It was a sunny day, almost too warm for the young man to bear. He stood on top of the highest hill he could find and smiled as a breeze of fresh air stroked across his face.

That morning he had been sitting on his porch in front of his modest home. He had stayed in the shadows, he had never cared much for hot temperatures. A wild dog who often hung around his home had been sitting next to him.

He had been playing with an old amulet he had gotten from his father years ago.

‘I found it a couple of years ago and since then I have been protected in the danger of battle and adventure … and believe me I have been in a lot.’ His father had said.

His father had given it to him in order that its protection would work on his son as it had done on himself.

He had left the amulet on the chair and went inside to get something. When he returned the dog had the amulet between his teeth and ran in to the forest.
     
After following the track of the dog, he finally caught glimpse of him turning left.      

OK, he went to the left. I got him cornered, there’s no way out for our little sneaky bastard. He thought.

He had been hunting the damn dog for a long time and finally he could catch him.

He jumped and ran after the dog, he saw his tail and …

Ouch! He fell on the hard ground. He could see a shadow from a creature standing a few feet away from him. He got up an expected to see the dog, but …



“What’s your name?” the boy asked again. Nothing but mumbling came from the man’s mouth. It had been quit a surprise expecting to see a dog and seeing a man in a raffled old cloak. He wondered what he was doing here, he was defiantly not from around the town and not many out-of-towners came to this small town.

The man came stumbling from the woods and collapsed, he had taken him home and healed hem as good as he could.

“B-b-bag, my bag. S-s-s safe?” the man collapsed again.

The man carried a bag strapped to his back. As he looked through it, the boy saw a couple of bottles.

“It’s here. I don’t think any of the bottles are broken. Do you need it? What is it?” Some of them gave of a glow: green, red, orange, yellow, purple, blue and white.

“Green, need … green one.” Was all the man could say.

The young boy looked at the bottle which gave a green glow and picked it up. He looked at it for a while and then decided to hand it over to the man.

The man took it and with his last power he drank it. As soon as he did that he seemed to regain strength, he looked much healthier and younger as he had done before.

Never had the boy seen a medicine work so fast, surprised he asked again: “What is it?”

“A potion … magical. Made by an alchemist.” The man answered with a sore voice.

The boy looked at him and noticed he didn’t look like a regular person, for a moment he thought it was an Elf, but it hadn’t any of the Elfish characteristics.

His hair was bright and … purple! He had a purple shine in his eyes and he was fairly tall. Most of all you could feel he had a great power.

“What is your name?” the man asked.

“J-j-Jacob. Jacob Lagune.” The boy answered.

“What’s yours?” Jake asked.

“Mine? Ilumis. Yes, Ilumis the wizard.” The young wizard answered.





Although the potion recovered Ilumis quickly it still took him another full day before he was as strong as he normally was. He didn’t say much after introducing himself, Jake wondered what a wizard, who was absolutely not from this small village, was doing here.

After he was fully recovered Ilumis went out to search the remains of his stuff, which still lay in the forest. Jake wondered what other items he might have been carrying, he had already been surprised about the potions in his bag and hoped he had carried much more magical items with him.



When Ilumis had returned it had seemed as if he was empty handed, but Jake noticed a ring whit a red stone on his right ring finger.

“Have you recovered your stuff Ilumis?” Jake asked.
“Not much, however I have found a ring of mine and an amulet which I think belongs to you.”

Jake was glad to see the old amulet he had gotten from his father. Ilumis took a close look at the amulet, not unlike the way Jake had looked at the potions, which seemed to work better then every medicine there was.

“You said your father had given you this, right?” Ilumis asked after a while.

“Yeah, I keep it as a memory and for good luck.” Jake answered.

“Hmm. What did your father do, what work did he do?”

“He … he was a blacksmith.” Jake asked wondering why he asked all these questions.

“Do you know how he got this?”

“No!” he said trying to change the subject, he wanted to talk about the ring rather then about some old amulet.

“What does the ring do? Is it magical?” Jake asked eagerly.

“I’ll tell you if you tell me more about the amulet.” Ilumis answered smiling.

Jake didn’t want to talk about the amulet, he liked to keep it to himself. He wore it almost all the time and it made him feel safer and as if he had some hidden weapon in case he was in danger, for some reason, he wanted to keep it out of sight and in someway surprise his opponents.

Although he didn’t want to talk about the amulet he did want to know what the ring was used for, because he refused to think it was just an ordinary ring, would anything about a wizard be ‘ordinary? He didn’t think so.

“Well my father gave it to me and said it would protect me from the danger of battle and adventure as it had protected him.” Jake finally said.

“So is it a magical protection?” Ilumis asked.

“Well no, it’s just like … like something you carry for good luck. It isn’t really like magic it’s just … you know.”

“Well it might not be like casting a fireball or frost shock or even an actual protection spell, but some objects carry a subtle magic with it, you see magic isn’t just a wizards thing, it is present everywhere and in ways you would not expect. The amulet could have been a magic object, but even if it wasn’t it could have received a protection upon it when you father passed it down to you and laid his will to protect you in it. Perhaps his father had given it to him in that matter. Perhaps it was really created by a wizard, but it sure has magic in it none the less.” Ilumis answered, leaving Jake to wonder about the true nature of the amulet.

“Do you know where your father got the amulet from?” Ilumis asked.

“Err… no, he never tolled me, but he had it from before I was born.” Jake answered.

“Now tell me, what is the ring’s secret?” Jake wanted to know.

“No secret, it is for protection and luck, like you said the amulet was for you.” Ilumis simply said.

“Where does it come from? It must have some magical power? What does it do?” Jake said not accepting it didn’t have some great power.

  “I received it from my mentor, like his other pupils did. No other magical power as the one your amulet has. It is mainly used to identify ourselves and others as members of the ‘Order of Taranat’s Flame’.” Ilumis explained.

“The ‘Order of Taranat’s Flame’? What is that?” Jake asked surprised.

“It is an order of all Magic-Wielders who had Taranat The Wizard as his mentor and other wizards who where from the same generation as Taranat and exchanged knowledge with him.” Ilumis explained.

“What is ‘Taranat’s Flame’?” Jake asked.

“It is a unique Fire Spell mastered by only a few Wizards and Sorceresses. It’s different from other Fire Spells in that it has not only an attacking but also a healing effect.”

“What do you mean?”

“When cast against an opponent of the Magic-Wielder it will inflict damage much like any other Fire Spell. However should it be cast upon an ally, or hit one accidentally, it fills him with warmth inside that comforts and also heals. It is unique in having the possibility to be used as what one could call ‘black’ Magic as well as ‘white’ Magic.” Ilumis explained.

“So that’s pretty awesome, right?” Jake said stunned, half because it seemed as a great spell and half because he didn’t have a clue how magic worked apart from what he had heard in legends.

“Yes, you could say that.” Ilumis answered smiling. “Well we should get going.”

“We?”

“Yes, you will have to escort me to the nearest village if you would be so kind.”

“Ooh. Yes, off course.” Jake answered.

Later that afternoon they headed for the village, which laid at the feet of the hill Jake’s house was on.



They reached the small village about five minutes later. The village was not at all big, there where hardly any houses. There was a blacksmith, a bakery, a mill, a shop, an inn and a few houses.

“So this is Barbero?” Ilumis asked.

“Yeah, it isn’t really big, but you should find the stuff you need to get back on your journey to … Err...” Now they had finally reached the question that had gone trough Jake’s mind since their first meeting.

Where was he going? Why would he come past these parts? It was not a much visited village. Especially since the bridge across the river had fallen in decay.

Anyone who would cross the land of Agnar would avoid Barbero and its closest neighbor village, Hadona. That was because it was surrounded by a river in the north and mountains in the east and it was too much of a journey for no more then two small, unimportant villages.  

“To the North.” Was Ilumis’ answer, not enlightening Jake much about where he was going.

“The north? Well where exactly?” Jake tried.

“To the North.” He said again.

In the village Ilumis bought a few daggers and some herbs which seemed pointless to Jake, but he was sure had some use. Jake himself bought a new sickle, some seeds and a sword, because he had a weird feeling he might need to use them soon.

“A sword? Indeed, you should always be prepared.” Ilumis said when he saw the sword.

“Yeah, well… you’ll need to get to a bigger village, right? And you will either have to cross the woods and the river or the mountains.

Both of these paths are very dangerous. Not that I think you aren’t capable of handling danger, but … I’m … familiar with the area.” Jake said, but the real reason he wanted to accompany the Wizard across the river was, because he was intrigued by the Wizard. He also felt strongly attracted to the possibility of adventure ahead.

“Well, yes I suppose you are right, I will need a guide. So you know the area? Even the parts deep in the forest and at the river?” Ilumis asked.

“Yes, I’ve been a forest guide for strangers a couple of times, when the bridge was still whole.”

“The bridge is broken?” Ilumis asked who started to thing a guide might be more then welcome to get across the river.

“Yeah it happened a couple of years ago. Didn’t you pass the river when you got here? Or did you cross the mountains.” Jake asked now more then ever wondering what this strange Wizard was doing in such a small lonesome village.

“Err… no I just sort of ended up here. So what do you do now, you know since the bridge collapsed.” Ilumis answered, trying to change the subject.

What exactly is he doing here? How did he end up here, he certainly doesn’t have any business here, he doesn’t even know the town, like many others.
But then again should I blame him, I too have things I would rather not tell and he hardly knows me.
“I work at the stables now, but I also help the shopkeeper now and then. I just try to get around for the time being. I … I have the feeling I should not strap myself down to one job yet, I-I have the feeling there’s going to happen something in which I will play a great part or something I must do that’s … well different from other peoples life.” Jake answered to his own surprise.

He wondered why he tolled him all this.

“Well perhaps you are indeed destined for great things or at least for some things that fit you. But first we will have to get across this ‘dangerous’ woods and rivers of yours, although I’m afraid there the least of my concerns and soon will be the least of your concerns as well.” Ilumis said sunken deep into his own thoughts.

This boy seems like he will have to play a part in this war. Perhaps the Dragons did not simply ignore my call for help. They may have thrown me to some village as far away from the place I must be, but they might have send me here to meet this boy.
He reminds me of myself when I first met Taranat, perhaps … no the time is not yet right.
“Jacob what way should we go?” Ilumis asked shaking his thoughts out of his mind.

“Well we should head straight north once we leave the village, it is the best preserved route, which means it’s just possible to walk through. As long as we’re trough the forest before nightfall we should be fine” Jake answered.



They exited the village and walked across the plains as the first sign of the forest came in sight a frightened Goar flew from the woods as fast as he could.