

The Odwin Chronicles

Guardians

of the Veil

C.M. Ghilchrist

An Original Publication From C.M. Gilchrist

The Odwin Chronicles Guardians of the Veil  
Written and published by C.M. Gilchrist  
Formatted by Frostbite Publishing  
Copyright © 2016 by C.M. Gilchrist  
All rights reserved.

***

This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and locations are either a product of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious setting. Any resemblance to actual events, locations, organizations, or people, living or dead, is strictly coincidental. No part of this book may be used or reproduced without written consent from the author. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

***

# 
Thank You For Your Purchase!

In appreciation I am giving you a FREE short story.

Click the link below to get your FREE short story.

http://eepurl.com/cf7nMz

The Odwin Chronicles

Guardians  
of the Veil

#

# The Call on the Wind

It was the middle of the night, and all the towns and villages were asleep. All the lights were out, and people were asleep in their beds. The streets were empty, apart from a stray cat roaming around looking for shelter. It was a night like any other for most people and the creatures that lived in the town of Kafton. However, this was not the case in the nearby forest of Odwin.

Something was stirring. Something was awakening all who lived there. She who cares for all the earth and all the people and creatures that live on it sent out a call. The call started in the earth's core and spread up and out. It ran along underground, up into the roots of the trees, into the burrows and the drays and the nests in the forest.

Creatures stirred in their beds. Even the wind picked up the call and carried it through the leaves and up into the air where the birds caught it. It bubbled up into the water and the nymphs, sprites and undines could feel its message as it rippled along on its journey.

Fangus, the wolfhound lived on the edge of Kafton town. A gust of wind had blown open the back door of his home, so he slipped out into the night air. He sniffed it as he always would, to see what was happening. Something smelt different. It came on the wind. He couldn't quite figure out what it was. He knew it wasn't food of any kind. It wasn't danger either. It smelt more like excitement. Yet, it was not the same excitement as was in the air during yesterday's birthday party in the garden.

The scent was drawing him further from the house. He had to follow it. He took off in a trot across the nearby fields towards the forest. He was not a creature of the forest. He was born and bred in Kafton town but he knew he had to keep following the scent.

The moon lit the way as he bounded along in the darkness and stillness. He had never been this far from home before. It was scary but also a little exciting. His mother had always warned him to stay away from the forest but here he was, getting closer and closer, unsure of what he was doing. His heart was pounding in his chest.

As he crossed a field he had never been in before, he wondered if he was doing the right thing. Should he turn around and go home? He thought of his basket beside the fire and how lovely, warm and safe it was there. Yet, the pull of the scent was getting stronger.

When he reached the edge of the forest, he stopped. He thought of the large creatures that his mother told him lived there. She had said a dog was no match for them, not even a large wolfhound, so it was best for him to stay clear.

Fangus began to bark into the forest. He didn't really know why exactly. He just wanted it to know that he had picked up the scent and was here, ready and willing for whatever was drawing him to this place.

The forest was black and dark, and he couldn't see anything, but he could smell movement. He could sense it in the trees and within the ground as it traveled and moved up through his paws. He had never felt anything like this before. He didn't know what to do. Should he continue into the dark forest? He didn't like this option, so he decided to wait there to see what would happen.

Perhaps the wind would change and the scent would move elsewhere. Perhaps it would disappear and he could turn around and go home.

Deep within the forest, all the creatures had felt the call and began to prepare. Each in their own way would have a part to play in Her mission. There would be much work to be done, but it would be a time like no other. A time when a great change would be possible. A time when a great darkness would finally be cleared from the earth if everything went according to plan. Only She knows the full plan and reveals it bit by bit to whoever needs to be a part of it.

It was the nature of all creatures to work closely with Her. They would make sure the paths were clear. They would make sure everything that needed to be hidden and secured was protected. They would take up their appointed places. Some of them would work together in teams, and others would have to work alone.

And as the creatures in the forest prepared, certain children across the world were having strange dreams in the middle of the night. Gently, She whispered to them. She would send out her messengers to bring them to the forest when the time was right.

She could not force them to come. It was their own free will if they wished to join her. All she could do was contact them and offer them the opportunity to assist Her. Only time would tell how many would answer the call and choose to come here.

A great adventure lay in wait for them, but danger would also be close by. They would have to be brave. They would have to learn new skills. They would be tested along the way. She didn't even know if they would be up for the task but She would soon find out.

#

# Guardians of the Veil

"Something is not right" said Mr Rabbit, sticking his head out the door of the school and sniffing the air. "I can't put my paw on it, but there is something in the air. "Perhaps it will blow over", he said shutting the door and heading back down the stiars to his office.

Mr Rabbit was in charge of the magic school in Odwin. The location of the school was top secret. It could only be accessed through an ancient oak tree. The path to this giant oak tree was hidden behind a veil. The veil kept the path protected from human eyes. Well, most human eyes. There were some exceptions.

Only children and adults with extraordinary gifts would find their way there, but everyone else would go about their lives never knowing it existed. It was safer that way. Ordinary folk may not understand the purpose of this place and, out of fear, try to destroy it.

There were two creatures in charge of protecting this veil. A very important job indeed, as you can imagine. One of the creatures was from the Animal Kingdom, and the other one was from the Fairy Kingdom.

Oswald, the owl, was a splendid fellow by all accounts. He was snow white and very large, even by owl standards. He had a pair of piercing amber eyes and two very sharp black talons. He was quite gentle really, but very proud, and took no nonsense. His family had protected that veil for centuries, and he took his job very seriously.

Azra, the Fairy King, was another story. He liked to play tricks on other fairies, the animals and any humans that happened to pass by. However, even he was wary of Oswald and kept his tricks to an absolute minimum. This was difficult for him. So every now and then he couldn't help himself.

Azra would pluck a white feather from Oswald's tail to put in his bed; it made it soft. He tried to do this when Oswald was snoozing on a nearby branch. Sometimes he was successful but at other times Oswald would feel a tug as Azra pulled out the feather. A glare from those amber eyes was enough to put Azra off from trying again, at least for another month.

"Azra, something isn't right." "What do you mean Oswald?" "I'm not sure but my feathers are telling me something is off. I know it's time for new students to arrive and there is excitement in the air, but I feel there is something else going on."

"Oh Oswald, I agree with you. I thought it was just me feeling strange so I didn't say anything. I have been burping at odd times too. It usually only happens when someone is trying to get through the veil."

At that moment a strange looking man stepped out from behind a tree. He was very tall and thin, and wore a long black leather coat and black boots. His skin was a sort of yellowish and green colour. His hair was black and greasy. He made a lot of growling and snarling sounds that sounded more like an animal than a person.

Oswald immediately got to work. He swooped up, eyes fierce and his talons ready to attack. He screeched very loudly and flapped his wings wildly at the man. Oswald rarely touched anyone with his talons. The sight of them coming close was enough to scare most people off.

"Get away from here", said Azra who was now burping. Azra was able to make himself invisible, and he started pinching the man's arms and throwing small sticks at him. The man began hoping about and ducking from the sticks while trying to point his wand at Oswald. All this activity around him made it impossible to concentrate on any spells. Oswald could swoop in and change direction so quickly, that the man had no chance of hitting him with a blast from his wand.

Azra grabbed the wand from his hands. It was a little heavy for him, so Oswald snatched it with his beak and took it to his home. The man gave up and left, but not before he cursed and swore that he would return and have his revenge.

"I will be back and you will not be so lucky the next time" he snarled, before disappearing through the trees.

"Where did he come form?" asked Azra who had now stopped burping as the danger had passed. "I don't know" said Oswald, but we haven't had anyone like that finding their way here for a long time." "Perhaps he was the one who was making us feel uneasy and now he's gone everything will be fine again," said Azra hopefully. "I'm not so sure," said Oswald. "We shall see."

Oswald had gathered quite a number of wands over the years. He always brought them to Orogon the elf. Orogon was able to melt them down safely and kept the magic they held in a special jar that could never be broken. It had a spell on it that only Orogon knew. The magic was being kept for a time when the forest would need it.

No one knew when that time would be but it was always good to have an extra supply of magic around for emergencies.

#

# The Fairy King

The following afternoon, Azra was having an afternoon nap after enjoying a little dew beer and eating far too many mushroom pies. He started burping in his sleep but didn't know it. His wife Isobel had to shake him awake.

"Azra wake up, I think someone is trying to get through the veil."

Azra flew up in such haste that he hit his head on the ceiling of his home. He lived inside a large red toadstool. He felt rather dazed and dizzy, but he knew he had to get to the veil, IMMEDIATELY!

When he got to the place, there was no sign of Oswald and no sign of anyone trying to get through the veil. Not only that, but he was still burping. Normally it stopped when he reached the veil. He scratched his head. He couldn't figure it out.

He flew up to Oswald's tree and called for him.

"Oswald are you there?"

Oswald stuck his head out and looked quite surprised to see Azra.

"Yes, what is the matter?"

"I was burping, and when I got to the veil you weren't there. And no one else was there either. I don't understand it."

"I didn't feel anything," said Oswald. He stepped out onto the branch and looked closely at Azra, who was hovering nearby looking very puzzled and was still burping.

"Have you been eating too many mushroom pies again?" inquired Oswald.

"Oh....well...er... maybe... perhaps one or two," said Azra, feeling very silly.

He had forgotten about the pies. When he started eating them, he always meant to eat just one or two, but he always found himself reaching for a third and a fourth and...well.... in fact, on several occasions he lost track of how many he ate.

"I guess that must have been it, so sorry to bother you. I won't eat as many pies again," he said quite sincerely. Oswald just shook his head in disbelief and disappeared back into his home.

Azra lived with his wife Isobel and their triplet daughters: Marigold, Daisy and Bluebell. Marigold had red hair with a red curl on her forehead, Daisy had blonde hair and a blonde curl and Bluebell had brown hair and a brown curl. They were two years of age and it was difficult to keep them from putting buttons, coins and other small objects in their mouths.

Bluebell, in particular, would get excited when Azra came home with a new trinket of some kind. She would clap her hands and bounce up and down on her bottom when she saw him coming in with something new.

The last time Azra came home with a large silver shoe buckle Isobel said, "Bluebell is going to be just like you when she grows up. Though I hope she doesn't grow up to like mushroom pies as much as you. If she does, I'm not sure how we are all going to fit in here. We may have to move to a bigger home."

Sometimes, while Azra was trying to have an afternoon nap, his daughters would crawl over and try to play with him. One would pull an ear, another would pull his socks off, and the other would sit on his face. Azra would sometimes wake up unable to breathe.

He would often take them for a hike through the forest, especially when Isobel wanted to give their home a good clean. It was a little difficult to do that when they were all at home. Azra would strap two of the triplets to his back and strap the third one to his chest.

It was difficult to get very far, since other fairy folk would continually stop him to have a look at the triplets and want to play with them. They were such a novelty. Triplets were very rare in the Fairy Kingdom and considered a good luck omen if you came across them. There hadn't been any for about three generations.

The last triplets were boys. They had been quite a handful when they were young but they were very good at finding gold coins. By the time they were thirty years old, they had found, or traded, enough coins to fill a swimming pool.

They were very kind-hearted fellows and, although they were not supposed to leave the forest, sometimes they would travel to nearby towns and leave gold coins on people's doorsteps. Often they left coins for people who were poor and really needed the money.

It was advised that when triplets grew up, they shouldn't marry, because that would break up the good luck. Isobel and Azra worried about this. They didn't like the idea of telling their daughters that they shouldn't get married. But that was something they didn't need to think about for a quite a few years yet.

When Azra took them for a hike, he would often use it as an opportunity to perhaps trade objects with some of his neighbours or sell them some dew beer he had been brewing. He would catch up on all the gossip and stop and visit some cousins who lived nearby. One such cousin was Ronald and his wife Selma and daughters, Harriet and Lilly. Harriet and Lilly would play with the triplets while Azra enjoyed a little dew beer and pumpkin pie with his cousin Ronald.

Ronald was a great singer and poet and would often make things up on the spot. After hearing all of Azra's news, he jumped to his feet, puffed out his chest, and began reciting a poem he had just made up:

Guardian of the veil

Is a little too fond of the ale

He jumped out of bed

Hit his poor head

And grew a monkey tail

Azra was impressed, though he was a little unsure if he liked the idea of having a monkey tail. After spending a very pleasant evening with his cousin, Azra decided it was time to go home. If he had a little too much dew beer, he had to be careful walking home with the triplets attached to him. He had a tendency to stagger a little.

Ronald often, and very kindly, walked them home to make sure they all got there safely. Isobel was not very pleased whenever Azra came home staggering a little from too much dew beer. Though the triplets quite enjoyed being bounced around a little more than usual.

He arrived laughing and repeating Ronald's poem.

Guardian of the veil

Is a little too fond of the ale

He jumped out of bed

Hit his poor head

And grew a monkey tail

Isobel was annoyed."Azra I will string you up by that tail if you come home like this again do you hear."

"Yes, my love," said Azra, carefully unstrapping the triplets, and placing them in a neat row on the kitchen floor before lying down on the sofa for a snooze.

#

# A Wise Owl

Oswald lived alone. Unlike Azra, he didn't keep any objects or have any family so he led a very quiet life. He had no interest in collecting gold or other coins. The only objects he had were the ones the wind blew in, like feathers, leaves and twigs. He had no interest in dew beer or mushroom pies either.

Oswald lived in an old oak tree. What most creatures didn't know, however, was that this oak tree was connected to the one at the entrance of the magic school. Oswald would receive messages up through the bark of the tree and would know all that was happening there. It was as good as having a telephone.

"Oswald, are you up there?" came a voice from down below. Oswald stepped out onto the branch and saw Mr Rabbit standing at the bottom of the tree.

"Hello Mr Rabbit, how can I help you?"

"I need to talk with you, can you come down please?"

"Certainly" said Oswald swooping down onto the ground.

"Something isn't right Oswald. I cam smell it in the air."

"I agree with you Mr Rabbit. We had an unfortunate occurrence yesterday at the veil. A strange looking man tried to get through it."

"Oh my, that's not very good" said Mr Rabbit, tapping his foot on the ground. "There is another issue too that is concerning. One of the school squirrels told me he noticed something odd yesterday. He was out gathering some nuts at the edge of the forest and he noticed the grass there was dead. We've had plenty of rain recently so there is no reason for this to occur. What do you think has happened Oswald?"

Other creatures would often call to ask Oswald's advice on various matters. They would ask him questions such as the best place to find worms, where they should store their food, how far away the nearest water source was, when the rains were coming or when it was going to stop raining.

"I am not sure yet, Mr Rabbit, but I shall investigagte the matter and get back to you." "Very well", said Mr Rabbit, I must get back to the school as there is much work to be done" he said, and away he scampered leaving Oswald in a troubled mood. I will go and talk to Azra, he thought to himself.

When the triplets were born, Azra asked Oswald if he would like to be their godfather. Oswald felt very honored to be asked. Usually, it was a relative who was asked, especially since they were lucky triplets. Many of Azra's other friends and family were hoping to be given the honor.

Oswald took his godfather duties seriously, as he did with all his duties. However, he didn't like to get too close to the girls. He was afraid that, like their father, they might enjoy stealing owl feathers. Oswald fascinated the girls, with his big eyes and large talons. If he happened to visit, they would sit and stare at him with their mouths open. This occasion was no different.

"Oh hello Oswald, what a pleasant surprise, do come in", said Azra. The triplets were seated in a row at the kitchen table and Isobel was trying to feed them. It was obvious that there was more food on their clothes than in their mouths. When they saw Oswald their mouths dropped open in surprise. Isobel took the opportunity and began shoving food in as quickly as she could.

"Oswald please feel free to come at all mealtimes so I can get food into my daughter's mouths, which only seem to open when you are here," said Isobel.

Then Azra came up with a suggestion that Oswald was not too pleased about.

"Perhaps we could get what human children have, a toy that looks just like you Oswald. If you could spare some feathers, I am sure I could make one that would do the job. We would only take it out at meal times of course. We could put it on the table in front of the girls. It would not replace you in anyway of course. Though I'm not sure what I would use for the eyes. I'm not sure if I have any amber buttons in my collection."

He was about to go and check his button collection when he saw that look on Oswald's face, a look he knew only too well. So he quickly changed the subject declaring he was sure it was going to rain any moment and perhaps it would be best to take the clothes in off the line.

When the triplets were born, Oswald brought a gift of three owl feathers that belonged to his father. Azra was very moved by this generous gesture. He made sure he put them in a safe place until the girls were older and could understand what a precious gift this was. Owls do not like parting with their feathers so a gift of feathers from a family member was indeed a big deal.

"Azra, may I talk to you privately for a moment please?" asked Oswald.

"Sure", said Azra. "Come on out the back while I hang up the clothes."

Oswald shared what Mr Rabbit had told him about the grass. "This is concerning," said Azra. "The new students are arriving tomorrow, perhaps they can help."

"Perhaps" said Oswald, looking troubled. "I am not so sure it is a good time to arrive in Odwin"

Azra could feel another burp coming on.

In many ways, Azra and Oswald were very different but, underneath it all, they had a strong friendship. A friendship that needed to be strong because of the important job they had of protecting the veil. Not only did the safety of the forest depend upon them, but what many didn't realize was that the safety of all the humans on the planet could be in danger if anything happened to that veil.

#

# Ben and Billy's  
Indian Adventure

Ben Richards was a child with the gift of special sight. That's not how he would have described himself though. He thought there was something wrong with his eyes. Ben saw and felt things a little differently from others. He found school difficult. Words didn't look right to him on the page. Sometimes letters appeared backwards. Sometimes words would have tastes too. For example, Monday tasted like bananas and Friday tasted like chocolate. He liked Fridays. Wednesday tasted like onions, which wasn't so good.

However, on Wednesdays they had an art class in school and Ben loved art. He especially loved painting. He loved mixing the colors. It was like magic, watching how yellow and blue mixed together made green and mixing red and blue together made purple.

Ben could see colors other people couldn't see, but he couldn't describe them. There was no name in this world yet for them. He couldn't make them with paints. Sometimes he would see them around people too. He would always know if his mum was feeling sad, as colors around her would change to gray. When she got angry they would turn red. When she was happy, she had lots of gold and pinks around her.

Ben lived in a large white cottage with his mum, just on the edge of the town of Kafton. His dad disappeared when he was two years old. No one knew what happened to him. He just didn't come home one day. Ben had a vague memory of being carried by his father around the garden of their home and his dad pointing out the different flowers and plants in the garden. He couldn't know for sure if it was a real memory. He didn't like to ask his mum about him, as she would get upset when he was mentioned.

Ben's house had belonged to the local church. His great grandfather had been the minister there. When the church closed, his family got to keep the house so it had been in the family for a few generations. It had rose bushes trailing up the front around the door. In summer, when they were in full bloom, they gave out a beautiful smell. On the side of the house, there was wild honeysuckle growing; it gave out a sweet smell in the evening time. There were loose floorboards in the house so it creaked a little, but it was warm and cosy.

Ben's mum was a dressmaker and would often sit up late at night working. People would come to the house looking for a coat or a suit to be made. Local girls would come to have their wedding dresses made. Ben was always amazed at how his mum could turn a piece of material into an item of clothes. She didn't follow any patterns. She did it all from her head.

Ben would come home from school and see this large piece of material spread over the kitchen table and his mum looking at it, frowning with concentration. A few days later it would be transformed into an item of clothes. Sometimes she would ask Ben to thread the needle for her if it was evening time and the light wasn't so good.

It was a normal Wednesday, just like any other and of course, for Ben, it smelt like onions. He came home from school and, after doing his homework, spent the evening in his room coloring and playing with the train set his Uncle Tom had given him for his birthday. His mum always brought him up a cup of hot chocolate on Wednesday evenings. Perhaps she felt sorry for him because it was onion day.

Billy, who was Ben's best friend often came around on Wednesday evenings. He liked Ben's mum's hot chocolate too. Plus, he had four brothers and four sisters at home so he liked coming to Ben's house. It was a lot quieter than his own. There was no one fighting or crying here either.

Ben and Billy had met on their first day at school. The classroom had a train set and they both played with it together. They had been friends ever since. In class, if Ben had to read out loud Billy would whisper to him the words that he stumbled on. Not so loud that the teacher could hear. In turn, Ben would sometimes help Billy with his math.

Ben enjoyed going to visit Billy's house for the opposite reason that Billy liked coming to his. For Ben, it was an exciting place to be in. Billy had four brothers and four sisters. There were lots of games going on in various rooms. Therefore, there was always someone to play with.

One day when Ben was visiting Billy's house, his sister Catherine, who was three years old, followed Ben around and tried to put lipstick on him. Billy thought it was very funny watching Ben being chased around the house by a 3-year-old and a tube of lipstick. Billy sat watching them for a while and then rescued Ben. He locked them both in his bedroom so she couldn't get in. Billy told Catherine through the door, "go find Peter he loves lipstick."

Today Ben and Billy were on another train adventure around India. They thought it was a good country to travel around because it was so big. Ben had an old Mecanno set, so they built train stations and bridges for the train to go through. Ben had made a small flag of India and put it on the train.

They had agreed that Billy would be the driver for the first part of the journey, through Mumbai and New Delhi. Ben and Billy had taken out a map of the world and looked at India. These were the two cities they choose. Billy would keep the coal on the fire, take passenger tickets and look out for any obstacles that might be on the track ahead. They were just about to start when Ben's mum called up the stairs

"Boys don't get any crumbs on the carpet. Ben, you know what happened last week."

"OK Mom."

Ben and Billy looked down and noticed they each had a small pile of crumbs on the floor from the chocolate cookies they were eating with their hot chocolates.

"What happened last week," asked Billy

"I was sitting in the living room watching television when I heard mum screaming upstairs. I ran up, and she was standing here in my bedroom. She told me she was passing my room and glanced in to see a mouse nibbling crumbs off the floor. It didn't even move when it saw her. It was only when she screamed that it ran off."

"We have mice in our house too. My mum is always telling us not to leave food in the bedroom. Peter found one asleep in his shoe one morning. He wanted to bring it to school to show everyone, but mum wouldn't let him. Luckily he had another pair of shoes. When he got home, he checked to see if the mouse was still there, but it was gone. But it had left some droppings in his shoe."

"Yuck," said Ben. "Mum says our cat is useless. He should be catching mice but he is too well fed. He is just lazy."

"I have an idea," said Billy. "The crumbs can be the coal for the train today".

"Good thinking," said Ben.

And so their Indian adventure began. It was all going fine until a man jumped onto the train and was now holding a passenger prisoner demanding money. Billy had to sort it out as Ben was driving. He told Ben that he would count to three then Ben had to put the brakes on. This way everyone would stumble, and Billy would be able to snatch the gun out of the man's hand.

The boys had many adventures as they traveled around India, especially with the elephant, which strayed onto the line and had to be coaxed off with bananas from the fruit bowl downstairs. There were also monkeys who climbed on board and were throwing things about. Billy was driving at this stage so Ben had to deal with them. He decided if he squirted them with water they might leave, so he got out his water pistol and that did the trick.

Billy's brother, Peter, came to bring him home at 8:30. Ben's mum had baked bread, cake and buns for them to take home. Nine children were a lot to feed so she liked to help out when she could. If she had any material left over, sometimes she would make some clothes too, mostly dresses for the girls and an occasional woolly jumper for the boys.

"Here you go boys. Now don't leave any crumbs on the floor in your house," she said, wagging her finger at them and smiling.

"No Mrs Richards we won't."

The same number of buns that left Ben's house didn't always arrive at Billy's. Though, Peter and Billy never told anyone that!

#

# A Strange Dream

When Billy had left, Ben sat on his bed looking out into the garden. He loved it there. There were hedges, rocks, flowers and a pond. The hedge had been growing for many years and was thick and full of green leaves with some thorns too. Ben had managed to cut away parts of it so he could crawl inside it and make a den.

Sometimes he would sit in there, close his eyes and listen to all the different sounds he could hear in the garden. He liked the sound of the wind coming along the hedge. It was a little scary but fun too. The wind would begin at one end of the hedge and creep its way along, making eerie sounds as it rustled through the leaves. When it reached him, he would feel it gently blow over him and continue down to the other end of the garden.

It was getting dark now as he looked out the window. In the distance, he could hear the sound of an owl hooting. His eyes began to get quite sleepy, so he decided to put down the remainder of his hot chocolate and get some rest. It was lovely to hear the comforting hooting of the owl as he snuggled under his duvet to sleep for the night.

Ben fell into a deep sleep and had a very strange dream. A horse-like creature appeared to him. It was white with huge silver wings. It came up close to Ben's face, and he could see right into its black eyes. They sparkled and he thought he could see stars in them. In the middle of its forehead was a silver spiral that was moving in a circle.

"I AM COMING," the creature said and with that, it vanished. Ben woke up a little startled. What a strange dream, he thought. He looked at the clock beside his bed. It was still early in the morning, 6:30 a.m., so it was too early to get up for school yet. However, Ben was wide awake now, so he decided he would go out into the garden and check on the frog spawn in the pond that had appeared there a few days ago. He was hoping it would have developed into tadpoles by now.

He put on his school uniform and put on an extra woolly jumper, coat and hat, then crept quietly down the stairs and out the back door. It was even too early for Shams, the cat. He was in his basket in the kitchen. When he heard Ben passing by, he opened one eye, meowed and closed it again, as though to say you're on your own this time pal.

Shams usually followed Ben outside into the garden. Sometimes he would sit with Ben when he was under the hedge. It was a place the sun didn't reach much, so Shams usually left after a while to find a warm patch of grass in the garden.

When Ben entered the garden, a cold air wrapped itself around him. It was foggy too and patches of the fog seemed to sit here and there in different parts of the garden. He couldn't quite see if the frog spawn was there, as a patch of fog sat right over the pond. The sun was beginning to creep up over the horizon, and it was painting lovely orange and red colors in the sky.

Ben noticed that there was a particular patch of fog that seemed a little different from the others. It was coming up from the field beside his house. It appeared to be moving quite fast. It was coming up towards the garden wall. Ben rubbed his eyes to remove any last traces of sleep in case he was seeing things. The fog patch then came up over the wall and stopped right in front of him.

Out through the fog stepped the creature from his dream.

Ben couldn't believe his eyes. He remembered the words the creature had spoken, "I am coming." He thought it was just a dream, not a real message. Ben rubbed his eyes again to make sure he was actually seeing this creature. He thought perhaps he was having one of those dreams where you think you are awake but are actually still asleep. He pinched his arm to see if he would wake up, but that didn't work.

The creature bowed to him, and Ben could hear a voice inside his head asking, "Are you ready to go Ben?"

"Go where?" asked Ben, using his mind and not his voice to reply.

"Good, I am glad we can communicate this way. It's much easier than talking. You are a natural, I see. That's lesson one covered before we have even reached the school."

"What school?"

Ben was thinking this creature couldn't possibly be coming to school with him, though what a great surprise it would be for everyone. Ben imagined his teacher, Miss Logan fainting when she saw it. Of course, it couldn't come into the classroom. It would have to stay outside in the yard.

"We are not going to your school Ben," the creature said reading Ben's thoughts. We are going to a school in the forest for children with particular gifts. You have special sight, Ben. You see things others don't see, right?"

"Yes," said Ben, suddenly feeling a little excited.

"You see colors others don't see. You can taste words. You don't like school very much."

Ben couldn't believe this creature knew so much about him. He also told Ben that he probably didn't like loud noises very much or big crowds. His favorite place was here in the garden under the hedge.

"How.....how do you know all this?" Ben asked, confused but also delighted. No one else had ever understood him like this. He knew his mum loved him very much, but he was ten now and knew that a lot of the time she didn't really understand him.

The creature didn't answer the question but introduced himself instead. "My name is Samuel," said the creature, bowing slightly. "I am a Guardinal. I have traveled from a school of magic in the Forest of Odwin. I bring children to the school when it's time for them to start their training."

Ben had a large number of questions tumbling around in his head, and not least of which was what kind of creature was a Guardinal? What did it eat and how come Ben could communicate with it?

"Plenty of time for questions," the creature answered, even though Ben hadn't spoken anything out loud. Ben now realized the creature could read his mind. From now on he'd better be careful what he thought about. This would not be an easy task.

"Time works differently beyond the veil in the forest. We will leave now, and you will return here in time to go to your normal school."

Ben was very disappointed by this news. Did he really have to go to his ordinary school? What a bummer. The excitement he had felt began to fade a little.

Samuel knelt down, and Ben heard the words, "hop on," inside his head. Ben had never been on a horse before, let alone a Guardinal. He carefully threw his right leg over and grabbed its white mane. Samuel stood up and his two great silver wings spread out on each side. Ben heard the words, "hold tight," and, with that, they began to lift up into the air, over the garden wall, and up into the early morning sky.

#

# Flying to Odwin

It was still a little foggy, but Ben could see the local village as they flew over it. Some houses were awake and warm orange lights twinkled up at them. It was cold up there in the air and Ben was glad he had put on an extra woolly jumper.

He was also glad that he had put on his uniform. What would have happened if he were still in his pyjamas? Would Samuel have waited for him to change? Or would he end up on his first day in this new school wearing his pyjamas? That would not be the best start, especially if everyone else was dressed. Then he wondered about breakfast. He hadn't had any yet and thought that this might be a long day.

Ben looked down and spotted his school. He imagined all his classmates looking up and seeing him in the sky. He was especially excited at the thought of Peter Rogers seeing him. Peter regularly teased him about his reading and told him he was stupid. He would push Ben when they were out playing in the yard during lunchtime. He was much bigger than Ben, so Ben mostly tried to stay out of his way.

If Samuel was hearing any of this conversation in Ben's head, he didn't comment on it. Perhaps he was just concentrating on flying, which was a good thing really. Up ahead Ben could see the forest. He had never been there before. In fact, most people stayed away from it.

There were many stories about wild beasts and witches who lived there. There were stories of people who went to get wood for their fires and never came back. There were stories of trees whose branches would grow suddenly and wrap themselves around folk, squeezing them to death.

Ben was beginning to feel a little nervous as he recalled these tales. What if Samuel was really one of those bad witches who could turn themselves into other creatures, and come and steal children to eat? He imagined a big black cauldron bubbling on a fire somewhere, just waiting for him to be lowered into it.

Samuel began to fly a little lower. Ben wondered where he was going to land, as there didn't seem to be any opening in the trees. Lower and lower they flew, now almost gliding over the tops of the trees. Ben's feet could almost touch them.

"Close your eyes Ben," he heard Samuel saying inside his head, and Ben obeyed. Next thing, they were on the ground with two creatures looking up at them. It was Azra and Oswald.

Samuel knelt down and Ben slid off his back. "I will be on my way now to fetch another pupil. Azra and Oswald will direct you from here," said Samuel.

Ben suddenly felt a little scared, he trusted Samuel but now he was leaving him in this unusual place with two strangers. Before he could speak, Samuel had taken to the skies again and was flying back in the same direction they had come from.

Azra burst into excited chatter. "Well, hello my lad, delighted to meet you. I am Azra, King of the Fairies and Guardian of the Veil."

He flew up and hovered in front of Ben's face.

"Now don't you worry, everything is going to be alright," he smiled and winked at him. "Oh what lovely buttons you have on your jacket, gold are they?" he asked peering a little more closely at them. "You don't need them all do you?"

Oswald cleared his throat and stepped forward.

"Azra, that's enough."

Oswald eyed Ben up and down for a couple of seconds. Then he puffed himself up to full height, which was as high as Ben's knee.

"I am Oswald, also The Guardian of the Veil and keeper of all the ancient wisdom in the forest."

"Not all of the wisdom," said Azra, winking again at Ben.

Oswald ignored him and continued. "Welcome lad, so glad you came. Now we better get you on your way. No time to waste."

With that, Oswald flew up and landed on a branch of a nearby tree. He swiveled his head to the left and said, "Follow the path as far as it goes. When it is no more, you will see a large oak tree in front of you. It is the largest and oldest tree in the forest. You can't miss it. Then go to the tree and feel around until you find a soft place on the trunk. Knock three times on it and a rabbit will let you in. But first, he will ask you for the password".

"It's very important, very important," interrupted Azra, "but you must never tell anyone what the password is, OK?"

Azra flew right in front of Ben's face and looked very seriously into his eyes.

"Never Ben, never tell anyone. If the password gets out, well, it doesn't bare thinking about what could happen."

Azra began rubbing his hands together and wiping his forehead. Ben could see tiny beads of sweat on his face.

"I won't tell anyone," said Ben, and he meant it.

"Very good lad, very good. Now let's get you on the path."

Oswald flew down and landed on Ben's left shoulder. Azra flew up and hovered over his right shoulder. Together they whispered the password into Ben's ears.

"Caradon Prunella".

"Repeat it silently to yourself Ben, not out loud, just in case anyone hears it," whispered Azra. "Don't forget it or the rabbit will not let you in. In fact, he may think you are an impostor and shoot you." "But don't worry" he added hurriedly, "this has never happened yet!"

"Yes" said Oswald."Say the password to yourself as you walk the path. This way you won't forget it."

Then Azra and Oswald flew together a little distance in front of Ben. They began to whisper some words Ben couldn't understand. Suddenly out of nowhere a stone path appeared in front of Ben.

"Go now quickly! We mustn't leave the veil open any longer than is necessary," said Oswald.

Ben moved forward and stepped onto the stone path, wondering what he was getting himself into.

"Don't forget the password," Azra called after him, waving and smiling encouragingly.

Ben took a few steps forward then turned back to look. There was no sign of Azra or Oswald. He was on his own now.

Azra turned to Oswald and said, "it's him alright, I'm sure of it, he's got the same hair."

"We should tell him," said Oswald

"No, you know what Orogon said."

"Yes, but he has a right to know."

"He's too young to know"

"It's not about age it's about how mature he is," said Oswald. "When I looked into his eyes I could see that he could handle the information."

"No Oswald, not yet. I am sure Orogon has a good reason for waiting."

"Maybe, but I will speak with him again soon and see what he says. It's not fair on the boy you know. He has a right to know."

"I know, I know," said Azra. "But I am sure Orogon will tell him soon, if the boy decides to come back again that is.

"He will," said Oswald. "I am sure of it."

"I hope you are right," said Azra. "I have a feeling we will need his help."

#

# Through the Veil

As Ben walked along, he noticed the trees were thick and dark on either side. They were also very tall, and blocked out most of the sun. Ben tried not to think of branches reaching out and squeezing him to death. He thought, surely Azra or Oswald would have warned him if there was any danger of this happening.

The path itself was a little unusual. It was made of stone but at times it seemed to shimmer and give off a faint glow. Gold sparkles even rose up from it at times.

As Ben walked, he repeated the password to himself quietly, "Caradon Prunella," trying as hard as he could not to think of a rabbit pulling out a gun and shooting him.

However, he did wonder if that would be better than boiling in a witch's cauldron. "Caradon Prunella."

Then he wondered if his eyes would pop out if a tree squeezed him to death. "Caradon Prunella." He was sure he had seen something like that in a movie once, "Caradon Prunella."

Ben had a good imagination. His teacher told him so, after he had written a story about a giant who lived on a hill, and regularly went and ate people from the local village. He only ate them if he could put tomato ketchup on them though. So one night the villagers went and stole the giant's tomato ketchup supply, and he never ate anyone again.

Now that Ben was actually in a real scary place, having a good imagination was not such a great thing. Having a password to repeat was helpful in keeping his mind busy.

"Caradon Prunella."

The path was straight most of the way, but then at times, unexpectedly, it curved around a corner, even though Ben could have sworn there was no corner ahead. At other times it seemed to go uphill and at one point it even crossed over a stream. There he saw a frog sitting. It was dangling a fishing rod into the water.

"Good day," croaked the frog.

"Good day," replied Ben, who was now getting used to creatures talking to him both out loud and inside his head.

"Are you repeating the password to yourself?" asked the frog.

"Yes," said Ben, a little surprised the frog knew about the password.

"Good, good, mustn't forget it whatever you do. Of course, I don't know what the password is, so I couldn't help you if you did forget it. I can move about Odwin freely without it. On you go now, I don't want you frightening away the flies".

Ben moved on and began repeating the password again, "Caradon Prunella." He tried not to feel nervous as it's easy to become forgetful when you are nervous or afraid.

It happens to his mum sometimes when she goes to the bank machine and can't remember her pin number. So she stops, takes five deep breaths and then tries again. That usually works.

Suddenly a head popped around a tree and said, "Hello, on your way to school?"

It stepped out onto the path in front of Ben. It seemed to be half tree and half woman. Its arms were branches, though it had human fingers. Its legs were bark, but it had feet and its hair seemed to be mostly moss and leaves. It had very sparkly green eyes.

"My name is Nadia, I am a tree nymph."

"I'm Ben and I am a boy."

The tree nymph laughed. "I know what you are."

"What is a tree nymph exactly, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Of course not. We are guardians of the trees we live in. We are part of them. When the tree dies we die too. My home is here in this fir tree. It is six hundred years old".

"So you are six hundred years old?" asked Ben, amazed to think that any living thing could be that old. His granny died when she was eighty-six and Ben thought that was old.

"Yes, that's right. I have been with this tree all its life. I will be with it until it dies. Most humans don't understand trees; they don't respect them. They come with their machines and chop them down without asking."

"What do you mean? Who should they ask?" enquired Ben.

"They should ask the tree first of course. Long ago the people who lived in the forest would only take as much wood as they needed. They would go up to the tree and explain they needed a little to light a fire to stay warm, or to cook some food. They would thank the tree and the tree would gladly give a branch or two when it received such respect. Now, there is no respect for the trees.

Ben noticed she looked a little sad.

"Would you like to communicate with the tree?" asked the nymph, suddenly smiling.

"Yeah sure," said Ben.

"OK, first of all, place your hand on its bark and feel."

Ben placed his hand on the bark.

"What do you feel?"

"I just feel bark," said Ben.

"Do you have wood in your house?" asked the nymph.

"Yes, lots of it; tables, chairs, cupboards and other stuff."

"How do they feel?"

"Cold and hard, I guess."

"OK, now place your hand on the tree again. Close your eyes and concentrate. Does this wood feel cold and hard?"

"No, actually I can feel a little movement of some kind, and it almost feels warm," said Ben.

"Exactly. Your table at home is dead and cold but this tree has a life force in it. You can feel it."

Ben placed both his hands on the tree and could feel a pulse coming into his hands. It was warm and fuzzy.

"Trees hold lots of wisdom too. Would you like to ask it a question"? enquired the nymph.

Ben liked that idea, though he wondered what question he should ask. What do you ask a tree, he wondered? Since he was on his way to the school, he thought perhaps a question about that might be a good idea.

"OK I've got a question," said Ben

"Now close your eyes again," said the nymph, "and wrap your arms around the tree and feel it with your heart. Take a few slow breaths and connect with the tree. Wait until you get that warm fuzzy feeling and then ask your question."

Ben did as the nymph suggested and it felt lovely hugging the tree, feeling the warm energy of it moving around him and into him too.

"Now ask your question silently."

"Should I continue on my path to the school or turn around and go home?" Ben asked.

Suddenly words bubbled up inside him.

"Continue onwards, your destiny awaits you."

"Wow, that's amazing," exclaimed Ben. "It told me to keep going on my path."

"All of life can communicate and support each other when we learn how," said Nadia smiling at Ben.

"Time to go, goodbye Ben. Hope to see you again," she said before disappearing into the tree. Ben was about to move on when she stuck her head back out and said, "Don't forget the password, I can't help you if you do forget it," and then she vanished.

Gosh yes, said Ben to himself. "Caradon Prunella," and on he went. There were so many distractions along this path, he had to be careful or he might forget the password.

#

# Knock Knock

Around the next corner, a raven was standing on a branch cawing loudly. Ben recognized it as a raven because there were a number of them that lived in the trees near his house. Though, sometimes he got confused between ravens, crows and jackdaws. They all looked alike to him.

"Not far for you to go, though the path is just beginning," announced the raven, suddenly speaking like a human.

"What do you mean?" asked Ben, a little confused. If he hadn't far to go, how could the path be just beginning?

"You are close to the oak tree, but your journey of learning and discovery is just beginning. You must travel both the path of light and dark. You cannot understand a path unless you travel on it. You can't always stay in the light. You must explore the dark too. You humans are not good with the dark."

Ben wasn't sure he understood anything the Raven said, but he was right about humans not liking the dark. Ben certainly didn't like the dark much. It was scary. He didn't mind the dark in his garden, but he didn't like to be in a dark room in his house. Sometimes the house made sounds in the middle of the night. His mum said it was just cooling down overnight. It was releasing heat, that's why the wood creaked a little.

Last month they had a power cut in his home and all the lights went out. Luckily, his mum had some candles for such occasions. Ben quite enjoyed sitting by candlelight. They sat looking into the fire and listening to it crackling, and watching the flames climbing up the side of the fireplace.

Some of Ben's neighbors came in to join them, as they didn't have any candles. His neighbor Tommy began telling ghost stories. One of the stories was about an old woman who fell into a well in the town and came back as a ghost.

"Some people say she was pushed down the well and that's why she came back as a ghost," Tommy said. "I saw her outside my kitchen window last Friday night."

Ben knew Tommy was making this up but he went to bed that night feeling a little scared. Before he went to sleep, he checked under his bed and in the wardrobe. He also snuck Shams into the room to sleep with him, though he wasn't really allowed to do this. Ben's mum got angry because Shams would scratch the wood on the legs of the bed. He would also leave a trail of fur around the place.

"Remember, the dark and the light work together," said the Raven and, with that, it flew off.

Ben had no idea what it was talking about but it was good to know he was near the tree at least. If he didn't get there soon, he was afraid he would forget the password completely, especially with all these unexpected visitors along the way.

Suddenly the path ended, and there in front of him was the largest tree Ben had ever seen. The trunk was huge and knobbly, and the leaves were the brightest green. They seemed to twinkle and sparkle with specks of light.

Ben felt a little nervous as he approached the tree. He had finally reached it, but now he had the difficult task of finding the soft spot. This is going to take a while, he thought. There seemed to be so much bark to cover. Round and round he went pressing the tree but everything felt hard. He wished he had asked Oswald which side of the tree the soft spot was on. What if it was up higher and he wasn't tall enough to reach it? There wasn't anything to stand on.

After what seemed like ages, Ben began to get tired and frustrated so he sat down on the grass to rest. What if he couldn't find it? Should he wait? Should he walk back to the veil? But Azra and Oswald probably would not be there. They wouldn't be expecting him so soon.

It seemed to be getting darker now, and Ben really didn't want to be out here in this strange place alone at night. He decided to take five deep breaths and then try again to find the soft place on the tree.

Slowly he began filling his belly with air, breathing in through his nose, then slowly breathing all the air out through his mouth. When he had completed the five breaths, he felt much better and more relaxed.

It was then that he noticed the colors around the bark of the tree. He hadn't seen them earlier. Beautiful greens and blues and some pink also. Then he noticed a patch of white on the bark. It seemed strange that it was only in one spot. He went up to the tree, pressed softly on the bark where the white patch was and found it to be soft.

"I've found it," he cried. Slowly and carefully he knocked three times on the bark and waited. Nothing happened. What if this wasn't the right spot? He began to panic again. He tried it another time, this time knocking a little harder. After a few seconds, a creaking sound began to come out of the tree. It grew louder, and then all of a sudden a wooden door appeared and opened slowly.

A rabbit stuck his head around. He was wearing glasses and a black and white check waistcoat. He was blinking very quickly and Ben noticed he was also tapping his foot nervously.

"Password please," he said very abruptly, as he began looking around, as if to check if anyone else was about.

Ben panicked. He hadn't repeated the password to himself for a while now. He had been too busy trying to find the soft place on the tree.

Just breathe, he thought to himself,...in and out... and luckily after the second breath, the password came shooting into his mind, clear as crystal.

"Caradon Prunnella," he announced to the rabbit.

Ben felt relieved. Luckily, he remembered the password after two breaths. If he had gone to five breaths the rabbit may have shot him.

The rabbit opened the door further and Ben noticed a flight of wooden stairs leading down into the tree.

"Come in, come in quickly. Follow the stairs and it will lead you into The Great Hall where you can have some breakfast."

Breakfast! This was a very welcome word indeed. Ben suddenly realized how hungry he was and what a long day it seemed to be, even though it was still only breakfast time. He began down the stairs and imagined warm buttered toast and hot tea. After having breakfast, he could handle anything else this day was going to bring.

#

# Odwin School of Magic

The stairs went down in a spiral. The steps seemed suspended in the air. There was no banister or railings to hold on to. Ben was a little nervous stepping onto them. They seemed to go on for ages too. Eventually, he reached the bottom and found himself standing in a large hall. There were a number of round tables, which seemed to be made from different types of wood. Ben was not the first to arrive; other boys and girls were sitting and eating.

The food looked great. On each table, there was a selection of fruits, cheeses, breads, pastries, jams and glass bottles with various drinks in them.

Up above the tables hung large orange and red lanterns. Little dragons appeared to be flying back and forth keeping them lit with little puffs of fire.

The walls of the hall seemed to be made of clay. Ben noticed that bees were flying in and out of a hole in the wall. He went over to have a closer look. There was a container on a table beneath the hole. It was filled with water and small glass balls like marbles. Two fairies were standing on the rim of the bowl. They smiled at Ben.

"We are here to make sure the bees don't drown while having a drink," said one of them, standing with its arms folded. "They can stand on these glass balls so they can reach the water safely."

Ben remembered his teacher telling them about the bees. She had explained that they often flew long distances to gather nectar from flowers. They can often become exhausted and need some water to drink. Water with some sugar in it is good. It gives them the energy they need to fly again.

The bees also seemed to regularly go and hover around one boy who was in a wheelchair. He didn't seem to mind at all, but the other children at the table were a little wary. One bee even landed on the boy's nose. The boy kept chewing his food as if nothing had happened.

Ben looked around wondering which table he should sit at. One in particular drew his attention. Sitting at it were three children, a girl and two boys. It was quieter than the other tables. This was what Ben needed.

They all looked up and smiled at him when he went to sit down but said nothing. Ben took a plate from the center of the table and filled it with the delights in front of him. He chose some cheese, a banana, a yogurt and some orange juice. Then he spotted the toast and decided he would also have some of that with strawberry jam and butter. Perhaps another slice with honey on it too. It might be a while before he got to eat again.

He was glad of some quiet time to take in all that had happened so far. It seemed so long ago since he was standing in his garden, watching that cloud of fog move up towards him. Maybe he was still just dreaming and would wake up any minute and find he was still in his bed. Even if that was the case, he was hoping he wouldn't wake up until he had finished this breakfast first.

He glanced up at the ceiling and could see small roots coming through. He thought of the huge oak tree over their heads. It felt quite comforting to know there was this giant presence above their heads.

Suddenly, a red squirrel jumped up on the side of Ben's seat. The squirrel looked right up at Ben and tilted its head sideways, the way people do when they are pleading with you for something.

"Don't feed it," said one of the other boys at the table. We're not supposed to feed them.

Ben couldn't help feeling sorry for the squirrel who had just spotted a small bowl of assorted nuts on the table. One won't hurt, thought Ben. Just as he was reaching for a nut, the rabbit shouted, "Stop." He marched straight over to the table where Ben was sitting and said very firmly

"Do not feed that squirrel."

"Have you dusted the library books?" asked the rabbit, directing the question to the squirrel. The squirrel shook his head and glanced down, looking a little embarrassed.

The rabbit folded his arms and looked sternly down at the squirrel. "You know the deal. No dusting, no nuts. Off you go."

With that, the squirrel scampered away and disappeared through a gap in the back wall.

"It's their long bushy tails you know," said the rabbit looking at Ben. "Great for dusting. Good-hearted fellows really, just a little greedy is all. That one is quite young. Just needs a bit more training and he will be fine."

The rabbit then hopped his way to the top of the room.

"Excuse me everyone, may I have your attention please," he said, coughing to clear his throat a little and folding his paws in front of him. His eyes were blinking as fast as ever behind his glasses.

"I would like to welcome you awwwwh ouch!...... I'm on fire," he squealed and began jumping up and down. Smoke appeared from behind him. Just a second earlier one of the dragons had passed by. It seems it must have set fire to the rabbit's tail. No one could know for sure if it was an accident or on purpose.

The rabbit started hopping around wildly and shouting, "put it out, get some water someone quick." A boy at the nearest table grabbed a glass bottle filled with a green liquid and poured some over the rabbit's tail.

By this time there were a lot of muffled giggles from around the room, though no one dared to laugh out loud.

After composing himself, the rabbit continued speaking as little puffs of smoke rose up behind him.

"Well I never, in all my years at this school, have come across such careless behavior. There will have to be an inspection of dragon training for sure," he said, waving his paw up towards the dragons who seemed unconcerned by the whole event.

"As I was saying, I would like to welcome you all to Odwin School of Magic. My name is Mr Tinkle Bert Thunderstone III, but you can just call me Mr Rabbit, as it is easier all round. "I am both caretaker and manager of this school, and I am also in charge of keeping everything and everyone in order," he said, proudly puffing out his chest to its full height and casting a stern eye up towards the dragons again.

"Please finish your breakfast and make your way into the crystal room."

He was pointing at a door Ben hadn't noticed before. It seemed to be covered in silver spirals that were moving about. It reminded him of the spiral he had seen on Samuel's forehead earlier.

As Ben was getting up from the table, he happened to glance down at his coat and noticed one of his buttons were missing. Azra, he thought. That rascal somehow had managed to steal one. I will have words with him when I meet him on the way back, thought Ben, smiling to himself.

#

# The Crystal Room

The children filed into the room. Ben was near the end of the line but could hear, "Oohs" and "Aahs" and "Wows," from the others ahead.

On entering the room, Ben could see what all the fuss was about. The ceiling was covered in what appeared to be clear crystal. Pieces hung down from the ceiling in sharp points. They glistened and sparkled very brightly. The floor looked like a sheet of ice, though it didn't feel cold or slippery. The walls were blue in color and shimmered.

Ben could see some incredible colors he had never seen before moving around in the walls. In the middle of the room there was a circle of seats. They also seemed to be made of the same crystal as was on the ceiling. They were clear in color but, at certain angles, you could see rainbows inside them.

One by one the children sat down. Mr Rabbit instructed the boy in the wheelchair to reverse back and touch the seat with the wheels of his chair. When he did, something magical happened. His whole wheelchair became covered in crystal. It became completely surrounded by it. "Wow," everyone exclaimed together.

Despite looking hard, the seats were very comfortable. Ben felt lovely sensations up and down his body. When everyone was settled, they all looked around at each other nervously. Mr Rabbit left the room.

Everyone sat in silence for a moment, not knowing what to say or do. Then a voice from somewhere began.

"The Earth welcomes you, little ones. My name is Gaia, and I look after the earth."

It was a woman's voice. It seemed to be coming from all around them.

"I have called you here at this time because the earth needs your gifts. It took courage today to come here to this strange place. Thank you for responding to my call. You will already have met some unusual creatures on your journey here. They are also my children and are helping me."

The voice was deep, soft and somehow very comforting. It also felt strangely familiar to Ben. For some reason, his mind flashed back to sitting under the hedge in his garden.

"The earth is growing and changing just like you are dear ones. It is time for Her to release some darkness that is damaging Her. It's time for humans to remember how to live in harmony with the earth and its creatures. I need your help."

" My dear ones, you have gifts that can help with this process. You were born with them. You know you have them, though the world might think you are a little strange because of them. I brought you here to help you develop them, so you can use them to help the world move forward at this time."

"This school has been here for a very long time and has always called those with unusual gifts to it. This school is different in many ways from your everyday school. You must want to be here. You must choose to accept the mission I will offer you. "

"If you are not ready, that is OK. You will be taken home and you need never return if you don't wish to. Children, you must decide in your own hearts what is right for you. This is not an easy path, but there are rewards along the way."

Ben knew right away he wanted to do this, whatever it was. He felt he was born for it. Life suddenly made more sense than ever before. He felt at home here. It was all new, but everything felt natural and right. He looked around at the other boys and girls. Some were smiling. These were the ones he knew felt the same way as he did. Others were looking down at the ground, a little unsure.

The voice continued, "Each of you will decide in your own heart if this is the right path for you. Go now into the garden and spend some time thinking about it. Remember, there is no right or wrong answer. What feels right for you is the right answer."

With that, one of the walls in the room disappeared and they found themselves looking into a beautiful garden. It had benches, ponds, trees and a beautiful collection of flowers. There were some bees flying between the flowers, busily collecting nectar.

The children proceeded into the garden, each one drifting off in a different direction to explore. Ben, who had spotted a pond, decided he would wander over to see if there was any frog spawn in it. There wasn't, but sitting on the side of the pond with his fishing rod was the frog he met on the path earlier.

"You remembered the password then, very good, very good," said the frog nodding and obviously very pleased. I am Frederick by the way. "What's your name?" he asked, looking up from the water for the first time.

"Ben."

Frederick looked at Ben for a moment and said, "I see you have decided to accept your mission Ben."

"How did you know that?" Ben asked, feeling a little uncomfortable.

"I have seen many boys and girls come through here over the years. I know by looking at them if they are going to say yes or no."

"Will it be difficult?" asked Ben, shuffling his feet a bit, unsure if he even wanted to know the answer to the question.

"Usually anything in life worthwhile will be difficult at first. Like learning an instrument, training for a marathon and learning your times tables, but they are all worth it in the end. I had to sit at ponds for a long so I could develop my skills of catching tiny fish and flies."

Ben wanted to ask him why he didn't just use his tongue to catch flies like normal frogs, but he decided not to ask, in case it was a rude question.

Ben then spotted a kingfisher on the other side of the pond. It was beautiful. He had only ever seen one in a book. It was an electric blue color with an orange belly.

Frederick noticed Ben looking at the kingfisher.

"They hold great wisdom you know, kingfishers? But it's hard to get anything out of them. They keep it to themselves mostly. I don't see the point myself of being so quiet. I enjoy a good chat you know..."

Ben was thinking he would like to go and explore the rest of the garden. He was afraid that Frederick was building himself up for some long story or other.

"Thank you," said Ben before Frederick could say another word. "I am going to explore the orchard at the end of the garden. See you around."

"Oh, OK then," said Frederick, returning his gaze to the water and frowning as he began concentrating on his rod.

#

# Decision Time

As Ben approached the orchard, he could see it was full of red apples. They looked delicious. Many were hanging from the trees, but there were also many lying on the ground, creating a lovely carpet of red. Ben picked one up and smelt it. It had a soft sweet scent but he was still full from breakfast and decided not to bother eating it.

Looking around, he noticed a pair of legs sticking out from behind one of the trees. When he got closer, he saw it was the girl from the breakfast table he had been sitting at.

"Hello," said Ben.

"Oh hello," said the girl who seemed to have been in a daydream.

"I'm Hillary."

"I'm Ben."

"Have you smelt those flowers over there?" asked Hillary, pointing to a bush full of pink flowers. "They smell like candy floss but best not eat them, right? They may be poisonous."

Ben thought that was a good point and was now glad he hadn't taken a bite out of that apple a couple of moments ago. After all, it was a magical place and everything may not be as it seemed. He remembered what happened to Snow White when she took a bite out of the apple. Ben didn't like the idea of falling into a sleep and certainly didn't want anyone kissing him awake!

Ben wanted to ask Hillary whether she had decided to accept the mission but was a little unsure if it was a good idea. He couldn't quite tell from her. So, instead, he asked her, "So what do you think so far?"

"Well, it's all rather a lot to take in, isn't it?"

Ben nodded quietly.

"I mean this morning, I was sitting on my bed combing my hair and reading a book when Samuel appeared right outside my window. It was quite a shock. I remember having a strange dream and some voice saying, "I am coming," but I never thought it was real. I opened my bedroom window and climbed onto his back. It was all very exciting."

"Did you meet Azra and Oswald?" asked Ben

"Oh yes, what a funny pair they aren't they?"

Ben and Hillary sat among the apples and shared their adventures with each other, comparing their journeys to the school that morning. Hilary told Ben, that Azra had tried to steal the clip from her hair but didn't manage it. Ben told her about his missing gold button. They both laughed and agreed they would have to keep a closer eye on him.

It was good to share with someone else all the things that had happened that day so far. Ben still didn't ask Hillary what her decision was. He knew he would find out soon anyway.

Ben decided he would explore a little more. He left Hillary sitting under the tree and went off to investigate a group of large blue flowers, which caught his eye. They were a similar blue to the kingfisher he saw earlier. They were as tall as sunflowers but were bell shaped. Each one seemed to nod up and down, even though there was no wind around. Each one also seemed to send out a sound like the chime of a bell. Together they created a lovely melody.

As Ben got closer, he got this wonderful taste of honey in his mouth. It was the sweetest taste he had ever experienced. It felt wonderful. He stood in front of the flowers, closed his eyes so he could focus on the beautiful taste in his mouth and listen to the sounds. He could see wonderful colors too, even though his eyes were closed.

After a while, he opened his eyes and said thank you to the flowers. It seemed the right thing to do somehow. One flower bent down his head toward Ben. He wanted to stroke it, though he was a little unsure. He carefully reached up his hand and stroked a petal on the flower. It was velvety soft. Ben thought what a lovely blanket it would make. Then, he quickly cleared that thought in case the flower could read his mind. It may not like the idea of being made into a blanket!

Mr Rabbit appeared in the garden and began calling, "It's time children, come in." Ben felt a little nervous as he looked around at the others nearby. He could see they looked a little nervous too. This feeling reminded Ben of when he had a school test coming up. He was enjoying the garden so much he had almost forgotten where he was and why he was there.

The children found themselves back in the crystal room they had been in earlier. However, there were a few changes.

"Please take a seat," said Mr Rabbit.

Ben began counting the children as they sat down. He counted twenty in total. Ten boys and ten girls. They all looked around at each other shyly. Satisfied that everyone was in and seated, Mr Rabbit left the room, leaving the children on their own again.

"Look," said one of the children pointing up. All the crystals were gone. The ceiling seemed to have changed into a night sky full of stars. Wow, everyone thought. "How did that happen?" asked Hillary. "This is the best day I've ever had," said a boy sitting beside Ben. "Me too," said Ben. "Me too."

"Welcome back children," said that voice from before, which seemed everywhere at once. "The time has come to decide whether you wish to accept this mission or wait for another time. I cannot tell you any details at this point, so you will have to trust me for now. I will call out your name and you can reply by answering either with I accept, or I decline".

Ben could feel his heart racing. It felt a little bit like waiting to be asked to read aloud in class. At least I don't have to read anything out loud, he thought. But then he wondered if he would have to read out loud later on during his training in this school. Who knows what he might have to do?

What if it was absolutely necessary that he could read very well to be here? He might be found out and sent home. His friend Billy wasn't here either to help him, if he got stuck.

Ben began to panic a little bit and wondered if he should decline? Was he really up for this? His hands began sweating as he heard names being called out. He began frantically tossing between I accept and I decline in his head to see how each one felt.

He was too anxious to think straight. Breathe, he said to himself. So he stopped tossing both options around in his head and began to take slow breaths, in and out...and his heart began to calm down and his hands stopped sweating.

"Ben Richards," announced the voice.

#

# Mission Accepted

Ben stood up, his legs shaking a little. Then he heard the words, "I accept," coming out his mouth, even though he didn't remember deciding that was his answer.

Now, there was no going back, he thought. Whatever lay ahead he would have to face it. He sat back down a little shaken, but relieved the decision had been made.

"Hillary Swanson," announced the voice.

Ben looked over at Hillary. She had her head down so he couldn't tell what she was feeling. "I accept," she said, a little fearfully. Ben caught her eye and smiled. He was glad she accepted. He knew they would become friends.

After everyone's name had been called, there were twelve children who declined. That meant only eight children had accepted their mission. To what exactly they were signing up for, they didn't know, but it felt right in their hearts and that was all they needed to know for now.

Mr Rabbit entered the room. The voice continued, "All who have declined may leave with Mr Rabbit. He will make sure you get home safely. Thank you for coming and perhaps we will see you in the future. You will be visited again in a few years, and you may decide that you are ready at that point. The rest of you may remain here and await further instructions."

All the children who declined, were brought back home by Samuel. Within minutes they had completely forgotten about Odwin. It was safer that way. Sometime, in the future, Samuel may well visit them in their dreams and offer them another opportunity to return to Odwin.

As the others left, Ben looked around the circle and counted. There were now only four girls and four boys left.

"Now, children you will travel together on this journey of learning," said the voice. Each of you has been drawn here because you have a gift to offer the world. There will be times when you will learn together and there will be times when you must learn alone."

"I would like you all to introduce yourselves to each other. I would like you to say your name and say what you think makes you a little different from other children. You may never have shared this with anyone before, but now is the time. Now you will learn to really discover what your gift is and what you can do with it. Don't be shy about sharing. You are all here because of your gifts."

"Who would like to go first?"

Everyone put their heads down. No one wanted to speak first. There was a long silence. Then one of the girls said, "I'll share."

"My name is Gillian. I guess I have a gift of helping people when they are sad. I find people talk to me about what is worrying them. Even grown-ups do. When people are sad I see gray clouds hanging over them."

"Last week when I went to the supermarket with my mum I spotted a woman with a very dark cloud over her head. I went up to her and said "Hello, how are you feeling today?" She looked a little shocked that I had spoken to her. She told me that her cat, Mr Snuffles, had died a few days before. She was really missing him. She told me all about him. As she talked I could see the dark cloud getting lighter and lighter in colour.

The voice spoke:

"From now on you will be known as The Healer of Hearts. Thank you Gillian for your courage to speak first. Courage is something that comes from our heart. You carry a lot of courage and a lot of kindness. Who would like to speak next?"

"I will," said a boy. "I'm Jack. I like collecting stones and rocks and crystals. I find if I am sick, often I will hold one of the crystals, and it helps me feel better. Or if I am nervous I will choose a different one and keep it in my pocket. My dog was sick last month and I put a crystal in his basket. He got better very quickly. Even the vet was surprised. Sometimes when I hold a crystal in my hand for a while, I think it talks to me but I'm probably just imagining that."

"These seats are cool by the way. Can I bring one home?" asked Jack.

Everyone giggled.

The voice spoke:

"Jack, you are The Crystal King. You are able to receive the wisdom that crystals hold. You will learn all you need to know here and share that wisdom with the world.

"Who is next?"

"I am Philippe. I live on a farm and I can talk to the animals. My family thinks I am mad. My brothers laugh at me. The animals tell me things. They are all different. All the cows have different personalities. The bull knows everyone is afraid of him, but he tells me he is quite gentle and wouldn't hurt anyone, unless they attacked him first. The geese follow me around the farm. When I got to school last Monday, I found one of the goslings had snuck into my bag. I had to go home again with it. The teacher thought I brought it on purpose."

The voice spoke:

"Philippe, you are The Animal Whisperer. You will help people to gain a better understanding of the animal world and the importance of respect for all creatures. Thank you."

"Who is next?"

"I am Georgina. I don't really know if I have a gift, but I love fire. I love looking at the flames in the fire and sometimes I think I see creatures dancing in there. If I am sad, I tend to write things down and then burn them in the fire. It makes me feel better. I don't know why. My favorite books are about volcanoes. I would love to visit a real one someday."

"Also, something weird happened last week. It freaked me out a bit. I went camping with my family. My brother Sam and I went for a walk and he put worms on my head. I got really angry and went back to the camp to tell mum and dad, who were sitting by the fire. As I was telling them what happened the flames began to get higher and higher. Even mum and dad were freaked out. When I walked away it calmed down again. I'm not sure what that was about.

The voice spoke:

"Georgina you are The Fire Bearer. You will learn how to use the power of fire to burn away what is no longer needed. You will learn how to use fire wisely. You will learn to give the power of fire to others when they need it. Thank you."

Then the boy in the wheelchair spoke next. "I am Bernard, and I love bees. I have so many books about them at home. I try and sow flowers that they like. I want to be a beekeeper when I grow up. My favorite food is anything with honey on it. I even put honey on my sausages! Bees seem to follow me around. They tell me when they need a drink so I make up sugar water for them. They are very gentle and won't sting you, unless you attack them first".

"Bernard you are The Bee Protector. You will help the world understand how important bees are. You will speak for them. Thank you".

"Children before we continue we will move somewhere else. Don't be afraid."

#

# Up, Up and Away

Suddenly the ground began to shake. The children looked at each other nervously. Then the whole circle of seats began to lift off the ground and rise up into the air, and up they went towards that starry ceiling. There were no arms on the chairs to hold onto. Ben thought about the rides at the funfair, at least they always had something to hold onto.

The floor came away in a perfect circle beneath them. Hillary grabbed the hands of the boy and girl that sat on each side of her, and soon everyone did the same. As all of them held hands, they rose up and out into space. They were surrounded by the darkness of space but stars also twinkled and shone around them. The moon looked huge from up here. You could really see the craters on it.

Ben started thinking about the stories his mum used to read to him about the man in the moon. Now he was wondering if they were true. Perhaps there really was a man living on the moon, taking care of it, like Mr Rabbit takes care of the school.

As Ben looked back down on the earth, he could see the blue of the oceans and the brown color of the land. The circle of seats began to move slowly around the earth. They could see clouds floating about in the earth's atmosphere. Ben was amazed that they could see lights in different countries from way up here. They seemed to be strung together like threads of gold. He remembered the lights he had seen in his village that morning, as he flew overhead with Samuel.

Ben had lots of questions in his head. He wondered what would happen if someone fell off their chair while they were up here? Would they just drift off into space? Who would go after them? Would they send a rocket? He was sure there would be a plan in place for accidents like that. Then he panicked a little, as he wondered how they were all breathing, since there is no air in space. Gosh, he thought to himself, this truly is the best day I've ever had.

"Let us continue children. Who will speak next?"

Another girl spoke. Ben thought she was quite unusual looking. She had long hair and he wasn't sure if it was blonde or white. She was very pale with piercing blue eyes.

"My name is Tilda. I don't really know what my gift is, but I love the moon. I sit staring out my window at it most nights. I am always drawing pictures of it. I even dream about it sometimes. I much prefer the night time to the daytime. I sneak out sometimes in the middle of the night and go outside to be with the moon. It feels like we keep each other company."

The voice spoke:

"Tilda you are The Silver Moon Queen. You will learn how to use the power of the moon for healing and for growing things. You will also learn who you truly are. Thank you."

Tilda wondered what the voice meant when it said she would learn who she truly was. She guessed should would find out soon enough.

Hilary spoke next. Ben was looking forward to what she was going to say.

"I am Hillary and I love music. I play three instruments: the piano, the flute and the harp. When I am not playing, I like to sing. I guess everyone likes music, though."

"Hillary you are The Sound Healer. You will learn to use sound in many different ways, not just to play instruments and sing."

Finally, it was Ben's turn. He was nervous. He didn't really know what he was going to say, but decided to just start talking and see what came out.

"I am Ben and I...well....I guess I like color. I love painting. I see colors around people too and they change with their moods. I think I see colors that other people don't see but I have no name for them...oh and I can taste days of the week too. Mondays taste like bananas, Wednesdays taste like onions and Fridays taste like chocolate."

"That's cool," said Bernard, "I wish I could do that."

Ben had never thought of it as being cool, weird more than cool. Ben thought cool meant you could play football or run really fast. He couldn't do either of those things.

Ben, you are The Light Bearer. You will learn how to use light and color in many different ways. You will also learn about the light in your heart. Your first test will be very soon. Be on your guard."

This made Ben feel a little nervous, but he didn't think it was the right time to ask questions.

"Children you will learn more about your gifts in time. Now I want you to look down at the earth. What do you see?"

"I see clouds floating around in the sky," said Tilda.

"I can see oceans," said Bernard.

"I see countries," said Philippe, "it's amazing."

"Can any of you see anything around the earth?" the voice asked.

Ben changed his focus a little. He wasn't sure, but he thought he could see a web made of light all around the earth. It was very faint.

"I'm not sure but it's like the earth is inside a web of some kind," said Ben.

"Very good Ben."

"I can't see it," said Hillary, and neither could any of the others.

"Would anyone like to guess where the light that makes that web comes from?" asked the voice.

"The sun?" suggested Georgina.

"No, but that's a good guess because all of life on earth is supported by the sun."

"Is there a giant spider in space weaving a web around the earth?" asked Philippe.

"That's a cool idea," said Bernard.

"No children. This light has a different source. It doesn't come from the sun, the moon or anything in space. It comes from the love within human hearts; the more love that is on the earth, the stronger the light. We are going to try an experiment together. This is your first lesson as a group."

"I want you to close your eyes and hold hands, again. Now feel down into your hearts."

Ben thought back to when he met Nadia the nymph and how she had instructed him to become aware of his heart so he could hear the tree speaking to him. He was glad he had already practiced this.

"Now, I want you to think about someone you love. It could be your mum or dad, a brother or a sister, or even a pet. Feel the love you have for them in your heart."

Each child closed their eyes and felt into their heart. Each one of them pictured someone they loved.

"Very good children, now I want you to send that love into the web around the earth. Imagine it flowing from your heart and into the web".

Gillian, The Healer of Hearts loved this exercise. She could feel such love in her heart pouring out into the web.

Ben could feel a lovely warm fuzzy sensation in his chest, just like when he was hugging the tree.

"Now open your eyes children and look at the earth."

"I can see it now, "said Hillary, getting quite excited.

"I can see it too," said Bernard.

In fact, everyone could see it now. The web of light was glowing brightly. Ben could see amazing colors, now swirling through the threads of the web.

"Children you have done that with the love from your hearts. This is your first exercise as a group. You have done very well."

The voice continued. "From now on, you will be referred to by these names I have given you while you are here in Odwin. You will learn how to develop your gifts and use them in your everyday life. You are far more powerful than you realize, but the greatest power you have is in your heart. The power of your love. When you use your gifts with love, they will only do good in the world."

"That is enough for one day."

The children began to feel the circle lowering itself, and soon they found themselves back in the crystal room where they were in earlier.

#

# A Dangerous Journey Home

"You may go home now children. We will gather again soon, another day in your time."

Mr Rabbit entered the room and announced, "Children, make your way into the dining hall and over to the bottom of the stairs you came in. Please form an orderly queue. I will let you out one at a time and you can make your way back to the veil along the path you came on. Here you will be met by Samuel and taken home.

And with that, Mr Rabbit scurried up the stairs. His once, snow white tail, now a little black from the fire earlier, was bobbing up and down behind him.

Ben was wondering how Bernard was going to get up the stairs in his wheelchair. He waited to see if he could help. But just as Bernard got to the bottom of the steps, a swarm of bees appeared out of nowhere and surrounded the chair. Suddenly, Bernard began lifting off the ground and was carried up the stairs by the bees.

"Now that's cool Bernard," said Ben, as he followed him up the stairs.

"I know, right? They carried me down the stairs earlier too."

Ben was last in the line and he could hear Mr Rabbit saying, "Quickly now, out you go, no hanging around outside, start on the path."

When Ben got to the top and stepped out, the door shut very quickly behind him. The path lay ahead, but he wondered why he couldn't see any of the others. They had left seconds before him. He decided he wouldn't even bother trying to figure this out. His brain was getting tired from all the mysterious things he had come across that day.

On a branch of a tree just beside the Oak tree, sat a raven. Ben wondered if it was the same one he had met on his way here. It swooped down close to his head and said, "Day and night, light and dark, are one circle."

"What do you mean?" asked Ben.

The bird didn't reply and just flew away, cawing loudly. Ben was getting a little annoyed with this bird who only seemed to talk in riddles.

As he walked along, he was trying, in some way, to make sense of everything that had happened so far. Now, instead of the password, Ben had something else to repeat to himself. He began repeating his new name to himself, The Light Bearer. He liked it, though he wasn't sure what it meant.

He began to think of the world back home. Should he tell anyone? What about his mother? He wasn't sure she would believe him. He wondered was this adventure something that he should keep to himself, for now anyway?

Then, he remembered the voice saying something about him having to be on guard and that a test would be coming soon.

Suddenly, Ben noticed a black shadow darting around the trees. It was moving so fast, he couldn't make it out. He began to feel scared. Should he run back? But what if Mr Rabbit didn't let him in? Should he make a run for the veil? He couldn't quite remember how far away it was. If he ran, the shadow might get him from behind.

Suddenly the shadow landed on the path in front of him, but it was no longer a shadow. It was a witch. She was dressed head to toe in black. A large black hat sat on her head and she wore big black boots on her feet. She stood holding a broomstick in her hand.

"Hello, my boy and where are you coming from?" she asked, tilting her head sideways in an effort to look shy and sweet. She had black eyes and they stared right into Ben's, as if she was searching for the answer inside him.

Even though Samuel also had black eyes, the witch's eyes were different. They had no sparkle or shine. They had no life in them.

Ben wondered if she could read his thoughts like Samuel could, so he tried to blank his mind. This was difficult. It's a bit like if someone says, "don't think of a pink elephant," well you can't think of anything else but a pink elephant. Ben began to get images from the school in his head. He quickly began to talk so he could focus on something else.

"I was just walking in the woods," replied Ben, his heart racing. He knew there was no point in running. Woods, that's good, he thought. Trees and flowers are good neutral things to think about, but then the large oak tree, the entrance to the school, came shooting into his mind.

"Out by yourself in these woods?" asked the witch, still searching Ben's face. Ben tried to think of something else that was neutral, like a banana. That's better, he thought. If he just thought of a banana, she wouldn't be able to read his mind.

However, this stray image jumped into his head, an image of a witch's cauldron. He imagined himself being lowered into it and....banana....banana.. he said to himself quietly. Trying with all his might to focus on its shape and color. He tried to focus on the taste too.

"Perhaps you are hungry and tired. Why don't you come back to my house for some chocolate cake and a drink, and then you can rest for a while."

She smiled at Ben who could see just one front tooth in her mouth. He had read enough stories about witches to know never to go off with one even if she did offer him chocolate cake, his favorite type. He was only allowed it on his birthday and that was another six months away.

"I'm not tired or hungry, thank you," replied Ben. He thought being polite might help the situation somehow.

"Did you happen to see a very large old oak tree while you were walking?" asked the witch leaning a little closer to Ben, who could, now, clearly see her large crooked nose and many warts on her face.

Ben panicked a little. "I... umm....saw many trees along the way," Ben replied, trying not to think of the oak tree. It wasn't a lie, it was just not giving her the answer she wanted. The witch was not happy with this reply and flew into a rage.

"Liar," she screamed at Ben, and pulled out a wand from beneath her cloak. If you don't give me the information I want, I will kill you right here. Tell me where that tree is and what the password is to get in and I will spare your life."

Ben thought this was highly unlikely. He was sure that if he told her, she would kill him anyway. He knew he couldn't tell the witch where the tree was. He remembered how Azra was very clear about never telling anyone. If he told her, he was afraid of what might happen to Samuel, to Azra, to Oswald and to all the creature he met that day. He knew he just couldn't do it.

He looked straight up at the witch, who was pointing her wand at him, waiting for him to speak.

"I will not tell you what you want to know," said Ben, and he closed his eyes and began to breathe deeply. If dying was going to hurt, perhaps breathing deeply might help it hurt less.

His life flashed before him: his house, his mum and Shams, his cat. He would like his friend Billy to get his train set and the Mecanno set. Billy would have to have adventures around India on his own now.

Ben heard the witch saying some words he didn't understand and a whoosh sound came from her wand toward him. However, instead of killing him, it bounced off him. Then, out of nowhere, a large wolfhound appeared and jumped on the witch, knocking her to the ground.

Her wand flew out of her hand and hovered in the air for a moment. Suddenly, Oswald swooped in, grabbed it with his talons and took off to a nearby tree. Azra appeared and said to the dog, who was now sitting on the witch, "Well done my fellow, whoever you are?"

Oswald flew back down and said. "You can let her up now. She can't do any harm without her wand."

The witch stood looking shocked and outraged. Oswald screeched around her and beat his wings near her face. She bent down and grabbed her broom lying on the ground.

"I will be back, mark my words, and I will destroy you all! You hear? None of you will survive the next time!"

She took one last hateful look at Ben and, with that, she jumped onto her broom and zoomed off, soon disappearing into the distance.

#

# A Dark History

Oswald and Azra landed in front of Ben. "Are you all right?" they both asked at the same time, looking very concerned.

"Yes I think so," said Ben still shocked to be alive. "What happened?" he asked Azra and Oswald. "Why didn't I die?"

"You used the light of your pure heart to protect yourself, Ben, The Light Bearer," said Oswald, bowing slightly to Ben.

"What do you mean?"

"You decided that there was something more important than your own safety. You were willing to give up your life to protect others from her evil. That kind of courage makes you resistant to the witch's black magic."

"This was indeed a very difficult task for your first day out of school," said Azra."Well done boy. You did exceptionally well. No one else has ever had such a difficult first day. We are all so grateful to you, truly we are."

Ben wondered was this what the voice had warned him about. That there would be a test soon and he should be on his guard. He just hoped there wouldn't be any more tests today.

They all turned to look at the large wolfhound, who was standing there looking a little shocked. Oswald walked over to him. The dog lowered his head to sniff him.

Azra giggled, "Whatever you do my fine fellow, don't touch those precious owl feathers!"

"Who are you? enquired Oswald. "You are not from this forest."

"My name is Fangus. I am from the nearby town of Kafton."

Ben was surprised to hear that the dog came from the same town as he did. Fangus went on to tell them the story of his journey here and how he found the forest in the middle of the night. How he had followed the scent, but wasn't sure if he should enter the forest.

"I waited until the sun came up, then I felt it was safe to enter. I began sniffing around and found myself beside those trees over there. It was then that I heard the witch and I smelt danger, so I followed the scent here to this place. When I saw what was happening, I knew straight away that I needed to protect this boy."

"Thank you for saving me," said Ben.

"Oh, I didn't do that. You did that yourself. I just made sure she didn't get another go at killing you."

"Was your mother Talia?" asked Oswald, peering a little more closely at Fangus.

"Yes, she was" and Fangus began wagging his tail with excitement. "Did you know her?"

"Yes, I did."

"Did she come here to the forest?"

"Oh yes, many times", said Oswald.

"That's strange, because she always told me to stay away from here."

"Well, I'm sure she was right, after all, it's certainly no place for a pup of any kind. A great dog your mother, very brave and...

Oswald suddenly stopped and shuffled a little uncomfortably before changing the subject rather quickly.

"Ben, shall we get you home?"

Ben felt that Oswald knew more than he was letting on but obviously wasn't prepared to share it at the moment.

Ben knew he had an important question to ask Oswald and Azra before he began his journey home.

"Oswald, Azra, how did that witch get through the veil, and onto the path to the school?"

Azra and Oswald both looked at each other, then down at the ground. Oswald began to shuffle a little uncomfortably again. "We don't know," he said, without looking up.

"We didn't feel the alarm sounding as we usually do," said Azra. "It was the trees that told us you were in trouble. This is most distressing and alarming. We MUST find out how she got through," said Azra, flying around now, rubbing his hands together.

"First things first," said Oswald. "Let's get you home Ben, as quickly as we can. Fangus you can come with us if you wish." Fangus nodded in agreement.

Ben began down the path, he felt better knowing that Azra, Oswald and now Fangus were there to protect him.

"We will need to have a meeting with the forest council about this to see if anyone knows how she got through," said Oswald, who seemed to be saying it more to himself than directed at anyone in particular.

"I will go and tell the trees, the water sprites, the gnomes and the elves about the meeting. This way word should get to everyone soon enough," said Azra. "Goodbye Ben. Thank you for your great work today. I shall see you soon."

Ben suddenly remembered about the button he was missing from his coat but decided that this was not a good time to challenge Azra. Anyway, there were more important things going on than missing buttons. Azra flew off leaving Oswald, Ben and Fangus to continue on the path towards the veil."

"Do you know that witch, Oswald?" asked Ben.

Oswald was quiet for a moment and then replied. "Yes, her name is Mandra. She comes from The Forest in the North. She has not been here for a very long time. I think it's time you learned a little history Ben."

"Mandra ran a school in that forest like ours but it was for black magic. Spells to hurt, and destroy the world. She drew to herself creatures that were weak and carried a lot of fear in them. This way she could control them. She spread her hate, and anger and evil through the forest. The good trees and creatures began to die. The rivers became polluted so the water creatures and sprites and undines began to die. Something had to be done."

"We, in Odwin, could not help that forest. The darkness had grown too strong, so the earth put out a call, and creatures arrived from another world to help. They arrived through a veil that is located at the North Pole. Samuel was one of them."

Ben was surprised and now curious to know more about Samuel.

"Samuel is a special kind of unicorn. One whose job it is to protect places. That's why he is called a Guardinal. He came from his home world with fifty other Guardinals. Along with all the good creatures that were left in the Forest of the North, a fierce battle began with the witch and her followers.

"In the battle Samuel lost his horn. Something that is very precious to a unicorn. In fact, Samuel was the only Guardinal that survived. The rest were killed. However, Samuel and his team won the battle and managed to put the witch and her school behind a veil so she couldn't get out unless someone released her. And now, obviously, someone has."

"Without his horn, Samuel could not return to his world, so he has stayed here helping to guard this place and bring as many children of the light as possible to train here. If another battle happens, we will be ready this time."

Oswald, Ben and Fangus continued on the path in silence for a while. All three of them thinking their own thoughts. Fangus was no longer thinking of his basket beside the fire. This was very exciting, if not a little dangerous and he was ready for it. He never had such excitement back home. Chasing sticks and balls was fun but this was so much better.

#

# The Keeper of the Wands

At this stage, Ben was feeling he had enough adventures for one day and was looking forward to going home for a rest. Then, suddenly, an elf-like creature appeared on the path in front them.

"Is this The Light Bearer" he asked Oswald.

"Yes, but I think he has had enough for one day."

"There is no time to waste I must speak with him now."

Oswald sighed, "I understand."

Oswald turned to Ben. "Ben this is Orogon, The Keeper of the Wands."

Oswald had rarely seen Orogon outside his home, so he knew this was important.

"Ben you must go with him, we will follow behind," said Oswald.

"Who is this?" asked Orogon, looking at Fangus.

"This is Fangus, son of Talia. He found his way here last night from Kafton and we are indeed glad he did."

"So you are the fellow that protected Ben from the witch, are you? The trees have already told me most of the story. You are indeed welcome here son of Talia."

Fangus bowed his head to Orogon and replied, "I am glad to be here."

They began down the path, which suddenly turned a sharp left. Orogon led the way. He was about three feet tall and wore red trousers and shoes, and a green jacket. He was bald but had quite a long black and grey beard, which seemed to swing side to side as he walked.

He looked around him, nervously, as they made their way along the path. Oswald flew behind them and sometimes would fly in front, swooping around them in circles, keeping watch.

Suddenly they stopped on the path in front of a tree. Orogon bent down and took off his right shoe and put his hand in. The next thing he pulled out a wand. He tapped it three times in the air and a blue door appeared, next to the tree.

"Quickly now, no time to waste," he said, while ushering Ben in.

"We will wait out here for you," said Oswald as Orogon closed the door. Ben found himself standing inside what he could only guess was Orogon's home. "Into the living room, my boy. I will be back shortly. My wife Una will be with you in a minute."

It was a small room but it was packed with stuff. There was a small blue sofa and two small blue armchairs. The walls were covered with many shelves with various ornaments and pictures on them, and a white piano stood against one wall.

"Oh there you are, my my, what a day it has been."

Ben guessed this was Orogon's wife Una. She was about the same height as Orogon and had red curly hair and was wearing an apron with green toadstools on it.

"Now, I have brought you some milk and cookies. Do sit down; you must be tired, eh? Now the milk has a little something extra in it. A secret elf ingredient that perks you right up."

Ben was feeling hungry again and the milk and cookies looked great.

"Sit down, sit down lad and tuck in."

Ben gladly sat in one of the chairs and took a drink from the milk. It tasted great. It seemed to have something like a spice in it and it felt very warming as it went down his throat. The cookies were big and had large chunks of chocolate in them. Just the way he liked them.

Una stood silently with her arms folded and nodding her head, as she watched Ben drink and eat. When he had finished, she burst right back into excited chatter again.

"Now you are not to worry about a thing. I know it's a big responsibility and everything and you might never need to remember it, but better being safe than sorry I always say."

Ben had no idea what she was talking about so he just gave her a half smile and a nod.

Orogon had gone outside to chat with Oswald.

"Orogon I think the boy should be told. He can handle it," said Oswald.

"Maybe, but not yet Oswald. It's important for now that he focuses on his training. If we tell him too soon he may get angry and not come back. We can't risk that. When he has a better understanding of everything, we will tell him then.

"We have seen what he is made of today, Oswald. He handled that witch perfectly, without any instruction. That was advanced stuff right there. We can't risk him not coming back. He is too important."

"OK, but it is me who will have to tell him when the time comes and it is not a job I am looking forward to. The longer it goes without telling him the harder it will be. He will think we are lying to him."

"We are not lying to him. We are protecting him from the truth until the time is right. There is a difference."

"OK," said Oswald, "I won't say anything for now."

Orogon stuck his head back around the living room door. "Ready lad?"

Ben wasn't sure if he was. He didn't know what he was supposed to be ready for, but he got up and followed Orogon out into the hall.

"Well, I'll leave you to it then," said Una."I have bread in the oven to watch. Mind how you go Ben."

As Una looked at Ben, he noticed a worried look flash across her face which was quickly replaced with a broad smile. She patted him on the shoulder and then she swept off into the kitchen. Ben could smell the bread coming from the oven. It reminded him of when his mum baked bread. Ben liked it when it was hot and fresh from the oven. He would put a big knob of butter on it and watch how quickly it melted into the bread.

He followed Orogon down the corridor, and then suddenly, they stopped in front of the wall. It was covered in wallpaper, which was white with blue flowers on it. The same bell-shaped blue flowers Ben had seen in the school garden earlier.

Orogon had his wand in his hand. "Ben do you see that flower." He was pointing to one of them on the wall. "Do you see how it is different from the rest?"

Ben looked at it but couldn't see any difference. They all looked blue and were the same shape.

"Look again, using your sight, your gift."

Ben remembered when he arrived at the oak tree and how difficult it had been to find the soft spot. It was only when he relaxed and took some deep breaths that he saw the white patch on the bark.

So Ben closed his eyes, took three slow breaths in and out and opened his eyes. Now he saw it. The blue flower had turned to gold.

"I see it, it's gold."

"Very good, very good my boy, well done."

Orogon tapped three times on the flower and a large section of the wall disappeared and a staircase appeared in its place. It was dark and smelt a little musty. Orogon blew on the top of the wand and it lit up. He began down the stairs, "follow me lad." At least these stairs have railings to hold onto thought Ben.

When they reached the bottom, Orogon pointed his wand at three places in the room and three large lamps lit up. In the corner of the room stood a large gold chest.

# The Jar of Magic

"Ben, I have brought you here today because of what has happened. Because of the witch you met on the path. The spell has been broken that kept that witch in The Forest of the North. We must take every precaution we can until we figure out what has happened."

"In this chest, there is a jar that holds the magic of every wand that Oswald has ever brought me over the years. It has huge power stored in it, as you can imagine. If ever a time came when there was another battle, this magic may well be needed. I am the only one who knows how to get to this jar. If anything happened to me, then no one would be able to access this chest where I keep the jar. Not even my wife Una knows. It is for her own safety that she doesn't know."

"Ben, I am sorry to burden you with this so soon, but because of what happened today with that witch, it leaves everything very uncertain. I have no choice. I must tell someone else the password in case...well...in case anything happens to me."

"There is great light in that jar Ben. Light, that when released, if used for good would remove a great darkness. However, if it fell into the wrong hands, this whole forest and the world beyond would be in great danger. Evil of all kinds would surface and spread far beyond the forest across the earth. You are The Light Bearer Ben; you are the only one to whom I can pass this onto."

Ben stood silently staring at the chest in a bit of a daze. It was a huge responsibility and he didn't feel ready for it. Orogon could see the worry on his face.

"I know this is a big responsibility and you may never be called upon to access this power, but we need to be ready in case you do."

"Ben," said Orogon, placing a hand on Ben's shoulder, "we are never given any task in life without the strength to carry it out. The strength is always within us. We just have to call upon it."

"What would I have to do?" asked Ben, feeling very shaky and not sure if he wanted to know the answer but feeling like he must ask.

"If anything happens to me, you must retrieve the wand from my right shoe. I always keep it there. Then you will be able to access this room the way we did just now. Tapping three times on the gold flower when you locate it. When you get down here, you will need a password to open the chest."

Not another password, thought Ben.

"It's not as difficult as you think Ben. The password is Nodarac Allenurp."

"Can I write it down in case I forget it?"

"No, you cannot write it down, it's not safe to write it down."

"Listen again Ben, and as I am saying it, picture it in your mind. You already know this password."

"Nodarac Allenurp....Nodarac Allenurp."

Ben was sure he had never heard this password in his life before.

Ben closed his eyes as Orogon repeated the words. He tried to picture it as Orogon suggested, though he wasn't sure how that helped. The only password he knew so far was Caradon Prunella and he was sure that wasn't going to work on the jar.

Then, suddenly, in his mind's eye, the letters rearranged themselves. Ben realised what the password was.

"That's Caradon Prunella backwards," exclaimed Ben, delighted with himself.

"Very good lad, you are indeed sharp."

Ben was used to seeing words backwards, so for once he was glad it came in handy.

"Now, go over to the chest and put your hand on it and say the password. You must have your hand on the chest or the password is useless. I made the chest myself you know. I only used the finest gold I could get my hands on. My cousin Elganor very generously gave me a very large bag of coins he had been saving for a rainy day."

Ben did as he was instructed. The chest glowed a most beautiful gold color. It was like treasure chests he had seen in movies, but even more splendid. He could swear at times it seemed to turn to liquid and flow a little.

Orogon, was not only The Keeper of Wands, but also the best craftsman in the whole Elven Kingdom. Orogon's gift was passed down through seven generations of his family.

Ben gently placed his hand on the top of the chest and said

"Nodarac Allenurp"

The chest lid shot open. Inside, Ben could see something glowing beneath a large red cloth.

"Take off the cloth," said Orogon.

Ben removed the red cloth and there was the jar of magic glowing very brightly. It was too bright to look directly at for longer than a second or two at a time. It was quite a large jar and was shaped like a sphere. It had a silver lid on top.

"There it is Ben. It holds such power. Can you feel it without even touching it?"

Ben held up one hand above the jar. He could feel a powerful energy pulsing in his hand. Part of him wanted to hold it to feel its full power but another part of him was scared of it. He didn't like the idea of being responsible for such a power. He was afraid if he picked it up, that it might explode in his hands, or he might drop it and all the power would be released at once and be wasted.

"Only pick it up when you absolutely have to Ben. There is so much power in here it would make you very dizzy and sick if you held it for too long. If you ever need it, cover it with the red cloth. It is made of a special material to protect the jar. Others won't be able to feel its power when the cloth is over it. It makes it much easier to carry too."

Orogon reached down into the chest and took out a navy velvet bag that Ben had not spotted sitting on the bottom of the chest. He took out a round white crystal and held it up for Ben to see. It reminded Ben of the crystals from the crystal room he had been in earlier at the school.

"This is for you Ben. It holds the password to unlock the jar. I have placed the password into the crystal with colors. Only you will be able to access it. You must not try to access the password before you really need to. You don't want it floating around in your head. Someone, who can read minds might be able to get it from you."

"If the day comes and you need the jar, take out this crystal, breathe deeply and ask it to reveal the password to you. You need to look into the crystal and you will see the password written in colors. Colors that don't exist in your world but you have the gift of being able to see them, right?"

"Yes, I do," said Ben. Now feeling better that he had a use for that gift too.

"Keep it in this bag and when you come to the forest, always have it with you. It has a long unbreakable string on it so it's best to wear it around your neck inside your tee shirt."

"If I need to get to your house, Orogon, how will I find it? I wasn't paying much attention when we were walking here."

"If Oswald is not around, ask the tree nymphs and they will help you. They are the only ones apart from Oswald who know where I live."

Orogon placed the crystal back in the bag and handed it to Ben. He was nervous handling such a precious item. He dared not look at the crystal now, in case he saw the password in it and then it would be inside his head. So he just took the string and put the bag around his neck, placing it inside his tee shirt.

"If you ever need to open the jar, only do so for a moment at a time so all the power is not released at once. You may only need a little at a time. Best to spread it out. A small amount will go a long way. Remember that. When you use the password, you will be able to open the lid on the top. Once you close it again it will seal shut. So every time you need to open it, you will need to say the password."

Ben felt this was a lot take in but he thought he could handle it.

"So when I get here, tap on the gold flower when I find it. Nordarac Allenurp will open the chest for me and the password for the jar is in the crystal around my neck," confirmed Ben.

"Very good lad," said Orogon clapping, "I can rest a bit more easily now that I know you have this information. Let's get you back on the path to the veil. You've certainly had more than enough for one day."

Ben had a million questions in his head but wasn't sure he wanted to ask them. He was afraid it would make things even more difficult if he had any more information to take in.

When they reached the front door. Orogon said, "I may not...umm...see you again Ben. I don't tend to come out into the world much, unless I absolutely have to. You understand why. I keep myself to myself. It's safer that way. Don't want people to know my business or where I live unless it's absolutely necessary."

"You are the only one who knows how to access the light in that jar. Even Oswald doesn't know that. He wouldn't be able to read the password from the crystal anyway. He doesn't have your particular gift of sight, though he can see extremely well in the dark, like all owls."

Ben was amazed that there was something he could do and Oswald couldn't. Suddenly, however, he felt very alone. He was the only one who could access this magic. It was quite a scary thought. It was quite a responsibility.

Orogon placed a hand on Ben's shoulder. "Don't worry lad, if it comes to it, you will do fine. I am sure of it. Go now and good luck with all your training."

He opened the door and Ben could see Oswald waiting on a nearby tree branch and Fangus sitting beneath it. Oswald swooped over and landed at Ben's feet.

"All is well Oswald," said Orogon. "The lad has all the information he needs now. Get him safely home."

"I most certainly will," replied Oswald and he began to fly down the path just ahead of Ben.

"Good luck Ben, The Light Bearer. I am very glad to have met you." Orogon waved once and when he shut the door behind him, it disappeared, as if it had never existed.

#

# Home at Last

Ben followed Oswald down the path, with Fangus trotting beside him. He kept putting his hand on the bag around his neck, checking if it was still there. He was terrified he would lose it.

"Are you OK Ben?" asked Oswald, flying beside him.

"I'm not sure. It's all so much to take in."

"I understand. Yours is not an easy task but She would not call you unless you were up for it. You mustn't discuss anything you chatted with Orogon about to anyone else."

"I know," said Ben, suddenly feeling very tired. This was difficult. He wanted to share with Oswald and Azra and Samuel about the chest and the crystal, but now he would have to keep it all to himself.

When they reached the veil Samuel was waiting there.

"Are you alright Ben?" asked Samuel, this time, out loud. Ben had never heard his voice before.

"I'm OK Samuel."

"Take him home quickly Samuel," said Oswald, "there is much work to be done here and not a second to lose."

Samuel knelt down and Ben climbed on.

"You will have to make your own way home Fangus," said Oswald.

If Ben weren't so tired, he would have laughed out loud. He was just imagining Fangus trying to climb up on Samuel to get a ride home. It would have been a funny thing to see.

"I can easily make my own way home, thank you," said Fangus, sniffing the air.

"Fangus, make sure you don't tell any other creature in Kafton what happened here today. We can't be too careful," said Oswald.

"I won't," he said, holding his head up proudly. "What happens in Odwin stays in Odwin."

"We shall see you soon lad and well done, you have already done a great service for the forest. Go now and get some rest. You deserve it," said Oswald, calling up to Ben, who was now sitting on Samuel's back.

With that, Samuel rose up into the air and Ben began his journey home. He looked down and spotted Fangus trotting off, sniffing the air as he went.

As they soared up into the air, Ben was glad of the quiet time. Just flying over the trees with the wind in his hair was enough. Back over the fields he had flown over this morning, back over the local town and soon enough Ben saw his house and garden below. Everything looked familiar, the same as he left it that morning, which was quite comforting after all that had happened. It was good to see familiar things.

When they landed in the garden, Samuel said, "It is now the same time as when I picked you up this morning, so you can go back to bed and have a few hours of sleep before school."

Ben thought about what Oswald had shared of Samuels past and he felt he wanted to say something.

"I'm sorry about the other Guardinals and your horn Samuel."

"Thank you Ben. One day I hope to return to my land when my work is done here. Then, I will be able to get a new horn. There is still energy in my forehead. The spiral is holding it in place. However, it is a little more difficult to direct the energy without the horn. She called me here to Odwin after the battle with the other school in the Forest of the North. I am glad She did, and I am happy to serve Her."

Ben was glad to think that Samuel might be able to return to his world one day and receive a new horn. However, he also couldn't help feeling a little sad that he mightn't see him again if that happened. He longed to know more about where Samuel came from, but decided he would save those questions for another time.

Ben remembered what Oswald said about the veil and he decided he would ask Samuel about it. "Do you have any idea who might have let the witch out, Samuel?"

"No, I don't. It is worrying, however, word will spread fast and the Council of the Forest will meet to see what shall be done. I must go now Ben, as I too must attend the meeting."

"When will you come for me again?"

"Soon Light Bearer, soon," and with that he nodded at Ben, rose up in the air, his giant wings carrying him back to Odwin.

Ben stood, looking after him until he couldn't see him anymore. He wondered how long 'soon' meant. It was not a satisfactory word. His mum used it a lot too. When Ben asked her when they were going to the funfair, or to a birthday party, her reply was usually "soon." This could mean anything from a couple of minutes to a few hours.

Even though Ben was tired, he didn't want to go in just yet. So much had happened and he knew it would take him a little while to get to sleep. The sun was still coming up and the fog was still lying in the garden. Everything seemed so quiet and still, he just wanted to enjoy it after the busy morning he had.

After a while, as he turned to go in, feeling his eyes getting sleepy, he heard a bark. He turned back around to see Fangus coming over the garden wall.

"Fangus, how did you find me?"

"By your smell of course."

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to say that I live in a house on the edge of town in an area called Orchard View. So if you ever feel like popping by to say hello, please do."

"Thank you, I would like that very much."

Ben had always wanted a dog of his own but his mum refused. She had been bitten by one when she was Ben's age and has been scared of dogs ever since. Though Ben couldn't imagine anyone being scared of Fangus. He just seemed like such a gentle giant of a dog.

"You look tired boy. Time to get some sleep. I will rest here in your garden for a while, if that's OK? It has been a long night for me too."

"Of course you can," said Ben. "Just to say I have a cat called Shams who may come out of the house at some point, though I think he will return to his basket pretty quickly if he sees you here."

"Cats don't like me very much," said Fangus. In fact, I don't think they like any dogs for that matter. Cats are strange creatures really. They like to spend a lot of time alone and they don't like games such as 'fetch' or 'bury the bone.' They much prefer to laze around in the sun."

Fangus let out a big yawn and stretched himself out on the grass.

"Goodbye Ben, see you soon I hope."

"Yes, I hope so," said Ben, thinking there was that word 'soon' again.

He slowly opened the back door and crept as quietly as he could into the house. Shams was still sleeping and didn't even open an eye this time as he passed by. Ben was relieved when he reached his room. He was certainly ready for his bed. He looked out the window and saw Fangus lying in the garden, his head resting on his two long front legs.

Ben didn't bother getting undressed; he just lay down on top of the bed. It was lovely to think of Fangus lying in his garden. It was proof to Ben, in a way, that he was not imagining it all. It was real. There was a real dog who had been part of the adventure too. Someone he could, perhaps, chat to about it all. Well, nearly all of it. He remembered he couldn't tell anyone about the password for Orogon's jar full of magic.

Ben placed his hand on his chest to see if the velvet bag was still there. For a terrible moment he feared it may have fallen off when he was flying home. Luckily, it was still there but he had the problem now of where to keep it in the house. He would worry about that tomorrow.

Seconds after Ben's head touched the pillow he fell asleep. His dreams were all mixed up events from his time in Odwin:

Azra was being chased by bumblebees who were looking for some honey he had stolen from them.

He dreamed of Mr Rabbit sitting on the moon, waving to him.

He even dreamed of dew beer even though he had never seen or tasted it.

Orogon floated by on the gold chest.

Fangus was sitting on the witch and she was wildly kicking her arms and legs trying to get up.

Samuel had his horn back.

The jar of magic was floating up into the air and Ben was trying to catch it.

Oswald's large amber eyes kept appearing and disappearing.

Ben also worried about the veil and what would happen if they couldn't keep that witch out.

What if she came back again and had others with her this time?

What if the great darkness came to Odwin Forest and began to spread out to Kafton and other towns nearby?

All of this ran around in Ben's head as he slept. Then, somewhere in the background, he heard Her voice saying, "Rest now Light Bearer. You do not need to solve it all by yourself. Rest now dear one, all will be well."

Ben's brain was trying to make sense of everything as he slept, though this wasn't really possible. Events and creatures from another world will not make sense in this world. The brain does it's best to try and put it all together, a bit like a jigsaw puzzle.

For now, Ben would have to return to his normal life and would just have to wait until Samuel came for him again. He would come again, 'soon,' he said, whenever that would be.

#

# The Forest Council Gathers

As Ben lay sleeping and dreaming, the members of the Forest Council were on their way to the urgent meeting. Oswald, Azra and Samuel were making their way there after ensuring all the children had got home safely from school.

"This is indeed most concerning," said Azra, buzzing around and rubbing his hands.

"It is a serious situation," said Oswald. Orogon told me he has given the boy access to his secret password for the magic jar. He would not do this unless he felt we were all in danger. It's a big responsibility for the lad."

"He has strength in him to handle it though," said Samuel. "He may not look strong but I can see it in his eyes. It goes back through his family line."

"Speaking of which," said Azra, "did you speak to Orogon about...."

"Yes, said Oswald. I spoke with Orogon. I agree with him now. The boy has enough information for the moment. No need to burden him further with the past. The right time to tell him will present itself soon enough I reckon."

The three of them moved along in silence towards the gathering. They were all meeting in an area where the fairies lived. It was called a Fairy Ring. Many of Azra's relatives lived there.

Fairies are usually very protective of their space and will not let anyone stay for very long. They believe it brings bad luck. Even if a rabbit happened to pass through and stayed too long nibbling the grass, he would very likely feel a pinch or a pull of his tail.

Azra had gathered all the fairies together earlier and explained how serious the situation was, so they were happy to help. Though, they did move their rather large pot of gold coins to another secret hiding place, away from the Ring, just in case any went missing during the meeting.

They very kindly said to Azra that they would happily supply dew beer for everyone if they wished. Azra, at first, thought this was a splendid idea, but then he changed his mind. After all, this was not a party and everyone needed a clear head.

Fairies love nothing better than a party. Given any opportunity, musical instruments would appear and everyone would burst into song and dance. It was difficult for them to imagine a gathering without music and dance and, of course, dew beer.

Oswald was nervous, though he didn't show it. He was not used to being nervous. He was in charge of this meeting. Usually he had advice to give and a plan of action to put in place, whenever one was called for. This time, he had nothing to offer. He didn't know what he was going to say. All he could do was hope something would come to him when he got there.

A member of each family in the forest would be present at the meeting. Oswald wondered what his father and grandfather would do at a time like this. He knew they had faced difficult situations in the past too, so he was hoping he could offer hope and advice here today, as they once did.

When Oswald, Azra and Samuel arrived in the Fairy Ring, all the creatures were waiting. They all turned to look at Oswald. They all had fear in their eyes. Oswald could see it. Everyone was nervous except for Azra's triplets who were strapped onto Isobel.

When the triplets saw Oswald they began clapping their hands and kicking their legs in excitement saying, "Oswa...Oswa...Oswa..." Isobel was trying to shush them but, truth be told, their excitement was helping to lighten the mood a little.

Oswald stood and gazed around the group. He didn't know what to say. At this moment, he had no hope to offer. He had no quick solution to their problem. It was clear that everyone was in danger as long as the witch could get through the veil and, right now, no one knew how to keep her out.

As they all stood there, the wind picked up a little and began whistling through the trees. Oswald noticed some of the tree nymphs were sticking their heads out to see what was happening. They too were waiting for Oswald to speak.

The wind blew through Oswald's feathers. He waited, hoping a message would come on the wind. A message that would tell everyone everything was going to be OK.

But no such message arrived.

#

# THE END

#

#

#

#

Be sure to look for the next book in the series

The Odwin Chronicles  
A Dangerous Mission

Ben finds out what secrets have been kept from him.

Tilda makes a shocking discovery about who she is.

Who will go on a dangerous mission to the Forest of the North?

Can the witch be stopped from returning to Odwin.

Coming Soon!

**Don't forget your free short story.**

http://eepurl.com/cf7nMz

# Acknowledgements

Thanks to Mother Earth and to all the creatures, seen and unseen who share this world with us.

Thanks to Basma Amer at upwork.com for her great editing.

Thanks to selfpubbookcovers.com/daniela for the book cover.

# About the Author

C.M Ghilchrist lives in Scotland where she loves being in nature and dreaming up stories and characters.

She worked for a number of years as a primary school teacher.

She loves hearing from readers of all ages.

You can email her at author@cmghilchrist.com

