Um, bye. See you soon." I said. His family? It wasn't like they were with me. I only knew Bianca. Hm.

The darkness came again...

I woke up in Rex's house. "We've been to and from this place a lot, haven't we?" I asked.

Sadie smiled. "He's alright! Jason, do you remember what happened?"

"Some thieves attacked us. They knocked me out, but you told them who's boss with the help of Calvin and they left."

She shook her head. "It was Rex actually."

Rex stepped forward. "You should have seen it, they were crying like a bunch of babies!" he informed me.

I was really jealous. While I was laying on the ground, an old man was beating the crap out of some guys. Then I remembered what Alex told me. "Rex. Sadie. We have to go to Grandor Island."

9: The Wonderwolf

Chapter 9

Sadie

Jason didn't talk about his encounter with Alex in front of Rex and me, but I was willing to wait.

"What are you guys waiting for? Let's go!" Jason said. He tried to get out of bed, but winced in pain as he lifted his head off of the pillows.

Rex looked disapprovingly at him. "You must stay here until you're all rested." He placed his hand on Jason's head, and muttered some words. "You're all rested."

Jason got up again. He looked like he was still in pain, but it was easy for him to get up.

"Thanks. For everything," Jason said. "Now can we go?"

"Why not?" Rex said. "This time, I think I'll go with you. Well, I know that I'm going with you." He smiled. We left the house. Merlin was going to look after it while Rex was away, apparently. As we headed to the main road, he barked his goodbyes.

"Do you know which ship we have to take?" I asked Jason.

"Any, but he said that only experienced sailors know about Grandor because it's too small to be mapped." He looked at Rex. "Do you know any experienced sailors here? Ones that could take us to Grandor?"

Rex shook his head. "As a sorcerer, I keep in the shadows. And even if I wasn't magic, I wouldn't bother with getting to know the pirates. They aren't to be trusted."

"If we can't trust them, then how will we get them to take us?" Jason asked. Wait, since when were we going to go with pirates? I wondered.

But Rex had an answer to Jason's second question as well. "We pay them extra before we get off on Grandor, and after the return trip. Pirates will do anything for money."

And Jason had another argument. "Couldn't they just take our money and throw us overboard before we get anywhere?"

"Jason, my boy, you seem to have forgotten. With me along, they are under our control. Do not worry!" I watched as the two of them talked to each other. They seemed to enjoy arguing, but I couldn't tell.

"So how do we find the pirates?" Jason asked further.

We stopped walking. In front of us was downtown Barcos. While it was only noon, it seemed darker than the other part of Barcos. Maybe it was the way the buildings were arranged. A bad feeling rose in my stomach.

"Jason, you go first," I said. The dock half was separated by a stone wall. A wooden gate was the only entrance.

"You're such a baby," Jason said. He went through the gate and holding it open like a gentleman. We walked through.

"Follow me, boys. Don't look anybody in the eye. Or eyes, if they have two," Rex said quietly. Oh right, pirates with their eye patches. We followed him. As I was instructed, I looked down. But, all of a sudden, I heard a wet noise coming from behind me. Jason was holding his wand as that green crab.

"Jason, put that away!" Rex said. "We don't want to attract attention. Wait, where did you get it anyway?"

Jason looked upset. "Calvin? He's my wand. He makes me feel safe." And he called me a baby.

"The wand I gave you? It turns into a crab?" Rex asked. "I never-" He was cut off as he walked right into a street light. I winced, knowing the pain he must have felt. It was a solid metal pole.

"You better watch where you're going, old man," Jason told him, grinning mischievously.

"It doesn't matter. We're here." We followed his gaze. He was looking at a tavern across the street. Above the door there was a sign with a squid wriggling its tentacles.

"You can't take us there! We're too young!" I argued. Jason and I were only 16.

"Two things. First - I am not too young to go in. Second - You guys are too young to go into there, but not too young to be on a mission? As sorcerers? And go through the Forest of Nightmares? Oh, there's three things actually. The third is that, like I said, you will have me with you. Now let's go." He walked up. It made me wonder whether this was our mission or his.

"Come on Jason, let's go." I looked next to me, but realized that he was already going with Rex. "Hey, wait up!" I ran after them.

We got to the door. "Jason, would you like to do the honors?" Rex asked stupidly.

Jason opened the door and dramatically as slowly as he could.

"Hey everybody listen up! We have something to say!" Rex shouted as we came in. He looked around, putting on his leader face, expecting everybody to pay attention to him. Unfortunately, there was no one inside to do that.

"We don't open for an hour! Get out!" the guy behind the counter said.

"Sorry!" Rex told him, herding us back out. We waited an hour and then a little while before coming back in.

"Hey everybody listen up! We have something to say!" Rex repeated as a second attempt. This time the Wriggly Squid was pretty much full with pirates eating disgusting food and doing other things that pirates do.

"You guys again," the bartender grumbled. The pirates seemed to be just as happy as they looked down on us with scorn.

"Oh look, an old man and his grandkids!" the closest pirate exclaimed. "Give him yer ears, lads! I'm sure that whatever he has to say be very important!" He and his friends went back to their food. Not listening at all.

"Tantibus!" Rex shouted. He started to transform into some kind of creature. As I watched in horror and admiration, I realized that he was turning into a sea serpent. The serpent version of Rex wrapped around the room, it's scaly black body inches from the pirates seated at the tables. His head was angled, with horns and beady purple eyes. As he opened his mouth, multiple forked tongues flickered from it, gently touching the bartender's face. One of the pirates took his cutlass and slashed at Rex with it but the blade went right through his body. It made me glad that we had Rex with us.

"Listen, or there will be heavy consequences. Anybody stupid enough to defy me?" Rex asked. His voice matched his new appearance, dry and evil. The pirates looked away from his eyes.

"Good." Rex turned back into a human. "We need a captain. Someone who can take us to Grandor Island. Don't ask why. There will be a big payment." The pirates looked around, wondering if anyone knew what Grandor Island was. One figure raised his hand. I couldn't see what he looked like, as he was sitting in a dark corner and wore a hooded cloak.

"I could take ye. Tomorrow," he said.

Rex turned angrily to the dark figure. "No. We leave now."

The dark figure shrugged. "Fine. But I charge ye extra." What courage the guy had.

Rex huffed. "Show us your boat, pirate."

The figure pushed his food away and walked towards us. "Argh. The name be Skylos." He walked out the door.

 

* * * * *

 

Skylos walked over to one of the many ships. It was made of dark wood, with red-and-white striped sails. As for the size, it was rather narrow but long. We got to the ship.

"Pay me 30 ducha, now," Skylos told Rex coldly.

Rex looked at Jason and I, then turned back to the pirate. "Here. 30 gold." He handed him three gold coins, each worth ten ducha.

Skylos lead us onto the boat. "Set sail fer Grandor Island!" he called. The crew came out and had the ship leave port. They were all cloaked, like Skylos. When Port Barcos was out of view, they surprised us.

"Take off yer cloaks, mates! We be away from that pirate-infested town and don't need our disguises!" They all took off the cloaks. The people weren't people. They were dogs. Yes - dogs. They were all pretty big, either brown, gray, or black. Skylos was black, and had a golden collar around his neck.

"What is this? A bunch of talking dogs kidnapped us? Why?" Jason asked.

Skylos just laughed. "Sorry if I scared ye, lad. We couldn't let any of those pirates know who we are. Let's just say that...well, bad thins would happen."

"I'm okay with it. As long as you mutts can actually steer a ship," Rex said, holding on to his staff.

"Oh we can steer a ship. We've been sailin' the Wonderwolf fer over 15 years. And we've only nearly capsized 'er twice. Ain't that right, boys?"

His crew nodded.

"Bet ye can't say that 'bout yer sorcery," he said, looking at Jason and I.

"How did you know we're sorcerers?" Jason asked.

"Yer...wand...is sticking outa yer pocket," Skylos answered. Calvin was indeed sticking out of Jason's pocket, in crab form.

"Help me! I can't get out! I can smell the ocean, please help!" he cried. Jason walked away from our conversation, helping Calvin get out.

I looked at the Skylos. "We haven't been sorcerers for very long, no. But we aren't that bad."

I had never thought about it. I mean, how did Jason do just as well as I did if he never got actual lessons? I had been studying a lot with Amisto. But Jason just...started.

"That be a challenge?" Skylos asked. "Think ye can do yer fancy magic better than I can sail me ship?"

I backed away, holding up my hands. "No. Not at all. I'm just saying, we...have a good teacher." I gestured towards Rex.

Skylos turned back to his crew. "Time fer grub!" he announced. Two dog sailors came out from below decks carrying a table with dog food on it. The rest came over, eating their lunch. "Sorry lads, don't think ye'd be eatin' dog food, no?"

"Um...no, thanks," I said. "We have our own food." Jason took some food from the bag and got some for me, Rex and himself. We sat away from the dogs in order to have some privacy.

"I've never imagined dogs to talk like pirates," Jason said, biting into his sandwich. "Wow, Bianca makes amazing sandwiches."

"What happened to Calvin?" Rex asked. "Your crab thingy."

"Oh, I threw him overboard. He said he could and would come back to me after he said hi to his family underwater." Silence...

"Hey Rex, can I ask you something?" I asked.

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"Just kidding, what?"

"That spell you used back in the tavern. Tantibus. What was that?"

Rex made sure that Skylos and his crew weren't listening. "An amazing spell I learned up north. It means 'nightmare'. It's only an illusion, but makes it look like your opponent's worst nightmare is alive. Those pirates' worst nightmare is the legendary serpent, Fidi. It's said that he brings down more than a hundred ships a year, and if you see him, it means almost certain death."

"Okay."

We ate our sandwiches. Eh...Bianca could have put less lettuce on them.

10: Failure

Chapter 10

Skylos

Har har har! I get to talk!

It be a warm, sunny day, perfect fer sailin'. I could taste the salt in the air, hear the waves gently lappin' against the side of me ship, and feel the breeze brushin' against me fur. It was nice bein' out to sea again. After spendin' me days on land, I was finally out in the open ocean once more. I probably didn't belong there, but I didn't care. Sailin' was how I got away from those I hated.

I looked at the sorcerers, seated at the bow of the ship. They seemed to have finished eatin' and were talkin' 'bout their day. Then I looked at me crew. They were still eatin'. I didn't know we had that much food, it was a good thin' we did. Hellhounds do eat a lot, even when not hungry. I never knew why.

"Listen up, crew!" I shouted, interruptin' their meal. They didn't seem too happy about that. "We need to find a way to defeat those sorcerers. They got their magic, but we got the elements o' surprise. Once we outsmart them, we can take their loot and get rid o' them."

When the crew found out that there be action, they stopped eatin' and listened. The one thin' they liked more than food was a good fight. "How will we get 'em, captain? They said they be really strong," one o' them asked. So were we, but I knew what he meant. We couldn't take any risks.

I thought about it. "Here be the plan. Koira, go to the old man. Ask him to show ye some spells, and be all cute. Cane, Madra, and Pas, ye three sneak up on 'em, then, when Koira has their full attention, grab 'is staff and throw it o'er the starboard side. O' the port side, I couldn't care less. The rest of ye help 'em when the fightin' starts. Any questions?" There were none. "Then get to yer battle positions! Perro, come with me."

As me crew got ready, I turned to me first mate. "We'll watch from the helm. If anythin' goes wrong, which they won't, we get involved."

Perro nodded. "Aye aye, captain!" I was lucky to have such a loyal first mate. O' all me crew, I would choose him to be marooned with. We watched Koira head to the bow, doin' his thin'.

"Eh, how ye doin' mates?" he asked the sorcerers. The three seemed surprised to have him join them, but in me experience, humans could never resist Koira fer he be very fluffy. He sat down across from the man.

"We're fine. Is there something you need?" the man asked. His face didn't show any emotion, so it was impossible to tell where this be goin'.

Koira smiled. "Argh, that there is, mate-"

"Call me Rex," Rex said.

"Well Rex, to be honest, it's kinda borin' 'ere on the ship. I always wondered what magic was like." I hoped he was just sayin' that to distract Rex.

The brown-haired lad laughed. "You can't learn magic, you aren't human," he said rudely.

Koira gave 'em the puppy dog eyes. "Aw, I just be wantin' to see it. Come on." Wow, he was good. The humans be putty in his paws.

Rex grinned. "Sure, I could show you a spell or two." He took out his giant stick. "Pagos!" he said, pointin' it out towards the water out by the bow. Nothin' happened.

"What does it do?" Koira asked, soundin' disappointed. Again, I wondered whether he be tellin' the truth.

Apparently, the other dogs wanted to know as well. They stopped hidin' to look out towards the bow.

"You'll see." Rex told him.

A giant fountain o' water rose up near 60 feet away, twirlin' in the air. It got so high, I couldn't see the top. Some fish got sucked up with it, flappin' around probably confused as to why they be flyin'. Then the water tower froze. In front of us was now a chunk o' Devil's Ice, or an iceberg as ye landlubbers call it.

The dogs, realizin' what he had done, jumped at the three. Rex be fightin' them off with magic, usin' spells to knock them back and immobilize them. The children started to use magic as well, but then wound up usin' their wands as swords, hittin' the dogs. Why did they stop usin' magic? And why did Rex summon the iceberg, knowin' that it would sink the ship? Did he know what we really were? I watched the fight below us. It was fun to watch, but they shouldn't have been fightin'.

"Avast! All of ye!" I shouted. Me crew stopped and looked up. Even the sorcerers listened. "There be an iceberg in front of us, an' if we don't steer away from it now, we're goin' to crash into it and sink!" I growled and looked around. "Hund. Chien. You steer the ship to port, then get us back on course. Now!"

I know what ye may be thinkin'. I was at the helm, and I could've steered it meself. Allow me to show ye a flashback, five years ago, so ye understand.

 

Skylos, captain of the Wonderwolf, was staying at a tavern one night, eating food made especially for him. His night was fairing well until one of the other pirates walked up to him, angry.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the little puppy hangin' out where he doesn't belong." He was a large man, with long, unkempt black hair that went down to his shoulders and a massive beard. His face suggested that he hated the world and was always willing to start a fight.

Skylos ignored him. These pirates always mocked him for not being human, but they couldn't hurt him. It was easier to pretend that they weren't there. It always worked for him.

The pirate flung Skylos' food against the wall. "Listen to me! If ye don't get yer filthy hide out of here right now, things will get ugly. Uglier than ye." He smiled at his own joke, even though it wasn't funny, and he was uglier than Skylos.

Skylos growled. "I'm not leavin'. I need to go somewhere to eat, just like ye." He still didn't think that the pirate could harm him. He was just a human, anyway, while Skylos was a hellhound.

"Fine. We'll do this the hard way. Come 'ere men!" The pirate's crew came to the table, surrounding Skylos. They unsheathed their swords, swinging them to scare the dog that was seated in front of them. Skylos wasn't scared of them at all. But the pirates also thought that they wouldn't get hurt. Skylos was just a dog, and they were experienced sailors with swords. So they weren't scared either.

"Come at me!" Skylos shouted, jumping at the nearest pirate. Surprised, the pirate was slow to react as Skylos scratched his face, blinding him. Then he opened his mouth, breathing fire on six more pirates. But the rest of the pirates in the tavern started to join the fight as well. Skylos was starting to lose the fight. He jumped on, scratched and bit the pirates, but in his frenzy, he lacked defense, oblivious to the cutlasses slashing at him and weakening him. If he were normal, he would have died instantly. In a minute there were still 20 pirates left, cowering in the corner. Skylos sat at his table, panting. His fur was cut and bloody, and his strength was gone. Soon the pirates would realize that he could no longer fight, and they would come at him to deal the finishing blow.

"Leave before I...kill you..." Skylos attempted, staring at them. He tried to get up, but collapsed.

The pirates were confused. "He be bluffin'! Get him!" One of them said, probably the leader. They walked slowly towards the dying dog watching them, making it more suspenseful and horrifying for him. "Ye knew we would win. Why didn't ye leave in the first place?" The leader asked.

"Because...ye haven't won yet, matey." Skylos croaked. It was risky, but he had no other choice. He breathed fire one last time at the 20 pirates. The flames caught the wooden support beams on the ceiling, spreading rapidly, lighting up the otherwise dimly lit building. The old wood started to fall apart, raining dust and ash down on the pirates. A creature dragged Skylos' limp body back to the Wonderwolf, taking him away from the burning building.

Aboard the ship, Skylos' crew looked at their unconscious captain. He had barely made it out alive, and wouldn't have if it weren't for Perro. The hellhounds relaxed as Skylos woke up.

"Did they die a very miserable death?" he asked, his eyes still glowing with hatred.

Perro laughed. "Don't worry, if they didn't burn, the tavern fell on top of 'em. You'll never hear from 'em again." He always admired Skylos' courage and strength in battle. They had fought before, but he had never seen Skylos singlehandedly take on some 70 pirates like he did back in Barcos.

"Good," Skylos said. Well, we better set sail again before the officials find out." He tried to get up, but was too weak.

Koira, the only one on the ship with healing abilities, looked sadly at him. "You've been badly injured in there, captain. You won't be able to steer her for a while."

"A while" turned out to be ferever. The burns on me front paws never healed, and since then I've never been able to steer me ship or fight like a true pirate.

 

When I woke up from me daydream, I realized that Hund and Chien would be unable to steer away from the iceberg in time. It was too close. There be panic, me crew runnin' around and swearin' at the sorcerers that had caused this.

"Rex, get rid o' the ice!" I shouted. I wondered if he did this on purpose.

Rex nodded. "Okay. Alol!" He pointed his stick at the iceberg, which was gettin' closer by the second. I thought the iceberg would disappear magically, but that wasn't what the sorcerer had in mind. Instead, the iceberg plunged into the ocean. It was probably as tall as a whale. As it went down, it was so big that it created a whirlpool, which didn't exactly solve our problem. We were pulled towards her.

I glared at Rex. "What was that fer? Now we be goin' to Davy Jones' Locker even quicker!" If we be goin' to hit the iceberg, we could 'ave at least abandoned ship before impact. At least that way we would have had a chance o' survival.

He smiled at me and waved. "Nope. You guys are going to die. We, on the other hand, will not. Volas!" The three o' them grew golden wings, flyin' away. They didn't even bother to give us wings, or some other way o' gettin' away. I couldn't believe it. Somehow they had heard our conversation, and found out that we were goin' to take their money and throw 'em overboard. Those scallywags!

"I guess this is it men! Er, dogs. See ye at Davy Jones' locker!" The Wonderwolf spun around, towards the center o' the whirlpool. It slowly brought us to it's gapin' mouth, laughin' and lickin' its lips in anticipation. I never thought that I would die such a miserable death.

11: Calvin the Awsome Friend

Chapter 11

Jason

I finally opened my eyes and looked down. I wished that I hadn't. We were about 30 feet high in the sky. I think. Did I ever tell you that I'm afraid of heights? It was freezing up there, and I felt as though the gusts of wind were going to blow me into the ocean below. Rex had to tie me up with some rope so that he could pull me along, while I closed my eyes and pretended that I was sleeping. I closed my eyes again.

"How're you doing, Jason?" he asked, looking down.

"Bad. Can we please go down? How long does this spell last anyway? I think I'm going to throw up. And where's Sadie?" Sadie had disappeared. I didn't want to open my eyes again and look for her.

Rex laughed without sympathy for me. "There's no land to go down on, so...yeah. You're out of luck. The spell lasts a few more minutes, then we have to swim. As to where Sadie is, she's scouting ahead because she isn't afraid of heights, and doesn't have to pull someone who is afraid of heights." He started to lose his grip on the rope.

"Ah, no, please!" I screamed, flailing around as if that would help.

Rex laughed again, even harder this time, so that he was practically cackling. He does that a lot. "Relax boy, I'm just messing with you."

I looked in my pockets for the confidence doll the sorceress gave me. "Hey Rex, where's that bag?" I asked.

"Oh...I think Sadie has it. Do you want to fly to her?" Rex asked. He knew the answer to that question.

"Tell Sadie to come over here. I need that bag," I said desperately. We only had a few minutes, but it would feel like a few hours without that doll. Gosh, I felt like such a girl, so desperate for a doll.

Rex didn't know about it, so he probably didn't understand why I wanted the bag. "Why can't you wait? We'll see land soon and then we can stop." He tugged at the rope and shook it. "Jason. Are you awake?"

"Yes! Don't do that!" I was gripping the rope so hard my hands were getting numb. For an old man, Rex was pretty annoying. That brought me to another topic.

"Hey Rex, why did you kill the dogs of the Wonderwolf?" I asked. "They didn't do us any harm."

Rex hesitated. "I didn't kill them. I just helped nature do it," he said simply. "Do you know what those guys were?"

"No. I'm guessing dogs?" I thought of Merlin, Rex's dog back home.

I imagined that Rex was shaking his head. Of course, I was still closing my eyes. "They were hellhounds. Demon dogs. And they were planning on betraying us. Jason, whatever you're doing for your first mission, it won't be easy. You have to toughen up, or you won't survive." It sounded like he had something on his mind.

"Toughen up? Are you calling me a wimp?" I asked, rather offended. It was true, but I didn't like to think about it.

"No. But there will be a lot of obstacles in life that are hard to deal with, and if you can't accept them, you fall. Like this." He let go of the rope.

"What do you- ahh! What the fudge is wrong with you!" I shouted as I fell. I tried to fly, but my wings wouldn't work. Then I thought that this was another one of Rex's jokes, and that he would grab the rope again. But he let me fall into the water. As I came up to the surface, he was off in the distance, flying towards Sadie I can't swim. Since Draida is an isolated town free of any real body of water and I never left before the mission, there was never the opportunity to learn. The rope around my waist probably weighed me down. So you can understand why Rex really pissed me off when he did that.

"Grab on. I'll save you," a voice said. I looked around, but there was no one around. A black head popped up next to me. It was Fidi, the snake that Rex turned into at the tavern. But that wasn't possible. Rex was still flying, and the real Fidi killed on sight. "Well? Are you going to get on?" Fidi asked.

"My mom always told me not to ride strangers," I said, trying to stay afloat by flailing my arms and legs. Don't think I was doing it right.

"Jason, do you really not recognize my voice?" it asked. Now that it mentioned it, that voice did sound familiar.

"Um...sorry."

"It's me. Calvin," he said.

"Calvin! So that is your real name?" I asked, surprised.

Calvin swam closer to me. "Get on, and we'll talk about it while you aren't drowning."

I realized that yes, I was about to drown, and grabbed a hold of Calvin's neck. "So you were saying?"

"Oh, yes. Most humans call me Fidi, but I think I like Calvin more."

That was a shocker. "Wait, you're the Fidi? The legendary serpent that every pirate fears?" I asked.

"Well, fidi applies to my species as a whole. But yes, I've eaten a few pirates in my life time." Wow, so there was a bunch of them. No wonder attacks are so common. I was thankful for the fact that I wasn't a pirate, because then he would have eaten me. Would another fidi have eaten me, if they saw me alone, struggling to stay afloat? Probably, to put me out of my misery.

"Oh yeah. Speaking of your species, how's the family?" I asked. I remembered why Calvin left us in the first place. He hadn't seen his family in a long time and wanted to let them know that he was okay.

"They're fine," Calvin said. "Glad I came to see them, and they're happy that I'm with you."

"Well I am too," I told him. I wanted to pat his back but thought that it would be strange. He wasn't a dog or anything. He could talk. "Can all fidis turn into crabs and wands like you?"

Calvin shook his head. "No. It's because I 'became' a wand that I can turn into a crab, or any other sea creature I wish." I had almost forgotten that I met Calvin in wand form.

"How did you become a wand?" I asked. It seemed terrible to be a piece of wood, nevertheless a stick.

"That Rex guy turned me into a wand. Well, technically he bound me to it, used the wand to capture me. But it's okay, I guess. As a wand I get magic powers. Powers that I never dreamed of having."

I apologize for all this dialogue. There wasn't much else going on while I was riding Calvin. Just us blabbering on random things. So I'll skip ahead to the interesting part (I say interesting, but really it was totally awesome).

"Hey Jason, I think I see your friends." Calvin said. He pointed his head towards a small island with two figures on it. They didn't see us, but I could tell that they were Sadie and Rex, most likely not missing me at all.

"Hey Calvin, can I get back at Rex for abandoning me? I'll need your help."

Calvin stopped and turned his head 180 degrees to look at me, which I thought was creepy but really cool. He might have been smiling but I couldn't tell. "What do you have in mind?" he asked. I guess he still disliked Rex for binding him to the wand, because his voice was full of anticipation. I told him what I had in mind...

 

*  *  *  *  *

 

Rex and Sadie were seated at a campfire they had made, under some palm trees. Rex had caught up with Sadie, and they found a small island soon before their wings vanished. But Sadie was bothered by something.

"Where's Jason? Weren't you carrying him by a rope?" she asked. Leave it to Sadie to be worried about me.

Rex didn't look at all guilty. He looked at my friend like everything was going to be okay. "He decided to fly by himself without the rope. Don't worry, he'll come." That dirty liar. When we first met, I thought he was cool. But ever since he killed Skylos' crew, I was starting to doubt him.

Sadie still didn't seem convinced. Maybe and hopefully she could tell that Rex was lying. "Are you sure? It's been a while."

Rex put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Jason's fine," he told her assuringly. Then I decided to start the joke. Let me go into third person for dramatic effect.

"No. I am not fine," a sad, familiar voice breathed in their ears.

Rex and Sadie jumped and turned slowly to see the speaker. There was nobody behind them.

"Rex? No jokes. Really, what's going on?" Sadie asked, fear creeping into her voice. She looked around as if some monster would jump on her at any second. Goosebumps appeared on her arms. 

"What's going on is I'm taking revenge. On Rex," the speaker said. They turned around again, but whoever spoke didn't want to show themselves.

"Show yourself! I know magic!" Rex shouted. He summoned a ball of fire to prove it, moving closer to protect Sadie and staring at the darkness.

The stranger laughed. "You will not want me to do that," they warned. "But, if you insist..." In front of them appeared a ball of smoke. It took the form of a human.

"Jason?" Sadie asked as the smoke cleared away to reveal her friend's features, though still as a ghostly image.

"I was Jason. But then I left...thanks to Rex."

Rex sighed. "What are you talking about, Jason?"

Jason's eyes, just two empty sockets, glowed red with anger. "You dropped me into the water. Then you flew away and left me to drown. Unfortunately I died." He took a step towards the two, and they backed away, almost into the fire. "Now I'm going to kill you. I hope you realize what it was like for me when you killed me."

Rex, realizing what was happening, trembled in fear. Fear...something he hadn't felt for a long time. His eyes opened wide in horror as he looked at Jason's ghost. "But...I...I was trying to teach you a lesson. Bad things happen, and you have to get over it. I came back for you, but you were gone..." That, of course, was a lie.

Jason laughed. "Oh, something bad will happen. To you. And I will get over it right away." Rex fired his fireball at Jason, but he threw it back. It didn't touch Rex, but just barely. Jason's eyes glowed brighter, and he grabbed Rex with a smoky hand. "First I want to show you my dead body. Then maybe the bodies of Wonderwolf''s crew. Are there any other people whose lives you have taken?"

"Please, have mercy!" Rex begged. He went down on his knees. "I would never kill you on purpose. You two made me feel young again. Please, Jason. I...I'm sorry." A tear fell from one of Rex's eyes.

I put him down, and my body became normal again. "You know what could have happened."

12: Stranded

Chapter 12

Sadie

I stared in wonder when I realized that Jason had just gotten back at Rex. Poor Rex, he was absolutely terrified.

"But...that was a trick?" he asked Jason.

Jason nodded, smothering his laughter. "And you fell for it." Rex reddened.

"But how did you do it? That was some very powerful illusion magic. The energy you must have used!"

That only made Jason grin even more. "Calvin. He saved me and I rode him over here. Then he helped me do that trick." I didn't know how he could ride a crab, but I said nothing.

"Calvin?" Rex asked, scowling. "Who's Calvin?"

Jason scowled. "You should know. You changed his life forever." This was getting more and more confusing. He pointed to the waters behind us. Watching us silently was a long dark creature. It was the monster Rex had transformed into at that tavern. I put my hand over my mouth, shocked.

Rex jumped. "Okeanos. The wand I gave you..." He walked over to Calvin, his feet crunching on the soft sand.

"That's Calvin?" I asked Jason.

He nodded, grinning. "Apparently he's a fidi who got bound to a wand and he can turn into a crab. Cool, huh?" I still didn't get it.

"So you show your face again, huh?" Rex asked Calvin.

Calvin looked at Rex. "You caught and trapped me for no reason. Then you left me sitting on your table, all alone, until Jason and Sadie came. You don't know how lonely I felt, how worried I was. How worried my family was when they thought I had died. We fidis have feelings too, you know!"

I looked at Rex with new eyes. It was all moving by so fast, and I did my best to piece everything together. "Is that true?" Then I turned to Calvin. He did look a little menacing, with his scales, and his curled horns, and the evil purple eyes. Jason came over to join the party.

"Rex, you took him away from his family. Why do you hate monsters so much? Not all of them are evil. You're too stubborn to open your eyes and realize it." I wondered if Jason's stunt was actually more than a joke. And I understood why Calvin was willing to help Jason. But was there more to our teacher than we knew? I watched as my friends argued about who were the bad guys in the equation. Rex's hands glowed, Calvin was looking hungrily at him, and Jason was yelling random things. I could tell that it was starting to get ugly.

"Ladies! Ladies!" I shouted. "I think we can work this out. Why don't we all talk about this like sophisticated people. And serpent. Can we do that? Hm?"

It was frustrating to know that I was missing out on all the cool parts, like beating the monster in the Forest of Nightmares, and talking to Alex, and getting a wand that turned into a magical monster companion. Jason was getting all the attention, while I was standing in the sidelines. And I was the one who actually wanted to do this. He was afraid of dying. So I was going to make myself stand out more.

The three of them seemed surprised that I had spoken up. Then Rex looked angry. "Sadie, this does not concern you." Calvin, seeing that I had his attention, bit him. Rex then jumped at Calvin, and Jason at Rex. They rolled around in the water. How pathetic.

"Ideti!" I said. Three strands of seaweed wrapped around them and brought them back to the sand. They were still fighting, but the seaweed pulled them apart. "Listen!" I said hotly. "How will we do this quest if you guys can't get along? You'll be slowing it down. Now stop acting like a bunch of little children and listen." I let them go. Rex and Jason crawled over to the fire to let their clothes dry, but sat away from each other. Calvin turned into a seal pup and crawled over next to Jason. When we were all settled, I looked around them. "Now Rex, you go first. tell us your side of the story."

Rex glared at Jason and Calvin. "Thank you, Sadie. Well...I was willing to fly Jason over here, pulling him by a rope. Do you know how exhausting that is, pulling someone three miles? Jason is a bit on the heavy side too-"

"I am not!" Jason said. He looked at himself. I agree with Jason,he is quite skinny.

Rex coughed. "Anyway, he started talking to me about how evil I was for saving us from Skylos. The hellhound. I said that life is full of challenges, and I was trying to be nice about it, but he kept yelling at me. I dropped the rope so that he could fly by himself, because I was losing my energy and couldn't hold him anymore. But he let himself drop into the water and started drowning. I thought he was right behind me. Then he came over here threatening to kill me." I was feeling mixed emotions when I hear his story. He was pretty convincing. But things just didn't add up.

"And why are you mad at me?" Calvin asked. He looked at Rex with his adorable little seal face.

"Don't look at me like that! You know why!" Rex snarled. He was met by a blank stare from Calvin. "When I was on the trip 22 years ago, you sunk the ship I was on."

This was news to me. I looked at Calvin. The seal looked back at me.

"Well? Is that all you have to say Rex?" I asked. He nodded. "Okay. Calvin, why don't you go? Tell us why you sank his ship."

Calvin cleared his throat. "Well, pretty lady, I didn't sink his ship. I sank a pirate ship that he happened to be on. It's a fidi habit, you know? Then when I saw him, obviously not a pirate because of his magic stick thing, I provided him with a life boat so that he could make it out alive. Ungrateful, he took out a green wand and said something. I was blinded, but I could hear something like, 'I trapped you horrible monster. I hope you're uncomfortable.' And I'm like, oh no. Then, 22 years later, he gave me to Jason, who actually let me out of a wand. That is my side of the story." He gave me that look, the irresistible seal look, and squeaked.

Now I was really confused as to who was telling the truth. But I had to figure it out, because the guys clearly couldn't. "Jason. You give your side of the story." I thought that maybe it would be easier for me to decide if he spoke.

"I would be glad to," Jason said. He smiled at me. "Wait, I wasn't alive 22 years ago."

I sighed. "No, you idiot. When you guys were flying. Tell me what happened."

"Oooohhh yeah. So he was holding me. But he kept pretending to let go, on purpose. I asked him why he killed Skylos and his crew. There wasn't really much else to talk about. He told me to suck it up, like he kills innocent puppies every day-"

"What are you talking about? They were evil, adult hellhounds and meant to get us," Rex interrupted. I glared at him and he fell silent.

Jason looked at him, making sure that he wouldn't speak up again, and continued. "And then he said that if I didn't get over it, he would drop me. And then he dropped me. I was lucky that Calvin was there to save my life. Thanks again, Calvin."

"Anything for my best friend," Calvin said affectionately. He looked at us again with the seal face, his big black eyes meeting our own, his tiny mouth in what could be interpreted as a smile.

"Oh come on!" Rex said. "Why are we wasting our time talking about who's better? Have you no respect for your elder and teacher?" He looked at the rest of us with disgust and superiority. And a little anger.

"I know!" Jason said. "Let's have a vote. Whoever thinks that we don't need Rex anymore, say aye. Aye"

"Aye," Calvin said, raising a flipper. "Two beats one, Rex. Looks like you're leaving."

"What about me?" I asked. "Don't I get a vote? I mean...not that I would vote, but..." I don't know where I was going.

Rex shook his head. "You are right, but Sadie didn't raise her hand. It's a tie until she votes."

I could've punched them all in the face. I wanted to play a more important role in this mission, and now they were forcing me to make all the important decisions. I said I didn't want to vote. We still had a lot to learn from Rex, but he was being a pain. "I can't decide, guys. I'm sorry."

"Ha!" Rex scoffed. Whatever sadness and embarrassment from earlier was gone. Now there was just bitterness. In the day that I had known him, I'd never seen him like this.

I made my decision, knowing that either way I would be hated. "I say no. We can make this work."

Rex grinned, while Jason looked like I had betrayed him. I couldn't tell what Calvin was feeling because he didn't talk. I realized that they didn't understand what I was thinking. "But Rex, if you keep it up, I will change my vote."

He sighed. "Fine. I'll be a boring old teacher if it means staying. But look at the sky. We need to sleep." It was night time. The sun was gone, replaced by the moon and stars that twinkled and laughed at us silly humans.

I looked at Jason. "Hey, what's for dinner tonight?" I asked. I just realized that I was starving. We hadn't eaten since lunch.

Jason looked confused. "Dinner? We get dinner?"

I sighed and shook my head. Jason, sometimes I just didn't understand him. "No, in the bag. Where is it? There should be plenty of food left," I told him.

Jason laughed. "Nice one, Sadie. I know you have the bag."

That made me worried. If Jason didn't have the bag, who did? I turned to Rex but he shook his head. "I don't have it," he said with a frown.

Neither do I," the seal confessed.

"Oh great. Now we won't get to eat," Jason complained, lying down playing dead. "And we're stuck on this island." He was right. We didn't have food. We didn't have any way of getting off of this island.

"Have we looked around the island?" Rex asked. "Maybe there's fruit trees that we can utilize. If you know what I mean." Since none of us had a better idea, we started to look for fruit trees. The island was small, you could probably fit a teeny town on it, but not all of it was visible at one angle. There was a lot of shrubbery and hills were scattered around. It was hard to move through the plants and rocks. There weren't even any animals to eat. I found a berry bush, but the berries didn't look edible. Finally, I heard Jason calling from several feet away. I pushed towards him.

"Yes, Jason?" I asked as I got to him. There weren't any fruit trees there.

"For crying out loud, we're freaking sorcerers. Can't we just magically make food pop up out of nowhere?"

I shook my head, disappointed. I really hoped that Jason had found something. "Maybe, but I have no idea how to cast that kind of spell."

Jason looked disappointed too. And hungry. "There's no food here! I wish we had that stupid bag. Too bad Rex lost it."

Then I heard Rex calling in the distance. I hoped that he actually found food, and wasn't going to talk about using magic like Jason. "Rex. Did you actually find food?" I asked back. There was no response. I looked at Jason, and we ran in the direction where we heard Rex. When we stopped at the spot where we heard him calling, there was a cave. It was really just a hole carved into the side of a hill, but still noticeable.

"It looks like something ate him. Oh well," Jason said, starting to walk away. I grabbed his shirt and pulled him back.

"Or he went in. Let's go." I set my hand on fire like Rex and walked in. I could tell that Jason didn't want to follow me, but he had nowhere else to go to. We walked into the dark cave. It widened out a little as we walked, but there still wasn't a lot of room. It was as cramped as Unicorn Way back at home. Our feet made squishy sounds as we stepped in the puddles on the floor. We had walked for two minutes and still hadn't reached anything. I thought that surely the hill was too small to fit the cave.

A family of bats flew over our heads and Jason screamed. "Is it just me, or is this cave pretty scary?" he asked.

I had to admit, there was something about the cave that disturbed me. I wondered what it was that drew Rex into it. "No...this cave is creeping me out too," I said. I kept walking. Finally there was a light at the end of the tunnel. We ran towards it, and ran outside.

"We just went in a loop," Jason said. He was right. We came out the same way we had come in.

"Well wasn't that a waste of time?" Rex asked, next to us. He laughed. There was nothing special about the cave.

13: The Rex is a Lie

Chapter 13

Jason

It was four days after we got on the island. We ate a few berries, but there was nothing else to eat. Rex spent most of his time off doing his own thing.

"There has to be something we can do. Are you sure we can't use magic?" I asked. I knew the answer, because I had asked that question before. A lot. But I couldn't believe that we were so powerless. Hunger was deteriorating us.

Sadie groaned. "Yes, I'm sure. Rex doesn't want us to use magic while we have so little energy."

"But...just one little spell?" I asked.

She thought about it. "Maybe one...but not a summoning spell."

I knew what spell I wanted to use. I took out my wand. Calvin had gone back to wand form so that he wouldn't starve. "Find the closest source of food, our savior," I told it. The wand flew up and pushed through the trees.

"Jason, you can only use that spell to find a human. Didn't you know that?" Sadie asked matter-of-factly. I was disappointed because I thought that I was being smart for once. Sadie was always the smart one.

"Well I'm sorry for trying. Let me get the wand real quick." We followed the wand through the mini jungle. As it traveled through the air, it burned holes in the plants that were in its way. That made it faster that us, as we struggled to get through the thick shrubbery, but we could see where it was going. The wand also was going in a straight line. It stopped at a pile of rocks a few minutes later.

"See?" Sadie boasted. "It thinks we can eat these rocks."

"Hey, that 'it' you're talking about is Calvin. And he's smarter than either of us. Why do you always have to be right?"

"Jason, Calvin can't control himself when he's a wand."

I looked at the rocks. "These rocks don't look like they piled themselves." I started to pull rocks off. Sadie, seeing where I was going, helped me.

"Jason, you're a genius! I'm sorry I ever doubted you!" she said. Under the rocks was a cloth with a bunch of fruit and meat inside. Bananas, coconuts, and mangos, and what looked like some kind of bird meat salted so it wouldn't spoil. As far as I could tell, there was plenty of food for the two of us, enough to last a week or so. Yes, it was a very large piece of cloth.

"Sadie...is there anyone else living on this island?" I asked.

thought about it. "No. Only us. This island is pretty much uninhabitable. Unless..." She grabbed the cloth and ran towards the campsite. I picked up my wand and ran after her. Rex was sitting by the fire pit.

"There you guys are. What is that?" Rex asked as Sadie set the cloth down. She unfolded it, revealing the food inside.

"You were hiding food!" Sadie shouted. "No wonder you never seem hungry. Why didn't you share it with us?" It dawned on me that Rex was hiding food all along.

I walked over to him. "Is that true? I thought we were over this stupid little argument. Tell us - where did you get all this food and why did you hide it?"

Rex was stunned. "I saved it. From the bag. I was going to tell you guys, but...the fidi would have eaten it all."

So Sadie and I were right. "We didn't have all this in our bag. And I turned Calvin back into a wand. He doesn't need to eat anymore." Feeling rage build up inside me, I decided that this was the last straw. Rex wasn't the cool guy I thought he was when I first met him. He was someone I wanted to deal with. I wiped my sweaty hands on my shirt and pointed the wand at Rex, knowing what I had to do.

"Posefre!" I shouted, slamming my fist in his direction. Calvin said that using hand motions made spells stronger, and he didn't let me down. Rex was pushed all the way into the water, a big splash following. He got up, dripping wet and sand all over him, his face red with fury.

"So you want to play dirty, huh?" Rex asked. "Fine then. Kataigida!" Sand started to blow around me, getting in my throat and suffocating me. I didn't have time to think about how that word, of all the possible spells, sounded so weird. I coughed, though it made my throat hurt.

"Guys, stop!" I vaguely heard Sadie said. I waited for the sand storm to stop, but it didn't.

"Klevo! I said, ignoring the sand getting into my throat and making a pulling motion. It didn't come out right, as I was spitting out the sand, but it worked. Rex's staff flew to my hand, making the storm stop. I fell to the ground, having spent all of my energy. I felt a burning sensation in my chest.

Rex stared in shock, wiping wet sand off of himself. "Jason. Did you...beat me?" He saw that I was in pain and still spitting out sand, unable to talk. Then he walked slowly towards me, the sand looking like it made movement very uncomfortable. "Oh. No, you didn't. Either way, I don't care. Give me my staff back and I'll finish this." He was smiling crazily, ready to make me suffer. What was wrong with him?

"Aegis!" Sadie shouted. A glowing gray orb surrounded me, protecting me from Rex. "Rex, why are you acting like this? You are in the wrong. And Jason beat you fair and square."

Rex stopped and turned towards her. "Your friend started it. I'm thinking that you two are really demons, trying to trick me. And there is plenty of reason for me to think so." He looked at me.

"Help! What's happening to me?" I asked with the little strength I had left. The burning sensation got worse, and I had the feeling that it was going to kill me if no one did anything. I recalled Sadie telling me not to cast any spells. Oops.

Sadie growled. "Enom!" she shouted, pointing her wand at Rex. He froze where he was. I was surprised that Sadie didn't use up her energy the way I did. She ran over to me, removing the shield.

"Sadie. My chest is burning. What's happening?" I asked. I was starting to panic.

"I don't know. Take off your shirt." I did as she instructed and closed my eyes, afraid of what I might see. Sadie gasped. "Oh...it's so red."

"Yeah, blood is usually red! What is it?" I asked. Yup, I knew it would be ugly.

"No, your amulet. It's glowing red." I opened my eyes. I had forgotten about the amulet Bianca had given me. I hid it under my shirt back at Barcos, then forgot about it in all the excitement. The gem was originally white, but then it was blood red. The heat I felt was coming from it.

"I can't remove it!" I said, pulling at the amulet. The more I tried, the hotter it became.

"How did you get that?" Rex asked wildly. I looked up. Somehow he had broken free of the spell Sadie cast on him. "Yup, I figured you guys were demons. Now I have even more proof. Give me that amulet."

"What? No!" I shouted through the pain. I didn't understand why he wanted it so much. I was the one who needed it, to find Alex.

Rex pushed Sadie away and kneeled down in her place, his ugly face in front of mine. "That is not yours. Give it now!" He grabbed the amulet and yanked. If you've ever had that happen to you, then you know that it hurts. A lot.

"I tried to take it off, but I can't!" I told him. I showed him by trying to pull it over my head. He nodded.

"I see," he said. He took another amulet. I was surprised when I realized that it looked the same, just like the one I was wearing. "Are you there?" Rex asked the amulet, his voice shaking.

"What are you doing?" I asked. It was kind of weird to see that he had one too, and was talking to it.

There was a flash of white, and to my surprise Bianca appeared next to us. She seemed to be as surprised as I was.

"What happened? Who...Jason? Why aren't you wearing a shirt?" That moment there was very embarrassing. Then she realized that I was under attack. "Posefre!" she shouted at Rex. For the second time today, Rex was pushed by magic. Sweet.

"Bianca. I'm...um...glad you're here. But how?" I asked.

"Bianca? Is that really you?" Rex asked as he got up. He stared in wonder. Wait, Rex knew her? Why am I asking you all these questions?

"I don't know who you are," she told him. "I assume you are the one that brought me here? Why?"

Rex's face drooped. He looked as though the world had ended, and he was the only survivor. "I...why are you so young?" he asked Bianca. He reached out as if to touch her. "And how do you know Jason?"

Okay, at this point I really want to wake up from this crazy dream, I thought.

got up. "I don't mean to interrupt your little chat, but it seems as though none of us know what's going on here." Wow. Sadie's amazing wisdom.

"What do you mean?" Bianca asked Rex. "I'm so young because I've only lived for 16 years. I know Jason because we met in Draida and he's finding my brother. You still don't know who you are. So...if you could tell me...that would be nice."

Rex frowned. It was out of sadness, not disappointment. "Bianca. I am your brother. Alexander, Setahr of Draida." He showed her his amulet.

Bianca stepped towards him and looked at his amulet. "Alex? How are you so old?" She touched his arm as if to make sure that he was real. Oh he was real all right.

Then I remembered that I was being burned. "How do I get this amulet off?" I asked.

Bianca looked back and realized that it was hurting me. She pulled it off my neck. "You just have to ask me," she said, laughing. I missed her laugh. She put the amulet back on her neck.

Rex - or I guess his real name was Alex - watched her sadly. "Little sis, where were you in the 30 years you missed?" he asked. "You should be 46."

I got up and put my shirt on now that the amulet was off my chest. "What do you mean?" I asked.

Alex seemed tired of my interrupting their private conversation, but answered my question. "I left 30 years ago, when I was 20. Bianca was 16. But...you haven't aged at all since then." He was directing the last comment at his sister.

I looked at Bianca. "But you said he left a few years ago," I said, confused. I probably wasn't helping.

Bianca looked down. "I don't know. We'll figure it out later, when we get to Draida. Jason and...you must be Sadie." She looked at the other girl. "Thanks for finding my brother. You guys are awesome." She seemed upset to find out that her brother was 50 years old though.

"Wait!" I blurted. "One thing doesn't add up. Who was the Alex I talked to at Barcos?"

Alex was confused. "When did you talk to a guy named Alex?" Sadie was equally confused. I realized that I hadn't told either of them about my experience. So I did.

"When that guy knocked me out with the club, and you beat him up and took me back to your house, I was talking to a guy on an island like we us right now. He said, 'I heard you were looking for me.' and I'm like, wow, we found Alex."

Rex's eyes lit up. "My son, Alex. You know where he is?" So...there really was an Alex and an Alex II. Okay then.

"Yeah, Grandor Island. Where the Wonderwolf was going to take us," I said, smiling. "One thing though. How do we get there?"

Bianca held up her amulet. "We use magic."

We used the amulet to teleport to Grandor. It was even smaller than the island we were just on. There was sand, plants, and everything. I saw the hammock from my vision. Everything looked the same as then. Except for one thing. In front of us was a skeleton.

"Oh no, we were too late!" I said. That was stupid. Like...wow. After all we've been through.

"Jason! Sadie! You guys came!" someone said. Wait, never mind.

I looked up at Alex II. Or...Alex. From now on, when I say Alex, just know which one I'm talking about by the context. I don't want to keep saying Alex II because he isn't a king or anything.

Alex hugged Alex. "Son. You're alive. It's so great to see you again!"

"It wouldn't have been possible if weren't for you guys. All of you. But who is this pretty lady?" Alex asked, looking at Bianca. Sadie glared at her. Apparently the redhead wasn't pretty in Alex's eyes.

"You aunt, apparently," Bianca told Alex. She looked down nervously.

Alex looked at Alex. "Huh?" he asked. Ha ha. He looked like he thought he was the only one who was confused.

"She's a friend of the kids," Alex told Alex, to make things less confusing.

Okay then." Alex looked around. "So, where's your boat?" he asked.

Alex shook his head. "We teleported here. Thankfully we have magical amulets."

Bianca looked up at him. "But we only have one use left, so let's use it wisely." I guessed that both of their amulets could teleport a group of people once. Bianca's use was gone, and we still had Alex's.

"But...there's still one thing," Alex said.

14: So It's Not Over

Chapter 14

Sadie

See what I mean? Jason gets to do everything. I'm just his useless sidekick. This made me wonder why I was on this mission in the first place.

"What are you talking about?" Jason asked Alex II. I looked up as I remembered that we were still talking to him.

Alex II regarded Jason. "Oh. Um...it's nothing. I mean we forgot to have a party for you. Pryu!" A table appeared with party food and beverages. Musical instruments played themselves a few feet away from the table. A banner suspended from two palm trees said, 'Thank You!' and there were a lot of balloons. And confetti, which was really not necessary.

"Wow! This is awesome!" Jason exclaimed, running to one of the seats at the table. He got a plate and started to devour some pizza.

Alex II looked at the rest of us and gestured to the table. "Go ahead."

We walked over to the table and grabbed some food. I could tell that there was something wrong here.

"So when do we get to go home?" Bianca asked. "I need to watch my cats." She wasn't eating any of her food.

Jason looked up. He, on the other hand, was almost done with his tenth slice of pizza. "We're going back?" he asked. He probably wasn't too keen on going back to Amisto and the mean stall lady that yelled at us.

"Um, Rex?" I asked. He looked at me questioningly. "I was thinking about something. We learned magic not too long ago, but we were able to cast all those spells. How come?"

He wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Well, you two are very powerful. Does sorcery run in your family?"

I thought about it, and remembered that I didn't know anything about my family. "I don't think so. Jason?"

"No. Not really." He went back to his food. He was moving on to dessert, a giant chunk of chocolate cake on his plate.

Alex rested his chin on his hand. "Hmm. Do you have any charms on you? Anything that gives you energy?"

"No. Just the clothes on our backs." I really wanted to know what was going on. As I thought about it, the more confused I got. And the angrier I was at Jason, who didn't have to go through all the training I did to learn magic. Not that I had to go through that much. We both had it easy.

I noticed that Alex II and Bianca hadn't talked yet and turned to them. "What do you guys think?" I asked.

Bianca was the first to speak. "I know why Jason is so powerful," she said. "He's in love. Using magic for love makes people stronger."

"I knew it!"

"What?" Jason asked through a mouthful of cake. His face was red, making Bianca laugh.

"I'm serious, guys." I stood up and took a sip of some grape juice.  "Why can we cast spells like this? Ter." The party disappeared.

"Why did you do that?" Jason asked. His food had vanished from his hand. The chairs also went away, making the others fall on their rear ends.

"Is this all a dream?" I asked. "Why can't I wake up?" There was silence. We weren't really sorcerers. Soon we would wake up, and our lives would be normal. That was what I wanted to believe. But it was too good to be true.

"Come on now, Sadie," Alex said. "Don't you think you're overreacting?"

I sighed. Was it possible to overreact in a nightmare like this? "No. You know what's going on. And I want the truth." I pointed my wand at him. "Ved!"

Alex looked shocked. "How do you know that spell?" he asked. He opened his hand. A tiny golden scroll was inside. It floated over to me. "Sadie, don't read that scroll. It's for your own good. The story will be twice as long if you read it! You don't want to anyway?"

He didn't lie. I wasn't happy after reading the scroll. But all that I could think of at the time, scroll in hand, was that it would be nice to lengthen our story. Then I could make my mark and do something useful. No more of being Jason's sidekick. I opened the scroll. There was nothing written inside. "There's no words in here. Looks like you're in luck," I said.

"This is my story," he replied. But the words didn't come from him. It was the scroll. "I am Alexander, former setahr of Draida. I left 30 years ago on a mission that changed my life forever. I was to go to Waldurk to stop the demon Amaatlik. But when I got to Barcos, I found that I was unable to leave. Some magical force prevented me. I got really sick. My son, not knowing what happened, tried to look for me. He became stranded on an island. It wasn't until not long ago that I was free of this curse and with two young sorcerers, we set out to look for him and did. But I will live my whole life knowing that Amaatlik is getting stronger. If nobody stops him, he will destroy the world."

Jason looked shocked, wide-eyed with fear. "Amaatlik is real?" he asked quietly. "Why did you have to open that scroll, Sadie? Someone knock me out so I can forget what just happened."

Honestly, I was hoping to learn why we were so strong. I didn't want to hear Alex's life story, or that a demon was going to doom us all. I closed the scroll. It turned to dust in my hands.

I scowled at Alex. "You knew we were looking for you? And kind of your son too?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Now I do. But that's not the point. What the scroll was saying is that we are going to die." So optimistic.

"How do you know that?" I asked.

"Do you know what a setahr is?" Alex II asked, glancing at his dad when he said it.

"I do!" Jason said. He held up his hand. "Someone who sits." I couldn't tell whether he was serious. It was most likely.

Alex II shook his head. "Not a sitter, a setahr. A master of magic. He is chosen by the people, but to be one you have to learn and excel at every type of magic-"

"You've mastered every type of magic?" I asked Alex. Sure, he was really good, but a master? Even Jason could beat him, back on that island.

Alex shrugged. "I've gotten a little rusty over the years."

"But I defeated you back on that island," Jason said, mimicking my thoughts.

"I underestimated you." Alex replied. He blushed.

"As I was saying," Alex II continued, "If the setahr can't even reach Amaatlik, nobody can. There is no hope."

Bianca coughed. "Figaro and Isabelle are waiting for me."

"Right. Let's go," Alex said. He held up his amulet. It shined in the sunlight. "Take them to Draida."

That didn't seem right. "Them?" I asked.

Alex nodded sadly. "I can't go there. Everybody would see me as a weak old man who failed his mission. It would let everybody down."

The last time I saw him. A circle glowed around us, and we were teleported back to our home town.

 

*  *  *  *  *

 

We ended up under a bush in the north park. Probably so that nobody saw us pop up out of nowhere, but it was pretty uncomfortable. We got out. Around us kids were playing different games, dogs were running around, and old ladies jogged around the perimeter. Nobody seemed to notice us.

"So...is that it? We just sit here and wait for the apocalypse?" Jason asked, brushing leaves off his shoulders.

Alex and Bianca looked mournful. Not because of Amaatlik, but because of Alexander, who they would never see again.

"No," I said. "We're going to do this. Alex's sacrifice will not be for nothing. We will learn from his mistakes and kill Amaatlik."

"But you are just kids. How will you do something that the best sorcerer in Draida could not?"

"Alex, I know you looked up to your dad but surely there is something he did wrong. Jason didn't think that we could find you guys, he thought we would die right away. But we found you. If we can do that, we can do anything. Who's with me?"

Alex and Bianca lowered their heads. Jason stared at me.

"I have to go. Alex, if you'd join me, there's something I need to tell you," Bianca said. They ran away from the crazy girl that was me.

"I think that was a great speech," Jason said, watching them go.

"Are you going to Waldurk with me?" I asked him.

"Without an old person to protect us? Are you crazy?" he asked.

I sighed. "Then I guess I'll do it myself. I should have thought that you would be too scared." Before he could say anything, I walked out of the park. It was hard to believe that I would be doing this alone. I'd never met a demon, of course, so I didn't know what I would be facing.

"Girl! There you are!" someone shouted. I looked back at Amisto. He was followed by Jason's parents.

"Sadie! Have you seen Jason?" Jason's mom said. She looked as worried as always.

"We haven't seen him in days!" his dad added before I could answer.

I thought about what to say without exposing what happened. "He was just at the park. I think he was really mad at Amisto," I said. Without thanking me, they ran off.

"Now what's really going on here?" Amisto asked me, knowing that something was wrong. I remembered the ved spell I used on Alexander. Amisto could use it on me, so I decided to tell him the truth.

"Well, Jason met this girl in an alley. She gave him a mission of finding her brother. Jason fell in love with her, and thought that the mission would be easy. So he dragged me to Port Barcos, where we met a sorcerer who taught us magic. We found the girl's brother. But it took us a few days." I didn't want to give him the details, such as how we almost died, and the girl's brother was the setahr but would never come back to Draida.

Amisto stroked his beard. "So you went on your first mission? And you succeeded without my help?"

I feared that I made him upset. "Well..."

Amisto laughed for what was probably the first time. "It's fine. But we might not need Jason anymore."

This was news to me. Before we left, Jason was all he thought about. "Why is that?" I asked.

Amisto sat on a nearby bench and gestured for me to join him. I sat down. "Do you know why I wanted him to join in the first place?"

I never thought about that. Usually I didn't stick my nose into other peoples' business. "Not really," I said.

Amisto shifted in his seat. "About 30 years ago, our setahr left us to go on a dangerous mission." When I didn't say anything, he looked at me. "You are not confused?" he asked me.

"I read about Alexander. In one of the books you gave me," I told him.

"But it didn't mention him being a setahr," Amisto said. I realized he was right. "Did you see him on your mission?" he asked.

Since he knew, I thought that I should be honest with him. "He's the sorcerer I was talking about. He called himself Rex, and we didn't recognize him. It was only when we found his son that we learned who he was. But he didn't want to come back, because he never finished his mission."

Amisto grimaced. "He was a good man. I was only a little boy when he left, but I remember so much..."

"I understand what he means to you." I said sympathetically.

"A setahr is looked up to by everybody in Draida. Look around you." I looked around me, taking in the wooden houses, cobbled streets, and people walking around. "This town was once great. But when our setahr had to leave, it fell apart. We are weak in his absence." I looked again. Things did look a little sad. The houses had seen better days, their wood cracked and splintered. Trash littered the streets, and none of the many people walking on them smiled. It had been like this for 30 years, and in the sixteen that I'd lived there I never noticed.

"So...you thought that Jason could be the new setahr?" I asked. Again I felt jealous. I was the one that tried to be great, but Jason always took that from me.

"I did. The new setahr is someone your age. I was thinking about Jason because he is very powerful. But now I'm thinking that it may not be him." That made me feel better.

"So...what now?" I asked.

15: A Second Beginning

Chapter 15

Jason

I tried not to scream as Sadie left. Sure, we just came from a mission. But we had Alex with us. If we tried going to Waldurk, whatever that was, we would be alone. And we would die. Unfortunately I had two options. I could let her go, and know that she would never come back, or come with her. Gosh, why did she always have to make things so complicated? Girls in general! I really needed to get more guy friends.

"Jason! Are you okay honey?" someone shouted. I looked up to see my parents running toward me. Talk about complicated.

"Mom. Um...yeah. Why?" I asked.

She looked at me worriedly. "You were gone for five days. Where were you?" They didn't know about the mission? Crap. Darn you, Sadie, for leaving me to explain.

"Um...I was...lost. In the alleys. But you guys found me and we're back together now!" I said, hugging my mom and giving my dad a manly embrace. They seemed too relieved to see through my ridiculous lie.

"Well, I'm glad," my dad told me.

"Did I miss anything?" I asked. "Anything happen while I was gone?"

They looked at each other. "No. And don't worry. You don't have to learn magic if you don't want to."

I wished I was back on the mission. They would freak if they found out the truth, and that wouldn't be pretty. But I also missed the company. I realized after going on the adventure with Sadie that life here in Draida could be pretty gloomy. And I needed someone to share laughs with. Someone to talk about my experience with, and what I should do about Amaatlik. And I couldn't talk to my parents about it.

"Come on Jason, let's go home and talk about your experience," my mom said. She gave me that big, warm, motherly smile that only moms can give.

"Well..." I didn't know what to say. How could I tell them that I didn't want to talk to them, right after we'd just been reunited?

I was about to come up with some little white lie when Sadie came back. Just in time to save me from an awkward moment.

"Jason, I need to talk to you!" She looked at my parents. "Oh. Um...if you don't mind."

It was obvious that yes, they did mind. Sadie didn't care, and showed it when she pulled me away from them. "Jason, Amisto wants you."

"What does he need now? Hasn't he done enough harm?" I asked.

She shook her head. "It's not bad. He just wants to talk to you."

"Well...anything to take me away from my parents." I looked at them apologetically and followed Sadie. By the looks of things, we were headed toward Amisto's house. It was at the center of Draida, a short walk away. As usual, there were a lot of people busily walking on the road, so we were slowed down a little. This gave me some time to think about what I was going to say to Amisto. What did he want to talk about? Was she mad?

"So what were your parents talking about?" Sadie asked. She was ahead of me and I couldn't see her face, but I could tell that she was grinning.

"They wanted to go to our house and have me talk about my experience."

She laughed. "Sucks to be you." This surprised me. Sadie's one of those people who think that "sucks" is a bad word. It was a little funny to hear her say it, but it was always the other way around. It made me ask myself if she was really the friend I'd known for five years.

"Um...are you really Sadie?" I asked.

She turned around. Yup, that was definitely her face. Her very confused face. "What?" she asked. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Never mind." We continued walking in silence. While not a pretty town, Draida was organized in a grid pattern. There were no twists or turns to use as landmarks. There were four parks, plazas, and market places, but they all looked the same. I wondered how Sadie was able to navigate us through the uniform streets to Amisto's house.

"Here we are," she said, stopping at a white gate. White seemed to be a popular color in the world of magic. Past the gate, I could see the actual house, which was also white. It looked pretty but simple. There was a large front lawn with assorted plants and a couple fountains. Sadie opened the gate and went up to the house, knocking. The door was opened by a butler guy.

good teenagers doing here?" he asked. It was ironic; he sounded very sophisticated and polite, but his words suggested otherwise. Typical snobby rich person.

Sadie smiled. "Head Mage Amisto wanted to see us. Sadie and Jason."

"Do you have last names?" the butler asked. We stared at him blankly. "Very well. I will call him. Please wait." He went back inside.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked Sadie. The butler scared me away a little.

She nodded. "He's not mad at you. I'm pretty sure." Oh, yay. Sadie was pretty sure. I already felt more comfortable talking to the Head Mage.

The butler opened the door again. "Please follow me," he said unwillingly. We followed him inside the house.

The entrance was spacious, with fancy furniture and an expensive rug. There wasn't enough time to take it in, though. The butler seemed to be in a rush as he lead us to Amisto's office. We went upstairs and down a hall. At the end was a door with a plaque that read 'Head Mage Amisto.' The butler knocked.

"Come in!" Amisto said from inside. The butler opened the door for us, then closed it as he left. Good riddance.

"You wanted to talk to us, sir?" Sadie asked.

"Yes. Why don't you have a seat?" They both seemed disturbingly polite. We sat down in the two chairs in front of him.

"What do you want with us?" I asked.

Amisto hesitated, like when he started that conversation about magic. You know, at the beginning of this story. "How was your mission?" he asked. I gave Sadie my best "I'll get you" glare.

"You told him?"

Amisto sighed. "I am the Head Mage and need to know these things. Well? How was it?"

"We failed. The person we were trying to find is going to live his entire life on some island. There was no point, and we almost got killed many times," I informed the older man. "Thanks for asking."

"But did you learn anything?" he asked.

"I learned how dangerous life is. And that I won't go on another mission ever again." I could see where this was going. Chapter two all over again.

"But we had so much fun!" Sadie argued. "Remember when you made Alex wet his pants, when you pretended to die?" I grinned. That was pretty epic...

"What?" Amisto said, not sure how to react.

"You want me and Sadie to go to Waldurk and defeat Amaatlik?" I asked.

Amisto raised his eyebrows. "No, I most certainly do not. I wanted to make sure that I was wrong, that's all."

"Wrong about what?"

He bit his lip. "Sadie thought you were the new setahr."

"What's a setahr?" I asked. That word sounded familiar, but I forgot what it meant. Had I heard someone say that word before?

"You know...Alexander?" Amisto hinted. "The master sorcerer?"

"If he's a master, wouldn't he be a mage like you?"

"Weren't you paying attention at Grandor? With the scroll?" Sadie rolled her eyes at me. "Come on, Jason. Focus."

"Oh yeah. That...definitely. I remember," I said. Not really.

"Well, apparently you are not. You two may leave," Amisto said. "Thanks for being here. I'll see you later, Sadie. We can have our lesson on elemental magic."

"Wait! What about Amaatlik? Who will stop him?" Sadie asked. I got up but she was still in her seat, leaning forward with her fists clenched. It looked like she wanted to strangle Amisto. "Are you just going to let the world end? That's not like you, Amisto. We can form a giant party of sorcerers and knights, and go to Waldurk. Nobody is invincible, even demons. We could even study to find out what is weakness is."

Amisto sighed. He looked at Sadie and saw the determination in her eyes. "My, you are rather engaged in this matter, aren't you? Talk about it with Jason. I shall let you two talk about this alone. You have two minutes." He left the room without another word.

Sadie turned in her chair and looked at me seriously. "Jason, you know we can do this!" she said.

I looked around the office, focusing on his lovely decor. The floor was wood, but almost completely covered by a velvet-colored rug. Bookshelves lined the walls, with unidentifiable objects sharing the space with really old books. Paintings of old people and magical creatures covered the space that wasn't blocked by the shelves. On the desk in front of us was paper and a quill and ink. A few books were also on his desk. One was titled Talking to Jason for Dummies. I wondered where he got it. It sounded like an interesting read.

"Jason?" Sadie asked. "I'm worried about you. Ever since we got back, you've been acting funny. What's wrong?"

A tiny voice in my head was like, Because Bianca doesn't need me anymore! I told her to shut up. Yeah, "her." Unfortunately my conscience is female. "I just don't think that we can do this. Alex couldn't, and he was really good."

"He did something wrong. We can learn from his mistakes."

"You can. I won't be going."

She groaned. "Jason, on our mission, you did everything. While Rex was older, you were obviously the leader." But she seemed a little...upset? I think she had something on her mind, too. My brain hurt from so much thinking.

"What are you talking about, Sadie?"

"You were the one who defeated the monster in the Forest of Nightmares. You freed Calvin from his wand and helped him get back at Alex. Then you defeated him - Alex - when he thought that we were demons. If that hadn't happened, he wouldn't have accidentally summoned Bianca and gotten us to Grandor and then back here."

"But you were the mature one. You turned me back into a human when I turned myself into a frog. You were the one that thought of using the homing spell. And I only beat the monster in the forest because of some magic doll. Without it I'm afraid of everything. And when we were arguing, on that island. And when Rex - I mean Alexander, whatever - when he almost killed me, you stopped him."

Sadie looked like she wanted to slap me out of it. Whatever "it" was. "Jason, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have gone on the mission in the first place. I'm glad I did, because it changed my life for the better."

I crossed my arms. She just wanted to go on another mission. "Why do you want me to go with you so badly? Couldn't you find someone more skilled? And braver?"

"I couldn't. You're better than you think you are. What happened to the old Jason?"

"What old Jason?"

"Remember, five years ago, when we first met?"

 

*   *   *   *   *

 

There was one house in Draida that no one dared go near. It was off to the Southeast portion, separated from the others. A long, damaged road led up to a creaky gate. On the other side was a dead lawn with a small black house at the center. It was also in disrepair. The house was called Emeda, or 'the end', by the boys that lived in that area. It was said that a witch named Lamia lived in the house and would invite kids over only to turn them into monsters. One night, three kids became curious.

"Have you guys ever heard of Emeda?" one boy asked. They were staying at his house, and as the host, he wanted to start their conversation.

"We all have!" another replied. He didn't really know that much, but didn't want to have nightmares about it.

"What's Emeda?" the girl asked.

"You don't know what it is, Sadie?" the first boy said.

"What is it, Seth? I really don't know. Tell me."

The second boy moaned loudly.

"Shut up, Tyler," Seth said. "She wants to know, so we'll tell her."

"What is it?" Sadie repeated.

Seth grinned. "Have you ever seen the house a short walk south of here? Short, black, really creepy?"

nodded. "Yeah. You gave it a name? Is it really that important?"

"Can we please stop talking about it?" Tyler complained. He put a pillow over his head in a vain attempt to block out what they were saying. "Sadie, you don't want to know about it. You'll have nightmares for weeks!"

"Hey Tyler. I dare you to go in there," Seth said, grinning.

"Why would I do that? Don't you think I want to live?" He wanted to lock himself in the bathroom but had to stay and protect his friend Sadie.

"Don't do this!" Sadie shouted at Seth. She threw her pillow at him. "It's not nice to break into someone's house!"

Seth shoved the pillow away and scowled at her. "You know that a witch lives there right?"

Tyler gave him a dirty look, but Sadie leaned forward, interested. "Really?"

"Do you want to see for yourself?"

"What? No! I'm not stupid, like you are!"

Seth sighed. "You guys are a couple of chickens. I bet there isn't even anybody in there."

"You just said there's a witch!" Sadie argued.

"Please stop saying that," Tyler begged. He went over to the bed and buried himself under the blankets. "Please. Please stop."

"Hear me out. We can take something that's made out of amyna wood," Seth proposed. "That stuff makes witches powerless, right?"

Sadie retrieved her pillow and rested her elbows on it. "How would I know?" she asked. "And why do you want to go in so bad?"

"Because I've never seen a witch. And we could catch her and give her to the police to put her in jail."

"Or we could just let her stay in her house," Tyler said from under the blankets. "If she were that much trouble then more people would know about her."

Sadie thought about it some more. "Well, if she's a witch, I think it would be cool if we could catch her."

They went downstairs and found a decorative amyna branch on the fireplace. Seth also brought a knife. "Ready?" he asked.

"No!"

"Yes."

They left the house and walked toward Emeda. There were a few rats scurrying about, but otherwise the streets were quiet. They had to walk a mile to get to the house. That wouldn't be a lot if it were day time, but in the dark, alone, every moment felt like an hour. None of them had ever been out this late.

"I'm already scared." Tyler whined. He looked around nervously, breathing heavily, as if something was going to grab him if he wasn't watching his back.

"It's okay, Tyler. I'll be here for you." Sadie said, putting an arm around his shoulder.

Seth laughed. "I can't believe you guys. Monsters can't get in Draida, remember? We're protected."

"But how did the witch get here?" Tyler asked, still nervous. "What if she sneaks up on us and turns us into trolls? Then we wouldn't be able to stay here. Or maybe we can. What if the kids she turned into monsters can stay in? Then there are monsters."

"Don't worry. They can't. Here, you can have this," Sadie said, giving Tyler the amyna branch.

"Thanks," Tyler said gratefully. He clutched the branch as tightly as he could.

"Do you really need that knife?" Sadie asked Seth.

Her friend shrugged. "I don't know. Just in case. I like knives." He considered pretending to attack Tyler with it, just to scare him, but figured that Sadie would hit him if he did.

"In case you need to cut some butter?" she asked him. "That's just a butter knife."

Seth looked at the knife. "Really? Oh yeah. I guess you're right." He ran his hand along the blade, feeling no pain. "Oh well."

There was a rustling noise behind them. Tyler shrieked. "What was that?"

Seth threw the knife in the direction of the noise. It hit a bush. "Just a rat. Don't worry."

But as they walked on, they heard more rustling noises. Fearing ambush, they became silent and vigilant until they reached Emeda. But they did it, without having to worry about a monster attacking them.

"Well, we're here. This will be a piece of cake," Seth said.

"But that was just walking here!" Tyler said. "We have to go in the house. And walk back to yours, if we make it out alive."

"We'll be fine," Seth assured him. He opened the gate, making a lot of noise, and walked up the weed-infested lawn to the house. Sadie and Tyler followed him.

"Ring the doorbell, Sadie," Seth said.

The girl reached out rang the doorbell. She expected it to sound like screeching, or a dying animal, something unpleasant, but it produced a normal sound. After a few seconds the door opened. A small old lady stood in the doorway.

"Hello, young one. What are you doing here, all alone?" the lady asked.

Sadie looked behind her. Seth and Tyler were gone, having taken the branch with them. Sadie had to use his wits if she was going to catch the witch. "I got lost. I don't know where my parents are, or where I am. Sorry if I'm causing you any trouble, ma'am."

The lady smiled warmly. "Aw, why don't you come in here and I'll try to call your parents. No trouble, really. Come on in."

Sadie reluctantly entered the house. She didn't know what to expect. Right away she saw a comfy interior, a living room with a carpet, a table, and a long comfy couch. A fireplace was burning to the side. The entrance to the kitchen was nearby.

"My name is Lamia. Nice to meet you," the lady said. She didn't hold out her hand, just smiled at Sadie.

"Um...my name is Sadie," she replied.

"Would you like some hot chocolate?" Lamia asked. Without waiting for an answer, she hurried into the kitchen to prepare some.

sat down on the couch. It was as comfortable as it looked, soft and fluffy. She wondered if Lamia was really a witch, or just a lonely old lady that was misunderstood. Would it be rude to not drink the cocoa, or would she turn into a monster if she drank it? She wished her friends were here. Then she would feel more secure. They could have at least left the branch.

Lamia came in a minute later with the hot chocolate and gasped, dropping the mug. She found Sadie sleeping on the couch. Hey face reddened at the sight. "You dare fall asleep on my couch when I have been nice to you? There will be consequences for your rudeness, young lady!"

She began chanting. Right when she was about to finish, Sadie rolled off the couch and onto the floor. "You are a witch!" she yelled.

Lamia snarled at her. "It won't matter when I'm done with you. Would you like to be an imp or a unicorn?"

"Give me some time to think about it, please," Sadie said.

"Fine with me."

Sadie thought about her options. If she was turned into an imp, she would be really small and insignificant. If she was turned into a unicorn, that would be really embarrassing. Like, really. She wasn't a little girl anymore. But would anybody know that it was her? And not all unicorns were cutesy and innocent.

"How about a unicorn?" Sadie said.

"Unicorn it is." Lamia began chanting again. Sadie knew there was no point in fighting. If she tried to escape, Lamia would catch her and make the punishment worse. Who knew? Maybe being a unicorn wouldn't be so bad.

But then a stick hit Lamia, and there was a flash. Sadie was temporarily blinded. When she could see again, she had to rub her eyes.

There was no witch and no stick. She realized that Seth and Tyler had come back for her, thrown the amyna branch, and carried the fight into the kitchen. Sadie went there, into the kitchen and was confused.

Instead of her friends, she saw a brown-haired boy struggling with Lamia. He was hitting her with the stick, and it seemed to be working.

"Do you think you can kill me with that thing?" she asked him, laughing.

Sadie grabbed the mug of hot chocolate that was on the floor and splashed it at Lamia. Screaming, she stumbled into the counter. The boy grabbed the stick, and aimed it at the witch. Sadie realized that the end was pointed.

"I won't go down that easily!" Lamia said. She closed her eyes, and the stick flew out of the boy's hand. She pushed him back, causing him to fall backwards onto the hard tile floor. The boy gaped at her, his eyes wide open with fear.

"You two don't deserve to live. I will make your death long and painful," she said, grabbing two small figurines. Sadie took not of the fact that they looked almost exactly like her and the mysterious boy. Lamia dipped them into the boiling water from the hot chocolate, and Sadie felt like she was the one being dipped in it. The other boy obviously felt the same. "It hurts, doesn't it?" Lamia asked, cackling.

The boy, kneeling on the floor, reached into his pocket and pulled out another stick. With it he stabbed Lamia in the chest. All in one smooth movement.

Lamia tried to speak but couldn't. Smoke started pouring out of her wound. As the kids watched, her whole body evaporated, the dolls falling to the floor.

 

*   *   *   *   *

 

"What ever happened to the Jason who saved my life?" Sadie asked after she finished the story.

I tried not to get emotional. I had forgotten about that night, as we had never spoken of it. "But..."

"You can do this, Jason. Join me."

I thought about the witch, and the other monsters we'd encountered. I had to do this, for Sadie. For the world. Sorry if that's overdramatic, but many people would be in trouble if Amaatlik came to full power. I always laughed at him when I was little. Why couldn't I laugh at him again? "Sadie...I'm coming with you."

16: The Magic Store

Chapter 16

Sadie

It was nice to know that Jason would be coming with me. He might have thought that he was stupid and weak (his words, not mine) but I knew that it was just the opposite.

The door opened. "Well, wasn't that easy?" Amisto said as he reentered.

"You were spying on us?" Jason asked. I was momentarily afraid that he might not want to go anymore, and was about to say something but Amisto beat me to it.

The Head Mageshook his head. "No, I was not spying on you. I was eavesdropping."

"So...will you help us?" I asked him. "If you could find someone to go with us, that would be nice."

Amisto looked at Jason, then at me. "I can ask. Like I said, we...um...have limited sorcerers," he said unsurely.

"So what do we do while we're waiting?" I asked. "Do you want us to stay here while you find some people?"

"Are you kids ready to go? Do you have all your gear?"

"We'll go get ready." I got up from my chair and walked to the door. Jason followed.

"Um...thanks, Head Mage Amisto," I said. Jason nodded but said nothing. Amisto's butler was happy to escort us out of the house.

"How are we going to get the stuff we need?" Jason asked as we were walking away from the front gate.

"There's a magic store on the next block."

"Aw. Do we have to pay for all of it?"

"No. Amisto gave me a budget of 10 docha." I showed him the coins he provided as we turned the corner.

"Will that be enough?" he asked. One docha didn't buy much these days, maybe an apple, and magic gear was rather expensive. Probably more expensive than 10 apples. I could see why Jason was doubtful, but I had thought of everything.

"Amisto has a discount there," I told him. "So everything will be really cheap. Oh, look. Here's the store he told me about, to our left."

We stopped in front of a store with different magical items displayed in the windows, like brooms and robes. There was no sign saying the name of the store. It had dark wood walls and a wooden roof, like the nearby buildings, and looked rather insignificant. We walked in anyway.

"Hello guys. Are you here for some equipment?" a man asked from behind the counter. He seemed familiar.

"Alex?" I asked. "You work here?"

He seemed to recognize us at the same time. "You two? Um...yeah. I've been working here for a while. So. Are you going on the quest?"

"Yeah. Are you going with us?"

He shook his head. "As you can probably tell, I'm not so good with quests. I'd rather stay here and help sorcerers like you do yours." Well that was a bummer. A third person wouldn't hurt. Somebody other than Jason. But at least he would help us get some supplies.

Jason was admiring a white cape that was hanging on a rack. "Is this a cloak of invisibility?" he asked Alex.

Alex walked over and looked at the cape that caught Jason's eye. "That? No, it's just a cape. This is a cloak of invisibility." He grabbed another cape from the rack and put it on Jason. He turned invisible.

"Cool! Sadie, let's get it!" he said, removing the cape. But it looked like it was too expensive. We couldn't afford something like that. Oh well, at least he's in a better mood...

"What else do you have?" I asked.

Alex showed us a shelf next to the capes. "We have potions. Love potions, healing potions, poison potions. You name it." The shelf, which was very big and went up to the ceiling, was filled with tiny glass bottles. They were all filled to the brim with colored liquid, capped off with a teeny cork, and labeled with their individual effects.

"Poison potions? Isn't that dangerous? I wouldn't want Jason getting his hands on that."

Alex coughed. "It only works on monsters." I wondered if he was telling the truth. "Anyway, we also have some wands and staffs."

"I've always wondered, what's the difference between a wand and a staff?" Jason asked.

"And we have some robes," Alex continued, ignoring him. "Supplies for your familiars. Um...food."

"You haven't worked here for very long, have you?" Jason asked rudely.

Alex looked offended. "I just got back home. Give me a break." He walked backwards, walking into and knocking over a shelf with amulets on it.

"Alex! Are you okay?" I asked, helping him up.

He brushed himself off andsighed. "Yeah. I think I'm going to quit before I get fired." He put the shelf back up and started to clean up the mess, putting the amulets back on the shelf.

I glared at Jason. "No, that's not necessary. You just need some refreshing."

"I still think he should quit," Jason said, looking at the poison potions.

"We'll look around, it's okay," I told Alex.

He walked back to the counter to do what it is that magic store employees do.

Jason was looking at a courage potion. "Do you think this actually works?"

"I would assume so."

He shrugged. "We'll just get two of each." He placed two bottles of each potion type into a wooden box with padding inside. "Wow. I hope we can afford all of this crap. Look at how expensive it is."

Alex looked up from a book he was reading, probably an employee's manual.

"Jason, shut up!" I scolded. He laughed, looking at the other items. For better or for worse, the old Jason was back.

I looked around, feeling a little overwhelmed by all the options. What should I get, there's so much stuff! I thought. I started to wish we had a list. On the other mission, we just needed food and the extra wand. It was all in a bag, neatly set up by that Bianca girl. But this one would be longer. "You said you have food?" I asked Alex.

He flipped to a page in his manual and read it. "Yeah. It's magic and more nutritious." He turned the page. "It looks like they can make any food magic."

"They?" Jason asked.

"We," Alex amended. "But it's made fresh on order. Are you interested?"

"Could you please make us some magic sandwiches?" Jason asked. "Wait, no. Soup. That would be nice if it's cold out. Maybe both. Get to it, Alex." He made an annoying shooing gesture with his hand.

Alex, muttering to himself, went to the room behind the counter.

"Why did you have to do all that?" I asked. "He's trying to help us."

Jason looked up from the amulets. "Hey, Sadie, look at this. These amulets look like the ones Bianca and the old Alex have."

I almost forgot how frustrating Jason can be. "Why does that matter?" I asked.

"We could use them to communicate to each other. Remember, Alex used it to summon Bianca. And they let you teleport somewhere."

I looked at the prices for the amulets. "Jason, that's way too expensive."

"Then you get the supplies. I'll be waiting outside." He left the store, slamming the door behind him.

Alex came in a minute or two later with the food. "Well, I have your food. Are you done?"

"I guess so."

He looked around. "Where's Jason?"

"He walked outside."

"I'm not complaining. So what are you purchasing?"

I put the box of potions and the invisibility cloak on the counter, looking away so I wouldn't be tempted to buy any more.

"Will that be all?" Alex asked.

"No. The food too."

"Oh yeah." He looked at the prices and added them up in his head. "That will be 36 docha."

I pulled out the card Amisto's provided me and showed it to Alex. "We have a discount."

He looked at the card. "So Amisto sent you, huh? You get everything for half the price, so it'll be 18 docha."

"Oh. I only have 10." I looked in my pockets. There was only the 10 docha I was given.

Alex frowned. "It looks like it's mostly the food. Magic food is very expensive. Pretty hard to prepare."

"Then I guess we won't get the food. I'm so sorry, Alex."

That didn't seem to make Alex very happy. He pushed the food aside. "Are you getting some amulets? You'll have just enough money."

I took the amulets Jason found and put them on the counter. Like I said, they were pricey. But not as much as the food. We ended up spending about 9 docha, with 54 emro left in change. I put the copper coins back in my pocket.

Alex put our goods in a brown paper bag. "Thanks for coming, Sadie. Have a nice day," he said.

"Thanks. You too."

"And tell Jason not to come back," he added just loud enough for me to hear.

I opened the door to find Jason sitting with his back to the wall and his face in his arms.

"Jason, come on. We're going back to Amisto. Do you want to carry the bag?" I almost kicked him but something stopped me.

He shook his head, sniffling.

"What happened?" I asked. Was he crying?

"Nothing. Go on, I'm staying here," he said sadly.

"Really, Jason. You're coming with me. Now. Get up, we have to go back to Amisto."

"I can't let you see my face."

"What the heck is that supposed to mean? What happened to it? And how? You were only out here for a while."

He paused. "One of the amulets that fell off the shelf was broken. I accidentally stepped on it."

I kneeled down and nudged him. "How did it get your face?"

"It was magic. Maybe a protection charm." He lifted up his head. There was no face on his head.

I'm not going to tell you my reaction, just use your imagination.

Jason started laughing, and as I watched, his face grew back. "Just like Alexander. Good times, good times."

I didn't really think that his little joke was funny. Why did he have to be like that? For a second I thought that there was really something wrong. "What's you problem?" I demanded. I changed my mind and kicked him.

He controlled himself enough to stop laughing. "Come on, Sadie. You have to see this. Look at your reaction. Mirar."

A glowing white circle appeared on the ground in front of us. I saw us, Jason with his lack of a face and me screaming.

"You screamed like a little girl. That was so awesome." He started laughing again.

"Just follow me. We need to get back to Amisto." I looked at the sky. "It's getting dark. We better hurry." We ran over to Amisto's house. I opened the gate and rang the doorbell as I did last time.

"You again?" the butler asked. He glared at Jason, who was still giggling. "What's so funny, boy?"

Jason put on a straight face. "Nothing, sir. Sorry."

The butler stared at him suspiciously. "Come on. The sooner we get this started, the sooner we can get it finished." As we walked up the stairs, I wondered why he hated us so much. Maybe because of Jason, but I don't know. He lead us to the door with haste and opened it.

"Knock first!" Amisto shouted.

"My apologies!" The butler closed the door and knocked.

"Don't come in!"

The butler opened the door.

"I said don't come in!"

His butler looked embarrassed and frustrated at the same time. He closed his eyes and exhaled deeply.

"Just kidding. Sadie, Jason, come on in. You got your equipment?" Jason looked at me.

"Yes. We got all we need," I said. "Potions, cloak of invisibility, and some amulets." I showed him the stuff we bought.

Amisto looked at it. "Did you get food, water, extra clothes?"

"Yeah Sadie, did you get food, water, extra clothes?" Jason asked me.

I looked at the things. "No."

Amisto smiled. "Well, That's fine. You can get that at your houses. About the third person."

I leaned forward. While Jason was more or less a great sorcerer, it would be nice to have someone else. One gets tired of him pretty quickly. Last time we had Alex. The older one. Yeah, that's not saying much. But you get my point. I longed for a second companion. Maybe Bianca.

"Unfortunately, I was unable to find someone to accompany you. I don't know if you still want to go...?"

"That's okay," Jason said. "We'll have Calvin."

Amisto looked confused. "Calvin? Is he a friend of yours? Someone you met recently?"

Jason looked at me. "You didn't tell him about Calvin?" He took out his wand. "Show him, Calvin."

The wand morphed into a green crab. Calvin slowly walked up to Amisto, looking up at him with his beady little crustacean eyes. "Nice to meet you."

Amisto looked even more confused. "So you'll have a talking crab with you."

Calvin looked offended. "I'm not a crab. I'm Jason's wand. I can take on the form of sea creature. Watch." He demonstrated his various bodies. Different fish, jelly, eel, ray, shark, whale. The latter of which wasn't a very smart choice.

"Well. It looks like our young sorcerers are in good hands," Amisto told him from behind the remains of his smashed desk.

"I can turn into more." Calvin said.

"No, no. You're fine," Amisto said hurriedly.

Then something came to mind. "Calvin, you once said all wands are alive. What were you talking about?"

Calvin, having reverted back to his crab form, looked up at me. "What? Oh, I was lying. So you wouldn't be jealous. You'll remember that I'm alive only because I was once an independent creature, before Alexander caught me."

"What?" Amisto asked.

"So, anything else we'll need?" I asked before Calvin could say bad things about the setahr.

"Oh, right." He salvaged some papers from what was once his desk. "You'll need some maps, and I wrote some guides for you. For the unknown things that you will encounter. And, of course, the food, water, and clothes you must get on your own. Other than that, you may start your mission. Good luck."

17: A Bad Start

Chapter 17

Jason

I met Sadie at the North Park, where we were teleported back from Grandor. We had gotten the food, water, and clothes from our houses.

"Why are we leaving at night? Don't we have to go through the FON?" I asked.

"FON?"

"The Forest of Nightmares. Why are we leaving so late?"

Sadie eased the sack on her shoulder. "Amisto said that the monsters are in their dens, getting ready for midnight. We better get going now, so we cross before then." We started walking towards the FON.

I shouldered my bag. "Speaking of Amisto, why was he so nice? I mean, he was all angry and nasty before."

"He's a nice guy once you get to know him. It's just that...he's a little...temperamental sometimes."

The two of us walked on in silence. We were already on our second mission. And we never got proper training. If I hadn't formally committed to this, I would've turned back and given up. The farther we walked, the less confident I became. "Remember the last time we went into the Forest of Nightmares?" I asked.

"Yeah. We saved some other sorcerers, and they got us to Barcos."

"We almost didn't make it. We could have been eaten by monsters."

"No, we used protection spells. And you don't have to worry about being eaten because there won't be monsters. I told you, they're in their dens." She had a point. "Hey, we're here already."

Once again we were on the edge of the Forest of Nightmares. It was silent, with no sign of life. I still don't know what kind of trees populated the forest, but they all looked the same - short and thick, with dark wood and leaves. Vines and spider webs hung from many of them. There was barely enough room to move through the trail, it was almost overgrown. It was the perfect place for Sadie to pull a prank on me, to get back for that face trick back at the store. I hoped she wouldn't do that.

"So...we just go in?" I asked.

"Unless you want to dig a tunnel underground."

"That sounds safer."

"We're doing this. Nothing can hurt you." Sadie went in. Anxiously holding my breath, I followed.

Only a little moonlight bled through the canopy above. We had to make our own magic light to see were we were going. I wished that Draida wasn't completely surrounded by the forest. Who even decided to put a town there in the first place? I mean, really.

"You're going to die here."

That made me jump. I covered my mouth to keep myself from screaming. "Why would you say that, Sadie?" I asked.

She stopped. "Ugh. What are you talking about now?"

A shiver crawled down my spine. "If this is to get back at me for the face joke, I'm sorry. Okay? Please don't do that."

"I'm not doing anything."

"Just keep walking. The sooner we get out of here the better." She shook her head and started walking again. Trying to ignore the thoughts that crept in my mind, I followed her.

For a while there was silence. Beyond the glow of our wands, I could only see Sadie in front of me and the foliage to the sides.

"We're lost." This time I was sure that Sadie was talking. That was her voice.

"What about the map?" I asked.

"Jason, I'm not saying anything."

"Could it be a monster?"

groaned and turned around. "No, it's only your imagination. I told you, there's no monsters out yet."

I considered the possibility. "Why don't we split up? If I don't hear the voice, I know it's you. If I do hear it, the voice is a monster."

"Are you kidding? If we split up, we could get lost. What the heck is wrong with you?" She shook me as if it would help.

"I have a map too. We could rendezvous at..." I looked over my map. It was clearly written, showing Draida as well as all towns and landmarks between it and an island, what I assumed was Waldurk. I noticed a small lake at the other side of the forest. "We'll meet at this unnamed body of water right here."

"I still don't think it's a good idea for us to be alone."

You said there aren't any monsters out." I pushed through some bushes and disappeared. I couldn't listen to her saying those horrible things about dying and getting lost. I had to get away.

When I looked at my map again I realized that I didn't know where I was on it. There were no landmarks in the forest. That could be a problem. But I figured that if I walked in the relative direction we were going, I would get out and tell where I was then. So I walked eastward towards the moon rising in the sky, just visible through the treetops.

I was glad that Sadie didn't come after me. I would be by myself, able to concentrate on getting out of the forest and not on the monsters that lived there. It was still hard though. I couldn't shake off the feeling that a bunch of creepy things were hiding in the shadows, waiting to ambush me. There was a possibility that it wasn't Sadie telling me I was going to die.

She said that there wouldn't be any monsters out because they were getting ready for midnight. But surely they could smell my blood and come out to eat me. I could use magic, but that would stop the uze spell that I casted as my light source. If I was attacked and had to use magic, I wouldn't be able to see for several precious seconds.

That made me wonder how Sadie was doing. Unlike me, she wasn't scared of the forest. It was safe to say that she was a lot better at magic than I was. But would that make her overconfident? She had a lot of faith in herself. And like me she was alone. Sorcerers sometimes go on solo missions where they're by themselves, but most stay with others. We were less powerful without each other.

I was so lost in thought that I didn't see the gaping hole in front of me. Before I knew it, I had fallen into it. It was about seven feet tall, with smooth vertical sides. It was soft on the inside, so it didn't hurt. But I had fallen into a monster trap. At midnight the hunter would find me and eat me. I didn't know any spells that could get me out without attracting attention. And sure enough, faint laughter could be heard from the outside of the hole.

"Stuck?" the monster asked.

"Yes I'm stuck! Did you dig this hole?"

"No. But it's still amusing to see a little boy get himself stuck in a hole."

"I'm not a little boy!" I wondered if it could see me. I couldn't see it. Do I sound like a little boy? Surely my voice isn't that high-pitched.

"Here, grab the branch." The monster stuck a sturdy branch into the hole.

"No, you're going to eat me!" I shouted.

The monster hesitated. "If I were going to eat you, I would turn you into stew first. The hole would be the pot, and I'd put in other ingredients."

That sounded reasonable enough. I grabbed the branch and the monster pulled me up. But when I got out of the hole and looked up, there was no one there.

"Hello?" I asked. "Are you invisible?"

"Right here." A rough face appeared in the tree in front of me. It didn't have distinct features, just eyes and a mouth carved into the wood. But as the monster talked, its mouth moved. The eyes blinked.

"Why are you in that tree?"

The monster looked confused for a second, then laughed. "I'm not in a tree, boy, I am the tree. Have you never seen an abrol before? A talking tree?"

"Not really."

The abrol looked me over. "What's a boy like you doing out here alone?"

"I'm a sorcerer on a quest."

The abrol didn't seem to believe me. "Then let me see your gear, then."

"Oh. Fine." I took the bag off my shoulder and took out the items inside. They consisted of my potions, food, water, and clothes. The amulet was on my neck. I looked at the abrol to see what he would say.

"That's how you carry your potions? You are obviously a novice."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You didn't know that you can combine potions? When you mix them together, you get one big potion with multiple sips. Each sip gives you all of the effects."

"Really? Why didn't anybody tell me that?"

"Did you get your potions from someone who didn't really know a lot?"

I thought about Alex. "Yeah."

"I rest my case. Put the potions in this bottle to make one big potion." He gave me a bigger bottle (I was curious as to where he got it) and I mixed the potions. "Let me see your other gear."

I showed him the clothes, water and food. He took the cloak in his wooden hands and looked at it.

"Does your partner have an invisibility cloak as well?"

"No. We could only get one."

The abrol took it and ripped it in two. "If you halve it, it functions as two separate cloaks. Your vendor was really ripping you off." He handed me the two cloaks and I put my stuff away.

"Why are you helping me if you're a monster?" I asked. I probably should have been more grateful, but this guy seemed rather suspicious.

"Not all monsters are evil. Keep that in mind as you go on your mission. Now I suggest you run along." The abrol's face disappeared and he looked like a normal tree. If they could disguise themselves as normal trees, how many trees here were actually abrols? The thought made me run away in a hurry.

As I ran through the forest, I constantly looked around for more holes. I didn't care if I woke up any monsters because if the abrol was up, there would surely be others. The only reason they weren't attacking me was because they didn't have the energy. There was nothing they could do as I raced to the edge of the forest before the moon rose to its zenith and it became midnight.

Thankfully, the rest of my trip through the forest was uneventful. I saw several dark shapes running into the bushes and lights glowing over in the distance, but there was no trouble.

In minutes I saw moonlight behind the trees I was running to. Increasing my pace, I reached a grassy, hilly place. While still dark, it was much brighter out in the open than in the forest. I sat down on a hill to get my breath back and looked at my map.

It didn't take long to find my location. With my back to the way I came, the forest wrapped around so that it was to my right as well as behind me. In front of me the hills turned into mountains that gradually got bigger. But to my left, it was still green hills and eventually I would reach the lake to meet up with Sadie. All I had to do was go in that direction.

I put the map away and walked towards the lake. It wasn't that far off, but I was so exhausted that it felt like miles. Like in the forest, it was quiet and I didn't see any creatures. The silence made me zone out again.

What if I didn't see Sadie at the lake? Should I go back into the forest to look for her, or wait? What if she was already there, what would she do? Maybe it was a bad idea to split up. I shouldn't have thought of it. And I didn't get anything out of it, because I never found out whether the voice was her or a monster.

Finally I reached the lake. Sadie was waiting for me under a tree.

"Where have you been?" she asked, looking slightly worried.

"I fell in a hole."

Sadie laughed. "Did you hear any voices?"

"No. Maybe it was just my imagination. But I did see an abrol." I told her about my experience.

"Jason, did you really do it?"

"Yeah. Isn't that smart?" I showed her the bottle and two cloaks.

"He was lying! Mixing potions and ripping a cloak in half ruins their effects. Why did you believe him?"

It dawned on me that maybe it was a little stupid to do what the monster had said. I felt rather ashamed. "I was thinking of the kangaroo people that we met last time. They were nice."

"Because they were really people. It's very rare to find a monster that is willing to help you - and get nothing in return. No matter how nice they seem. Remember the crew of the Wonderwolf?"

"Don't talk about them!" I argued, probably a bit angrily. I didn't want to be reminded of how Alex killed them. He might be the former setahr of Draida or whatever, but I still didn't get what was wrong with the hellhounds.

Sadie took the bottle and the cloak and threw them in the lake. "Alex was right. You do need to grow up." She stormed away.

18: Rudolph the Reindeer

Chapter 18

Sadie

I couldn't believe how childish Jason was being. Why did I ever want him along? He only got in the way.

"Sadie, wait up!"

I turned and saw Jason running over to me.

"What? Haven't you slowed us down enough already?"

He bit his tongue. "Why are you such a grump?" I could tell that he wanted to say something worse but was holding himself back.

"Because you're ruining the mission. You wasted your half of the potions and the cloak of invisibility. And either you don't take things seriously or you're afraid of it!" I walked on, whether he was following me or not. Hopefully not.

"Stop! Enom!" Jason shouted.

I stopped moving and tripped. My bag fell out of my hand and rolled away. "Why did you do that?"

"Admit that you need me." He was standing over me threateningly.

I tried to move but couldn't. "But I don't."

"You said so before we went on the mission!"

"I was lying. And you know it too. You're just here because saving the world means saving Bianca."

"Fine then. Do this without me! Pior!" He kicked me and stormed away.

The spell wore off as the distance between us grew so I rose and picked up my bag. It was probably stupid to do this without Jason, but he would no longer be holding me down. I looked at my map. It said that I needed to keep going east until I reached Death Mountain, then go north to Port Barcos. I didn't know how things were going to go from there. I would have to improvise.

As the moon was high in the sky, I walked through the grasslands toward the mountains. If I looked hard enough, I could see small creatures scurrying among the grasses and shrubs. They were easily camouflaged and I couldn't tell what they were. Possibly imps.

"You're all alone now."

I turned around, expecting to see Jason. But he wasn't there. He'd ripped the cape, so it was obvious that I really was alone. He wasn't being invisible and tricking me. I ignored the voice and kept walking.

"Do you really think that was a good idea?"

"Who are you?"

"You will learn, in time. But you will need some help if you are to do this alone." The speaker was male, and had a heavy accent. Obviously not Jason, but I didn't recall ever meeting him before.

"Help? Where are you?"

He laughed. "Nowhere near. I am using mind magic to communicate with you."

I remembered how the abrol in the forest had "helped" Jason. No monster could be trusted. "How do I know I can trust you?" I asked.

"You don't. Yet I am all you have. Unless you want to force me away, like you did to your friend."

This put me in a difficult situation. Did I really have to trust this guy? Was he a monster? "Could you ask me later?"

"Fine. I'll talk to you when you get to Barcos." Everything was silent.

It didn't take that long to reach Death Mountain. Bigger than the ones behind it, the top was capped with snow. As Draida is an isolated town, I had never left before going on the search for Alexander. And even then, I didn't get to see these mountains. So I couldn't help taking a moment to stare at the beautiful mountain range before me. They were made of dark brown stone, some with snow like Death Mountain, and stretched as far as the eye could see. And I was lucky enough to see them.

I wondered how Death Mountain got its name. It seemed like a terrible name for such a peaceful-looking place. I had read a few geography books while studying with Amisto, but they didn't say much about local landmarks.

It wasn't until I saw something strange that I snapped awake. A distant figure was hiking up Death Mountain. He looked bulky, wearing clothes as brown as the mountain. He was all alone, effortlessly walking up the steep slope. I couldn't tell what he was doing, but when he was halfway up, he stopped and looked in my direction. We were too far away for me to see his face. He stared at me for a few seconds, and disappeared. I don't know how he did it, but he seemed to melt into the mountain.

After seeing the strange man, I felt nervous. What was he doing there, all by himself? And how did he vanish? Instead of staying to find out, I turned north towards Barcos. It was time I decided whether to accept help from the guy that was talking to me in my mind. In the world of magic, you can't trust anybody. But sometimes you must admit that you need help. Did I need help? Maybe. From that guy? Maybe not. And besides, what was in it for him? Why would he ask if he could help me, rather than wait for me to ask him?

I thought about Alexander. He had wanted to come with us, but because we "made him feel young again." And we obviously wanted him to come as well. The guy that talked to me didn't sound old. Another thing - we had never met. How had he known me? And had he talked to Jason too? Jason acted as though a voice in his mind was saying morbid things. It couldn't be a coincidence that we both heard voices. And that brought me to another thought. What if we were going delirious? There wasn't really someone talking to us. We had been through a lot, with little sleep. And we were starting to feel the effects. I told myself that I should just ignore the voice.

The trail I was on intersected to form a crossroads. There were three ways to go: north, east, and west. But I knew that I should go on the north path, because Port Barcos was almost directly in that direction.

Port Barcos. I wouldn't be able to get in. They only allowed people through the gates if at least one adult was among them. Last time we had Alex. Now I would be alone. I couldn't use influential magic, because beginners couldn't cast magic on normal people.

"What are you doing alone, girl? It's awfully late."

At first I thought it was the mind magic guy again, but then I realized that the speaker was behind me. He was old, with a white beard and a slightly stooped back. The man wore simple but neat clothes and carried an oak walking stick. I couldn't help thinking that the stick was actually a staff, like Rex's.

"Um...I don't know," I answered.

He looked at me skeptically. "Where are you from?"

"I came from Draida."

"So you're a sorceress? Bit young, if you ask me!"

I didn't know how to react.

"Well? If you're a sorceress, then show me," he said.

"Won't I get in trouble?" I asked. Magic was forbidden in some areas. I wondered if he was trying to get me into trouble for some reason.

The old man leaned on his stick. "Do you need help?"

"I guess."

"Then let me tell you something," he said, walking closer to me. "Someone is tricking you."

I slowly backed away from him. "How would you know that?" I asked uneasily. The guy was making me really nervous.

"My apologies, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Rudolph. I'm a seer from Odom."

That didn't make me less nervous. Many people pretended to be seers. "Are you the one tricking me?" I asked.

"Show me that you are a sorceress, and I will show you that I am indeed a seer."

I sighed. "Ved."

As with Alexander, a golden scroll appeared and flew to my hand. I opened it.

"My name is Rudolph. I am a seer from Odom. My-" I ripped the scroll. I didn't want to hear his life story. Enough messing around. Why couldn't we just get to Barcos?

"So we were both telling the truth," I said to the chuckling seer. "Who is tricking me?"

Rudolph shifted the position of his stick uncomfortably. He was no longer chuckling. "I do not know his exact identity. He is someone very powerful and malicious. Have you heard voices in his head?" Without waiting for an answer, he nodded. "Of course you did. I saw it."

"How did you see someone talking?" I asked.

"Don't ask. The person who was talking to you is the person who is tricking you. Whatever you do, ignore him. He will only lead you to your doom."

"So it wasn't just my imagination. That's disturbing. Can he control me with this mind magic? Like, mind control?"

Rudolph thought about it. "Yes. You could be him right now. How do I know it's really you talking to me?" He took his stick and pointed it at me. It started flashing in multiple colors. Apparently it was a staff. But I'd never seen a staff - or wand - flash like that. "This might hurt a lot, but I will be able to tell if you're really the girl!"

"No! I am. How can I prove it to you?" I asked desperately. I held up my wand defensively. "Aegis!"

The gray barrier appeared. I watched, wondering if it would be strong enough to withstand Rudolph's spell. He kept pointing the staff at me.

"Yup. You are the girl. Sorry if I scared you, miss." He put the staff down and it stopped flashing.

"But you said it would hurt!" I argued.

"Do you want it to hurt?" he pointed his staff at me again.

"No! I'm just saying!"

Rudolph put away the staff. "I said that because if the person tricking you was in control, the flashing lights would scare him."

"What kind of staff is that?" I was curious because it didn't seem to have a particular color to the spells cast with it. Like an aura. Rex's staff had a gold one. My wand glowed gray, and Jason's green.

"What, this?" He looked at the staff. "Oh, this isn't a staff. It's just a walking stick. Seers can't use physical magic like you can."

"How did you make it flash?"

He hesitated before understanding. "That wasn't the stick itself. The flash appears when I try seeing." What was he looking at?

I glanced up at the sky. It was just past midnight. "Looks like I better be going now. Thanks for the warning, Rudolph." I started down the trail again.

"But don't you want me to cure you?" he called after me.

I looked back. "You can do that?"

"I can try."

Anxious, I walked back to him. If the guy talking to me was evil, then it would be nice to get rid of him. "How?"

Rudolph reached into a pocket and pulled out a wax candle. "Hold this candle. Don't drop it," he instructed.

I took the candle. It wasn't slippery, just as I expected, and didn't see how I could drop it.

"Ready?" he asked me.

"Sure. Do what you need to do." I held the candle, waiting.

"No, you have to do it. You're the sorceress," Rudolph said. "Just wait."

I waited. The candle didn't look like anything special, just a piece of string in a solidified stick of wax. "Do I, like, close my eyes or chant or something?" I asked.

Rudolph shushed me. "Don't talk. Concentrate on the candle. And wait."

Hoping that it wasn't a joke, I concentrated on the candle. A few minutes and still nothing happened. Was it supposed to light up? Glow, or flash? Was I doing something wrong? I kept waiting.

"It's happening," Rudolph muttered. He was also watching the candle carefully.

It started to get warmer in my hands. Warm became hot as I continued to hold the candle in my hands. Hot became scalding. "Ow! It's hot! Is that supposed to happen?" I asked. It took a lot of will to prevent myself from dropping the candle.

The seer nodded. "The candle is getting warmed up because it is absorbing his power. When the wick is set alight, you are healed. Try to endure it for a little while longer."

I tried to endure it for a little while longer. The candle only got hotter. I remembered being in the kitchen once when I was little and accidentally touching the pan on the stove. Holding the candle was like that, but I couldn't recoil. I was about to drop it when it suddenly cooled down.

"It's not hot anymore!" I said nervously. The wand didn't start getting warmer again.

"Are you tying to get rid of me?" the familiar voice asked, amused. "I'm not easy to get rid of. Nice try."

The candle started becoming colder rather than hotter. I dropped it, and it shattered into a million pieces. That's when the real pain started.

19: Trying to Relax

Chapter 19

Jason

For the second time that day, Sadie was walking away from me angrily while I watched in silence.

Was she really that mad? Sure, I had wasted half of our supplies, but she had literally kicked me out of the mission. And I had nowhere to go now.

I shuffled dejectedly over to the lake. Everything was still silent, no monsters prowling, even though the moon was high in the sky. "What's wrong with me?" I asked my quivering reflection in the dark water.

Calvin wiggled out of my pocket and rolled into the lake, turning into his fidi form. "Nothing's wrong with you, Jason."

"How can you say that with a straight face?" I asked him.

"How can you say that with a long face?" he countered. "You're usually more cheerful. This isn't like you. Are you the real Jason?"

I nodded slowly. "Didn't you hear what Sadie said?"

"My senses are limited as a wand."

"She said I'm childish and that I got in the way of the mission. Then she made me leave."

Calvin frowned. "And that's not like Sadie. I wonder why she would say that."

"Well, it's true." I threw a pebble in the lake, watching it bounce on the surface until sinking. "I was never meant to be a sorcerer. I can't do anything right."

Calvin swam closer so that he could look me in the eye. "Think about all the brave things you did on your mission. You defeated The Monster, you escaped the hellhounds of the Wonderwolf, and even bested Rex in a fight."

"Apparently I got even stupider since then."

"Surely you're exhausted? It's been a long week."

My body suddenly felt like lead. "Yeah. Now that you mention it, I am pretty tired. Thanks."

"You need to relax. Join me in the lake."

"Are you going to drown me? Put me out of my misery?"

"No. Swimming always helps me feel better. Maybe it'll help you too."

I shook my head. "You're a sea serpent. Of course it's good for you. But I'm a human."

"Just try it."

"Calvin, I can't swim." I backed away from the lake, hoping he wouldn't drag me in.

"Oh, right. Sorry." He flicked his tail like a rattlesnake. My clothes were replaced with a bathing suit.

"No, I mean I don't know how!" I said, shivering. Before I was wearing a nice wool jacket, and didn't realize how cold it was. I glowered at Calvin and turned away.

Calvin looked confused. "How do you not know? It's just like walking but with water instead of earth." He demonstrated by gliding around the lake, the fins along his sides flapping slowly and his tail moving up and down. "See?"

I stared at the water. "Isn't there another way to relax?"

"None better. Here, at least. I won't let you drown."

"It's cold."

He looked down. "Only the air. It's nice and warm here in the water. Are you coming in or not?"

"Fine. But don't laugh at me." I stepped tentatively into the lake. Calvin was right - it was warm. "How deep is it?" I asked.

He looked down again. "Not very deep. Maybe four feet."

"Then how do you have so much room?"

Calvin dived down, leaving only a few ripples in the water. After a few seconds he came back up. "Oh yeah. It's pretty deep."

"Why would you tell me that?" I asked nervously. I backed away a few steps.

"Because it doesn't matter how deep it is. You can't fall like you would on land."

I had only been in water one time, and that was when Alex dropped me after flying away from Skylos. I didn't know how water worked.

"Have I ever lied to you, Jason?" Calvin asked patiently.

"I'm sorry. Sadie was right. I do need to grow up." I kicked at a little blue fish that was circling my feet. It swam away lazily, fleeing from me just like Sadie did.

"Swim to me, you big baby. Just doggy paddle. You don't have to get your face wet." Seeing that I still wasn't convinced, he tried a different card. "You'll be telling Sadie that you can swim and she can't. Then she'll be the scaredy cat."

I imagined finally being able to do something Sadie couldn't. "You've got me, Calvin." I flopped onto my stomach and paddled over to him.

Calvin beamed. "I knew you could do it. Keep paddling."

I felt like I was swimming for an hour when I finally reached Calvin, panting.

"You're off at a great start! Look down!" he said.

I stopped paddling and looked below my feet. It was deeper than I thought, probably six feet. I realized that Calvin was moving back while I was moving forward. We had gone across the lake and I hadn't even noticed. "Can I get out now?" I asked. It was hard to talk as I regained my breath, which was also hard because I had to flail around in order to prevent myself from drowning.

Calvin shook his head. "Do you know how to stay afloat?"

I shook my head. "Does it look like it?"

"Move your arms and legs in a circular motion, but not so fast. Do it calmly. I would show you, but..."

I nodded, trying to take deep breaths. Then I slowly kicked my legs and pulled at the water. "Wait, I can float? Are you using your magic?"

He laughed. "No. All people can float, otherwise you wouldn't be able to swim. No magic needed."

"You learn something new every day," I said to myself as I kept treading water.

"Ready to start swimming?" Calvin asked.

"What? Wasn't I swimming a minute ago?"

"No. Doggy paddling isn't really swimming. There are faster, less tiring ways for you humans to swim."

"What are they?"

Calvin looked at his fins. "Uh, how can I do this?" He turned into a mermaid with green hair and a green tail. "Watch me, then try to do it yourself." While he was a mermaid, his voice was still that of a male snake. It was kind of awkward, but I watched as he demonstrated the stroke.

Laying on his stomach, he used his arms to pull himself through the water, then switched to his other one. He kept pulling, switching arms and stuck his head out of the water to breathe with every three pulls. Them he gestured for me to try it.

"I have to put my face in the water?" I asked.

"Hold your breath. You'll be fine."

I gulped. I could trust Calvin. Facing him, I tried to mimic his movements.

"You aren't putting your face in the water," Calvin said.

"Won't it get in my mouth?"

"Not if you close it. Go ahead."

I put my face in the water and tried the stroke again. When I pulled my head up, I felt a little refreshed and more awake.

"You need to be straighter. Make your arms go forward, but not out." Calvin demonstrated the stroke again.

It took a while, but with Calvin's help, I got the hang of it.

"How are you feeling?" Calvin asked. He was once again a fidi.

"A little tired. But in a good way."

"Good. That means you worked hard. Now float on your back."

I hesitated. "Won't I sink if I'm not moving my arms and legs?"

"You only stroked because you were trying to move forward. Simply floating on your back will be okay. You just have to keep your head back and your stomach up."

I rolled over and got on my back. I adjusted my position as Calvin instructed so that I didn't swallow water. I felt rather relaxed, not having to move my limbs.

"You learn fast, Jason. Swimming isn't so bad, huh?" Calvin was also upside-down. He looked kind of funny.

"No. It's actually kind of fun." I sighed contentedly. Above me the moon was starting to sink towards the west, surrounded by countless stars.

"Hey Jason, do you want to hear a secret?" Calvin asked.

"What?"

My amulet started glowing. I just noticed that it didn't disappear with my clothes, but was still on my neck. It also changed form. Instead of a silver chain, the white gem was hung from wooden beads. The gem itself was glowing purple. "That's your secret?"

Calvin edged closer to get a better look at the amulet. "No. What's happening?"

"I don't know. This happened when I attacked Alex. But it glowed red, not purple."

"Purple is usually an evil color. That can't mean anything good."

"Your eyes are purple." I took the amulet off before it could hurt me and threw it at the deep end.

The splash was unreasonably big, and the water turned purple. Bubbles rose from below, and headed towards us as if there was something evil swimming underneath the surface of the lake.

"Calvin, go back to your wand form!" I shouted, grabbing him and heading to the bank. I got onto dry land just before the bubbles got to me. As I collapsed onto the ground, I started to feel tired again. All energy left me.

I looked back at the lake. The bubbles were still there, at the edge of the lake. My amulet was thrown out of the water and landed next to me. The bubbles popped and the lake was silent again. The amulet was still glowing purple.

Reluctantly, I touched it. Darkness surrounded me, leaving me blind. I don't know why I was surprised. But I wasn't scared. As I sat there, wondering what would happen, I felt only curiosity.

"Sadie! Are you okay?" a voice asked urgently. I wanted so say that I was not Sadie and was definitely okay. But I was unable to talk.

"Was that the candle?" Sadie asked. Her voice was strained.

"The candle can't hurt you. Neither could your enemy. You are poisoned."

"It was Jason! He used a pior spell on me!" That wasn't true. Why would she say that? I realized that I didn't remember exactly what happened when Sadie left me. I just remembered her throwing the stuff in the lake and walking away, and...I might have done something, but I didn't remember. Had I really poisoned her? I would never do that to a friend.

"Jason? Who's that?"

"The guy who didn't want to go on the mission with me."

"Hang in there. I'll look for something to heal your poison."

There was silence. The darkness faded and I could see again. Should I go help Sadie? Would he get mad at me?

It didn't matter. I would go anyway. First I reached into my bag and got a shirt, a jacket, and some pants. I put them on and grabbed my things. But where was Sadie? I didn't know which path she took to get to Barcos.

"Use you amulet," Calvin said.

"You can talk as a wand?" I asked.

"Sure I can. But it doesn't matter. Quick, you need to get to Sadie. Use your amulet's teleport."

I picked up the amulet. It was slightly less purple, and didn't blind me. "Take me to Sadie," I ordered it like it could hear me.

A white circle of light drew itself in the dirt. I heard a humming sound, and found myself on a trail a few feet from Sadie and an old guy in a white beard. They appeared to be in the middle of nowhere.

"What's going on?" I asked, running toward them.

Sadielooked up, disgusted. "So you decided to show your face here after all the damage you've done?"

"You must be Jason," the old man said. "Did you really poison your friend?"

"No! I mean...no!"

"I saw you! When I left the lake, you kicked me and said 'pior'."

I thought back to when we parted. I really didn't remember anything other than Sadie telling me to grow up and walking away angrily. The rest was still blurry.

"Why didn't you heal yourself?" I asked.

"Don't you think I tried?" Sadie said angrily.

I looked in her bag. She still had all her potions. I was glad we split them up, or the abrol would have gotten them.

"What are you doing in my bag?" Sadie asked. She tried to grab it but flinched. She was in pain.

"Shut up and listen. I'll make you feel better, Sadie. Hang in there." I opened the pouch she used to hold her potions and took out the bottles.

Sadie tried to snatch the potions, but the movement made her hurt more. "I already tried drinking a potion!"

I looked at them. "But all the bottles are full." I found one labeled 'cleansing potion' and opened it.

The old man looked at Sadie sadly, then at me. "I think you should drink it, Sadie. Couldn't hurt. Your friend is trying to help you."

She snatched the clear potion and poured the contents onto the ground. "Make me." What the heck?

"Sadie, do you want to die?" I asked, looking for another potion that might help.

She seemed to be in too much pain to answer. Knowing that it was getting worse I move more quickly. I looked through the potions. There were a lot, some not labeled. Stupid Alex. He had to give us those mystery potions.

"Would a... 'magic removal potion' work?" I asked the old guy. "It's magic poison, right?"

He nodded. "Call me Rudolph."

"Like the reindeer?"

"Try the potion."

I looked at my friend. How could I get her to drink? I pointed my wand at Sadie, realizing that it was the first time casting a spell on her. "Dormi."

Sadie raised her eyebrows. She looked like she wanted to yell at me, but her eyes drooped. She fell forward with her head on my lap and started snoring.

I put the potion to her lips and forced her to drink it. "Do you think it worked?" I asked Rudolph.

20: Switching Sides

Chapter 20

Sadie

In front of me stood a man with a dark suit and long black hair. He was looking me over with an expressionless face. "So you are the one called Sadie?" he asked. I recognized his voice. He was the one who talked to me in my mind in that cool, irreplaceable accent. But that's about all I understood.

"I think you would know," I responded. "What happened? The last thing I remember is waiting for Jason at a lake. Wait, no. A guy named Rudolph warned me that you were evil. Why are you doing this to me?"

The man's face softened. "I apologize for all that happened recently. But the others can't be trusted."

"The others?"

"Rudolph, and your 'friend' Jason. You don't seem to know who they really are."

"I read Rudolph's ved scroll. And I've known Jason since I was eleven. How could I not know who they are?"

"This world is full of surprises. Look around you."

I took note of my surroundings for the first time. We were standing near a gently flowing river. Tiny sea creatures that definitely didn't belong in a river - whales, jellyfish, seahorses, even mermaids and other, unrecognizable magic animals - seemed to live in it. I put my hand in it, and a gray whale swam up to me. It was about the size of my middle finger but came to my hand without hesitation and rubbed against it. Then it swam away.

Around the river, tall trees surrounded us for as far as I could see. They came in various sizes, shapes and colors. Some represented normal trees, but most were unique. Some were little bonsai trees, a few so tall I couldn't see the tops. One had golden leaves and a couple across the river were completely transparent, as if they were made of crystal. Even more were rainbow colored.

The creatures in the forest wouldn't show themselves. I glimpsed only their silhouettes before they hid in the bushes. They seemed a lot shyer than the ones in the river. I wondered what they looked like.

"Wow." The thing was, I hadn't noticed all of this when I first got here. I had gotten a glimpse of everything with my peripheral vision, but they seemed normal at first.

The man chuckled. "They are a little shy, aren't they?"

"I'm sorry. You are...?"

"Francis," Francis said. "I assume you were surprised when you saw all of this?"

"Yeah. Um, you said we would meet later on."

Francis nodded. "I need to talk to you now. Like I was saying, the world is full of surprises. Rudolph and Jason aren't who you think you are. Rudolph is a warlock, and Jason is a ghost." He didn't say any more, waiting to see my response.

"What's a warlock?" I asked, trying to hide my surprise and annoyance. I didn't know what to think of the guy. "And did Jason die?"

"A warlock is a sorcerer who betrayed his friends and turned evil. Yes, Jason died. He doesn't even know it."

"When?"

"I don't know. But Jason is confused in his current state. He could easily think that wrong is right and right is wrong."

"How do you know all this?" I asked, crossing my arms.

Francis opened his mouth, but the words were distorted and distant.

"What?"

"Something is spoiling our communication. They really do...tell you the truth...I'll talk to you again...when I can. Remember, don't trust anyone."

The trees withered and turned to dust. The river dried up. As the remains were blown away by a gust of wind, Francis and the animals also vanished. I watched helplessly as the beautiful place fell apart, leaving only empty plains.

"I don't know why Calvin would do that," a voice said.

I was lying in the grass. When I got up, Rudolph and Jason were sitting nearby talking, the sun slowly rising behind them.

"What did he do?" I asked.

Jason turned to me, surprised. "You're okay!" he said happily.

But you aren't, I thought sadly. How had he died?

"How do you feel?" Rudolph asked.

"Fine. What happened? The last thing I remember is dropping the candle and passing out."

Jason and Rudolph exchanged glances. "You don't recall the fight we had?" Jason asked.

"What fight?" I blushed. The thought of me sleepfighting was pretty embarrassing. I hoped that he wasn't serious.

Jason looked at Rudolph, who nodded. "You started blaming me for stuff I didn't do and got all psycho. Then I gave you a potion and you got better."

"So what did Calvin do?"

"Oh, Calvin didn't do anything. My wand's name is Calvin. My amulet doesn't have a name."

The seer stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Ah. I don't know why your amulet would do that."

"What did it do?" I asked impatiently.

"It...warned me that you were in trouble. That's why I came," Jason said.

Remembering what Francis told me, I wondered if he was telling the truth. If he was, I knew that I should watch Rudolph and Jason. They could do something to stop me from reaching Amaatlik. But I might not be strong enough to stop Rudolph. And Jason wouldn't believe me if I told him he was dead. He didn't know.

"Are you two ready to head off?" Rudolph asked.

"Sure. Let's go," I said.

The walk to Port Barcos was fairly uneventful. Jason repeatedly tried to start a conversation, but Rudolph ignored him. I tried to take the opportunity to think about my situation.

I was on a quest to defeat some really powerful demon. All I had with me was an evil warlock and the confused ghost of my best friend. Half of the supplies were gone, and I didn't know how I could do this alone.

"So what are we going to do when we get there?" Jason started.

"We need to travel to The Sea of Despair and stop at some island," I said, remembering reading it on the guide. "Then we get teleported to Waldurk."

"The Sea of Despair? That's a horrible name. It should be called the Sea of Peace and Love. And happiness."

I looked at him, then at Rudolph, who showed no sign that he was listening. Jason really was confused. "I'm going to take a break. You two go talk or something."

I pushed through some trees on the side of the trail and stopped about ten feet away so they wouldn't be able to see me. Then I took out Jason's wand. He dropped it back at the place where we met up, probably while going through his bag. It had been disguised against the green grass. Just goes to show you how forgetful Jason can be.

"Calvin, I need to ask you something."

The wand glowed and took the form of a crab. Calvin snapped his claws and looked up at me. "You! How did you gain possession of me?" He hissed.

"Jason dropped his wand. We're kind of in trouble right now."

Calvin pointed a green claw at me. "Jason said you abandoned him. Why did you do that? How do I know I can trust you?"

"I..." I had no idea what he was talking about but decided to go along with it. "If we hadn't made up, I wouldn't have gotten his wand."

"Tell me what happened."

I kneeled down so he could hear me better. "I was talking to this seer guy, and he was trying to help me with something. But then I fell asleep, and woke up with the guy and Jason near me. I'm not sure about the details. But the seer is really an evil warlock and of course Jason is a ghost."

Calvin looked at me strangely. "What do you mean? How do you know that the seer is evil? And how is Jason a ghost if he didn't die?"

"He did. A sorcerer told me."

"And you trust him?" I realized that I did trust Francis for no reason. After Jason started acting funny and Rudolph's candle broke, the mysterious sorcerer seemed like an answer to my problems.

"Um...Should I?"

"I think so. This is bad. Leave me here, and I'll go get reinforcements from Draida. You continue your mission. But don't let on that you know the truth."

"Wait, really? I do trust Francis?"

Calvin nodded. "Do not waste time. Go, Sadie, complete your quest."

"Okay. Thanks, Calvin." I ran back the way I came. Jason and Rudolph were waiting for me.

"What took you so long?" Jason asked immediately.

I grabbed my bag from by his feet. "I had to...use a bush."

Jason laughed. "You're so brave. I didn't know girls do that. Come on, let's go to Barcos!"

This time I decided to talk back to him. I didn't want to act suspicious. "So, we haven't fought in a while, have we?" I asked.

"Yeah we did. When you didn't want to drink your potion."

"Oh yeah. Definitely." I remembered that his mind worked differently as a ghost and he couldn't think clearly. I shuddered. "But what I meant was fighting monsters."

"There was that time when I fought Rex - I mean Alex - and you just stood there," Jason said laughing. I hoped he remembered that I was the one who saved him back then.

"And when the mugger beat you on the head," I added.

"If he hadn't done that, I wouldn't have had the vision of Alex. The younger one."

Another sign that Jason was a ghost. He felt pride. The Jason I knew was too modest for his own good. Did he die, like, when we teleported back to Draida? In the Forest of Nightmares? Something didn't feel right.

"Don't worry. You two will be fighting soon enough," Rudolph said sadly.

"You spoke for once!" Jason exclaimed. Rudolph didn't say any more though.

"We're here, guys," I said. We were facing the front gates of Barcos. They stood about 30 feet away.

"If it isn't Emily and David!" called one of the guards. "And they found another old man to get them into town."

I grabbed Jason's arm before things got ugly. "We have family in there," I told them.

"You must have a lot of grandfathers!" said the other guard with a smirk.

Rudolph cleared his throat. "I am not related to them. I am their teacher, taking them on a field trip."

"Oh. That explains it," the first guard said sarcastically. "Go back to school, where you're wanted."

"You don't want to mess with us!" Jason shouted.

The first guard ran back into the guard house and the second one dropped his spear, frozen in fear. "Oh no! You really are sorcerers! Please, have mercy on us!" His buddy returned and they started laughing.

"No really. Get a move on!" the first guard said sternly.

Jason reached for his wand, but saw that he didn't have it. Rudolph found his items lost as well. "Surely it is not your duty to mock travelers," Rudolph growled at the guards.

The first guard scowled. "Travelers? All I see are two kids and an old man. Why should we let you in?"

"Why should you not?"

"Because Barcos does not need scum like you! Get lost!" Steaming, the guard pushed Rudolph with the butt of his spear.

"Yes! Action!" Jason said. He threw a rock at the guard.

"Jason, don't!" Rudolph warned.

The second guard stroked his chin, even though he didn't have a beard. "I thought your name was David. Or...?"

"Yes," Jason said simply.

The second guard thumped his spear on the ground. "What?!"

Jason threw a rock at him too.

"That's it, kid. You asked for it!" Both guards started hitting Jason with their spears.

I pointed my wand at the gate. "Muro!"

The giant wooden doors were set on fire, smoke floating into the sky.

"I told you not to mess with us!" Jason said while swatting at the spears.

The guards looked back at the gate, then at me. "You will pay for this!" the first guards said before they ran past the gate to get help. I helped Jason and Rudolph up and we went past the gate as well.

"You could have done that earlier," Rudolph said gruffly.

"I wanted to save it as a last resort," I argued. "Follow me. I know where to go."

I ran through the streets, not looking back to see whether they were following me. There weren't a lot of people out this early, so we didn't have to push through a crowd like in Draida. We were on a clean road with beautiful, expensive three-story houses. I stopped in front of a small shed at the end of the road.

"In here," I instructed as I opened the white wood door. We entered the shed. It was about ten feet by ten, and there was plenty of head room. Against the walls were several shelves, equipped with various gardening paraphernalia. It wasn't as dusty as one would expect of a shed.

"What do we do now?" Jason asked.

I gripped my wand. "Now? I'm leaving you two here."

21: Separated

Chapter 21

Calvin

What just happened?

The last thing I remembered was talking to someone. Someone familiar. They needed my help. Then they disappeared. Was I going delusional?

"Jason! Where are you?" I shouted. There was no answer. I was all alone.

I was standing beneath several oak trees. Bushes limited my view to a few feet.

Scuttling forward, I looked around. Maybe they got into a fight and Jason tried to summon me. His attempt was in vain and they escaped, leaving me here. But would Jason come back? He might not have noticed my absence. Then he wouldn't know where I was. I would need to start a new life somewhere in the ocean.

"Things aren't looking too great for you, huh?" someone asked.

"Do you know what happened?" I asked, looking around me. The speaker was out of sight.

"I do. A monster tried to control you, but you were too strong for him to hold on to you."

"Who are you?"

"I can not risk revealing myself. But I am your friend."

"What do I do now?"

The mysterious person laughed. "So many questions. You are blinded by confusion. Think, but do not let panic get to you."

I sat down. What was I going to do? What could I do? Finally the cold hard truth came to me. There was nothing I could do. I was powerless.

The person sighed. "You are indeed powerless if you think so. What reason do you have to feel like that?"

"I am stupid. Whenever I try to think, I get all confused. And...I've done nothing with my life."

"You are only feeling the side effects of being captured in that wand. Your power is greatest in your original form."

"I can't always be a serpent. Jason needs me as his wand."

"Have patience. Eventually, you will find a way. I have to go now."

I clawed the air frantically. "No! Please don't go!" The clearing was silent again.

Knowing that I was by myself again, I stopped fighting the tears. It was hopeless. I would spend the rest of my life here in this forest. Just a green crab with no hope.

What had the stranger said? I wasn't thinking clearly? How could that be? There was nothing around to distract me. Nothing to divert my attention.

I gave up. Rather than think about my situation, I turned back into a wand. As a piece of wood, my senses were numbed. I could just lie there, dormant, and ignore what was going on. But then it struck me.

I was magic.

With my arsenal of spells I could probably get out of here. What spell could I use to get back to Jason? A fire spell? No. Should I create a storm? Heck no. What I needed was a homing spell. "Find Jason. My mast- I mean my friend. The sorcerer guy."

Without controlling my movements, I soared through the treetops and into the sky. From up high I could see that there weren't a lot of trees surrounding the clearing I was in. On the other side grasslands stretched in all directions, only a narrow dirt trail showing that I wasn't in the middle of nowhere. The spell took me across the trail to my right. After a while, I was at a town. Soldiers and guards were frantically putting out a fire that was consuming the front gates. One of them saw me.

"Hey, what's that?" the soldier asked, pointing with his sword.

His friends followed his gaze to see the stick that was me flying through the air. One of them took out a crossbow, loaded a dart, and pointed the weapon at me. He aimed, adjusted the crossbow, and pulled the trigger. The dart flew through the air and struck me. He had good aim. The magic of my homing spell gradually faded and I fell to the ground.

Don't worry. Like I said, I don't feel anything as a wand. But what would it be like if I accidentally turned into one of my animal forms? The pain would be unbearable. I would probably die.

"It's over here!" a soldier shouted. Half of them ran over to where I landed, on a sidewalk in front of a general store. A few children ran away as they saw the soldiers coming. They reached me and looked down, confused.

"What is it, Matt?" one of the guards asked.

The soldier named Mathew picked me up. "It's a stick." He examined me closely.

"Do you think someone threw it?" another soldier asked. Mathew ignored him.

"What are you guys doing here?" someone shouted at the top of their lungs. The men parted to reveal a man with fancier armor than the others. I couldn't make out the details through my limited vision.

"Captain!" Mathew said, hurriedly saluting. "We found this stick flying through the air. It seems rather suspicious."

The captain grabbed me and examined me. "This is a wand. Who here would own a wand? Magic is not permitted here."

I briefly considered turning into some kind of animal. Maybe to scare the soldiers away, if not to see whether they could help me find Jason. But they might kill me if they found out that I was a monster. I would have to escape somehow.

One of the kids who ran away from the soldiers was now curious. He walked over to the captain. "Excuse me, sir?"

The captain turned to the boy and kneeled down. "May I help you?" he asked.

The boy looked down nervously. "That wand is mine."

"Why do you possess a magical item?"

"I found it."

The captain grunted. "Shouldn't you return it to it's rightful owner, if not throw it away?"

"They left it. I guess it doesn't have any magic left. But it's really pretty, so I was going to sell it to make some money for my family. We live downtown."

The soldiers didn't seem convinced, but their captain continued to stare at the boy. "If it doesn't have any magic left, why was it flying?"

"Some bullies saw me and took the wand away. They started throwing it so that I couldn't get it back. Now I have it again."

"Um, captain?" a soldier asked.

The captain shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't give this to you. There isn't enough proof."

It was now or never. I turned into my Fidi form and wrapped around the soldiers, pinning their arms to their sides so they couldn't attack me with their weapons.

The boy stared with his mouth open. He looked twelve, a bit older than I expected. His clothes were dirty and torn, suggesting that he was telling the truth about living in the poorer section of town. His long blond hair was messy and in his face. All the other kids were gone. "Wow."

"What's going on?" the captain asked. They struggled but couldn't get out of my grip. "Release me now or I will kill you!"

I growled, baring my teeth. "You would kill me anyway. Maybe I should eat you."

The captain grinned. "Do you really want to do that in front of the boy?"

I turned to the boy. "What do you think?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! Do it!"

The captain's face paled. "Please, no! Have mercy on us!" he whimpered.

I tightened my grip on them. "Be glad I'm not hungry. But there is something you could do for me."

"Yes! Anything! Please let us go!"

"Boy, what's your name?" I asked.

The boy blinked. "My name? It's Xavier."

"Could you please disarm them? Don't want them to kill me, you know?"

Xavier nodded, taking the spears, swords, maces and bows from the soldiers. When he took all of the weapons, about twenty of them, he dropped them on the ground away from the crazy soldiers.

I let go of them and let them catch their breaths.

"So what was it you wanted?" the captain asked. He seemed slightly angry about the situation. His men looked at me and backed away, glaring.

"I got separated from my friend. A sorcerer, maybe about...this tall." I held my tail up several feet from the ground. "He might be here."

The captain raised his eyebrows. "That's pretty tall. Is he human?"

"I never thought about that before."

He looked at me strangely. "Do you know him very well?"

"I'm kind of stupid." Did I really know Jason?

Xavier looked up at me. "I think you're awesome."

"Thank you. But that's not the point. I need to find him so I can help him with his quest. Or mission. Whatever he called it."

The captain fingered his mustache. "Barcos isn't a magic town. There are no sorcerers here."

"But I used a homing spell and it led me here."

"You can use magic?"

I explained how I was originally a fidi, but got caught and merged with my captor's wand. How I was trapped in it, but could use magic. The soldiers didn't seem interested in my story, but I told them anyway.

"That's so cool!" Xavier said.

The captain considered the situation. He blinked. "I'm afraid I can't help you," he whispered. "We have to get back to our posts. Boy, help the monster find his master. Good luck." He marched off, the soldiers following. I didn't stop them.

"Cool! I get to help you!" Xavier said, picking up a sword. The soldiers forgot to claim their weapons.

"Xavier," I said carefully, "If I may ask, what about me intrigues you?"

The boy unsheathed the sword and started swinging it. "I've never met a monster before. No offense."

"None taken. I am indeed a monster. So do you know how I could find my master?"

"I know who to ask. Follow me." Xavier dropped the sword and ran down the street. I tried to follow him, but found myself unable to move on land.

"Could you please carry me?" I asked. "I can't move very well."

He looked back. "Oh. Sure." I returned to my wand form and he put me in his pocket. I thought about how lucky I was to have someone help me find Jason. Xavier's footsteps stopped after several minutes. "We're here."

"Can I come out?" I asked.

"Yeah, we're safe here." Xavier took me out of his pocket and laid me on the ground. I turned into a penguin so I could walk, albeit slowly. Were penguins sea creatures? They must be, if I could turn into one. I guess they do swim a lot.

We were standing by the front gate of a small cobbled house. Smoke billowed out of the chimney. Xavier opened the gate and walked over to the wooden door at the front porch. "Are you ready?" he asked.

"Why do you say that?"

"I don't know." He waited for me to catch up before knocking on the door. I could hear someone quickly tidying up the house and walking over to the door. The door opened.

"Hello?"

I pinched myself. There was nobody at the door. Just a fat brown dog.

"Merlin, we need your help," Xavier said.

Merlin looked up at Xavier. "Are you in trouble?"

"Not me. My friend here." Xavier gestured to me.

The dog nodded. "Come inside. We'll talk about it in the living room." He opened the door wider by nudging it with his nose. Xavier and I followed him inside.

There was something familiar about the house, but I was pretty sure that I would be able to recognize such a place. It was decorated randomly, with a wide variety of items. The living room had a lit marble fireplace with scented pinecones and candles. A grandfather clock and a rocking chair sat in a corner. But there were also posters, an electric guitar, and hunting trophies. Merlin sat on a fuzzy white couch with pink blankets and pillows that had hearts on them. "Please, have a seat." he said.

I sat on a polka dot beanbag chair, and Xavier sat on a similar one but in different colors. For a moment there was silence. "Do I know you?" I asked.

Merlin cocked his head. "Do you? I don't recall meeting a talking penguin."

"People call me Calvin. I'm not really a penguin."

"Of course you aren't!" Xavier commented knowingly.

"I don't know anybody named Calvin. Now what did you need help with?"

I sighed. "I got separated from my friend somehow. I need to find him."

"He's right next to you."

"No, not him. I'm really a wand. Or maybe I'm technically a familiar. It's complicated. But Xavier here said you would be able to help."

Merlin nodded. "I can track him down using magic. What does he look like?"

"He's about sixteen I think. Brown hair. Has a friend his age."

Merlin jumped off the couch and went to his water bowl.

I felt myself starting to sink in the beanbag and shifted my position. "Uh, how were you going to track my master?"

"Hold your feathers. My bowl doubles as a scrying pool. This might take a while."

I looked at Xavier. He was watching Merlin to see what was happening. "I thought magic was forbidden here."

"It is. For humans," Merlin commented without taking his eyes of the bowl.

"Do you live here all alone?" I asked him.

He stopped looking in his water bowl. "I do now."

"What happened?" I asked.

Merlin's fur fluffed up. "Leave. Now."

22: Finding Sadie

Chapter 22

Jason

Sadie closed the door and locked it behind her.

"I thought I knew you!" I shouted, banging on the door.

"What did she mean when she said you're a ghost?" Rudolph asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know. I once pretended to be one, but then I told her that it was just a joke."

"This really is strange. I wonder what's gotten into her."

"It might have been the Forest of Nightmares. That's when she started acting all funny."

Rudolph grunted. "There's nothing funny about it. The potion you gave her should have made her immune to magical influences as well as curing her."

"We'll talk later. Let's get out of here." I grabbed a rusty hoe and used it to claw at the door. As soon as the metal tip touched the wood, it bent inwards.

"There's no use, Jason. She enchanted the walls." Rudolph sat down on a stool.

I dropped the bent hoe. "What's going to happen to us? Are we going to die?"

"I depends on how his spell comes out."

"To think that of all my experiences, I die in a shed."

Rudolph looked up. "According to Sadie, you already died."

"Wouldn't I know if I was a ghost?"

"You would not."

I started panicking. "Oh no. I did die. I will never get to see Bianca again. My parents are going to kill me. How did this happen? Why didn't Sadie tell me sooner?" Suddenly a thought came to me. "How did you end up in here? Are you a ghost too?"

Rudolph stared at the floor. "I am pretty old, aren't I? No, I am not a ghost. I probably will be, soon enough."

"Don't say that! We'll get out of here! You can't share my fate." I felt for my wand, and realized for the second time that Calvin was missing.

Rudolph grabbed my shoulder and looked me in the eyes. "Listen to me, Jason. Before we reached the gate, I said that there would be violence. I didn't mean with the soldiers."

"You looked into the future?"

He nodded. "I saw myself perishing. I don't know what will happen to you - that part was hidden from me. But I don't see the future as it will be. I see at as it will most likely be. Stay brave and sit tight."

Shaking with fear, I sat on the floor. How could this be happening? Sadie and I had been friends since we were kids. We've been through a lot together. Now some guy made her evil or something. If I hadn't died yet, I would in this shed. And Rudolph would too.

A tiny gray mouse scurried across the floor. It froze, looked me in the eyes, and hurried over to the other side of the shed. But before the mouse got there, it slowed down and collapsed on the floor. It's tiny body was quivering as if it was struggling to breathe.

"Rudolph, do you see that?" I asked nervously. I pointed at the mouse.

Rudolph looked at the mouse. "Jason, open the windows. Hurry."

I jumped on the nearest shelf and clawed at one of the high windows. It wouldn't budge. "The windows aren't meant to be opened."

"Smash it!"

I punched the glass with all my force. All I accomplished was bruising my knuckles. "I can't! What's going on?"

Rudolph fumbled through his pouch. He took out a white box with a gold ribbon on it and opened it. From the box he grabbed a small brown object. "Jason, my vision was right. I will not make it out alive."

"That's not fair! I'm already dead. Save yourself."

Rudolph thrust the brown object in my hand. "You are still alive. I just know it. On the other hand, I have few years left on me."

"But what difference would it make if I died? You're the only person I can trust. You can't die!" I thought of Alex, still on Grandor Island.

The air felt a lot thinner. I found myself getting less air when I inhaled. "What's happening?" I asked.

"The shed is gradually losing its air. Soon there will be none left, like a vacuum."

I looked at the object in my hands. It was a chocolate, already starting to melt in my sweaty hand. "How...will this help?" The lack of air became even worse.

The air thinned even more. "It...will put you...to magical sleep...you won't need air..." he gasped. "I only...have one." He kneeled down, trying to get more air into his lungs. Then I found myself to be struggling as well. "Eat it. Good bye, Jason." He closed his eyes.

Reluctantly I popped the chocolate into my mouth, using my last bit of energy. Nothing happened. I waited as the air left the shed, making it ever harder to breathe. A disturbing thought came to mind that I wouldn't make it. The magic wouldn't work in time. I was starting to suffocate, weakly gasping for breath, when everything became dark.

 

*   *   *   *   *

 

I woke up lying on my back in a dark forest. All I could see was the outlines of several trees around me. I felt grass underneath me, but couldn't get up. Now was I dead?

"Jason. I finally get to talk to you." Managing to lift my head, I saw a man watching me. He held an almost-burnt torch, barely illuminating the area. I could see that he was tall and slightly muscular, with long black hair and a goatee. His expression was that of sympathy.

"Am I dead?"

"No. The magic chocolate worked. I'm afraid your friend did not make it. Know that he was not afraid of death."

I lowered my head and looked up at the leaves above me. "I can't do anything right."

"Get up. I want to show you something."

"Don't you think I tried?" I snapped. As rude as that was, I couldn't help but mourn for the loss of Rudolph. He was a really nice guy, and would have been valuable on our mission. My best friend killed him, and almost got me too.

The man grabbed my arm and pulled me up. "Come on, it's not so hard. My name is Bob, by the way."

I tried to fall back on the soft, comfortable grass, but he gripped my arm firmly. "I just want to lay here forever," I muttered.

Bob smiled. "Just let me show you this. Then you can make that decision."

"You don't look like a Bob."

He led me through the forest, making me wonder how he could see. I was too groggy to avoid the leaves and they smacked me in the face as I stumbled after him. It felt as though we had walked a mile when he lead me to a small cabin. It was covered in vines, so I wouldn't have noticed it if Bob hadn't headed in its direction. We entered into the house. There was no door. "Go ahead and sit at the kitchen table. Try not to fall asleep."

I walked over to the table. Because of the limited space, it was only a couple feet away from the oven. A small cot was tucked in the corner, to the far right. Locked chests were stacked to the right of the door. The rest of the cabin was filled with shelves and counters. I sat on the small wooden bench. "Do you live here?"

Bob placed his coat on a nearby counter. "Right now I do. Are you hungry?"

"No, thanks. The chocolate filled me up." I was actually very hungry, but something told me not to accept food from this guy. But I was starting to feel drowsy again.

"That's fine. But please stay awake."

I realized that my head was in my folded arms. "Sorry. I don't have a lot of energy."

Bob nodded. "I bet a cup of hot chocolate would fix that."

"Sure."

He grabbed some ingredients from the cupboards above the stove and started heating a pot of water. I pinched myself so that I wouldn't fall asleep. Finally Bob placed the cup of hot chocolate in front of me. I took a sip.

"Wow, this is amazing!" It was the perfect temperature, not too hot but still warm. I instantly felt awake and alert.

Bob smiled. "Glad you like it. Now, I was going to show you something." He took a mirror off the wall and put it on the table. "Look in the mirror."

Taking another sip of hot chocolate, I looked at the mirror. All I saw was my face. It was dirty and bruised from all I had been through on the mission. "Do you want me to wash up?" I asked, rising from the bench. I felt very embarrassed.

"No, wait for it." Bob gestured for me to sit down again. I continued to stare at the mirror. Bob said something under his breath. My reflection faded so that I could see Sadie running through the streets of Barcos. She was following a penguin, and they were being chased by an angry mob. I guessed that they were in the poor section, close to the docks. The sight of her made me both happy and furious.

"Why did you show me this?" I asked.

Bob took the mirror away. "So you can find your friend."

"She isn't my friend anymore. In fact, I don't think she ever was."

"What you do with her is up to you," he said, hands up.

I got up. "It's time for me to go. How do I get back to Barcos?"

Bob didn't answer. His cabin disappeared and I was under a pile of wooden planks. It took a while for me to realize that Bob had teleported me back to the shed, which must have fallen apart. I pushed through the wood on top of me and looked around.

There wasn't much to see. The shed had been at the end of a small side road. I was glad that Rudolph was under the pile, so I wouldn't have to see him. All but some tools and a white box were buried.

I crawled over to the box, wincing as splinters poked me. It was the one Rudolph took out before the incident. The words "Seer's Candy" were printed in gold. I grabbed the box and a sharp metal pole. The fighting Rudolph saw had yet to come.

Without further hesitation, I ran down the road. It was then about 8 in the morning, so more people were about. Even though I had a sharp and pointy object in my hands, nobody paid me much attention. In the mirror, Sadie was running towards the docks. I would have to get there and find her before the angry mob did. I mean, they already did find her, but...before they hurt her.

I ran for five minutes, but couldn't remember the route to the dock. It felt like I was running in circles. I looked in my bag, which I still had, and checked my map, but it didn't show Port Barcos in detail.

"Hey you! Stop!" someone shouted. I looked back as a guard was running in my direction. He gripped a spear and annoyance showed on his face.

"Hey there," I responded. "How can I help you?"

"Drop your...stick! Hold your hands up!"

Still smiling, I dropped the metal pole and my bag, showing the guard my empty hands. Yeah, on the inside I wanted to beat the fudge out of him. But if my past experiences taught me anything, it was that Barcosian soldiers didn't react well to rudeness.

The guard growled. "And wipe that smug grin off your face! We're taking you to jail!"

"May I ask why?"

"You set the front gates on fire, then stormed in."

I rubbed my chin pensively. "Yeah, yeah, you probably have some reason to be angry. However, I was not the one who set the gates on fire. The one who did do it was responding to attack by you guys. You are more than welcome to take him instead."

"Tell it to the judge!" the guard said, prodding me with the spear.

I grabbed the spear, ripped it out of his hands, and pointed it at him threateningly. No more Mr. Nice Guy. "You underestimated me."

The guard grinned. "And vice versa." I felt a sharp pain in my leg, and realized that he had slashed at me with a dagger. Staggering backwards, I fell on my back. The spear clattered out of my hands.

"Are you really going to murder a civilian?" I asked, paling at the sight of my blood.

"You aren't a civilian. And I'm not going to kill you." The guard grabbed his spear. I tried to get away, but he pinned me down. "The more you retaliate, the worse your punishment will be." How bad did these guys get?

I wished I had my wand. That way I would have the upper hand. Instead I was on the floor wounded. "But it's me, Jason. Your nephew!"

The guard stepped back instinctively. His surprise gave me just enough time to get up and run into the crowd of people watching the fight. It disturbed me that no one did anything to stop the guard while he was fighting me. But they let me pass them to escape.

"This isn't the last of us, Jason!" the guard shouted. He picked up my things and threw them into a trash bin.

Was that the violence that Rudolph warned me about? It wasn't that bad. I mean, sure, I did get my leg cut open, and I lost all of my stuff, but- okay, maybe it was pretty bad.

I looked for Sadie some more. Was she still there? "Hey, people! I have a question!" I yelled. A few people glanced in my direction. "How can I get to the docks?"

An old man shook his cane at me. "You don't want to go there, sonny. Too many pirates and thieves."

"He's right, dear," a rich-looking woman commented. Besides that nobody answered me.

"But I need to. I last saw my friend following a penguin and being chased by an angry mob. Someone said they're down there."

A boy came up. He look a few years younger than me. "Did you say a penguin?"

"I don't have time for stories. I need to find him."

"But I met a penguin earlier. He was magic."

I wondered if the boy was serious. "Are you sure?"

He nodded. "Yeah, but he ran away."

"Can you show me where the docks are?" I figured we both had intentions of finding the odd group.

"Yeah. But my parents wouldn't want me to go there." He looked regretful.

"And you care about what your parents think?"

The boy smiled. "I like you. Let's go!" He lead me down a side road, and navigated though different larger roads. Not once did he stop to get his bearings. It didn't take him very long to find the gate that lead to the other side of Barcos.

"Do you have any weapons?" The boy asked.

"Not anymore."

"Do you know karate?"

"I wish."

He frowned. "How do you plan on protecting us?"

"I thought you had a weapon!" I argued.

The boy banged his head on the gate. "Why would I have a weapon? I'm just a boy." He had a point.

I quickly thought of something to say. "Actually, yes. We both have weapons. Our wits. We can go in there and be ready to defend ourselves with sharp minds." I grabbed him and walked through the gate.

"We shouldn't be doing this," the boy warned.

"Which is exactly why we are. Where are the docks from here?" I let him go. We had to do this.

"Over here." We walked on in silence. Uncertainty filled the air.

"We never got to introduce ourselves," I said. "My name's Jason. What's yours?"

"My name is Xavier. But some people call me George."

"Really?"

"No. I just think that George is a cool name."

"But so is Xavier. I once- duck!" I pushed him down before a rock could smash into his head.

A burly man covered in black clothes came out from behind a corner. "Two boys alone, downtown. Why?"

"Why would you hurt us?" I asked innocently.

"To teach you a lesson." He took out a heavy stick and swung it above his head.

"Jason, he's a mugger. They don't have consciences," Xavier said.

The man glared at him. "You bet I don't. Which is why you better watch out."

I caught on to Xavier's plan. I think. If he did have a plan. But I was beginning to think of one myself. "Watch out for what?"

"Me!" the mugger cried. "What else?"

"Someone who has a real weapon, that's what else," I told him.

The man threw his club on the ground and pulled out what looked like spiked gloves. "I didn't want to hurt you that much, but you leave me no choice."

"I thought you don't have a conscience."

Growling, the mugger dropped the knuckles and removed a knife from his pocket.

"Look me in the eyes," I said. I waited for him to do so. "That blade is way too short. You are no match for us."

He fell face-forward. Behind him stood Xavier, holding the club. He didn't seem to regret knocking someone out. "How do you know mind magic?" he asked, his voice full of pure amazement.

"What? I'm not magic. Sorcerers aren't allowed in Barcos." If he found out who he was, I would probably be back with the soldiers again. And that would not be pretty. For them.

Xavier saw right through me though. "You manipulated his mind. You're inexperienced, so you couldn't control him completely. But you were able to make suggestions."

I looked around to make sure no one was listening. "Okay, you're right. I do know magic. But I've never done mind magic before. How do you know?"

It was Xavier's turn to look nervous. "My parents were sorcerers."

"Your parents?"

He nodded. "Let's go find the penguin and your friend."

"Wait, who are your parents?" I asked. "Why aren't they sorcerers anymore?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Are you sure?"

Xavier sat on the cold, dirty ground. "I was never scared when I was with them. They were the best parents ever. Never yelled at me or anything. But then they had to go on a mission to defeat some demon. Amaatlik, I think his name was. We moved here for the mission. I didn't want them to go, but they said they had to. They left me with a babysitter, but he was mean and I ran away. Occasionally I would go back to my home, to see if my parents returned from their mission. But...they never did." He sniffled and turned away. "I'm sorry."

"No, I asked. Sorry to hear about your parents."

He shrugged. "That's okay. I guess I'm used to living by myself. Now let's carry on with our own mission." He grabbed the knife and handed me the club.

We walked to the dock, carefully watching for other muggers. There were none, and before we knew it, we arrived at our destination. "Now, how do we find the guys?" I asked.

As if on cue, the penguin dashed in my peripheral vision. I turned to see it jump into the water several feet away and vanish. Sadie was close behind, and jumped after it. The angry mob stopped at the edge and looked down to see if they would surface. I could tell that the mob was actually twenty or so soldiers with different weapons. Their heavy armor prevented them from following Sadie and the penguin. But that didn't stop some from throwing their weapons into the water. They waited a while, and when their prey didn't rise back to the surface, they walked away satisfied.

23: Our Enemy

Chapter 23

Sadie

The water was dark and I realized that I forgot to hold my breath. Water filled my lungs. Except for a bath, I had never been in actual water before, so it was a new experience for me. "Calvin, I can't breath!" I yelled. More water got inside me when I opened my mouth. I started to choke.

The penguin swam back to me and touched my arm with his wing. Upon contact I found I could breathe again, though I was still coughing and felt horrible. "Don't talk or breath underwater. That's not how it works. Follow me, and don't let go." He dived deeper.

"When can we go back up?" I asked, holding on.

"Soon. But we can't take any chances. The soldiers might still be after us." I heard a splash. A spear plunged through the water, missing us by an inch. More followed, but kept missing as the water changed their trajectory. However I couldn't help flinching as the steel points ripped through the surface, leaving bubbles dancing in their path. Swords, maces, and axes were also thrown but none of them hit us as we descended. Thankfully the attack ended as soon as it started.

"Do you think they're bluffing?"

Calvin dragged me behind a boulder. "Probably not. I say we wait ten seconds before resurfacing." He paused, counting to ten. One, two, three, four, five. One. I didn't want to back up. They could be waiting for us to come back up, remaining weapons at the ready. Calvin pulled me up regardless.

We surfaced a fair distance away. The soldiers were gone. I let go of Calvin, paddled up, and heaved myself up onto dry land, dripping wet. Calvin jumped up next to me. "What do we do now?" he asked.

I wrung out my shirt, trying to squeeze some of the water out of it. "We need to sail to the Sea of Despair. From there we go to Waldurk."

"What about Jason?"

"I told you. He died, and can't help us anymore. We have to leave now."

Calvin glared at me. "How could you say such a thing? He isn't dead!"

"I know it's hard to take in. But he was my friend too. We have to keep moving forward."

"He's right over there." Calvin gestured to a section of the pier where two boys in ragged clothes were staring at the water. The bigger one looked at us and headed toward us.

"Well, if it isn't the most important sorcerer in the world. You're going to pay for your actions," Jason grumbled. He took out a club while the other boy had a knife, but stayed back.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, slowly backing away. I almost walked right into the bay. What was Jason thinking?

"You know what I'm talking about, Sadie." He said my name with particular repulsion. "Go die in a hole, why don't you?"

Calvin stepped in between us. "I, for one, do not know what you are talking about."

"She trapped me and another guy in a shed and collapsed it. The other guy died, and I would have as well if he hadn't saved my life," Jason snarled.

"You're a ghost! You can't die again! And Rudolph was evil!" I argued. There was no time for this. Jason was just confused.

"If I'm a ghost, how did I get this?" He pointed to a long gash on his left leg. "Who told you I was dead?"

I cleared my throat. My instincts told me that Francis was right. He was the one to trust. If Jason was a ghost...maybe...a horrible realization came to me. Maybe Jason was evil, and Francis didn't want me to know, so he just said that Jason was a ghost. And he only came along because he wanted to cause mischief. But I couldn't let on that I knew. I had to come up with excuses. "I asked Calvin whether I should trust him, and he said yes."

Jason looked even angrier. "So you're the one who stole my wand?"

"He said to leave him there, and that he would get help."

"I said no such thing!" Calvin protested.

"Wait, that's Calvin?" Jason asked. He paused. "Things aren't adding up right."

Calvin jumped in the water and turned into the snake thing. "You bet they aren't."

"Calvin, we have to stay out of sight!" I said anxiously, looking around. The streets were empty, but people might be peeking through the windows.

"There's nobody around. And being a fidi helps me think. Xavier, is that you?"

The other boy looked up and grinned. "Calvin! Long time so see! What are you guys talking about?"

"We're just trying to clear some things up. What are you up to?"

"I was going to join you guys on your mission." He looked at Jason pleadingly. Of course the little brat hadn't asked yet.

"We can't let a little boy go with us!" I argued. He looked to be about ten, and I doubted that he would be of any use.

Jason's previous anger faded. He turned to Xavier. "How would we benefit if you came?" he asked.

Xavier looked away. "I don't know. But...I have no family. There's nowhere to go. I'm scared." How pathetic.

"Do you have any talents?" Jason asked.

"Not really. I don't know magic, like you do. But I do know a lot about it. You know, because my parents were sorcerers."

I could tell Jason was torn. "You know we...we're going after Amaatlik too...right?"

"All the more reason for me to come. I can look for my parents. Can I please come? You won't even notice I'm there. Please?"

Jason turned to Calvin and me. "What do you guys think?"

"I think it would be okay," Calvin replied. They looked at me.

"If you guys really want him along, I guess he can. But I don't like it. Don't say I didn't warn you."

"Can he come or not?" Jason asked exasperatedly.

"Yes! Let's get on with the mission!" I said. I didn't want him along.

Jason scowled at me. "Right. We need to find a ship that will take two boys, a girl, and a giant snake to a place called the Sea of Despair."

"Why can't we just ride Calvin?" Xavier asked.

"Or we could ride you," Calvin replied. "What, do I look like a ship?"

Xavier looked embarrassed. "I was just thinking...you look pretty big and strong. And I don't see how else we could get anywhere."

"Stay where you are!" someone ordered us. We looked back to see the stupid soldiers running in our direction. "You're with three wanted criminals! That makes you an accomplice!"

"You better get on," Calvin admitted. He let us climb onto his scaly back and swam away just before the soldiers reached us. The one leading them snapped his spear in half, muttering something rather impolite. Calvin looked back to make sure we were all on. "Do I have everybody?"

"We're all here," Jason said. "Do you know where to go?"

"I know the ocean like the back of my fin. You guys can relax now, just don't fall off. Except maybe you, Sadie. You can fall off if you want." We sat in silence for a while. I knew better than to retort. "You guys can talk if you want to," Calvin hinted.

"What's it like being sorcerers?" Xavier asked.

"It's a pain in the grass," Jason mumbled.

"What he means," I said quickly, "is that it is very, very dangerous."

"Danger is my middle name. But what kind of stuff do you do?"

I waited for Jason to say something, but he didn't. "We just joined. I don't know what to really expect yet."

Xavier couldn't think of anything else to say. Calvin continued to swim away from Barcos. I couldn't see in front of us from behind Xavier, but I could tell that Calvin wasn't turning. We were just going straight. The ride was so long and uneventful that I could have slept if there wasn't so much on my mind.

Who was Francis really? Had he lied to me? Jason wasn't dead. He and Calvin weren't acting quite like themselves. If we were going to do things right, we should be strong. Unless they were evil.

And who was Xavier? Jason found some boy and brought him along. He might slow us down.

I remembered Rudolph telling me that Francis was evil. Francis said the same about Rudolph. If Francis lied about Jason being a ghost, he probably lied about Rudolph being evil. That would mean that Francis really was the bad guy. Unless Rudolph wasn't talking about Francis. This thinking was giving me a headache. I decided to share it with the others. No matter what I thought, it was best to confront them directly. If they attacked me, then I could fight back. I still had my wand.

"Hey guys?" I asked.

"Wait, wait, close your talking hole!" Jason interrupted. "I have to say something."

I looked back and resisted the urge to push him off. "What?"

"I lost my stuff."

"WHAT? First the potions, then the cloak, now the rest of your stuff?"

"Yeah. And Rudolph gave me a bunch of magic chocolate. But my bag's back in Barcos. I forgot to tell you."

"At least I have a knife," Xavier said, trying to lighten the mood. It didn't help.

"How could you do this?" I asked.

Jason looked at his lap. "A soldier confiscated it. I couldn't get it back."

Xavier waved his hand to get our attention. "That was your bag? The one in the trash?"

"Yeah. Why?" Jason asked.

"I saved the chocolate. It's right here." He pulled a white box out of an inner jacket pocket. "I didn't eat any though."

Jason stared at him. "Xavier, you're the greatest!" He took the box and put it in my bag.

"Why do I have to carry it?" I asked.

"I'll carry the bag if you want. But we need that chocolate. It's magic."

"Yeah, you said. But still. You don't have your food and clothes."

Jason reddened. "I know. Sucks to be me."

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"At Draida, we were walking to Amisto's house, and my parents were trying to stop me. You laughed and said, 'Sucks to be you,' and I'm like, 'Wow. What's going on?' And then things went back to normal."

I shook my head. "Another one of your crazy stories. Sometimes I wonder what goes on in your head. Now, I don't want to know."

"You said it!" Jason said angrily.

"Why does it matter?" Calvin asked. As hard as it is, I had forgotten that we were riding a serpent.

"Sadie would never say that!" Jason argued.

Xavier looked around helplessly. "I'm starting to wish I hadn't come."

"I'm sorry," Jason said. "It was a stupid idea. You don't belong here."

"That's what I was trying to tell you guys!" I said. There we were, riding Calvin somewhere off the coast of Barcos, with Jason being stupid and a non-sorcerer getting in the way. We would never succeed at this rate. Although we probably wouldn't have succeeded anyway.

"You guys need to work this out," Calvin insisted. "We'll all tell each other our side of the story, and then move on."

"What is this, a court session?" Xavier complained. He looked back at us to see if we agreed.

"The wand is right," I said. "I'll go first. It all started when Jason and I were little."

Jason sighed. "Is this really necessary?"

I ignored him. "He always wanted to go exploring. But he was also a scaredy cat. So when he wanted to go on a mission, I was surprised. Mind you, this was our first mission. He was a lot cooler back then.

"But recently, he's been acting a bit weird. First, he was all nervous about going on a second mission. He thought we would die. Then, he made us split up and ruined most of his supplies. Just recently, he lost the rest of his stuff.

"This isn't the Jason I know. I think he's under mind control." That was the only explanation, besides him being evil, which I couldn't stand.

"I think I would know if that was happening," Jason said. "Wait, what if you're right? I'm not really me! Calvin, throw me overboard!"

Calvin shook his head. "Seriously, you guys need some sleep. Fatigue is making us go crazy. There's a small island here. Let's set up camp for the night."

"I didn't get to say my side of the story!" Jason argued.

"What was it?" I asked.

Jason pulled a paper out of his pocket and looked at it. "Well, you have been acting strange as well. Like, when you-"

"Is this scripted?" I asked.

"No. Just listen. You've been a jerk lately. First, you were saying those horrible things in the Forest of Nightmares. Then you abandoned me before we got to Barcos. Because some guy told you I was a ghost. And, yeah."

Calvin landed before I could respond. The island was flat and pretty small, having just enough room for a house. There were no plants or rocks, just sand.

"I'll start a fire," Jason said. "You guys talk or something." He walked over to the far side of the island and started to clear a space for a fire ring. I don't know what he was really doing, as there was nothing to clear away.

After a moment's hesitation, I decided to join him. "Hey, can we talk about this?" I asked.

Jason looked up. "About what?"

"About how we have been acting strange. Our only enemy is ourselves. If we don't figure it out, we can't win."

"I guess. If you say that I'm not a ghost." He pushed the sand around.

"You're not a ghost. I know that. Who knows, maybe someone is using mind control."

"I wish I knew who Bob is."

"Bob?" I wondered is he was being serious.

Jason nodded. "I had this dream, where a man with black hair and a goatee gave me hot chocolate and showed me a vision of you running around. He seemed nice enough, but really mysterious."

"Black hair and a goatee?"

"Yeah."

I looked at the drawings he made in the sand. From my angle, they didn't make any sense. He was probably drawing Bianca's face. "A similar man told me you were a ghost. He called himself Francis though."

"Did he have a cool accent?" Jason asked.

"He definitely sounded foreign. Do you think he's trying to stop us?"

"I think we should ask Calvin. He's really smart. After I start the fire. Muro." A small fire ignited without fuel. It was the middle of the day, but I realized that the air had been quite cold before Jason started the fire. Jason and I walked over to Calvin, who was still in the water, talking to Xavier.

"Did he really do that?" Xavier asked, amazed. He laughed.

Calvin saw us coming toward them. "Did you start a fire?" the serpent asked.

Jason nodded. "We need to ask you something. Has someone spoken to you recently?"

"Well, I was just talking to Xavier here."

"I mean, have you heard someone talking to you with mind magic?"

Calvin thought about it. "Before I came to find you guys, someone talked to me."

"What are you talking about?" Xavier asked. The boy seemed uncomfortable.

"Someone's been tricking us," I explained. "He's been talking to us in our minds, and even appeared to us. But separately." I was glad to have an explanation.

Xavier reached for his knife. "Is he going to get me?"

"No, he can't hurt us," I assured him. If only I could believe myself.

"You said 'he'?" Calvin asked unsurely.

"Yeah, why?"

"The person who talked to me was female. She didn't show herself. I don't think she's a threat."

"What did she sound like?" Jason asked.

"I don't remember the experience clearly. Do you think she could harm us?"

I walked in circles, trying to get my thoughts flowing. "If they've been using mind control, we'd better be careful about our thoughts. They might not be our own. I'm sure you understand, Jason."

Jason nodded. But did he really?

"Mind control does not work on races of greater intelligence such as humans," Calvin said thoughtfully. "Your friend was making suggestions, using pre-existing thoughts to make you see things differently."

Xavier looked at the three of us, still looking ill at ease. "Is there any way I can help?"

24: Message in a Bottle

Chapter 24

Jason

Again I sat at Bob's table with a cup of hot chocolate. He looked just as I had remembered him, staring at me strangely. Finally! This was my chance to find out the truth. Was he good or bad? Or sort of a Jekyll and Hyde kind of thing?

"How are you, Jason?" he asked. He had a suspiciously pleasant disposition.

"Eh. Not very good."

Bob laughed. How I hated his laugh. "What are you talking about?"

"I know you're evil. You're trying to trick us and tear us apart. You're doing a really bad job."

"Don't listen to Sadie. She's possessed by someone called Francis." Part of me wanted to believe him, but I knew he was lying.

"Isn't it a coincidence how he looks just like you?" I asked skeptically.

Bob nodded. "He can change form, like Calvin. Who, by the way, is also possessed. You must watch out for them."

I knew that he was lying when he said that. "How can I trust you? For all I know-" I flipped the table toward the oven, hoping to catch him by surprise. He jumped away, seconds before the tiny table was set on fire upon contact with the oven. I looked around the room for something to hit him with. Something to use as a weapon. But the cramped cabin didn't have much.

Bob growled. "There's nowhere to go, Jason. It looks like I'll have to kill you. You've seen through my ruse." He grabbed a burning plank and threw it at me.

I dodged the wood, but the fire spread throughout the cabin as the plank landed. Flames blocked my way to the door. Bob cackled like a witch, and threw more wood. The fire didn't seem to burn him, licking at his fingers harmlessly.

"Who are you?" I shouted. "Are you Lamia the Witch?"

Bob grinned at me. "Wake up, Jason."

"What?" I stepped back to avoid part of the collapsing ceiling.

"I said wake up! Please!"

I sat up under the lean-to we were using for shelter. Xavier was shaking me gently. "What is it?" I snapped.

Xavier backed away, whimpering. "I'm scared."

I rubbed my eyes. It was still dark outside. Sadie was still asleep, over at her side of the lean-to (because she wanted her own little space away from us). "Why didn't you wake up Sadie? Girls are better at inspirational talks."

"You're the only one I trust. Well, I also trust Calvin, but I didn't want to wake him up."

Trying not to go back to sleep, I wriggled out of my blanket and stretched. There wasn't a lot of space in the lean-to, so I walked outside. The sand felt soft and cool beneath my bare feet. "What's on your mind?"

Xavier gazed at the numerous starts dotting the dark sky. "At Barcos you seemed so calm and cool. But now you guys are all stressed out. I didn't know that going on a mission was such a terrible experience."

I sat down. "Yeah. That's what Sadie was trying to say. I didn't really want you to join either, but I didn't have the heart to tell you."

"Are we going to be okay?" he asked, kicking the sand gently.

"Do you want the honest answer?"

"Yes."

I sighed. He shouldn't have to be going through this. "I don't know. Amaatlik seems untouchable. Nobody's ever been near him. That includes sorcerers much more experienced than us. But we've gotten this far."

Xavier frowned. "Sadie and Calvin said you were afraid at first."

"Did they?" I asked, embarrassed.

"Yeah. How could someone as cool as you be afraid?"

His comment made me laugh. "I'm not so cool. But to answer your question, I can't tell if the fear is real. It could just be Bob using his mind control."

"Am I talking to the real Jason?"

"Calvin said Bob only changes our thoughts. Don't worry, it's me." I stumbled a little on the words "don't worry."

Xavier dug into the sand, letting the grains pass through his fingers. "I'm still a little worried."

I didn't know what to say. Any attempt to console him would seem sarcastic. But if I spoke hopelessly, it would make him even more scared. We sat in silence, watching the waves quietly lapping against the shore.

"Why did you finally decide to go on the mission?" Xavier asked.

I sighed. "Some people would say I'm easy to manipulate." Then I realized that he wanted motivation. "Well, if we don't do this, nobody will. Amaatlik will destroy everything. And that wouldn't be very good."

"Are you still scared?"

"Yeah. But that won't stop me."

Xavier nodded. "Okay. You can go back to bed now. Thanks, Jason. Thanks a lot."

"You're welcome, Xavier. Good night." I crawled back under my blanket. At first I wondered whether or not I really helped him, but the warmth quickly put me to sleep...

"Jason! Get up!"

I blinked. Hadn't I just fallen asleep? "What is it, Xavier?"

"It's Sadie. We're leaving now."

This time it was day. The sun had risen and shone brightly. Now, unfortunately, it was my turn to rise. "Do we have to leave right now? Can't I just sleep another hour?"

Sadie rolled her eyes. "Fine. We're going to defeat Amaatlik without you."

"Whoa. Spoiler alert," I said sleepily. "You just spoiled the story for everybody, you know."

"Jason, don't break the fourth wall!" she scolded.

I looked around. "The lean-to only has one."

"Enough foolishness. Get up."

I reluctantly got out my blanket. As soon as I was out, Sadie snapped her fingers and the lean-to was gone.

"How did you do that?" I asked. "You didn't even say anything."

Sadie shrugged. "The same way I put it up, I guess. Here." She handed me one of her potions. The tiny vial contained only a small amount of bright green liquid.

"Looks like you already drank some. What is it?"

Sadie read the label to make sure she had the right potion. "It's an alertness potion. Makes you more awake. I figured you could really use it."

"How come there's only a sip?" I asked, not sure I wanted to drink it.

"We have to share it or we'll go all crazy. It's like caffeine. Just take it."

"The whole thing?"

"The whole thing."

I screwed the cork off the neck of the bottle and drank the potion. It tasted a lot like chocolate, which I wasn't expecting due to the fact that it was green. I tipped the bottle more, but there was none left. "Wow. That tastes good."

"Are you ready to go?" Sadie asked.

"That depends. Where are Xavier and Calvin?" They had disappeared. The island was small enough to see the whole thing from any point of view, and they were not to be seen.

Sadie looked around. "They must still be talking. Some kind of private conversation."

"Then what do we do now?" I asked.

"You could tell me about your dream last night."

"How do you know I had a dream?"

Sadie grinned. "You were kicking and screaming for hours. I couldn't get to sleep."

"Oh yeah. I saw Bob. Or Francis, whatever you want to call him. We were in a cabin, and he was giving me more hot chocolate. I didn't trust him. So I asked some questions and tried to burn him. But then he started throwing things."

"Is that all you remember?" she asked.

"Oh, no. He said that yes, he is evil. Well, he didn't say it like that, but he made it obvious. I don't remember much else. Do you think that was really a dream?"

Sadie scanned the horizon, ignoring me. "I don't see Xavier or Calvin."

I looked around. There was nothing to see but water.

Something landed on the sand behind us. I turned around to see a glass bottle lying right-side up.

"Is that one of your potions?" I asked.

Sadie walked over to the bottle. "No. There's a piece of paper inside it."

I picked up the bottle and took out the paper. The message inside was written in red ink.

My useless adversaries,

I caught your friends. They will feel fear like they never have. And you two can do nothing on your little island. Just like the Rex guy you left behind on Grandor. I hope you drown in despair. Mwah ha ha.

I read the paper again. Who was this jerk? Then I realized that it was a prank. Calvin was trying to lighten the mood because Xavier was really scared. I assured myself that there wasn't any real danger.

"Oh no. What do we do?" Sadie asked quietly. She breathed deeply, hands on her head, trying to concentrate.

"Since when did you panic?" I asked.

Sadie shook his head. This was strange. She was usually more calm. I was just joking. Then it came to me - she was in on the joke. She was acting morose so she could get a laugh out of it later. I decided to humor her and go along with it.

I dropped the note. "Let's see what my chocolate does. Surely one of them can be used to save them." I walked around and dug into Sadie's bag. The white box of Seer's Candy was on top of the other stuff. I opened the box.

I had eaten the hibernation chocolate. Eleven more flavors remained. Some were round, others rectangles. A few had white drizzle or coconut shreds. The ones with nuts had bulging tops. They came in different shades of brown. It took all my willpower to not eat all of the delicious-looking chocolates.

But which pieces did what? Unlike Sadie's potions, they were not labeled. I looked under the pieces, closely examined the inside and outside of the box. INGREDIENTS: ENRICHED BLEACHED FLOUR, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, CARMINE. CONTAINS WHEAT, EGG, MILK AND SOY. MAY CONTAIN PEANUTS AND TREE NUTS. MAY CONTAIN CHOCOLATE. WARNING: MAY HAVE FATAL SIDE EFFECTS. DO NOT EAT.

"Find one?" Sadie asked.

I closed the box. "It doesn't say what they do. Should I just stuff them all in my mouth?" The potion she gave me before made me crave chocolate.

"Uh, no." I opened the box again and chose one.

"No!" Sadie shouted. "You don't know what will happen!"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures. And I'll be more than happy to eat them. Which reminds me, I didn't have breakfast."

She sighed and pointed to the ground. I tipped the box and the chocolates fell to the sand. "Is bacon okay?" she asked.

"You don't have to ask." I waited for her to turn away. Seeing that she wasn't looking, I picked a random chocolate, picked it up, and wiped the sand off. It was dark, with a smooth surface. I popped it into my mouth. The chocolate tasted like strawberry cream. It was amazing, but quickly melted before I could fully enjoy it. Maybe just one more?

Sadie came back with some bacon. I don't know how she got it. "Here you go."

The bacon seemed less appetizing after the chocolate, but I grabbed some. It was still good. Bacon always is. "What do we do then?"

She wiped grease off her hands. "I don't know."

"Let's analyze our situation," I proposed. "You set fire to the front gates at Barcos. The soldiers got all crazy. We barely escaped. Instead of getting a ship to take us, we had to use Calvin. And because of that, we went here. On the island. And Calvin had the brilliant idea to split up. For no apparent reason. Then he got a little boy kidnapped."

"He isn't the only one who 'had the brilliant idea to split up,'" Sadie argued.

"What are you saying?" I threatened.

"I'm saying that nothing matters to you. This is all just a game." She glared at me, and I was worried that she might use magic. Since Calvin was gone, I didn't have my wand. But the anger in Sadie's eyes faded, and she sat on the sand. "What's wrong with us?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"We keep fighting. Before we almost never fought. I think being sorcerers changed us."

"This is what I was saying all along!" I said, finally getting the chance to rub it in her face. If only I could rub chocolate in my own face...

"We were okay on our first mission," Sadie said thoughtfully. "Somewhat."

I nudged her with my foot. "Get up."

"Why?"

"It's just Amaatlik messing with our brains."

"But...are these really our thoughts?" Sadie asked.

I laughed at her. "Look at you, such a philosopher. Next you're going to say, 'Do we really exist? Is there really good and evil? Why is bacon so delicious?'"

She got up. "But still...what's that?"

I looked in the direction she was pointing. All I saw was water. "What? I don't see anything."

Slightly annoyed, Sadie stared at the water. "Wait for it."

I waited, my eyes glued to the spot where she saw something. A dark shape broke the surface. It was heading straight for us.

25: Hero?

Chapter 25

Noah

A young man was running along a road, wondering whether he was in the right story. On either side of him lay green grasslands, stretching farther than the eye could see. Birds glided in the air, chattering and singing. If it weren't for them, the man wouldn't know which way was north - where he was going - as all the birds flew north. He just had to follow the them.

The man's name was Noah. Ever since he was a boy, he wanted to fight. Swords and spears and axes interested him. Yet he was from Odom, a peaceful town without militia. If he was to pursue his dream, he would have to move to the well-known Port Barcos. There he would become a soldier.

Noah stopped to take a breath. He looked at the path ahead of him.

Not too far away Death Mountain and the surrounding smaller mountains stood in his way. It would take a lot of time and energy to traverse them, but the view would be well worth it. Very few people got the chance to visit the amazing mountain range. Already he could see blankets of powdery snow, whiter than anything he'd ever seen. The snow partially covered stone the color of chocolate. Noah would be passing through just four of them, but legend had it that the mountains went on forever.

"Looks like I've got a long and interesting journey ahead of me," Noah said to himself.

He started for the closest mountain, Ano. It was one of the smaller mountains, but that didn't say much. It was still pretty big.

Noah wondered what his new life would be like. Some said that being a soldier was tough. But life was tough. Surely it wouldn't be much of a difference.

What if he couldn't do it? Things were very simple back in Odom. In a town like Barcos, they were surely more complicated. He might not adjust.

Noah was beginning to wonder whether he could do this. His family back home doubted him. Why hadn't he doubted himself?

Of course, he was already this far. And his mother always told him that he could do whatever he set his mind to. And that was becoming part of the Barcos guard.

Noah felt his foot slip, and realized that he was at the edge of a cliff. He frantically backed away, but tripped under the loose rubble and lost his footing. There was little time to grab a handhold before he started falling.

Noah remembered reading books in the Odom library. Books written by soldiers. He relaxed his body, bent his knees, and directed his body toward a soft bushy spot. He made sure to land on his feet.

Fortunately, the fall wasn't as far as it looked from up on the cliff, and the brush was very soft. The impact shocked him, but he was fine.

"Are you okay?" someone asked.

Noah turned to see an old man staring at him in amazement. The man was holding a wooden walking stick.

"Yeah," Noah replied. "Somehow."

"What is your name, sir?" the old man asked.

"Noah."

The old man held his gaze for a few more seconds. "Where are you headed?"

"I'm starting a new life in Barcos." Noah found it strange that the old man was asking these questions.

"Follow me," the old man said.

"Um...if you don't mind..." Noah looked back up at the cliff. "I should get going."

The old man shook his head. "How would you be able to get back up?"

Noah didn't know.

"Don't worry, I won't bite," the old man said, grinning. Noah noticed that he had a full mouth of shiny white teeth.

Seeing no other option, Noah followed the man through the bushes and to a small tent cleverly camouflaged against the nearby trees.

"Would you like some stew?" the old man asked.

"That would be nice," Noah replied politely.

While the old man prepared some stew, Noah rested on a stump and took off his pack. It had been a hard day of traveling and he was happy to take a break...

 

The smell of meat and spices wafted under Noah's nose and he woke up. "Oh. Sorry. It's been a long day."

"I understand," the old man said. "I don't believe I've introduced myself. You can call me Sabias."

"Nice to meet you, Sabias."

"No, no, the pleasure is all mine. You'll understand in a moment."

"Okay."

Sabias took out a sword in a silver sheath. "Sit tight now, this is a lot to take in."

"What do you mean?"

"I am normally not one to believe in prophesy or destiny. But I do believe that you will be a hero."

"A hero?"

Sabias nodded. "There is a prophecy that tells of a man named Noah who will protect Barcos with the help of this sword. But first you must name her."

Noah looked at the sword. "Wait, what?"

"First of all, name the sword."

"Bob?"

Sabias shook his head.

Noah thought about it. Why couldn't the sword just be nameless? An idea came out of the blue. "Nomilis?"

"Very well. You are now bound to Nomilis. Allow me to explain the rest." He explained the rest.

 

Twenty years later, Noah sat in the barracks, pondering.

Since joining, he had made his way to captain of the Barcos Guard. He had many experiences there, but none were quite like this.

His men had been acting strange lately. They always seemed aggressive and unwilling to follow orders. The scary thing was, the more time he spent with them, the more aggressive he himself became.

Noah had read many books and talked to a lot of people. He was unable to find out what was happening.

"Noah, we need to talk to you."

Noah looked up. In front of him, blocking the light from the entrance, was a dozen or so soldiers. "That's Captain to you."

The soldier who spoke shook his head. "We are relegating you."

Noah raised an eyebrow. "Oh are you?"

"Yes. And if you keep talking to your captain like that, you're out of here for good."

Noah stood up. "And who gave you the ability to take away my rank? The Easter Bunny?"

The soldiers parted to admit someone who Noah hadn't seen before. The man wore shiny, ornate armor, and carried a gilded sword in a sheath at his side.

"Attention, captain!" the man barked.

Noah bit his tongue. He could tell that the man was of a higher position, probably major. He always assumed he was the highest rank in town.

"Answer me, man!" the major spat.

"Yes sir!" Noah said timidly, his voice shaking. "What brings you here, Major?"

"None of your beeswax! Give me your armor, now!" The major held out his hand.

Noah removed the trimmed breastplate and helmet that marked him as captain and handed them to the major, who placed them on the soldier.

"You are now captain, Mathew. And Noah, you get his rank of private. Congratulations, both of you. Move out, men!" the major and the soldiers following left the barracks.

"How very peculiar," Noah muttered hotly. "Why would they do this?"

"I can tell you, sir."

One of the men had not left with the major.

"What do you want?" Noah asked.

The soldier held up his hands. "Just follow me. I bear bad news."

Noah sighed and followed the man to an inner room. "More bad news?"

"That was part of it," the man replied. "Name's Joseph, by the way." Joseph closed the door.

"You know why they are acting like this?" Noah asked.

Joseph nodded. "They are being influenced by dark magic."

"Okay," Noah said thoughtfully. "Yeah. Very believable. Especially because Barcos is a magical town."

"I'm serious!" Joseph argued. "Look at this."

Joseph removed his heavy gauntlet and displayed his palm. A purple five-pointed star was tattooed onto his flesh.

"How is that proof?" Noah asked. "And how do I know this isn't a trick?"

"You don't have to believe me! Just listen!" Joseph said desperately. "Soon I'll be changed just like the others. There isn't much time."

"Go on then," Noah said reluctantly.

Joseph cleared his throat. "As I said, someone is controlling us with dark magic. I am the only one left. But somehow they got me too."

"How do they 'get' you?" Noah asked, both intrigued and disturbed.

"They shake your hand. That's why the mark is on my palm. But they can also use more forceful magic, and will now that you are aware."

"Why thank you."

"You must protect yourself," Joseph urged. "Hide while you can."

"Why did you bother to come to me?" Noah asked. "I mean, I'm just another person."

"They didn't really demote you," Joseph said. "That wasn't the actual Major. You're still in charge. If they get to you, they'll use your influence as captain to control the city."

"Why would they do that?"

"They-" Joseph gasped and fell to the floor. "No! They're taking me. Go. Now!"

Joseph's face slowly became hardened. "Actually, wait. I have more to tell you."

Noah was shocked. "Uh, very well. I have to get something first." He backed into the hall, his eyes on Joseph.

As soon as he was out of the room, Noah ran to his bunk and looked back. Joseph wasn't there.

"This is crazy," Noah muttered to himself. "But Joseph must be right. It sure explains a lot." He carefully pulled his bunk away from the wall and fingered the floor under it. He was determined to do his best to stop whatever was happening.

"Resistance is futile!" Joseph shouted. He sounded much crueler and monstrous.

Noah refused to look back and continued looking for the loose tile.

"Have you gone crazy, Captain?" Joseph asked, laughing wildly.

Noah found the tile and pulled it away. "No, you have."

Joseph grabbed Noah's shoulder and started chanting. Noah tried to shake him off, but Joseph held on to him with an iron grip. Noah started panicking. He flailed and hit, but his opponent didn't budge. He might as well have been fighting a statue.

Joseph stopped chanting. "The change will take place in a minute. As quick as it  took to curse you. Then you will be one of us."

"I don't think so!" Noah growled. He swung the tile at Joseph. It was a clumsy weapon, but the impact was enough to knock the younger man unconscious.

Looking around to make sure that nobody else was around, Noah climbed down the ladder he revealed and down a tunnel to an iron door. He clumsily took out a brass key from his pocket but dropped it. He wiped his hands on his pants and picked the key up, unlocking the door.

When he had first joined, as Sabias the Sage had instructed, Noah secretly built the bunker under the barracks.

Noah wondered if Sabias had foreseen this event when they first met. Or maybe it was part of the prophecy. It all made sense now. More or less. Either way, he would probably be here for a while. But there was still one obstacle to beat before he got comfortable.

Noah looked at his palm. There was no mark. Did it take a while to form? Did Joseph really curse him?

Then he realized that it would be on his shoulder. He grabbed his dagger and cut his shirt open where the possessed Joseph had touched him. Sure enough, there was a purple star there.

Noah tried to keep calm and looked through the boxes and shelves pressed against the dirt walls for something that might help. He found a first aid kit. Some magic stuff he smuggled into Barcos. He quickly skimmed through some books. Nothing.

"What can I do?" Noah asked. Everything was starting to look hopeless. "I could turn evil any minute now."

"Come to me."

Noah looked around. There was no one else in the bunker. He hadn't actually expected someone to answer.

"I am under the ground," whispered the strange voice.

Noah clawed at the earth at his knees. It was hard and compact, hard to dig into. Noah took out a dagger and used it to stab at the ground. When the dirt was softer, he scooped it away and found a long wooden box a couple feet down. Suddenly he remembered.

Noah opened the box and used his key to take out Nomilis. The sword light up the room with white and god light.

"Touch me to the star." The words sounded much clearer now.

Up until then, Noah hadn't thought that the prophecy could be true. He thought that Nomilis was just a sword. He certainly didn't think that it could talk. He tapped himself on the shoulder with his sword.

"You are healed," Nomilis assured him gracefully.

Noah looked at his shoulder. The mark was gone. "Wow. Um...thanks."

Realizing he was safe now, Noah leaned back against the wall and lazily kicked dirt back into the hole he made when he had dug out Nomilis.

He hadn't been in the underground bunker since its construction. It was simply a box carved into the earth. Several rocks were visible. On the far corner was an alcove with a small, sturdy bed. Most of the space was taken by metal boxes of varying sizes and shapes. A magic lantern lit the space with a soft yellow light. The bunker was fifteen feet long and wide, which would have been spacious if not for the boxes and the fact that he would be here for a while.

Was all this real? Barcos was a strange place, but Noah never experienced anything like mind control. Unless that Xavier boy had something to do with it. Noah had almost forgotten about the boy and his giant pet snake. But Noah knew that such thinking was nonsense. The two were innocent. They shared his enemy, and were doing something about it. The other boys with him probably were too.

But where did Noah's role come in? How could he be a hero?

26: The Book

Chapter 26

Sadie

"I can't believe I let him go," Calvin murmured. He was the dark shape, by the way. Jason can be very dramatic.

"Tell me the whole story," I suggested.

The serpent shuddered as he recounted what happened. "I took Xavier out so we could talk. He said he was worried about something. Suddenly, a giant bird came from the sky. It was so big. It grabbed Xavier. I tried turning into a flying fish so I could chase after the bird, but I fell into the ocean instead."

"Shouldn't you know that flying fish don't really fly?" I asked. "You know, 'cause you're a sea creature yourself?"

"Magic flying fish can fly," Calvin said matter-of-factly. "But I didn't have enough experience with flying, so I could only sit there, watching the bird take Xavier away. I'm such an idiot."

Jason patted his scaly neck. "There was nothing you could do. We're going to save Xavier. We couldn't have done that if they got you as well."

"I guess." 

The truth was, I didn't know if I could trust Calvin. I still thought that all monsters were bad, and Calvin was a monster. Fidis sank ships, and sailors feared them. Why would Calvin be an exception? Jason and Xavier might have trusted him, but when he betrayed us, I would be the wise one.

"What's the point?" Jason mumbled. I was behind him, so I couldn't see his face.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean we'll never get there. Calvin, stop." Jason toppled into the water. I wondered if he was serious, but he didn't come back up.

"Calvin, do something!" I said desperately, sliding off of him so he could dive. What...what's going on?

Calvin looked down. "Why? He's going to drown."

I could have screamed at him. I was right - he was evil. He wouldn't save Jason. "Only if you don't save him!"

Calvin shook his head. "I'll be too late."

There was no time to waste. Before I could think about it, I dove underwater. This time I remembered to hold my breath. I couldn't see very well in the water. The saltiness stung my eyes and left a bad taste in my mouth. I resurfaced, gasping for breath. It was raining when I got up. The sky was a dark gray. I could have sworn the sky was clear when I went down. Calvin was still there, doing nothing. I took out my wand.

"Arae!" I shouted. A bubble of air surrounded me. Hoping it would work, I dove down again. The bubble made my movements clumsy, but I was able to move freely.

I remembered all Jason and I had been through. Him rescuing me from Lamia the Witch. Going to school together. Him causing mischief around Draida, and me scolding him but still thinking he was funny. Our first mission, which was only a couple days ago. I couldn't let Jason die.

The deeper I went, the more I wondered if I would find my friend. How deep was this part of the ocean? What if the spell wore off and I drowned too? Was this the fate of all the others who tried to kill Amaatlik?

I pushed the bad thoughts away. I would find Jason. We would get out of here. We had done the impossible before. I looked around, thinking that every passing fish was Jason.

Something was glowing softly below me and to my right. I pushed against my bubble to go faster and examined the light. It was Jason, lying on the sandy floor. I didn't care why he was glowing. I reached out, and the bubble expanded to accommodate him as I pulled him into the bubble and slowly swam up.

It was still raining. Thunder struck occasionally. The wind was gentle but I could feel the cold from inside the bubble. Calvin was out of sight.

"Jason?" I asked. "Are you okay?"

I got no response.

"Jason, say something! Anything!"

The bubble popped. I clutched Jason and struggled to keep both of our heads above the water. Now what? We were all alone, in the middle of the ocean.

I wriggled the sack off my shoulder. As I fumbled with the knot, I realized that my hands were shaking. I also realized that I hadn't felt so afraid since the fight with Lamia. I reached into the sack. My potions and the water were okay, since they were sealed. But the food, clothes, mission report, and chocolate were soggy. I grabbed a random potion and looked at the label. The ink was smudged from the water. Just my luck. I muttered a word that I probably shouldn't have and threw everything into the freezing water.

"Why?" I shouted. "Why do we have to die now?" Everything was silent except for the hissing rain and cackling thunder.

I let tears mix in with the rain running down my face. When I became a sorcerer, I didn't expect to die at sixteen. Jason was right. This was dangerous work. But we wouldn't be killed by fighting a demon. We wouldn't go down honorably. No, we would die because Calvin abandoned us.

Time passed slowly as I waited for something to happen. It got darker, and I noticed that Jason was still glowing. If it weren't for the luminance, I probably wouldn't have been able to see.

As I looked up at they sky, I saw that there were no stars. No moon.

Once I almost lost my grip on Jason. My hands were numb, like the rest of my body. My mind was starting to become numb as well, and I felt like all the strength was drained from me. There was no point in going on. I gave up and fell asleep.

 

*   *   *   *   *

 

I woke -up on a sandy beach. It was still stormy, but not so cold now that I was on land.

Was I dead?

There was no way someone could have found us. We were floating in the middle of the ocean, in a storm.

Which made me wonder - where was Jason?

Groaning, I got up and brushed off some of the sand that clung to my sodden clothes and hair. When I was comfortable enough to walk, I began searching for Jason. Or some clue as to where we washed up.

The shore extended for as far as I could see. The landscape inland was pretty hilly. In the distance I saw a figure lying on the ground a couple hundred feet away.

"Jason! Is that you?" I shouted over the thunder.

He didn't respond.

I ran over to the figure. Exhaustion and the soft sand beneath my feet slowed me down. It felt like my feet were made of lead. I had to stop every few seconds to regain my breath, but somehow I reached him.

The figure was definitely Jason, but there was something wrong about him. He was completely dry, and his eyes were closed but his mouth was twisted into a wicked smile. It seemed as though he wasn't breathing.

I didn't know what to think, so I just stood there, staring dumbly. Surely he wouldn't trick me now?

"Do you think I'm dead?" Jason asked softly.

"Uh, no. Why would I think you're dead?" I asked. "Are we?"

A crater opened up below him, sucking him in along with bucketfuls of sand. I looked down, but couldn't see the bottom. Sand fell endlessly into the pit, which started at about a few feet wide but was slowly growing.

I backed away, startled, and tripped on a rock. I couldn't get up. So it was true. I had died. Or this was some really horrible nightmare. What was going on? I swear, if I wasn't so tired, I would have fainted.

The hole greedily ate at the sand and reached my feet. I watched in horror as my they dangled over the edge. It seemed like forever, but eventually it was at my knees. Then it was at my waist. The hole widened past my shoulders. I held on to the rim, still unable to move. I closed my eyes as the whole came to my fingers.

While I fell, I didn't feel anything. Surely I was falling endlessly. But I didn't care. I just wanted it to be over. This was too much.

After several minutes I had yet to hit the bottom. This was a really deep hole.

Was it still expanding? When would it stop? Would it stop? Who made it? And was I ever going to stop falling?

I decided to open my eyes. It was pitch-black. I couldn't see anything. It still didn't feel like I was falling.

"Hello?" I asked.

My vision came back to me, and I was back at the beach. The hole was gone. Jason was staring down at me. "Sadie, are you okay?"

His question surprised me. How could I answer a question like that? "I don't know anymore. What...what's going on?"

Jason continued to stand there, then held out his hand. Reluctantly, I grabbed it and he pulled me to my feet. His clothes were muddy, his hair wet, and his eyes red, probably looking more like me than he had when the hole consumed him.

I let go of his hand and stumbled. My vision blurred and I felt dizzy. I rested my hands on my knees to steady myself. "What is this?" I repeated. "Is this real?"

"I think so," Jason said quietly. "Come on, let's get out of the rain."

We walked to a small cave nearby. It felt good to dry off and sit down on something solid.

"I remember falling off of Calvin," Jason said after I settled down. "And the next thing I knew, I was lying here on the beach. I was all alone. I was searching for hours before I found you sitting there, doing nothing, like a fat, lazy cat. And...here we are now."

I smiled. It was Jason all right. "So you don't know what's going on?"

"I think we're dead. I mean, I hope not. Living is a lot better. Duh." Jason paused. "I don't know what this is."

"So you're okay?" I asked.

"What do you mean?"

I didn't want to explain what happened, so I just shrugged and closed my eyes. The more we waited, the sleepier I became. It was probably midnight already, and we'd been through a lot. I could finally get a good night's sleep. The cold stone floor didn't bother me as I closed my eyes.

Something small and fuzzy rubbed against me. I realized that I had fallen asleep, but it didn't feel like it.

I blinked, rubbed my eyes, and looked down at the thing. A rat was poking through my pockets, its nose twitching. Sensing that I had woken up, it looked at me with small, beady eyes. I screamed, hiding in the corner of the small cave. The rat scurried away.

"You're such a baby," Jason mocked.

It was still nighttime. I could see waves from the mouth of the cave, licking the sand quietly.

"How long was I asleep?" I asked.

"Several minutes, I guess. Enough time for me to think of a plan."

"Please tell."

Jason looked outside. "I think I saw smoke from a behind a hill when I was looking for you. There might be a village here or something. Do you want to check it out?"

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Do you want to see what it is? Maybe get a little more sleep first?"

"Fine," I muttered, hoping I wouldn't be woken up this time. I huddled into a corner of the cave and went to sleep.

 

When I woke up, it was daytime. Jason was still asleep. I could see the rough gray walls clearly.

I sat up and stretched. Having slept, I felt rejuvenated. "Get up! It's the zombie apocalypse!"

Jason turned away. "Tell them to knock first."

"I'm leaving without you."

"Bye."

I took out my wand. "Don't make me use magic." Then I realized something. I couldn't remember any spells. How strange.

Jason got up. "Yeah, yeah. So what now?"

"Show me where you saw the smoke."

We left the cave and walked up the beach. It was no longer raining, and the sky was clear. The grassy hills were to our left, but Jason stayed on the sand.

After an hour or so we were still walking, and I wondered whether Jason knew where he was going.

"Do you know where you're going?" I asked.

Jason stopped and looked around. "Everything looks the same around here."

"So you don't know where we are. Great." I kicked the sand.

"Why don't you use magic?" Jason suggested. "You have your wand, right?"

For a second I didn't know what to say. It was a little embarrassing not remembering any spells. I had studied for hours back at Draida. But since I had woken up, all the words escaped me. It was the strangest thing. If I told Jason, he might not believe me. Things would get pretty awkward.

"What kind of spell would we cast?" I asked.

"You should know that. You're the smart one."

"You're the impossible one."

"Wait a minute!" Jason blurted. "I know where I saw the smoke."

"Where?"

"I saw it at...drumroll please..." Jason started drumming his lap.

"Just tell me!"

"Fine." Jason looked back toward the hills. "Right there." He pointed to a small brick building. "Wait, there's actually something there?"

A thin cloud of smoke billowed out of the house's chimney. The brown walls stood out against the bright green surroundings. How did we miss that?

"Come one, let's go!" Jason said. I stopped examining the strange house and noticed he was already halfway there.

"No!" I shouted. "It looks suspicious!"

Jason sighed. "But you wanted to see who lives here."

"I thought it was a village, not some hermit."

"What's the difference?" Jason proceeded to walk toward the house. "Stop me with your magic if you want."

Knowing there was no other option, I followed him. The house wasn't far, just up the closest hill.

It wasn't as creepy up close.

Jason knocked on the door. There were no windows, so we couldn't see inside, but there didn't seem to be anybody inside. Jason knocked again.

The door slowly opened inward, making a slight creaking noise.

"Nice try, Sadie," Jason whispered.

"What?"

"This house isn't haunted. You can't trick me."

"Why would I trick you?" Then I realized what he meant. "It's not haunted. The door has weak hinges. I'll go first." I pushed ahead of him.

The far right corner of the house was probably a kitchen. It had a stone counter with holes in the side. All the other corners contained wooden boxes stacked to the low ceiling. The only furniture was a table and three chairs. The house was unoccupied.

I looked back at the door. "There's no ghosts, you can come in."

Jason slowly walked into the house. "What kind of house is this?" He walked over to one of the boxes.

"Don't touch that!" I said. "They might be trapped!"

"What do we do then?" Jason asked.

We searched the house. There was nothing to prove that anyone lived there. No footprints. No items. The surfaces were very dusty.

"Sadie, look at this!"

I hurried over to the table. Jason was pulling an ominous leather-bound book from underneath it. The book looked ancient, the cover stiff, the pages yellowed.

Jason turned to the first page. Four words were written in fancy script:

>Write your name here

"Wow. What do you think this means?" Jason asked.

I shrugged. "Some weirdo lived here a long time ago. Come on, let's leave."

"Something tells me we should write our names here."

"Why would we do that?" I asked.

"Why wouldn't we?"

"Fine."

Jason grabbed a quill and ink from the table and wrote our names underneath the words:

Jason and Sadie.

"Don't write mine!" I said. The place was starting to give me the creeps. "That's it. We're going."

"No, wait!" Jason said. "Look!"

More words appeared under our names:

>Hello Jason and Sadie.

"Are you serious?" I asked.

"What? You know I can't write that neatly."

"Let's go."

"Watch this." Jason dipped the quill in the ink and continued to write:

Who are you?

As I watched, words in the same cursive writing wrote themselves on the page:

>Who I am is not important. Know that I will help you.

Jason paused. Have we met you?

>No one has ever met me. I know of your quest.

How?

>When you wrote your names, I read your mind.

"Jason, we should leave," I urged. "Can't you hear me?"

"He said he'll help us."

"He's lying. We need to go, now."

Jason looked at the book, then back at me. Prove that you can help us.

>Wise choice. Look in the box closest to the door. You will find-

I grabbed the ink and spilled it onto the book. "We can't trust this guy."

"What's wrong with you?" Jason asked. He slapped me in the face with the book.

"I should be asking you the same question!" I shouted, putting a hand over my burning cheek. "You can't just go around trusting everyone. There are bad people out there."

Jason threw the book. His face was red. "We'll never get anywhere if we don't have help." Why was he se mad all of a sudden? Jason never got mad.

"What if there's...something bad in the box?"

"Then you can use your magic to stop it." Jason stomped over to the box.

"Don't! Jason, there could be-"

Jason opened the box. To my surprise, nothing came out. "See?" He took out another book and a slim red wand.

I stared at him, not knowing what to say. How could he be so stupid? The book and the wand were obviously cursed.

"If I get killed, know it's my fault," Jason said as he opened the book.

What now?

>You are trying to stop Amaatlik.

Sadie lost the guide.

>I have waited so long for sorcerers like you, willing to stop him. You two are very close.

What do we do now?

>You rest up and fight the demon.

How do we get to Waldurk?

>You are already on Waldurk.

"He's Amaatlik!" I said angrily.

Are you Amaatlik?

>You have yet to meet the demon.

Jason took the quill and started to write something, but stopped. He took the red wand and pointed it at the book. "Ved!"

The pages flipped until they stopped at a golden one. Jason read it aloud. "Not a single soul knows who I am. But I am willing to guide any who strive to slay the demon Amaatlik. Any such adventurers know that they can trust me. I told you, Sadie."

"Touché," I muttered. But I still wasn't convinced.

The page dissolved and Jason returned to the first page. We know that we can trust you

>Excellent. Open the box closest to the table, but none of the other ones. At night and in the morning, look in the oven. Try to make yourself comfortable for the night.

The page was full, so Jason turned it. Can you see this?

>Yes.

Is that it?

>Yes. Do not write more in this book.

Jason stared at the pages for a few seconds, closed the book, and placed it back under the table. "That was weird."

"So we can trust this guy," I said to myself reluctantly. "What's in the box?"

Jason walked over to the box closest to the table. It took him a while to figure out how to open it, because it was more like a crate. "A piece of paper that says, 'DO NOT READ' and...that's it. Are you hungry too?"

"Yeah," I admitted.

Jason walked over to the biggest hole in the counter. "I wish I could look in the oven."

"Then look in it."

"The book said not to." He went back without the food.

We waited for the sun to sink below the horizon. It was rather boring, sitting there in the little house. Not being able to eat. But soon enough, it was time for dinner.

"Do you want to do the honors?" I asked lazily.

"Sure," Jason replied. He got off of the box he was sitting on and walked to the oven. After looking in the hole, he pulled out a giant pepperoni pizza that shouldn't have been able to fit inside due to its size. "Now this is a dinner!"

He set it on the table. It was too big, but we didn't care. Neither of us had eaten all day. Before we knew it, the oversized pizza was gone.

"That was an awesome pizza," I said contentedly. "Is there anything to drink?"

Jason went back to the oven, stuck his head in it, and pulled out two cups of water. "Yeah. Is water okay?"

We drank some water and called it a night.

I tried to sleep, but the fact that we had an ally and his giving us a really tasty pizza didn't satisfy me completely. How could I relax when we were finally going to fight Amaatlik the next day?

I shifted my position. It took a while, but eventually I closed my eyes and slept.

27: Nightmare

Chapter 27

Jason

I woke up. Something didn't feel right.

As I sat up and rubbed my eyes I realized that I couldn't see anything. I blinked. Who turned out the lights?

"Hello?" I asked. "What's going on?"

"You're too late," someone whispered. The voice didn't sound human. It was more...mysterious.

"What do you mean?"

"It's all over," said someone else, with a different but also inhuman voice.

"I had faith in you," came another voice.

Vision returned to me. I was back at my house. At the kitchen table, where I first saw Amisto.

My parents sat across from the head mage, sobbing. Amisto was trying to comfort them, but they ignored him.

"They are very resourceful kids. Don't worry about him," Amisto said.

"How could you let him go?" my dad asked.

Amisto looked at him sadly. "It wasn't my choice, Eric. I couldn't stop them."

"He was so young," my mom mourned.

"And brave," Amisto whispered. "You never know..."

I stared at them confused. What the heck was going on?

"Guys?" I asked. "What are you talking about?"

"They can't hear you," someone behind me said.

I turned. Behind me was a hideous creature that looked like it- never mind. I probably shouldn't describe it. Even I, who normally thought such things were cool, felt sickened by the sight. I turned away. "Amaatlik?"

"Aren't you smart. What you see here is the future. What is going to happen after you try to defeat me."

I looked back at my parents. "Rudolph said the exact future can't be foretold."

Amaatlik laughed. "Honestly, what are the chances of two little kids defeating an ancient monster like me?"

"You tell me. I heard you're a very weak demon. Like, a lesser demon. Smaller than all the others. Kind of suckish."

Amaatlik hissed. I felt a clawed hand rest on my shoulder, his foul breath on my neck. "I have gotten stronger. You have no idea. I am invincible."

I swallowed. "Why are you showing me this?"

"To distract you."

"What do you mean?"

"Allow me to show you what's happening now."

I was blinded again. I waited several seconds to get my vision back, and found myself back in the mud house.

Sadie and I were sleeping peacefully among the boxes. The house was empty.

"So?" I asked.

"Wait for it."

The door slowly opened, like they did when Sadie and I entered. The air felt cooler, but nobody was in the doorway. I looked around.

One of the boxes was flung across the room, landing inches from my face. The me that was sleeping, I mean.

The sleeping me (let's call him Jason 2) didn't move. Sadie, however, got up immediately.

"Jason? What was that?"

Jason 2 still didn't move.

"Jason?" Sadie got up and walked over to Jason 2. "This isn't the time to mess around."

"There's a freaking ghost in the room!" I shouted. "Run for your life!"

"Fortunately, she can't hear you," Amaatlik said. "Sit back, have some popcorn, and enjoy the show."

Sadie reached Jason 2. She studied me for a minute. And paled. "Whoever's there, show yourself!" I realized that Jason 2 had stopped breathing. Oh no, I had died!

"This is the good part," Amaatlik commented, his voice full of sick amusement.

All the boxes in the room opened simultaneously. Like, at the same time. Tiny monsters with gray-purple skin, horns, and claws hopped out of the boxes and jumped on Sadie.

I looked away. "No."

"Yes," Amaatlik said in a wicked tone as he watched the imps. "Now watch this."

I opened my eyes. That time I was underwater. Somehow I could breathe and see clearly, as if I was on land. "What stupid thing are you going to show me now?"

"To your right," Amaatlik instructed.

I turned to the right. I could barely see a few black blobs in the distance. "Whatever this is, I don't want to see it."

"Then I'll make you." The demon grabbed me and flung my body toward the blobs with surprising strength.

I landed on the sand. I got up, and noticed that my movements were slow, like I really was underwater.

Knowing I had no other choice, I looked at the scene in front of me. It was three Calvin's, looking down a hole. With them being snakes and all, I couldn't read their expressions.

"Calvin? Why are there three of you?" I asked. "Oh, right. You can't hear me."

One of them looked up at me, but somehow didn't seem to notice my presence. He looked back at the hole.

"We are gathered here today in memory of Okeanos the Brave," the tallest one said. He seemed to have trouble speaking, like something was in his throat.

"He was so brave," the smallest one said, shaking. "I remember playing with him when we were little."

"And he was so sweet too," the third one added.

The first Calvin cleared his throat. "Okeanos, you will be forever missed."

The fidis scraped sand over the hole with their tails until it was covered. I realized what was happening.

Someone had died.

Who? Calvin's brother? Or sister? Was Okeanos a boy name or a girl name?

The serpents looked at me. "Have you joined us in mourning?" the biggest one asked.

"Wait, you can see me?"

He nodded. "I can indeed. Why do you ask?"

I stood there, looking at the serpents, wondering what to say. "I don't know why I'm here."

Amaatlik laughed. The serpents didn't seem to notice him. "Do you know who died?"

"I'd rather not," I said.

"What?" the second fidi asked.

"Calvin is the one that lies in that grave," Amaatlik said. "Okeanos the Brave is how his family knows him. Yes, this is also real."

"Can we help you?" the second fidi asked.

I blacked out for the third time.

I thought about it. Amaatlik had shown me my family and friends. I knew he had Xavier. But he hadn't shown me-

"I know what you're thinking," Amaatlik said. "Bianca is next on my list."

My vision returned, and I was in some kind of...attic? Bianca was staring at me in horror.

"I know you can't hear me, but what is it?" I asked.

Bianca screamed.

"What, I'm not that horrible am I?"

Bianca seemed to be looking at something behind me. I turned around and saw two snarling beasts glaring through me at Bianca.

"Use a spell!" I urged. "You're a sorceress!"

Bianca stood still. The beasts pounced. I was blinded again, but could still hear the horrible sounds.

"What's wrong with you!" I shouted. "You're a monster!"

"It's my job," Amaatlik said. "Hey, at least I didn't show you the monsters eating Bianca."

"I hope someone finally manages to slaughter you. And that you die a horrible death."

I couldn't believe this was happening. Amaatlik got to my friends and family. This probably wouldn't have happened if I hadn't gone on the quest.

"Any last words?" Amaatlik asked.

"Oh, I have some words..."

28: Nightmare Two

Chapter 28

Sadie

Sorry if the last chapter depressed you. Jason tends to have really disturbing dreams and shouldn't be talking about them.

Anyway, I was having one as well.

I woke up on a comfy bed, in a dimly lit room. Bookshelves lined the walls, except for the one opposite, which had a window, a chair, and two chests. Candles glowed in a few places. Overall, the room looked simple but not too shabby.

Someone knocked on the door. Amisto entered and sat on a chair next to my bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Good, I guess." My throat felt sore. "What happened?"

Amisto looked at me with what I assumed was sympathy. "You failed."

I tried to sit up, but pain overcame me and I had to give up.

"Relax," Amisto said quietly. "You did your best."

"What about Jason?" I asked. "What's going to happen?"

Amisto shook his head sadly. "It was a trap."

"What?"

"Jason, Calvin, Xavier. They were all..."

"All what?" I could tell that he had bad news. But I just wanted him to get on with it.

Amisto coughed. "They were...malevolent. Just as you first thought.

"Jason is a warlock. You know that Francis guy?"

I closed my eyes, trying to fall asleep again. "Yeah."

"He's a friend of mine. He was trying to warn you."

"No..."

Amisto nodded. "It turned out that Alexander and Xavier are also warlocks. And Calvin, as a monster, is naturally evil."

"I guess that makes sense. But it also doesn't..."

The head mage hesitated for a moment. "They covered their tracks well."

I moaned. So my best friend was evil. Amaatlik would destroy the world somehow.

"I'm sorry," Amisto whispered. "I should have helped more."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Why do you think you knew all the spells you did?"

"Was that you?"

"I tried to help you as much as possible. But, unfortunately, I had to help Jason as well. If he knew that I was aware of his evil intentions, he would have attacked the entire town."

I tried not to get emotional. "Did he...try to kill me with all the mission stuff?" The words hit me like an arrow to the heart.

Amisto was silent for a while. "I don't know what happened. We just barely managed to save you."

I tried to rise again, but couldn't. "I have to go back!"

"You are in no condition to do so."

I wiped at my face. There was something in my eye. "What do I do then? I let everybody down. My friends are gone. I have no family. It...there's no point in carrying on."

"Don't say that!" Amisto growled. He looked angry all of a sudden. "I have plans."

"What kind of plans?" I asked half-heartedly.

Amisto cooled down a little. "We will find more sorcerers. Our mistake may have been that we never had enough people fighting Amaatlik at once. It's time for a full-scale attack. And I'll need your help, as the only one who went after Amaatlik and survived."

"Isn't that awesome," I grumbled. "But how can anyone fight a demon so powerful? Even with multiple people?"

"It's our last option. Will you help me?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but nothing came out. I couldn't talk. Or even make any noise.

"Sadie? Are you okay?" Amisto asked. His face was full of confusion. "Sadie?"

The more I tried to talk, the more my throat hurt. I tried looking around for some paper, to write something, but my eyes refused to move.

I could no longer move at all. My vision became blurry, but I could see a dark figure moving behind Amisto. It laughed, and I realized that my hearing was also distorted.

My eyes drooped.

I felt like I was floating in a sea of nothingness. But while my senses were all messed up, I thought more clearly.

This had to be a dream.

Yes, some kind of nightmare. We were close to Amaatlik's domain, in the little brick house. He probably had a lot of power over our thoughts.

On the other hand, it was possible that it was real. Jason always did act kind of strange. And the others. Calvin, and Xavier.

"Your thoughts are correct," someone said. His or her voice was strange and menacing.

"Who may you be?" I asked.

"Some call me Kiltaama, but that's just my real name - Amaatlik - backwards."

You can probably imagine that I was utterly speechless.

"Don't talk much, do you?" Amaatlik asked.

"I wish you wouldn't."

"I've heard that before."

"Why are you so evil?" I asked. "Why do you cause so much pain and suffering?"

"Why are you so good?" Amaatlik countered. "It's all a matter of perspective."

"But still! You could just stop, and, I don't know, not ruin my life!"

"So self-centered," the demon chided.

I would have punched him in the face if I could see. "Shut up," I growled.

Amaatlik laughed. "I will not. Have you thought that maybe you're fighting for the wrong side?"

"What do you mean?"

"I couldn't be clearer. It is easy to forget how stupid you humans are. Watch this."

I could see again. In front of me was the mouth to a dark cave, from which I heard strange sounds.

"He'll find out soon enough!" someone shouted. I recognized the voice. It was Xavier's.

I walked into the cave. It was bigger than one would think by viewing it from the outside. The inside was one massive room, as if someone had cleared it out.

Seven hooded figures sat at a giant white table. When I say giant, I mean several feet tall and just as wide. The table was round and elaborately decorated with depictions of skulls and people in unnatural poses. Some kind of council was being held.

"He's with Jason and Calvin," another voice said.

"What do you think, Rudolph?" Xavier asked.

"I think Alex is right, Sadie will fail the mission."

"We mustn't be too sure of ourselves," the second one said urgently.

The other six turned toward him. "Who are you anyway?" Xavier asked.

The tallest figure looked at me and nodded. "We must be too sure of ourselves," he told the others. I knew he was Amaatlik. "See this, Sadie? This is the past. It already happened. What do you have to say?"

The others looked in my direction.

"The only one I can trust...is myself," I said softly.

29: The Moment You've All Been Waiting For

Chapter 29

Jason

"That's it," I said. There was no response. "What? Aren't you going to kill me?"

A fly buzzed right in front of my face. I swatted it away and blinked. My eyes were burned by a sudden flash of light.

It was all a nightmare.

"Wow, that was the most DISTURBING nightmare I ever had," I said aloud.

I sighed with relief. It wasn't real. There was still hope for us. We could kill Amaatlik. It seemed too good to be true.

"Sadie, let's go!" I got up. "Sadie?"

The house was empty. Suspicious red spots dotted the floor and walls. But at least there were no bodies. I looked under the boxes. Nothing. Thankfully, there were donuts in the oven. I could have my breakfast. I bit into one.

"Sadie, if this is a trick, it's not funny. Come out!" I yelled through a mouthful of maple donut. The house was silent.

I waited an hour (or maybe it was a few minutes) but Sadie didn't show herself. I reached into the box that had out stuff. Sadie's wand was gone, but I still had mine and the rolled up piece of paper. I picked up the paper. It said "PLEASE READ". That was strange. At first the paper said not to read it. I didn't want to unroll the paper, in case I was seeing things, but curiosity got the better of me. I looked at whatever was inside.

If this paper said not to read it, do not. It may change the course of events. Do not read it, or die. If it said to read it, you must read it, or die.

"Seems like I'll die whether I read it or not," I muttered to myself.

You, Jason, have just woken up alone. There is blood all over the place.

I hesitated for a second. How could the message be so accurate? Oh, sorry. I'll stop interrupting.

You must go to Amaatlik now. I will tell you how to have a chance at defeating him:

First you must make sure you can present yourself. Create a title to seem like a legendary sorcerer. Organize your arsenal of spells. Then ask your wand to locate Amaatlik. It will lead you directly to his cave. But be quick. You don't have much time.

Last night you had a nightmare. It was driven into your head by Amaatlik. Since you are on his land, he has this power. The nightmare you experienced was reality, but do not mourn. It was likely warped and exaggerated to instill fear in your heart. The purpose was to create your greatest fear- the loss of your loved ones.

In your nightmare you saw that Sadie was attacked by imps. This really did happen. But she is out there, and if you can find her, she will join you.

Good luck. Hugs and kisses. A bunch of hearts were drawn on the bottom.

Who was it that wrote the message? Was it the book? Why would they say hugs and kisses? And draw hearts? A part of me wished it was Bianca.

I shoved the note and my wand into my pocket and walked out the door into the morning sun. It was an ironically beautiful day, waves lapping against the sand, seagulls honking in the air, palm trees gently swaying in the wind.

It was hard to accept that I really did see Amaatlik, and my friends dead or soon to die, and my parents so miserable. But if the nightmare was "warped and exaggerated", and if Sadie was alive, surely none of them were really in danger. Right?

I walked down to the beach and sat on the warm sand. I needed a title. What did that mean? Was I going to have my own ballad? What was a ballad?

I supposed Hunting Amaatlik would make a fine title for the story I would write when I got back home. Short but simple. I rather liked it.

That taken care of, I thought of what spells I would use. It wasn't that easy. Thinking of spells at the moment was a lot easier than selecting spells before using them. It's kind of like...naming your baby before you know whether it's a boy or a girl. I assume.

I was ready to fight Amaatlik! I had my title, and my spells. I took out the red wand. "How does the spell work again? Uh...heh heh. Find...Amaatlik, my...mortal enemy. Or whatever."

The wand wriggled out of my hand and shot into the air. It stopped just out of my reach and flew inland. I followed it. When the wand hit into a tree, it would burn a hole through it, then pass through as if the tree was never there. The fire was put out immediately, but I stayed a respectful distance from the fiery wand. It didn't go too fast though.

After quite a while, I reached a think grove of strange, fat trees that stood so close to each other that I couldn't squeeze through. My wand burned a hole through them with ease.

"No! Come back!" I called. I walked around the perimeter to look for an entrance, but the trees were separated by about three inches all around.

Well that was just great. I thought I was so cool, with a title, and spells, and...what was a saying? I didn't think I was cool, did I? No. I couldn't defeat Amaatlik. He was a demon, and I was a boy.

I leaned against one of the trees, groaning, and the short story came back to me. I imagined my mom telling me as I huddled up on the couch listening.

"Once upon a time, there was a demon named Amaatlik. He was very small, and not very strong, but definitely more evil than the others. He was jealous of the other demons because they were so big. As you can imagine, this made him angry. So he tried to find a way to make himself as big as them, if not bigger.

"One day, he thought he discovered how. He needed to consume something that was really powerful. Something that was naturally giant and omnipotent. Then, if his plan worked, he would have its energy all for himself. He would destroy the world and all the other demons with it. But this was easier said than done. Amaatlik was very weak in his small size. He traveled all over the world, searching for a source of power and size, but he found nothing that he could defeat. This made him angry - not sad because demons are never sad. He went into a frenzy, smashing everything in his cave. He couldn't stand the thought that he would always be weak and insignificant. The rage only got worse, as he slammed harder and harder against the cave's walls.

"Suddenly, he struck a weak part and a hole appeared. Sunlight streamed through the hole, lighting the cave. 'Aaahhhhh!,' Amaatlik screamed. As a demon, he was very vulnerable to light, especially sunlight, and it burned his flesh. He hurriedly fit a stone through the hole. But then an idea flashed through his mind. The sun was extremely powerful. But it couldn't move. If he could somehow make himself immune to it's light, it couldn't hurt him. Then he could absorb its power and become strong like all the other demons. He laughed evilly to himself as he rushed back into his cave and came up with his plan. It is said that to this day, Amaatlik still tries to steal the sun. He would never give up on his goal."

I smiled. Amaatlik was a stupid, powerless beast. I could stop him. Just look at all the things I'd done before.

I got onto a tree and climbed it. It wasn't very tall, but it was taller than the surrounding ones. Looking around, I saw my wand laying on the ground in front of a cave. Amaatlik's lair.

Now I knew where my wand was. I got down and ran toward the direction I saw my wand.

Then I felt a strange sense of hopelessness. Amaatlik was surely very powerful by now if he'd been getting stronger. Right?

On the other hand, how would he have gotten stronger?

I felt many emotions go through my head. Fear, faith, sadness, happiness, anger, joy. I heard thoughts that couldn't be mine. I was starting to get a headache. It was too much.

I kneeled down, not knowing what to think or what to do. This was all so sudden. So strange. Never was I unable to control myself. Okay, maybe not, but...

Control myself. That was it. Amaatlik could influence my actions. It was his thoughts, not mine.

The idea gave me a little strength, and I got up, staggering a little. I still felt a lot of things at once, but concentrated on ignoring them, which was harder than I thought.

The grove was small, and I was able to walk around it. But I could barely see the red speck of my wand in the distance. It seemed a lot farther away from ground level. Taking a deep breath, I walked toward the cave. The closer I got, the stronger the fear, the sadness, the anger. They became more physical, if that makes sense. I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth. Pushing the emotions away hurt. I felt like I would fall any moment.

"You will die, Amaatlik!" I said shakily. "This is nothing."

I reached the cave and picked up my wand. It was slightly hot, but compared to the burning thoughts, the heat of the wand didn't hurt much. I paused as I looked at the entrance to the cave. This whole mission had happened way too quickly. Everything passed right by me. I was about to fight the demon I had always laughed at, and alone. Without Sadie or Calvin. Without Xavier. Ha ha...without Xavier.

My head still ached with the pressure of Amaatlik's magic. I entered the cave before I could change my mind. And gasped.

I was facing the front wall of a beautiful mansion, with pillars and arches and all that architectural stuff that I really didn't know about. I walked up to the white door. Should I ring the doorbell, or use the knocker? I told myself that the knocker would make a more annoying sound, so I grabbed the ring and knocked it against the wood. It was a rather strange thing, the knocker. It was in the shape of a frowning skull, the ring in its mouth.

The door opened. "May I help you?"

"Yeah, I'm going to- Bob? What are you doing here?" I stared at the longhaired warlock. He stared back with a vacant expression on his face.

"I should be asking you the same thing, young man. Come in."

I followed Bob into the house. It was just as fancy on the inside as it was on the outside. I saw curvy, expensive-looking furniture wherever I looked. Paintings of old people hung on the walls. Carpets with complex patterns were laid on the white tile floor. The house was well-lit with crystal chandeliers. "Snazzy place you've got here," I commented. "Better than a cabin in the middle of the woods."

"This is where I really live. Now be quiet," Bob said. His voice was now flat and boring, less like his former accent and more like a smart person's, but I detected the old accent, and a hint of excitement.

I really wanted to talk, hoping maybe I would get a hint from him, but I knew better. Something really weird was going on.

Bob lead me through a series of hallways and staircases. Some of them went up, some down, some were flat. The passageway was very disorienting. It seemed as though all the halls and stairways looked the same. I examined the paintings and decorations in one hallway. Some old-looking bookcases, statues, and paintings of battles and monsters. I couldn't stop to look at them more closely. We went down a spiral staircase and indeed, everything was identical. I saw the same painting of a zombie hand coming out of the ground, which I thought looked really cool and halloweenish. The same purple book called Auz af Deamonekh, whatever that meant. The spiral staircase stopped and went up in a straight line. After twenty or so steps, it went down again. And up, and down several times. I wondered if the zigzag staircase was intra-dimensional or something.

"We're here," Bob announced. We had stopped at a dead end.

"Are we?" I asked. "What kind of place is this?"

Bob ignored me and walked through the wall. I tried to walk in after him, but instead smashed my face against the hard stone. I waited for Bob to come back.

"Are you coming?" Bob asked from the other side of the wall. He sounded impatient.

I touched the wall. "I can't get through."

"You have to close your eyes."

"Oh, duh. How could I be so stupid?" Sighing, I closed my eyes and walked through the wall. This time I actually went through. But on the other side was some kind of ledge, and I fell over, splashing into a giant pool of dark water.

"What is this?" I shouted to Bob. He was about ten feet above me, looking down with an amused look on his face.

"Go over to the island behind you."

"But there is no- when did that get there?" I walked onto the island. An iron shackle popped out of the ground, like that zombie hand I saw in the painting, and snapped onto my leg.

"You aren't the sharpest tool in the shed, are you?" Bob scoffed.

I jerked my leg. The other end of the chain was still in the ground. "Not at the moment."

"Listen up, boy!" Bob said. "I have a wee secret to tell you."

"You're Scottish?" I asked. His accent had come back. "I was wondering what your accent is. But it seems a bit more...I don't know...different. Eh. I"m not good at telling accents."

Bob slapped himself in the face. "No. I just like saying wee. Now listen and do not talk!"

"Are you-"

"Enough! Press the button in your hand."

I looked in my right hand. There was a small stone in it with a smaller one in the center. "I'm not falling for it this time."

"It's not a trap. Just press it."

I pressed the button. A creaking sound came from above, and a strange white cage lowered from the ceiling. Inside was a brown lump.

"Wow!" I exclaimed. "A brown lump!"

Bob scowled at me. "Get out, you four! Now!"

The lump shivered, and three people came out. I recognized one.

"Jason!" Xavier shouted happily . "I knew you would come for us!" The other two must have been his parents. They looked just like him but more serious.

"Where's the fidi?" Bob asked angrily.

Xavier looked around. "I dunno."

"You know!"

Xavier looked under the blanket. "Nope. He's gone."

I tried not to think about my nightmare, but horrid images came to mind as I thought about my lost friend. Bianca - or whoever it was - said that the nightmare was true. Did that mean Calvin really was gone?

Bob glared at Xavier. "I was going to put him in that pool, to make him happy, then take him out. To torture him, you know? But oh well. Four victims will do."

"Oh, you're from Ireland!" I blurted.

Bob threw a rock at me. "You need not know what I am. Besides, Those countries don't exist. In this book they're called Scotia and Gaeleg." So I got it right that time.

I thought about what he said. "Are you the talking book? He said that too. The hugs and kisses was kind of weird. You shouldn't have put that in there."

"A friend called me Amaatlik. Before I ate them."

I laughed. "You? Amaatlik? Really, are you his henchmen or something?" Amaatlik looked pretty disgusting in my dream.

"He's telling the truth," Xavier's dad said. "Haven't you heard the story?"

"Oh yeah, Amaatlik's really weak. But I didn't know that made him a human."

"I am not of your disgusting race!" Amaatlik spat. "Do not insult me so."

"In my nightmare, you looked like a zombie," I pointed out.

"Would you prefer I looked like that?" Bob asked. "In front of the boy?"

"I'm not that young!" Xavier argued. "Zombies are cool!"

We continued to bicker for some time. I threw in some creative words to spice up the conversation. Amaatlik would tell me to shut up. And Xavier made things interesting in his own way. His parents looked at us sadly.

While Amaatlik and Xavier were arguing, I slipped behind them and took out my wand.

What could I do? The thoughts in my head had stopped, but now I was feeling actual doubt. It almost made me want to have Amaatlik talking in my head, because at least then I knew that the fear was fake. Sadie was right - I was a baby.

But I had to try. Maybe I could distract Bob, or Amaatlik, and Xavier's parents could get away.

When I was ready to go on the offensive, I came out and pointed it at Amaatlik. There was an awkward silence. I still couldn't remember any of the spells I had learned. I didn't have that arsenal of spells thing. What spells were there? I turned to Xavier's parents. "Hey, guys, what spell should I use?"

"Hah!" Amaatlik made a grabbing motion and the wand ripped out of my hands.

"Find Amaatlik, my enemy!" I shouted. The wand flew into the air, spun around, and poked Amaatlik in the eye. I would have paid a million dollars to see that again.

"Ow!" the demon exclaimed. "You asked for it, Jason!"

"Quick, your title," Xavier's mom whispered.

I coughed and said the title of my future story. Hunting Amaatlik!

"Yes?" Amaatlik asked, confused.

I looked back at the expert sorcerers. "What's the title supposed to do? Does it...you know, take a while?"

Xavier stepped forward. "Jason the Awesome formally challenges you to a duel." He stood there, looked back at me red-faced, and stepped back. And looked at me. "If you didn't, I'm sorry."

"Oh, that kind of title," I said. "At least I don't have to write a book. Oh, and thanks, Xavier."

"No problem."

Amaatlik laughed. "Do you have any idea what you have done?"

"Not really," I replied.

"You have challenged me to a duel. We shall fight to the death. Your death will be slow and painful." He seemed to cherish the thought.

"Oh. I take my thanks back, Xavier."

We stood there looking at each other. I wondered what and was going to happen next and when. And how. And why.

A circle drew itself on the wall behind Amaatlik and someone popped out of it, pushing both of them into the water. Again, I'd have paid a million dollars to relive it. Seeing Amaatlik embarrass himself never got old.

"Who the blazes are you?" Amaatlik asked as he resurfaced. His body was completely dry. Probably one of the perks of being a demon.

Sadie, who was wet, gasped for breath. "Francis. I'm so glad to see you. What's going on?"

Amaatlik looked really confused, maybe even more than I. "What?"

"It's me, Sadie."

Amaatlik frown turned back into a grin. I got a bad feeling. "Attack them for me, will you? I need the help of a strong, capable hero like you."

Sadie nodded. "Sure." She slowly swam toward us (not the best swimmer). Something told me that Amaatlik had somehow made her think we were evil.

"You're going with me. Jason," Amaatlik said. He made a gesture with his hands, and we were by the beach again. It was mid-day.

"Can we please slow down?" I asked. "This is all really crazy."

"No," Amaatlik said. "What is your weapon of choice?"

I looked at my wand, which was back in my hand. Still no spells came to mind, though they were at the tip of my tongue. "Can I have a sword?"

looking guy come from the water with a golden blade on a purple cushion. The butler walked over to me and kneeled down, presenting the ornate weapon.

"This is a bit over the top, isn't it?" I asked as I picked it up and gave the butler a tip. He nodded his thanks and walked back into the ocean.

"You are very stupid," the demon began, "but have proven yourself to be a worthy opponent. I want this match to be a challenge."

"Why, thank you."

Amaatlik sighed. A lot of people do that near me, I don't know why. "Mind, this will still be a piece of cake. For me. Let the duel begin."

I unsheathed my weapon and hefted it. I liked holding it. What people probably call perfectly balanced. "Bring it on. I'm going to finish you once and for all."

Now, you might thank that I was stupid for thinking that I could fight Amaatlik, like he said, and acting so calm. But no. I mean, yeah, I'm not that smart, Amaatlik's disparaging thoughts had returned, and it was hard to think clearly.

Imagine reading this story with a million people yelling at you, telling you that you won't get what I'm saying, that you might as well read a different story on. Some of the voices were strange or unrecognizable, but I think I heard familiar voices. Again, I couldn't concentrate. You could say Amaatlik had an unfair advantage.

Amaatlik came at me with a sword of his own. The sight of it made me jealous. I wished I had one like that. It was giant, as tall as Amaatlik, with a bunch of ornate notches and hooks to catch an opponent's weapon and disarm them. The blade looked both sharp and heavy, so that it would knock me out of it didn't slice me to pieces. Did I mention that it was on fire?

"There's no way you can win," Amaatlik said maliciously. He spun his sword in a menacing arc. "Nice knowing you."

"Wish I could say the same." I slashed at Amaatlik. He easily dodged my strike. He counterattacked, and I dove to the ground. I felt the flames singe the hair on my neck. I really didn't like the idea that he had a better weapon.

I gripped my blade and slashed at his feet. The weapon broke in half.

"Should have told you, I'm slightly invincible," Amaatlik said.

"But I had a title!" I said.

"I have no weakness."

I panted, waiting for Amaatlik to jump at me. "Can I have the cool sword and the mind magic? That might even things out a little."

"You're no fun," the demon growled. He snapped his fingers, and I didn't have all those scary thoughts anymore. "You know I'm keeping this thing."

"Eh." I held up the stub from my weapon. Amaatlik kept pretending to attack me, but his sword stopped mid-air with every stroke. I tried to get a hit at him myself, in case Amaatlik really did have a weakness, but...well, let's just say that I'm not good at melee fighting.

"Hey, can you turn into anything you want?" I asked.

Amaatlik glared at me. "Anything scary."

"Calvin also had restrictions. He could only turn into a sea creature."

"That's nice," Amaatlik said sarcastically. "Can we got on with the fight?"

"Are there people who can turn into anything? Like, literally everything?" I asked.

"I don't know."

"Turn into a rat."

I was thinking of another story my mom read to me when I was little. There was this cat, and an ogre was going to eat him. The ogre could turn into anything he wanted. The cat bet that the ogre couldn't turn into a mouse. The ogre did, and the cat ate him.

The problem? Amaatlik was way smarter than an ogre. He turned into a giant, man-sized rat, with teeth like daggers and claws like...well, curved daggers. The rat also had glowing red eyes, and mangy gray-brown fur. He was still holding the sword, and laughed. His breath was horrible. "Did you think you could fool me?" Amaatlik asked. "I may be weaker than most demons, but none have my evil genius."

That was my last trick. I realized that my previous confidence was fake, just like the emotions Amaatlik made me feel. I looked up to see the giant evil furball that wanted to kill me, and couldn't help thinking that I was the stupidest person ever. Just some boy who thought he would ever amount to anything. For the first time that day, my thoughts were my own. I didn't feel scared-just sorry for my friends and family because I had let them down. 

Seeing that I was distracted, Amaatlik yelled some kind of blood-curdling scream and slashed at me. This time it wasn't just a feint attack. His weapon struck mine, and they both disintegrated.

 "Talk about cheating," Amaatlik growled. "Who's helping you?"

I didn't think that anyone would bother helping me after I had made a fool of myself. "Just finish me off."

"No. I will make you suffer." Amaatlik made two swords pop out of the ground. They looked just like the other ones. He grabbed his and made me pick up mine. But as soon as I got a good grip on it he slashed at me, setting my clothes on fire. "Stupid human."

I let out a little screech, as I had never been on fire before, and rolled around in the sand, avoiding Amaatlik's cleaving strokes. The fire went out, thankfully, but it still hurt. I felt my movements getting slower, but something gave me the energy to keep fighting. I wondered if it would ever run out. 

We fought some more, Amaatlik turning into various disturbing creatures. It was hard not to take my eyes off of them. One of them was the zombie I saw him as in my nightmare. Another was Ichthymu, the first monster I dreamed about.

Which made me wonder, was it Amaatlik who gave me all those nightmares? It would make sense. But why would he be so afraid of me? Why would anyone be afraid of me?

I hadn't noticed that Amaatlik was cornering me until my back was against the side of the hill. I looked around for an escape, but he did a good job of puppyguarding me. Not that I was surprised.

"Look! Behind you!" I shouted.

"Are you serious?" Amaatlik asked, frowning.

I heard a loud blast, and dust filled the air. Amaatlik fell back, and I used the distraction to get away. Honestly, I hadn't seen the cannon, as I was concentrating on Amaatlik. How lucky was I?

"Sorry, matey!" someone shouted cheerily. "I missed!"

I risked a glance toward the sea and saw a giant ship close to the shore. Smoke drifted from one of its many cannons. The black-and-white sails were furled, so the ship wasn't just passing by. I couldn't see any of the crew.

"Blast you!" Amaatlik screeched. He really needed to work on his word choice.

I made use of the moment and slashed at Amaatlik's sword, hoping to knock it out of his hand, but he had a firm grip on it. My golden one, however, melted upon contact. I was disarmed again.

Amaatlik turned back to me. "Nice try, Jason. Not really, that was actually a very bad try. You are below average when it comes to swordplay."

"I know!" I tried thinking of a new plan. I lost my weapon, and a pirate ship was firing at us. I just got worse and worse.

Another cannon blast came from the ship. But there was no cannonball. Just a green stick. Calvin? No. Surely it was just a normal old wand.

Amaatlik picked up my wand and sniffed it. "What's this? Would you happen to know, Jason the Awesome?"

"Don't call me that," I said angrily. The irony of my title made me feel guilty.

"What is it?" Amaatlik asked.

"It's a cannonball!" I answered. "It came from the cannon. Duh."

Amaatlik scowled at me. "I know it is not a cannonball. Do not mock me."

I looked at Calvin. "It's a cannon stick then."

"Fair enough. Now you die!" Amaatlik raised his burning blade. The flames danced wildly, waiting to burn me. I tried to think of a spell that might save me from his incoming blow.

"Erswe!" I shouted, shouting a random word that came to mind. I winced, waited for either Amaatlik or pirates to make the killing stroke, but nothing happened.

I looked up. Amaatlik was glowing green, his sword on the ground. He looked shocked. A ball of green light surrounded him. Now, if this was a T.V. show, the light would have made a sound. Perhaps a loud one. But the is a book so, realistically, the ball was silent. It held for a few seconds, and shrunk. The Irish demon was gone, and where he stood Calvin was laying on the sand.

"Calvin!" I shouted, confused. I ran over to the serpent. He was still breathing, thankfully. "You're okay! I thought..."

"Jason?" Calvin asked. "It worked. My job is done. Good bye."

"Don't say that!" I begged. "You just got here, and I thought you were...gone. Now you're leaving me for good?"

Calvin laughed softly. "That's not what I meant. Erswe means 'bind'. You made Amaatlik attached to the wand."

"So?"

"It means that I am no longer bound to it myself."

I didn't know what that meant at first. But then I understood what he was talking about. "So...you won't come home with me? We just found each other! I'm sorry, Calvin. It was all my fault. I shouldn't have used that spell!"

Calvin was quiet for a second. "My experiences with you were the best I ever had. You're an amazing person, Jason. I will never forget you."

I wiped sweat from my eyes. "Thanks, Calvin."

"Who knows, maybe we'll see each other again some day. Like, for Thanksgiving or Christmas." He grinned. "Farewell." Without another word, he slithered into the water and vanished. He knew any longer and it would have been too much to take.

I fell to my knees. Calvin was so awesome. He saved my life, and gave me confidence on my missions. It was hard to believe we would probably never see each other again.

"Nice tree ye planted there!" the pirate from the ship shouted. "Lad?"

There was no point in being so...emotional, so I rose and sniffed. I wondered what kind of metaphor 'nice tree you've planted there' was when I noticed that a tree also stood where I captured Amaatlik. It looked dead, glowing an ominous green.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Ye don't recognize me?" the pirate jumped off the guardrail and landed right in front of me, which was probably a couple hundred feet. He ripped off his skin. No, it wasn't as cool as it sounds. Under the fake skin was fur. The pirate was Skylos.

"What do you want?" I asked warily.

"Relax, laddie," Skylos said. "I've changed since ye last saw me. O', shall I say, I was awoken."

"I'm touched," I said cautiously.

"When that Rex guy sunk me Wonderwolf, I thought I would die. But then yer friend, Okeanos, came in and grabbed me. he said he knew ye would want him to. Then he dropped me off at Port Miaro, where I could start a new life.

His act made me think about meself a little, that it did. I realized that a pirate's life ain't no life fer me. I was greedy and selfish. And I wanted to say sorry fer all I did in the past."

"Well, you did help me...okay." I smiled. Maybe I just wanted someone to talk to, but I still wasn't that mad at the hellhound.

Skylos' eyes lit up. "Thanks, matey!". It wasn't everyday you got licked by a hellhound.

"Come on. We need to find the others."

30: Fin.

Chapter 30

Sadie

"You really defeated him?" I asked.

"Yeah, I guess I did," Jason said thoughtfully. But I could tell that something was on his mind. Ever since we had gotten away from the island, Jason had been really quiet. Something happened to him on the island.

"You played your part," Jason said.

I looked down. "What do you mean?"

"If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have been on this quest. I would be cowering in the corner waiting for the apocalypse."

"I guess you're right," I said.

"I guess I am."

"But I don't get what happened. I mean, where did everybody go?" After Jason and Amaatlik started fighting, I went for Xavier and his parents. But then they disappeared. Jason and Skylos found me after a day of searching. We got some supplies from the house, and Skylos took us to Barcos so we could come home. But there were very few people at Barcos.

Jason rubbed his chin. "Thinking is your thing."

"And fighting is yours," I replied. "But also, who was the person who wrote in that book? Why didn't Amaatlik kill us? How did you trap him in that wand and turn it into a tree? And so many other things."

Jason shrugged. "Maybe you're just good at everything, and I'm lucky."

"Don't say that. You aren't Jason the Awesome for no reason."

"Are you kidding me? Technically, Calvin and Skylos beat him. They just made it look like I did."

I sighed. Jason was impossible.

"Hey Sadie, guess what?"

"What?"

He smiled. "I can't take it anymore. We all know I beat Amaatlik. You should have seen it, I was awesome!"

"Glad to hear it," I said, feeling a little better. I hoped he meant it. "But why have you been so quiet since you defeated Amaatlik?"

"I don't know." Jason stopped walking. "I guess it's just...we won't be the same."

"Now you're just being silly."

Jason shook his head. "We know magic now. How will our lives be like before we started the mission? I'm just saying...there might be a sequel."

I wondered if the truth was that he missed Calvin. For some reason, the two were very close.

We walked through the grasslands, going south. With someone to talk to, it seemed to take a lot less time.

"Sadie, look!" Jason whispered.

I looked up. We were standing in front of the Forest of Nightmares. Or at least, where it used to stand. The forest we saw then was much more beautiful. Somehow it was more natural, and less...malevolent.

"Looks like they had a renovation," Jason commented.

"Let's go inside," I said. I pushed ahead of him into the forest.

It really was an amazing place. The trees were ten times as tall, with chocolaty brown bark and dark leaves high-up, some of them drifting to the ground. The ground was dirt, grass, and rocks, dusted by the fallen leaves. I could see for some distance now that the trees were more spaced out. There was a trail going forward, winding around tree trunks and over softly rising hills. Deer stared at us from behind bushes.

"Are we in the right place?" Jason asked as we followed the path. "It's changed. Maybe because I defeated Amaatlik?"

"I don't know anything anymore," I said. "Be quiet so I can enjoy its beauty."

We didn't talk anymore. After a nice stroll through the forest, we entered Draida. Unfortunately, it looked as humble as it did when we left.

Jason looked around. "Where in Draida are we?"

"Always the one to ask questions. Follow me." I lead him into the town towards the main square. I still remembered the town layout, and it wasn't too hard.

There was nobody there. Just like in Barcos. I got a bad feeling.

What if something happened to them? What if we were too late?

"Surprise!"

I jumped. After all we'd been through, I thought that nothing could surprise me anymore. When I saw the whole town jump from behind the bushes, I told myself I was wrong.

The people ran towards us, laughing and smiling and saying that we did an amazing job. Kind of an understatement, but I couldn't feel happier. Boys and girls, men and women, young and old, came up and shook our hands. A couple boys told me to call them later. I smiled and told them I would.

"Give them space! I need to talk with them!" Amisto pushed his way through the crowd and stepped in front of us. His face was full of pride. "Sadie, Jason, I can not tell you how proud I am. You two have done the impossible, and came back safe and sound. If you don't mind, I would like to talk to you as soon as possible."

"We don't mind," I said.

He walked over to his house, which wasn't far from the center of town. We walked to his office and got settled.

"How did you do it?" he asked, a wide grin on his face.

"We were lucky," Jason said. "It was mostly Sadie though."

I rolled my eyes at him and his modesty. "Shut up! You were the one that fought Amaatlik." The thought of what I had contributed to the fight made me nauseous, but I didn't want to think about it. 

"I couldn't have done it without Skylos and Calvin," Jason argued. "Amaatlik would have killed me. I didn't stand a chance against him." Eh, he could still work on his confidence.

Amisto nodded. "I know of what happened. Skylos told me. I just wanted to make sure you weren't Doppelgangers or something."

"That's slightly disappointing," I muttered. "Anything you don't know?"

Amisto laughed. "Maybe. Go ahead and tell me anyway. I'm sure it would sound better from your perspectives."

Jason and I told him about the problems we encountered. I explained how Amaatlik had tried to tear us apart and darken our hearts. Jason said that was a bit dramatic, and talked about the duel with Amaatlik.

Amisto leaned forward in his chair and rested his chin on a hand. People do that a lot, don't they? "What an amazing tale. And accomplished by two teenagers. Pinch me, I must be dreaming."

"Now we don't need a sitter or whatever it's called," Jason said.

"That's the thing," Amisto said. "I need to tell you about what's been going on here in Draida."

I gestured for him to go ahead.

"While you were on your mission, someone stepped up and offered to help me give the townspeople encouragement."

"They did seem a bit excited," Jason said. "And a little skinnier."

Amisto nodded. "That person is the one who wrote to you on Waldurk. Not with the magic book, but the note with the hearts. Yeah, they're weird like that."

"Who is it?" I asked. It did disappoint me a little. I was hoping that, after the quest, I could be the setahr. I mean, Amisto did offer the job to Jason before he denied. Why not ask me?

"They wish to keep their identity a secret," Amisto said. "Just know that we have a new setahr."

"Is it you?" Jason asked. "I hope not. No offense. It's just, that would be a little stereotypical."

"I am not him," Amisto assured Jason. "Not even I know who he is. But, in recent news, you guys have just saved the world! Go ahead. Enjoy yourselves. Do whatever you want."

"Whatever I want," Jason asked, a mischievous smile on his face.

"I was talking to Sadie," Amisto said straight-faced.

They laughed. I realized that it was a joke.

"Go on, now," Amisto said.

We walked down the stairs. Amisto's butler escorted us to the door. He seemed a lot nicer than before.

"I'm going to see my parents," Jason said. "There's a lot of stuff we have to catch up on. What are you going to do?"

"I don't know. Hang out a little. Have fun."

I watched him run off toward his house.

Yep, things would never be the same again.

31: Spells

Aegis - shield

Alkezem - open

Alol - fall

Aupu - water

Arae - bubble

Cantaren - enchant

Dormi - sleep

Empier - curse

Enom - stop

Erswe - bind

Ideti - ensnare

Iglem - ring of fire

Kataigida - storm

Klevo - steal

Kob - grow

Mirar - see

Muro - ignite

Oredne- teleport

Pagos - burst

Pior - poison

Posefre - push

Pryu - party

Tantibus - nightmare

Ter - disappear

Uze - light

Ved - truth

Volas - wings