The Two Sisters: Book One - The Magic of Bleary Lake

By John Northern

Bleary Lake must use magic to overcome serial killers, drug dealers, and a madman intent on destroying the human race. In this fantasy novel, John Northern describes a form of magic that has been on the Earth since the beginning of mankind. It is magic which is found in the halls of the Brotherhood of the Crystal Bell, and fortunately for Bleary, this magic comes to her aid when she most needs it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: John Northern
• Release date: Jun 16, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301445806

John Northern

Doctor of Chiropractic

Book preview

The Two Sisters Book One

The Magic of Bleary Lake

Published by John Northern at Smashwords

Copyright 2013 by John Northern

All rights reserved

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 1

The Evil King

Cyndalac gasped in fear as he shrank from the vision coming from the Overmund Crystal. He jumped up from the old, wooden stool. He took two steps back knocking the stool over as he went. This can't be, he said to himself. Sweat began to form in beads upon his brow. He shook his head. He was shocked. He had had no forewarning of this event—nothing from the crystal in times past and nothing from his dreams. I must tell the king at once, he whimpered to himself. In the vision he had seen his own death—horrible and gruesome, but he knew that visions could be changed with proper action. He could take care of this problem if he could get the king's help. And then, as he noticed his hands shaking, it occurred to him that he had to get a grip on himself, after all, he was the most powerful magician in all the land. He heard a noise and jumped with fear. He looked over at the fireplace and realized it was just a piece of burning wood that had popped. He noticed that the fire in the fireplace was going out. The tongues of the flames were licking the air in shorter strokes. The dim light threw twisted shadows on the walls, which crawled along the stone bricks and disappeared into the crevices. It was a small room—a very small room used only by Cyndalac where he would have his visions. There were no windows, and for furniture there was only a wooden stool to sit upon and a wooden table to hold the Overmund Crystal. He had had many visions in this room that had helped King Henhenry defeat his enemies. And now again he had had a vision which foretold of certain doom if the king did not take deadly action to thwart it. And it had to be dealt with immediately—tonight would not be too soon

In his haste, without picking up the stool, Cyndalac turned and took three steps to the door, opened it, and exited the room turning to the right. He slammed the door as he went. Now he was angry. He would make sure this child never grew into her power. She had to be stopped, which meant she had to be dealt with in a murderous manner. It wouldn't be difficult—the vision had shown which village she lived in—one of the smaller villages forty miles to the southeast.

He hurried down the hallway swishing his black gowns as he went. Through the windows he could see the blackness which had set upon the land and further back, the mountains. The stars were covered by ominous clouds ready to deluge the land with floods of water. He didn't care—even if they had to travel through torrents of rain this deed had to be taken care of quickly. He walked faster. The flames in the gas lamps on the wall flickered as he hurried past them. It was late at night, almost too late to disturb the king, but this was important. He turned to the right, down another hallway, walked fifty paces, then, as the hallway kept going, he turned left and walked down a broad sweeping-flight of stairs. He stepped onto the main floor and made his way to the double doors. He burst into the throne room slamming the doors open as he entered. They hit the walls and made a loud, crashing sound echoing throughout the room. He yelled out, Bleary Lake must be killed.

The king was sitting at the head of the table talking to the queen, who was to his immediate left. His second in command, General Darnath, was sitting to his right and his five advisors were sitting at the other end of the table. He looked up at the magician and growled out, Now, what is your problem?

King Henhenry was a short man at five foot six. Before his father died, Henhenry was the perfect son, and the perfect gentleman. But when his father passed away and Henhenry became king of the land, it immediately became clear to the people that Henhenry was a madman. He began to show psychotic tendencies, and it was deemed that it was because of his short stature that he became uncaring about the people he ruled over. The signs of his actions made it obvious. Since his wife, the queen, was an inch taller than him, he had the king's thrown placed on a higher pedestal. And every chair she sat in had to be lower than his. Eventually, all the chairs that anyone sat in had to be lower than his. And finally, and as time passed there were many who attributed his shortness to the cruelty he dealt to the people he ruled over. Many times he has had servants and soldiers, even his higher officials, put to death for some minor infraction. He imposed high taxes on the people—so high that it was difficult for them eke out a living. Starvation, in the land, became a commonplace, until the people learned how to hide their money and their goods, and then it was still difficult to find enough food. King Henhenry was often going to war, and when he conquered another kingdom, he would show the ruling families and the higher officials no mercy. He would have all of them put to the axe. Over a short period of time, he became not only the most feared, but also the most hated man on the entire planet. Other kingdoms had placed bounties on his head—such large sums of money was offered for the death of King Henhenry that he was constantly on the watch for assassins. He doubled his guard, and the long, unused practice of having a food taster, became, once again, a routine for the king.

Cyndalac immediately noticed the king's tone of voice, which indicated that the king was in a bad mood, so Cyndalac would pay heed and be careful how he answered him. After all, in his anger, the king would have anyone beheaded on a whim. Cyndalac didn't have to worry about that—he was too great of an asset for the king, but the king could and would have him thrown in the dungeon for a week—he had done it before. So with a sound of urgency, but no anger in his voice, Cyndalac said, I have had a most disturbing vision, your highness. There is a five year old girl living in the village of Littleann—and she has the power of the mage. She will be the most powerful magician ever to walk the planet, and when she is old enough she will come upon this castle and overthrow you, me, and all your men. I have seen our deaths in the Overmund Crystal. She must be killed at once.

You're always over-dramatizing, said the king. But, just to make you happy, in the morning we will ride to this village to see if this vision of yours is real, or if it is just another one of your paranoid delusions.

One time, and only one time had Cyndalac misinterpreted a vision, but the king would never forget it, and he wouldn't let anyone else forget it either. Sure, some of the king's men were killed, but Cyndalac had more than made up for it. After all, he had helped defeat two enemy armies advancing upon the castle. And his visions had helped defeat the armies of two other kingdoms, which brought about Henhenry's rule over them. This is the real thing, stuttered Cyndalac in his hidden anger, and the sooner you make this problem disappear the better it will be for all of us. It must be done tonight.

The king thought for a moment, then asked, How will you recognize her? I don't want you slaughtering innocent children.

As if he would care, thought Cyndalac. I saw her face in the crystal.

Fine, said the king. He turned to his second in command. Roust out a patrol and go to Littleann. Take Cyndalac with you. Find the girl and bring her back to me.

Cyndalac knew that the king would not kill the girl in front of the parents, instead he would have her brought to the dungeon and have her throat cut in secret. Then he would issue a notice to the parents and to the citizens of Littleann that the girl had been killed in an accident, which no one would believe, but nevertheless no one would be able to do anything about it.

Cyndalac waited to be dismissed. He was anxious to get going. He watched the king, who turned to his queen and said something.

Cyndalac looked at the king's face and grimaced. The king's presence, even though he was short, was very intimidating, and it was amplified by the fact that he was, to say the least, not handsome. He had a large, bulbous nose and thick lips and large, yellow teeth. If he were to look upon a person, it would be as if a monstrous dog were about to attack. Cyndalac could never understand how the queen, who was a beautiful woman, could live with such a man. But, of course she wasn't given a choice. The marriage was prearranged for political reasons. She was the daughter of a king of a nearby country—Delarnia. The king did not want to be attacked, so he arranged for his daughter to marry King Henhenry. But after the marriage, Henhenry attacked anyway,—surprise, surprise. And he took over the country. What could the queen do? She pleaded with her husband not to kill her father, so Henhenry bestowed the title of 'Duke' on her father and had him continue to run the country—under Henhenry's directions, of course. And large sums of money, jewels, and food, gained mostly from high taxes, were sent to King Henhenry.

The king turned and waved the back of his hand at Cyndalac, indicating that the discussion was finished.

Cyndalac hated it when the king did that—as if Cyndalac were no more than a common peasant.

The king continued, Now if you will leave us—we are discussing more important matters, like how to develop trade routes through enemy territories. If you want to be useful, figure that out for us.

Cyndalac knew it was already figured out. The king would use it as a reason to attack another kingdom. As Cyndalac whirled around to leave, his gowns swished through the air. Those are your problems to deal with, not mine, he said, and he stomped out of the room. In his anger he didn't bother to close the doors. He was wondering why the king always treated him so poorly—it might have been that the king was jealous of Cyndalac because he was a powerful magician.

* * * * *

The young boy, who was seventeen years of age and slight of frame, was most surprised when Cyndalac had burst into the room and had started talking about Bleary Lake, but now the boy had heard enough, and it was time for him to leave. He knew he had to act quickly. It would take him at least a half an hour to get to the nearest village, and it wouldn't take Darnath much more than an hour to get the patrol ready to move out. Stealthily the boy started to stand up from a sitting position. His legs were a bit cramped from sitting so long as he listened to the king and his advisors. He stood up a little too stiffly and the heel of his shoe rubbed against the wall behind him. Immediately he stood in horror thinking that they might have heard him. He waited for at least a full minute dreading what they would do to him if they found him behind the curtain--torture and death for certain. But nothing happened. No one came for him. Finally he decided they didn't hear him. With great relief he realized that neither the king nor anyone else present in the room knew of the young boy who had been sitting behind the curtain, which was behind the throne—the magnificent, royal chairs adorned in gold that sat upon a dais. It must have been the curtain and the throne that muffled the sound enough that they hadn't heard him. He decided he wouldn't wait any longer. He heard what the magician had said about Bleary Lake, and he knew he had to get this information to the people of Littleann quickly. His fright of being discovered made him move more deliberately. He very carefully stretched his legs, and then he slid along the wall until he came to the secret door. He smiled a little bit. The king knew of this door, which was hidden behind the curtain, but he didn't know that anyone else knew. How foolish. Why wouldn't he suspect that when a maid was cleaning the curtains that she would discover it? Or maybe he did realize it, but didn't care, for he was, after all, the king, and he had the only key, which no one else had, and which no one else would dare to steal.

A maid had heard the king speaking to the queen one morning, and she had heard that it was the king's intent to use the secret passageway as their escape route if an enemy were storming his castle. But, of course, that would probably never happen—Cyndalac was too powerful and very efficient when it came to killing soldiers of an enemy army. And thus it was that the king had long since forgotten about the door. He didn't really need it, and because of that it became out of sight and out of mind, which was lucky for the villagers.

After the maid had discovered the secret door, and after she had heard the king speaking of it, she decided to act on this newly acquired information. She stole the key in the night and passed it on to a lock smith, who was waiting outside the secret door in the back of the castle. Several copies were made, and then the original key was returned to her before the morning. She returned the key to the desk in the king and queen's bedroom. She had to be very quiet, because if she had been caught, she would have been beheaded.

That was several years ago that the key had been copied, and many more copies were made, until most of the villages had one. And they used them to sneak into the castle at night when everyone was asleep. This particular night it was most fortunate that the boy had overheard the king and Cyndalac's plan of action. He quietly opened the door a minimal amount and slid silently through the crack. He was just as quiet when he shut the door. He picked up the key that was hidden on the floor in the dark. He put it in his pocket and started down the stairs. Because there was no light, which made the stairway pitch black, he had to run his fingertips along the brick wall as he hurried toward the bottom door.

Since the time of the copying of the key, the secret passageway had been used many times by the villagers to sneak into the castle and to steal things—mostly food. And since the king was an evil and greedy man, the villagers had no compunction when it came to stealing food or other things that they needed for survival. And quite frequently they would have someone sit behind the curtain in the throne room to listen to the plans being formulated by the king. The villagers, mostly, needed to know when the king was planning to send his tax collectors to a village. That way the villagers could hide many of their possessions before the tax collectors showed up.

The young boy, whose name was Jimijim, opened the door at the bottom of the castle, in the back tower. He exited and shut the door, then he used the key to lock it. He put the key in his pocket and started running through the dark shadows being cast by the moon shining through the clouds upon the castle and upon the surrounding countryside. He had to be careful he didn't trip. He had to hurry, and it was urgent that he stay at least a half an hour in front of the king's patrol. He had to make sure he did everything right. If he could get to Littleann in time, Bleary's parents would be able to hide her if they needed to before taking her to the gateway or taking her directly to—whatever they were planning to do to save her life.

He didn't see the large rock in time to go around it, so he attempted to jump over it, but his toe caught on the top of the rock and he went sprawling to the ground. He hit his knee and scraped off skin. He cried out. The pain was severe, and after a moment, as he lay there, he could feel that the wound was bleeding. Tears started to form in his eyes—not because of the pain, but because he was worried about Bleary Lake. He had to hurry. He ignored the pain and rose to his feet. He started limp/running down the mountain, but this time he ran slower and watched the immediate terrain more closely. After a few moments the pain wasn't so bad, and he once again had confidence that he could get to Littleann before Cyndalac.

He didn't live in Littleann, but he knew where it was located—because of Bleary Lake everyone knew where it was located. It was a long distance, at least forty miles. He knew he couldn't run the entire distance, but he had a plan—he would stop at the nearest village and borrow a horse. They were quite scarce, but most villages had at least one horse.

When he came off the mountain and onto the dirt road, he was limping less and running a little faster. Three miles from the castle he came to the first village. He ran to the blacksmith's house and pounded on the door. He waited and when no one came, he banged harder. He was certain that by now the patrol, with Cyndalac leading them, was riding through the castle gates. Finally, he saw a light in the window upstairs and a few minutes later a large, hairy man opened the door. Hello, Mac, said Jimijim. He was panting heavily and was barely able to form the words. He was tired and his knee hurt, but he didn't care. He had to get the message to Bleary's parents.

Whadaya want Jimijim. It's late and you woke me out of a deep sleep. And now my wife's going to be cranky from losing sleep.

Sir, I need to borrow a horse. I just heard the king—he's planning to go to Littleann tonight. He's going to kill Bleary Lake. And we have to hurry. I'm sure the king's patrol is not far behind me.

Jimijim knew Mac was still half asleep when he said, Bleary Lake, she's only five years old. Why would he want to kill her?

The wizard told the king that she's a threat to his life. Something about the girl being a mage.

Oh, yeah, responded Mac suddenly remembering what all the villagers knew. So, Cyndalac's magic finally warned him about Bleary Lake. We were wondering when that was going to happen. Just a minute. Mac shut the door, and a short time later he reemerged with a lantern. He was wearing his nightcap, a long, sleeping gown, and slippers. He stepped out of the house and shut the door. Follow me, he said. He walked quickly around the blacksmith's shop to the back. He opened the gate to the corral and grabbed the bit with the reigns attached. He walked up to one of the two horses, set the lantern down, and put the bit in the horse's mouth. He buckled it and handed the reins to Jimijim. Here, hold these while I saddle him.

Jimijim took the reins and held them. He was so anxious to get going that he was tapping the toes of both his feet. Finally, when Mac had the horse saddled, which seemed forever, Mac helped Jimijim into the saddle, at which time he adjusted the stirrups to fit the length of Jimijim's legs. When he was finished, he said, You probably already know this, but I'm going to tell you anyway. Don't gallop the horse. They can only go about a mile before they start to tire quickly. Trot him for several miles, then walk him for a mile, then trot him for several miles, then walk him for a mile. Keep doing this until you get to Littleann. This will keep you ahead of the patrol. I know their tactics. If they don't believe it's an emergency, they will walk their horses the entire distance.

Yes sir.

Okay, get going, said Mac. He walked over and held the gate open while Jimijim coxed the horse through the opening. He walked it to the road, turned right, and started the horse trotting down the lane. Jimijim didn't feel like himself. He didn't even turn and wave goodbye to Mac. He was feeling rushed and wished he could gallop the horse all the way to Littleann. He looked ahead in the dark and strained his eyes. He knew that the horse would see anything in the road, and besides no one ever left anything in the road, so why was he straining to see? He was feeling panicked, which he knew he shouldn't be. He tried to relax himself. He started thinking about Bleary Lake. She was an event that no one ever expected. It had never happened in the history of the Kingdom of Gilland, or the history of any kingdom. Wizards had to be trained by older wizards—how to cast spells, how to read the crystals, how to have prophetic dreams, and how to move objects with their minds, but Bleary was different. She was born with the power of the mage. When she was three years old she started telling her parents what the weather was going to be like the next day, and then she started telling them the whole week. They thought it was cute that their little girl could guess so accurately. But one day Bleary was in the front yard playing with her eight year old brother, Chadgorin, when a rogue lion came out of the forest. It was the same lion that had attacked children in other villages bordering the Gilden Mountains. It dragged the children into the forest, where it killed and ate them. It had evidently developed a taste for humans, and that day when it came to Littleann, it was looking for another child. Upon seeing Bleary and Chadgorin in the front yard, it started growling. Chadgorin looked toward the edge of the village, and seeing the lion he started screaming. Dawnalee came to the door to find out what was wrong with her young son, and it was then that she saw the lion. Several more women left their huts in time to see what was happening. And then the lion made its charge. It leapt over the small, front yard fence, and with teeth showing and claws gripping and churning the grass, it raced toward the two children. At the same time that the lion was charging, Dawnalee started for her children, but she knew she would not make it in time. She was grief stricken as she knew the lion was going to kill one of her children. She yelled out a long and ugly scream trying to scare the lion away, but it was of no use. The women from the other huts started running for the children while screaming trying to scare the lion away. But nothing was going to stop the lion. He was going to snatch up one of the young children and run into the forest. It was only three feet from Chadgorin when a miraculous event took place—the lion came to a sudden halt. It was as if he had hit an immovable, invisible shield. It was knocked senseless. It fell to the ground in a state of semi-consciousness. Its legs were kicking and its mouth was twitching. Its tongue was hanging between its large teeth. It rolled its head a few times, and then lie still.

Chadgorin ran to his mother, but Bleary remained where she was. All the women became awe-struck. They came to a halt and watched the lion as it lie on the ground. Dawnalee told her son to go in the house and to stay there, then she went to Bleary with the intent of picking her up, but when she saw Bleary holding her hand up, and when she saw the look in Bleary's eyes, she came to a halt to ponder the situation. It was at that time that she suspected that Bleary was a mage. Now she was in a predicament. She wanted to pick Bleary up and run into the house with her, but she was afraid if she did, she would break whatever the spell was that Bleary had on the lion. Finally she decided what needed to be done. She called out, Evadee, run and get the men.

When the men came back they dispatched the lion with a spear as it lie on the ground, and everyone was thankful that it would no longer be killing children. But more than that, everyone who had seen the event knew that a mage had been born in their village.

After the lion had been dispatched, everyone—men and women, both, were gathered around the beast marveling at its size—it was huge, and they awed at the size of its claws. And everyone was so intent on the lion that they didn't notice when Bleary passed out and slumped to the ground. It was only a few minutes later when the villagers started talking about Bleary that they noticed she was lying on the ground in a little heap. Dawnalee rushed to her four year old daughter and bent down. She felt her pulse and came up smiling. She just passed out, she said. It must have been from the strain of stopping the lion.

Everyone sighed with relief. And Dawnalee took her young daughter in the house.

After a town meeting and after many lengthy discussions it was decided that the magic of Bleary Lake had to be kept a secret, and in order to do so, one of the things they had to do was to change the last name of the family. So they changed it from Lake to Douglas—and just like that, a Lake family had never existed in the village of Littleann. They destroyed everything with the name 'Lake' on it—including documents and the wooden sign above their house, because they knew that if the king found Bleary Lake, he would surely have her killed. He could not take the chance that a mage would be loyal to him and not to the villagers, and because of that he would have an ax put to her neck or a knife to her throat. The lives of the villagers meant very little to him, and because of that he could easily dispose of any of them and feel no pangs of guilt.

So, the villagers kept the secret for six or seven months, which was actually a long time to keep a secret of such magnitude, and actually needed a lot of tongue biting, but, of course, the word eventually got around to the other villages, because people in the villages have relatives in other villages. But still, the parents of Bleary Lake were not alarmed that the word had finally spread through hundreds of villages, for they knew that the king had no relatives in any of the villages, and because they knew that the people of the villages hated the king. And the people hoped that Bleary Lake would grow up and oust the king. So the secret was kept, and the king never found out. Still, they had a concern that Cyndalac would find out through his magic. And because of that they had made plans—if the king ever found out, then they would send Bleary through the portal. It was the only way to save her life. If she stayed in the Kingdom of Gilland, the king's magician would find her no matter where she went. And even if she went to other kingdoms there would be no king that would welcome her, because of their fear of her, therefore Dawnalee knew that Bleary had to go through the portal—also known as the gateway.

Dawnalee cringed at having to make this decision—there was a problem with the portal—only one man, out of many, who had ever gone through the portal had ever came back to talk about it. He reported that many of the worlds that he went to were extremely hostile, and he barely got away with his life from some of them. He also said that several of the worlds he went to were peaceful, but only one had humans. Eventually, he wanted so desperately to get back to his own world that he went through the portal thousands of times and kept going through them for many years before he was finally able to accomplish his goal. So the portal was definitely a danger, but it was her only chance to survive if the king found out about her. And Dawnalee was hoping that Bleary's magic would help her to endure in any world she might end up in.

Jimijim came out of his reverie as he came to a village. He slowed his horse to a walk in order to rest it. The story he had just thought about was known throughout all the villages, but since the event with Bleary had only taken place one year ago, everyone was concerned whether or not she would live long enough to help them. But now, with the way the events had unfolded, she would be going away, and would probably never come back. The near starvation lives of the villagers would continue.

Jimijim rode the horse into the village of Littleann somewhere around midnight. It had been a long three plus hours in the saddle, and Jimijim was feeling a bit weary. He came to the first house and slid from the saddle. He tied the reins to a tree and walked up to the house and pounded on the door.

After a few minutes the door opened and a man holding a lantern was standing in the doorway half naked—nothing but his underwear.

Before the man could say anything, Jimijim said in a hurried voice, It's urgent that I talk to the parents of Bleary Lake.

The man stepped out of the house and looked up and down the street. He spent a little longer searching the road leading into town. He turned to Jimijim and said. We don't have anyone in this town with the last name of Lake. We do have a Bleary Douglas.

Jimijim was becoming distraught. It was urgent for him to get the message to Bleary's parents. I understand your caution, because I'm a stranger to you, but I'm telling you a king's patrol is not more than a half hour behind me and Cyndalac is with them. I have to alert Bleary's parents at once.

The man nodded his head and a knowing frown crossed his face. Come in, he said. When Jimijim was standing in the hallway the man shut the front door and walked to a backroom. He opened the door and walked in and shut the door. Faintly Jimijim could hear voices. A few minutes later the man came out holding a lantern, and he was wearing pants, a shirt, and shoes. A woman came out following him. She was wearing a tattered dress, and well-worn, brown shoes.

What's your name? asked the man.

Jimijim.

The man didn't wait for Jimijim to ask for his or his wife's name, he said, My name's Woodyrode and this is my wife Sansan. Come on, he said. He walked down the hallway, opened the front door, and exited the house with Jimijim and the woman following. When they reached the street Woodyrode said, Bring your horse.

In haste Jimijim grabbed the reins, and followed as they made their way down the dirt road. They turned right at the second intersection, and walked six blocks to the edge of the village. He walked up the walkway of the last house, which was more of a one story hut, sitting next to the fields bordering the forest. He knocked on the door.

After less than a minute, which seemed like an hour, a woman flung the door open. Oh, my God, she said in a sad voice. Oh my, oh my, oh my.

Her husband appeared from the bedroom and walked over and joined her. What's the matter?

You know what's the matter! exclaimed the wife. She backed away from the door and yelled out, Children get up—get up now! The time has come.

The husband stepped to the side. Come on in Woodyrode and bring your wife and the young man with you.

They entered the house and stood waiting. Just then two children and a teenage girl walked into the room rubbing their eyes and yawning.

The mother said, Lyndalin go get Bleary.

Jimijim was going to tell them about the patrol, which was coming behind him, but it was as if they already knew. They were frantically hurrying, especially the mother, to get Bleary ready to go. She kept wringing her hands and looking about as if she were trying to remember everything that needed to be done.

The oldest daughter turned and went back into the room from whence they came. A moment later she came out carrying a small, blond-haired girl. Jimijim thought what a shame that the king wanted to kill this beautiful, little girl. He was, indeed, an evil and cruel king, who had no thoughts for anyone except himself. This evil king needed to be vanquished. And so, thought Jimijim, this is a terrible night, when Bleary Lake will be going away and will never be coming back to help the villagers, nor the people of any kingdom.

The mother took the little girl and held her tight. Oh Lord, I'm going to miss you, she said. She started to cry.

The father used an urgent voice when he said, Come on, Dawnalee, we have to put the plan into action.

I can't. She kept hugging the little girl.

You have to and you have to do it now. So, come on. He took the little girl from his wife's arms and stood her on the floor. Sweetie, he said, remember when I told you that you would be going on a long trip to a strange, new world?

The little girl nodded her head and yawned.

Well, the time has come, and you have to leave tonight, but even as I told you before, Lyndalin will be going with you. Isn't that nice? He didn't wait for his young daughter to answer. He said, It will be an adventure, and you and your sister will have so much fun.

Will you and mommy come with us?

No, darling. We have to stay here and take care of your brother and your other sister. But I know that you'll be back someday, and then we'll all be together, again.

Okay, said the little, five-year-old Bleary. She reached up and took Lyndalin's hand.

Dawnalee went into the bedroom and returned with a leather pouch in her hand. She gave it to Lyndalin and said, Here's what's left—two gold sovereigns and the large, blue diamond. I hope they will help you wherever you end up. Dawnalee began to cry. Between her sobs, she said, Lyndalin, my sweet darling, you are so brave, and you are sacrificing so much to save Bleary. She wanted to continue, but she couldn't—her sobs were racking her body.

We'll be okay, mom. Wherever we end up we'll be fine, and one day, even as father has said, we will return, and we'll be a family again. Lyndalin opened the pouch and took out the two gold coins. She pressed them into her mother's hand. Where we're going we probably won't be able to use these.

Her father interjected, Wherever you end up, before you come back, you must raise Bleary and help her develop her powers.

Father, said Lyndalin with a tone of respect, I can raise her, but I know nothing about her powers, and I cannot help her with something I know nothing about.

Do your best, he said.

Jimijim knew that the idea of them ever coming back was false, and he suspected the father was telling them this to ease the situation. Jimijim felt bad for them, and he hoped they would have a good life wherever they went.

Chapter 2

The Portal

Instead of being afraid of going through the portal, Lyndalin was feeling bad for her mother. It had to be heart-wrenching for her to be losing two of her daughters. Lyndalin watched as her mother, with tears in her eyes, came out of the kitchen, handed a large bundle to her and said, Take this with you. It will help in case you end up in a hostile environment. There's a sword and a dagger. There's food and water. There's a change of clothing for each of you, and there are two blankets for sleeping.

Mother, replied Lyndalin, I can't take all this. I won't be able to transport it to the portal. This bundle is too big.

What!?

Mother, I know you've never been to the portal, but certainly you must have heard from others that you have to squeeze through a narrow crevice to get to it.

An expression of remembrance crossed Dawnalee's face. Evidently she wasn't thinking clearly—too much stress—too much sadness. She kneeled down and laid the bundle on the floor. She opened it. You have to take a knife, she said. She handed it to Lyndalin. And you'll need at least two blankets. She handed them to Lyndalin. And you'll need some food and water in case you end up in the wilderness. She handed Lyndalin a gourd of water, and dried meat and bread, which were wrapped in a cloth. She looked at the sword, but was hesitant to pick it up.

Lyndalin took the cloth with the food, but she set the gourd of water on the floor. This is all I can take. She said. She strapped the dagger to her right ankle above her much worn sandal, and put the cloth with the food in it in her pocket. She was reluctant to take the blankets, but she knew her mother was right when she said they might need them. She folded them over and put them under her arm. She figured when they mounted the horse to travel to the portal, they would use the blankets to sit on to make the long ride more comfortable and after that she would take them with her as they squeezed through the crevice. I'm ready, she said as if she were going on a picnic. She realized her voice was a little more joyful than it should have been. But there was a reason for it. This little adventure didn't frighten her, as a matter of fact, she was looking forward to it. She couldn't think of anything better to get her out of her hum drum life in this little village. What she really wanted to do was go to the Bridgeport School of Higher Learning, but alas, it was only for boys and only for the upper class. It took a lot of money to go to that school. So her dreary fate had been set for her—become a housewife, live in destitute, and have babies. But, when Jimijim came knocking on the door that night, it all changed in an instant and she knew her way out had just arrived.

This was the first time she had ever met Jimijim. He appeared tired and worn out from the long ride, so when he said, I'll take them to the portal, she was surprised.

Her father agreed, which surprised her more. Yeah, he said. You're the most logical to take her. Everyone else will have to be doing their normal chores around the village when the king arrives in the morning. And someone has to bring the horse back.

No, said Jimijim. The king's patrol isn't coming in the morning. They're coming now, and they're probably no more than half an hour behind me.

What!? said Bleary's father.

Yes, agreed Woodyrode. We need to hurry. He held up his hand to keep anyone from interrupting his train of thought. Lyndalin had always known him to be a man to take charge when it was needed. Woodyrode looked at Jimijim and said, You can't take the same horse you rode in on. He's worn out. Woodyrode didn't need a moment to think of a solution. He immediately added, We'll swap him out for the mayor's horse. Come on." He strode for the front gate with everyone following.

Woodyrode led them down the street toward the center of town, then he turned right and walked another three blocks, crossed the street, and headed down the next street to the big house at the end of the block. Fields of grain were waving in the moonlight on the other side of the Mayor's house as Woodyrode walked up to the front door and banged loudly. When the Mayor opened the door, Woodyrode said, without a greeting, We need to swap with your horse.

The Mayor was wearing a tattered robe. He stood studying the group. He blinked his eyes several times to chase away the sleepiness, and then he asked, What's going on?

The king is coming for Bleary Douglas. And when he finds her, he's going to kill her.

Ah, yes, said the Mayor looking at Jimijim. "So he found out, and I suppose it was the magician who told him.

Jimijim nodded his head.

And now the plan is set in motion. Okay, then, the horse is around back in the corral. Go swap them out, and make it quick. He peered at Lyndalin. He put his hand forth and grabbed hers for a handshake. And good luck to you, Lyndalin. I hope you have a good journey and that everything works out well for you. While he was holding her hand he said, There's a torch in the shed. Take it with you; you'll need it once you're inside the catacombs. He stepped back and shut the door.

Woodyrode took the lead again and walked to the back of the mayor's house. He opened the corral gate with conviction and waited as Jimijim led the blacksmith's horse into the corral. Then Woodyrode said, Take off the saddle. Woodyrode took the reins off the blacksmith's horse and unstrapped the bit. He pulled it out and put the bit in the other horse's mouth, then he threw a saddle blanket over the horse's back. When Jimijim came with the saddle, Woodyrode took it and slapped it on the horse's back and cinched it down. There, he said. You're all set. He helped Jimijim into the saddle, then he looked at Lyndalin. Suddenly he thought of something. He went into the Mayor's shed and came back with the torch. He handed it to Jimijim. Do you have a flint striker? he asked.

Jimijim nodded his head. Yes, sir.

Good. He looked at Lyndalin. You better get saddled up.

Lyndalin never minded that Woodyrode was a take charge man—she kind of liked it, except when it interfered with her plans. And this time it didn't. She handed the blankets to Woodyrode. We'd like to sit on these, she said.

He took the blankets from her, rearranged them until they were double folded, and laid them on the horse's rear end. Then he grabbed Bleary and put her on the horse behind Jimijim.

Dawnalee started crying again, and her husband put his arm around her and held her close.

Don't cry, mother, said Lyndalin. She stuck her foot in the stirrup, grabbed Jimijim's arm, and vaulted herself onto the horse in back of Bleary. We'll be back before you know it. Just as these words left her lips she clasped her hand over her mouth. Oh my God, she said. The king's patrol will be here in less than two minutes! You have to get to your homes and you have to go quick. If they find you out at this time of night, they'll know something is going on.

Dawnalee stood with a questioning look on her face. How do you know this? she asked.

You know things come to me. Father you know I'm right. You have to go now and go quickly.

That's enough for me, said Woodyrode. Come, Sansan. The two of them started for the gate and were out of sight within a few seconds.

Oh my babies, said Dawnalee in a mournful voice. She reached up and gave Lyndalin and Bleary a hug. You do have the power of the mage, and now I know Bleary will be in good hands.

Lyndalin could tell her father was in a hurry as he started tapping his foot. In an anxious voice he asked, How will you get out of town?

We'll go through the wheat field. She reached around Jimijim and took the reins. Come on, she said. She lightly kicked the horse in the flanks to get him going. As they rode through the gate her father shut it, and he and her mother started for home. For a brief moment, Dawnalee turned and waved. Lyndalin returned the wave, and that was the last she saw of her parents.

She turned the horse to the right and walked it a short distance to the wheat field, then turned it left and started through the field toward the western edge of town. When they got there they hid in the shadows of a house and watched as the king's patrol marched into the village. They waited until they were out of sight, then Lyndalin handed the reins to Jimijim, and said, Let's go.

* * * * *

They rode for several miles away from the village and through the wheat field before they quietly walked the horse to the road. When they got to the road they looked back in search of the patrol. Lyndalin, Bleary, and Jimijim were far enough from Littleann that they could barely make out the men with their armor reflecting the moonlight into the dark night. The patrol had ridden to the middle of Littleann, and, at that moment, they were dismounting and making a lot of noise.

Their horses are tired, said Lyndalin. They've been carrying those big men wearing all that armor all the way from the castle.

Yeah, agreed Jimijim. And I'm sure the soldiers aren't any happier than the horses. He turned the horse and they traveled due west away from Littleann.

Jimijim could feel Lyndalin clutching his shirt as they rode along. She started gripping tighter and pulling as if in fear. She said, Something is wrong.

What?

I don't know. My intuition isn't telling me, but I know something's not right. I just hope it's not the people of Littleann or my parents. You don't think the king's patrol would be doing them harm, do you?

I don't know. They might.

As they rode on, they became silent in their own thoughts of despair. About six miles down the road, they turned on to another road heading north toward the Sheep horn Mountains. Jimijim was thinking it was a four hour trip by horse to the mountains, that's if they didn't stop to take rest breaks. And if Bleary slept all the way, they wouldn't have to stop. Once they reached the foothills of the mountains they would have to travel another couple miles into the rugged terrain of the mountains and from there they would travel north for another hour to the crevice. But to get to the crevice they would be traveling a seldom used path through canyons and over ridges, coming in the back way until the secret entrance was in sight. If they could travel directly to the front of the portal, it would be a half hour closer, but the front entrance was guarded by the king's men every hour of the day, because it was not allowed for anyone to use the portal.

Jimijim was confused as to why the king would care if anyone used it. In the first place most people were frightened of it and wouldn't go near it, and secondly, how could it affect the king if someone did use it? That person would be lost forever, and how could that effect the king? He obviously didn't care about the people, anyway. He imposed terrible taxes on the people making it difficult just to buy food. The people of the villages had to find other ways to eat. Fortunately for the people of Littleann, they lived close enough to the mountains that the men could hunt deer for meat and the women could pick the berries. Many villagers of other villages that were close to the mountains and some that were built in the mountains had the same advantage. And the villagers near or next to the Kettlsey Ocean could catch fish and find other types of seafood. It was the tens of thousands of villagers living in the plains that were the hardest hit by the taxes, and so it was that the people of the mountains and the people near the ocean would help the villagers of the plains by sending them food, and of course, this put a hardship burden on the village people who could otherwise live decently. It was a constant struggle for life under the greedy kingship of Henhenry. The people of the many villages who knew about Bleary Lake were hopeful that she would grow up and depose the king, . . . but now it would never happen.

Jimijim was tired and sleepy as they rode on into the night, but he didn't mind. In fact he liked traveling with Lyndalin. She was seventeen years of age—the same age as himself. And he had heard how good looking she was, but never realized the extent of it until tonight when he met her for the first time. She was about five foot six with dark brown, straight hair that fell to the middle of her back. She had a full figure and a face with a small, but perky nose, perfectly set cheekbones, and flawless lips, but her most striking feature was her bright, green, piercing eyes. They were so bright they almost had a glow to them. And the sharp, piercing quality almost brought a chill to his spine. Jimijim felt it was most exhilarating. And it made him wish he had more time to get to know her better.

Not only was she good looking, she was just as famous as Bleary, due to a happenstance in the king's castle. It was reported—and he had heard the story many times, that when she was fifteen years of age she entered the king's castle late one night when everyone was asleep with the intention of stealing food, but then she suddenly had an urge or maybe a feeling or a premonition that she should check