​

 

Tosach

 

A collection of Short Stories

 

 

Erle Clavet

​

​

Table of Contents

​

The Beginning   

Endings

We Knew

Books and Spells

Peaceable War Farers (2)

Elven Magic

Tyrant King

Crystal Sword:

-The Crystals

-The Sword

-Balance Restored

Untouchable Unreachable (1)

Compass {Part 2 to Untouchable Unreachable}

Wizard’s Staff

Fate (3)

Imagination

Three Wishes

​

(1), (2) and (3) These are my favorites of my short stories.  

​

​

The Beginning

​

      Writers seem to see blank pages as a bad thing, they really don’t like them. They seem to see the blank pages as a sort of barrier because they have not written anything on them. But I say that empty pages are good. They are mystery’s waiting to be found, adventures waiting to be discovered. Within these pages anything is possible; your best adventures will come to life. Dragons, swords, bows and arrows, knights in shining armour, ancient civilization, the west and cowboys, and yes romance and horrors become reality. Anything, I mean anything, is possible on those pages! You can be who you want, where and when; there are no limitations. When I see empty pages I see the potential for a great story of any genre. I see any and all adventures just waiting to be discovered!

 

 

Endings

 

      The ending to all things, good, bad, happy, sad; it must always happen and come to this. How the ending will turn out only you can tell; even if you can. Endings are a part of everything. You can hope that they will turn out good, but you will never know until the end comes around. Yet with every ending comes a new beginning.

 

 

We Knew

 

      We knew that it would happen, that it would come down to this, but when was always a complete mystery. Until now! We had been waiting for several years and with each passing moment we became more and more anxious. It seemed as though time stood still some days, yet here we are at this moment. Looking back it seems just like yesterday. No one wanted it to happen, however the inevitability of it was a shadow, a constant companion that haunted us and would not leave. Continually tracking us we ran from it and were unable to escape. And all I can say is that we knew. We knew!

 

​

Books and Spells

 

      The text was difficult to read. Hunter Brock had been looking at it for hours and still did not understand it. The words were all starting to jumble together and his eyes began to hurt. Setting the book down and rubbing his tired eyes he thought, ‘How am I going to ever finish reading this book before tomorrow?’ He did not know how of course, but he would keep on trying and maybe, if he was lucky, he would understand it.

      He would try one last time. He began to read again. Hunter was surprised to find that he could now read and understand the text perfectly.

      Life had been simple back then, Hunter thought, as the memory faded away. Ten years had since passed away from the time he had read that book. He was now in his thirties and on his way to do what he felt he should have done all those years earlier. He had decided that tonight would be the best time.

      The stars that were blanketing the sky winked down at him as he reached the top of the hill that overlooked the small village that he had grown up in.

      It took him a little time to remember the spell from the book, but when he did it was like he had just read it yesterday.

      The stars began to swirl in response to his spell and were gradually picking up speed. Everything was going as planned, exactly as the book had described.

      Then all of a sudden something happened that Hunter did not expect. A huge explosion came hurling out of the center of the spinning stars, shaking the earth with a title wave of great force. The explosion was so powerful that it made the night appear as though it were the middle of the day with its bright light.

      When it was all over everything was pitch black and no sounds could be heard.      

      ‘What have I done?’ Hunter Brock thought in horror. ‘This was not supposed to happen!’

​

​

Peaceable War Farers

 

      In the beginning there were four peoples, four races. All these races started out small with not many differences between them. That was thousands of years ago though. Then one day one of them suddenly had large numbers at their command; a huge, deadly armed armada. Three of them were small and peaceful, while this last one was massive and much more aggressive. However the three smaller ones outnumbered this one when put together. Much became different between the races from that time forward.

      It had been peaceful in the land for a long time, all four races living and interaction happily with one another for most of their history. This was very easy when they all were the same size. But when the one grew the three smaller races got along better with each other more so than with the large one.

      The small races were able to move extremely freely within each other’s territories. They had more in common with one another than with the large one. It wasn’t that the smaller races didn’t include the other, they tried, but anything they attempted did not change things. The tightness and bond of the smaller races made the people of the large race jealous. They began to fear that these three were going to band together, to one day wipe them out. This of course was not true, it wasn’t in their nature.    

      Beginning to fear the other races the large one started separating and isolating themselves, becoming more distant. Instead of trying to fix the situation they pushed themselves farther away. With the passing of time this separation only became worse and more defined. The other three races did not really know why this was occurring or what was truly going on. Any time they reached out all they got was hostility. The three continued on with their lives, attempted to include all and fix the puzzling situation. But them having “normal” lives only helped to fuel the anger of the large race further and they began to attack the three they feared would cause them great harm.

      After several years of unsuccessful attempts at fixing the problem and not knowing what else to do, these three separated themselves. They went their different ways, preferring peace to war. Any and all negotiations always failed, ending in a flight for their very lives. So they went into hiding, making the forests their new homes, hoping that they could survive in seclusion rather than having to fight.

      This plan though did not work; the attacks on their people continued and many of the peaceful races were dying, being murdered in the safety of their homes and country. For with the separation of the races the land had officially been divided. Prior to this no one truly occupied a set area that they could call their own. Each race had had one quarter of the land, an equal share, for their territory to which they looked after. However, that all changed when the larger race became aggressive and made a clearly defined separation of the land, easily seizing well over half of it for their control.

      In spite of all this the three small races recognized that something had to be done about these attacks. They had kept in contact and when they found out that each was suffering the same fate, the leaders of the three small races met secretly to decide what to do. Only this meeting was not as secret as they first thought. Their position became known to the ‘War Farers’, as the three ‘Peaceables’ called them, and they were attacked.

      The War Farers got their name due to their aggressive, warring nature and the Peaceables because they did not like fighting. The Peaceables would only go to battle as a last, desperate resort to defend themselves. To kill, even to save themselves, went against all they stood for. Sadly sometimes that had to be put aside in order to protect themselves and the land. The War Farers had been exactly like them once, now they were the complete opposite.

      Almost all the Peaceables at the meeting were killed as they fled. The War Farers had blocked off any way of retreat for them. That was except for the forests, which is what saved some of the Peaceables lives. The War Farers controlled most of the land by this time and had stopped the Peaceables, hemming them in, so any long distance escape across the land was virtually impossible. Afraid of the forests the War Farers would only go in them long enough to carry out their attacks; then they would hastily leave.

      Never before, in all the years since the beginning of this feud, had the War Farers attacked them while they were so deep in the safety of the forest though. The Peaceables had lived with their threat for many years, the first generation of this feud having long gone the way of the earth and so had many of the second. The life span for all four races was, on average, several hundred years long. Therefore the Peaceables knew it was due time to put a permanent end to this childish behaviour.

      Having no other options these three races of the Peacables came together to deal with the threat of the War Farers. They were hoping that their combined powers would be enough to save them. Coming out of the forests together they were going to settle things, for good! 

      A great battle raged on the planes just a few miles from where the War Farers made their homes on a scorched black, rocky hill top. All the land had once been lush and green, full of a great verity of plant and animal life that flourished. The only areas that remained this way were the forests where the War Farers had not yet poisoned the land. Having kept up their promise to look after the land, the Peaceables did all they could to prevent the War Farers from destroying the last green places of the earth.   

      The War Farers could not handle the onslaught of the superior numbers of the Peaceables. They were being attacked in the front and rear by two of the races while the third, which had divided into two groups, was flanking them, attacking their sides.   

      Soon the War Farers were completely surrounded on ever side by their mortal enemies with no signs of an escape. Nevertheless their blood thirsty leader was not willing to be destroyed by these three pathetic, low life races, as all War Farers saw the Peaceables. Surrendering was totally out of the question! The people of the War Farers considered themselves the highest of the four races and their pride consumed them, driving their hatred towards the others. Although in reality the races were all equal and no life was above the other. But the War Farers did not see it that way whatsoever. 

Lashing out vigorously, the War Farers fought very hard to win the battle and gain the victory they felt they deserved. They wanted to be the sole race alive on the land, as they in their eyes, were the only worthy ones and no one else.

      The entirety of the four races was nearly wiped out to extinction that day with the Peaceables not wanting to let the War Farers escape; to have their threat continue to ravage the entire land. They were not going to let such a great threat live if they could help it.

      The fighting was so bad that the battle merely stopped in order to keep some of the races alive. The War Farers would have kept on fighting, but they knew they were not going to be able to win the battle at this time and they did not want to all be killed. They wanted the chance to obliterate the Peaceables, to be victorious! Also none of the races had the strength to keep on fighting anyway, having used it all up.

      So the four races went their own ways, licking their wounds. The War Farers to their all black stone, dark, dreary fortresses and palaces to fume over their loss and hatred towards the Peaceables. Meanwhile the Peaceables went back into hiding, together this time for safety, deeper into the forests. There they would remain to regroup and figure out what to do next. For one race had grown far too large and extremely dangerous to be allowed to live like this any longer.

      A victory had been achieved this day for the better, but much work remained ahead. The Peaceables realized that it would be best if the War Farers were entirely eliminated. Nevertheless they had experienced enough of war and wished not to have to fight again even if it were hundreds of millions of years later. On the other hand they had put up with, for far too long, their people being slaughtered.

      Their numbers had not done the job like they had hoped; the War Farers were too strong for just that. A tough choice was needed to be made if they ever wanted to live in peace again. The three Peaceables races could fairly easily wipe the War Farers off the face of the land forever for they had the power, the magic to do so. They would use that power in order to save themselves. Although, it would be the last choice because that force was extremely powerful, and very destructive to a point that was nearly beyond even their own imaginations.

      None of the Peaceables liked the idea of what they more than likely would have to do, nevertheless they knew that the War Farers were not going to leave them be. Something more dramatic was going to be needed to be done and when that time came it sadly would be. They would be forced to use their magic in order to save themselves. But at the same time they feared that they would lose part of who and what they were.

​

​

Elven Magic

 

      Living all alone was an Elf; a magician who wielded great power. His house was in the mountains where he practiced magic in seclusion. Occasionally someone would appear on his doorstep wanting to learn the art of sorcery from him. This was the case of a boy, from the race of man, who appeared one quiet afternoon. Only the boy had been sent by the evil and corrupt magician’s council to spy on the Elf. He was to have no idea of the boy’s true intentions; only the Elf did.

      The boy’s cover was that he desperately wanted to learn magic. He did not however, want to learn it from the magician’s council or the way they taught. In fact he claimed that the council had actually refused to teach him anything. They had sent him away even though he had shown remarkable magical talent. Something that was not common from anyone his age, no matter what race they were from.

      So he sought out the Elf and wanted him to personally teach him, for the boy had heard that the Elven magician had great powers that even the council largely feared. And no one apposed the council in any way for fear of retribution and severe consequences. Also the Elf practiced things that other magicians would never even consider looking at. Willing to go beyond what most magicians would, the Elf had gained great knowledge and power that most only dreamed of wielding. In a way, the boy told the Elf slyly, him becoming his apprentice would be payback to the magician’s council for what they had done to the both of them. 

      Knowing fully well that the council was attempting to find a way to be rid of him in any way they could, the Elf took the boy in. This was not a concern of his right this moment. The magician’s council had been attempting for years to get rid of him with no success. Just seven years ago they were able to actually locate his mansion to which he had kept hidden and protected from them with his magic. It was quite a feat for them to finally accomplish.

      They were a very pathetic lot in the Elf’s mind, for they had searched for nearly fifty years for where he resides. If they could not do something as simple as finding a house, how could they do the ‘great’ things they claimed to have done? Or capture and put a stop to him for that matter? It made no sense to the Elf, however right this moment it was very amusing. So he did not worry about it and went to work with his new student.

      Over the next few months the Elf shared what he’d learnt about magic with the young boy. All the while he was careful not to give him anything too valuable, guarding those spells and teaching that were his and his alone to command. In the hands of the boy and most importantly the magician’s council, they would become corrupted and their great power twisted to excessive destructiveness. Keeping these more powerful incantations to himself the Elf worked cautiously with his apprentice.

      Some of what the Elven magician taught his newest apprentice was enough to make the entire council squirm in their seats and want to hide for a very long time. There was something though that would make the council even more afraid than what the Elf was teaching the boy. Something that they thought in their arrogance would – could - never happen.

      The Elf had actually infiltrated the magician’s council! Thus far he’d seceded in gaining - taking on - the abilities of about half the council members. It had taken him years to do this without them noticing; slowly stealing away bits of what they knew. But now he had the boy to use to easily gain the rest, when the time was right. 

      About a year into the boy's training the magician realized that he could no longer ignore the magician’s council. He was going to have to do something more direct in order to deal with them. He had known this for some time, yet did not have a clue how to go about doing it. However, with the boy’s arrival an idea had sparked fully to life. The last parts of a plan he had been toying with for a long time fell comfortable into place over this year.

      Revealing some secrets about magic that no one else possessed, that weren’t too dangerous, the Elf put his plan into action. The council would not be ignored any more. They could fully find out at any moment what he was doing and the Elven magician could not risk this. He did not worry that he would not be able to deal with them. Still he needed to exercise caution for nothing was certain, especially when dealing with the magician’s council. Plus the boy would one day be able to challenge him if he was not careful with his student. 

      With the secrets the Elf confided in his student, the boy would surely get in contact with the magician’s council; he had no doubt of this. What he told his apprentice could harm them greatly, if applied properly; just one of the many different ways the magician had come up with over the years. There would be a way for the boy to communicate with the council and once alone, even for a moment, he would for sure. In truth he had been since he began his first lesson.

      With the possibility of this communication in mind, the Elf went off to another part of his house to get things for one of their lessons, leaving his apprentice alone.

      The lessons were going very well, almost too well in fact. They were getting to more advanced studies quicker than any other one of the Elf’s former students. His apprentice was truly gifted with magic. His abilities at mastering enchantments and spells were almost frightening. But he would not be teaching the boy any more about sorcery. Going off was not for more complex learning materials. It was time! Time to prepare. Time to do what was needed, what should have been done long ago.    

      Once his master was gone, the boy hastily got in contact with the council, telling them what he had just learnt. Surprised at what the Elf had told the boy, they agree that something had to be done about him immediately. The extent of his wisdom was great, greater than what they had first thought. They did not know what else the Elven magician knew or was capable of. The extent of his learning was great and they feared this immensely. They were starting to fear him even more.      

      When the Elf returned to the boy he found him practicing some of the things he’d learnt. Every last one of the enchantments that he was being taught was easily being mastered. Nothing appeared out of order, yet the Elf sensed that something was going on.

      Noting his mater's empty hands as he entered the room, the boy became curious and much more wary of the Elf than before. He had gained much experience in magic from his master; nevertheless there were things that he could tell the Elf was hiding from him. Things that if imparted to him, the boy knew that his ‘master’ would have a cause to be greatly worried. His apprentice with that held-back knowledge - if gained - would quickly become his equal.

      But the boy did not have that knowledge, no one save for the Elf did and that made him dangerous to the council and especially the boy. He could not tell if his teacher saw the real reason for why he had come here and that was unsettling. There were so many mysteries with the Elf.

      All this did not matter though, for the boy had been ordered by the council to kill his teacher! Or at least keep him there, occupied long enough for them to be able to do something about the situation. Tread wearily was the council’s advice; the things that his teacher kept to himself could undo the boy. He would have to act fast and be on his guard more than ever before.

      This pleased the boy greatly, by this time a fairly powerful magician himself. To kill the one who had taught him so much and was a highly powerful being would give him great joy and pleasure. The thorn in the magician’s council’s side that the Elf had long been would shortly be removed. However, the battle that the young magician started did not go at all in his favour.

      Winning the fight, the Elven magician gained access to the boy’s mind and thus the remainder of the council’s powers and skills. The council had to give the boy all their collective knowledge and powers in order to aid him in getting rid of the Elf; if it came down to it and they were unable to themselves. But the experiences of the Elf outweighed that of the entire magician’s council when his apprentice attempted to use this force against his master. Now the Elf possessed every last bit of those abilities on top of his, becoming far more powerful. Easily he was one of, if not the most, powerful being in the whole land.

      Tucking his foolish, former, apprentice safely away and stripping him of all his magical powers and abilities, the Elf waited. Soon some councillors would arrive at his mansion. They would try to finish what they had sent the little boy to do in their stead. But they would probably not be able to get the Elf nor rescue the boy, because the Elf was now far too strong for a group of them to handle.

      A team of councillors did arrive within the hour, breaking down the door to the mansion. Boldly they walked into the main chamber to face the waiting magician. They still did not realize what had occurred. Having received no word from the boy, this team had been sent to see what was going on and to bring the Elf before the council. A surprise was what they received. 

      As the Elf predicted they were unable to withstand his far superior abilities. The attitude they had when first entering his house quickly changed. Things were going to be much harder for them, more than they could ever have known.

      Suspecting that the magician’s council must have some kind of plan besides simply showing up and trying to capture him, the Elf’s senses were alert for things amiss. Even the smallest thing out of place he would be able to easily detect.

      Sending his magic out around him he was unable to pick up anything unusual. The magician’s council must have had something more going on, yet he could not figure out what. If there really was anything at all, for they weren’t too bright to begin with anyway. All the same even with his magic not picking anything up his instincts told him to proceed with caution.

      When nothing had been heard for the team on the retrieval of the Elf, the rest of the council showed up, appearing out of nowhere. Round the Elf in a half circle they stood; almost trapping him in his own home. His instinct had served him well. If he’d been caught by surprise by the entire council he would have been in trouble. Any unexpected magical assault from their numbers would not be good. Needing to be prepared magically - like he currently was - the Elf would have been extremely vulnerable.  

      “You brought the entire magicians council here, are you nuts? And with what you know I am fully capable of!” the Elf exclaimed in shock to the leader of the council. He could not believe that they could be so stupid to do such a thing. It was absolute madness!

      “What does it matter to you what we do? That is if it doesn’t involve you or anything you care about?” shot back the leader of the council. He knew very well though that the Elf did indeed care about everything the magician’s council was involved in. Though they thought that it was none of his business what they did, the Elf personally made it his to know all about their doings. 

      With those words from their leader, all the council members before the Elf attacked him at the same time. Every last one of the spells hit their intended target. Well... sort of. In fact you really could not call it that. They actually went directly into the Elf!

      As this happened, time froze.

      And yet, somehow they still fought on.

​

​

Tyrant King

 

      There once was an Elf that got thrown into prison with three others. A thief, whose victims did not realize their loss till many weeks later, an illusionist of magic and the step-son of the tyrant King of the land, who was a magician in training. The reason for the Elf’s imprisonment was simply that; because he was an Elf and Elves used magic. The others were in there because they had crossed the King. The thief tried to steal from him, while the illusionist miss performed in front of the tyrant leader causing an accident that greatly affected the King; to the happiness of all who opposed his rule. His step-son was there because he hated his step-father. He had ended up joining the resistance that had formed against the King and was caught. After being tortured personally by his step-father, he was thrown into a cell to rot the remainder of his days.

      Unable to gain any useful information from his pathetic step-son the King was furious. The resistance had been increasingly greatly, gaining in strength as time went on and he wanted to put a stop to it immediately. Plus they had something that the King did not - magic. Everyone in the resistance was trained to use magic as a tool to fight with, to protect those under the evil ruler who opposed him. Not to mention its main purpose, to finally have enough people trained so they could storm the palace and dethrone their hated leader. To aid them in one day freeing themselves from the King’s evil grasp.  

      That’s why the Prince had joined them. Hating his step-father greatly the Prince wanted nothing more than to see him removed from power. Seeing him as weak and pathetic the King pushed the Prince around whenever he had a chance. By joining the resistance and learning magic the Prince had hoped to change this, but...        

      With magic being band from the land by his orders, the King destroyed every last one of the Elves he could get his hands on. Elves were magical beings after all and the King mistrusted anyone practicing magic. He was also keeping a close eye on the resistances movements as much as was possible. Though they did not command magic when they were first formed they were still a great threat to his rule.

      The Elves fought back against the malice inflicted upon them, but that did not help them out much. Even with the aid of their magic they simple could not overpower the vast, deadly army the King had mobilized. Those fortunate enough to escape this fate were forced to hide, using their magic to disguise their appearances in order to move around freely. Yet while in hiding they fought back against this cruelty as much as they could. Striking out here and there on raids of the King’s villages and some strong holds, they would harass the loathsome ruler. Their magic helped them out greatly to cause several critical setbacks to the King.

      The Elves and resistance had fought separately at first, conducting individual raids of their own. Till they discovered that by joining together they would become stronger and achieve their goals quicker. This was done by accident when they one day had both selected the same village as their next target. Coordinating their efforts they were surprised at the results.

      Joining forces early on, to fight against the King and his empire, had yielded greater success than both the Elves and resistance had imagined. Quickly teaching everyone how to use magic to aid their cause the Elves helped transform the resistance. After this they became quite a force to contend with. Now their raids were ten times as effective.

      Being unaware of which place would be the resistances next target they were unprepared for the attacks. There was little the King or his well-trained men could do to prevent them or to minimize the damage incurred. They did not know where to place their men to defend against the resistance. 

      Always the resistance seemed to be able to escape his grasp with minimal casualties while he suffered greatly. This constantly enraged the King beyond anything else and the more they eluded him and his armies the more his hatred towards them grew. He had nothing but a pure, solid loathing towards the joint armies of the Elves and the resistance. He wanted to totally eliminate them. The King knew that he would have to be extremely cautious with all the magic they had at their disposal. Most importantly he would have to come up with a very good plan to outsmart them if he was to be rid of them for ever.

      Vowing to destroy all Elves, the resistance and those opposing his rule, once and for all, he set a vile trap. That’s how he was able to finally capture an Elf alive and throw him into prison. At last he was getting somewhere, he thought to himself and bravely boasted to everyone in the land; to show that he was in complete control.

      One thing still stood in his way though, something that he did not and more than likely could not understand; the ever elusive magic of the resistance. But in all do time the King planed on changing that. Everyone and everything was going to do or be what he wanted. His word and his word alone would rule!

      In that lonely cell deep beneath the palace something however was steering that would change the outcome of things forever. Not just for the King and his plans but for the entire kingdom. The four in the cell had decided to band together, as unlikely of partners as they appeared. With the Elf being high up in the resistance he knew how to get in contact with them, even while in prison. The Prince would come in handy as he also was part of the resistance and knew some magic. The illusionist and thief were the best at what they did and could be used as a great distraction or aid, without getting easily caught. In addition they now wanted absolutely nothing to do with the King. Seeing him dead was a cause they all pledged their very lives to.

      With a plan devised the four were ready to attempt a breakout and to deal a great blow to their evil King, the greatest one that the resistance would pull of yet.

      When darkness fell and night arrived the four made their miraculous escape. At the same time as they stole through the palace corridors huge masses of black bodies merged on the city, heading for the palace. Both these groups moved silently to their destinations. Death was in their walk - their every step - for that was what they were bring with them. But after that they hoped that they could also bring freedom, as that was their main, long term goal. No one in these two groups truly liked killing, however it unfortunately was a necessary tragedy that must occur in order to ensure their safety and finally their freedom.

      Wanting to interrogate and torture the Elf further, to see him suffer, the King sent for him an hour after the sun set. However, all that was found was unconscious guards and the cell, empty!

      The King put the palace on high alert. He needed the four prisoners caught and fast. They were all too dangerous, in his eyes, to be out roaming freely; especially in the palace. The fact that they were able to escape greatly concerned him. Once found, the King told his captains, they were to be killed immediately where they stood, save for his step-son. He still wanted him alive for questioning and to have the pleasure of torturing him repeatedly.

      Everyone in the palace was so occupied with trying to find the elusive foursome that no one noticed the thousands of black forms converging on the palaces defences. The attack from the resistance was underway! Their full force was brought to bear against the Kings greatest stronghold.

      Spells slammed into the palace gate, the walls and the few soldiers on watch duty. The alarm was raised of the attack and the many soldiers in the palace flooded to their defence positions, the search for the prisoners forgotten by many in the need to defence the palace. But by this time the spells were nearly through the gate that there was little the King’s army could do.

      Fighting back vigorously they slowed the resistances advance, but not for long. Swords, shields, spears and arrows were no match against this amount of magic. A large shielding spell protected everyone in the resistance army, which even the rocks that catapults threw were only bouncing off of. Many of the Kings soldiers died as various spells, curses and enchantments ploughed into their midst. Arrows and spires also pummelled the soldiers. Countless sword fights were breaking out all over the courtyard as the resistance broke off into smaller groups, beginning to spread throughout the palace. There wasn’t anything that the King’s army could do. All the while the palace defences were literally melting away, unable to withstand the magical assault. Suffering losses as well, but not on the scale that the King’s army was, the resistance was overrunning the palace.

      From on top of his balcony, the King watched as his entire army was quickly reduced to nothing by a far larger resistance than he thought possible. There wasn’t anything more that his army could do for him. He was now all on his own and for some reason that did not bother him the least bit. Watching all his men die somehow gave him a twisted hope and power to go on.

      He would have continued to watch but his door was suddenly blown off of its hinges and came soring into his private chambers and towards him. Looking just in time he jumped out of the way. The door barely missed hitting him as he fell to the balcony’s floor.

      In the doorway stood the Elf, Prince, thief and illusionist all in defensive positions; the first two with their magic and the last with their skills of their trades. All four had weapons drawn. They scanned the chamber for signs of anyone in it. Thus far they had met little resistance in the palace as their search for the King went on. Any soldiers they did meet were quickly dealt with, with little trouble. When they finally found the King they were expecting to have to fight some of his best men in order to get to him. But when their eyes fell upon him lying on the floor of his balcony they were greatly surprised. There had been no guards in the hallway, at the chambers door, or even in the room with the King; he was all alone, and extremely venerable.

      Bring up his magic, calling it forth, the Elf prepared to ensnare the King in a spell that he would be unable to escape from. Going before the Elf it soared towards the King preparing to rap around him; except it never had a chance. Even before it could fully reach the King the spell was somehow swept away. At the same time - without even the slightest warning - the King coming to life flew at the four. Pretending to be unconscious he had lured them into a false sense of security. 

      A curse flared to life in the Kings right hand and tore towards them, slammed into the shielding spell protecting the foursome, to their great astonishment. It went straight through the shield after resisting a bit. Once through, the shield died away, becoming destroyed by the surprised magical assault of the King. The curse having done its job simply vanished after that - no new shield would be allowed to be conjured up.

      How the King had the ability to perform magic was totally beyond any of them, especially the Elf. There should have been no way for him to have any kind of magic. And even if he did the Elf should have sensed it. Yet there he was with one even stronger than the Elf’s and Prince’s combined powers. This was not possible! How could this be? The King hated any kind of magic.

      Noting their shocked looks the King smirked evilly, happy and content that the resistance did not know about him being able to wielded magic and in such strength. He had wanted to be the only one with any kind of magic in the kingdom, so he had decided to seek out and destroy all Elves and magicians, stealing their powers. By banning magic he hoped that he could eventually become the most powerful being alive. His plan had worked pretty well. After tonight it would be completely fulfilled as he personally eliminated every last member of the resistance. And to start off he would kill the Prince and his pathetic excuse of companions!

      Getting ready to finish them off, after landing before them, the King taunted them on. In response the Prince and Elf stepped forward to fight, while the other two guarded the doorway, blocking the King’s escape and stopping any sort of help from coming, though they knew none would.

      Hexes, spells, curses and enchantments flew all around the chamber. Slamming into the various contents of the room with eruptions and such force that nearly everything was in pieces, on fire or turned to dust in a matter of minutes. Neither side was able to gain any advantage. The room was a mess, but the ones controlling the magic were unharmed.

      Out of breath they paused for a quick rest. That’s when the King got the Elf! The hex hit him square in the chest, sending him spinning backwards; flying horizontally into the wall the door was set in. Slumping to the floor the Elf did not move or even make a single sound.

      Looking at the Elf’s motionless body, the illusionist and thief could not believe what just happened. Just in time they turned their gaze back to the King to see him preparing to attack them. Stepping into action the illusionist made them disappear. Suddenly the Kings target was nowhere to be found!

      He looked all around his chamber to locate them again, but could not. The simple trick had done its job in two ways. The King was unable to kill the illusionist and the thief but, most importantly momentarily he had forgotten the presence of the Prince!

      Knowing that with the Elf out of the way he could easily dispose of is unworthy step-son, he turned to face him once again. But something collided extremely painfully into his face as he did so.

      Stumbling backwards, stars began to swirl in front of him. He looked the Prince straight in the eyes; the Kings face told everything. He was not expecting the Prince to be able to do what he had just done. He did not expect his step-son to actually have the courage and stamina to stand up to him in such a way. And now, as he sank agonisingly to his knees, he was paying the price for his lack of judgment; he was dying!               

      As he lay in an awkward position on the cold floor of his private chambers, the final thing the King saw was the Prince. Drawing his last, struggled breathe the cruel, tyrant King died taking along with him his evil and the threat he had posed.

      By this time the illusionist had undone his ‘spell’ and he and the thief were knelling beside the Elf, worry painted on their faces. Rushing to them the Prince used his magic on the Elf. In a couple of minutes, to their great relief, he was breathing again. Shortly after that he was able to get up and walk. Thanks to the Prince and what he had been taught by the resistance, the Elf was alive and could tell the tale of how the four of them together destroyed the King.

      Walking into the palace courtyard these four were cheered at, for the elimination of the King, by the whole resistance. Bodies of the entire army that was once the greatest of the Kings littered everywhere. No one living in the palace that had been loyal to the King was left alive. Throughout the whole palace death had been brought in just one fateful night. All that resided here now were bad memories and misery. There was only one thing that could be done. The palace was going to needed to be destroyed.

      Coming out of the palace the resistance surrounded it. At the signal of the Prince, who looked at the Elf for reassurance, everyone battered the palace with their magic, conjuring up various incantations. Explosions and blasts rocked the earth as spell after spell ripped into the palace, turning it to rubble. Fires blazed red and white hot, melting everything that their flames touched. With an enormous cloud of thick, black smoke the final parts of the palace fell to the earth. The threat and greatest standing memory of the tyrant King was totally eliminated.

      As the remainder of the fires died away hours later something wondrous happened - plants began to grow over the rubble! Grass and various flowers sprung up. Trees and bushes could be seen fully growing in a matter of minutes, as all over other plants came to life, popping up from the charred ground. Amazing smells and brilliant colors filled the air, replacing the remains of a dark past. The land was completely transformed, springing forth with new life. From that day forward this garden became a symbol and a reminder of freedom and of what it sometimes costs for that freedom.               

      After that day the Prince was set up as the proper ruler where he reigned in peace for the rest of his life. The Elf, thief and illusionist became good friends and advisers to the Prince. The Elves and the resistance ended up forming into the Princes personal guard, ensuring his safety as their King. Once again the Elves were safe and free along with all magicians and the resistance. To show their gratitude they made a grand fortress for the Prince to live and rule in; bringing peace to all those in the kingdom who sought it. 

​

​

Crystal Sword 

 

The Crystals

 

      Crystals; nice, shiny gems and a prized position for any rock collector. The ones I am going to tell you about are, above all, the most prized and valuable and - most importantly - extremely destructive.

      I was a young king, the ruler over a small number of people. We were constantly at war with the other neighbouring kingdoms, one in particular. Wars would come and go, but more than not they would come and stay it seemed. We would usually win the battles, but there would be many casualties; something that I and my people did not like in the least.    

      The reason we would end up winning was because of the crystals. It sounds strange, I know, however these were not ordinary crystals. They were - are - magical. They have kept me and my people safe for so long I can’t even count all the times they saved us anymore.

      There are eight of these crystals yet now only seven are in my position. Our arch enemy, in the latest battle we fought, stole one for his small fortress. I should note that the leader of this enemy is a wizard of great dark power. In my court I have a wizard and a magician, as well. The difference between the two is that wizards are more powerful than magicians. Therefore magic in our battles is common and that is exactly how the one crystal was lost.

      My people did not see the significance of the loss so I had to explain it to them...

 

      It all started years ago. I was a wizard at the time.

      - My people’s reaction to this news was of surprise for they knew that I did not fully trust magic. It was far too unpredictable. The magic that I did use these days and somewhat trusted, was simple and fairly safe. I only used it when necessary and that magic was the crystals; and the wizard and magician of course, who practiced their magic with great care. -

      I in fact had been the most powerful wizard of all thus far. My magic gave me long life which will always live on within me. I used my magic for various tasks, healing, fighting, protecting, and learning; for everything in life to help benefit others. Then one day my magic was challenged!

      Another wizard, claiming the ‘Title’ of ‘The most powerful being alive,’ sought to duel with me. Naturally, for my character, I declined for I knew this to be very unwise. I trusted magic back then but knew that it always needed respect. Putting magic of any kind to a test like this would only end in disaster. Yet this wizard insisted and was enraged by my refusal. In his anger he attempted to make me fight, sending spells and curses at me. My defences though were always in place and his magic did me no harm. I suppose that was why he started attacking the innocent people of the village we were in at the time.

      Of course now I could not simply walk away as I had intended to in order to avert the situation. I was, am, a protector of life, not a destroyer. That is unless destroying the few or the one saves many. This was currently the case at the time. The wizard was slaughtering the people in order to merely get me to fight him so he could actually clam his ‘Title.’        

      Thus we fought; it could not be helped if I was going to save the villagers. I was not going to let him do them any more harm due to his foolishness.

It was a terrible battle. He was indeed a great wizard, almost my equal, yet not quite. In the end I destroyed him and with a horrid price; nearly the entire population of the innocent people I sought to protect!

      I left the village hastily before too many people realized what I had caused to transpire by accident. The damage was done though. It had not been my fault entirely, but the villagers would not see it that way, they would want justice for what had happened to them. They had not been kept safe and from that moment I did not trust myself and especially not my magic with all that power. Power that could easily destroy life just as effectively as it could create or heal it.   

      Therefore to ensure that this would never happen again I transferred all my powers into eight ordinary stones. This caused them to transform into crystals of extraordinary beauty and power beyond anything.

      With them I traveled far away and built a palace, embedding the crystals in the stonework throughout it, to protect my small kingdom that I would build. That is all but one of the stones. I could not find a place to put it, so it remained on my person at all times for safe keeping.

      With this I had ensured that my magical powers would never again destroy innocent people. Rather they would guard and protect me and my subjects and all who sought peace. When they were employed the crystals could stop anything, from the smallest or largest incantation, to arrows and spears. Even huge boulders being catapulted could not penetrate the power of the crystals.

      All of this they did well, however, there was something that I had overlooked. My magic in the crystals still needed physical contact with someone. Therefore, on their own, they formed a sword, a sword that any and all magic - from our enemies - would be drawn to in battles, with no harm befalling the bearer. It did not matter if there was a wizard trying to counteract an enemy’s spell right in front of whoever had the sword. Any attacking magic would regard only the sword, always seeking it out. It was the most powerful sword of all that nothing could beat or even hope to stand against for long.

      Shocked that this had happened, I hid the sword and the one crystal safely away. They were both far too powerful on their own for simply anyone to wield their powers. And together... Together they would be a hundred times that. The seven other crystals were safe, being directly fused into the stone of my palace. None but I would be able remove them. Although even I don’t truly know if I could, for I knew that they could kill – destroy - anyone who attempted to. It was a safety measure I had put in place to prevent someone from steeling those crystals and I was not going to test its effectiveness whatsoever.

 

      Once I finished relating my story, the importance of the situation was fully reviled to my people. They understood why everything was occurring and in the way it was. Yet all this was the least of our worries for in the latest battle, as I stated earlier, the eighth crystal was stolen. I had been forced to take it out of hiding, use it, and therefore lost it. At this moment it resides with the dark wizard in his fortress. Enough power in the one to encompass his entire stronghold and adequately protect all he greedily owns.   

      One crystal against seven; the one could easily be a match with the dark wizard in charge, the prospects were not good. And the sword, the hunt was on for it. For with the one crystal back in use and by the dark wizard, the balance of magic has been shifted.

      The sword has come to aid in the restoring of that balance, but where it is I don’t know. The dark wizard knows about the sword now, something I had wished to keep a secret, but could not.

     If he were to ever get his hands on it! Let’s just say that it would not be good, especially for me and my people. The reason is that he is a descendant from the village I once nearly wiped out. His hatred and drive for revenge runs deep and he knows exactly who I am, after a thousand years from that fateful day. He will do anything, stopping at nothing to have his revenge on me and my people, having searched long and hard for us. So from that moment the race was on!

​

The Sword

 

      A pure heart; that is what is needed of the person who wields the sword. For anyone else to would be disastrous. Even with a pure heart and good intentions things can go dangerously wrong if one is not extremely careful.

      The sword has so much power that finding the right person could take many life times, if you ever manage to find that person that is. And only that right person can restore the balance of magic back in favour of what I first intended it to be used for - the greater good.

      However, there was also the daunting task of finding the sword along with the one to use it. When the eighth crystal was taken so much magic was being employed at the time that it sent the sword rocketing out of my palace and out of sight. The dark wizard had already stolen the one crystal, used it against me, causing the sword to come out of the place I had safely hidden it. Had it remained hidden the sword would still be in my possession.

      To add to the situation the dark wizard found out about the swords existence at this time. He is hunting it down for his own dark, evil purpose. If he were ever to get his hands on it he would corrupt all the good I have achieved with the crystals. He would ruin both the sword and all eight stones in one foul swoop, with just one of his enchantments. Of course I and my people could not let this happen, thus the long task of searching for the sword was underway.

      It was not us that found the sword though, nor the dark wizard, thank goodness. It was found by a wandering swordsman. No one really knew anything about him and what was known most people didn’t really trust. He was an extremely mysterious person, travelling throughout the different kingdoms. It was said that he was the foremost expert on swords, both in making and wielding them. We did not know what to think or do but we had little choice. He was brought to the palace.

      Luck was on our side the day he found the sword. First the swordsman thought that the sword was just an ordinary one. He could tell that it was of better quality compared to all other swords he had handled, which had been many. In fact he had never seen nor heard of any sword that was as good as this one. It appeared to be made of the finest available metal, one he wasn’t sure he had even come in contact with yet. So, it was only natural that he kept the sword because of its qualities.

      Second, we found him only hours after he picked up the sword, nearly a week from the time we had begun our search. And as far as we could tell the dark wizard knew nothing about the sword being found. Hoping against hope we prayed that it would stay that way.

      The last thing that went in our favour was the greatest of shocks to us all, me the most. This simple man was the one for the sword. Once he was in the palace the seven crystals and the sword began to shine brightly. This was the sign of who was to wield the sword!

      Strapped to the swordsman’s back he wondered what the bright light behind him was, in addition to the shocked looks on all our faces. His surprise matched everyone else’s upon finding that it was the sword fastened to him causing all the fuss.

      Still shining, he presented it to us; not knowing what else to do. We after all appeared to have a better knowledge and understanding of the sword and the entire situation than he did. This also surprised him greatly for not too many people knew any kind of sword better than he did. Also he had never heard of a sword giving off light before. He had studied swords extensively and knew about all the different kinds used by the various kingdoms of the land. Even if he had not made or used one personally he still knew about it. But this one was a puzzle he could not figure out.    

      You might be wondering presently why I would not be the one for this task; to bear the swords power against our enemies. After all it was my magic in the sword and crystals, it would only be logical that I would be the one. I would know better than anyone how my magic worked and be able to put it to great use with the sword. Well I have that answer for you. Because it was my magic that had created the crystals and therefore, indirectly the sword, I could not. If I were to the magic would go back into me more powerful than before. For with each use in the battles we had fought, the crystals had grown just like my magic and knowledge would have over the years. Once in me again the power would never leave and it would end up consuming me because it was so great. Therefore in order for my magic, and myself to live on another was needed - somebody who did not have a single drop of magic within them.  

      Like anything else our luck ended there, the dark wizard had come. It appeared that his crystal also shown, like the others, when the sword was reunited with its place of birth. Our time had finally run out!

      We had successfully gotten two nearly impossible tasks completed by a miracle. As hard as they may have been an even harder one was before us. The dark wizard had come to do battle! He had used the crystal’s magic to transport his entire fortress to the grasslands in front of my palace. The dark wizard had come to gain control of my palace, the seven crystals in my position and, most importantly the sword. He would stop at nothing to be victorious and that’s what worried me the most. Why? Because even with me having seven crystals and him only the one, a battle fought with them against each other could be disastrous beyond anything imaginable.

      However there was hope. We had the sword and its bearer. The crystal sword that would restore the balance of magic and bring peace to the entire land once again...

​

​

​