The Detention
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(Feel free to skip ahead to what you want to read)
The Detention Adventure
Well, there goes that idea. You frown at Ayaldwitha. “So, why are we here?”
The old man shrugs. “I wanted to give you a tour of Maguth. And to show you the last place I saw Driman.”
“The guy from my world?” When the elder nods, you send him a curious look. “What happened to him?”
With a sigh, Ayaldwitha sits on a nearby rock. You settle on the ground across from him.
He sighs. “It was long ago. Probably about ten, twenty years into the Dragon Wars, if memory serves. Driman had been living with us for so long, he hardly spoke your language anymore. I served my time in the Dragon Wars and was home for a season before returning to the front.”
You frown. “Why would you go back?”
The elder shrugs. “I had no choice. Each village in the kingdom sent warriors. We fought until we died or others relieved us. Then we rested at home until we were called to fight again.”
You don’t know what to say. You can’t imagine being in that position. Shifting uncomfortably, you stay silent as you wait for Ayaldwitha to continue his story.
He is in no rush. The two of you listen to the sounds of the forest for a while before he finally breaks the silence.
“Driman, of course, didn’t fight in the Dragon Wars. He spent his days working on his spell. The one that would take him home.”
“Did he ever figure it out?”
The elder nods. “Yes. We used our magic to help him remember the words. But he had trouble getting them to work. He said it was because magic in your world was dying.”
There is something about the old man’s tone. “You don’t think that’s true?”
He sighs. “When I first met Driman, I was thrilled to meet a human. But as the years went on, I started to question whether he really had magical abilities. On his last day, he came here to drink the nectar of the Furth Maguthes.”
“I thought you said that doesn’t work on humans.”
The old man nods. “It doesn’t. But Driman didn’t believe me. He was convinced it would strengthen the magic already in him.”
“Did it work?”
The elder shakes his head. “Of course not. Driman is not an elf.”
“So, how did he get home?”
Ayaldwitha shrugs. “No idea. One moment he was here. The next, he was gone. Despite his boasting, part of me always thought perhaps someone else’s magic brought him here. And when that person was ready to return him to your world, he disappeared from ours.”
“But who?”
The old man sighs. “No idea. Every so often, especially in his older age, he mentioned being an apprentice. I sometimes wondered whether his master sent him here. Or maybe he was touching something he shouldn’t have and ended up here?”
Your hand automatically goes to your pocket. The necklace is still there. You pull it out, showing it to the old man across from you.
“That’s what happened to me. I touched this and the next thing I knew, I was standing in your forest.”
“May I see that?” The elder holds out his hand.
Nodding, you pass it to him. He examines it carefully, a wistful smile on his face. “I remember this necklace. It never left Driman’s neck. He claimed it was the source of his power, his furth maguthes, if you will.”
You scrunch your face in disbelief. “So, if I wear that, I’ll have magic powers?”
“You can try.” The old man returns the necklace to you with a smirk that clearly indicates he doesn’t think it will work.
Not that you do either. And you’re not exactly in a rush to get home. But you’re curious. If somehow you end up back in the library, you can always just wish yourself back here, right?
Placing the necklace around your neck, you close your eyes and imagine the book you were holding when you first touched the necklace. You picture yourself holding the book in the library.
No, wait. You don’t want to go back to detention. You picture yourself holding the book in the school parking lot.
Squeezing your eyes as tightly as possible, you listen carefully to the sounds around you. You can still hear the noises of the Maguthian forest. But you hear people shouting. They sound a lot like your classmates.
You focus on those voices, but they do not grow stronger. Nor do the sounds of the forest grow weaker. It is almost as if it caught you between the two worlds.
Opening your eyes, you take in your surroundings. You’re still sitting on the forest floor near the Furth Maguthes. The Ayaldwitha is still across from you.
But he is no longer looking at you. You turn your head to see what has caught his attention.
And gasp in disbelief. What do you see?