The Legend Of The Wizard's Apprentice (Book 1) (25 page)

I have been following you for the past few days trying to find the right time to steal the acorn from you. Today, when I saw the evil in your eye, I knew that I had to steal it or the evil in you would. I have to be the one that brings that acorn to the Dark Master. I want to be his number one. Now all I have to do is kill you and flee before anyone suspects poor little Elgar,” as the changeling opened up his mouth to bite Kerwyn, he could see rows of sharp syringe-like teeth that were used to inject venom and put its victims to sleep and fed on their blood like a leech.

The changeling bit Kerwyn a few times on the arms and Kerwyn started to feel the venom course through his veins, making him very tired. But before the changeling could latch on with its sucking mandibles, a flash of light filled the room and there, standing about six inches high on Kerwyn's stomach, was Hernes. Kerwyn’s small friend held out his little arms and prepared to cast another spell.

“Why are you attacking me?” asked the changeling of the imp, “We are both creatures of the dark. You’re a fallen fairy and have embraced the Dark Master’s ways to fill yourself with bark magic. I am a minion of the Dark Master and we will be victorious once I kill this boy. If the boy dies, so does the prophecy.” The changeling readied himself to attack Kerwyn again and sink its sucking mandibles into him.

Hernes raised his arms once again and was about to cast a spell. The changeling saw that it was up against a creature of dark magic that wasn’t going to let it hurt the boy and fled from the room with the acorn in its hand. As he ran, he yelled back over his shoulder, “Traitor to the Dark Master, you will be punished!”

Kerwyn remained awake just long enough to catch the exchange and then passed out from the venom coursing through his body.

Kerwyn stirred slowly, opening his eyes. The first thing he noticed was that he was not lying on the floor anymore but that he was in fact lying in his bed. Looking around he said to himself, “This is happening way too often; waking up in my bed and not knowing how I got here.”

Glancing over at some movement by the wall, Kerwyn saw Master Sernett, Pan, Durin and Ardwinna.

“Master Sernett, he is awake,” said Ardwinna with a smile.

“Kerwyn, my boy, you had me worried sick. I came to ask you to see your acorn, because I think I know what needs to be done and here you were laying on the floor all tied up like a fish caught in a net. Now that you’re awake, what in the blazes happened to you? You have some funny bite marks on your arms and you were all tied up,” Master Sernett said with concern in his voice.

“Elgar is a changeling and he now has the acorn of the Tree of Life,” Kerwyn answered in a panic.

chapter eleven

THE CHANGELING CHASE

“A changeling? How did a changeling get into the Tree of Life? Those creatures are all dark minions, which means he would have had to feed often to maintain his strength here living among a holy place such as this. How many people have gone missing since Elgar showed up?” asked Master Sernett of Pan.

“Well, only a few staff has gone missing, we assumed that they just left and went home,” said Pan.

“How many is a few?” pressed Master Sernett. Pan started to count using the fingers on one hand and then he went to the next hand, and then back to the other hand, still counting.

“Well I guess if you count Iduna, then the number is thirteen over the past three years,” Pan said as if it was common to have four people a year disappear.

“Pan didn’t it strike you as being odd that four people left each year for the past three years in a row? How many people have left the tower in, say, the last hundred years?” Master Sernett asked.

Again Pan started to count on his hands then said, “Well, I guess if you count Iduna then the number is thirteen. Oh my, Master Sernett, I didn’t know! Humans are a bit different then us satyrs, so I just thought it was normal.”

“Pan, you have had a very powerful changeling in your midst. A normal changeling would need to feed at least once every month so for this changeling to be able to go on feeding every four months means he is a very old changeling and is strong.

But I have never heard of a changeling biting a victim and not at least feeding on him.”

Turning to look at Kerwyn, Master Sernett asked him, “Kerwyn, why didn’t the changeling feed off of you? Were you able to cast a spell that repulsed it?”

“Yes, Master Sernett. I was able to cast a light spell startling it, and it ran out the door stealing the acorn. It said that it wanted to give it to the Dark Master to destroy so that all life would die. It also said that it would be second in command and it would have the favour of the Dark Master,” explained Kerwyn not quite telling the truth.

“So we have a changeling that wants to be second in command. We might have a chance to catch this creature before it can give the acorn to the Dark Master. Since it wants power, it will probably travel slowly and stay hidden, as it knows that if one of the other dark minions finds out about the acorn, they will take it from him.

Changelings are not one of the more powerful dark creatures, they are deadly make no mistake of what I say, but they attack using stealth and put their victims to sleep first before killing. Where as a Hell Hound prefers a frontal attack as it tears chunks of flesh off its victims and starts to eat you while you are still squirming and writhing alive in pain,” Master Sernett said.

“I hope we don’t meet any of those, Master Sernett. They don’t sound like nice doggies to me,” said Kerwyn.

“Kerwyn, do you feel like getting up so that we can get after this changeling, or are you going to lay in bed all day while it gets away?” joked Master Sernett.

“Let’s get going. I just have to get my stuff,” said Kerwyn.

“Pan, please have the cooks make us up a travel pack of food. We will need to travel light to catch up. But we will still need food to keep us going and there won’t be any villages in the middle of the forest for resupplies.

Byamee, get the Cyclopes ready, Durin say your goodbyes for now; we need to get going as soon and as fast as we can. We need to catch up to that changeling and get that acorn back,” said Master Sernett.

Twenty minutes later the party was waiting at the entrance to the main hall. Master Sernett and Kerwyn had small backpacks and their belt packs loaded with food and water. The Cyclopes and dwarf all had their armour on and also carried bigger back packs full of food and water along with other things that they were going to need like rope, flint and fire starter materials. They also carried small travel-size cooking pots and everyone’s bedrolls and blankets. Fully stocked and ready to go, Durin was saying his goodbyes to Ardwinna and this time he even gave her a kiss in public. Kerwyn looking over at Elden saw that he wasn’t entirely happy with Durin and Ardwinna kissing. Kerwyn knew that when a male finds a female, sometimes friendships become strained.

“Alright everyone here, let’s get going. Elden, you’re the tracker so please find us that changeling. We’re counting on you, the
world
is counting on you,” Master Sernett said this last as he saw Kerwyn looking over at Elden and was thinking the same thing he was, that Elden was feeling left out and all alone again.

Elden feeling the sincerity from Master Sernett looked over at him and nodded his head, saying, “Don’t worry Master Sernett, there is no better tracker in the Cyclopes. I promise that I will find your changeling. We will get the Tree of Life’s acorn back.”

You could see the pride in Elden’s face and that he wasn’t boasting but, rather, was just being honest. He was the best tracker that the Cyclopes had ever had and he was very proud of that fact. When you have been treated the way Elden had been, you learn what you are good at, and you become
very
good at it. In the Cyclops community, if you weren’t the biggest male then you had better become the best at something else that didn’t require massive strength.

Byamee, also catching on, said, “Don’t worry Master Sernett, if anyone can find that changeling, my brother can.” Byamee smiled at his brother and grabbed him on the shoulder giving him a good brotherly and affectionate shake.

Elden felt all the pride in the world because not only was his brother praising him, but also because he was also the leader of the Cyclops of Alberic and it was an honour to be recognized by the alpha male. Elden had never felt so alive and happy with his brother praising him.

Puffing up like a prized peacock, Elden took on a serious face and got to work tracking the small, hardly distinguishable trail left behind by the fleeing changeling. As they were walking out, Kerwyn called back to Pan that they needed to get going as the tree wasn’t looking so good and they needed to find someplace safe to stay.

About an hour into the walk, Elden held up his hand and asked everyone to stay silent. He layed down on the ground and put his ear to it, listening for something. Jumping up he said for everyone to get on guard, that they were not alone and they were being watched. As he said this, a horn blew and out from the trees came a pack of goblins followed by ogres. The goblins raised their bows and arrows and started firing, and the ogres pulled out their wicked looking swords and were charging. The ogres were almost as big as the Cyclopes, which would make for an interesting battle.

Master Sernett drew in the One Power and cast a spell
“Tutela Obex Ex Vulnero.”
All of the goblins' arrows bounced away harmlessly off of Master Sernett’s protective barrier.

Kerwyn following his master’s example drew in on the One Power and cast a spell of his own.
“Lentesco Textus,”
he said and out from his hands shot hundreds of strands of webbing spraying and sticking a group of goblins together.

Byamee had his scimitar out and was clashing steel against steel. Moving and parrying just like when he and Celie had spared in the clearing by the Tree of Life, only this time there would be no stopping until one of them was dead.

Byamee feeling the power race through his body started to speed up, faster and faster his attacks became the ogre was falling behind and opening in his defences became apparent. Byamee reached through one of these opening and sliced the ogre’s head clean off of his shoulders. As the body of the dead ogre feel to the ground there was another ogre to take its place.

Celie, trying to get close to Byamee to give him some back up realized that he didn’t need it as he was nothing but a blur of blade and blood. Trying to even keep up with his movements was almost impossible as his speed was faster than anyone’s that Celie had ever seen. Again, another ogre went down under Byamee’s blade. Celie had to suddenly move just in time to prevent herself from being gutted from an ogre’s blade. Taking up the defensive stance, she got ready to engage the enemy.

Durin was having similar battles of his own but so far they had just been with the goblins and with his massive hammer swinging overhead, he crushed two of them to pulp with one blow. Swinging to the side, he took out another goblin as it flew through the air and crunched against a tree, falling to the ground, dead.

Baldred was enjoying himself, dancing around doing somersaults and flips while shooting his bow at the ogres and goblins that came into sight. Baldred had become so good with his bow that he was now aiming for their heart trying to kill them instantly. He had already impaled four goblins and two ogres. Baldred was enjoying himself so much that he didn’t see the big ogre come up behind him take aim and thrust with his sword.

Celie, standing on the far side of Elden was defending Master Sernett and Master Kerwyn saw the ogre and yelled out for her brother Baldred to watch out behind him. But she was too late. She saw the ogre’s sword penetrate Baldred’s armour and come out the front of it dripping with his blood, bringing Baldred’s grinning to an abrupt halt.

Baldred froze as he realized what had happened. He dropped his bow while dropping to his knees. Looking over at his sister, all Baldred had time for was to give his sister a quick nod that he knew he was going to die and a small grin to let her know that he loved her. The ogre pulled the sword out from Baldred’s back and swung the blade forward, cleaving Baldred’s head from his shoulders. The last image Celie had of her brother was his head floating through the air and then land with a sickening thud on the ground. Yelling out and thumping his broad chest in triumph like a gorilla, the ogre pointed over at Celie indicating that she was next. Drawing a thumb across his neck he started his advance.

Screaming in anger and in pain Celie rushed to the ogre and swung her sword like she was still holding a club. She smashed the ogre over and over, not caring whether she was leaving herself exposed to his attacks or not; all she knew was she was going to kill this ogre for killing her brother. The ogre, caught off guard by her ferocious attack, wasn’t expecting this female cyclops to be this way. He thought that she was going to be an easy victory like the cyclops that he had just killed.
Crash! Bang! Crash!
Went Celie’s sword against the ogre’s. Feeling the pain of the vibrations up his arm, the ogre was starting to think he was in really big trouble.