Kiernen - Chapter 1

One never wants to find oneself having to visit Mim’s Cottage uninvited. For that matter, one seldom wants to be invited to Mim’s Cottage. The trouble is, there are some circumstances for which only a nasty-tempered little witch could possibly locate and execute a solution—and that solution will almost certainly cost more dearly than one’s worst fears can dream up.

It is this reason that brought me my own notoriety.

My name is Kiernen, and I too, have used magic to forge my way through the worlds of this universe. I, however, prefer a more even-handed approach to life. Like most things found in the wild, I will not harm one who does not threaten me unless it is absolutely necessary—or, unless there is one close to me whose life depends on my aide. Then, may the universe protect anyone who gets in my way.

I am an Elf. In modern times (in this world which is now known as Earth), the world of Elves is a myth, and so are creatures like Mim and her most famous adversary, Merlin. The use of magic is merely fantasy now—even to those of us who used it regularly in those ancient times. I can still remember the feel of the Powers touching me, using me to serve their needs as I used them to serve mine. One doesn’t use magic without giving up something of oneself. It’s the only way to keep the balance, and the balance is the most important thing in the universe.

That’s why, even when magic was readily available in the world, few people were ever found who called themselves wizards, witches or sorcerers. So few of us have the reserves of personal strength and will to survive such demands for long. And those of us who remain now are the strongest ones from those days. We are strongest, but not really the best; unfortunately, many of the most skilled magic users gave more of themselves than they could spare. Their wills, their spirits were used up by the very powers they sought to control. Those of us who remain still mourn the loss of those few. Their incredible skills and knowledge might have helped us find a way to keep the magic of Earth alive. Perhaps then, the elves would not have left this world; or the Dwarves, Dragons, and Gnomes...or my own mate’s people, the Wolfkin. These races all chose to leave because their inherent magic could not survive en masse in this world once the world’s own magic was gone. Only a few could remain, and we are now mortal, however long our mortal lives may be.

I have wandered away from my subject, though—a habit of the elderly. And this little tale is much less depressing than the end of the world’s magic, though knowing that time will come is helpful to understanding some of the events herein. Quite a bit of adventure and a great deal of humor lies in the tale ahead, the worst days being still far in the future.

This tale begins while I was still only an apprentice learning to tune my strength and will, and to use the Powers. I laugh now when I think how young and arrogant I was then. Of course, the old and wise can always find humor in the ignorance of youth; it’s one of the best things about being old. It is on this adventure that I met my mate, Forro, and a few other friends whose lives touched mine deeply, and made it a fuller, more valuable existence.

I had no idea, of course, that my life was about to change so completely; but one never really does know such a thing. It just happens. A decision is made for whatever reason, that sets a foot on a path, and the other foot must naturally follow. I found myself rankling under the tutelage of a minor wizard named Eidero who thought more of his abilities than anyone else did—especially the Forum of Wizards. As much as I detested his overestimation of himself, though, I cared a great deal about him. He was my older brother and he had raised me since I was a small child because our parents had died.

At this point in my life, I still did not know the circumstances behind my parents’ deaths. Eidero knew that though I was very young for an elf, I had lived long enough with our parents to have developed a deep connection to them. He also knew how much I resembled our mother in her fierce protection for those she loved, and her determination to avenge the loved ones who came to harm. So, he knew that learning the truth was likely to set me out on the road to seek out their murderers and avenge their deaths. He failed to prepare for my determination to find out the truth; he failed to believe that I might not accept his story that a sudden storm sank their vessel on the Great River. And he completely underestimated how much he had managed to teach me so far.

One night, I used a weak but effective invisibility potion to sneak into Eidero’s study while he was busy entertaining delegates from the Gnomish Guild of Artisans. I probably did not even need to use the potion, as Eidero was so busy fawning over the precious jewels on display in the parlor, I doubt he would have noticed if a Dragon had landed on his head. But it was and has always been my way to be cautious when up to no good.

I stole into the study with intentions completely unrelated to my quest for the truth about my parents. I really was after my brother’s books on Dragons. They had always fascinated me and I wanted to learn all I could about them, but Eidero said I wasn’t ready for such weighty material yet. Too many mages had foolishly gone chasing after Dragons, for various reasons, only to have their heads bitten off, their bodies charred to ash, or to be turned permanently into something else altogether.

I’m quite sure to this day that a particular squirrel that lived outside my brother’s house was once a warlock named Zino—another fool full of his own importance. He thought that if he could create a powerful enough charm, he could convince a Dragon to be ridden. I suppose he was wrong; once he left on his quest, he was never seen (as himself) again. But the squirrel was always a source of amusement for me. I especially enjoyed watching Eidero’s frustrated attempts to keep the squirrel out of the food cellar.

While I was in Eidero’s study looking for the section of books on Dragons, though, the squirrel was the last thing on my mind. I had no grand plans to take on a full-sized Dragon, or even a baby Dragon (every bit as deadly as an Elder Dragon). I was searching for information on a breed known as Fae Dragons. This breed is small, has no forelegs, and has a stinger on its tail similar to that of a scorpion. It is very intelligent, but does not speak any of the humanoid tongues. One conversing with a Fae Dragon must learn the High Dragon Tongue, or one does not speak to a Fae Dragon. Why was I looking for this information? Because I was young and arrogant, and because I wanted to show my brother how clever I was: I intended to find a nest of young and befriend at least one. Then, I would train it to do things for me, like fly up to Eidero and take that silly hat off his head and dump it into the lake.

While I was stealing about in the study, events were unfolding downstairs of which I was completely unaware; and so was Eidero. I heard sounds from below slowly change from “Oh,” and “Ah” to nervous laughter, then to terse disagreement. Then everything was dead silent. I noticed the silence in the back of my mind more than with my full consciousness. Rather, I noticed a lack of distraction from my reading, and that finally pulled me from the page and put my mind on the world around me. Then Zino the squirrel appeared on the window sill seeming very nervous. He was not normally so jittery, so I put the book I was reading into my bag and moved to the window to see what had him out on the sill so late in the evening. Then I heard feet on the stairs, smaller feet than Eidero’s.

Worrying that my potion would not last much longer, and not wishing to cause Eidero any real embarrassment, I pulled the drapes across me and melted as deeply as I could into the window’s alcove. The Gnome seemed not to notice me, so I stayed and quietly listened as he examined the study. He approached the bookshelf, which was disturbingly close to my hiding place. Zino remained quiet outside, but I noticed his tail twitching convulsively and his eyes were nearly as big as his ears. The Gnome began muttering. I had not seen or heard any indication that anyone else was with him, especially not Eidero. Now I was worried. Where was Eidero? And what was the Gnome muttering about?

My worry increased ten-fold when the room lit up with a bluish light. I could see the glow from under the curtain and had to know what it was: I was certain the Gnome had used some sort of spell. The blue glow came from every item in the room that I knew to have magical properties, and from several that I had always thought were mundane. Then a fearful discovery struck me. I was also glowing blue and the Gnome was standing less than an arm’s length from me.

Even though I feared discovery, I found myself completely taken aback by the appearance of the Gnome. He was quite unlike any Gnomish Artisan I had ever seen. In fact, he looked more like a brigand from the Forest Highway than a businessman of any race, except he was the size of a Gnome. I had never heard of any Gnomes joining the brigands in their villainy, but then, one can’t know everything. I was confused how he came to be with the Artisans, though. They tended to use much larger bodyguards such as Humans or Wolfkin.

A sound came unexpectedly from the stairwell. The Gnome and I both looked toward the door. There was Eidero, looking mussed and confused. I was surprised that he did not appear angry at the Gnome for turning his entire study blue. He came into the room and opened his mouth to speak. The Gnome’s hand flashed and Eidero stood frozen, his mouth agape. I gasped. I had never seen the things this Gnome was doing. I knew Eidero was not as clever as he pretended, but he had only shown me parlor tricks compared to this. To stop a person dead in his tracks was miles above anything we had covered. But I wasn’t going to pop out of the curtain and ask the Gnome about it. He had already frozen Eidero; who knew what else he might do if a glowing girl appeared from behind the drapes. The squirrel was becoming positively frantic, but he was still amazingly silent. I realized now that the Gnome had not reacted when I gasped. ‘Why not?’ I wondered.

I looked at Zino again. He was moving back and forth: towards the far side of the window ledge as if to leave, then back to watch me intensely. He seemed to want me to leave. I felt he was probably right, but I couldn’t leave Eidero frozen in the study with an evil Gnome with Powers knew what on his mind. I remained in my hiding place, intent on following the Gnome’s movements through the room. He paced back and forth in front of the bookshelf as if he were certain to find what he wanted there. I hoped sincerely that he was not looking for the book I had placed in my bag. I didn’t doubt for a moment he would find it there by his Powers, and then of course he would find me.

The Gnome grew agitated and finally moved to stand before Eidero. He muttered again and made subtle movements with his hands. A sigh escaped Eidero’s lips, but he remained frozen. The Gnome asked, “What have you done with it?”

Eidero’s stony face asked, “Done with what?” I noticed his lips had not moved.

The Gnome reacted with ferocious anger. He touched Eidero and shocked him. “I know you can feel in this state, useless wizardling. And I know you don’t have the strength to withstand much. I’d speak up if I were you, so as to extend your useless life as long as possible.” This was a very un-Gnome-like Gnome. They always spoke properly and took care to use the kindest possible words.

“I would speak up if I knew what the Powers you were asking,” said Eidero. “I haven’t done anything with anything. And if I’m such a useless wizard, why do you feel the need to cast these spells on me? Could you not have asked me earlier when we were still having pleasantries? Hey, where did everybody go, anyway? I wanted to buy something.”

“I will not waste much of my time, son of Goidlan. You are nothing at all like either of your parents, does that ever bother you? Do you ever wonder why that is? I know why it is. Do you want me to tell you? I’ll take a moment out for that. It’ll give me pleasure to hear you weep. You were not their child, Eidero. You were lost in the woods when Feldana found you. Do you remember anything about your first few years? Isn’t that unusual for an Elf? I thought Elves were the only race who could remember all the way back to their birth. What’s wrong with you that you don’t remember those years? I’ll tell you a bit more, since it’s so foggy for you.”

The wicked little Gnome was gloating as he paced in front of my brother. I stood still behind the drape with tears of rage in my eyes, feeling helpless and useless for not being able to stop this cruelty.

The Gnome continued, “If you had ever bothered to explore those books you collect, you would have found the whole story, but I suppose you were too busy trying to look important to pay them much attention. You were lost in the woods and could not remember your own name, or the names of your parents or your village. All you could remember was fire. Do you still remember fire, useless wizard? I could remind you if you like. Oh, but wait. First I must find the thing I came to take. So, then: Fire.”

The Gnome had crossed the room, his hands clasped behind his back. He picked up a burning candle and returned to Eidero. At this point, I made up my mind to stop the Gnome whatever it cost me. I steeled myself to exit the drapes, but as I prepared to shove them aside I suddenly felt a draft from behind me. Then I was falling out the window with a squirrel holding to my robe. I didn’t know why I wasn’t hurt when we reached the ground, but somehow I landed on my feet as if I had only hopped off the bottom step of the stairwell.

Zino jumped off my robe, gave a vigorous twitch of his tail and moved towards the food cellar. I stood dumbfounded for a moment and he returned and repeated the action. I realized he really was trying to make me follow him. I said, “I can’t be insane now, I have to find a way to save my brother,” and headed back towards the front door of the house with every intention of storming up the stairs to face the Gnome.

Zino ran like lightning and jumped straight up to my shoulder. He grabbed a large section of hair in his paws and pulled while he chattered madly at me. He leapt off my shoulder with my hair still in his hands, and I found myself falling down. He got off of me and once again indicated the food cellar. I felt as if my mind had completely gone to mush. I followed the squirrel to the food cellar. I opened the door as quietly as I could—I’m not sure why since I was still glowing so there was really no stealth involved. The door opened and the squirrel entered. I waited a moment before following. Nothing this evening was making any sense.

As I entered the food cellar, a horrible racket came from the upstairs window and brilliant light exploded everywhere. Then I was on the floor in the food cellar and the door was slammed shut behind me. I was still glowing blue, so I could see in the cellar around me. The squirrel was digging in a corner, pausing occasionally to look at me expectantly. I caught the hint and began to help in spite of my desire to see what had just happened. I was now more certain than ever that this squirrel really was Zino. And if that was true, he knew something about what was going on, and might even be able to help. But how in the world was a squirrel going to help me?

I soon discovered the reason for our presence in the food cellar. A sack was buried in the dirt behind the pickled fish barrel. It was a fairly safe place to bury something since Eidero and I both hated pickled fish. I didn’t even know why we had an entire barrel of it. I pulled the sack out of the hole and knocked the dirt off of it. It felt like a book was inside it. I moved away from the hole, listening for sounds from above. It was quiet again and I didn’t know what to think of that.

I moved back towards the door, but Zino jumped up on the sack and made himself impossibly heavy. I sat down again and he moved to the side and began digging at the opening of the sack. I opened the sack and pulled out the book it held. The cover was made of some textile unknown to me. It didn’t feel quite like leather, but it didn’t feel like cloth or wood either. Those were the only things I knew of that were used as book covers. I opened the book and made a small gasp. Instead of pages of writing, the book contained a carved out cavity which appeared to have once held a round object of some sort. The object was missing, but a piece of parchment was there in its place. It was folded very small and had a familiar seal on it.
Zino nudged the paper with his head and made for the door, pulling the sack with him in his teeth. I picked him up and put him, the paper and the sack inside the bag I had brought with me. He moved so his head just showed from under the bag’s flap.

I emerged from the food cellar to find the house was now dark and eerily quiet. I went around to the front door. Zino did not stop me this time. I entered the house as quietly as I could manage and went to the fireplace in the parlor. I picked up the poker and made my way to the stairs, careful not to bump anything in the darkness. I walked slowly up the stairs towards Eidero’s study. There seemed to be no one there. I found a long match and lit a taper. The Gnome was gone and so was Eidero. There was a large black stain on the floor where I had last seen Eidero. I sat on the floor and wept.

What, by all the Powers, had happened? Where was my brother? I couldn’t bear the thought that the black stain might be all that was left of him. There was no sense to that. He was by no means an important figure of any sort. He was a terrible wizard, but the other magic users didn’t hate him enough to harm him. They just laughed at him. He never really hurt anybody either. Why would anyone want to hurt him? What was the Gnome looking for? And what was he talking about when he said Eidero wasn’t my parents’ child?

Zino came out of the bag and moved up to cuddle against my chin. I cried into his fur for a moment, then remembered the whole episode in the food cellar. I pulled the piece of parchment from the bag and stared at the seal, rubbing my thumb across it in thought. The seal melted away like fine sugar dropped in water. Stunned, I opened the folded parchment and stared in wonder at the words written on it.

Goidlan,
It is long since our visit in the woods of Andier. I trust the Elves found no fault with the arrangements we made. If Joffin finds the missing pieces, we are all in for a terrifying ride. Be sure to teach the message to Eidero carefully. He is bright and skillful, but we must be very careful to avoid any missteps. I hope you are correct in trusting him with such a crucial task. He is still so very young.
Your daughter will prove to be an adequate sorceress, I am sure. She is as fine as Feldana, and equally clever and ferocious. I will be certain to watch her progress. She may even prove to be as brilliant as Eidero.
I know you fear for their safety, as a good father must. I swear I will do all I can to ensure their protection if anything should befall you. I pray to the Powers that our efforts are not in vane. But if we fail, perhaps these two youngsters will find a way to minimize the trouble that will come.
May your journey be safe and brief. May you and Feldana return with good news from the Far Place. I will await your return eagerly.
In the Trust of the Powers,
Moraine

I stared at the parchment, expecting to hear the voice of my Grandfather behind me. Moraine. I had not spoken of him in at least a dozen years. Eidero always shut up like a sprung trap when I spoke of our Grandfather. I never knew why. Perhaps this letter had something to do with it.

“Zino? Are you Zino? I really need to know what’s going on. None of this is making any sense. What is this letter about and why was it hidden in the food cellar? And why did you know it was there? Who was that Gnome, was he Joffin? What was in that book? How am I supposed to find Eidero? By all the Powers, what is going on?”

My voice had become a bit frantic in my ears and Zino hugged himself around my neck like a scarf trying to calm me. Once I settled down a bit, he got down and moved over to the shelf the Gnome had been searching. He climbed nimbly up to the very top, only inches from the ceiling, and pushed something off it. It fell on the floor with a clunk. I walked over with the taper and looked down at a piece of material similar to the cover of the book in the food cellar. It was slightly glossy, and very hard. The side facing me was square and completely smooth. It was hard to tell with only a taper for light, but I got the impression of shifting colors on its surface.

I bent to pick it up. As I moved closer to it, I could see the shape on the other side was not the same. I picked it up and turned it over. The other side was carved to resemble the Spire of Powers in Wolpin. It was shaped like a pleated octagon. This side was polished black like the tower itself. I had no idea what it was or what to do with it. I turned it around in my hand. It felt heavy for such a small item. On a whim, I held the bottom in one hand and attempted to turn the top with my right. Not surprisingly, nothing happened. I was no more enlightened than a moment before.

Zino, though, was not finished pushing things off the shelf top. Another sack was up there, but it was much smaller than the one from the cellar. It made a rustling sound when it landed. I opened it and found it full of oddments I had never seen Eidero use, but I felt very strongly they must have some use in the world of magic. I knew that some spells required physical ingredients that triggered certain results. These items must have been intended for such use, but why hadn’t Eidero used them, or even shown them to me? Why did everything new thing cause more questions?

I found a stool and moved it to the shelf. I climbed up to see what Zino was doing now; he was obviously working at something very hard from the sounds he was making. Now I could see that a box was also stored on the shelf. It was long and slender and had a lock on it. It was made of the same mysterious substance as the square in my hand and the cover of the carved-out book. I brought it down and looked at Zino.

“Is there anything else up there?” He jumped down, so I assumed this was the last thing he had found. Just to be sure, I ran my hand along the shelf from end to end. In the far corner, I found a small object that felt like a jewel. I pulled it out and climbed down from the stool.

Once back on the floor, I sat the curious items on Eidero’s desk and sat down to examine them all. The jewel-like object I had found appeared to fit the lock on the box, so I put it up to the lock. It slid in with ease and the lock opened. It made no sense at all for the key to be right next to the lock it opened. But the jolt I felt when the lock opened helped me understand why the key didn’t matter. The squirrel laughed at me (I think) as I held my numbed hands to my chest and rocked in pain. The numbness passed after a few moments, but I still felt the need to glare Zino in consternation. He scurried over and nudged the box with his nose.

I opened the box with more caution than I used to open the lock. Inside the box was a carved dagger made of the same strange material as all the previous items. But this was transparent. I could see Zino looking at me right through the blade. There were markings on the hilt and the blade that I didn’t recognize. I was more confused than ever.

I decided there was only one place to find the answers I needed, but I had no way to get there. The Spire of Powers was across the sea and then another month’s travel east from there. I had no money and no transportation. How was I going to get to the Spire with no resources?

I was several months away from the Spire, but I was only a week’s journey on foot from Mim’s Cottage. I was terrified at the thought of going there, but I had no choice. She was the only person I could think of who would know how to get me there with any sort of speed. And my brother was missing under very suspicious circumstances, and I needed to find him before something horrible happened to him.

And that’s how I found myself traveling to Mim’s Cottage.

Welcome to Mim's Cottage

Welcome to Mim's cottage, where it's probably safer to wear your shoes at all times. There's a lot of clutter here, mainly because Mim is just too busy plotting and executing evil doings. "Who's Mim?" you say? Well, if you've ever seen Disney's animated feature, you probably didn't say that. (Just to jog your memory, she's a nasty little witch who tries to eat King Arthur, the boy, after Merlin has turned him into a bird. She also cheats fantastically in a Wizard's duel with Merlin. She would have won, too, if he weren't so cute with his long, scraggly, white beard! Shame on him for distracting her like that.)

Aside from being cluttered, Mim's cottage is a rustic dream home filled with magical curiosities. And a great big cauldron full of ick. Gotta love a cauldron full of ick. Not only is it a fabulous facial treatment, but you can do such amazing things with it. She once made a potion that turned an entire army of Roman soldiers into butterflies. Then she turned herself into a gigantic spider, spun the largest web anyone has ever seen, captured all the soldier/butterflies, and ate every last one. It's just lucky for her that the potion lasted long enough for her to digest the butterflies before they turned back into soldiers...

Mim's cottage also has some colorful, as well as colorless, characters hanging (0r floating) around. There's Newt, who has unusually large eyes that don't point in the same direction. He is most commonly known for shooting two arrows through two targets at the same time - one was directly behind him and the other was ahead and to the right.

Kleb also spends a great deal of time at Mim's cottage. No one is particularly sure what Kleb is, or why he is so popular, but many people know him and put up with his odd behaviours no matter how outrageous he gets.

Bob is a name Mim gave to the resident spook because he died without ever learning to write his real name, and everyone knows the only words that ever come out of a ghost's mouth are "Boo!" and various throat-wrenching screams mostly pronounced "Ah." He usually serves as butler. Well, really, he just announces visitors by screaching loudly.

Cassiopea is a lovely-looking kitten of purest black with the sweetest blue eyes anyone could imagine - and the longest, sharpest claws, and most vicious teeth on earth. Cass (often called Momma Cass) takes great pleasure in sneaking up on unwary travelers who have strayed too close to Mim's cottage - rather hard to do on accident as the cottage is atop a treacherous crag that somehow supports a very thick forest with dangerous bogs and unknown terrors. When a stranger approaches, Cass stalks them stealthily, more like a passing mist than a feline of any sort; she waits for them to be hopelessly stuck in a bog, or some other unknown terror, and pounces. Sometimes with teeth and claws, but quite often with her fluffy tail which tickles in the most distracting way...then she hits them with the teeth and claws. Ok, so the teeth and claws always come out: what else do you expect from an evil witch's cat? She once held a polar bear hostage for days in a forget-me-hole. It only ceased when she got distracted by a soldier/butterfly passing by on a breeze. She almost got eaten along with him, but her reflexes were too much for Mim, even as a spider.

Come by the cottage as often as you dare. There may or may not be new and interesting things to eat, touch, or just say "ick" about. But there will always be the first rule: Wear your shoes if you don't want your toes to be included in one of Mim's potions.