The Witch's Apprentice: Chapter 20
The Apprentice
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In Chapter 19, Sarah and her companions finally met the mysterious wizard, Walmund Gallacher. He revealed that he had spoken with the old witch before her disappearance and had warned her against venturing into the Gardens of Ynn.
To follow the witch into the Gardens, our heroes still need the wizard's help to repair the broken amulet of mind protection. This is where we continue the story…
Chapter 20: The Apprentice
“This is an Amulet of Clarity,” Sarah said, pulling the amulet Karmora had given her from a pouch. Her fingers brushed against the fractured crystal as she lifted it, the jagged edges catching the light. She held it out toward the old wizard, keeping her voice firm. “I was told it could protect our minds inside the Gardens—but as you can see, it’s broken.”
The wizard’s sharp eyes locked onto the amulet, and before Sarah could react, he plucked it from her hand with surprising speed. He turned it over in his fingers, examining the fractured crystal with a mix of curiosity and disdain.
“Hmm,” he muttered, his voice softer now, more thoughtful. “This might just do it, you know. But it’s in pieces. I’d need time to study it, to figure out how to repair it.”
Sarah watched him as he paced toward his desk, the amulet gleaming in the sunlight from the large window. He tapped the edge of the crystal against his palm, lost in thought, then turned back to face her and Henry.
“Perhaps,” he said, his voice taking on a calculating tone, “we can help each other.”
Sarah nodded quickly. “Of course. I’d be happy to.”
Henry crossed his arms but gave a small nod. “If it’ll get us inside the Gardens, we’re in.”
The wizard slumped into a large, high-backed chair behind the desk, the legs groaning as he sat down. The desk itself was cluttered with an array of artifacts—half-finished potions, stacks of yellowing parchment, and a brass contraption that clicked faintly, seemingly of its own accord.
“Radley,” the wizard said, waving a hand vaguely, “my apprentice. He’s... become untethered. It’s terribly inconvenient, especially with the Hunt drawing near.”
Sarah frowned. “Untethered?” she asked. She wasn’t sure what that meant, but the way he said it sounded more like a nuisance than a concern.
The old man leaned back, rubbing his temples. “Yes, yes. The barriers between worlds are thinning for him,” he said, his tone sharp but weary. “He sees both realities—the world we stand in and… somewhere else. He can’t tell them apart anymore. One moment he’s here, the next he’s phasing out of existence, flickering like a guttering candle.”
Sarah’s stomach tightened at the thought, the image vivid and unsettling. “That sounds dangerous.”
“Dangerous?” The wizard let out a dry laugh, devoid of humor. “Yes. And terribly inconvenient. I’ve tried to remedy it, but my efforts have been futile. Something strange is happening to the magic in this world—it’s shifting, unpredictable. But perhaps the cruder magic of a witch might succeed where mine has not.”
He held the broken amulet out to Sarah, his fingers pinching the edge of the fractured crystal. “Find a cure for Radley, and I’ll help you with this. But now,” he added, gesturing toward the door with a dismissive wave, “you must leave. I’m terribly busy.”
Sarah hesitated, the weight of the amulet cold in her palm. She glanced at Henry, who gave her a small nod, then back at the wizard. “We’ll figure it out,” she said firmly, though her stomach twisted at the thought.
The wizard didn’t look up, already immersed in the jumble of artifacts on his desk. Taking that as their cue, Sarah and Henry turned toward the door, Lix hovering close behind, his wings buzzing faintly.
Sarah looked up from the table as Henry entered, brushing dust from his cloak. The room was a mess of scattered papers, open books, and hastily scribbled notes. She rubbed her temples, exhaustion etched into her face. If only they had electricity in this damn world. Reading by candle light had always made her eyes hurt.
The faint aroma of baked bread drifted in from the inn’s kitchen, before Henry closed the door. “Any news?” he asked, pulling off his gloves and tossing them onto the nearest chair.
Sarah stared at him for a moment, trying to keep her annoyance at bay. “It’s all so complicated,” she muttered, not looking up. She gestured vaguely at the papers in front of her. “We need so many ingredients, and each one is stranger than the last. And to make it worse, we don’t have much time. If we can’t figure this out, poor Radley might be stuck between worlds forever.”
Henry sat across from her, the old chair creaking under his weight. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “Walk me through it,” he said, his voice steady. “Maybe we can come up with a plan together.”
Sarah sighed and pushed a tangle of papers aside. She picked up the witch’s journal, flipping to a page marked with a torn scrap of cloth. “Radley’s untethered state is tied to Spirit, Magic, Senses, and somehow… memories. It’s all interconnected, and way beyond anything I’ve dealt with before. We need ingredients for each element, but we don’t have time to waste, so we need the fastest way to gather them.”
Henry nodded, his gaze steady as she continued.
“For Senses, we have two options: Thrice-Struck Stone or Shock Caps from the lightning fields.” She tapped the journal, the faint scratch of her fingernail on the page the only sound in the room. “Both are dangerous. The stones apparently attract lightning like a magnet, and the caps… well, they release electric spores if you mishandle them.”
“Sounds easy enough,” Henry said with a grin. “Then what?”
Sarah glared at him. Did he have to be so annoying. No—that wasn’t fair. It wasn’t his fault. But all this studying and magic way beyond anything she’d ever dealt with was too much. Gathering the ingredients, already seemed near impossible. And the wizard had mentioned that the magic was acting strange. What if they found the ingredients and the cure didn’t work. If they couldn’t help Radley, they’d never find the witch. And if they never found the witch, she might never find a way home.
“Alternatively,” she muttered, “we could use elven wine from the Wild Lodge. But I don’t even know where that is.”
Henry tilted his head thoughtfully. “Maybe Girk has some in stock?”
“That would save us a lot of trouble,” she admitted. “But even if he does, the ingredient for memory will be the hardest.” She flipped to another page in the journal and pointed at an illustration of a silvery drop falling from a tree. “We need Dryad’s Tear. It’s a rare sap from a tree that used to house a dryad. And according to this, the Wild Lodge is the best place to find it.”
Henry scratched his chin. “The Wild Lodge? Where’s that? It sounds familiar, but I’m not sure.”
“I know about the Wild Lodge!” Lix chirped. He fluttered down from the rafters and landed on the table, his little claws clicking against the wood. “It’s where the elves live. You can only get there two ways: if the elves capture you during their raids, or if you win the Wild Hunt.”
Sarah frowned, leaning closer. “”What do you mean, win The Wild Hunt?”
“It’s a fae court,” Lix said, puffing out his chest. “A clan of elves that comes to this world to hunt people and animals for sport. They don’t usually kill their prey, but trust me, you don’t want to be caught. If you want to fight them off, you’ll need relics. Powerful ones.”
“Is that how you win? By fighting them off?”
“I’m not sure exactly how it works,” Lix admitted, but I have heard that the hunt is some kind of competition.”
“And what about the relics?” Sarah asked, exhaling sharply.
Lix shrugged, his wings flicking. “I don’t know much about them. But my father said that for a human to defeat The Wild Hunt, they’d need powerful relics.”
“Well, we don’t have time to hunt for relics,” Sarah said, scratching her temple. “There’s a slim chance we might find Dryad’s Tear in Glimmerwood Grove, but it’s practically impossible.”
Henry leaned back, folding his arms. “So we either let ourselves get captured, or we give up?”
“There might be another way,” Sarah said, standing abruptly. Her chair scraped against the floor, the sound sharp in the small room. “Nemiri might be able to help us.”
“Nemiri?” Henry raised an eyebrow. “You mean the old woman who tends the orchard outside High Rannoc?”
Sarah nodded, pacing the room. “She’s an elf, isn’t she? Maybe she knows a way to the Wild Lodge.”
Henry frowned, rubbing the back of his neck. “I guess she is, but she doesn’t seem like the Wild Hunt type. More apples and pies than raids and curses.”
Sarah paused by the window, watching a group of children chase each other in the street below. “What other choice do we have?” she said softly. “Besides, she’s Yolonda’s friend, so she may know some way to help us. Let’s ask Girk if he has the elven wine, gather the ingredients from the Ranges, and then we’ll figure out how to get to the Wild Lodge. If nothing else, Nemiri might point us in the right direction.”
Henry stood, his chair creaking as he pushed it back. “Alright,” he said. “Let’s start with Girk.”
Sarah nodded, her resolve hardening. It wasn’t much of a plan, but it was something.
“I can’t believe that Girk actually had a bottle of Elven Wine,” Sarah said as they stepped out of the inn.
“Luck favors the bold—better not question it,” Henry said with a grin.
“I guess,” Sarah muttered, dodging a carriage as she crossed the street. “So, let’s assume we can somehow find Dryad’s Tear later. We still need to deal with the magic and spirit part of the ailment. As far as I can see, our best options are Colossal Chips and Starlight Pigment, which can both be found in the Rannoc Ranges.”
“The Rannoc Ranges are pretty nice this time of year,” Henry said, still smiling. “I’ve been there plenty of times.”
“Great. Then you can lead the way. Apparently, the Ranges are full of caves with paintings, and whoever made them used this Starlight Pigment—whatever that is. Maybe finding a cave painting doesn’t sound too dangerous, but the Colossal Chips are, apparently, some kind of dandruff from a giant. Hopefully a friendly one, because I don’t think we can wrestle a giant.”
“I bet I could take one if I had the right leverage,” Henry said, flexing his arms dramatically before chuckling. “But yeah, let’s not test that theory.”
Sarah rolled her eyes. “Do you think we have all the supplies we need?”
“We might need a bit of gear for climbing,” Henry admitted, glancing at Lix before eyeing Sarah’s broom. “But I guess most of our party can fly. Meet me at the northern gate in half an hour. I think I know where we might find the Starlight Pigment.”
Sarah nodded. She hadn’t really wanted to bring Henry on the mission, or maybe quest was a more appropriate word, in this world, but she had to admit that it was nice to have someone to talk to. Someone who could help make sense of it all. Lix was great, and seemed to have a lot of knowledge about the world, but sometimes talking to him was like talking to a five year old.
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