5. Deerburn and The Pine Forests....

Tumdor set off towards the shimmering light in the murky distance, his legs weary with the effort of trudging through the bog.  He approached the light as the sun was just setting.  The ramshackled wooden buildings lined the edge of a swamp ground surrounded by tall pine trees.  The buildings looked mostly abandoned, broken and

deshevelled, the only sign of life was the light flickering from one of the windows of a building on the far side of the village.  Tumdor set off towards it hoping for a friendly face and place to rest.  He approached the wooden door with caution and pushed it tentatively, it squeaked on the iron hinges.  A voice sounded from across the room, an open fire flickering in the hearth, ‘who goes there?’

‘I am weary from my travels and I am looking for a place to rest’ replied Tumdor as he edged around the door looking towards the voice.  To his amazement, next to the fire stood a creature, maybe a little shorter then Tumdor but he had the head of a field mouse.

‘I am very sorry to intrude’ spoke Tumdor, trying hard not to stare.

‘That’s ok said the creature, we don’t get many visitors here any more.  I apologise for my appearance, I know it can be a little startling’ said the creature as he turned back to the fire, a deep sadness in his voice.

‘What is your name?’ asked Tumdor, ’And how did you come to be this way?’

‘I am Sascka  and I’m afraid I played with a magic that I couldn’t control’  he

explained.  ‘Ever since the shattering a great darkness has taken over the pine forest and everyone has fled Deerburn’.  ‘I have spent my life here, I have nowhere else to go so I tried to defeat the dark magic myself, but I am no sorcerer and I couldn’t control the spell’. 

‘If you let me rest here the night, I may be able to help’ offered Tumdor hoping for a restful sleep.

‘Be my guest’ said Sascka, ‘but I fear that this place, and I, are beyond help’.

When he awoke, well rested,  Tumdor could hear the birds singing the calls of spring.  Sascka busied himself stirring a crockpot that rested above the still smouldering fire.  The smell reached Tumdor’s nostrils and immediately his stomach ached for a taste. 

‘Care for some breakfast?’ asked Sascka.

‘Certainly’ replied Tumdor, ‘then we must get to work if I am to help you as I have much to do’.

Tumdor followed Sascka out of the village and into the pine forest. As they walked through the forest Tumdor noticed the leaves on the trees changing from a dark green to brown and then there were no leaves at all.  The trunks and branches changed from healthy bark to black decay.  ‘This is some dark magic indeed’ thought Tumdor to himself.

‘We are nearly there’ called Sascka.  There up ahead were two dead trees, arching over toward each other, branches intertwining over head and between the trunks below was a dark shadow and a swirling grey smoke.  ‘The Dark magic that is killing the forest is coming from there’ uttered Sascka pointing to the gateway below the menacing trees.

‘It’s a gateway vortex!’ Exclaimed Tumdor. He remembered reading about these as a young apprentice in a spell shop in Dorview many years ago. 

‘A what!?’ Asked Sascka.

Tumdor recalled how wizards of the old time would use small vortex gateways to send each other spell ingredients and letters over long distances. He also recalled how the sorcery council had banned their use after wizards had reported that ingredients and messages had gone missing. The gateways had played tricks on the minds of wizards enticing them to feed more spell ingredients into the vortexes and strengthening the dark magic which had become more difficult to control. This gateway was bigger than any he had read about.  He knew that the only way to close it was from the inside, but who knew where it would lead him to.

‘Whatever happens, do not follow me in’ said Tumdor sternly..Tumdor took a gulp and searched his spellbook for a spell that might be of use.  He gathered up some poisoned berries, a pink eagle feather and some ghost plasma.  Carefully he tiptoed towards the gateway.

He could sense the danger as he stepped over the threshold.  The wind whipped up his shawl and blinded him for just a second.  A swirling vortex of dark cloud and flashes of light circling into the abyss.  This was a gateway to the dark place and it needed to be closed and only magic could do that, but who knows where he would be once it was done.  Tumdor turned to face the gateway through which he had entred.  He could see Sascka looking back at him, worried, then running towards the gateway and shouting, dropping to his knees with despair.  Tumdor began to utter the words in the old tongue and wave his wand.

‘Sascka watched as the old sorcerer stepped closer to the dark passage beneath the bent trees. ’be careful’ he thought about saying to his new friend but he decided to stay quiet rather than state the obvious.  He watched as the wizard walked into the darkness.  Suddenly the wizard re-appeared panicking, his face riddled with fear.  He was struggling to breathe.  Sascka ran toward the gateway to help but he couldn’t bring himself to go through again, he dropped to his knees tears in his eyes.  He began to hear a groan, a creek and then he could feel movement beneath the ground.  These two trees were falling, the roots being ripped out of the ground.  The two trees toppled inwards with a mighty crack and a thud.  The gateway had been closed.  Slowly colour began to return to the darkened forest, birds sang and flowers began to blossom.  Sascka went to wipe away his tears and his hand felt his face.  He was transformed, he was human again.  ‘Thank you wizard!’ Sascka shouted, unsure if Tumdor could hear him, ‘Thank you and good luck on your quest!’

Caught in a vortex of swirling smoke and flashing light, Tumdor was unsure where he would be transported to.  The best he could do was to close his eyes and think very hard.

*All pictures are used for educational purposes only.