The Market Thief

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

I race to my bedroom; I am so excited I can’t believe that I get to go to a wizard council meeting. I wash up as fast as possible and thrown on my green outfit. I grab the blue one and stuff it into the bag lying in the bottom of the closet. I race back to Hulda and Alfred.

They are still arguing when I come in.

“Hulda for the millionth time, I don’t know what went wrong.” Alfred is pacing back and forth.

Hulda is standing teeth bared. “So just do what you did but backwards.”

Alfred throws up his hands. “Magic doesn’t work that way and you know it. Stop being stubborn, there is a science behind magic.”

“You and your science better find a way to turn me back!” Hulda rams Alfred’s leg.

“Are you two done yet? I ask from the
doorway. “I really want to see the council, lets get a move on it.”

Hulda hangs her head. “We’re done.”

“Let’s get going,” Alfred motions me to come
over to him.

I back away. “ We’re not going to ride on that horse again are we?” I rub my backside.

Magic, mag,” Impi starts to squawk as Alfred glares at her.

Hulda wobbles over and pushes me to Alfred. “Of course not, Alfred is going to his scientific magic and teleport us t the gardens outside the meeting hall.”

“Alfred motions for us all to get closer together. I feel the familiar tingle on my arms as he does the spell. Before I can let out my breath we are standing in an amazing garden. We are next to a fountain that has a stone fairy on the top and water that changes color, shooting way into the air. The water in the bottom of the fountain is as blue as the sky on a clear day but as it shoots out the top is changes color. There are hundreds of little fish swimming around; each fish is a different color making a kaleidoscope in the water. The pattern shifts as the fish swim around. I stand staring that the shifting patterns till I hear Impi chirping.

I look around to find out what Impi is chirping at, since I have always heard her talk not chirp. Impi is chirping at the birds playing in the trees. Alfred motions for her to go with them and off she flies for what appears to be a game of tag in the sky.

Alfred starts down the pathway to our left. The fountain seems to be the center of all the paths, one leading in each direction. Each pathway seems to be lined with flowers of all colors, it is like a rainbow fell to earth and painted the flowers.

I run to catch up to Alfred, but it isn’t long before I was falling behind again. I keep stopping and peaking into each and every nook and cranny in the hedges. Benches are hiding among the hedges making quiet places for reading or watching the birds. It’s at one of these nooks that Hulda walks into and lays down next to a small stream bubbling along. There is a huge apple tree next to the stream and Hulda is underneath eating the apples that had fallen from the tree.

Hulda looks up from her apple. “Alfred, I’m going to wait for you here.”

“I think that is a good idea.” Alfred turns to me. “Theo, I want you to walk behind me and don’t speak for any reason. Keep your hood up and do not take it down matter how hot you are feeling. Do you understand?”

“Yes sir!” I don’t understand why I have to do those things but I will do anything he asks just to go with him.

As we begin going back down the pathway I look around “are we going to have trouble finding Hulda?”

“No, I know this garden like the back of my hand.” Alfred hands me a robe “Put this on and put up the hood.”

I take the drab gray robe. “But it will cover my new green outfit and I look nice in this outfit." I whine.

“No one will be looking at your outfit.” Alfred says as he walks away.

I quickly put on the robe and pull up the hood. I can’t believe I have to hide me new outfit. “This isn’t fair!” I mutter but no one is listening. I run to catch up to Alfred and remember that I am suppose to walk behind him so I fall back a little ways.

As we round the next corner I get my first view of a building. “Um, Alfred, is that the gardener’s shack?” I point to a stone building that looks like a stone tower, it is the same drab gray as the robe Alfred gave me to wear.

“No,” responds Alfred, “That is the Wizard Councils meeting hall.”