JL LAHEY - The Sorceresss Apprentice

THE

SORCERESSS

APPRENTICE

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and events are the products of the authors imagination / delirium.

Any resemblance to actual persons, living, dead, or undead is purely coincidental.

The Sorceresss Apprentice Copyright 2016 by JL Lahey

Cover Illustration Copyright 2016 by JL Lahey

Map Illustration Copyright 2016 by JL Lahey

Rune Illustrations Copyright 2016 by JL Lahey

Wanted Poster Illustration Copyright 2016 by JL Lahey

Interior Illustrations Copyright 2017 by JL Lahey

Acknowledgments

Cover Art by Phu Thieu

Map Designed by - JL Lahey

Map Drawn by - Hiru Walisadeera

Dwarven Runes Created by JL Lahey

Artificer Runes Created by JL Lahey

Elven Coin Medallion Illustration by Olga Volkova

BAALs Belt Illustration by Olga Volkova

Iron Sphere Illustration by Olga Volkova

BAALs Goggles Illustration by Olga Volkova

Crusher Illustration by Mar Ballesterous Rodriguez

Fiat Lux Illustrations by Jarek Madyda

Wanted Poster Illustration by Betsy T. Darshack

Special Thanks To

Write On the Edge - Writing Group

Yuma Arizona Library & Staff

Yuma Foothills Library & Staff

Imaginary Friends Design Studios

--

Third Edition 2018

I Dedicate This Book To:

Carolyn Lahey

My Mom

James Lahey

My Dad

Andrew Zollman

(Information Resource Scapegoat)

Frank Ferguson

(In My Opinion Consultant)

Robert Zollman

(Official Tattoo Checker)

Terry Oda

(Tech Department Head)

Jenn Oda

(Tech Department Heads Boss/Wife)

Jeff Bentley

(Responsible for pre-reading everything)

(That I write)

Karen Palmieri

(Undertaking the ardent task of editing)

Chapter One

I always feel really safe there!

The stories, the great stories usually start at the beginning.

T his one, we are going to start right here. On a hill, a small hill, a hill covered in fresh green grass. Patches of multicolored wildflowers dotting over it.

The distant yelling and laughing of children echoes across the field.

The laughing and yelling steadily grows louder and louder.

A small boy crests the top of the hill. He appears to be about seven years of age. He has dirty blond hair, hazel eyes and is of a pale complexion. His clothes are threadbare and baggy. He seems to be exhausted and he is not laughing.

As he makes it to the bottom of the hill, he trips and crashes into the dirt. He just manages to pull himself up as three other boys crest the top of the hill and stop.

The lead boy is notably larger than all the other boys. They are all carrying clods of dirt and upon seeing the boy stand up and attempt to run away, they laugh evilly as they hurl dirt clods at him.

The large boy yells as he runs down the hill, Ugly little Badger, I'm going to catch you and make you eat dirt again!

As the large boy and two other boys run to the bottom, three other boys crest the top of the hill. They are also carrying dirt clods. When they see where the other boys are heading, they run down the hill to join in on the chase.

The small boy is running as fast as his little legs will allow him, but he begins to slow from exhaustion as he nears the woods edge.

Gaining on the small boy, the large boy throws his last remaining dirt clod. It strikes the small boy in the center of his back. The strike is hard enough to almost knock the small boy off of his feet. The small boy does not slow but cries out in pain. He continues to run and does not even slow as he passes right into the Dark Wood.

As the other boys catch up to the large boy, they can see that he has stopped just outside the edge of the Dark Wood and he is yelling into it between panting breaths, Badger... You ugly thing... I told you to not come near any of us... We don't want to get any of your ugly on us... When next... You follow... We are going to do more to you than... Taking your clothes... Or making you eat dirt! I'm going to come up with something truly horrid... So, don't you be following us no more! You hear? I hope slavers get you!

The small boy who is well into the woods does not reply. He is slumped against the backside of a tree, hiding, holding his side and trying to breathe as he feels a burning in his lungs like he has never felt before.

All the other boys yell taunts as they throw their remaining dirt clods into the woods, in the hopes of scoring a lucky hit. When they run out of things to throw into the woods, they lose interest and move on.

Once his hands cease shaking and he is able to breathe, the small boy stands up and steps deeper into the woods. He knows that he is not ever supposed to enter these woods. The elders say dark evil unmentionable things transpired in here long ago, but he also knows the other boys dare each other to come in here, but they are too terrified ever to try it.

As the boy moves through the woods, he hears odd bird calls, but he sees no birds.

He smells sickly sweet odors emanating from oddly shaped mounds of soil on the ground. As he passes them by, he notices the grass that they are covered in is overly bright and green.

He sees up ahead, a circular clearing of trees with a circle of odd looking porcelain colored mushrooms in its center He knows from every story of the Sidhe that he has ever read, this is an obvious trap and he moves on.

After he passes the clearing he comes to the far side of the wood, he sees in the distance the edge of a small town and walks towards it. As he makes it to the edge of town, he passes a sign that reads, GROWEIN.

He chuckles to himself: That is an appropriate name for a town surrounded by orchards and farmland.

The boy slowly moves down the side of the street, through town and up the wooden steps that lead to a long stone and wood building.

As he enters the building, he sees a man setting up rows of benches for rest day services. The boy walks over and sits on the end of the middle bench, in the center of the room.