The Mage (Prologue)

The Mage (A Prologue)

By F. A. Stigile Jr. 5/7/11







Knock, knock, knock. Sam, could you get that, I’m in the kitchen. Sam?! Where is that man? Kaira walks to the door while she wipes her hands on her apron. The knocking starts again,

I’m coming, I’m coming just hold your pants on.

Kaira opens the door and see an elderly man with a long white beard. Ahh, Elder Mandros  come in, come in. can I got you a cup of Oak Leaf tea? Yes please Kaira and how are you and Samuel doing?

We’re doing fine, and you?

Not to well I’m afraid I’ve just come from the Hall of the Elders.

The Hall of Elders? I didn’t hear about a meeting tonight.

Yes, well… it was a special meeting. Only the Elders of the Archives were there.

The elders of the Archives? Then that means that you have heard some news from one of the seekers?

Yes we have had some news I’m afraid.

Bad news it would seem. We had better wait for Samuel to come back, he shouldn’t be long, he must have gone down to the workroom. He’s been down there a lot lately.

He has? What has he been keeping him so busy lately?

Samuel says that in the scrolls there must be a clue to find where and when the chosen one is to be found and he’s been looking for the unwritten hints into finding the chosen ones lineage. He says that the ancient ones knew how to hide things in their writings.

Samuel walks into the room and says, Kaira, have you been talking about me again?

Of course I have dear, what else is there to talk about?

Well, he chuckles, there is always our two beautiful little girls that are doing splendidly in the academy.

Hello, Elder Mandros, I see that Kaira has gotten you some of her Oak Leaf tea. Would you like something special to add to it? I have some very nice Cloudberry brandy that goes quite well with it.

Cloudberry brandy? Yes, that does sound nice. Where ever did you get it?

When they were in season last year I made it a point to harvest as much as Kaira and I could find. This time next year we should have a whole crop in our northern fields.

What are you diong? taking up farming now?

No, not at all. I’m just adding to my vineyard, expanding you could say. Since the last pressing was so prosperous and in so much demand I thought that in about eight years there would be some amazing pressings.

Ah, that brings me back to the reason why I have come to see you. We have gotten some news about the seekers and it’s not good. There is only one group left.

One group? But there were fifteen groups sent out just five years ago. Kaira exclaims.

Now Kaira, they knew that it was dangerous when they volunteered to find the chosen one. I have the great responsibility to ask for more volunteers. That is why I have come to see you and Sanuel. I would like you both to volunteer.

Us? Us? Why do you want us to volunteer for this? We still have young children. Gabrielle is only twelve and Rebecca is fifteen months younger than her. There’s still so much we have to teach them. Kaira says.

Kaira, others have been asked also. Not just the two of you, others with children. I know, when we first sent out seekers, they were people without any children at home, but times have changed. we have been sending seekers out for five hundred years.

Five hundred years? But it’s only been know for a hundred. Kaira exclaims.

No Kaira, we, the elders of the archives have been secretly sending select small groups, couples to tell the truth, to find the chosen one. They set up households in the other realm to try to find out everything they can about the chosen one and where he or she is. They get jobs and blend in to their communities, they have even started new families while they are there.

So you want us to take Gabrielle and Rebecca on this mission? Kaira asks. Possibly to even die? They must finish their training here. We just enrolled them into their advanced classes.

Samuel interupts Kaira, Dear we can let them live at the academy and there they could immerese themselves in their studies and knowing our girls, they will learn and train to become adepts.

The Elders will take care of any and all financial needs they will have. We will give them the best of everything. We have done this for the other parents that we sent out that had children. Though there have only been a few.





Kaira, Samuel says looking deeply into his wives, we must do this. This is why I have been studying the scrolls. I knew it would come to this. I foresaw these things. We will have a good life in the other realm and our girls will, they will become adepts of the highest caliber.

Samuel, you’re not just telling me this, just to make me feel good about going are you?

No, my darling, I’m not. The girls will be fine, of that I’m sure.

Elder Mandros, how long do we have to give the elders an answer?

We’d like to know by the end of the week. As you have already stated, time runs differently between our realms.

Samuel looks at his wife, is that good enough for you? We have a week to make up our minds and to get everything in order.

Yes, I think that will suffice. At least I’m not being rushed into it.

Ok, Elder Mandros, by the end of the week. But I need access to all of the scrolls that the Elders have. That doesn’t mean that we’re going, but if anything I might be able to find something that others have missed. I just need to see the originals.

That, we can do for you Samuel. I hope that you do find something we all have missed. I’ll also have copies of them all for you to take with you. Even copies of all of the notes and manuscripts from those that went before you. The Elders will give you both all the help that we can.   

Are you sure this is the right family?

Yes, from what we were told and what we found in the scrolls This is the only family that it could be.

But I can’t understand it, they‘re awryl folk. They don’t have any magical abilities at all.

  It may be that it hasn’t come into being yet. We have only been watching this generation; it may show in the next generation or the next.

What are we suppose to do? Watch them the rest of our lives?

If we have to my dear, then that is what we must do! If we don’t find the one that has been prophesized then the others will, and you know what that means to our people.

Yes, the others will destroy us all and then the worlds will be thrown into total chaos.

We are getting old, even for our people. We must find someone else to take our places.

Yes, we were old when we were sent in this mission. We are also fortunate that we have lived this long. The others that were sent on this mission met unfortunate fates.

Who should we get to take our places?

We must go back to the elders and tell them what we have found out so far and to get them to find our replacements.

At least we can tell them that we found the right family. All the others couldn’t do that.