Wizard in the Woods Read online

  Mikal felt Pravara’s irritation.

  We suspect the dragons might have been bewitched.

  “We suspect the dragons might have become bewitched,” Mikal told the two of them.

  “Really?” Delythia exclaimed, holding a hand over her heart. “Who would want to bewitch a dragon? Why would they want to? Large, cumbersome creatures, if you ask me.”

  I wasn’t.

  “I wasn’t,” Mikal immediately repeated.

  Delythia blushed and dropped her gaze to the ground. “I’m terribly sorry, your highness. I’m just a peasant. You certainly don’t want, or need, to hear what I think of the matter.”

  “What’s the matter with you?” Lissa hissed quietly to him. “That was rude.”

  “That was my, uh, conscience,” Mikal whispered back. “It was guiding me on what to say.”

  “Oh.”

  Watch what you’re thinking. I said that last comment out loud when I shouldn’t have.

  My apologies. Ignorant humans annoy me.

  Let’s just get through this, okay?

  Very well.

  What now? I say we dispense with this façade and just ask her who else lives here.

  All in good time. Now, repeat after me. Is everyone safe? Was anyone injured in the fire?

  “Is everyone all right?” Mikal asked the two women. “Was anyone injured in the fire?

  “No, your highness. We are all safe.”

  Does anyone else live here besides the two of you?

  “You said ‘we’,” Mikal improvised. “Does anyone else live here?”

  “Just the two of us and my son,” Adyna answered.

  Where is the son now?

  “Where is the son now? Er, I mean, where is he now?”

  My apologies.

  Lissa gave him a concerned look.

  “Gareth? He’s outside somewhere. He spends most of his time outdoors lately.”

  “How old is he?” Mikal asked. “I do not recall seeing his age on the most recent census?”

  “My son is fifteen,” Adyna answered. “His information wasn’t reported to the last census? I’m sorry, your highness. I know I shouldn’t cast negative thoughts about any one person, but that wizard is something else.”

  Surprised, and intrigued, Mikal and Lissa edged closer to the two sisters.

  “Oh? Are you referring to Shardwyn?”

  “Aye.”

  “Would you care to tell me what your concerns are?”

  “Do you know how many times he has been out here to ask us more of his infernal questions? He wanted to know where my husband was, what our jhoruns were, what type of work we do, and so on. Ordinarily I don’t mind answering questions, especially when it’s for the wellbeing of the kingdom, but when you’ve been asked the same questions over and over on multiple occasions then it becomes troublesome.”

  “I am truly sorry,” Mikal told the two women. “I will speak with my father about that. If you will tell me what you told Shardwyn then I will make certain the information is properly recorded.”

  Pleased, Adyna and Delythia both nodded. Adyna opened the door even further and held out an arm in an open invitation to come in.

  “Won’t you please come in? Make yourself comfortable. Can I get you something to drink? We don’t have much here but I will give you what I can.”

  “A glass of water would be fine for us,” Mikal quickly told her.

  “For the two of you both?” Delythia asked, raising an eyebrow. “How interesting.”

  Mikal had lost count how many times it felt as though his face had become engulfed in fire. Something told him this latest occurrence wouldn’t be the last time for this particular day, either. A few moments passed before he felt he could look at his girlfriend.

  “One glass would be fine,” Lissa assured their hostesses. She glanced at Peanut, who had promptly settled down by their feet. The corgi’s eyes were wide open and her ears were pointing straight up, an indicator that she knew she was in a strange environment and wasn’t to let her guard down. “Perhaps a bowl of water for Peanut? I’m sure she’s probably thirsty, too.”

  “Of course, of course. You two wait here. I’ll be right back.”

  “Why do you ask about my nephew?” Delythia curiously asked as she settled down into one of four chairs scattered about the living room. “Has he done something wrong?”

  Mikal smiled as he realized he had just thought of a perfect cover story to conceal his attempts to get more information.

  “My father has started to entrust me with more responsibility. I have begun perusing the census reports. I researched this area when I found out I would be traveling here to begin my investigation. The census stated this house formerly had one resident but now has three. It also stated that your sister moved in not that long ago.”

  “How did you even know my nephew lived here if he wasn’t on the census?” Delythia asked somewhat suspiciously.

  Mikal pointed at the dinner table.

  “There’s a pair of boots over there. He may only be fifteen but those boots are way too large for either of you two. Therefore a third person must live here, and judging by the size of those boots, the owner isn’t quite an adult. There’s also a pair of drogo dice on the table.”

  Delythia turned to look at the small wooden dice on the nearby table. She picked them up and studied them.

  “What type of dice did you say these were?”

  “They’re a type of dice made specifically for a game called ‘drogo’. See the dragon head on the one and the sword on the other? It’s a game of chance. It requires the players to act out whatever action scenes the dice directs them to. Girls don’t generally play it.”

  “I’ve never heard of it,” Lissa confessed.

  “Nor have I,” Delythia added.

  “Gareth evidently has,” Mikal told them both.

  Delythia nodded her head. “Well, it’s true, your highness. All of it. Very impressive!”

  Most impressive, indeed.

  A smug smile appeared on Mikal’s face.

  Thanks!

  Lissa turned to look at him with an incredulous look on her face.

  “That is very impressive. How’d you do that?”

  “Ask me again later, okay?”

  Lissa nodded.

  Adyna returned with a large tumbler filled with cold water for Mikal and Lissa to share and then set a shallow wooden bowl down on the ground. She filled it with water from a pitcher and watched as Peanut sank her entire snout down into the water. She’d pull out a few inches to lap a couple of times then she’d shove her nose back into the water. Once the dog was certain her snout was good and wet, she returned to her position by Lissa’s feet, leaving a trail of water droplets the entire way.

  “She really likes her water,” Mikal tried to explain.

  Delythia and Adyna both laughed.

  Remain focused. What else can be learned about the boy?

  “What else can you tell us about Gareth? What happened to his father?”

  Adyna took a deep breath.

  “I knew you were going to ask about that. Shardwyn wouldn’t stop pestering me about it.”

  “I’m truly sorry,” Mikal gently told her. “Trust me, you’ll only have to answer once.”

  “I appreciate that. Gareth’s father disappeared two years ago. My son took his disappearance very hard. Gareth was already a quiet and shy boy. After his father vanished he became moody; depressed. Gareth wouldn’t eat. He stopped going outside to do what he loved most, which was exploring. It was very hard on the boy. Truth be told, it broke my heart.”

  “As I’m sure it was as equally hard on you,” Lissa softly added.

  Adyna nodded. “It was. But, that was in the past. As much as I miss my husband I have to realize that I have responsibilities here. I must raise and care for my son. That’s what takes precedence now.”

  “Did Gareth make friends easily?” Mikal asked after a moment or two of silence. He had waited to se
e if Pravara had any other questions but none were forthcoming.

  “No, he didn’t,” Adyna answered. “As I said, Gareth was a shy boy. He didn’t have many friends. In fact, the only friend I was ever aware of was someone whom I had never met.”

  Mikal gave Lissa a quizzical look. What did that mean?

  “I don’t suppose you could explain what you mean by that, could you?”

  Adyna shrugged. “I never knew his name. Gareth talked about him all the time, though. There was some type of friendly competition going on and he was always looking for ways to best him.”

  “Best him in what?” Mikal asked.

  “In whatever they were doing. He never really told me anything specific.”

  Mikal sat up straight as a thought occurred to him.

  “When was the last time Gareth talked to this friend?”

  “It has been a while. Over two years ago.”

  “That’s a long time to not speak to a friend, don’t you think?” Mikal asked Adyna.

  “They had a falling out. Something happened, which caused a fight. Gareth was angry. He refused to eat. He refused to talk to us.”

  “He retreated into his room and only barely came out,” his aunt added. “We were so worried about him. Adyna and Gareth came to live with me here in the hopes that a change of scenery might be what was needed.”

  “Was it?” Lissa asked. “Was he all right once he moved here?”

  Both Adyna and Delythia shook their heads.

  “No,” Adyna answered. “It took nearly a year and a half before Gareth showed some signs of returning to normal. He’s still moody, far moodier than he ever was, but at least he gets out of that infernal room and goes outside.”

  “Do you have any idea when he’ll be back?” Mikal asked, hoping his question didn’t sound as eager as he thought it did. “I’d really like to meet him.”

  “It’s hard to say,” his mother admitted. “Sometimes he’s home right after his lessons. Sometimes we don’t see him until his supper has gone stone cold on the table.”

  “He left here about two hours ago,” Delythia added. “I would imagine he shouldn’t be gone too much longer.”

  Mikal rose to his feet, prompting Lissa to do the same. In a quick blur of motion Peanut was on her feet, too.

  “Thank you for your time. You have been incredibly helpful.”

  “I can’t wait to tell my son that Kre’Mikal himself was asking about him.”

  Uh, oh.

  What is it?

  His mother plans on telling him we were here.

  That would be bad.

  You think? How do I get her to not say anything?

  Beg.

  Beg? Are you serious?

  Why not? It couldn’t hurt to try.

  My father is the king, Pravara. I cannot beg her to stay quiet.

  I’m a wyverian, not a human. How would I know what would make the human female refrain from telling her offspring about your visit?

  Great. Some help you are.

  “Listen, when is Gareth’s next birthday?”

  “Next month,” Adyna answered. “Why?”

  Thinking fast, Mikal smiled. “What do you say we surprise him and perhaps give him a personalized tour of the castle for his birthday? Do you think he’d like that?”

  “Why, that’d be wonderful!” Delythia exclaimed. “Gareth has talked about the castle before. I’m sure he’d love to see it up close! Thank you, your highness!”

  “We can’t tip him off,” Mikal warned, “so it’d be best to keep our visit today a secret, okay?”

  Both women vigorously nodded their heads.

  “Absolutely! We won’t say a word, will we, Del?”

  “My lips are sealed, Dinna. Oh, Gareth is going to be so surprised!”

  They bid the two women a fond farewell and headed back to the valley. Once the house had disappeared back into the forest Lissa turned to Mikal.

  “Do you still think Gareth is the one we’re looking for?”

  “Without a doubt.”

  “You said I should ask you later about how you deduced Gareth lived there. Well, how did you know?”

  “When I was living with Steve and Sarah on their world they introduced me to all kinds of things. Movies, television, games, and books. One of my favorite books they introduced me to featured a man called Sherlock Holmes. This character had many adventures. Everyone wanted his advice because he had an uncanny ability to notice trivial details that most people overlooked. I’ve always wished I possessed those kinds of observational skills. I know I’ll never be as good as that but I am trying to observe everything I can. I saw the boots. They wouldn’t fit either Adyna or Delythia. Then I saw the dice. It became clear to me that a third person lived there. More specifically, a young man.”

  Lissa clutched his arm tightly and beamed her approval at him.

  “I think I would like those stories.”

  “I’ll ask Steve and Sarah to bring the books the next time I see them.”

  Peanut began barking and pulling at her leash. She had caught a whiff of something that excited her and she was eager to go check it out.

  Pravara? Are you there?

  Always.

  Is Peanut barking at you?

  Aye. You are close to my location.

  She really wants to come see you. If I let go of the leash will you keep an eye on her? In case she has smelled something else?

  Of course.

  “Okay, Peanut. Do you think you’ve found Pravara? Go get her!”

  Those last three words electrified the corgi as nothing else would. She was practically bouncing in place and rearing up on her hind feet as she attempted to pull free of Mikal’s grasp. As soon as the leash dropped Peanut was off like an orange and white lightning bolt. Mikal and Lissa emerged from the perimeter of the forest in time to see Peanut running circles around Pravara’s enormous body. Pravara, in the meantime, quietly watched the small dog bounding joyfully through the thick grass.

  They heard a loud squawk come from somewhere close by. Peanut instantly changed course and bounded off, angling northwest. Pravara moved to step on the leash in an attempt to stop Peanut’s sprint across the ground but missed. Mikal started running after her.

  “Peanut! Stop! Off! Halt! Come back here you goofy furball! Wait!”

  Nearly a hundred feet away Peanut finally came to a stop. She turned to give them all a scolding look, as if to say it wasn’t her fault they were so slow.

  Mikal and Lissa were just passing by Pravara when everything changed. A huge flat green spear suddenly skyrocketed past his head and shot high up into the air. Shocked, Mikal glanced around. More of the huge flat spears were everywhere. What were they? They almost looked like grass, but on a monstrous scale. Did something happen to make the grass all simultaneously grow to enormous proportions? Mikal stared up at the distant tips of the flat green spears and saw that the nearby trees had also exploded with growth. The treetops were now so high up that Mikal thought they were tickling the undersides of the soft fluffy clouds he could see far above him.

  “What – what just happened?” Lissa’s shaky voice asked. She had fallen to the ground and was slowly rising to her feet. Her eyes were huge as she stared at the giant spear protruding from the ground right next to them.

  “It’s like all the plants have become enormous,” Mikal reported as he glanced around. His voice sounded muffled, as he would have expected it to be in such close proximity to these giant flat spears.

  Lissa stared at the huge flat blade and then up at the distant treetops.

  “They haven’t grown, Mikal. We’ve shrunk!”

  Chapter 4 – Corgi Capers

  Mikal stared at the surreal green forest that had seemingly sprouted up around him and Lissa. The spears were mere blades of grass? How tall were they now? Lissa, correctly guessing what Mikal was thinking, was ready with an answer.

  “Three inches. I would say we are now about three inches tall. Mikal, what are
we going to do?”

  “Why would he shrink us?” Mikal wondered out loud. “How could that possibly benefit him?”

  “How did he even know we were there?” Lissa asked as she continued to cast nervous glances in all directions.

  Mikal scowled. “I’d say he must have returned home. I’ll bet he was outside the window listening to every word we said. Do you remember? His mother told us Gareth had left a few hours ago and was due home soon.”

  “This is preposterous,” a new voice chimed in.

  Mikal and Lissa glanced over to see Pravara standing amongst the huge blades of grass. While still much larger than the two of them, Pravara could now barely see over the tips of the giant blades.

  “What are you worried about?” Mikal asked their wyverian companion. “You’re still huge.”

  “There has never been a wyverian as tiny as I am now,” Pravara grumped. “Look at me! I am now the same size as your canine companion.”

  Mikal paled. What had happened to Peanut? Had she been shrunk, too?

  “Peanut!” Mikal called out in as loud of a voice as he could muster. “Where are you, pretty girl? Come here! Come on, Peanut!”

  A loud bark pierced the air. Mikal and Lissa clapped their hands over their ears. A loud snuffling sound could now be heard. The ground trembled and the huge blades of grass began swaying.

  “You do realize we’re small enough to be stepped on, don’t you?” Lissa warned him.

  Mikal nodded. “I know. I going to assume Peanut is now looking for us. Steve told me once that dogs have much better ears than we do. She heard us but can’t find us.”

  Peanut yipped again. She was close.

  “We’re over here, Peanut!” Mikal called out. “Come on! Follow your nose!”

  A huge orange and white snout appeared, capped by a tremendous black nose. Peanut’s giant head pushed its way through the blades of grass and continued to hone in on their location.

  “Good girl, Peanut! You found us!”

  Peanut eyed the tiny figures and cocked her head at them. Mikal had to laugh. He knew what Peanut was thinking. They smelled like her humans and sounded like them but they didn’t look like the humans she was familiar with. Peanut whined as she edged closer to Mikal’s tiny outstretched hand. She licked it, but ended up knocking Mikal completely off his feet and covering him in a layer of doggy drool.