Content suitable only for readers over 16 years of age.
Colin, a young wizard from the School of Shines, must stand between the world of Good and the Evil Goblin with his minions of Dark Robes. His friends are captured and he is lost, trying to get to them and to find his way back home. Can he do either before it's too late?
Also by Jack Sorenson on obooko:
Alana Weatherbee (Book 1)
Spooks and Magic
The Adventures of Anna of Waverly Manor
Excerpt:
Whirling at the noise behind me, I ducked behind the large oak. The wand blast sent bark and leaves spraying over my face. Blinking once, I ducked and returned fire, a streak of green light hitting the Dark Robe in the chest. Making sure he stayed down, I stepped out, my lungs heaving, my wand held straight.
This one who lay by my feet struggled to point his wand one more time at me. As I said my last spell, the light from my cast wand brightened the sky. My wand gave him freedom to go back to his black realm.
Though winded from this fight, I had no choice but to run through the night while more Dark Robes followed me. I surprised them and stood my ground, sensing them around me. Spell after spell blasted through my wand, and the Dark Robes burst into flame or fell mortally wounded, or disintegrated into the ether.
Victorious, I moved on, alone. I had come so far; I refused to give up. My meager attempts at fighting back the Dark and Evil were the best I could do for a young Wizard fresh from the School of Shines Witchcraft and Wizardry.
In a few months, my friends and I would have graduated. We learned the school pledge to say on that special day, but we couldn't. We took a murderous new pledge to fight this evil to the last one of us.
The wizard world couldn't sleep because the Dark and Evil grew strong. It swept the land and the people. Temptation to join the Dark and Evil came over one quickly for it was a powerful spell.
I needed to find shelter on this cold night, and take time to reflect and rest. Finding an old run down shack outside of Miracles Meadows, I sat by the warm glow of the fireplace. Night had fallen and I made this home. It became my only warmth and light, for the cold entered my body. Great wizards and their families must have lived here before the dark came. This part of the meadows was a good place to raise a family.
Writing a few lines on parchment, I imagined Eibhlin sneaking out at night to walk alone in the forest, calling with the Summoning Forward spell. She'd call to the wind until the parchment floated gracefully through the trees and tall grass to her open hand.
I heard the far away whistle of the northbound train blow through the open boards of this old shack. It was a godsend to hear. The loneliness grew long if one couldn't sleep. To sit by the open fire and think also brought comfort. Through the cracks in the roof planks, I marveled at the purple sky, so bright on this night. Breathtaking, I thought to my lonely self and recalled happier times in my life. I started to doze off from the warm glow of the fire, almost dropping the quill that Eibhlin gave to me, when I heard footsteps on the porch. The creaking boards told me someone was out there.
I jumped out of this old chair and looked for my wand. It sat on the table next to a can of cold beans and a pile of dried gooseberries, my supper. When a spark of ember flew through the air, I grabbed my wand and felt the sorcerer's power. With it in my hand, I felt braver now.
Standing along the window, I peered out into the dark. Another squeak sounded on the front porch. I stepped heel to toe to ensure I made not a sound. Looking out the broken window, I felt the wind's chill on my face and chest. Hoping to see who or what caused the noise, I only saw a firefly buzzing back and forth by the ripped screen.
The front door behind me blew open. A sorcerer's blast lit up the room, a major black wand blast from someone unknown, and hit my empty chair. I flipped onto the floor and rolled to the opening where the door blew apart. The flash of the flares and sparks went silently past my face. I felt I was deaf for I only saw the flash.
Running to the open door, I discovered Mr. Gustavo from the store where I bought my can of beans earlier this evening. Why, I thought, why would he of all people want to harm me, unless the Dark and Evil lay inside him, too?
I yelled, "Wait!" before I pointed my wand and cast a blast spell I knew all to well. "Lumpiness" and "mento" went straight at him through a trunk of a large tree he hid behind.
My cast laid a blow into his chest and landed him on his back. I ran up to him and looked at his wand -- black, the same as all the others. I left him lying there till the others found him. My casting was only to disarm him. If not for the tree trunk in the way, he would lay fifty feet back.
I went inside the shack. In my anger at what just happened, sweat dripped off my forehead. My chest took a huge breath to steady my hand. I wrote a letter to Eibhlin.
Eibhlin,
I hope this finds you and everyone at the school well. You, especially, are constantly in my thoughts. I have nothing new to say except the attacks are becoming more frequent. I've heard nothing of the others and hope they've made it back to you.
I cannot trust anyone in this part of the forest. After tonight, the rest of the goblins and men will know where to look for me. I must move on.
Yours,
Colin
I gathered up my bag and remaining pieces of parchments and the quill. I threw the brown leather knapsack over my shoulder as I done a thousand of times at school. I'd carried it all these years while I went carefree to school. I came across the glob flopping around on the bottom of that bag, a reminder of my friend, a gift Tom gave to me our second year at Christmas. I thought as I walked into the cold night, of how it all came to be all those long months ago.