The Sorcerer's Shadow Read online

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1: The Rider

  Chapter 2: Trouble in Trellis

  Chapter 3: Sir Desdan’s Team

  Chapter 4: Shaking Like a Leaf

  Chapter 5: Bully Beware

  Chapter 6: Not Fair!

  Chapter 7: Magical Mystery Tour

  Chapter 8: Trellis, Beware!

  Chapter 9: Dark Magic

  Chapter 10: Ghoul Duel

  About the Author and Illustrator

  The Rider

  * * *

  * * *

  Dudda-lump!

  Dudda-lump!

  Dudda-lump!

  Horse hooves drummed frantically across the forest floor. Prince Lucas, Clara, and Ruskin stopped to listen. Lucas had just rescued a nest of baby birds that had fallen from a tree. He gently rested the nest in the crook of a thick branch so the mother bird would find her babies safe and sound. Then he climbed down the tree and jumped to the ground. The pounding hooves drew closer.

  “Someone sure is in a huge hurry,” Lucas remarked as he looked down the trail. “I wonder if something’s wrong.”

  The rider roared into view and thundered right by them. Lucas and Clara had to shield their faces from the dirt kicked up by the rider.

  “It’s a knight!” Clara exclaimed.

  Lucas nodded. “He’s probably headed for the castle,” he said. “Let’s follow him!”

  Ruskin, Lucas’s dragon, took flight. The two best friends jumped on their horses and galloped after the rider, who had ridden far ahead. Lucas and Clara slowed to a canter when they got to the village. The villagers had spilled into the street to see who was in such a big rush. The butcher, the blacksmith, and the chandler had all left their shops and were standing in the midst of a crowd. They watched through the churned-up dust that the rider had left in his wake.

  Clara waved to her father as they sped past her family’s bakery, the Daily Bread.

  “What’s going on, Clara?” her father asked.

  “I don’t know,” she called over her shoulder. “But we’re going to find out!”

  The children weaved in and out of the crowd and rode on to the castle. When they reached the front gate, the rider had just tied his horse to the royal hitching post. He approached the castle guards and pulled off his helmet.

  A cascade of dark brown hair tumbled over the knight’s shoulders.

  Lucas cupped his hand over his mouth.

  The rider was a girl!

  Trouble in Trellis

  * * *

  * * *

  Clara jabbed Lucas in the side with her elbow. “Don’t look so surprised!” she said angrily. “Girls make excellent knights.”

  Lucas rubbed his side where he’d been hit. “Ow,” he said. “I’m sorry. It’s just that you don’t see lady knights every day in the kingdom of Wrenly.” Then he thought about it and added, “But that should change.”

  Clara unfolded her arms. “Yes, I am certain it will,” she agreed, and the smile returned to her face.

  Then they crept closer to hear what the knight had to say.

  “My name is Dame Laurel of Trellis,” she said. Dame Laurel’s armor was made completely of things found in the forest. She had on a breastplate of hawthorn leaves dipped in bronze and a helmet and shield made of hickory wood. “I have an urgent message for the king.”

  Lucas and Clara gave each other a look.

  “What could be so urgent?” Clara whispered.

  Lucas shrugged.

  They hitched their horses and followed the castle guards and Dame Laurel into the castle. The guards sent a message to the king. Soon they escorted Dame Laurel into the king’s special meeting chamber.

  Lucas and Clara hid behind a purple curtain just outside the grand room and eavesdropped.

  “State your case,” they heard King Caleb say.

  Dame Laurel bowed before the king.

  “There’s been unrest in Trellis, Your Majesty,” the knight announced. “It began when a farmer’s herd of cattle was frightened into a stampede. The cows haven’t returned.”

  The king stroked his bristly blond beard. “Runaway cows?” he questioned. “That hardly seems a matter for the king’s court.”

  Dame Laurel bowed her head respectfully.

  “There’s more, Your Highness,” she said. “The forest creatures are behaving strangely. The bears have left their dens. The beavers have stopped working. The frogs no longer croak, and the mother birds have abandoned their nests.”

  Lucas poked Clara. “I wonder if that’s what happened to the baby birds we rescued this afternoon?” he whispered.

  Clara’s eyes widened. “It must be!” she whispered back.

  They peeked through the curtain to learn more.

  “What do you think this is all about?” asked the king.

  A grave look came over Dame Laurel’s face. “Your Majesty, I believe it may be sorcery,” she said.

  The king shifted uncomfortably in his bejeweled chair. “Then I will appoint a team to help you investigate this matter immediately,” he declared. “The team must leave first thing in the morning. If what you say is true, we can’t afford to wait.”

  Dame Laurel thanked the king as the guards escorted her to a guest chamber.

  Lucas and Clara slipped out from behind the curtain, walked casually through the great hall, and then hurried outside.

  “We have to find a way to join the king’s team,” Lucas said.

  “I know,” Clara said. “Maybe we can entice your father with something from my family’s bakery. The king loves sweets, and I know just the thing. . . .”

  A sly smile spread over Lucas’s face. “Perfect.”

  Sir Desdan’s Team

  * * *

  * * *

  Tap!

  Tap!

  Tap!

  Clara knocked on the castle’s kitchen door at seven o’clock in the morning, the time King Caleb and Queen Tasha always had breakfast. A basket of cinnamon rolls with sweet vanilla glaze—the king’s favorite—hung from her wrist.

  “Perfect timing,” Lucas whispered as he let Clara in. He had been waiting in the kitchen for her arrival. “My mother and father just sat down.”

  Clara followed Lucas through the kitchen and into the dining room.

  “You’re going to put me out of a job,” grumbled Cook as they walked past.

  Clara tried not to laugh.

  Lucas pushed open the dining room door.

  “Clara has something special for you,” Lucas announced.

  Clara stepped forward and held out her basket of cinnamon rolls for King Caleb. The king smiled and lifted the napkin from the basket. Then he rubbed his hands together excitedly.

  “Oh, my favorite!” he cried, and he placed a warm cinnamon roll on his plate. He licked the glaze from his fingers. “Scrumptious! And now that you two have my attention, what is it you want?”

  Clara shot a glance at Lucas. Had the cinnamon rolls plan been that obvious? Lucas drew in a breath and got to the point.

  “We’d like to go on the mission to Trellis,” he said.

  The king held a bite of cinnamon roll on the end of his fork. “Oh, you would, would you?” he said.

  Lucas and Clara sat at the table, and Lucas stated his case.

  “Father, if I’m going to be king someday, I need to understand the mysteries of our kingdom,” he argued. “How else will I become a good ruler?”

  His father’s smile seemed to say, Such a grown-up boy! Then the king looked at his wife, who also smiled knowingly.

  “Okay,” the king said. “But if we let you go, you must be very alert. Sorcery can be extremely dangerous.” Then the king turned to Clara. “And you, fair maiden, may join Lucas if your fa
mily allows.”

  Clara nodded gratefully. Her parents had already given her permission to go. She had asked when they were baking the cinnamon rolls early in the morning.

  “Sir Desdan is in charge of the mission,” the king went on. “You two must do exactly as he says.”

  “Ugh,” Lucas said. Sir Desdan was his least favorite knight. He was plenty noble, but he was also a bit of a grump.

  “I will, Father,” Lucas promised as he gulped down his milk and grabbed a roll for the road.

  Then Lucas and Clara raced to the stables to saddle their horses and meet the rest of the team. Ruskin followed close behind. The other knights, including Dame Laurel, had already mounted their horses.

  “Prince Lucas and Clara Gills here. We are reporting for duty by order of the king!” Lucas said.

  Sir Desdan was a bearded knight with dark, wavy hair. He looked down his nose at the children and Ruskin. “Oh great!” he grumbled. “Since when is babysitting children one of my knightly duties?”

  Lucas put his hands on his hips. “We do not need a babysitter,” he said curtly. “We’re here to help by order of the crown.”

  Sir Desdan shifted in his saddle. “If you ride with us, then you must follow all my commands,” he said gruffly and yanked the reins.

  Lucas and Clara mounted their horses.

  “Yes, sir,” Lucas agreed through gritted teeth. He didn’t like to take orders from someone who showed him such little respect. The prince had more than proved his worthiness on many a mission.

  Clara pulled up alongside Lucas. “Simmer down,” she whispered.

  Lucas snapped the reins. “When the time is right, we’ll show him what children can do!”

  Shaking Like a Leaf

  * * *

  * * *

  Lucas and Clara galloped alongside the team of knights into the forest of Trellis.

  “Be on the lookout for anything unusual,” Dame Laurel called to the others.

  Not far into the woods Ruskin got spooked. That’s odd, Lucas thought. I wonder what scared him. The young dragon flew to the safety of his master and landed on the back of Lucas’s horse.

  “What’s wrong?” Lucas called over his shoulder.

  Ruskin whimpered and leaned in close against Lucas’s back. Does Ruskin sense something we can’t see? the prince wondered.

  Lucas scanned the forest again. Everything seemed normal to him except that he did not see any sign of villagers or homes. Where was Trellis, anyway?

  “Look at the trees!” Clara cried suddenly. “There’s something wrong about the way the leaves are blowing. They are moving in the opposite direction of the wind.”

  Sir Desdan looked at the trees and roared with laughter. “You’re right! The leaves are shaking in the breeze—shaking like scared little children!” he mocked. Then he laughed even harder.

  Lucas and Clara looked at each other and shook their heads in disgust.

  “But Clara is right!” Dame Laurel shouted over the beating hooves. “The wind is blowing into our faces, but the leaves are blowing as if the wind is coming from behind us.”

  Sir Desdan pulled on the reins and came to a stop. The other riders slowed to a stop too. Then the know-it-all knight placed his pointer finger in his mouth, pulled it out, and stuck it in the air. He frowned. Sure enough, the wind was blowing toward them, but the leaves were blowing in the opposite direction.

  Lucas trotted close to Sir Desdan. “When the leaves don’t obey the wind, it means something has gone terribly wrong.”

  Sir Desdan scowled at the prince. “Anyone knows that,” he said sharply.

  Lucas flicked the reins and picked up the trail behind Dame Laurel. He didn’t want to be anywhere near that uppity knight.

  Soon Dame Laurel stopped in front of an enormous oak tree. Etched into the side of the trunk was a great arched double door. She reached into her saddle and pulled out a white horn. Raising it to her lips, she blew into it, and a mighty bellow echoed through the forest. A moment later the doors slowly creaked open.

  Dame Laurel waved the knights inside. They entered the tree on horseback. Then the doors closed behind them, and all at once it was pitch-dark.

  “I apologize,” Dame Laurel said. “The torch is out. Just sit tight.”

  The ground began to rumble and shake beneath them.

  Clip-clop! Clip-clop! The horses struggled to keep their balance. The team of knights was lifted through the hollow of the tree.

  “The floor is moving!” Lucas whispered.

  And, slowly, up they went.

  Bully Beware

  * * *

  * * *

  When the doors opened again, everyone stared in wonder. Before the knights stood Trellis, an entire city built in the midst of the treetops!

  A castle made of hand-carved wood, with many towers, stood in the center of Trellis. The top of each tower had the dental work of a jack-’o-lantern smile with every other tooth missing. Spires shingled in bark pointed to the sky. Everything had been built with things found in the forest.

  Tree houses lined the village streets. Some had a branch growing right through the middle of the home. All the houses had flower boxes that spilled over with colorful blooms. Everything in the city was connected by bridges and wooden walkways. Street vendors sold nuts, berries, and vegetables along the sides.

  Lucas whistled in wonder. “Trellis is magical,” he commented. “Like the world’s biggest tree fort.”

  Sir Desdan rolled his eyes to let Lucas know his comment was childish and unknightly.

  But Dame Laurel winked at the children. “Trellis is enchanting.”

  She led the team to the castle, where they each had a room. The knights settled in to rest for tomorrow’s mission. But Lucas, Clara, and Ruskin set out to explore the village.

  As they walked along the bridges and walkways, they heard a ruckus up ahead. Two kids had tripped another boy, who tumbled into a fruit cart, knocking it over. Strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries speckled the road.

  The fruit vendor scolded the boy on the ground for ruining his fruit. This made the bullies howl with laughter, and they ran off, slapping each other’s hands.

  The prince ran to the boy’s side and offered to help him. The boy grabbed hold of Lucas and stood up.

  “Are you okay?” Lucas asked.

  “Yes,” the boy said. “My friends like to joke around. Sometimes the joke goes too far.”

  “That’s not how friends act where we are from,” said Clara. “I’m Clara. This is Lucas, and this is Ruskin.”

  The boy gave a nervous smile. “A dragon? Wow. Oh, I am Petros.”

  Petros had large brown eyes and shaggy black hair that fell over his large ears, hiding them from the world.

  Lucas and Clara helped him pick up the mess.

  “Thank you,” Petros said. “May I return the favor? You must be new to Trellis. I could show you the city.”

  Lucas handed a gold coin to the vendor to pay for the spoiled fruit. “Thanks, but we have to return to the castle for dinner. We’re here on official business for my father, the king of Wrenly.”

  Petros bowed when he heard Lucas was a prince. Then his face darkened slightly. “What brings you to Trellis, then?”

  Lucas shook his head slowly. “I’m afraid that information is top secret,” he said. “Thank you for the offer, though. Another time.”

  Then Lucas bowed, and Petros left them with a wave. Ruskin, though, gave a small whimper as the boy disappeared.

  Not Fair!

  * * *

  * * *

  Lucas gazed out of his window and shivered. A thick blanket of fog had settled over Trellis. Wow, Lucas thought. You can’t see anything! He changed into his clothes, slipped on his boots, and hurried to meet the others in the dining room.

  At breakfast Clara and Lucas ate steaming bowls of oatmeal. They both drizzled honey and sprinkled blueberries on top. Then the team mapped out a plan for the day.

  “With the
heavy fog, the visibility is very low,” Sir Desdan noted.

  Dame Laurel set down her spoon. “Dense fog is very unusual in Trellis. I have reason to believe there’s something sinister behind it.”

  Sir Desdan brought his fist down on the table, and the knights all flinched.

  “Well, that settles it,” he said. “We can’t have these younglings along if we’re really dealing with sorcery.”

  Lucas pushed back his chair, and it scraped over the stone floor so hard, the sound echoed throughout the entire dining room. “You can’t leave us behind,” he cried. “My father wants us to be part of this mission. It’s by order of the king.”

  Sir Desdan shook his head firmly. “And the king also said you must follow my orders. This mission is dangerous, and I can’t let anything happen to the prince or the prince’s friend.”

  Both Lucas and Clara huffed in disgust.

  “We’ve been on missions far more dangerous than this,” Lucas argued.

  Sir Desdan stood up from the table. “The answer is no,” he boomed. “You’re to stay behind, and that’s an order.”

  Ruskin growled.

  “And call off that pesky dragon of yours,” he added. Then Sir Desdan snapped his fingers, and the knights followed him to the stables.