Magical: The Sacred Book- Book One

Chapter III: Meeting With Mother Magic

Something odd struck an accord with Leon. His mother was heading towards the manor to surprise him. By all logic, he thought Magnus would steer them towards home. Leon expected his father to take the Ravenwood path towards the pinewood forest. Just beyond the immense pinewood trees was the Ravenwood, their way towards home. Instead, Magnus chose a different direction. Leon judged their surroundings and noticed the pinewood forest was fading.

"Father, aren't we going the wrong way?"

"Not at all, son," Magnus replied. He stopped for a moment, meeting his son's puzzled face.

"But pinewood forest---father---"

"I know, son. I made a promise," Magnus said. "You're going to the hidden kingdom, and you will receive your title."

"What about mother?" Leon stammered, his eyes growing more confused.

"Now, son, there's nothing to worry about," Magnus assured with a smile. "Tell you what." Magnus's eyes had spotted a bush full of bright red, plump berries. "Why don't you help yourself to some berries. In our haste to leave the house, I foolishly forgot to tell Irene to pack us some lunch. Those berries ought to hold your stomach until the inauguration banquet."

The odd suggestion made little sense to Leon. As he observed the berry bushes, juicy and satisfying, waving in the wind like tiny balls of fire, he felt a slight rumbling in his stomach. He could not resist approaching and having at least a handful. Leon plucked a few from the green branches. The fresh berries popped in his mouth, and he tasted their sweet, delicious flavor. Soon Leon had gobbled down three handfuls. Soon he felt ill to his stomach, and a strange, swishing motion jolted him. It felt as if some hollow form had burst right out of his body. Leon looked up, and the blue sky above seemed as if it were spinning. He grabbed for the nearest tree, fear settling in, so sure he would faint. Leon's knees buckled, his stomach drew heavy, and he doubled over. Then, after a short while, the earth stopped whirling. Leon's head felt normal again, and his queasy stomach subsided.

"What was that?" Leon exclaimed. He looked at his father, expecting an answer. But as his head turned to where Magnus stood, he was absent. Only the prints of his boots laid in the soft dirt. Leon's fearful heart pounded. Then, finally, his eyes settled on a large tree with a fat trunk, and protruding from behind the tree on either side were a pair of strange, red-winged like vines sticking out, and covered in snake-like skin, lined with spiked scales on the base. In an instant, the pair of strange appendages reseeded out of sight, and seconds later, the form of his father stepped out from the forest.

"There now," Magnus said. "I think we're ready to go." He caught his son's odd look as the boy's head slanted curiously. "Leon, you're acting strange."

Leon could not believe what he saw. His father vanished but reappeared without warning, whether using magic or a parlor trick. His father now claims that he is acting weird. Leon kept his annoyance hidden. He smiled, although a shaky one that required more effort than usual. As Leon held his father's hand while walking along a narrow path, he reflected on the greatness that awaited him. For the first time, the young Lord saw himself in a gleaming sapphire robe, and he felt proud of his monstrous horns and thick, scaled blue wings. He was curious about the crystal wand's appearance. Is it going to be long and heavy to hold? It might be as short and light as a feather. Yes, most likely short and light. Leon did not go too far with his standards. He knew the tremendous high fairy, mother magic herself, was wise beyond her years. Mother Magic, Leon believed, would never entrust him with a large wand he could not control.

His active imagination could not help but imagine himself as the proud owner of a fifteen-inch great wand. Leon had firsthand knowledge of how magnificent the grand wands seemed. Magnus chose a book from the family library called Wands, Charms, and All Things Magical, which contained knowledge devoted to the unusual objects he could encounter. Leon's father had laid with him in his bed on a cold winter night, the day Leon received the joyful news. Magnus carried a mug of steaming apple cider with whipped, gooey marsh stones on top. He sat the delicate book in his lap and turned each thrilling page with a gleam in his eyes.