Prologue
Deanne Price was asleep in her bed.
The dreary London weather caused her to shiver from the biting cold. She grabbed the warm blanket with her right hand; she was eager not to go to school. She looked at the windows. Something caused her to freeze. Grey colored dark elves appeared in the small room.
She gasped in fright.
As she closed her blue eyes, a bright light illuminated the bed. The dark elves cried out in pain, and vanished. Deanne didn't know what happened. She had performed a magical act. The memory of her parents filled her with happiness. Then she heard the door was banging.
'I'm fine', Deanne announced.
'What's going on, Deanne?', Anna Price asked her ten year old daughter.
'There were dark elves in the room, Mother. They wanted to hurt me', she answered; she cried, as Anna hugged her.
'There is no such thing as elves'.
But Deanne Price knew better.
The dark elves were real.
*
Chapter One
The warlock stood near the Tower of the Arcane.
He looked at the house, and frowned.
'Orton, she's in there', Phyllis Donaldson said.
'The point being', Orton smiled.
'She is here. She escaped from the Dark Elves', Phyllis told the warlock. He illuminated the bedroom window with his wand; he was concerned about what was going on in London. Cars, and other vehicles, were parked in the carparks of the shopping malls where humans dwelled. Orton glanced at them, as if they were part of the Human Race; a race who wasn't magical at all. Men, women, and their children, went to their offices, schools, and other places of work. Deanne Price was magical, and hadn't shown her abilities-yet. Somehow, someone knew of where she lived; where she and her parents were located in the house in the bustling, congested, city where witches, wizards, and warlocks, thrived in the Realms. The door opened, and Deanne saw them.
'Who are you?', she asked.
'You can see us?', Orton said.
'Yes', Deanne said.
'Orton Cross, the Great Warlock of London. This is Phyllis Donaldson, a Grand Witch. According to reports, you saw Dark Elves'.
'I did. Mother and Father are watching a movie on TV'.
'Ah! A human pastime, Phyllis', Orton smiled.
'TV'.
'No matter, dear. Now, let's see take you away from here...for your own good', the Warlock stated.
'But, my parents-'.
'They'll be fine, Deanne. Tell them you'll be going to bed'.
'Okay'.
*
'Mother! Father! I'll be going to bed now. Good night'.
'Good night. It's rather early', her mother said.
'I'll read a book, and brush my teeth in the bathroom'. Deanne smiled at her new friends, before she did what was necessary, as the whisperings of the witches was heard outside the front door.
*
The window was open.
Frowning, Deanne closed it.
As she did so, Orson and Phyllis appeared in her bedroom. 'Time is fleeting', Orson said.
'How did you get inside?', she asked them.
'Magic, dear', Phyllis answered.
'Am I magical?', Deanne said.
'Yes', Orton stated.
'Why wasn't I told about my birthright?'.
'There is no birthright, Deanne. You are magical because of an event long ago in the Welsh woods in Cardiff'.
'I was seven. I was on holidays with my parents. There was a bright light near a Library. It was a strange place to read books there. The entrance was closed off, but I saw witches, and wizards wearing cloaks, and hoods on their heads; I saw them smiling at me, as if I belonged there', Deanne said.
'The Magician's Library', Orton said.
'Yes, that was it', Deanne stated.
'We can go to there. You'll be safe'.
'That's good. But-'.
'You're parents will be fine', Orton said.
Then they disappeared together, as London became silent once more.
*
The Library was full of witches, and wizards, as well as warlocks.
On the creamy walls were the words:
SILENT-READING ONLY
Deanne looked at the books.
A boy wizard appeared from the "A" section.
He had short, black hair, blue eyes, and average height. His cape flowed down his back; his focus was on the Warlock, and witch. And the girl. 'Welcome to the Magician's Library. I'm Edward Moore'.
'Deanne Price. A sorceress'.
'You're too young to be a sorceress'.
'That's what I am'.
He looked at Phyllis, and Orton.
'She is a Junior Sorceress, Edward', Orton said.
'Please, follow me', he said.
They nodded, as they headed to the Office that was in the middle of the spacious room.
He opened it with a skeleton key, and all of them went inside.
*
The lights were on.
There was a table, two chairs, a globe, a gothic mirror, and four beds. The darkness was gone, replaced by angel statues. 'This is where Lowell Gray, the Magician, was studying. He was a recluse'.
'Why was that?', Deanne asked him.
'He vanished all of the time. Some say he was hunted by the Dark Elves', Edward answered.
'I was attacked by them'.
Edward nodded.
'I am afraid you're in grave danger, Deanne'.
And he told her why.
*
The warlock stood near the entrance to the Stone Woods in Cardiff, Wales. For awhile he saw other elves ignoring him, as if he was going to harm them. He tapped the large cane in his left hand on the grey stones; he heard the whooshing of air. He stepped back, as the ground threatened to swallow him. 'What's wrong with the stones?', the Warlock yelled.
'They're ancient', Carmen Jenkinson answered.
'This is the problem. Fix it!', he yelled.
'Yes, Xavier'.
She cast a spell, and the twenty stones gleamed with shine.
In a matter of seconds, they were inside the Tower of the Arcane.
*
Deanne waited.
She was nervous.
'Why am I...?'.
'You're chosen, Deanne. Let's talk'.
And she smiled, and nodded.
*
The Wizards of the Realm stood near the Ober Garden. They were waiting for the Great Time; the Time before the Rising, (a long time when wizards, witches, goblins, and elves, as well as dwarves lived in harmony), was fraught with danger when all of the races changed their ways, and separated. Then everything went wrong, and war was an inevitability.
And the darkness came over London.
*
Deanne waited.
She looked at the mirror.
'It's shimmering', she said.
'I know. Don't look at it', Edward said.
'Why not?', Deanne asked him.
'It sucks the energy out of you', Edward answered.
She turned back from it.
'That's the right thing to do', Orton said.
She smiled, and knew about the dangers that was in her future.
'So, what do we do?'.
'We'll secure the Tower of the Arcane', Phyllis said.
And she waved her wand, and the Tower was covered in ancient magic. Bright colors filled the Tower, as Deanne wondered if her parents missed her.
*
They saw the Warlock, and the Sorceress.
'Who are you? And why're you doing here?', Orton asked them.
'Xavier Markham, Wizard of the Higher Realms. This is my assistant, Carmen Jenkinson, Head Sorceress of the Realms', Xavier explained.
'I am Orton Cross, Head Warlock of London'.
'I thought you'd disappeared', Carmen said.
'I was in Edinburgh, Scotland for a vacation. My wife, Selene, was buried there. It was an accident with lightning; it was something I had to get over psychologically', Orton said.
'We didn't know', Carmen felt sad.
'I didn't say much, on a personal level. We all need to get away for awhile. This is Deanne Price, Junior Sorceress. She was attacked by the Dark Elves'.
'Dark Elves'.
'This is terrible news', Xavier gasped.
And the story became darker.
*
The fireplace was full of elves.
Their eyes flickered in the ashes; their faces, as well as the pointy ears, as the moon's shadow was in the evening sky. For a long time, the shadows were near Eldred Lake's cape, that became soiled by the mud. 'The sky is acrid, and born from anger...and evil; evil that grows and grows until the Fallen People return...', he said. June Marr, the seer, gazed at him.
'Others will follow', she uttered.
'Others'.
'Yes, that is all you need to feel about the matter, Eldred'.
He grabbed the cape with his right hand, and washed it in the lake. Before they could continue on the journey, the lightning crackled in the sky. 'It's going to rain...A storm', June said.
They ran towards the Stone Woods, where the Tower of the Arcane was nearby.
*
The boy stood in the Docks.
He shifted his attention to the London Harbormaster. 'It's late', he said.
'Indeed it is, Master Michael'.
'Why is it a problem?', he asked him.
'I don't know. Something is wrong', the Harbormaster answered. Michael frowned. He saw the embers of the fire.
'There's a camp nearby'.
'Careful. Let's inform Daniel Nathanson'.
'Who is he?'.
'The Spymaster', the Harbormaster stated.
*
'So, what now?', Deanne asked her friends.
'The Dark Elves invaded London, and the Tower of the Arcane. Someone is here, and they want you', Orton Cross answered.
'What is it, Orton?'.
'You were Chosen for a reason, Deanne'.
'And'.
'And you shall be safe here'.
'My parents...'.
'We'll make sure you're protected'.
'I don't understand'.
'In time, you will, Deanne. Now, let's eat something, and go to sleep. It's dark now'. She nodded, and the memory of darkness was all but forgotten.
*
The girl was asleep.
She opened her eyes.
She focused on the picture of her mother, and father on the Grey Walls in her chamber; she looked at the open window. Who opened them?, she asked herself. In the closet were full of clothes. She grabbed a lamp, and walked to the second room. The doors creaked open; a cold breeze wafted across her face. She heard whispers outside; faint whispers.
She didn't want to put her face near the chamber door.
Over the years, her parents would let other family members talk in the thin hall. She knew that, when she was of age, she'd be married, have children, and have a proper life. But she didn't want that. Everyone wanted something for her, ignoring the news that their daughter had feelings, thoughts, and ideas. At eight, she had dreamed of seeing the Tower of the Arcane, a magical place where she belonged. Her Aunt Mabel wanted her to go; her Uncle had died knowing that his wife had made the right choice, and he was buried in the cemetery.
She cried, and paused.
When the voices died, she knew she had to escape.
And that was what she did.
*
'What do we do now?', Deanne asked Orton Cross.
'We prepare or the fight with the Dark Elves', the warlock suggested, by way of an answer.305Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSxarhSoTGQ
And he gazed out of the window, as it started to rain.
*
To be continued...
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