Daniel’s Early Days
A Young Wizard’s Story
Chapter One
"Give up the iron, boy," growled a voice in the darkness. Daniel froze, his entire body experiencing some kind of shocked paralysis, except for his eyes. He cast his eyes about the clearing for the source of the voice, but the towering trees seemed to be his only companions.
The moon filtered down weakly through the canopy of leaves, dappling small patches of light. This did little to permeate into the inky shadows of the forest. Straining to hear any movement, Daniel swept his flashlight in the general direction of the unexpected demand. The beam of light revealed nothing but the usual forest foliage. The now unwelcomed silence became deafening, broken only by the pounding of his own heart.
"Give up the iron," the voice suddenly repeated, "If, you want your friend back."
Daniel trained the light on a dark shadow that he knew was not there a moment before. At first, he thought he was looking at a strange dying bush; all mottled browns and dark greens, with wiry twigs devoid of life. Then, the bristles detached from the surrounding shadows and a squat, dirty creature with wild bushy facial hair appeared: a goblin.
Daniel had only met one other goblin in his life, and this was not him. He had the same dwarfed form, wide face, and hooded eyes, but he looked rougher somehow, almost sinister. Daniel pushed the thought away. His mind was racing from fear and adrenaline, and it was running away from him.
"Where is he?" he tried to demand, but it came out more like a desperate plea.
"He is here, with us," the goblin gestured around the forest almost like an invitation.
Daniel kept his light trained on the goblin speaking, but his eyes darted left and right wondering how many goblins were actually out there. They were experts at camoflouge, and he couldn't actually see any, but he knew they were there. There unseen presence sent a chill down his spine that rushed ice water through his veins.
Daniel fingered the nail ring on his finger nervously wondering what he should do. He couldn't give up his most surefire protection against these vile creatures. However, Jacob was his best friend. A cold sweat broke out along the back of his neck and around his hairline. Could he use what little magic he knew to protect both himself and Jacob once he gave up the ring?
"Show him to me," Daniel demanded, sounding more sure of himself than he felt.
"As you wish," came the mocking reply. The mangy creature barked something in a strange, gutteral language that was clearly a command. A small commotion amongst the shrubbery quickly evolved into wild thrashing, and some disturbing muffled sounds.
Jacob was thrust cruelly into the clearing, where he fell akwardly to the ground. He had a dirty rag stuffed in his mouth, and his hands were tied behind his back. His eyes found Daniel's and the terror mirrored there sent Daniel's stomach to his feet.
Daniel tried to rush to his friend's side, but there was an strange flicker of shadows, and a surreal flash of darkness spread out sucking all light from the forest, or perhaps just from Daniel's vision, he wasn't sure. But, in the utter darkness he froze.
His meager training kicked in, and he drew up his protective sphere on instinct. The flickering blue light of his magic banished the darkness and illuminated the clearing. The moonlight spilled into the clearing with a vengeance; the pale light burning uncharacteristically and momentarily blinding Daniel. By the time his eyes focused, he realized that Jacob was gone.
Only the dark goblin remained.
"What do you want?" Daniel asked. Without realizing it, Daniel had already slipped the ring off his finger. He knew they didn't actually want the ring. Goblins hated iron, that is why he wore the strange nail ring.
"You know what we want," the goblin smiled wickedly. "The forest always speaks, and you are no stranger to the forest are you, boy?" The dark creature leaned forward menancingly. "You know we have been watching you," he took a step back into the shadows, "And waiting...patiently."
"Waiting for what?" Daniel whispered.
"Waiting for you, of course."
"Why?" Daniel had to ask, even though he already knew the answer.
"Why?" the goblin laughed mirthlessly. "For your power. We have big plans for you."
Chapter Two
One Month Earlier.....
Today was thee day. The tenth birthday for a child of magic was a rite of passage. It was the day they would begin the ascension of their own unique powers.
As long as Daniel could remember magic was a part of his life. His whole family had power, and he saw things that would bewilder other children. To Daniel it was just a part of life, and life was amazing.
Daniel lived in a big southern style house that had been part of his father’s family for generations, with his mother, father, and paternal grandmother. They lived in relative seclusion, as many families of their kind do, on the edge of a forest that spread for miles and miles before its gradual ascent up the mountains.
To Daniel’s great dismay, he wasn’t allowed to step foot in that forest, not until his powers had fully formed. Occasionally members of his family would venture into the woods for unknown reasons, but Daniel was forbidden under any circumstance to enter into those woods.
This hadn’t stopped him from trying. He had tried sneaking into the trees at every point he could manage. He tried army crawling under bushes, and climbing through high up in the trees. He had even tried entering the forest riding a goat that had spent a summer with their family. Once, he had spent an entire day trying to enter the forest from neighboring yards and fields. It didn’t matter what or where he tried, he always ran into an invisible barrier like a rubber glass wall. As soon as he ran into it, he bounced back out.
But, today was his birthday; he would finally turn ten, and then his powers would emerge. He knew a lot of what his powers would entail. In many ways, he would be similar to all the others with the gift. He would be able to will objects to move without touching them, and work various spells written in the family tomes. But, everyone had their own specialties, and Daniel couldn’t help but wonder what his powers would be.
Daniel practically leapt out of bed that morning. Although, he knew it wasn’t going to happen right away, he couldn’t resist testing his powers. He held his hand out like he’d seen his Father do a thousand times before. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on the smallest thing in his vicinity, a penny on his nightstand, fervently willing it to come to him. Nothing happened. Discouraged, he swiftly turned away from his disappointment.
Dressing hastily, he rushed down the hall, and bounded down the steps two at a time. Before he reached the bottom of the stairs, he could smell the pancakes. Grinning, he lithely jumped the last three steps, swung around the corner, and ran right into his father.
“Happy Birthday, Little Man!” his father exclaimed. He wrapped Daniel up in a big bear hug, nearly crushing the air out of him.
“Thanks, Dad,” he mumbled into his father’s shirt.
“Blueberry pancakes,” his mother called from deeper in the kitchen. Daniel’s father released him, and they followed the intoxicating smell of sweet cakes, and sugary syrup to the kitchen table. His mother was waiting with a stack of steaming pancakes. “Happy Birthday, sweetie,” she said softly, as she hugged him fiercely.
“Thanks, Mom.” Daniel accepted the pancakes from her, and slid into the antique wooden chair. Slathering warm syrup on his pancakes, he greedily dug into the stack with his fork.
Silently, his grandmother glided into the kitchen, her feet hanging a couple inches above the floor. The heavy skirt she wore dangling just low enough that it brushed the wooden planks as she moved to the table. “Happy Birthday Daniel,” she said with a twinkle in her soft brown eyes.
“Thanks, Grams,” Daniel mumbled with a full mouth.
“A big day for you; gonna get yourself in trouble, I expect,” she added knowingly.
“Of course Grams,” he laughed. She smiled at him causing the wrinkles around her eyes to smile as well. His Grandma was an extremely patient and understanding woman, but she could also be brutally blunt. She didn’t have much of a filter, and she never held back. “What did you see?” he asked leaning forward, wanting to know what was in store for him.
“Nothing yet,” she replied dismissively. “But, I don’t need the Sight to know that you are a magnet for trouble.” She chuckled softly at that, but his parents exchanged a strange look. Like his mother, his grandmother had the Sight; she had visions and dreams where she learned things no one else could possibly know. She had lived with them as long as Daniel could remember. He had never met his grandfather, and no one talked about him.
His grandmother liked to meddle with the weather, and had an affinity for creating new spells. Constantly experimenting, and always scribbling in her old leather bound book. Nevertheless, she still hadn’t found a spell to cure her arthritis, and Daniel’s mother’s healing only eased her pain temporarily. As an alternate solution, she had recently taken to levitating instead of walking, which Daniel envied immensely.
“The big one o,” his Dad began, shaking out the white linen napkin that his mother insisted on using at every meal. “Anything yet?” he asked, leaning toward Daniel conspiratorially.
“No,” Daniel answered sullenly through a mouth full of fluffy pancakes.
“Well, they will come,” his father said kindly. “Not all at once mind you, and usually when you least expect it. We can go outside after breakfast, and practice if you want”.
Daniel nodded eagerly. He could hardly wait to begin, but he knew his mother would never let him go without breakfast. So, he eagerly attacked his pancakes, but his mind was swarming with possibilities. He was dying to know what kind of powers he would have. His parents’ powers were openly displayed, and highly coveted by Daniel.
His mother had a supernatural green thumb, and her gardens were like no other. She employed her plants in spells and creating healing concoctions, but Daniel preferred the healing power of her touch over her strange potions. When Daniel injured himself, she would place her warm hands over the injury, and a sparkling blue light would percolate through his injury and be no more.
Daniel learned at a young age that lying to his mother was not a good idea because she had the Sight, and she periodically had premonitions of the future. She had telepathic abilities, and although she could read minds, she did her best to not invade on her family’s privacy.
His father was constantly amusing Daniel with animals from the forest. He had the natural ability to communicate with animals, without making a sound. Animals, along with the occasional magical creature from the forest, would always find their way to him, and seemed to delight in complying with his wishes. His mother and father were both accomplished telepaths, and were constantly holding entire conversations with each other in their minds.
Daniel knew his father also had powerful defensive magic, but the only time Daniel had ever witnessed any part of it was when he begged for a display of the blue lightning; he had never seen it in any real kind of action. He had, however, seen his father manipulate the weather on numerous occasions, and could see how this could come in handy if they ever needed protection.
As Daniel polished off his pancakes, he ruminated on the many possibilities he had before him. He had a good chance of developing powers like his parents, but most children had at least one power that was unique to them. Daniel couldn’t wait another minute to find out.
Before his father had even finished the pancakes on his plate, Daniel was dragging him out of his chair.
As soon as they got outside, Daniel made a bee line for the forest. He assumed that now that he was of age the ward would be down. A sharp whistle brought him to an abrupt stop. When he looked back, his father just shook his head. Daniel muttered under his breath, but he returned to his father obediently.
“When?” he asked when he was back at his father’s side.
“Not yet,” his father admonished. “The ward isn’t down yet. Just because you’re of age does not mean that you are ready yet. You have yet to even obtain your powers, let alone master them,” he said ruffling Daniel’s dark curls. “Besides, I want to show you something that may one day be the difference between life and death,” he added seriously.
Intrigued, Daniel immediately stopped sulking. “Really?” he whispered breathlessly.
2
Without preamble, his father brought up his hands and a shimmering blue bubble rose up and surrounded him.
“Wow,” Daniel breathed. He had never seen this trick before. “What is it?”
“A protection sphere.”
Tentatively, Daniel reached forward to touch it; not sure what he would find when he did. The sparkling light coalesced round his fingers. The sphere was rock hard, but there was a strange substance on top of that solid surface. Like a dry, iridescent liquid that swirled around and slightly immersed his fingertips, and sent a tingly feeling up his arm.
“Cool,” he whispered as he pressed his palm fully against the electric bubble.
“Now, you try,” his father instructed. Abruptly, his glittering sphere dropped to the earth and disappeared. “First, clear your mind. Closing your eyes might help. Take slow, deep breaths. Count them out in your head, fifty should do. Then, imagine the sphere forming around you. If you want to, use your hands to form the circle, like finger painting,” he explained.
Daniel closed his eyes, began the deep breathing, and tried to clear his mind. At first, he found that to be extremely difficult because he was really excited about finally using his magic, and more than a little nervous that it wouldn’t work. When he got to fifty, he stopped counting, but continued breathing deeply. Agitated by the unbidden thoughts whirling around his head, he imagined that those pesky, swarming thoughts were dropping like flies. Without a word, his father stood by waiting patiently.
Finally, he felt calm, at peace, he was ready. Using one hand palm up, he brushed his hand above him in a large rainbow arc, all the while visualizing the bubble he had seen his father create. He knew it was working even before he opened his eyes. Instead of the tingly sensation coming from without and then travelling into him, he could feel it explode inside his chest, race down his arms, and shoot out of his fingers like electricity.
“Well done,” his father cried. Daniel’s eyes popped open. It was strange to view the world from inside his crackling blue dome. “And, on your first try. Very impressive,” his father added. He stepped forward and rapped his knuckles on it. “Solid,” he beamed.
“Good job, honey,” his mother called out from the porch. She had come out to watch, and as usual was so quiet Daniel hadn’t even heard her. Disconcerted, Daniel whirled around and his concentration lapsed. The sphere disappeared, and a wave of exhaustion washed over him. “Oh, sorry honey,” his mother said regretfully.
“That’s alright, son,” his father said coming up behind him and putting his hand on Daniel’s shoulder. “That was very good for your first time. Plus, I forgot to mention that it will only stay up as long as you keep your concentration, which is not always easy. Your mother provided your next very important lesson. Let nothing interrupt your concentration when using your magic. Let’s work on that now. Call up your sphere, and let’s see if I can catch you off guard.”
Excited by the challenge, Daniel took a few deep breaths to prepare himself before he called up his protection. When he opened his eyes, his father was already throwing an apple at him. With a small flash of light, it bounced off the sphere with a large bruised dent in one side.
“Good,” his father sanctioned. “Now for a real challenge.” In unison, all the apples under the apple tree came flying over and circling Daniel menacingly. One by one, they hurled themselves at Daniel from all angles causing his bubble to light up like the fourth of July. But, his concentration didn’t waver, not until a great boom from the attic resonated across the yard, causing Daniel to jump and his sphere to drop to the ground.
He quickly realized his mistake, and crouched to the ground. Without effort a smaller version of his previous sphere surrounded him, instinctually protecting him from the flying apples. There were no flashes of light, and when Daniel looked up he saw several apples frozen in the air. Daniel sagged in relief and stood up, allowing the sphere to drop as he did.
His father was holding his hand out toward Daniel, but his body was turned toward the house. Out of the corner of his eye, Daniel saw his mother rush inside the house, letting the screen door slam behind her.
“Oh, that woman is reckless,” his father moaned, rubbing his hand across his face. He dropped his arm, and the apples dropped with it. “I better go check on your grandmother,” he said apologetically. “Stay here,” his father directed. “Keep practicing,” he called over his shoulder as he jogged up to the house.
Daniel wondered what in the world his grandmother had been trying to do this time. He wasn’t really concerned; she frequently created small explosions that usually sounded worse than they really were.
This time, Daniel felt even more drained from his efforts, but his blood was pumping adrenaline. Using his magic was exhilarating! He wanted to do more, but he wanted to try something else.
Taking deep breaths, he cleared his mind, and held out his hand. In his mind, he called up the apple nearest him, and to his delight it floated up effortlessly. Elated, Daniel just held it there in front of his face, amazed how easy his magic was coming to him now. It flowed from him, through him, and out into the apple like an electrical pulse.
With a flick of the wrist the apple soared across the yard and disappeared into the sea of green that was the forest. Daniel had tried throwing objects through the wards before, and they were always rejected. Somehow, this apple flew through like nothing was there. Smiling mischievously, Daniel got a terrible idea. Now, he knew how to sneak into the shadows of the forbidden forest, and he would.
Without thinking it through, he ran across the yard. At the edge of the tree line he stopped. He looked back at the house, everything was quiet. How long did he have before his father returned? Not long, he decided. But, maybe long enough for him to test his theory.
Trying to subdue his excitement, Daniel cleared his mind and called up his magic. It responded instantly, thrumming through his body like wild fire; probably fueled by his excitement. Instead of releasing it, he kept it in check.
Tentatively, he reached out a hand, and his fingers bumped up against the barrier. With little resistance, the barricade gave slightly, but only a couple inches. His hand wasn’t through yet. Daniel gritted his teeth and pushed harder, his hand suddenly burst through. With only a brief glance over his shoulder, he plunged into the shadows.
The trees were dense in this part of the forest, and it took a minute for his eyes to adjust. Most of the trees in and surrounding their yard were huge sprawling affairs, but these were skinnier, taller, and placed closer together. Peering through the gloom that seemed to permeate the air, Daniel thought he saw something that didn’t quite fit. A small stub of a tree, stout and strangely shaped; stunted somehow, with no limbs to speak of. He moved closer to get a better look at this oddity, when it suddenly moved.
“So, you finally broke free,” the thing rasped, making a weird grinding sound that almost sounded like laughter.
3
Daniel’s heart leapt into his throat. Taking a few clumsy steps backwards, he tripped and fell. Without taking his eyes off the strange, squat creature, he quickly scrambled back up. The laughter, if you could call it that, got louder at that.
“Scared ya, huh?” it asked shaking slightly in mirth. “Looks like you’re in for a rude awakening, then,” it shook its head. It peered up at Daniel with beady eyes from under a ragged brown cap of some kind, and tilted its misshapen face to the side. “Might wanna toughen up a bit before exploring these woods,” he added.
At that dig, Daniel bristled. “I am tough,” he declared puffing his chest out, and took a few brave steps closer to the smug creature in front of him.
At closer inspection, the thing he mistook for a tree stump more closely resembled a garden gnome. His mother’s gardens were rarely without one. Only, this creature was bigger, wider, and most definitely uglier. Its skin was a dark shade of brown and appeared leathery. The dark hair sticking out of its hat looked unwashed and clumped in dreads. The prickly eyebrows met in the middle, forming one bushy brow, making the hooded eyes underneath appear even smaller. Its bulbous nose was long, it didn’t stick out a lot, but it took up most of its face, and didn’t end until it ran into its dark lips. It was the weirdest, ugliest thing Daniel had ever seen. Nevertheless, he was trying very hard to play it cool, and not stare.
“Aye, clearly,” the creature replied looking amused. Its large, almost black lips were curled grotesquely in what Daniel figured was supposed to be smile, revealing long yellow teeth. He wasn’t sure what this foul looking creature was, but he was determined to find out.
He was about to demand an answer, but something stopped him. Daniel was raised to be polite. You catch more bees with honey, his grandmother always insisted. So, he figured introductions should come first.
“I’m Daniel,” he announced. “What’s your name?”
“Proper for a young boy,” it cackled. “Rather polite for a wizard,” it added looking Daniel over. Daniel squirmed under the scrutiny, he had the distinct feeling that he was being sized up by this creature. “You may call me Kobo,” it said with a small flourish of its hand, and a slight bend at the waist.
Awkwardly, Daniel gave a small bow in return, careful not to take his eyes off of it. However, tact was not something that came easily to young boys, and he was burning with curiosity. “I don’t mean to be rude, but what exactly are you, Kobo?” he asked as gently as he could manage.
At that, there was a louder grating sound that almost sounded like barking. “Very good,” Kobo growled in amusement. “Enough with the niceties, and onto the heart of the matter; I am a hobgoblin, not to be confused with your garden variety goblin. There not as nice or pretty as me,” Kobo added.
If that was the case, Daniel did not want to meet a regular goblin. “How come I’ve never seen you before?” Daniel wanted to know.
“Wasn’t invited,” Kobo shrugged dismissively. “Perhaps, you would invite me over,” Kobo slyly suggested with a strange light in his shaded eyes.
Daniel bit his tongue, literally. The coppery taste of blood filled his mouth, and stopped Daniel from answering. His mother was constantly telling him to listen to his instincts and to pay attention to the signs. He figured the signs were only something his mother and grandmother could see, but now he understood. Biting his tongue, for no particular reason, was a sign.
Besides, his father had all kinds of creatures around, so why not this one? There must be a reason. This hobgoblin was trying to trick him into inviting him over. The question was, why?
“I…I can’t,” Daniel lied.
“Can’t or won’t?” Kobo asked, taking a menacing step forward.
“Can’t,” he answered promptly. “My father has rules,” he added.
“Ah yes, your father,” Kobo echoed looking thoughtful. “One of his rules is not to enter the forest though, isn’t it?” he inquired shrewdly.
“Well, yes,” Daniel admitted.
“Well then, you better hurry back. Your father will return any minute. You don’t want him to catch you breaking the rules. Besides, if he knows you found a way around his wards, then he will find a way to put a stop to it. Then, how will you come back and visit me?”
At the thought of getting caught, Daniel’s heart started to pound. He quickly turned to go back, when a thought occurred to him. “How do you know about my dad’s rules?” he demanded.
“Why, I’ve been watching you a long time, boy,” he smiled impishly. Daniel assumed it was supposed to a friendly gesture, but it was more unpleasant than anything. “Better hurry now,” he shooed at Daniel.
The thought of being watched by this creature made Daniel’s heart freeze in his chest. Swiftly, he turned on his heel. With that nauseating smile burned into his memory, he rushed back toward the light in his own yard.
“Come back soon,” Kobo called, laughing harshly.
4
With his back towards the hobgoblin, Daniel felt utterly exposed. A gripping fear that the hobgoblin might suddenly come after him seized him. He could almost feel the gnarled hands scratching across his back, but in a few uninterrupted leaps Daniel landed in a crouch back in his own yard. Because of his unmitigated panic, his heart was racing. He had allowed his imagination to run wild, and let it get the better of him for no good reason.
Scolding himself for being so childish, he turned back to face his fear. He couldn’t see Kobo, but then again, he didn’t really expect to. The hobgoblin was almost completely camouflaged when he was standing directly in front of him. Still, he got an eerie feeling that he was still out there, watching him. What he didn’t know was that he was right.
Still trying to shake his uneasiness, Daniel took a few deep breaths before he forced himself to turn his back on the forest again. As he walked back towards the house, the little hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and he had the sudden urge to run. In attempt to steel his nerves, he made himself walk slowly.
He was halfway up the porch steps, when he realized his father had told him to stay where he was and keep practicing. Frozen in indecision, Daniel stood with his right foot raised on one step and the left on the step below. Weariness won out, and he plopped down on the steps. Already tired from the use of magic, his encounter in the forest had left him feeling completely drained.
Kobo was right; no sooner did Daniel sit down then his father came out the side door on this end of the wrap around porch. Settling on the steps next to Daniel, he groaned and gave Daniel a weary look. “Sorry about that,” he sighed. “Your grandmother is incorrigible!”
“What was she trying to do this time?” Daniel wanted to know.
“Can’t tell,” his father said with a twinkle in his green eyes. “It’s a surprise, for you.” He winked at Daniel.
“Can I go see?”
“Uh, not yet; I don’t think your grandmother is quite finished yet.”
“Give me a hint,” Daniel probed. His father gave him the look; the look that said he knew better. With one raised eyebrow, he tilted his head to the side and one corner of his mouth turned up. Daniel just smiled, he knew his father would never ruin the surprise, but he had to try. Plus, he loved giving his dad a hard time. Good natured ribbing was kind of their thing.
Hoping to completely shock his father, Daniel held out a hand and an apple flew across the yard into his raised palm. His father’s jaw dropped, and then he laughed. “So you were practicing,” he said happily.
“A little,” Daniel admitted, feeling more than a little guilty.
“You’re amazing,” his father said wrapping an arm around his shoulder. That sharp pang of guilt resurfaced, but Daniel pushed it down wanting to enjoy this moment. His father raised his free hand, and retrieved his own apple. Both laughing, they crunched into their apples. When his father finished, he floated his apple core across the yard and into the compost bin by the garden. Daniel did the same, and his father treated him with another proud smile.
Contentedly, his father leaned back on his elbows, and was silent for minute. Mirroring him, Daniel leaned back too, but watched his father out of the corner of his eyes. Daniel knew he looked a lot like his father; he had his dark green eyes, and angular nose. However, his father had straight, brown hair, and Daniel had his mother’s curly black hair. Although he was lightly wrinkled around his eyes, especially when he smiled, his father still looked like a young man. Maybe it was because of his youthful nature. Or maybe, it was because he spent a lot of time outdoors, and with the mild winters of the south his skin was tan year round. Either way, Daniel had a hard time believing that his father was almost fifty. Although his mother had a more serious nature, she was quite a few years younger than her husband. She had spent her twenties travelling the world. It wasn’t until she met Daniel’s father that she finally settled down. By then, she was already in her thirties.
As if she knew he was thinking about her, and she may have, he heard his mother behind him. “Daniel,” she called softly, breaking his reverie. Daniel twisted around on the stairs to look up at his willowy mother. “Your grandmother would like you to join her in the attic,” she informed him with a broad grin.
Instantly, Daniel jumped up. With a brief smile at his mother, he ran inside and practically flew up the two flights of stairs to reach the attic.
A small furry creature standing on two feet was waiting for him at the top of the stairs. “Happy Birthday Daniel,” he said in his deep, somewhat musical voice.
“Thanks, Quip,” Daniel replied. He cast a quick glance over at his grandma, trying to discern what the surprise was before he knelt down to talk with Quip. Rushing past him would be rude, and Quip would not take kindly to that. He was extremely temperamental.
Quip had been their House Brownie since before Daniel was born; he wasn’t sure how long exactly because the usual answer was simply, “a very long time”. He wasn’t sure anyone in the house knew for sure except for maybe Quip, and he wasn’t telling.
Quip vaguely reminded Daniel of a mouse, albeit a very articulate mouse on two legs that was definitely more human than animal. He had short, soft, silver fur that he took pride in grooming until it shone. On his head he had shaggy black hair that he never could seem to get a handle on. His long pointed ears were tipped with tufts of soft fur, and usually poked through his mop of hair. His dark brown eyes were decidedly more human quality, but his nose was pointy, which reminded Daniel of a mouse, and the whiskers didn’t help.
Quip dressed like a human, and today he was wearing black trousers and a gray pin striped vest that practically blended in with his short fur. Although he completed his outfit today with a black fedora hat, his feet remained bare, and his tiny clawed feet were peeking out from under the cuffs of his pants. It may seem that he was dressed up for Daniel’s birthday, but this was his normal attire.
After Daniel knelt down by Quip to get as close to eye level as possible without actually laying on the floor, Quip bowed low, his usual greeting. “Big day,” he said when he straightened back up.
“Yeah,” Daniel admitted, trying not to rush the fickle Brownie. He kept stealing quick glances over at his grandmother. She was sitting on the ancient trunk under the window in Quip’s living quarters. She had a secretive smile playing on the corner of her lips, but he couldn’t see anything that would give away his surprise.
“Been practicing outside with your father, I see,” Quip stated, always in the know of what happened around here. “You did exceptionally well. I see real promise in you,” he added. “More gifted than most,” he whispered leaning in close.
“Thanks, Quip,” Daniel answered slowly, perplexed as to why Quip was whispering. Quip was always saying things in a roundabout way; confusing riddles seemed to be his favorite pastime.
“Well off with you,” Quip said, abruptly dismissing him. “Your grandmother is waiting,” he shooed Daniel.
Quickly scrambling up, Daniel practically fell back to the floor in his haste. Quip giggled, which was completely out of character for his usual stoic behavior, and at a much higher pitch than his speaking voice. Imparting Quip with a withering glance, Daniel set off across the room.
“I have something for you,” his grandmother announced as soon as he reached her. Out of the folds of her skirt she procured a small metallic dragon.
Daniel was confused, but not entirely disappointed. He had seen this dragon many times; played with it for countless hours. It had been his grandfather’s his grandmother had told him when he first found it in her room. This was the first and only time she had ever mentioned her husband.
This small dragon was a bit of an anomaly; it was made of hundreds of tiny metal pieces, and each piece could be slid in any direction. When his grandmother had shown him how to manipulate it into a tiny ball, she explained the reason it was so flexible was because each piece had its own ball joint that allowed for infinite movement. At the time, Daniel wasn’t sure he understood what a ball joint was, but he didn’t care. The dragon was amazing, and Daniel could change it into any position allowing his imagination to run wild.
His grandmother was holding the dragon out in the palm of her hand like an offering. The sunlight from the window behind her was glancing off the dark metal causing a mixture of green and blue hues to shine off the metallic shell.
“Thanks Grams,” Daniel said genuinely. He reached out to pick it up, but as soon as he touched it the dragon came to life.
5
Instantaneously, Daniel pulled his hand back in shock. The dragon had never moved on its own before, but this time, as soon as his fingers made contact with the metal the head practically lunged toward his fingers. Although it didn’t have real teeth, Daniel was quite sure the improvised metal ones would still hurt.
After the initial shock wore off, Daniel figured he must have imagined it. His imagination did seem to be running away with his today. The dragon was as still as a statue again, completely normal. He blinked hard a few times; trying to shake the image he conjured of the dragon attacking his hand. Raising his head, he made eye contact with his grandmother.
“Take it,” she urged. Still, Daniel hesitated. Normally, he wasn’t this reticent, but after his eerie encounter with the hobgoblin in the woods he was feeling a little jumpy. “You have to hold it to complete the spell,” she explained. “It needs your touch to finish the transformation into your personal talisman,” she clarified.
His nervousness seemed to be fueled by his excitement, and he couldn’t help but be both anxious and delighted. Before he lost his nerve, Daniel snatched the dragon up, careful to hold it out at arm’s length in front of him. For a brief moment, nothing happened, and Daniel felt a wave of disappointment. What little boy wouldn’t like a dragon of his very own?
Worried he had done something wrong, Daniel’s eyes flicked back to his grandma’s; looking for her support. She appeared to be concentrating on the dragon, and Daniel figured she was putting the finishing touches on the spell. He cringed slightly wondering if perhaps there would be another explosion. As soon as he thought it, he brushed the thought away; he knew his grandma would never put him in danger like that. When he looked back down, his heart practically jumped into his throat. The metallic dragon had bent its head into his palm, and appeared to be silently sniffing him.
A thrill raced through Daniel, from his chest to his toes. Although his adrenaline was pumping, he did his best to stay still. The metal dragon began nuzzling his slightly curled fingertips. Relishing in the feel and movement of the dragon, Daniel was amazed when he realized that the metal was warm now, instead of the cool surface he was used to.
Tentatively, he reached out a trembling finger from his free hand, and stroked the smooth back. The dragon whipped its head around almost causing Daniel to drop it. Regaining his composure quickly this time, Daniel laughed. The dragon didn’t seem to notice, and it slid its way around his finger, leaning into the finger like a cat.
Quip had joined his grandmother, and they were both watching in delight. “Well done, Loma,” he praised. “Minus that little explosion,” he chuckled dryly.
Daniel’s grandmother ignored the dig, and beamed proudly. “Some of my finest work,” she clucked happily. “Especially, where talismans are concerned,” she added. “I do love trying out old spells”.
By this time, the dragon had scaled its way up Daniel’s arm and onto his shoulder, tickling him the whole way. There it seemed to be testing its metal wings; spreading them wide, then folding them back up, and tucking them back against its body.
Without warning, the dragon leapt from Daniel’s shoulder, spread its wings, and soared down. Alarmed, Daniel’s reflexes made him jump, and reach out in attempt to catch it. Just as it was about to hit the floor, it pumped its wings several times, and climbed back into the air.
“Wow,” Daniel breathed. He watched the dragon circle around the room for a minute before turning back to his grandma. “This is the best Birthday present ever!” he cried.
She just smiled at him, so he turned his attention back to the flying dragon. Finally, satisfied with its flying capabilities, the dragon returned to perch on Daniel’s shoulder.
“She will be your protector, your confidant, and your teacher,” she declared.
“She?” Daniel asked. Not sure why he had just assumed the dragon was a boy.
“Yes, she,” his grandma admonished wagging a finger at him. “She was the wisest and most powerful dragon of her time,” she said proudly. “You are very lucky she agreed to this arrangement,” she acknowledged, fixing Daniel with a look that said “make me proud”.
“Of her time?” Daniel wondered what on Earth his grandma was talking about. What time?
“Yes, I found a spell to call up a willing spirit, and imbue it into an enchanted object,” she explained concisely. “Daniel, I’d like you to meet Pearl.”
6
The little metal dragon jumped from Daniel’s shoulder, soared down to the floor, and bobbed its head toward the floor. “Nice to meet you, little one,” Daniel heard a soft voice say. He froze, the only thing he seemed capable of moving were his eyes, and they darted around the room suspiciously.
Naturally, he assumed it was the dragon spirit his grandmother had just explained inhabited the tiny figurine now, but the metal jaw hadn’t moved, and the voice didn’t seem to have a source. Daniel realized he was staring stupidly, so he bowed his head toward the dragon and reciprocated the greeting. “Nice to meet you,” he murmured politely into his chest.
When he raised his head, the dragon’s head was cocked to the side, and she appeared to be studying him. Daniel found it funny how her head was tilted entirely to one side, reminding him of a curious little bird.
Unexpectedly, Daniel suddenly felt extremely exposed; as if somehow the spirit imbued in the metal figure could know his deepest secrets just by looking at him. Subconsciously, Daniel knelt down on the floor; as much to get closer to the dragon as to shake the incredibly vulnerable feeling he was experiencing.
“Uh, I’m Daniel,” he offered awkwardly.
“I know,” the dragon answered gently. “You may call me Pearl, little one.”
“Oh,” he said stupidly. He found it a little amusing that she would call him little. Even on his knees, he towered over the tiny metal frame. The dragon only stood a few inches off the ground. On the other hand, he found it safe to assume that in her true form she had probably been a much larger dragon.
Then again, how did she know his name anyway? Daniel wondered if his grandmother had already spoken with the dragon’s spirit and told her his name, and what else she may have told the dragon.
“How did you know my name?”
“We are connected now,” she answered simply, as if that explained everything. Daniel’s left eyebrow raised questioningly, and she must have found his reaction amusing because a gentle laugh echoed through the room like soft rain.
“Your grandmother has not explained,” she concluded, shooting a blank look back at the older woman. Daniel’s grandmother suddenly looked abashed; like a chastised girl. A laugh almost burst from Daniel’s lips, he had never seen anyone scold his grandmother and get away with it.
All of a sudden, a soft sigh rushed through Daniel like a summer breeze, and he was momentarily sad. As fleetingly as the feeling came, it retreated, leaving Daniel confused and disorientated. At this moment, he was sure that he was anything but sad.
“I regret that this metal shell does not have the capacity for facial expressions,” Pearl muttered, leaning back on her haunches. “That is unimportant,” she announced to the floor, and Daniel had a feeling she was talking to herself.
Out of the corner of his eyes, Daniel saw his grandma open her mouth to explain, when the dragon cut her off. “Allow me,” she insisted. Without waiting for assent, she dove right into an explanation. “The final part of the spell was like a bonding. In my day, if we so chose to, we could bond with a human, for life,” she explained.
“This, in its own way, was similar to that bonding. When we touched, you brought me to you. I tested your character, read your soul, and determined that you were suitable. More importantly, I could sense that we were compatible,” she gazed up at him with the black metal recesses that were now her eyes. Daniel was taken aback when he realized that the metal eyes were no longer flat and lifeless; they had an ethereal shine to them.
“You can hear me when no one else can,” Daniel heard the words echo abnormally. It was Pearl’s voice, yet somehow it was only in his mind. A shockwave rushed through him, and his breath escaped from his lips. “You can hear me, can’t you little one?”
“Yes,” he finally managed to sputter.
“No,” she reprimanded in the tumultuous waves in his present state of mind. “Answer me through your thoughts,” she commanded.
Daniel glanced up at his grandmother. Her and Quip shared a brief look, that Daniel couldn’t discern. But, when she met his gaze, she smiled and nodded encouragingly.
“Alright,” he thought a tad exasperated, “yes.”
“Excellent,” the answer came back to him in his mind. “We will get along swimmingly.”
“Wow,” he breathed, completely flabbergasted by the whole ordeal.
“The spell is complete,” his grandmother said solemnly, her eyes gleaming.
7
“Congratulations,” his father called from behind him. Daniel whirled around, surprised to find both of his parents standing on the other side of the attic. With everything that was going on, he hadn’t heard them come upstairs. The look etched on their faces was complete awe. His mother’s bright blue eyes were wide in amazement, and she was clutching onto her husband’s arm like she might float away. His father had covered his wife’s hand with his own, but he had his own brand of wonder on his face.
His parents gaze shifted behind him to the metal dragon sitting alone on the wood floor. “This is amazing Mom,” his father acknowledged, flashing a smile at Daniel’s grandmother. He took his wife by the hand, and they crossed the room to stand by Daniel.
“Pleasure to meet you,” his mother addressed the small metal dragon still sitting on the floor, with a small nod of her head.
“Welcome to our home,” his father added, nodding in turn.
The metal dragon promptly stood up, and bent her head in return. “I will care for your son like he was my own hatchling,” she promised.
Daniel’s mother inhaled deeply, as if she had been waiting to breathe. “That is all I need to hear,” she sighed in relief. Wrapping an arm around her, Daniel’s father pulled her close and gave her a gentle squeeze.
“I imagine that Pearl would like to fully stretch her wings. Perhaps, you can take her outside,” she suggested, slowly getting to her feet. Straightening her arms against her sides, she held her palms parallel to the floor, and slowly her feet left the floor. With a wink at Quip, and a reassuring pat on her concerned daughter-in-law’s arm, she glided over to the stairs. Before, she descended the flight of steps, she called back to Pearl. “Thank you, Pearl,” she expressed her gratitude to the dragon with a deep bow.
“No,” Pearl shook her tiny metal head. “Thank you for this opportunity. Daniel is a special boy; he has the ability to do great things,” she declared.
All eyes fell on Daniel, and he felt the blood rushing to his face. The adults shared a look that Daniel felt meant something only he couldn’t understand. His grandmother broke eye contact first, and began floating down the stairway. His parents flashed him a smile before they followed her.
“What kind of great things?” Daniel wanted to know as soon as they were alone.
“That depends entirely on you,” Pearl answered simply. “Shall we go outside?” she asked changing the subject. “I would love to really test these strange metal wings,” she added, unfolding a wing and looking at it curiously.
Crouching for a jump, she alternated her weight between one back leg and then the other, before she flapped her wings hard. With that, she lifted off the ground and ascended toward Daniel, settling on his shoulder. Daniel liked the feel of the small dragon possessively clutching his shoulder. When he started walking, her metal toes gripped him harder for stability. Daniel prepared himself for the sharp clinch of metal claws digging into his skin, but Pearl seemed to know just how much she could squeeze without bringing pain.
As soon as he stepped out onto the porch, Pearl practically erupted from his shoulder, and took to the skies. Daniel could feel the rush of tiny bursts of wind brush his face as she ascended. Circling Daniel, she flew higher and higher, until she was nothing more than a tiny speck.
Daniel struggled to keep his eyes on her, as she swooped and twirled testing her new wings. Suddenly, she dove toward the Earth, and Daniel gasped in fear. She came within a few feet of hitting the ground in front of him, when she quickly pulled up, and rushed over his head ruffling his hair as she passed.
Daniel watched her in fascination. The metal figure soared gracefully reminding him of a bird lithely balanced on the blowing breeze. She began to descend, and Daniel thought she was preparing to land, when she turned toward the forest. Dipping low, she skimmed the tree tops. Before long, Daniel lost sight of the tiny metal figure. He assumed she would return momentarily, but after a few of the longest minutes of his life he began to worry. Then, his worry turned into sheer panic. Inside that manmade shell she was a wild dragon, and now she was free.
8
Daniel felt his heart drop at the stark realization that the dragon was not coming back. The unexpected loss of his talisman left he feeling utterly bereft; he felt emptier than he had ever felt before. Although, they had just met, something extraordinary had happened in those brief moments of bonding. Now, Daniel understood what Pearl had meant when she said that they were connected.
Completely forlorn, he turned back to the house, not sure how he would explain what happened. His throat was constricted so tight from the disappointment that engulfed him that he could barely swallow. In an attempt to calm himself, Daniel tried to take a few deep breaths, but they were more like ragged gasps, choked by his distress. How could he let this happen? On the other hand, what could he really have done, he asked himself. He was not in control of the spirit of a wild dragon.
Surely his grandmother would understand, maybe she knew a way to summon it back again. His spirits lifted at the idea. Of course she would know, she was the one who summoned Pearl in the first place. Daniel tried to assure himself that this was only a minor problem. With this in mind, he felt confident that he could muster up the courage to explain the situation to his family.
Just as he reached the porch steps, he felt a rush of air tousle his hair again. His heart nearly shot out of his ribcage. He raised his head toward the oncoming breeze, and found Pearl’s tiny figure circling the tower that jutted off the side of his room. The relief Daniel felt was profound. This wild spirit had the chance to be free, but instead she chose to come back to him. Daniel practically floated onto the porch, in an attempt to be closer to her.
“Where are you going?” she sent him inquisitively.
“Uh, inside…” he trailed off. He didn’t want to admit that he had lost faith in her already, but he quickly decided that hiding things from something that had “read his soul” and communicated with him through his mind was probably impossible. “I was afraid you left me,” he could practically feel himself whining as each word resonated embarrassingly in his mind.
“Leave you?” she sounded confused by the idea. Quickly she swooped down to resume her perch on his shoulder. “I would not leave you little one,” she vowed, rubbing her snout against his jaw. “If I was in my former body, I would have taken you with me.” Daniel felt silly and relieved at the same time.
Then, the idea of riding a dragon aroused his imagination. He sorely wished that he actually could take a ride on Pearl’s back. Something unusual happened then; a strange sensation overcame him. His eyes were forced closed, and Daniel suddenly found himself bursting through the clouds while perched atop an enormous black dragon. It was more than just a daydream; he could actually feel the cool wind on his face, and feel the moisture from the wispy clouds clinging to his skin. The vision abruptly ended, and Daniel’s eyes flew open.
Was this what happened when his mother had a vision? Did he have the Sight too? His fingers and toes were tingling, and adrenaline was pumping through his blood. The tingling spread throughout his body. He hoped he had more visions like that; it was beyond spectacular.
As the exhilarating feeling from his vision left him, regret resurfaced. Pearl was no longer a live fire breathing dragon. He would never be able to ride her in her current form. Disappointment was quickly replaced by guilt for being so greedy. How many kids got a chance to have a pet dragon, and here he was wishing he could have more.
Pearl chuckled softly. “Do not feel guilty little one. Flying is the most amazing feeling in the world.”
“You saw that?” he asked incredulously.
“Yes, I saw.”
“Nothing like that has ever happened before,” he confessed.
“You are coming into your powers now; many things will be new.”
Her sorrow swiftly swept over Daniel, and he wondered how he would ever get used to feeling someone else’s emotions. “I am sorry little one,” Pearl sent.
“Why?”
“Because of all the things we can share, I can never share the magnificence of flight with you,” she thought sadly.
“It’s not your fault, Pearl,” he replied. Now, he felt bad for making her feel bad. Her remorse was palpable; he could feel the intensity of it spread through him.
“One more thing,” she added. “The dragon from your vision was not me.”
“What do you mean? I mean, how do you know?” Pearl was the only dragon he knew.
“Because, I was named Pearl on behalf of my white iridescent scales, I did not recognize the black dragon you were riding,” she said eyeing him curiously.
9
“What do you mean you didn’t recognize it? Do you know many other dragons?”
“Well, of course I knew other dragons,” she scoffed, soaring from his shoulder to the soft grass. “When I was alive,” she amended. “But, I have never seen that dragon before. Then again,” she added casually, almost as an afterthought. “I do not see how I could have ever met that particular dragon. I have been dead for hundreds of years.”
“So, you’re saying that the dragon from my vision is alive now?” Daniel asked in disbelief. “My grandma told me that all the dragons were gone.”
“Well, I assume that this dragon must be alive, or will be soon judging by its size. You had a vision of yourself riding a dragon. So, unless you are going to find a way to time travel, than this is something that may be in store for your future. With this line of reasoning, the dragon from your vision must be from this day and age,” she clarified coolly while inspecting her metal claws.
“You really think so?” Daniel asked excitedly. The chance that there might be a real live dragon out there somewhere fueled his hope that he actually might get the chance to fly the skies astride a mighty dragon.
“Well, visions can be…capricious. Every choice you make can change your future. But, it looks like someday you may very well ride a “real live dragon”,” she repeated his words dryly.
“Sorry,” he winced. It was hard to get used to the fact that his newly acquired dragon talisman could read his mind. At this moment, he realized that not considering her a “real live dragon” could be construed as an insult.
“Do not concern yourself,” she sighed. “I truly do understand. I am just a little bitter that now that I have finally decided to acquire a human bonding, I cannot share the gift of flight.”
“You never bonded when…when you were alive?” he asked as politely as he could manage.
“No,” she confirmed. “I never did.”
“How come?”
“Well,” she turned her head to the side in contemplation. “I guess I never really felt the need,” she answered simply. “But, afterward…I wondered what I had missed out on,” she elucidated. “The afterlife can be…a little lonely,” she confessed. “When I heard your grandmother’s summons I was intrigued. Of course, I needed to meet you first to assess your assets and consider a possible connection, but I figured this was my second chance.”
“Oh,” Daniel muttered, not really sure what to say to that. “I’m glad I passed your inspection,” he settled on.
“With flying colors,” she added cheerfully. Her shining metal eyes looked him over carefully. “Did you happen to notice anything else about your vision? More to the point, did you notice anything about yourself?” she asked shrewdly.
“Not really,” he admitted.
“Well, you were quite a bit older than you are now,” she affirmed. Daniel tried to picture himself from the vision, but in his vision he wasn’t watching himself; he was himself. He experienced everything from the back of the dragon; tearing through damp clouds and watching the trees rush by below. It had felt like he was actually there; he could feel the hard dragon scales against his legs and the cool wind blast against his face.
“So, you think that there might still be dragons?” he asked excitedly.
“I do not think so; I know so,” she stated confidently.
“How do you know?”
“Just a feeling,” she answered raising her wings slightly like a shrug.
“Are they out there?” he asked nodding his head toward the trees. He had a feeling that there was more than just goblins out there, otherwise why the ward to keep him out?
“In a sense,” she answered slowly. “There is a whole other world hidden out in that forest,” she said obscurely. She stared into the trees, and was silent for a minute. Daniel wanted to ask if she meant another world figuratively or literally, but something stopped him. He felt a longing that was not his own, and he let Pearl have her moment in silence.
“It has been a long time since I have laid eyes on that forest,” she finally went on. “It has changed much. It will be exciting to get reacquainted with the…anomalies that lie within those trees,” she mused.
Daniel’s heart leapt at the idea of exploring the forest with her. “Can we go into the forest together?” he asked her hopefully.
“I do not see why not,” she replied. “Why, I would be offended if you went in there without me,” she snorted.
10
“What are the two of you conspiring?” his mother queried, approaching them from behind.
Daniel felt his heart skip a beat before resuming its rhythm, thudding painfully. Had his mother heard them talking about venturing into the woods? Technically, they had been thinking it; sharing their thoughts with their minds, a perk of having a personal dragon talisman. But, his mother was a telepath; she could have read their minds.
Normally, she was very strict on prying; she didn’t just barge into someone’s private thoughts without good cause. She felt it was rude, something Daniel was extremely grateful for. His father could communicate with his mother, but he had a harder time hearing other people’s thoughts. Conversing with animals, on the other hand, came easy to him.
But then again, maybe she figured what with her baby boy receiving his powers and a talisman with the spirit of a dragon inside this gave her cause to pry. She had used the word conspiring. Why would she ask that unless she overheard their plans to go into the forest?
Daniel didn’t think that Pearl knew about the rule to stay out of the forest until he had fully come into his powers yet, and he didn’t want his mom to spill the beans before he got a chance to take her out there. Thoughts racing, Daniel struggled to get his thoughts in order. He knew he had to answer quickly before Pearl did, but he wasn’t quick enough.
“Your son just had a vision,” Pearl offered. Daniel sighed gratefully, and he wondered if Pearl had heard his thoughts and knew not to say anything about the forest, or if she just thought this was more significant.
“Really?” his mother beamed at him.” How exciting! Tell me everything!” she demanded happily.
“It was amazing, Mom!” he gushed. “I was flying with a dragon! It felt so real.”
His mother’s exuberance seemed to wane at his last comment. “Tell me about the dragon,” she insisted.
“Well, it was big and black,” he said simply, suddenly feeling like there was not much to tell.
“Really, a big, black dragon,” she echoed. With a questioning look, she looked past Daniel to Pearl. No one spoke for a few moments, and Daniel wondered if his mother was talking telepathically with Pearl. He felt a quick stab of jealousy at the idea; he wanted to be the only one to share thoughts with her.
“It was not me,” Pearl stated. Daniel couldn’t tell if his mother had asked a question or if the look she gave Pearl was enough to invoke a response.
“Really,” his mother repeated in wonder. “My son, a Dragon Rider,” she said quietly. She flashed a strange look at Pearl before she turned back to Daniel. “So young,” she whispered hoarsely, fear clearly etched on her smooth olive skin.
“He was quite a bit older,” Pearl chimed in soothingly. Daniel’s mother inhaled deeply through her nose, causing her chest to rise considerably. Something like a hiccup seemed to catch in her throat. Quickly, she composed herself, and sucked more air in through her mouth.
“Were you in the forest?” his mother asked calmly. Daniel felt his heart drop out of his chest, thud in his stomach, and churn uneasily. Did she know that he had snuck in there earlier?
“What do you mean?” he asked slowly.
“In your vision, were you in the forest?”
Relief flooded through him when he realized what his mother was asking. “No, we were flying above the trees,” he answered, wondering where this was going.
“What color was the sky?” she asked queerly.
“The sky,” he echoed in confusion.
“Yes, was the sky blue?” she reiterated.
“Of course, why do you ask?” he asked seriously confused.
“Just curious,” she shrugged. Daniel was going to ask her why she would ask that, but she plunged ahead with another question. “Are there currently dragons…out there?” she addressed her question to Pearl.
“Seems to be,” she reflected.
“I thought they were gone,” his mother said more to herself than to anyone else.
“They were, mostly. But, there are a few eggs hidden away,” Pearl said confidently.
11
“Dragon eggs!” Daniel cried in delight.
Pearl tilted her metallic head toward Daniel, and sent an answer that was only meant for him. “There is a few dragon eggs hidden away, Little One,” she sent from her mind to his. Daniel was practically crawling out of his skin, he was so excited. What could be more thrilling than hunting for dragon eggs, and who better to take him than the spirit of an old and powerful dragon?
“Where?” he shouted, forgetting to keep it between just him and Pearl. His mother looked at him strangely, and then over to Pearl. The tiny metal dragon kept still, and stayed silent.
Just then, the screen door squeaked open. “Lunch,” Daniel’s father called from the doorway. Daniel turned toward his dad, and then back at Pearl, still hoping for an answer. The only answer he got was a growling reverberating deep in his stomach. With all the excitement this morning, he found he was suddenly ravenous. Between his first attempts at magic, the secret rendezvous in the forest, bonding with a dragon talisman, and his vision, Daniel was in desperate need of sustenance.
He turned to rush back inside, but stopped short and turned back to Pearl. As expected, she jumped into the air, flapped her wings to gain altitude, and then settled in a crouch on his shoulder.
Still as a statue, Pearl perched silently on Daniel’s shoulder through the entire meal. Daniel tried to question her privately using his mind, but she was uncooperative. She felt closed off and distant; almost like she had abandoned her tiny, metal shell and had flown elsewhere. Every time he asked where the dragon eggs were, she would answer with one word only: hidden.
Eventually, Daniel gave up and turned his attention back to his lunch. Barely even tasting it, Daniel quickly devoured his chicken salad sandwich. With a wink, his father got up to make him another.
His grandmother floated in, and joined them at the table. Pearl seemed to come to momentarily. She shifted slightly at her entrance, and Loma addressed her personally. “Pearl,” she acknowledged with a nod of her head, and Pearl responded in kind. “How goes it?” his grandmother asked earnestly.
Daniel hesitated, not sure whether she was asking him or Pearl. “Very well,” Pearl answered immediately. This seemed to please Loma, and she beamed happily as she heaped berries on her plate.
“Would you like to try your hand at some other magic after lunch?” his mother asked conspiratorially.
“Yeah,” he muffled through a mouthful of raspberries. His mother gave him a pointed look, and Daniel quickly swallowed before asking, “What kind of magic?”
“Well, we could test your skills in the garden,” she suggested hopefully. Daniel made a face. “Or, you could try your hand on a spell from the family tomes.”
“I’ll take that as a yes,” his mother laughed.
Daniel’s eyes lit up at the prospect of finally getting a chance to experiment with the family spell books. He had seen his parents work minor spells from them before, but he was never allowed to touch them or look inside. His grandmother always had one of the books tucked under her arm or spread out on her lap, but she never let him close enough to even sneak a peek.
Once, several years ago, Daniel had inadvertently come across one of the leather bound books abandoned in his grandmother’s chair. His grandmother was nowhere in sight, so he snuck closer for a better look. The brown leather was old and discolored in several places. In the middle of the cover, embossed in gold, was a strange symbol. He couldn’t say why, but the symbol made him feel uneasy. With a start, he realized the symbol was moving. Suddenly, gold tendrils leapt off the cover, and began reaching toward him. Terrified, Daniel rushed out of the room, and did not look back. For weeks afterward, he had nightmares about the image on the book reaching out and grabbing him.
As soon as his father set down his second sandwich, Daniel quickly attacked it, and washed it down with a glass of cold milk.
“Attic,” his mother called over her shoulder as she took dishes to the sink.
Unable to wait for her, Daniel dashed upstairs to the attic while Pearl flew beside him. They found Quip sitting at his miniature desk, reading a tiny book. “Back so soon,” he murmured without looking up from his reading.
“Yeah, Mom’s going to let me try a spell from the tomes,” he said breathlessly.
“Is she now?”
“Yep, do you know where they are?”
“I do,” Quip drawled, still consumed with his reading.
Daniel resisted the urge to sigh, and tried to stay patient. Quip was likely to ignore him altogether if he lost his cool. Daniel didn’t know if all House Brownies were this temperamental, but Quip had a quick temper and did not appreciate being rushed into anything. Whenever he felt that someone had wronged him in even the slightest way, he would quickly react in kind. Usually, followed by quickly disappearing through one of his many tunnels, that wound throughout the house. If Daniel spoke even a little bit harshly, Quip was likely to treat him to a lengthy lecture or find some other way to teach him a lesson in manners.
“Can you tell me where they are?” Daniel asked sweetly through clenched teeth.
“I can,” he said slowly. “But, I won’t.”
“Why not?”
Finally, Quip turned to him. He peered over his wire rimmed spectacles at Daniel, and fixed him with a stern look. “Not my place,” he said with finality, and turned back to his book. Pearl, sensing his frustration, settled back on Daniel’s shoulder.
Daniel sighed in exasperation, and plopped down on the floor. Pearl seemed to anticipate this sudden movement, and clung on without any trouble. “Stubborn little fellow, isn’t he?” Pearl sent to Daniel.
“You have no idea.”
“What kind of spell do you want to try?” Pearl asked curiously.
“Levitation,” he answered promptly.
12
Ever since his grandma had resorted to levitating to alleviate her arthritis pain, Daniel had been chomping at the bit to try it. Granted, it would no doubt be less exciting as flying a dragon. No matter how real that had felt, it had only been a vision, and there was no guarantee that that would ever happen again.
“You have a hard time keeping your feet on the ground,” Pearl thought wryly. At that, she pushed off of his shoulder, and wheeled down to the ground. Daniel had no idea how to respond to that. He felt like she was teasing him, but there was something else; something akin to sadness tinged with bitterness. Feeling someone else’s emotions was hard to get a handle on; especially, a dragon spirit that had been dead for hundreds of years and was currently residing inside a metal figurine.
When his mother stepped across the threshold, Daniel was relieved that the book she had clutched to her chest was not the book that had come to life and given him nightmares all those years ago. He tried to suppress a shudder at the memory, but only succeeded in giving himself goose bumps.
His mother sat down next to him on the floor, and held the book out so Daniel could look at it. The book was wrapped in black leather so dark and so smooth it looked like liquid ink. The symbol on this book was an elegant silver tree, enclosed in an elaborately decorated circle. On closer inspection, he realized that decorative decal was actually the roots of the tree. The tendrils splayed out extensively; they crept alongside and wrapped around the circle.
When she brushed her palm across the cover, a small flash of silver light flared up from the tree. Eyes wide, Daniel leaned closer to get a better look. The leaves on the tree were swaying from some imperceptible breeze, catching the sunlight as they fluttered.
Pearl, intrigued as well, hopped up on Daniel’s leg. Eyes glued to the tree, she bobbed her head back and forth a few times, swaying with the tree. Abruptly, as if she suddenly realized what she was doing, she stopped swaying. Instead, she craned her neck forward to further scrutinize this anomaly.
“Whoa,” Daniel whispered. The symbol on this book came to life like the one he had come across as a child. This time though Daniel was not afraid; he was amazed. Mesmerized, Daniel watched with Pearl as the boughs on the tree danced to and fro.
“This is one of my father’s family books,” she said reverently. “It took me a long time to track this one down,” she explained. Eyes swimming with tears, she traced the circle with her finger. Daniel watched in fascination as the roots and limbs followed her finger like a magnet. “Do you know what kind of spell you would like to try?”
“I want to levitate.”
Her full lips curled up in a little smile. “I had a feeling you were going to say that.” She thumbed through the pages, quickly finding the spell she needed. “Here it is,” she declared. She turned the book back around so Daniel could take a look at the pages. Daniel scanned the page, but couldn’t make anything out. Crestfallen, he realized that the writing was in some other language.
“Latin,” his mother offered. “We will teach you what the words say,” she assured him, clearly sensing his dismay. “You need to understand what you are asking for if you want the spell to be effective. The first line prepares your body; to calm and steady you. You should already know how important that is from practicing with your father. To call up any magic you need to be open and receptive.”
“This next line dispels the gravity underneath your feet. This part is equally important. Without removing the gravity you will not leave the ground, but you do not want gravity to disappear everywhere, just under your feet. If you allow the gravity to leave entirely, your hair, clothes, everything will rise uncontrollably.”
“This line here is an order of sustainability. You need that to keep the spell working for more than a few moments. Without this the gravity will return before you get the chance to move anywhere. You will still have to concentrate on staying up for the entirety of your excursion, but you won’t have to repeatedly dispel the gravity.”
“The last line makes movement while floating possible. At first, it is easier to lean slightly in the direction you wish to move. Although, I know your grandmother has trained herself to move in any direction with just a thought, but that you will take practice. You may want to ask your grandmother for help with that. Would you like your grandmother to be here for this now?”
“No, that’s ok. I want you to show me.”
Daniel knew this would make his mother happy, and honestly he wanted to learn from her. He felt a rush of warmth that he assumed had to be Pearl. Although, it was hard to detect emotions from her metal face, her eyes shone and he had a feeling that she was looking at him fondly. With a slight nod, she hopped up to the windowsill to give them space.
It took him a while to learn how to enunciate each word properly, and you had to say the words correctly or you might get unwanted results. Eventually, he felt confident that he could say the words without misstep.
With deep breaths, Daniel cleared his mind and prepared himself to summon his magic. He began to speak the words, and felt that familiar tingle rush through him. The buildup of magic inside his body was intense. Adrenaline pumping, Daniel could feel his blood singing through his veins. When the last word left his lips, he felt the tension release immediately.
Eyes glued to the floor, Daniel knew immediately that the magic had been dispersed correctly because he was floating several inches from the wooden floor. “It worked!” he cried, wiggling his feet in the air. That’s when he noticed his arms had floated up to his shoulders, and his shirt was currently on the rise as well.
13
His mother cleared her throat, and Daniel looked up to find that she was floating as well; her long curls waving about like tentacles. And not just his mother, but everything in the room was now suspended in the air. All of Quip’s belongings and the many stacks of books and boxes were now tumbling around in space. Quip didn’t seem to have any control over his trajectory, and he was spinning around in angry circles; kicking his feet and grasping at the air in a futile attempt to right himself.
Pearl, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying herself. Wings still tucked in, she rose off the ground. Floating along with no propelling, she looked like a tiny remote control toy with no mind of her own. She quickly tired of having no control, and deftly opened her wings to gain it back. With no effort at all, she swooped and twirled around the lofty attic room.
“Oh,” Daniel muttered in disappointment. Realization that he hadn’t done it quite right hit him like a cold wave. His crushing displeasure quickly affected his concentration, causing everything to come crashing back to the floor. Most everything returned to the ground without mishap, except for Quip; he landed in a pile of tangle arms and legs. “Sorry Quip!” Daniel winced; bracing himself for Quip’s retort.
“Humph,” Quip grumbled as he righted himself. Treating Daniel to a withering look, he straightened his vest and tie, and huffed over to a corner of the attic. There, he promptly disappeared inside one of his tunnels.
“Ignore him,” his mother said gently. “You did well, maybe a little too well. This time, really concentrate on the third line. This is the line that specifies that you only want gravity to disperse beneath your feet.”
Daniel brushed away his frustration, and began again. When he got to the third line he spoke a little louder, and articulated each syllable clearly. He kept his eyes on his mother this time, to see if she would rise as well. The intense buildup of magic returned; swelling inside him briefly before suddenly dispersing making Daniel feel light as air and he was. His mother congratulated him. “You did it perfectly! And, on the second try! Normally it takes several attempts to pull off such a spell.”
“Well done, Little One,” Pearl sent for his ears only. She had kept quiet until now because she wanted to let Daniel and his mother have this time to themselves.
Beaming with pride, Daniel tried to take a step towards his mother, but that only caused him to wobble uncontrollable. “Remember, your grandmother doesn’t take steps; she glides forward. Try leaning forward to start,” his mother encouraged.
So, he leaned far forward, and immediately zoomed across the room, colliding with his mother. They landed in a heap, and his mother laughed heartily. “A little less effort, I think,” she chuckled, wiping a tear from her eye.
It took Daniel the better part of an hour to get a handle on moving to and fro while suspended above the floor. The slightest tilt forward would send him across the room, and straightening back up stopped him in his tracks. His mother stayed with him, and offered suggestions and words of encouragement when needed. Pearl stayed on as a silent spectator.
Daniel had just begun working on lateral movement when his father burst into the room, harried and out of breath. “I have to make an emergency run into the forest,” he announced to his wife.
Eager to join him, Daniel hurtled over to his father so quickly he almost bowled him over as well. He stopped himself just in time; coming to an abrupt stop inches from his father’s chest. “Can I come with Dad? Please?!”
His father gave him a sympathetic look, but looked to his wife for her approval. “Nothing dangerous,” he assured her quickly.
Daniel whirled around too quickly, and stumbled briefly. He righted himself quickly, keen to prove himself capable. He saw his mother’s familiar apprehensive expression; she was over protective and ardent about keeping her baby safe. So, Daniel treated her to his most deprived doe eyes and jutted out his lower lip in his most earnest pout. The disapproval practically melted away, and his mother’s face visibly softened. She looked back and forth from her husband and her son, and threw up her hands.
“Oh, alright,” she consented with a sigh.
14
“You might want to come as well,” he nodded toward his wife. “Word is something is trapped, and has been struggling to free itself for a while. Might need a healer,” he said pointedly.
As they hurried to the stairs, Pearl soared back to her favorite perch on Daniel’s shoulder. Daniel could barely contain his excitement. He was actually being allowed to go into the forbidden forest! Not only was he getting permission from his parents, but they were going on a rescue mission.
As far as his parents knew this was his first time entering the woods, and Daniel didn’t think they would have any reason to think otherwise; he was practically flying through the house he was so excited.
“Slow down,” his mother called from somewhere behind him. Daniel did his best to restrain himself, but he still beat his parents outside. Without looking back, he raced across the yard to the tree line.
The trees spread out in front of him like an alluring emerald ocean. Undulating back and forth in the wind, the trees seemed to be beckoning him; inviting him into their waves. Tentatively, Daniel reached a hand out; testing the air for the barrier his parents had put up. He was momentarily dismayed when his fingertips bumped up against the invisible wall, but instantly cheered up when he heard the screen door squeak open.
He turned back to tell them to hurry, and watched them share an amused look. They weren’t exactly taking their time crossing the expansive back yard, but Daniel felt that they were not moving fast enough. Shifting his weight from one foot to another, he fidgeted uncontrollably causing Pearl to almost lose her balance on his shoulder. He couldn’t help it, this was more exciting than Christmas morning.
Daniel was practically ready to burst by the time they reached the trees. “First things first,” his Mom began. “We are going to set some ground rules,” she declared, raising a finger in the air almost like she was going to write the rules in the air. “We stay together, first and foremost. Second, you have to follow directions, no questions asked. Agreed?”
Daniel nodded fervently, itching to get started. Always the cautious one, his mother raised an eyebrow and waited for the promise. Daniel gave it, and looked to his dad to see if he had any further directives. “Don’t forget your protective sphere, that’s always a failsafe form of protection,” he advocated with a wink.
“And, trust your instincts,” his mother added abruptly. “That is extremely important! If you feel something is wrong, then something is wrong.” With a quick stern look, his mother turned away to face the forest. Eyes closed, she pressed her palms together, pushed them to the sky, then out to her sides in a wide swooping motion. She finished by bringing them back together in front of her chest.
This was something Daniel had seen her do before, but was no less intriguing. She was preparing herself in hopes for a vision. With baited breath, Daniel waited to see what would happen. Sometimes a vision would immediately follow this action, but apparently not today. After several heartbeats her eyes popped open, and she turned to her husband with a slight shake of her head.
“Ready?” he asked, reaching out to give her hand a squeeze.
“Ready.”
“Ready,” Daniel chimed in enthusiastically. His father waved his free hand in the air like he was brushing pesky cobwebs out of his way. A glittering sprinkle of fine particles flashed in the sunlight as it floated to the ground. Daniel reached out to catch it, but it passed right through his hand, and settled on the forest floor. “Cool,” he whispered.
As a family, they entered the forest together. They stopped just inside the tree line, allowing their eyes to adjust to the subdued light. Directly in front of them, was a bramble of thorn bushes so thick Daniel couldn’t see anything beyond. The bushes rose above his father’s head and spread out thickly on both sides as far as the eye could see. Daniel must have lucked out the first time he entered; coming upon a gap in the wall of thorns.
Although young, and at this moment over stimulated, Daniel suddenly appreciated the fact that the forest and his family shared a name. He had always assumed that his ancestors had named the forest after themselves, but seeing how the forest was riddled with thorns, he considered the possibility that it had already been called The Thorn Woods. Granted, that couldn’t have been the original name, which only made him wonder what the Native American’s called this forest before his ancestors settled here.
Daniel knew the story. In fact, he had heard it many times. His father’s family had been here for seventeen generations. Although, most of the earliest settlers stayed together, strength in numbers and all that, his ancestors spread out. The infamous witch trials that infected Europe had cause many of his family to go into hiding. Eager to leave that behind, they sailed here: to a new world. Hoping to avoid the same problem they knew might follow them here, they didn’t settle with their pioneer brothers.
However, keeping their magic secret was only part of the reason they travelled so far in hazardous terrain. They were also searching for something. Something they called Conduits; places on the Earth where power coalesced and was easily accessible if needed.
Daniel had been proudly named after the very earliest pioneer of his family: Daniel Thorn. He had barely escaped with his life when his family had been burned at the stake. After months of running, he eventually snuck aboard a ship travelling for the New World. During those bitter months at sea, he used his magic to keep him hidden and alive while crossing the treacherous divide.
When he arrived to his new life, he immediately set off again; travelling down the coast, alone. Somewhere along the way, he met a Native American girl and they settled inland, by these very woods, where they started a family. It was speculated that she may have known about the magic in this forest and shared it with him.
Daniel’s father insisted that understanding history was a vital part of Daniel’s education, and more importantly, that family was everything. Therefore, Daniel learned the history of his family at a young age, and was often told family stories that doubled as life lessons about family members long since passed.
“I may have a few stories for you, as well,” Pearl added to his thoughts. “I knew some of your ancestors.” Pearl must have heard his ruminating and apprehended that he might enjoy hearing family stories long forgotten.
“This way,” his father beckoned, putting to rest Daniel’s thoughts of the past. His mother led the way, and Daniel assumed that they would be heading for the break in the thorns that he had happened upon earlier. Instead, his mother appeared to pass right through the sharp protrusions and swiftly disappeared.
His father turned to wink at him before he slipped a hand into the thorns and quickly back out again. “This part in the wall of thorns is only for show; a mirage if you will. You can step right through unhindered and come out on the other side unscathed,” he explained with a boyish grin.
“Wicked,” Daniel said in awe. His father motioned for him to go first, and Daniel eagerly passed through the projected thorns. His mother was waiting for him on the other side, and his father quickly joined them. “Is this the only way through the thorns?” Daniel asked curiously.
His parents shared a look and Daniel had a feeling they were talking to each other without words; purposefully keeping their discussion from him. Their eyes locked and stayed that way a full minute, before his father broke eye contact and turned to Daniel.
“Not exactly, but it would be dangerous for you to try and find your way into these woods alone,” he pointed out. “We should hurry,” he changed the subject abruptly.
They continued on, and even though his parents kept a brisk pace, Daniel did his best to soak in every detail of the woods around him. The swooping braches were absolutely covered in Spanish moss, but were somehow still thriving. The filtered light didn’t allow for much grass, but there were large patches of fuzzy, dark moss spread out like a thick carpet. Sprouting along the forest floor were bushy ferns and various undergrowth that Daniel didn’t recognize, along with an occasional thorn bush. The forest smelled invigorating. Daniel couldn’t place the exact smell, but he enjoyed it nonetheless.
His father took the lead. At first, he angled right. They kept on in almost a straight line for a while; the trees in this part of the forest were sprawled out southern style. The expansive oaks slowly gave way to taller, denser trees causing his father to weave in and around them. Daniel quickly lost all sense of direction, and had to concentrate on not tripping over exposed roots and ducking the occasional low branch.
Daniel heard the water before he saw it. They entered a small clearing, intersected by a rushing river. Sunlight streamed down and danced off the crests of water, winking like diamonds. Immediately drawn to the river, Daniel rushed forward to get a better look. The mostly bare earth had transformed into lush green grass peppered with small boulders. The rocks were in various stages of immersion into the ground, and those closest to the water were covered in a lighter, springy looking kind of moss.
The river was rocky as well, and the water parted and rushed around large boulders that were wedge into the river bottom. Daniel watched the water as it hurried along and disappeared into the trees’ shade. Curious, he glanced upstream, and that’s when he saw it.
15
At first glance, Daniel thought it was some kind of giant bird. There were feathers scattered in the grass below a giant black wing. The wing was spread out awkwardly; effectively concealing the body. The feathered wing was caught in some kind of barbed snare along with a hairy…hoof.
Wait, that couldn’t be right. Daniel couldn’t understand what he was seeing, so he crept closer. Was that really a hoof? With a huff and a neigh, the creature turned slightly, and Daniel finally got a better look at it.
It wasn’t a bird at all, it was a black horse. Glossy, black hair covered its whole body, except its giant wings; they were covered in black feathers that caught the light and shimmered a rainbow of dark colors like oil. Long hair encompassed the feet so completely; Daniel couldn’t even see the hooves on the ground. It tossed its silky mane back and forth impatiently, and flicked its tail angrily.
“A Pegasus,” Pearl whispered, her metal dragon frame quivering slightly. The first words Pearl had uttered aloud in several hours. She was clearly surprised, that was obvious by her tone, but it was more than that; she was delighted. Her unusual demeanor spoke volumes. Unable to restrain herself, she began to spread her wings before she decided against it and settled back on his shoulder. That she was excited was beyond a doubt, but Daniel could tell there was more to it. He could sense it from her as easily as he could tell that the winged horse, or pegasus, was terrified.
When the pegasus noticed it was no longer alone, it started bucking its trapped leg frantically in a last attempt at freedom. The back leg was drawn back and up; bounded by what looked like barbed wire hanging from a nearby tree. Somehow, the tip of the wing had gotten swept up in the snare as well.
Daniel’s father began inching forward, displaying his palms in a gesture of peace, but the pegasus was beyond consolable. Flapping wildly, the wing finally ripped free spraying black feathers in a puff. Now able, both wings unfolded and spread wide. Daniel gaped in awe at the huge wingspan, and his father took a small step back.
With the wing out Daniel figured the leg would fall free. But, instead of creating room in the loop, it only cinched up tighter, piercing the leg painfully. The winged horse let out an anguished cry that sent chills down Daniel’s spine. Pearl’s tiny metallic body shuddered as well; trembling slightly on Daniel’s shoulder.
By now, his father was standing directly in front of the pegasus, and slowly inching closer. Wild eyed, the winged horse tried unsuccessfully to back away from him. But then something strange happened; a deep calm seemed to settle on the forest. The breeze died away, the birds ceased their song, and even the thunderous river was muted to a dull roar.
The frightened animal calmed as well. Bloodshot eyes closed slowly, and the horse body visibly relaxed, while the bird wings gently folded into the body. His father had his eyes closed too, and Daniel could only assume that he was communicating with the frightened animal.
Slowly, his father closed the gap between them and placed a gentle hand on the pegasus’s downturned head. Without hesitation, Daniel’s father pressed his forehead against the pegasus’s, and they remained that way for several moments. Without breaking contact, he gestured his wife forward.
Daniel watched her move forward, and was shocked to see that she was holding a sharp knife in her right hand. With fluid motions, she quickly positioned herself behind the trapped leg. Carefully, she grabbed the barbed rope that was holding the back leg aloft, and in one quick motion, she deftly sliced the thick rope asunder. Then, she slowly began lowering the leg, mindful not to get pierced by the sharp protrusions running the length of the rope.
At that, the big horse eyes snapped open, but they were no longer wild and bloodshot. The pegasus stamped its back leg and flicked its hoof impatiently. The loop’s barbs were still embedded into the skin, and wouldn’t dislodge no matter what the pegasus did. Daniel watched as his mother rubbed a hand soothingly along the pegasus’s back, effectively calming it, before she reached down, expertly slipped the flat edge of the blade along the leg and quickly sliced the remaining trappings off.
The black head swayed to the side to get a better look, but other than that the animal seemed completely at ease. One hand still on its back, she slipped the knife into a small sheath on her hip that had been concealed by her shirt. She slid her hand down the animal’s leg as she crouched down next to the injury. Quickly assessing the damage, she lightly covered the wounds with her other hand and shut her eyes. An effervescent blue glow seeped out between her closed fingers while she silently worked her magic.
When she removed her hand, the puncture wounds were gone, replaced by healthy looking pink scars. The pegasus raised its leg up and down; testing it. Clearly happy with the outcome, it swung around and nuzzled against Daniel’s mother causing her to lose her balance and almost fall over. She laughed and affectionately rubbed the Pegasus’s forehead in return.
Daniel’s father strode over and helped her up. The wounded wing didn’t appear to be broken. It was tucked proficiently against the body, but the tip looked ravaged; there were several puncture wounds bleeding freely, made only more obvious due to the fact that many feathers had been tore out. Daniel’s mother began attending to the wing, but his father turned to him and waved him over.
Daniel started to walk over, but the Pegasus suddenly turned its attention toward Daniel and stopped him in his tracks. It locked eyes with Daniel, and he suddenly felt extremely exposed. The creature was studying him, and Daniel knew it. The dark eyes were a piercing pitch black, but somehow strangely inviting.
That’s when Daniel heard something strange. For the second time today, a stranger’s voice reverberated inside his head. This one was decidedly male, but somehow soft and melodic nonetheless.
“You there, boy, come closer,” it demanded.
16
Daniel felt strangely hypnotized by those compelling black eyes. Still, it was by his own volition that he closed the gap between himself and the winged horse. He was immensely curious about this creature that Pearl called a Pegasus, and even more so due to the fact that it had just summoned him telepathically. Pearl was the only one he had ever shared thoughts with, and she was his personal talisman.
Daniel stood directly in front of the winged horse, waiting for it to speak to him again. His parents were still standing alongside the Pegasus tending to the damaged wing, but he knew his mother was still keeping an eye on him.
The Pegasus continued to scrutinize Daniel, succeeding in making him feel like the strange animal and not the other way around. Daniel took this opportunity to do his own analyzing. The Pegasus looked exactly like a black stallion, the larger breed with hairy hooves, except for the fact that it had giant feathered wings. It looked a lot bigger up close, and Daniel felt slightly intimidated by the fact the pegasus was towering over him. What made it more unnerving was the fact that the eyes were completely black, like deep pools of ink. Daniel could not make out pupil or iris.
“You can hear me, can you not?” the voice asked again in Daniel’s mind. The horse mouth didn’t move, but Daniel knew it was the Pegasus talking to him.
Daniel nodded.
“Do not be afraid,” the voice said kindly.
“I’m not afraid,” Daniel asserted a little too loudly. His parents shot him a look, and he hung his head slightly. He took a deep breath, and concentrated on answering without speaking. “I’m not afraid,” he refuted stubbornly in his own mind. “I’m just…curious.”
“Naturally,” the voice answered, as the Pegasus dipped its head in Daniel’s direction. “As am I of you,” it acknowledged.
“Me? Why?”
“Well for starters, you have a metal dragon clutched to your shoulder that is inhabited by the spirit of a very famous dragon.”
“How did you know that?”
“She told me,” the Pegasus nodded at Pearl respectfully. “But, more importantly is the fact that you are glowing with power. I’ve never met a wizard so young with so much power. You will be a great wizard.”
Daniel looked down at himself to see if he actually was glowing. Of course, he was not. Although his tenth birthday was the day he finally got a taste of his power, he didn’t feel very powerful, especially now in face of this mighty beast; a giant black horse with the wings of a bird, and telepathic abilities that could rival his mother’s. Those depthless black eyes were locked onto his, and Daniel found he could not look away. He knew those eyes could cut right through him to his very core and determine his worth.
“You are entirely correct; I can. On a lighter note, Happy Birthday,” the Pegasus added.
“Are you reading my mind?” Daniel thought to himself.
“Yes.”
“Well, stop it!” Daniel practically yelled. His parents looked up from the injured wing in concern. His mother started to get up, but his father placed a hand gently on her shoulder, and moved to stand beside his son.
“Is he reading your mind?” his father conjectured. Daniel nodded, but didn’t take his eyes off the creature in front of him. “And, you can hear him?” Daniel nodded in silent affirmation. “That is….awesome!” his father exclaimed, hugging Daniel to his side. With a proud smile, his mother joined them, wrapping her arm around his other side.
“That’s great, sweetie,” she chimed in.
“Does this mean I’m like you,” he nodded his mother, “Or, like you?” he asked looking up at his father. What he wanted to know is if he would be an accomplished telepath like his mother, or have an affinity for communicating with animals like his father.
“Could be either,” his mother answered happily.
“Or, both,” his father added.
“This is only the beginning,” his mother said softly.
17
“I’ve done all I can do, for now,” his mother turned to address the Pegasus. “But, if you would like a salve to speed the recovery of your lost feathers I would be happy to whip one up for you.”
“That is very kind,” Daniel heard the voice again, but this time he had a feeling he wasn’t the only one that heard it. “No, I am speaking to all,” the pegasus answered. Daniel gritted his teeth and treated the Pegasus to an irritated look. “Apologies, I will do my best not to read your mind anymore, if that is your wish,” the pegasus promised. “I will come to you,” the Pegasus nodded toward Daniel’s mother. “But, not today; I have…unfinished business.”
Daniel’s parents shared another look, but no one said anything; at least no one said anything out loud. Daniel wondered if they were holding a private conversation telepathically, and whether the Pegasus could hear their thoughts as easily as he could hear his.
“What is your name?” Daniel blurted out, breaking the silence.
The Pegasus tilted its head to the side before answering, “You may call me Onyx.”
His father walked over and picked up the barbed rope that had previously trapped the Pegasus, and brought it around for the creature to see. “Onyx, does your unfinished business have anything to do with whoever set this trap?” The Pegasus backed away slightly, and nodded once in confirmation. Daniel was surprised that he didn’t recognize the rope for what is was from the start. Thorn switches braided together, creating a durable thorny rope.
“Do you know who did this?” his father asked.
“I could venture a guess,” the pegasus answered. “But, I will find out for sure soon enough. I thank you for your help, and your healing hand, my lady,” the pegasus’s voice echoed in their minds. He bowed his head low, before he turned around. Then, he stopped and swung his head back in their direction. “Best to get on home now,” he cautioned. “Undesirables have been out as of late, and it will be dark in the forest soon.” And, with that he sauntered away without looking back, quickly melting in the shadows of the trees.
“He’s right,” his father acknowledged. “Let’s go.” He threw down the rope of thorns in disgust and took his wife’s hand. Daniel’s mother gripped his hand firmly, and quickly whisked him away.
His parents kept a brisk pace on their return, and Daniel found he was busy with his own thoughts. He sincerely hoped he would get another chance to talk to Onyx, or even better, get a chance to ride him. Perhaps, there was other Pegasus living in the forest; it seemed unlikely that Onyx was the only one of his kind. The forest seemed to hold infinite possibilities.
Now that he was alone with his thoughts, Daniel could admit to himself that Onyx had intimidated him. But, what really scared him was the thought that something out in this forest was hunting and trapping a creature such as this.
Daniel would have looked to Pearl for answers, but she was silent and motionless on his shoulder. It felt as if she had somehow left her newfound shell. Perhaps, she had abandoned her metallic wings to fly free in her dragon spirit form. Daniel wasn’t sure if that was possible, but he had noticed her absence before. It seemed like a logical explanation to why he could no longer feel her presence even though the metal dragon was still perched on his shoulder.
As the sun sank to the horizon, the shadows of the forest lengthened considerably. His parents quickened their pace. His mother took point, and his father positioned himself in the rear; keeping Daniel safely in the middle. Daniel was beginning to wonder if they were ever going to get to the end of the forest. Finally, the wall of thorns became visible and Daniel actually felt relieved to be leaving the forest he so desperately wanted to enter.
That’s when he felt something unpleasant. He couldn’t place the feeling; it was something between anxiety and dread. The hair on the back of his neck stood up, and he felt like something was crawling on his skin. Goose bumps popped up all over his body. He stopped for a moment, and his father caught up to him.
“We’re almost there,” his father said coming to stand beside him. “Are you alright?”
Daniel nodded silently. He had no desire to stop and talk about it here and now. Besides, he didn’t want to admit to his father that on their first excursion into the forest he was getting a serious case of the creepy crawlies.
They pressed on, and although the goose bumps subsided, the tiny hairs on the back of his neck would not go down. Just as Daniel could see the end of the forest, the waning sunlight periodically winking through the remaining trees, he felt Pearl’s presence return. His raw nerves ceased their chafing, and he felt his tensions melt considerably. He let out a sigh, grateful for this reprieve. Her return was like a breath of fresh air. “Where did you go?” he silently sent to her.
“Just for a look around; this forest is full of strange and wonderful things.”
“Did you see anything interesting?”
“Well, I noticed something strange that I think you should be aware of.”
“What?” Daniel asked. He had a sneaking suspicion that he already knew the answer.
“Something is following us.”
18
Daniel whipped around hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever was following them. His father swerved to keep from careening into him. “Did you hear something?” his father asked, his brow scrunched in concern.
“No, I didn’t hear anything,” Daniel answered truthfully, brushing off his father’s concern. Daniel turned around abruptly, setting his sights on the fading sunlight blinking through the trees. They were almost out of the forest, and he was nowhere near ready to experience the woods at night.
He tried his best not to draw attention to himself, even though he desperately wanted to look around. Instead, he snuck sidelong glances about as he walked. The hairs on the back of his neck would not rest, and his nerves began to feel raw again. “Did you see what it is?” he silently asked Pearl.
“Not exactly,” her voice echoed softly in his mind. “But, if I had to guess I would say it was some sort of goblin.”
Daniel wasn’t sure if knowing what was following them made him feel better or worse. Meeting his first goblin was definitely the most unnerving thing that had happened in what ended up being an extremely unusual day. He had done his best to banish it from his mind, especially when he returned to the forest with his parents. The odd looking creature had not exactly made an attractive first impression of the forest Daniel had so desperately wanted to explore.
Truthfully, he wasn’t really surprised that Kobo was following them now; he admitted to as much this morning. Kobo confessed that he had been watching Daniel for a while, practically bragged about it. So, of course, he would know that Daniel had returned to the forest, and was obviously still curious about Daniel’s actions. Even though the goblin gave him no reason to be alarmed, other than his cryptic message about watching him, he had left Daniel with a bad taste in his mouth.
Daniel picked up the pace and quickly overcame his mother. Heart pounding in his ears, he practically burst across the edge of the forest; returning safely to his own backyard. He sucked in deep breaths, and turned his attention to the glowing sunset. The fiery orange and red hues washing together and seeping across the horizon simultaneously steeled his nerves and calmed him. By the time his parents joined him, his rapidly pulsing blood had subsided, allowing the sounds of the impending twilight to come rushing back.
Although, Daniel did his best to play it off as excitement, his mother knew better. “What is it?” she asked, walking around him to look him full in the face.
“Nothing,” he answered, looking away from her knowing eyes. Either his mother could tell he was lying because he was unconvincing or because of her ability to see things that others cannot. Either way, she was not buying it. Stepping out of the trees, his father’s long strides swiftly brought him to the discussion. But, his mother didn’t bother to look up; she kept her eyes trained on her son. “Daniel,” she coaxed gently. “What is bothering you?”
“I felt…something,” he trailed off, not sure how to explain his uneasiness. He decided to take a different route. “Pearl saw something following us.”
“What was it?” she addressed Pearl directly.
“My best guess: a goblin. Although, they are quite adept at camouflage, something about its movement reminded me of the goblins of my day.”
His parents shared a look, before they turned to face the forest. While enormously relieved, Daniel’s heart sank when his father waved a hand in the air, restoring the ward back on the forest. Although, he wanted to keep creepy, albeit intriguing, things like Kobo from getting out; he also wished his parents would allow him full access to the forest.
He wanted them to believe in him and his emerging abilities. Unfortunately, he knew the only way to earn and deserve their trust would mean being completely honest with them. His parents returned their attention to their only son, and Daniel sighed heavily. He was going to have to tell them the truth: that he had found a way around the ward and snuck into the forest.
19
Daniel’s father opened his mouth to say something, but his wife cut him off with a look. Instead, she turned to Daniel and waited. It was now painfully obvious that she knew he was keeping something from them.
“I snuck into the forest,” Daniel blurted out.
“You did, when?” his father asked in confusion.
“This morning; when Gram’s spell exploded,” he explained. He couldn’t help but cringe at the reprisal he knew was coming.
“How did you get past my wards?”
“I used my magic.” He then proceeded to explain how he had stumbled upon a way around the ward. Starting with the magic lesson from his father, calling up his magic led to Daniel experimenting with employing his magic to toss apples around, resulting with an apple flying right through the ward and into the forest. This gave Daniel an ingenious idea; what he liked to call a “light bulb moment”. It wasn’t a matter of hurling his magic at the barrier, it was keeping the magic inside. So, he experimented with calling up his magic and holding it in instead of releasing it. With enough buildup and ample pressure, Daniel pushed right through the resistant barrier.
“Wow,” his father said under his breath. Daniel’s mother turned to him and treated him to a scathing look. “Well, it is rather impressive,” his father said, holding up his hands in a warding gesture. Her face softened considerably.
“It is,” she admitted reluctantly. “Daniel, although we are…impressed by your problem solving skills, we are disappointed that you deliberately broke the rule about entering the forest.” She gave her husband a pointed look.
“Yes, we are disappointed you broke the rule. On the other hand, we are pleased that you chose to come clean and confess your transgression, aren’t we hon?” He moved to his wife’s side, and gave her shoulder a squeeze.
“Yes,” she acknowledged. “That was the right thing to do.”
“There’s more,” Daniel began hesitantly. “I met a…creature.”
“What kind of creature?” his mother demanded. She stepped forward to initiate her interrogation.
“A goblin,” he admitted with a grimace. Daniel felt extremely guilty; he felt lower than the floor. He disobeyed his parents, and the consequences were coming back to follow him around, literally. Now, his parents were involved, and it was all his fault. “Actually, he said he was a hobgoblin.”
“You spoke with him?”
“Yes, but only for a minute,” he assured her, trying to downplay the severity of the situation. Daniel treated her to his widest, most innocent eyes hoping she still trusted him and would take him at his word.
“Tell us what he said. Do not leave anything out.”
“Not much really. He said his name was Kobo.” His parents shared another look, and Daniel had a feeling that they had heard that name before. After it became clear they were not going to offer any information on what that name meant to them, he continued.
“He was pretty adamant that he was a hobgoblin, not a goblin, and…”
“And?” his father prodded.
“Well, he said he has been watching me.”
His parents shared a look of concern. “I’ll take care of it,” his father said softly to his wife. He spun on his heel, and quickly slipped back into the trees.
“Inside,” his mother ordered.
“But, Dad…” Daniel protested.
“Will be just fine; he knows how to take care of himself.”
Hanging his head, Daniel sulked inside, his mother close on his heels.
“You never told me that your parents had forbidden you to enter the forest,” Pearl admonished him.
“I’m sorry,” Daniel mumbled. He didn’t think that he could feel any worse than he did, until this moment. Apparently, it wasn’t enough to disappoint his parents, but now he could feel the disappointment rolling off the little metal dragon in waves.
Smells of his grandmother’s homemade pizza wafted over them as they entered the kitchen. She was peeking in the oven when they came in, but she looked up when she heard their entrance. Understanding dawned on her face, and she nodded to her daughter-in-law before she left the room.
“Sit,” his mother ordered.
Daniel slumped into his chair, prepared for a lecture. Daniel had gotten in his fair share of trouble before, but this was worse than anything he had ever done. Entering the forest was strictly prohibited, and his parents had stressed on many occasions the seriousness of breaking this rule.
His mother slipped into the chair next to him, and sighed heavily. Instead of starting in on his disobedience, she surprised Daniel. “I’m sorry,” she said softly.
“You’re sorry, why?” Daniel was bewildered. He had broken the rules and his mother was apologizing to him, but why?
“We should have been upfront with you. Your father wanted to tell you, but I thought you were too young. I realize now that I was wrong. You need to know the truth.”
20
“The truth about what?” Daniel asked his mother.
“The truth about what’s in the forest.”
As if on cue, a flash of lightning lit up the night sky, followed by deep peals of rolling thunder so loud it shook the house. Daniel jumped up with a start.
The skies were clear and the weather was mild. A storm this sudden was not only unexpected; it was unnatural. Daniel knew it was his father. After Daniel had confessed to sneaking into the woods and meeting the hobgoblin Kobo, his father had strode off into the trees to speak with the creature.
“Dad!” Daniel cried. Eyes wide in shock and concern, he turned to his mother. “Something’s wrong!”
His mother moved to console him. “He’s fine sweetie. That is one of his normal scare tactics. It’s rather effective, as you can appreciate.”
The kitchen door opened with a bang. Whipping around, Daniel saw his father’s tall frame silhouetted in the doorway. A heavy rain was splashing around the edges of the front porch, but Daniel’s father was bone dry. Before he could even reach the table, Daniel ran to him and threw his arms around him. His face, which mirrored the storm outside, dark and gloomy, lightened considerably.
“I’m sorry, Dad.”
“It’s alright; everything’s fine,” he soothed.
After his heart slowed its pounding, Daniel ended the embrace. His father was stone still, and his eyes were locked with Daniel’s mother. They were doing it again; they were talking to each other telepathically, effectively excluding Daniel from the conversation.
His first impulse was to yell at them to stop it, but he held his tongue. He was already in trouble, and there was no reason to add fuel to the fire. After an uncomfortable moment, his father steered him over to the table.
As soon as everyone was seated, his mother started again. “It’s time you learned the truth about what is out there in that forest. Some of the magical creatures live here in our woods, but they’re not from here.”
“So, they migrated here?”
“Yes, kind of like that.”
“Ok, from where?” Daniel asked curiously.
“Another world; a magical world,” his father chimed in.
“A magical world in our forest,” Daniel concluded, realization dawning on him. He practically jumped out of his chair in anticipation; he could barely contain his excitement. He couldn’t wait to explore this world of magic.
“Yes, there is a portal that the creatures use to cross from their world to ours and back again. But,” his mother paused here to give Daniel her most serious look. “When people in our world cross over to theirs, they lack the means to get back. They become trapped on the other side.”
“How do you know this?”
“It is written. Several members of our family have tried and failed. They became trapped in the other world.”
Daniel was flabbergasted. He thought he knew all the exciting family stories, but he had never heard about this. His parents had kept this a close kept secret. “Did you know about this?” he silently asked Pearl, who was still perched on his shoulder.
“Yes,” her voice sounded softly in his mind. “It was not my place to tell you,” she explained before he even had to ask. She already knew him so well.
“Have you been there?”
“I was born there.”
Daniel nodded absently. That made sense. She had once been a powerful dragon; dragons were not from this world. “What’s it like?” he wondered.
“More beautiful than you could imagine,” she said wistfully.
Daniel’s father suddenly cleared his throat, bringing Daniel back to the verbal conversation they were having. Daniel blushed when he realized his parents had been watching him hold a completely silent conversation with his dragon talisman, but his embarrassment quickly turned into satisfaction. His parents did the same thing all the time. Now they knew what it was like to be kept out of a conversation.
“Have either of you ever seen it?” Daniel couldn’t help but asking.
“I have,” his mother confirmed quietly. “In a vision.”
“Will you tell me about it?”
“Yes, I feel I must,” she sighed wearily.
“What do you mean?”
“Because in my vision, it was you who was trapped on the other side,” she explained, her voice immersed in grief.
21
“Me?” squeaked Daniel. “How do I get trapped in another world?”
“I’m not sure. It was only a brief glimpse. Visions aren’t always a clear picture,” his mother explained.
“So someday I will be stuck…over there?”
“Possibly someday; you were a bit older in the vision, but…”
“But, not necessarily,” his father jumped in. He looked to his wife for some support on the subject.
“No, it’s not for certain,” his mother agreed. “Visions are never set in stone. They are subject to all kinds of things. Every choice you make leads to another, and those choices can change the course of your life in many ways.”
“So, I just need to avoid crossing over into this other world; sounds simple enough.”
“Yes,” his father agreed. “Now, I understand that forbidden fruit is even more tempting, but I implore you to not go looking for the portal.”
“It would be best not to enter the forest at all,” his mother added. “There are creatures out there with the ability to…persuade. This is why we agreed not to tell you about this, but given what’s happened we think it is better that you understand the danger involved in exploring the forest.”
“Well, seeing how you know how to get past my wards, and I have a feeling you will work out a way around any new wards I can whip up, I am suggesting that we make a new rule: Never go into the forest alone.”
“Never go into the forest unsupervised,” his mother corrected. “Taking Jacob along with you does not make it any more safe,” his mother said pointedly. “In fact, you are not allowed to put him at risk either.” Jacob was Daniel’s best friend. His parents were old friends of Daniel’s parents. Plus, Daniel’s mother and Jacob’s mother were some sort of distant relatives.
Because of their abilities, magical families often homeschooled through eighth grade instead of sending their children to school with the other kids, this reduced the chance of them accidentally outing themselves.
Jacob’s family took full advantage of the fact that he wasn’t enrolled in public school by travelling for weeks at a time. His parents were archeologists of magic; they spent their time searching and unearthing old magic. And because Daniel’s grandmother was always experimenting, she was like a kid at Christmas every time Jacob’s parents came back from one of their excursions.
“However, we will allow you to accompany us into the forest,” his father explained with a wink.
“This way you will see and learn many wonderful things, and still be under our protection,” his mother fostered. “Agreed?”
“Agreed,” Daniel accepted eagerly. If they were willing to take him into the forest, then he had no need to sneak in without them, especially with a strange goblin following him and the possibility of getting trapped in another world looming over him.
“Then let’s forget the forest for tonight,” his father declared. “It’s still your birthday. Let’s celebrate!”
As usual Daniel’s grandmother had perfect timing. She appeared suddenly, gliding over to the oven just before the timer went off, and pulled out the pizza with a wave of her hand. The pizza cutter flew over, and sliced up the pizza quicker than anyone could possibly manage by hand. “Time to eat,” she announced.
They sat down as a family and enjoyed an everyday normal dinner. Well, as normal as their family got. The adults still passed things around without lifting a finger, and now that Daniel had come into his own power, they even gave Daniel a crash course in how to.
After dinner, his mother produced a cheesecake with ten sparkling candles, followed by presents. His grandmother already gave him his birthday present: a dragon talisman inhabited by the spirit of a real dragon, Pearl. Daniel was not sure that that could be topped, but his parents’ presents were still very much appreciated.
His mother gave him a beginner’s books of spells, her very first. His father gave him a family ring. It was a simple plain band of dark metal with an even darker, almost black, stone embedded in the middle. His father explained the ring was anything but simple. The gem could be infused with energy, power that could be harnessed at a later date.
Daniel never wore any jewelry before, seemed like a girly thing to do, but this ring was different. He held it up; it looked too big for him. He slid it on his thumb, and was bummed out that it was too big, even for his thumb. A disappointed sound came reverberated in this throat, but before he could take it off, the ring slowly tightened on his thumb until it wrapped around his thumb snugly.
Of course, he got the normal presents that all boys get. He got the new video game he had been asking for, and a baseball glove to replace his old worn out one. Now that Daniel could use his power, these presents paled in comparison next to the magical objects, but he knew he would enjoy them nevertheless.
They all took turns trying to beat Daniel at his new video game before going to bed. As soon as Daniel got to his room, he realized how exhausted he was. This had been the most exciting day of Daniel’s life. Not only did he get his first taste of magic, he got to explore the forest, meeting magical creatures in the process, and had bonded with a dragon talisman.
Pearl had kept quiet and distant during dinner. Daniel wasn’t sure if this was because she didn’t want to intrude on their family time, or if she was missing her own family. As soon as they were alone, Daniel did his best to engage her in conversation.
He really only had one thing on his mind, but he wanted to ease into it. “What was your life like in…that other world?”
“Exhilarating,” she said wistfully.
He had planned on asking her if she had had her own hatchlings when she lived, but just the thought of dragon eggs made him impatient. “Is that where the dragon eggs are hidden?” he blurted out prematurely.
“Not all of them,” she answered shrewdly.
22
“Are you saying that there are dragon eggs hidden here, in our forest?” Daniel asked excitedly.
“I didn’t say that. You said that.” Pearl answered slyly. “I simply said that not all of the eggs are in Erde.”
“What’s Erde?” The word felt strange to him, and he struggled to get it out; chopping it up into what sounded like an “er” of confusion followed by the word day.
“Yes, Erde,” she said the word fluidly, but articulated it clearly for him; reinforcing that he was using the correct enunciation. “That’s the name the inhabitants used for our world.”
“So, you do know where the eggs are hidden?” he insisted.
“A few,” she answered shortly.
“Where are they?”
“That’s enough for now,” she said curtly. Turning her back on Daniel, she curled up on the nightstand. Daniel shivered; a cold front seemed to sweep through him. This was followed by a heavy feeling, something like guilt. His confusion only lasted for a moment. Experiencing someone else’s emotions was baffling.
Pearl’s feelings could be overpowering and hard to understand. At times she was distant and remote and other times her emotions washed over him like waves. He did his best to keep his head above water.
Daniel flopped back on his bed with a dissatisfied sigh. Why was she being so secretive anyway? He didn’t have long to think on it. Exhaustion swept over him; his eyes felt heavy and he had a hard time keeping them open. After such a long and exciting day, Daniel fell asleep as soon as he gave up the fight to keep his eyes open.
Thoroughly exhausted from using magic for the first time and the excitement from the supernatural encounters in the forest, Daniel slept like a log. He woke up in the exact same position that he laid down; lying on top of his covers with an arm flung across his weary eyes.
It took him several minutes to thoroughly wake up. The summer sun was streaming through his curtains, but his eyelids felt sticky and his eyes burned when he managed to lift his eyelids far enough to peer out.
After a minute of stretching and rubbing his tired eyes, he felt more alert. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, sat up, and ran a hand through his unruly curls. Now that he had orientated himself, his first conscious thought was of Pearl.
His eyes darted to his nightstand, but it was devoid of any tiny metal dragons. For a brief moment, Daniel wondered if it had all been a dream. Had he dreamt all the amazing things that he thought had happened?
For a minute he felt deflated, like all the magic had been erased from his life. Except that there, on his thumb was the magic ring that his father had given him last night.
Then, a flash of light winked at him catching his attention. The sunlight glinted off something metallic, drawing his eye to his highest bookshelf. There, Pearl was uncoiling herself and turned to face him.
“Good morning, Little One,” her voice echoed in his mind, sending a delightful shiver down his spine. It hadn’t been a dream after all.
“Good morning, Pearl,” he sent with his own thoughts. His relief that she hadn’t been just a dream was suddenly washed away by his burning desire to find out where the dragon eggs were hidden. He opened his mouth to ask Pearl again, but she shook her head and sat down on her haunches stubbornly.
Daniel’s cheeks flushed in frustration. Frustrated that not only would she not tell him, but she didn’t even let him get the question out before turning him down. Sometimes having a dragon talisman that could read your mind was a pain.
Dressing in a huff, Daniel readied himself. Pearl turned away from him slightly to give him privacy. She stood erect and motionless, her head turned toward the wall, until he opened his door. Then, without a word, she glided down onto his shoulder.
As he started down the hall, Daniel wondered how today would not seem dull and boring in comparison to everything that had happened yesterday. Still, he had no desire to venture back into the forest, not just yet anyway.
The foreboding he had experienced when Pearl informed him they were being followed yesterday slunk back through him unpleasantly. He tried to shake it off, but knowing that the hobgoblin had been watching him for some time sent a shudder through him.
When he passed his grandmother’s room, she reached out and grabbed his arm forcing his heart into his throat and causing him to yelp unintelligibly. “Grams!” he admonished breathlessly, trying to regain his composure. His nerves were already on edge, he didn’t need his own family scaring the bejesus out of him as well.
“Come to my room at sunset,” she ordered with her I mean business look. “Do not be late!” she warned. Then, she quickly slipped back into her room, and shut the door with a snick.
“Wait! What time is sunset?!” Daniel yelled at the closed door, but he got no answer.
23
Odd, he thought. Granted his grandmother could be a little secretive about her spells and she was most definitely blunt with her opinions, she had never been so abrupt with Daniel, almost rude even. He turned his head slightly to give Pearl a questioning look, but she lifted her wings in a gesture that resembled a shrug and Daniel took that to mean she didn’t know anything.
Still a little stunned from his grandmother’s behavior, Daniel meandered into the kitchen. What could his grandmother be up to now? His first thought was that it had to do with Pearl. His grandmother had called up Pearl’s spirit to inhabit the small metallic dragon and be Daniel’s personal talisman as a surprise for his birthday. Maybe, there was something else she needed to add to the spell. However, it seemed odd that Pearl wouldn’t know about something that would concern her so intimately.
Nobody was in the kitchen, so Daniel helped himself to some cereal. A warm breeze wafted in through an open window filling the whole room with the sweet smell of lilacs. The intoxicating fragrance was basically lost on Daniel as he absently munched on his cereal. He was still mulling over his grandmother’s behavior when his mother came in from outside. She was carrying fresh mint from her garden, and smiled warmly at him when their eyes met.
“Morning sweetie,” she called from the doorway. Whisking past Daniel with a quick kiss on top of his tousled curls, she proceeded to her cutting board humming happily.
“What time is sunset?” Daniel asked.
“Sunset,” she murmured distractedly. She ceased her humming, but continued chopping. “Around eight, I believe.”
“What time exactly?” he pressed.
This caused her to turn around, and give him her full attention. “Why?”
“Grams wants to see me at sunset.”
“Does she?” she mused. “Well, I am not sure, exactly. Your father would know,” she said thoughtfully. She gave him a searching look. “Did she say why?”
“Nope.”
His mother stood there looking at him, but not really looking at him. Her eyes had that far away glazed look and her head was tilted slightly to the side. A strange look flashed across her face, but quickly vanished. “I’ll speak with her,” she finally said her eyes coming back into focus. Without further explanation, she turned back to her chopping.
Daniel finished his cereal and took his dishes to the sink. He paused at the sink and looked at his mother waiting to see if she would say anything more. She must have felt him waiting for her because she turned and gave him a small smile.
“Do you have any plans for today?” she asked inquisitively.
“Not exactly,” he admitted. “I thought I would check out the spell book you gave me.”
“Would you like help?”
“Sure, I don’t think I would understand much without a translator,” he admitted.
“You might be surprised at how much you would understand. Go with your instincts; magic is all about feeling. If you feel it, it will come easily. Besides, it isn’t all in Latin. There are some notes in the margin written in English.” Daniel had only briefly flipped through the pages when she had given it to him last night, but he hadn’t noticed anything written in English.
“Why don’t you take the book outside and look it over. That way Pearl can stretch her wings and you can feel it out. Let me know if there is anything in there that you would like to explore. Just don’t neglect your studies,” she admonished sternly. “I’ve written out your assignments.”
Even though it was summer his mother was serious about learning. She kept the workload light during the summer months, but she only fully let up on holidays and weekends.
“Ok,” he agreed. He knew better than to argue with her. She gave him a proud smile, before her expression became slack and her eyes glazed over again. Daniel wondered if she was about to have a vision before he heard his father come in through the screen door. His parents shared a look, and no one spoke for a moment.
The moment was over before Daniel could decide if he should interrupt. Then, his father smile broadly at him, “Come outside Daniel. There is someone out there I think you will want to see.”
24
“Who?” Daniel immediately wanted to know.
“Come outside and you’ll see,” his father said with a wink. With that, he turned on his heel and slipped back outside. Daniel turned to his mother, but she was already bustling across the kitchen, and promptly began rummaging around in her cabinet of salves and herbs.
Daniel turned to the small black dragon still perched on his shoulder. “Do you know who it is?” he asked Pearl through their mind connection.
“Surprise,” was all she would say. So, he dashed outside to find out. His father was waiting for him on the porch causing Daniel to skid to a stop. As soon as he had a clear view, Daniel’s eyes swept the yard, and zeroed in on the visitor right away.
Just beyond his mother’s garden stood the Pegasus that they rescued from entrapment yesterday. The black stallion was pawing the earth near the tree line, but when he saw the two of them, he stopped and stood absolutely still.
Daniel looked to his father wondering if he was allowed to go out to the winged horse. His father made a sharp gesture in the air. The Pegasus snorted once, and then emerged from the trees. Once he crossed the threshold, he spread out his wings with a sharp snap and reared up on his hind legs. It was an amazing sight, and Daniel’s breath caught in his chest.
When the massive hairy hooves pounded back to the ground, Daniel felt something rush through the air. It washed over him, and he suddenly felt the urge to run and be free, but it was gone just as quickly as it came leaving his heart pounding and his breath coming out in short bursts.
Now extremely impatient, Daniel started to rush off the porch, but his father put out a hand to stop him. Before Daniel could speak, his father made another gesture; this one was an expansive swooping gesture. There was crackle in the air similar to static electricity, and it made the tiny hairs on Daniel’s skin stand up.
“Go ahead,” his father gestured to Daniel. Daniel was off the porch before his father had even gotten the second word out. He raced over to the Pegasus, and remembering his manners bowed low to the mystical being. The pegasus lowered his head in return.
“Young Daniel,” the horse’s deep voice echoed in Daniel’s mind. “And, the Mighty Pearl,” he added dipping his head again.
“Onyx, a pleasure,” Pearl returned, with a small bow of her metallic head.
Daniel found it a little strange that anyone would consider Pearl mighty, she was so small. “Size is irrelevant,” Onyx responded immediately to his thoughts. “Pearl’s legacy is known far and wide amongst the creatures of the forest. Besides, her true form was much…grander.”
At first, Daniel wanted to scold the beast for reading his mind again after he had explicitly asked him not to, but when he realized that Onyx knew something of Pearl’s past, he wanted to know more. So far, she had not been very keen on talking about her life, and Daniel knew it was because it made her sad.
He was just about to ask about Pearl’s legacy when his father joined them. “Onyx,” his father said with a small bow at the waist.
“Thank you for having me to your home, Desmond Thorn” Onyx’s voice echoed, although his mouth did not move. He sounded extremely formal and this time he bowed his head even lower and held it for a beat. Daniel found all the formality of this greeting to be a waste of time, but he held his tongue.
His father cringed at hearing his full first name, which he had never liked. “Dez please, and the pleasure is ours,” his father said aloud. He turned to wink at Daniel. “My wife will be out in a moment. How is your wing?”
“There is no pain,” Onyx answered, sounding dismissive. “Only, without all my feathers my flight is a little erratic,” he added sounding mournful.
“I can help with that,” Daniel’s mother said, suddenly by his side. “This salve will speed the process, with a little help from healing magic. It will still take several days, but it’ll be faster than normal,” she assured him.
“Much obliged,” the deep voice practically purred, and his head bowed low.
His mother answered with a radiant smile and a bow of her own head. This time though, Onyx held his down until she came forward and lightly rubbed his brow. He raised his head and their eyes met. Daniel had a feeling that they were conversing privately before Onyx unfolded his injured wing, and held it out for her inspection. She set her jars on the grass, and gently ran her hands across the bald spots on the extended wing.
“There is another reason for my visit today,” Onyx said, turning his head towards Daniel. “I have found something out that you may want to know.”
“What is it?” his father asked aloud, the concern evident in his voice.
“The goblins are talking about our young wizard here,” he replied, his all black eyes boring into Daniel’s.
25
This caused Daniel’s mother to look up abruptly from her tending.
“What did you hear?” his father asked in a harsh tone.
“They are very interested in this one’s magic,” the winged horse replied, gesturing his head toward Daniel. “I am not sure exactly why yet, but they have been watching him and they know.”
“Know what?” Daniel asked curiously.
“That you will be the greatest wizard of this age,” Onyx’s voice sounded matter of fact, and brooked no room for argument. His parents shared a look, and Daniel couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face as he let this information sink in. The words resonated in his mind long after the voice entered his mind. Would he really be that powerful?
“What should we do?” his father asked no one in particular.
“Teach him well. Give him the tools necessary to keep such filth at bay. It shouldn’t prove too difficult for him,” Onyx’s voice echoed.
“Keep him out of the forest,” his mother cut in her voice like ice.
“Do not shield him, or he will never learn,” Onyx said sagely. He turned his all black eyes to Daniel. Just like before, Daniel felt strangely mesmerized by their inky depths. “Anyway, I doubt you can keep him out forever,” Onyx continued, his voice as smooth as silk. “They are interested in him, but they fear him as well. Right now they are watching; that is all. I do not think there is any reason to panic. I just thought you should be aware.”
“The goblins are greedy, but weak,” Pearl chimed in from her perch on Daniel’s shoulder. Her metallic frame shifted slightly, and she fluttered her wings like she was agitated. “They covet power they cannot possibly possess. They are foolishly drawn to it like a moth to a flame. In the end it will destroy them.”
“Eck, goblins are impulsive creatures with little brain. I have a spell that will keep them away; put some real fear into them,” his grandmother said brusquely as she reached Daniel’s side. Her ability to levitate gave her stealth, and although his parents didn’t seem surprised by her joining the conversation so abruptly, Daniel was a little taken off guard, allowing him to finally break the connection to those hypnotic black eyes.
“I thought I had accomplished that last night,” his father said under his breath.
“Aye, I believe you did. I watched most of them scurry back to Erde; to burrow in their hidey holes.”
“But, they will be back,” Daniel’s mother said unhappily. She moved to pick up her salves, and went back to tending Onyx’s wing.
“Undoubtedly,” Onyx affirmed.
“Nothing we can’t handle,” Loma declared. “You worry too much, Juniper,” she added disapprovingly. Daniel’s mother looked up from her work, and treated her mother-in-law to a cutting look, but remained silent. The two women continued eye contact for longer than necessary, and Daniel assumed they were having a private argument telepathically.
His father must have known as much, because he moved to Loma’s side and placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to avert her eyes. It seemed that Daniel’s grandmother might keep her opinion to herself, for once.
“Sweet witch, you have a most surprising bite,” Onyx intoned, sounding amused. Juniper didn’t respond, but returned to her tending with a small smile.
Daniel’s father turned to Onyx. “What do you think? Should we should be worried?” Daniel was surprised that his father was asking this creature for advice, but he never knew his father to make a decision lightly.
“Worried? No. I think you should be prepared. He might be strong, but untrained strength can be dangerous. Teach him well, and he will be near unstoppable.”
26
Daniel’s mother finished her treatment on Onyx’s wing, and slipped back to her husband’s side. He automatically put an arm out, and she folded into him effortlessly. “You should come back tomorrow for another treatment,” she instructed.
“I will do that,” he said. “In the meantime, I will stay close. I want to keep an eye out. I can report back what I find during your tender treatments.” He bowed his head toward Daniel’s mother. “Thank you sweet witch, I hope I haven’t offended you,” he added.
“Not at all,” Juniper shook her head. “I rather thought it was a compliment.”
“Aye, it was,” Onyx voice rumbled with an amused air to it. Onyx nodded a final time, and turned back to the forest. Daniel couldn’t help but notice the way the sun gleamed off the silky hair of Onyx’s mane and tail. More impressive was the iridescent shine of his inky feathers that alternated a wide array of purples, blues, and greens as he slipped through the trees. Even though the sun was able to filter down to the forest floor in patches, he quickly disappeared into the shreds of shadows.
Just before the little family turned away, Onyx voice sounded in their minds one last time. “Tomorrow,” the one word resounded in their minds like a promise.
Daniel turned to his parents. His mother was still tucked in his father’s embrace, but now they were turned toward each other. Eyes locked, talking, but not speaking. His grandmother was already floating back toward the house, no doubt fuming about being goaded into biting her tongue on the subject of Daniel’s upbringing.
Pearl’s metal claws bore down on Daniel’s shoulder briefly before jumping off and soaring into the air. “No worries, little one. Just want to put these mechanical wings to use.”
Daniel had to tilt his head back to watch her fly into the sky, her metal body throwing off shards of sunlight. Even though the sunlight glinting off Pearl’s metallic body, Daniel watched her anxiously until she flew directly into the sun, and he had to avert his eyes.
He was still blinking the sting out of them when his mother’s hand lightly settled on his shoulder. “Give her a minute? Why don’t you run inside and get the spell book,” Juniper suggested.
Excited about the prospect of experimenting with new magic, Daniel turned and started jogging toward the house. “Don’t forget the ring,” his father called. Without turning back, Daniel held up his hand, and flashed the ring to his father.
“Good boy,” Dez smiled at him.
Daniel rushed back inside, and practically flew up the stairs. He noticed his grandma’s door was open, and he considered confronting her about her request for a rendezvous at sunset. However, being separated from Pearl was making him anxious in a way he didn’t understand. Frozen by indecision, Daniel stood at the door; torn between getting back to his dragon talisman and finding out what his grandmother wanted him for.
Ultimately, he decided he was only wasting time with his indecisiveness, and boldly knocked on the door. No answer came. So, he knocked again, and this time he called out, “Grams?” She still didn’t respond, so he poked his head in the crack and craned his neck to get a look around. Her room was a mess, as usual. Books and clothes were scattered everywhere, but no grandma.
He was pretty sure she had come back inside, but she was just as likely to be found in the attic with Quip or in the library. Anyway, he didn’t have time to worry about that now. His dragon was outside flying free and he was in here, the separation was killing him.
Spinning on the balls of his feet, he crossed over to his own room and hurried inside. The spell book was on his dresser. He snatched it up, and immediately turned to leave the room. A small cough stopped him in his tracks, causing him to whirl around so abruptly he almost lost his balance.
Quip was standing on his bed, clearly waiting for him. “Morning, young master,” he drawled with an amused smile. Quip enjoyed surprising people. Daniel gritted his teeth in irritation.
“Morning Quip,” Daniel managed to say politely through clenched teeth. Remembering his manners, he turned to address Quip properly, even though every fiber in his body wanted to go back outside.
“I saw Onyx was here,” Quip stated conversationally.
“Yeah,” Daniel answered absently. He was itching to get outside so badly, he was practically twitching. Then it hit him, and he snapped to attention. “Wait, how do you know Onyx?” Quip was a house brownie, and as far as Daniel could tell he never went outside. At least, he always refused to go outside when Daniel asked.
“I didn’t say I knew him,” he answered slyly. “But, I am well informed on many things,” he added brusquely. “You would do well to remember that!”
“Ok, ok,” Daniel said soothingly. He didn’t want to get Quip upset, because that was not pretty.
Quip smoothed back his mop of black hair, and composed himself. “So, he came to tell you about the goblins, I assume.”
“Yeah, he did,” Daniel admitted, wondering where this was going.
“They are enamored with your potential,” he said eloquently.
Unfortunately, his choice of words only confused Daniel. “Uh…”
“Your magic,” he said slowly like Daniel was hard of hearing.
“Oh yeah, that’s what Onyx said.”
“Well, I may be able to help you with that problem,” Quip said smugly.
27
“How can you help me with the goblins?” Daniel asked narrowing his eyes.
“Come to the library after you have finished your lessons,” Quip instructed. Without waiting for a response, he hopped off the bed and disappeared inside Daniel’s closet.
Daniel sighed, knowing there was no way to get any more information out of Quip now. In the ceiling of his closet was a small tunnel, one of many, which Quip used to get around the house and keep out of sight. He was probably halfway to the attic by now.
It was time to get back to Pearl. Tucking the book under his arm, he hurried back outside. His parents were where he left them, heads bent, and talking quietly. Daniel scanned the skies as he cross the yard, but didn’t see Pearl anywhere.
Panic crept up his throat and constricted it painfully. Where was she? He kept his eyes skyward as he rushed over to his parents. Because he wasn’t really looking where he was going, he almost ran right into them. “Where is she?” he managed to choke out.
“She flew out over the trees,” his father answered gesturing toward the forest.
“You let her go out into the forest!” he yelled frantically. He treated them both with an accusatory stare. Shock flashed on their faces, followed immediately by reproach.
Daniel knew he had gone too far. Normally, he wouldn’t yell at his parents like that, but Pearl’s safety meant everything to him. He felt a profound and unconditional connection to her. He wasn’t really sure he understood it fully. Because of his father’s supernatural connection with animals, Daniel had had many different kinds of pets over the years, but he had never been this attached to any of them.
“It’s not safe out there,” he grumbled, averting his eyes.
His mother knelt down next to him, and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Daniel, Pearl is not a baby. She may be small, but she is fully capable of taking care of herself. Remember, she lived many long years before you were even born. From what I understand she was a powerful and well respected dragon of her time. She is actually your elder, and you need to respect her choices. I know you have a special bond, and that you are still getting used to that, but she has the right to her autonomy.”
At that Daniel furrowed his brow at her. He hated it when she used big, obscure words that she knew he didn’t understand, but she insisted that this was the only way he would learn. “I just mean that she is probably used to her independence and is entitled to it; she will need time to herself now and then.”
Daniel wanted to argue that he was only trying to keep her safe, but he knew that his mother was right. Instead he sighed, and mumbled, “Yeah, ok.” He scuffed his toe into the grass unhappily.
“You brought your mother’s spell book,” his father declared, changing the subject. “Have you looked through it yet?”
“No, not yet.”
“I need to help your mother for a bit,” Dez explained and Juniper gave him an incredulous look that said she really didn’t need help. “I want to help your mother,” he amended giving his wife a wink. Juniper’s face softened, and she stood up to bump her hip against his playfully.
“Take a few minutes to look it over, don’t rush it,” his mother instructed. “We’ll be back to help you experiment within the hour.” Hand in hand, they returned to the house.
Daniel took the spell book and climbed onto the short stone wall circling his mother’s flower garden. He sat down on the warm stones, and pressed his back against a turret in one of the corners so that he could face the forest.
Not that Daniel could enjoy it at this moment, but it was a beautiful day. The flowers in his mother’s garden were in full bloom and smelled wonderful. The southern summer was starting to set in, but it was still too early to be humid and sticky. It was getting hot, but there was a light breeze, and while it was also warm, it was still cooler than the summer air that wrapped around him like a warm glove. The slightly cool breeze brought the sweet smell of flowers to his nose and a refreshing chill to his sun kissed skin.
The sky was that clear blue that makes you feel like you can see for miles, and not a cloud in sight. Daniel was doing his best to peer through the miles in hopes he could spot Pearl, but no such luck. He had a bad feeling that Pearl had actually ventured down amongst the trees and was exploring the forest. He bore his gaze into the sea of green, wishing he had x-ray vision, or even better, that he could fly up above the trees and get a bird’s eye view.
While awaiting Pearl’s return, Daniel’s eye was drawn to the book he had placed in his lap. Although he was impatient for Pearl’s return, he couldn’t resist checking out a book chock full of magic spells. He hadn’t gotten a chance to look at it last night; he had fallen asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.
The cover looked plain enough. The leather was black, and looked dull and worn. There was a plain white candle in the center with a luminous blue flame. The candle was burnt down to almost a nub. There was melted wax dripping down the remaining candle and gathered in a small pool underneath.
Because this was not his first experience with spell books, he was not surprised when the wax began sliding down the candle in tiny rivulets. Although, the way the wax was melting down the candle in slow fluid motions was mesmerizing, the flickering blue flame drew his eye. He was surprised to find that it wasn’t a flame at all, it was water. The water was in the shape of and acted like a flame; it swelled up from the wick and flickered upward catching the light and sparkling instead of glowing.
As Daniel watched, the water flame coalesced in a puddle that began to slide down the cover. Panicked, Daniel tried to counter the sliding by tilting the book the other way, but in his haste he tipped the book too far. To Daniel’s dismay the water swiftly slid off the book, and puddled onto his jeans before he could stop it.
28
“No, no, no,” Daniel whispered fiercely. Nobody warned him that the symbol might just melt right off the cover. Fortunately, the now liquid flame didn’t soak into his jeans; it beaded up and settled in a crease of the fabric.
He stared at it in disbelief. His mother’s spell book! What was he going to do? For the second time this morning, panic welled up in his chest. Frozen in fear, Daniel remained completely still. He was afraid if he moved the liquid would slip off his lap and disappear.
He opened his mouth to yell for his parents when he heard another familiar voice resonating within his mind. “I’ll be right there, Little One,” Pearl’s soothing voice echoed in his head.
Daniel took a deep breath, and tried to remain calm. Help was on the way. Although he remained absolutely motionless, the liquid appeared to shimmer and dance on his jeans. He watched in amazement. He had seen images jump off of spell books before, but nothing like this. It was surprising enough to discover that the candle’s blue flame was actually water impersonating fire, but to have it slide off the book and into his lap was shocking to say the least.
The shimmering water was mesmerizing, and Daniel resisted the urge to touch it. It wasn’t long though before the temptation was too much. Holding his breath to keep a steady hand, he gently prodded the liquid with his forefinger. It was warm and had a thick skin that wasn’t easily penetrated. Undeterred Daniel tried again; pushing even harder. Still, he couldn’t get through the thick outer layer of this peculiar opaque liquid. However, when he pulled his finger back, the liquid clung to it, every drop of it. It covered his fingertip and the overflow hung off in a large dangling drop before slowly pulling up and rejoining the rest; almost like it was magnetized.
Enthralled by the bizarre behavior of this strange liquid, Daniel almost didn’t notice when Pearl appeared above the trees. Nevertheless, he was aware of her presence on some unconscious level, and he could sense her before his other senses caught up. He tore his eyes away from this strange phenomenon just as Pearl swooped down from the treetops. She landed on the stone wall in front of him with a small clink of metal against stone. She tilted her small metallic head to one side and eyes him curiously. “What’s wrong?” she inquired.
Daniel raised his finger, but to his astonishment it was now bare. He sputtered incoherently before turning his attention back to the spell book. The liquid flame was back atop the melting candle and everything was still.
“The flame...the water…” Daniel trailed off.
“The book responded to you,” Pearl nodded agreeably. “You have experienced it before, why are you surprised?”
“This was different. It slid right off the cover!”
Pearl eyed the book, and then turned her eyes back up to Daniel. “It is back now. What are you waiting for? Open the book,” she chided.
Daniel bit back a biting retort to her blasé manner. Instead, he carefully opened the book. As he suspected, the text was written in Latin. There were symbols that looked more like crude drawings on almost every page, but he couldn’t understand any of the writing. He thought his mother said that there would be some notes in English.
Frustrated but not dissuaded, Daniel kept leafing through the pages. His mother did say that magic was mostly about feeling and that he should feel out the book and identify something that spoke to him. The symbols gave him a rough idea about what kind of spell he was looking at.
Some of the symbols were obvious, like the lightning bolt, which intrigued him immediately. He skimmed the text hoping that something might look familiar from his brief experience with his grandfather’s spell book, but no such luck.
Daniel really wanted to be able to manipulate the weather like his father, but the longer he looked at that page, the more alien the words looked. Sighing, he looked up from the book and met Pearl’s shiny metal eyes. She nodded encouragingly and pushed her snout against the corner of the pages urging him to keep looking.
After the lightning, was some kind of spell for fire. Centered at the bottom of the page, was a ball of flame. He couldn’t say why exactly, but the symbol fascinated him. He had never been what he would consider a pyro; never really played with fire before, but now he desperately wanted to.
The fireball symbol consisted of blood red and burnt orange wavy lines that curled in upon themselves and rose from the northern most portion like forked tongues testing the air. This symbol spoke to him; it stirred something inside him.
Bit by bit, the waving lines began to twist and turn. The skinny lines of flames began to fill out until it really was a ball of flames. Burning brightly, the ball of fire seemed to jump right off the page. Not only did it look real now, but Daniel could swear he smelled smoke.
The flames rose; reaching out and wrapping around the lowest line of text. As mesmerizing and amazing as the writhing flame was, Daniel’s eyes flicked to the text in anticipation. The words were still unreadable, but something told Daniel to look harder. He flicked his eyes along the words, but nothing stood out to him. Determined, he stared at the words until his eyes began to water and his vision became blurry. He blinked the tears away and rubbed his eyes. When his vision finally cleared, the words were no longer Latin, and Daniel could understand every word.
29
Daniel couldn’t believe his eyes. He watched as the ink appeared to sink into the paper and slowly reappeared completely rearranged. The entire spell changed into English right before his eyes.
“I can read it,” he told Pearl.
“Do not read it aloud,” she warned.
“Why not?”
“Because that will invoke the spell, and you should wait for your parents.”
“What’s the fun in that?” he asked mischievously.
“Well, unless you think catching on fire is fun, I would wait.” She said it in an offhand, almost casual way while she seemingly preened her metal wings. At that, Daniel scoffed. He also wanted to tell her that he didn’t think that metal wings needed grooming, but because of the steely tone of her voice he kept his mouth shut.
Still, when he turned back to the book, he opted to silently scan the words. Most of the spell was a description; adjectives about flames and fire’s power. The words had a unique rhythm, but no rhyme. It spoke of fire like it was a living thing; something to be feared and respected, not played with. The spell finished with a very obvious summoning of fire, and the words sent a chill through him, followed by feverish warmth.
Daniel’s eye was drawn back to the fire ball at the bottom of the page. A bit of flame flickered queerly and leapt off the page, landing on the back of his hand. In panic, he dropped the book and was about to use his other hand to brush it away when he realized that it didn’t hurt. The dancing flame didn’t burn; in fact it didn’t even feel hot. It was more of a tingly warm sensation, ant not at all unpleasant.
Daniel glanced at Pearl. She had her head tilted to the side like a curious bird as she inched closer to the rogue flame. Her beak like snout appeared to sniff at it, and Daniel wondered if she could actually smell anything in her metal shell. Apparently, she decided to test the flame further, and she pressed in close to the fiery glow.
The glow spread to her nose, which reflected its warm colors. Abruptly, she snapped back like she had been bitten, and Daniel could see that she wasn’t just reflecting the flame; her metal was absorbing the heat. Her snout was glowing hotly, and she shook her head back and forth in agitation.
A rumbling growl reverberated in Daniel’s head, taking him by surprise and alarming him simultaneously. He was used to Pearl’s voice, but he had yet to hear her growl. It was a little bit terrifying, but more than that, Daniel was concerned for her. A biting pain washed through him abruptly and was over just as quick. The tiny flame on his hand flared up in a brief blinding light before it was quickly extinguished.
“Are you alright?” he asked in concern.
“Fine,” she growled, her anger still piqued. “It is hot,” she mused. “Not for you, apparently,” she added giving him an unreadable look with her metal eyes.
“Did it burn you? I mean, can you…feel pain?” he asked gently. He didn’t want to offend her, but he was far too curious not to ask.
“In a way,” she answered slowly. “I recognized the pain in the same way I might sense danger, but the senses of this tin can are subdued at best,” she sniffed. “It may be that I am just used to the heightened senses of a dragon, but I am guessing that these senses are more…superficial than anything.”
“It didn’t burn me,” Daniel noted in awe. Examining his hand only told him what he already knew: the flame did not mar or burn him in anyway. In the heat of the moment, so to speak, the book had tumbled off his lap and into the flower beds of his mother’s garden.
Carefully, Daniel slipped off the garden wall, making sure he settled his feet in the dirt without trampling anything. Somehow, the book landed right side up, nestled amongst some kind of flowering shrub that grew along this side of the wall.
Reverently, Daniel scooped it up and reexamined the cover. The liquid blue flame was still resting atop the melting candle, but everything was still again. Frantically, Daniel flipped through the pages trying to locate the fire spell. He knew he found it when he saw the fire symbol at the bottom of the page, but now the flames were static. But, what was worse was the words were once again in Latin.
“Ugh,” Daniel groaned disappointedly. Pearl swooped down onto his shoulder to get a better look.
“What is it?”
“It’s in Latin, again!”
“You have to concentrate,” she explained in a slightly exasperated tone, like he should have realized that by now. “You have to feel the magic, and allow it to wash over you. If it is meant to be, the magic will come alive and the spell will present itself to you.”
30
“I still think you should wait for your parents,” Pearl warned.
“Why? The flames do not burn me,” Daniel countered happily.
“True.” She was silent a moment in quiet consideration. “Fire may be your Element, and therefore no real danger…to you. However, without proper control or training, you could still burn everything and everyone around you.”
“Woah,” A heavy feeling settled over Daniel. He glanced back at his family’s home, and fiery images flashed unbidden before his eyes. He closed his eyes, but the fire was still there. Turning away, he shook his head back and forth and managed to banish the images of consuming fire. Guilt and trepidation washed through him in bilious waves.
Something that Pearl said echoed in his mind. “What do you mean my Element?”
“Some of the more powerful witches and wizards have an unusual affinity to control certain Elements. Your mother’s Element is Earth, your father and grandmother have the ability to control the Elements of Air. After the way you picked up on levitating so quickly yesterday I assumed your Element was Air, but there is no other explanation for why the fire does not burn you.”
“Hmm,” Daniel murmured. A thought occurred to him. “Is it possible to have power over more than one Element?”
Pearl cocked her head to the side, but didn’t answer. Although her metal face couldn’t reveal what she was thinking, somehow her metallic eyes had a scrutinizing glare to them. Daniel had the very distinct feeling that she was sizing him up. He suddenly felt severely exposed.
Although he had a psychosomatic connection with the dragon spirit that had agreed to be his personal talisman, he was still trying to get a hang of it. Besides the telepathic abilities they shared with each other, the only things he knew for sure was what he experienced on his end; he knew feeling her emotions was part of the bargain. However, she seemed to be able to read him like a book. He wasn’t sure how she was able to do it, yet. Was she reading his mind this very moment?
“Possible, yes. Likely, no. However, given the circumstances and the strength of your newly emerging powers…perhaps there is a chance.” She moved a little closer, her metal claws clacking against the stone wall. She nudged the book toward him. “Look some more,” she encouraged.
Daniel flicked through the pages quickly, keeping a sharp eye out for anything that might catch his attention. When he passed the fire spell he had the uncontrollable urge to stop and gaze at the swirling fire symbol again. The fiery magic pulled him in, and he stared at the image longer than he intended.
The symbol came to life once more. It climbed up the page; licking its way along the words that melted into English for Daniel yet again. A sizzling tingle spread through Daniel, and he relished in the feeling. But, the image of Pearl’s superheated snout flashed across his vision, and he quickly tore his eyes away.
“Well done, Little One,” Pearl’s voice sounded soft but proud in his mind. “Magic is like an alluring drug. The rush one gets is extremely addicting. Self-control is the toughest lesson to learn.” A sense of pride rushed through Daniel and he couldn’t tell if it was his own or Pearl’s, but he enjoyed it either way.
He quickly flipped the page, and continued through the book. Now, he was looking at pages that he hadn’t previously seen so he slowed down giving each page more than a cursory glance. Without warning, a gust of wind rushed across the yard and blew through the pages before Daniel could stop them.
The strange wind was there and gone in an instant. The gentle breeze that had cooled the morning sun was all that remained. Daniel looked around to see if he could identify the cause for this unnatural wind, but except for him and Pearl, the yard was empty and everything was calm.
Daniel turned his attention back to the spell book, and was not entirely surprised when the symbol at the bottom of the exposed page was an angry looking cloud shooting out rows of straight lines that could only signify wind.
The cloud symbol began to swirl and shift and the lines representing wind slowly crawled off the page. The summer breeze that had gently caressed him began to pick up again, whipping around the dark curls on his head. This time, the wind didn’t seem to affect the pages; they didn’t even flutter. However, when the lines representing wind picked up speed and spread across the text, the words of magic appeared to get shaken up and rearranged in English. A delighted grin spread across Daniel’s face as the words became legible to him.
“Fire and Air; two Elements that call to you,” Pearl mused. “I guess I should not be surprised by the potentials of your power. For a novice, you continue to impress me. Calling forth two elements as a beginner is impressive. Impressive, but also dangerous.”
“How so?” Daniel wanted to know.
“What fuels Fire better than Air?”
31
Daniel considered being smart by arguing that gas fuels fire better than air, but there wasn’t any point in being glib. Besides, the ominous foreboding rolling off Pearl was hard to ignore. It crept over him and clung to him mercilessly like a wet, heavy blanket. He took a deep breath to clear his mind and the air around him that seemed to have darkened considerably, even though the sun was still shining.
“Ok,” Daniel thought aloud, trying to think it through. “How about I just stick with Air, that seems harmless enough.” Pearl made a snorting sound that Daniel would have expected to hear from a horse. Although the sound was only in his head, she threw back her small metal head as if her metal frame was actually capable of making that sound.
“It is hardly harmless. Wind can be a very powerful thing Little One, and do not underestimate it!” She jumped on the open page commanding his full attention. “However, you are wise to stick with Air,” she continued, her voice softening. “It is the less deadly of the two. Plus, your Father and Grandmother can bolster your skill with their own knowledge.”
“Didn’t you breathe fire?” Daniel wanted to know. “I mean…when you were in your own body,” he finished awkwardly. Pearl seemed to have an unusual aversion to something that he assumed was a fundamental part of being a dragon. He had hoped she would be excited to help him work with fire. Albeit, with her being a spirit residing inside a metal dragon figurine he doubted that she could breathe fire anymore.
“Of course,” she retorted indignantly. Her sharp rebuke felt like a slap to Daniel, and he visibly recoiled from her. “Of course,” she repeated gently, her words like a whisper in his mind. “That is why I know how dangerous fire can be. I would hate for something bad to happen to you or your loved ones.”
“Alright then, let’s put Fire on the backburner right now,” he said with a smirk. He used a favorite expression of his mother’s and hoped the pun would amuse Pearl, or at the very least distract her from her thoughts of doom and gloom. He raised an eyebrow at her when she didn’t respond, trying to make a point with his facial expressions.
Still, she was silent for a moment; just staring up at him ominously. “Alright Little One, you are absolutely right; enough of that.” She hopped off the pages and back to the garden wall. She completed a tight one-eighty, made possible by the many ball joints connecting her metal pieces, and settled herself on her haunches facing Daniel.
“So…should I read it?” Daniel wasn’t sure why he was asking permission per se, but her demeanor was beginning to make him feel anxious. Was working spells really that dangerous? Usually his mother was as overprotective as it got, and right now Pearl was surpassing her reticence tenfold.
“Well, normally I would say go for it, but I get the feeling that you do not quite have a handle on the strength of your power yet. Perhaps you should stick to silent reading.”
His eyes flicked unbidden toward the first line, and he quickly scanned it before turning back to Pearl. “It looks like it is only a spell for wind, that doesn’t sound so bad.”
“Ever hear of a tornado,” Pearl countered.
“Aw, come on Pearl. I don’t think my mother would have given me free reign of this book if it was that dangerous.”
“I do not think that your mother realized you would be able to call up fire without practice, or so much as uttering a single word,” she pointed out.
“And, I put a stop to it just as easily,” he reasoned. As soon as he saw the fire was a problem for Pearl he extinguished it with only a thought. Pearl didn’t answer, but she nodded her head in concession.
Eagerly, Daniel allowed his eyes to return to the page. Slowly and silently, he read through the wind spell. By the time he had arrived at the last line he could already feel the light summer breeze picking up.
His dark curls were lifted and swayed back and forth erratically like the wind wasn’t sure which direction it was heading. A tingle of sparks coursed through Daniel’s blood, and he relished in the heady feeling of using his magic.
Daniel looked to Pearl, and although her eyes were only metal he thought he glimpsed a proud gleam on the surface of those black orbs. “Now, concentrate,” she instructed. “Control it.”
He finished the last line in excitement, and felt a release that left him feeling giddy. The wind picked up heading in a northwesterly direction, and pulled his hair and clothes with it. Only this time, the pages of the book were unaffected. Somehow, the wind didn’t seem to touch the compilation of pages in his lap. Undisturbed by this anomaly, Daniel closed his eyes savoring the electric feeling of the magic coursing through him and out into the world. The wind buffered his skin and collided with the heat of his magic, resulting in delightful goose bumps.
Daniel sensed Pearl’s movement before he heard it. When he opened his eyes, she opened her wings wide, and Daniel instinctively knew what she wanted. He called up more wind and directed it under her outstretched wings. The sudden gust picked up her tiny metal frame and whisked her high into the sky.
Pearl never once flapped her wings, she simply glided blissfully. “Well done, Little One,” she sent to him from high above. Daniel beamed and sent her higher. When she was nothing more than a dark smudge against the vast blue sky, Daniel drew the wind back and down causing her to turn and dip slowly back toward the earth.
Butterflies fluttered up in Daniel’s stomach like he had just taken the sudden dive in the air with Pearl. His heart pounded in sudden realization. She was sharing this experience with him, but in his exhilaration the wind picked up throwing Pearl backward slightly.
Daniel winced at her shock, and scolded himself for losing control. Quickly, he closed his eyes and slowed his breath, effectively calming the rough wind and his wild heart. With his eyes closed he could feel the wind current high above his head and the way it affected the small metal dragon.
He experimented with rising and dipping her in a weightless crescendo. Pearl enjoyed it immensely, but Daniel reveled in it. Amidst his magic euphoria and the bliss of sharing the flight with his personal talisman something was tugging at the back of his mind causing his concentration to waver. He tried to put it out of his mind and concentrate on the task at hand, but it was insistent and he knew better than to ignore it.
Daniel brought Pearl down in a steep dive causing his heart to leap into his throat, and a small cry of excitement tore past that. When Pearl was close enough to see clearly, he plateaued and slowed her decent he used the wind to hold her aloft the garden wall he was sitting on before lightly bringing her down to the stone. Pearl spread her wings and gave him a graceful bow, but Daniel’s attention was elsewhere.
Daniel shifted his weight and craned his neck to peer around the stone abutment he had been leaning on. His entire family was making their way over to him, and they seemed to be in a mad hurry.
32
“Are you ok?” his mother called, concern clearly etched on her beautiful face as she quickly closed the gap between her and her son. Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed Daniel by the shoulders and looked him over anxiously. She had flat out sprinted across the yard and had reached the garden first, but her husband was close on her heels. Daniel’s grandmother glided along gracefully behind them, her elevated feet just barely skimming the tips of the grass.
“Juniper, I told you: everything’s fine,” Daniel’s father said breathlessly in thinly veiled exasperation.
“Really,” she stated rather than asked, giving her husband a cool look. Her tension was palpable. The damp summer air ceased its gentle blowing and turned dry and chilly like a crisp autumn morning. Daniel felt a brittle crackling on his skin like static causing the tiny hairs on his arms to rise and stand at attention.
“Our ten year old son is performing powerful magic without supervision or proper training, and you say everything is fine?!” She turned her piercing gaze to Daniel, but her eyes quickly softened. “Are you alright Daniel?”
“I’m perfectly fine,” Daniel asserted giving his mother a sheepish grin. He always thought that his parents were overprotective, but he had never seen his mother lose her cool like this before. Juniper closed her eyes, and took a deep breath slowly releasing the tension in the air. The humidity returned in a warm wave melting the frosty feeling of her fear in the air.
“I can say one hundred percent that Daniel had everything under control. Besides, he wasn’t completely unsupervised; Pearl was here. I am positive that he was quite safe. Wouldn’t you agree Pearl?”
“I would,” her metallic head catching the light as she nodded her affirmation. She paused briefly before continuing, “Although it is my understanding that Daniel should be too young and inexperienced to handle this kind of power, he appears to be quite capable.”
“I told you it was only a simple wind spell,” Daniel’s grandmother interjected. “Dez and I could tell everything was under control.”
“Really, how could you tell?” Daniel wanted to know.
“Air is our Element. We have a special…knack for magic drawn from the Air. Just like your mother is a very powerful Earth Witch and has a great deal of power over magic from the Earth,” his father explained, gently rubbing his wife’s shoulder.
“I felt the release of powerful magic and…” she trailed off. She reached over to Daniel and gave him a quick hug. “I worry is all. You were only supposed to read the spell book. I didn’t imagine that you would be performing spells on your own so soon.”
“Clearly Daniel is...” Dez turned to smile at his son, “gifted. All he needs is guidance”. He slid his arm around his wife and gave her a reassuring squeeze. “No time like the present. Daniel, why don’t you show me what you can do, and then maybe I can teach you a few tricks of the trade.”
Dez showed Daniel how to use the wind spell to refine his self-control; not only releasing the magic, but also reigning it back in and directing it. While his grandmother and mother watched, for a time, they didn’t interrupt. Pearl was more than happy to be the guinea pig that tested the air currents.
After an hour of practice, Daniel was exhausted, and ravenous. Although his father took it upon himself to instruct, his mother kept close. Daniel wasn’t sure when, but his grandmother had disappeared sometime during the lesson.
When the three of them returned to the house, Loma had lunch ready and waiting on the kitchen table. Daniel devoured his lunch, and his grandmother quickly supplied seconds without a word. Once he had finally satiated himself, Daniel felt weariness creep over him like a warm blanket, and he struggled to keep his heavy eyelids from shutting out the exciting world of his newfound magic.
“I think you need a break,” his mother said taking his plate away. “Why don’t you go upstairs and lay down for a while.”
Daniel didn’t argue even though what he really wanted was to continue practicing magic, he was in no state to deny that he was practically asleep in his chair. He trudged upstairs and did a belly flop onto his bed. Daniel was asleep before Pearl even took up her perch on his bookshelf.
Daniel dreamed he was soaring through the air, and breathing fire like a dragon. It was the most vivid dream he had ever had. It was so much more than what Pearl had shared with him of her own experience. It wasn’t a shared experience, Daniel was the dragon. His five senses were sharp and attuned to his every need. He could feel and identify every part of his sinewy body like they were old friends: the strength of every muscle that exerted themselves for flight, the fiery warmth from somewhere within his scaly body that just begged to break free in a stream of red hot fire, even his spiked tail lazily whipping back and forth as it followed him through the air like a ribbon, all felt like they were his own.
The immense pleasure he felt from soaring freely through the air was only surpassed by the adrenaline rush he experienced by creating fire on demand. He sliced through the air gleefully issuing out bursts of flames that left him feeling giddy. However elated he felt by this experience, something nagged at him, destroying the delight of his dreams.
Daniel felt like he was being watched; pursued even. Agitated, he circled around and flew low looking for someone or something. Bit by bit, he began to slow down like he was moving underwater instead of free air. So, he flapped harder; struggling to keep afloat. But, no matter what he did, he could feel gravity sucking at him, pulling him down to the confines of solid ground. Swiftly picking up speed as he fell, Daniel braced himself for the inevitable crash back to earth.
He woke up abruptly before he hit dirt. Sitting up sharply and panting hard, he looked around the room. Somehow, he knew instinctively and immediately that he was not alone.
His first thought was Pearl. Of course he was not alone. Having a personal talisman always nearby was taken some getting used to. He looked up to locate her, but she wasn’t on the bookshelf anymore.
Panic crept up his stomach, to his chest, and lodged itself uncomfortably in his throat. Frantically, Daniel scanned the room. His anxiety was short lived because he found her rather quickly. She was beside him on his nightstand. However, she was not alone.
33
A tiny familiar face stood beside Pearl’s miniature metal frame. They were both completely still, and if Daniel didn’t know any better he probably would have thought they were inanimate objects; toys and nothing more.
The furry, little house brownie, complete in vest and trousers, was leaning towards Pearl’s ebony dragon head like he was in middle of telling her a secret, but his mouth wasn’t moving. Instead, he was peering over at Daniel from the corner of his warm brown eyes, the bushy, dark fur that made up his eyebrows were raised as if to question Daniel’s interruption with his abrupt awakening. Because of Pearl’s solid black metal eyes, Daniel had no way of knowing what she was looking at exactly, but he could sense her surprise. Daniel looked back and forth at them until he realized neither was going to offer up any information on their own.
“Hello Quip,” Daniel began with a slight nod, mindful not to forget proper etiquette. Quip had a quick temper. He always expected good manners, and never dispensed with the niceties.
Quip turned to address Daniel. He straightened himself, righted his vest, and bowed slightly. “Afternoon, young master,” he drawled in a way that was somehow seemed both respectful and condescending. “I trust you had a…refreshing nap,” he said smugly as if he already knew what Daniel was dreaming about.
“Uh, yeah,” Daniel mumbled rubbing his eyes. He pushed black curls back from his face trying to collect his thoughts after such an intense dream.
“You forgot to meet me,” Quip said, followed by a tsk tsk. The silver fur that covered his body bristled slightly before settling back down into its normal soft sheen.
“Huh?” was all Daniel could manage. With all the excitement he had forgotten Quip’s request to meet with him after his lesson.
“The library; I asked you to meet me in the library so we could discuss this little goblin problem of yours,” Quip clarified impatiently tapping the tiny claws on his feet against the wood of Daniel’s nightstand.
“Right, I’m sorry Quip. I was exhausted,” Daniel yawned.
“I understand,” Quip said shortly. He ran two fingers on his mouse-like hands along his whiskers. “Magic does indeed take its toll. That being said, I would like to offer you a little something to protect that magic.”
“Protect it how?”
“From the goblins of course,” Quip answered with a wave of his tiny clawed hand. “Try to keep up Daniel. You know the goblins have been watching you, and that they covet magic that they do not possess. Therefore, you should take extra care in protecting yours,” he paused and raised a bushy brow at Daniel, “Strong and untamed as it is.”
“Alright,” Daniel agreed wondering where this was going. He waited for Quip to go on, but he just stood there looking queerly at Daniel. He looked to Pearl but she seemed content to wait Quip out. “What do you suggest then?” he prodded.
Quip and Pearl shared a look before the little brownie reached behind him and pulled a ring from inside his vest. Great another ring, Daniel thought a little put off.
He wasn’t too keen on the idea of wearing jewelry in the first place, but when his father gave him a ring to store power he recognized the benefits of such an object and decided to go with it. But, this ring was different. It was dull and kind of ugly. As Quip held it out to him, Daniel noticed something else. This ring was not a complete circle; one end thinned out into a dull point and the other ended in a flat, thick triangle.
“Um, what kind of ring is that?” Daniel asked.
“A nail ring of course. Here try it on,” Quip demanded. Daniel reached out and allowed Quip to drop the strange looking ring into his palm. Daniel held it up between two fingers to get a better look at it.
It didn’t look like any nail he had ever seen. The entire nail had been flattened before being curled into a circle. The length of the nail was almost rectangular in shape, while the head of the nail was not the flat, circular topper he had seen on other nails; instead of ending immediately before the nail shaft, it slowly tapered off becoming the width of the nail.
“Um, why would wearing a nail help me with my goblin problem?”
“Iron,” Quip stated with another little wave of his hand, as if that explained everything. Still completely perplexed, Daniel raised his eyebrows and waited for Quip to expand on this information.
Quip leaned in and whispered, “Goblins abhor iron.”
“Huh?”
“Not very loquacious this afternoon, are we?”
“Quip!” Daniel scoffed. Although, he knew what loquacious meant because Quip had used that word before to tease Daniel, his patience was beginning to wear thin. He never could understand why Quip couldn’t just talk plainly to him.
“It will keep them away,” Quip said slowly with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. Daniel looked to Pearl and she nodded in confirmation.
“So, I can go into the forest, and they won’t bother me?”
“I never said that!” Quip’s answer was brusque and his fine fur stood on end again. Daniel could tell that now the house brownie’s limited patience was also wearing thin, so he bit his tongue and waited for Quip to continue. Clearing his throat, Quip patted his fur down and seemed to collect himself. “They will keep their distance from you. That is all I can promise,” Quip clarified.
Daniel slipped the ring on while he considered the implications of what Quip was telling him. If this would keep the goblins away from him, then wandering out in the forest to investigate on his own shouldn’t be a problem, should it??
34
Daniel’s afternoon was much less eventful. Since his mother insisted he keep up his studies even in the summer, he had to rush through the reading she had assigned him so he could get back to what he really wanted to be doing: practicing magic.
Before he left his room, Daniel shoved the nail ring into his pocket, he wasn’t sure he wanted his parents to know he now had his own way to keep the goblins at bay just in case he decided to test it on his own.
Although Daniel wanted to play with the fire spell, his mother stubbornly refused. So, his father suggested Daniel practice levitating while he manipulated the wind to lift him even higher. Levitating was already a thrilling activity, but with the wind buffeted him more than mere inches from the ground he could almost taste the exhilaration of flight. It was never more than a foot or two, but it was still exciting.
He had already learned how to glide while levitating, but riding the wind was altogether different. The wind lifted him up without his control and tossed him to and fro. At first, he felt inconsequential; like a fallen leaf that had no control over its trajectory. He was at the mercy of this supernatural wind. Then, determination welled up inside Daniel, and he refused to be thus. Instinctively, he threw out his arms to gain balance, while his father called out suggestions, like leaning into the wind. Feeling empowered only bolstered his ability, and soon he was riding the wind like a surfer would ride a wave.
Once Daniel felt comfortable controlling the levitation whilst riding the wind, his father proposed Daniel try employing the levitation spell and then calling up the wind on his own. This proved far more difficult, and he fell more than a few times. The level of concentration it required to carry out two different spells simultaneously was immense. Eventually, he succeeded in riding the wind a short distance before abruptly lowering himself to the ground.
Wore out and semi satisfied, Daniel plopped down in the grass. “I’m done for now,” he announced breathlessly. His mother kissed him on top of the head then moved over to her garden to pick some herbs for dinner. His father joined him; they stretched out their legs and leaned back on their hands, watching the sinking sun.
Pearl had disappeared over the trees at the start of practice. At first, when she had announced she was going to stretch her wings, Daniel wanted to object. He felt strange when she left him, hollow. Plus, he worried for her safety. She was no longer the fierce dragon she had been in life; her spirit was contained in nothing more than a tiny metal shell, and that made him nervous.
As he watched her small form shrinking above the tree line, his throat tightened uncomfortably. As soon as he called up his magic and that electric rush filled his body, Daniel could almost forget about his missing talisman, almost. The tension subsided considerably, but she was still in the back of his mind, periodically drawing his eyes to the trees. Now that Daniel was finished and weary, he sorely wished she had never left his side.
Still, sitting side by side in the soft grass with his father was extremely peaceful. The summer sun was dipping in the sky, but its warmth still permeated the air. Damp curls clung to Daniel’s neck and forehead. “It’s hot,” he noted, hoping his father would catch his drift.
His father appraised him with a sidelong glance before making a small sweeping motion with one hand. A cool breeze blew in gently tossing said curls and drying the skin underneath. “Lazy bum,” his father teased, bumping shoulders with his son playfully. Daniel curled up his nose at his father’s teasing, and Dez winked back.
The sun was morphing into that blood orange sphere that it becomes just before brushing the horizon, and Daniel knew he needed to find his grandmother soon. Before Daniel had left the house, he tried to locate her so that he could ask her what she had planned for sunset, but he had no luck. He wasn’t sure where on Earth she could be hiding, unless she had gone into the forest. That thought only piqued his curiosity further, and as the sun began its decent; Daniel began to feel impatient. What did his grandmother have planned for this secret rendezvous?
“Have you seen Grandma?” he turned to ask his father.
“Not recently, why?” his father asked, absently chewing on a piece of grass.
“She wants to see me at sunset.”
Dez turned toward his son. “Does she?” he asked his eyes twinkling. One corner of his lip twitched up into a smile. “Did she say why?”
“No, and I haven’t been able to find her either.”
“I’m sure she didn’t forget. Perhaps you should go inside and look for her,” he suggested with that same knowing smile.
Daniel caught his father’s tell, and could tell he knew something. “She told you what she’s planning?”
“No, she didn’t tell me, but I think I could guess.”
“What is it?” Daniel demanded excitedly.
“Oh no, I’m not going to be the one to spoil the surprise,” he stated with a grin. “Besides, your grandmother would kill me.” He stood up and brushed off his old blue jeans. Then, he reached down a hand to pull Daniel up.
“But, Pearl isn’t back yet,” Daniel objected. He couldn’t leave the yard until she had returned to him. Although their separation was much easier this time, he refused go inside without her.
Just thinking about how he had no idea where she was or if she was alright lodged an uncomfortable lump in his throat. Normally, he wasn’t an anxious kid, but something about that little metal dragon changed him. In a very short time, he had become attached to her; connected in a way that was beyond his understanding, yet.
He was beginning to worry needlessly when he felt her presence. It was a warm, consoling feeling; like a warm blanket. He knew it was her because it washed over him suddenly and didn’t coincide with what he was really feeling. Their bonding spell had remarkable side effects.
That’s when he heard her, in his head. “I am on my way Little One.” She was affectionate with him and protective; almost like he was her own little hatchling.
Daniel turned toward the trees, instinctively knowing exactly where she would appear. The warm glow of the setting sun glinted off her dark metallic shell in deep reds and purples. Her metal wings sliced through the air, but as she reached the yard she ceased flapping and held her wings aloft, expertly floating gently down to land at her favorite perch: Daniel’s shoulder.
A rush of relief flooded through Daniel and without thinking he reached up and rubbed Pearl’s snout. If she was surprised by this new gesture, she didn’t show it. She leaned into it. “I’m glad your back,” he thought. She didn’t answer, but Daniel could sense her contentment.
An exciting thought popped into Daniel’s head, and before he could stop his mind from going there the question had already formed in his thoughts. “Did you find the dragon eggs?”
“Who said I was looking,” Pearl said stubbornly. Ever since she had mentioned the possibility of dragon eggs Daniel had been trying to needle it out of her, but she refused to speak of it further.
Daniel turned back to his father who was watching them with some form of pleasure. He beamed at his father before he rushed back to the house.
His feet pounded up the porch stairs. Something told him to go in the front door, instead of the side. The screen door opened with small squeak, and what he saw didn’t look quite right.
35
The expansive entryway in the front room was the same, and yet it was not. Everything looked a bit hazy, like when the hot sun steams off the pavement creating a mirage of images. The banister that ran along the second floor looked swollen; the carved spindles looked like bloated figurines holding the inflated railing up. All the furniture in the room had been pushed to the side of the room, and it also had that hazy, swollen look to it.
The normally clean lines of the wooden stairs curving up the side wall now appeared soft and puffy. Daniel stood there for a minute, head cocked to the side, trying to decide what magic was at work here when his grandmother slid up to the edge of the very top stair. Looking down at him she called out, “Just in time! Come in, come in.”
When he stepped into the room, he almost lost his balance. The floor was squishy like a marshmallow, yet springy like a trampoline. Gingerly, he stepped out onto the floor, testing its stability. His feet sunk in a fraction, but he also bounced gently. He flung his arms out to steady himself and grabbed the doorway. His fingers sunk into the door jamb as if the once supportive wood was nothing more than soft, yielding foam.
Pearl jumped down from his shoulder, and softly landed on the floor next to him. She took a few tentative steps raising her legs up high between each step as if her feet were unsure if they were comfortable touching this unusual floor. Daniel watched in amusement, and stifled a giggle at the sight of her slow, jerky trotting.
His grandmother cleared her throat catching Daniel’s eye. She was holding a hand over her mouth trying to cover her amusement. Daniel jumped around the room exuberantly, while his grandmother glided down the stairs, her skirt dragging along the steps behind her while her feet never even touched a step.
“This is very cool,” Daniel cried as he bounced around.
“What, this?” she asked waving a hand around. “This is just the setup. Wait until you see what I’ve got in store for you.”
Daniel froze mid bounce, and landed on his butt. His grandmother grinned from ear to ear like the Cheshire cat, while Daniel bounced a couple times and then skidded to a stop. “What is it?” he asked peering over his shoulder at his grandma as she floated over.
“Drink this,” his grandmother demanded holding out a glass of purple liquid that trailed a wisp of smoke. Where she procured the glass from when she hadn’t been holding it before, Daniel didn’t know. But he was too curious about the drink’s contents to inquire of the drink’s origin.
Daniel steadied himself, and stood up to get a better look at the glass. There was something strange about the liquid, besides the ribbon of smoke curling from its surface. Leaning forward, Daniel peered at his grandmother’s offering. The liquid he mistook for purple was actually tiny individual layers of pink and blue swirling around each other but not mixing; like those oil and water science experiment he did with his parents.
“So what is it?”
“It’s a surprise,” she said stubbornly. The corners of her lip twitched into a small smile. “However, I will give you a hint,” she said with a twinkle in her green eyes. She reached into the folds of her skirt and pulled out a small white card. She handed it over to Daniel, and he flipped it over expecting some kind of riddle. His grandmother loved riddles. “Drink Me” was all it said. Daniel squinted his eyes and cocked his head at his grandmother in confusion.
“These look like directions, not a clue,” he complained.
“No, correction: they are both directions and a clue as to what is contained in this glass. If it helps I will give you a nudge in the right direction,” she tapped her fingers on her lips and looked thoughtful like she was searching for the perfect clue but all she said was, “Library.”
“Library,” Daniel murmured a little perplexed. He glanced down at the card and then over to Pearl. Pearl just shook her head. Daniel didn’t know if she didn’t know or if she just wanted him to work it out on his own.
Daniel thought about the library. What was in the library, book of course. So, his grandmother was alluding to one of the many books in the family library, but which book. Obviously, it had to be a book Daniel knew well or else the clue wouldn’t be a clue at all.
Daniel looked at the card again and noticed the card wasn’t a perfect rectangle. Two corners on one end were snipped off and there was a tiny hole in that end like a piece of string should be threaded through. A slow smile spread across Daniel’s face as understanding dawned on him. “The white rabbit,” he whispered. He grabbed the small glass of liquid and gulped it down.
36
Alternating flavors of sweet and bitter swirled around, colliding with his taste buds before washing down the back of his throat. The potion was bubbly, making it hard to drink quickly. A few of the bubbles exploded in small bursts, tickling Daniel’s nose.
“So, you figured out what the potion does?” his grandmother wanted to know.
“I think so,” Daniel answered, while trying to burp quietly. “Alice in Wonderland,” he smiled coyly. The tingling spread through his chest making him feel full, yet somehow light.
“You are a clever boy,” his grandmother beamed.
“Well it is one of my favorite books, so actually you made it kind of easy with the library clue.” Daniel beamed back at his grandma. Of course, she knew it was one of his favorite books; it was one they both loved. She had read it to him many times before, and even after he learned how to read on his own.
Now, the tingling spread to the tips of his fingers, then began creeping down his legs, and quickly flooded to his toes. It felt like his insides were bubbling up, his molecules vibrating around and crashing into each other; almost like he was a bottle of soda that someone had shook up and he was about to burst.
“Well, I do not know what the two of you are talking about,” Pearl interrupted.
“Alice in Wonderland is one of my, our, favorite books,” Loma explained to Pearl, brushing a silver strand of hair from her face and a smiling in Daniel’s direction. “In the book, Alice drinks a magic potion that makes her small.”
“How small?” Pearl wanted to know, her metals wings twitching slightly.
Loma slipped the vial from Daniel’s hand and dropped it into a large pocket on one side of her pinched skirt. “Well…I’m still not sure the exact diameters that will occur from this particular brew, but from previous experience, I should think small enough,” she concluded with a knowing look directed at Pearl.
“Small enough for what?” Daniel demanded excitedly, looking between his grandmother and Pearl. His miniature dragon talisman shared a look with his grandmother. Somehow, Daniel could tell that something passed between the two of them, even though Pearl’s metal eyes were flat black.
Loma tapped her toe, or rather bounced it, on the marshmallow like floor. “Now why would I jellify the entire room?” she asked, looking around thoughtfully. Then, she turned her gaze to Daniel, waiting for an answer. When Daniel hesitated, she cleared her throat and jerked her head towards Pearl, who was again tip-toeing around the springy floor.
“Small enough to ride,” Daniel practically squeaked in excitement. Adrenaline raced through his body; cutting a course through his blood quickly transforming the fizzy tingling sensation into a roaring buzz. Daniel’s skin began to feel hot and taut, and quickly became tight and uncomfortable. “It’s happening!” he cried.
He glanced at his grandmother, who nodded confidently.
The euphoria of his transformation ceased abruptly. Involuntarily, Daniel’s muscles contracted sharply. His body curled into itself, and he crouched down on the squishy floor with a crash and a bounce. The heat turned into a burn; like a rug burn over his entire body. The skin on his hands was so tight now he could no longer press his palms to the floor to steady his shaking body. Instead, his fingers curled up tightly, and his joints began to ache, everywhere; experiencing pain in places of his body he never even knew even existed. The tautness of his skin became unbearable. Daniel opened his mouth to cry out, but nothing came out.
Anxious and sweating profusely, he tried to look up at his grandmother, but could no longer move his head. Panic seeped in; maybe something had gone wrong. He strained to get a look at her, looking for reassurance.
“Try to keep calm,” he heard her say, but it sounded far away and thin like she was calling from another room even though her hand gently brushed his black locks back from his face. Daniel could also feel Pearl nearby, she was concerned, but more than that, she was curious.
Attempting to breathe deeply, Daniel merely succeeded in taking a few shallow breaths. Doing his best to relax and focus the way his parents had shown him. He managed to squeeze his eyes shut, and forced his constricted lungs to swallow a few deep breaths.
Just when Daniel thought he might pop, the tension leaked out of his body like a deflating balloon. Mercifully, it was over.
Chapter 37
Learning to Fly
Blissfully happy that the terrible tension was over, Daniel slumped forward on the yielding surface, grateful it was no longer hardwood floor, while his over exerted muscles melted like a pat of butter. Completely overwhelmed by the ordeal, Daniel laid limply on the floor; too relieved and exhausted to move, let alone be concerned of the potion's potency.
A spark of excitement prodded at his consciousness; stirring him from his respite. The feeling was sharp and obtrusive, like a tac. On it's heels, a feeling of concern washed over him, easing the shock and soothing his raw nerves: Pearl. Even in his debilitated state, Daniel could feel Pearl's concern, just as he could hear her voice in his head.
"Are you alright?" she asked, creeping closer to his prone figure.
He peered up from behind the mop of curls hanging in his face, expecting to see his small dragon totem peering back up at him. Instead, Pearl towered over Daniel’s wilted figure. Understanding dawned on Daniel causing a brief halt in his heart's beating before it began pitter pattering erratically in excitement. Adrenaline crashed though his body, and when Daniel pushed up from the springy floor, he was practically vaulted into the air.
“It worked!” he whooped, but his yell didn’t echo like it normally would in the two story entryway. His new tiny body didn’t have the air to produce much volume. Large entities towered over Daniel on his other side. His grandmother and mother were kneeling beside him. His mother had her hands out toward him; palms out and slightly turned into each other.
"Yes, it did," his mother exhaled forcefully. She sat back on her heels, silently appraising her newly shrunk boy. She sighed tensely and forced a smile that erased the worry wrinkle creasing her forehead. "You are ready."
Daniel tried to rush over to Pearl, but his newly lightweight body combined with the marshmallow floor launched him several inches into the air and threw him completely over the metal dragon. He tried to grab hold of her before he finished his accidental catapulting, but his fingers slipped along the metal uselessly. Recognizing the helplessness of his situation, Daniel considered a tuck and roll approach to his landing, but at the last moment went a different route. He stuck out his palms, spring boarded off the yielding floor, and flipped back to his feet.
“Bravo!” his grandmother cheered with a small chuckle. “You are definitely ready.”
“Climb on,” Pearl urged. “What are you waiting for?” she teased.
Doing his best to slow his movements so he could deftly navigate the distance between him and Pearl, did nothing to slow the pounding of his heart. Instead, the anticipation mixed with the forced restraint made his heart feel like it was trying to break its way out of his now tiny ribcage. This was what he had been dreaming of, flying with a dragon. Albeit, a very small, metal dragon, but a dragon nonetheless.
He scaled her black opalescent scales, swung a leg over the ridge of her back, and settled at the base of her neck. Feeling like he was on top of the world, pride spread through him like he had just successfully climbed to the top of Mt. Everest.
Daniel’s finger searched for something to hold onto, but was unsuccessful at finding anything substantial to grip amongst her smooth metal scales. He settled on wrapping his arms around her neck. Expecting cold metal, Daniel was surprised that Pearl’s metal shell emitted a gentle warmth that seeped into his chest and spread through him, calming him.
Juniper reached into her pocket and pulled out a small rubber band. “I brought this, in case,” she waved it encouragingly at Daniel.
“A rubber band,” Daniel said in confusion. “What for?” His mother pinched the rubber between the forefinger and thumb of each hand like a tiny reign.
Daniel shook his head. “No thanks, I’m good.” He squeezed Pearl’s neck, content to be this close to her. He could feel her contentment as well, but his bubbling excitement crowded out the calm that the surprising warmth of her scales emitted.
“You may want the rubber band,” Pearl’s voice entered Daniel’s mind in quiet concern. “I need full range of motion of my neck to fly as accurately as I can in this tin can. If I were in my true form, you could find purchase amongst my many spikes. Alas, this...metal form is slightly more...aerodynamic." Daniel wasn't sure what she was trying to say, or convince herself, but he didn't want to put her out.
Daniel loosened his grip. An apology rose to his lips, but instead he simply allowed the words to form in his mind effortlessly. Pearl nodded in acknowledgement. “It’s alright Little One. You cannot hurt me,” Daniel alone heard Pearl’s silent response.
“What really worries me," Pearl spoke out loud, wanting to include the ladies in their conversation, "Is the scales sliding back into place and pinching your skin.”
Daniel hadn’t thought of that, but he could see the logic of it now as she demonstrated by stretching her neck down and up. The sliding scales dislodged his grip momentarily and snagged his shirt as well.
Sighing, Daniel leaned back and tried to puzzle out where he could successfully hold on without the assistance of any outside help. He wasn’t sure why, but he didn’t want to need anything extra for flight. He wanted to fly free, just like in his dreams.
The shifting metal plates loosened his grip, but he adjusted and regripped. On the lower sides of her neck were slightly larger metal plates that provided less chance of a pinch. He dug in with his knees and hooked his feet underneath her metal belly. Pearl felt his adjustments and his new found confidence and reciprocated the feeling.
“He can do without. I will be gentle,” Pearl confirmed. “This time.”
Being this close to flight sent Daniel's body into flight mode. His heart began its persistent banging against his ribcage; demanding release.
“Let’s fly!” Daniel yelled in his now tiny voice.