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The queen’s guard stood like statues on the skimmers as an elf sailed them along the coast. A cry came from the front skimmer as the guards spotted Jasper and Dekon’s abandoned skimmer.
‘How did they find us?’ Dekon muttered crossly. ‘We have no chance of outrunning them and there’s nowhere to hide.’
‘Well, that just leaves one option,’ Jasper said. ‘You’ll have to wish us as close to the mountain as you can. With a bit of luck they won’t know where we’re heading.’
‘Should we go back down to the cave?’ Dekon asked.
Jasper shrugged. ‘There doesn’t seem to be much point in hiding my magic anyway.’
Dekon nodded. ‘Maybe they’ll just move on. It might just be a normal patrol.’
Jasper doubted it but they waited until the two skimmers stopped not far from Smuggler’s Cave. The guards leapt off and ran towards the abandoned skimmer.
‘They’re close!’ one yelled. ‘Send word to the queen. We’re sure this time.’
‘I guess it is us they want,’ Dekon said, then paused and looked at the snow-covered peak. ‘I wish we were both really close to the black mountain over there.’
Dekon adjusted his grip on the bag of food and looked at Jasper. He began to repeat the wish ‘I wish...’
The world seemed to be spinning and rolling at the same time and just as Jasper started to feel dizzy it stopped. The mountain filled the sky and both Jasper and Dekon sank to the ground and stared. Jasper turned back and saw how far they had come in just a few seconds.
‘Well, that certainly saved a lot of time,’ Dekon said, clearing his throat when his voice sounded a bit froggy. ‘I can’t say I’m keen to do it again though.’
‘Me neither,’ Jasper agreed as he blinked furiously in an attempt to bring the world back into focus. ‘Let’s walk the rest of the way.’
‘I doubt the guards back at the cave have the ability to follow us quickly even if they could tell where we’ve gone.’
‘Yes, by the time they could get here we’ll have found Djon and helped him return to Wizdom,’ Jasper agreed. ‘And I vote we go with him. It was the only place people weren’t chasing us!’
Dekon nodded. ‘Funnily enough I’m starving! It’s as if we’ve travelled this far on foot without eating.’
The warf tipped the food out onto the ground between them. Jasper bit off a hunk of bread then ate some cheese. Yes, the food tasted as good as it had a few moments ago. After devouring all the food and drink in the bag Jasper felt better and Dekon was up on his feet looking around.
‘There’s grass here,’ Dekon commented. ‘And trees.’
‘And lots of rocks,’ Jasper added, as he took one out from under his leg. ‘There are weird shaped rocks everywhere.’ He tossed the rock and it hit another one with an odd clunk that did not sound quite right. The rock split in two and fell sideways to expose the centre.
Jasper stared at it for several seconds as his brain processed what he was seeing.
‘Obsidian.’ Both he and Dekon said it together. They split open several more rocks and they were all the same.
‘There’s enough obsidian here to protect every magical person in Elvale from the queen and her guards,’ Dekon said softly. ‘We have to take a big sack of it to Leo.’
The warf picked up the empty food sack and began to load it with rocks.
‘We don’t know how far we have to go yet,’ Jasper pointed out. ‘And I see an awful lot of rocks up ahead. Perhaps we can collect them a little later?’
Dekon paused and considered Jasper’s suggestion then tipped the rocks out.
‘Let’s find this wizard’s home and come back for the rocks. We can still be gone before anyone figures out where we went,’ he said and immediately began walking towards the mountain as if they would be done with it all before high noon.
Jasper followed and they settled to an easy pace over the grassy knolls and valleys. They came over the top of a small rise and Jasper stopped suddenly. Only a dozen paces away was a goat. Dekon had seen it too and they watched the unexpected creature for a few seconds. The goat continued to munch the long grass then raised its head, looked directly at them and bleated. It shook its head, which caused a small bell to clang, and it ran off through the trees.
Jasper felt a small shiver run through him. The goat had a bell. Who had put it there?
‘Maybe Djon farms goats,’ Dekon said, obviously thinking along the same lines as Jasper.
‘Perhaps.’ Jasper wanted to believe it but a second later they both knew without a doubt that they were wrong.
‘Gilly, come back!’ A young voice was heard and a very short boy came running into view. He looked far too small to be in charge of goats but he carried a long wooden staff that seemed to mark him as a shepherd. The boy suddenly realised he was being watched and froze. He stared at them both then turned and ran back the way he had come. ‘Papa! Papa! There’s a giant in the field!’
‘A giant?’ Jasper repeated, and then it struck him. The boy wasn’t young. He was a warf. Jasper looked at Dekon who appeared to be in shock. ‘A warf?’
Dekon didn’t reply and began to walk quickly after the boy.
‘Are you sure we should just rush in there?’
Again, Dekon said nothing and pushed through bushes and hurried up the next rise. For having such short legs he was going quite fast and Jasper had to jog to keep up with him. The grass and shrubs became a dirt track and that led to a well-used road. Dekon didn’t even slow down as he turned towards the mountain and followed the road.
‘How do you know it’s this way?’ Jasper asked and Dekon pointed at the mountain.
‘Warves live near mountains, or under them, if they can,’ he said, then stopped. ‘Do you hear that?’
Jasper listened and could vaguely make out what sounded like a gaggle of geese. A second later several dozen people came around the corner. Several dozen warves to be exact.
The warves fell silent when they saw Dekon and Jasper and stopped short of them. Dekon was quite tall in comparison to the rest, which definitely made Jasper feel like the giant they thought he was.
‘Who are you and how did you get here?’ a warf asked as he took a step forward.
‘Ask them where they came from, Tok,’ another called from the crowd.
‘It’s rather a long story,’ Dekon replied. ‘We didn’t know you were here.’
‘Why have you come?’ Tok asked. His gaze flicked over to Jasper and he nodded as if understanding the reason. ‘You came to see the other giant.’
‘Yes,’ Dekon replied. ‘I didn’t know there were other warves in Elvale.’
The warves looked at each other. ‘And we didn’t know anyone else, of any race, had survived the dragon war.’
Jasper’s eyes widened. Well, they were certainly in for a surprise.
‘We must get to see... the giant,’ Jasper said. ‘He is not well.’
Tok nodded. ‘We take food to him every week and he has been getting worse for the last few years. It is said in our history that he saved us from the dragon war then made this part of the land free from the toxic blight that covers most of it.’
‘Toxic?’ Dekon queried and Jasper remembered the black haze that had hung over the land back at the coast.
‘Nobody travels far from our settlements and some even say the giant is the only thing keeping the toxic gases from coming back,’ Tok replied with a nod.
Jasper felt a hard knot of concern growing inside. They had come here to take Djon away but what would that do to the warves who lived here if Tok’s theory was right?
‘How many are in your community?’ Jasper asked and wondered if it was possible to take them all to Wizdom.
‘Here at the mine? Only about twenty five miners and their families...’
Jasper wondered if they could take that many but the warf continued.
‘And in the two villages there are another thousand.’
Dekon exchanged a worried look with Jasper and had clearly understood Jasper’s reason for the question. It seemed to have taken a great deal of the joy out of the warf’s discovery that he was not alone any more.
‘Please... come to the mining village,’ Tok said, extending one arm back the way they had come. ‘We will send a runner to Klaron to let them know of your arrival.’
‘Perhaps we should go and see... the giant first,’ Dekon suggested.
‘Of course. You have probably brought medicine for him,’ Tok said, nodding furiously. ‘We will prepare a feast for your return. The path is up the mountain just beyond the mine.’
‘We need to talk to Arlo,’ Jasper muttered quietly to Dekon as they followed the happy warves back towards the mountain. The children clustered around them and seemed fascinated by Jasper. They clung to his arms and walked backwards in front of him to watch his every step. The road forked and they took the right-hand path. A quick look down the other one showed a dozen or more houses in the distance. The path went uphill until it flattened out at the base of the mountain where a large opening marked the mine entrance.
‘That path leads to his home in the mountain,’ Tok explained and pointed to a very narrow track that looked more suited to goats than people. ‘Bring him down if you can. It has been many years since he has been to visit.’
Jasper just nodded and he and Dekon headed quickly towards the track. It was as narrow as it looked and all their attention was on staying upright for some time. Dekon appeared to be finding it easier going than Jasper and he pointed to a cave opening up ahead. Jasper looked at the view and saw three snow-capped mountains in the distance. Yes, this was the place.
‘Do we knock?’ Jasper queried as they reached the cave. ‘There isn’t even a door.’
‘Come in, come in!’ a weak and crackly voice drifted out of the cave.
Dekon let Jasper enter the cave first and the old man they had seen in the Well of Wizdom sat on a narrow cot by the far wall. He looked even more ill than several days ago and Jasper wondered if he would be able to even sit up if he wasn’t supported by the wall.
‘Were you watching me?’ he asked and made no attempt to get up to greet them. ‘I felt the hairs on my neck rise the other day.’
‘I’m Jasper and this is Dekon, Sir, and yes the Well of Wizdom showed us your cave,’ Jasper said politely.
‘Wizdom?’ Djon snapped and his demeanour changed instantly. ‘So it still exists then.’
Jasper wasn’t sure how to respond as the old wizard looked angry. He was saved from replying when Dekon spoke up. ‘Arlo sent us to find you and take you back to Wizdom so that you can get better.’
‘Leave? How can I leave here with all the warves depending on me?’ Djon replied. ‘You can just go back where you came from.’
Dekon shrugged and looked as defeated as Jasper felt. They had come all this way to help someone who didn’t want their help.
‘Maybe if you spoke to Arlo there might be something he can do,’ Jasper suggested and nodded at Dekon to show the stone. Dekon did so and placed the blue stone on the floor near the bed.
‘That traitor! Why would I...’
Arlo’s blue-robed form appeared in the cave and he looked more than a little startled at the angry outburst from Djon. ‘Brother. I had no idea you were still alive after the dragon war.’
‘You didn’t even look!’ Djon said, leaning forward to shout at the image. The effort shook his body so much that he started coughing uncontrollably.
Jasper took a cup from the table and dipped it in a small pool of water by the wall. It looked fresh and he sniffed it to check then handed it to the old wizard.
‘Jasper. Use the map to bring Djon here. There is no other way into Wizdom,’ Arlo said and looked very distressed at Djon’s condition.
‘He says he can’t leave or the warves will die,’ Dekon chipped in.
‘What warves?’ Arlo asked.
Djon’s coughing had subsided and he looked at Arlo then sighed deeply. ‘That’s a very long story and I need more magic to strengthen the charm keeping them safe. I am getting weaker by the day.’
‘The terran and the warf have magic,’ Arlo replied instantly. ‘Mostly the terran.’
Jasper raised one eyebrow. Was the wizard suggesting that they would be able to save the warves? He couldn’t even save himself, let alone thousands of others! Djon looked at Dekon and Jasper with renewed interest and Jasper was sure his gaze lingered a little longer on him than it had on Dekon.
‘Yes, I can feel it now. It’s very strange. Very strong.’
‘I have a genie curse,’ Jasper explained and he wondered why he felt a little embarrassed to say so.
Djon’s eyes brightened considerably and a twitch of a smile touched the corners of his mouth. ‘How strong is it?’
Jasper shrugged. ‘We jumped from the coast to here in about ten seconds.’
Djon stared at him as if he were lying then Arlo nodded.
‘Yes, I spoke with them in Smuggler’s Cave not long ago,’ he agreed.
‘And yet I still feel a lot within him,’ Djon said. ‘That alone should be enough to safeguard the warves for many months.’
Djon seemed to relax against the wall as if the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders.
Jasper felt a sudden shock run through him and he grabbed the wall to steady himself.
‘Done!’ Djon announced and Jasper couldn’t help but feel irritated and used. The old wizard had done it without even asking or warning him. ‘And there is still a little left in him.’
‘Use the map to come home,’ Arlo repeated. ‘Who has the map?’
‘I do,’ Jasper said, still waiting for the cave to stop spinning. He was oddly starving again too.
‘Why did the well show you my home?’ Djon asked as he gathered a couple of items from a shelf.
‘I wanted to send Dekon home to Warfdon,’ Jasper said. The cave had almost settled down and he blinked a couple of times to refocus.
Dekon shook his head. ‘I thought I was alone in Elvale. You should go back to Terra instead.’
‘I don’t really care who goes where,’ Djon said and shrugged. ‘I can wish up the door and you can choose where it goes. It will take one, or both of you, to any place you choose. Just think of the destination and step through.’
‘Anywhere except Wizdom,’ Arlo added.
Jasper wasn’t sure about going to Terra but he nodded. ‘Wish away.’
Jasper felt a tingle, rather than a shock, but it was gone in an instant. He looked around but nothing appeared to have changed.
‘It can take a while to build the door,’ Djon explained and seemed unconcerned. ‘Now about this map.’
Jasper nodded and put his hand in his pocket. He felt his face go pale as his hand found only a few glowstones. The map had gone!
‘Well?’ Arlo prompted.
‘It’s... umm... missing,’ Jasper said as he wondered where he could have dropped it. The last time they had used it was in Smuggler’s Cave and they had come here straight after that.
‘I bet one of the warf kids took it,’ Dekon said with a small scowl. ‘They’re known to take anything that isn’t nailed down. At least they are back in Warfdon.’
Jasper remembered how the young warves had surrounded him and it was entirely possible one of them had taken it.
‘I’ll go back and get it,’ Dekon said and didn’t even wait for anyone to agree as he rushed out the cave.
‘Watch out for the loose...’ the old wizard called out but it was too late. Dekon tripped on a loose slab of obsidian by the entrance and tumbled right off the edge of the path. Jasper hurried over and saw Dekon lying a short way down, clinging to a scrawny tree.
‘Are you okay?’ he called as he quickly threw rope down to Dekon.
‘I think so,’ Dekon replied. He grabbed the rope and began to pull himself up then winced in pain. ‘My leg is hurt.’
Jasper pulled Dekon back to the cave entrance and helped him back in to sit down.
‘You could wish it better?’ Jasper suggested.
‘I already did. I guess you’re all out of magic for now,’ Dekon replied.
‘I’ll go and find the map,’ Jasper said. ‘You rest here and then we’ll all go back to Wizdom with Djon.’
Dekon just nodded and it was clear that his leg was badly hurt. Jasper hurried out of the cave, being careful of the loose slab, then picked his way carefully down the track. How was he supposed to accuse their new acquaintances of stealing without causing a big fuss? He was still mulling over the problem when the mine entrance came into view. He was a fair way off but he could see something was going on. There was a lot of shouting and confusion as warves ran in all directions.
Then he looked up and saw what they were running from. Up in the sky, and quickly descending, was an airship in the shape of a black dragon! It hung from a huge black balloon and in just a few seconds it landed right in front of the mine. A dozen black and red garbed guards leapt out of it and started grabbing warves. A raven-haired woman, also dressed in red and black, stepped down gracefully.
‘I know they’re here. Just hand them over and we’ll leave you to your black dirt.’
Jasper gulped. How had they been tracked? This must be the queen he had heard so much about. She didn’t look capable of all the things he had heard. She stood probably not much taller than him and was very slightly built. The warves were yelling and crying and several pointed up to the mountain. Jasper shrank behind a boulder as the queen gazed in his direction.
‘No, I can feel one a lot closer than that,’ she said and ran her gaze over the warves that had been herded back to the dragon airship. She pointed at one of the children. ‘That one. Bring it here.’
A guard picked up the warf child and carried him to the queen. Jasper was horrified. What could the queen want with the child? If only he could get the map then he and the others would be gone and safe in Wizdom. Then the queen would leave the warves alone.
‘Hand it over,’ the queen demanded of the child.
Meekly, the child handed her something blue. Jasper stared and realised with a sinking heart that it was the map.
‘Excellent!’ the black queen said. ‘Let the warf go.’
The guard dropped the child and he ran off crying.
‘The stone isn’t here. I can’t feel it up the mountain so something or someone must be protecting it,’ the black queen said as she climbed back aboard her airship.
Jasper panicked. He had to get back and warn them. It wasn’t him and Dekon that she had been looking for all this time. She wanted the map and the stone! He began to scramble back up the mountain as fast as he could but the ship rose above him much faster. If the queen even saw him she didn’t bother to stop to see who he was.
By the time the cave entrance came into view the airship was nowhere in sight.
‘Dekon! Djon! Arlo!’ Jasper yelled as he ran into the cave but he received no reply. The cave was empty.
Jasper sank to his knees, exhausted by his exertions and struggled to believe what had happened. He looked around again even though there was nowhere anyone could hide. He was alone.
A slight swishing sound drew his attention and he turned to see the small pond was shimmering and a light mist was rising from it. He couldn’t work out what was happening for a second then remembered the spell the wizard had cast.
A door back home! He stared into the mist and thought of home. Instantly, the city street where he had come from appeared in the mist. All he would have to do was step into it and he would be gone from here.
He stood and stared at the city street for several minutes and shook his head. There was no way he could just walk off and leave Dekon in the clutches of the black queen, nor Djon. He felt responsible in many ways for all that had happened and it was up to him to fix it.
He took a deep breath and thought of the only other place he knew. The only place he could find someone to help him rescue the warf and the wizard.
Dragon Tower appeared in the mist. It showed the lower door where he and Dekon had left from. Jasper was about to walk through then realised he would be stuck at the bottom of the tower with no way in. He thought again and the token room that looked out over the countryside showed in the mist. Sitting at the table was Greta and she was singing to herself.
He had a sudden thought and hurried over to the cave entrance. He picked up the loose slab of obsidian and ran back to the pond as he had no idea how long the door would remain open.
Jasper braced himself for a very unwelcome welcome and stepped into the mist.
––––––––
Jasper’s story continues in Book 2: Jasper and the Black Queen
ALSO BY LINDA MCNABB
Series
Dragon Valley: The Dragon’s Apprentice
Dragon Valley: Shadow Hunters
Dragon Valley: Dragons’ Bane
Circle of Dreams: Runeweaver
Circle of Dreams: Timeweaver
Circle of Dreams: Starweaver
Dragon Charmers: Mountains of Fire
Dragon Charmers: Valley of Silver
Dragon Charmers: Caverns of Gold
Realm of Shadows: The Guardian
Realm of Shadows: Well of Life
Realm of Shadows: Rise of the Yarris
Wish: Jasper and the Well of Wizdom
Wish: Jasper and the Black Queen(coming 2018)
Standalone
Seventh Son
Stonekeeper’s Daughter
Puppet Master
Crystal Runners
Last Star
Maze Keepers