The Foundling (The Hidden Realm) by A. Giannetti

Author:A. Giannetti [Giannetti, A.]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2011-01-20T05:00:00+00:00

THE MUTARE

Despite his high hopes for performing more magic with his ring, Elerian soon discovered, to his great disappointment, that he was unable to use it again after the encounter with the leopard. All his attempts to perform magic without it also failed. He voiced his frustration to Tullius, but the old mage was able to offer him little in the way of comfort.

“You must be patient,” he advised. “Your powers will continue to develop at their own pace no matter how much you wish to hurry them along. In the meantime, I would avoid trying to perform any more magic if I were you. The practice of magic can be highly dangerous for those who are not trained in it.”

Reluctantly, since he had no other choice, Elerian took Tullius’s advice and turned his attention to other things. A year passed quietly, and then, unexpectedly, Tullius stopped by early one morning as Elerian and Balbus were feeding the animals in the barn. A visit from the mage was a rare occurrence, and Elerian watched with great interest as Tullius drew Balbus aside. He continued his chores, but his keen ears strained to hear the quiet conversation between the two men.

“Something is wrong,” said Tullius softly, unaware that Elerian could hear his every word in spite of the distance between them. “Several woodcutters have disappeared without a trace in the last few weeks. I came to warn you to stay out of the forest and to be on your guard.”

Balbus felt a stab of concern at the unpleasant news. Men disappeared in the forest every year, but usually, not so many in such a short period of time. The last time this many men had vanished, they were taken by Goblins in their mantraps.

“Do you think they have returned?” Balbus asked Tullius uneasily, they, of course, referring to the Goblins. “It has been almost eight years now since we saw the last of them. I had begun to hope the boy was finally out of danger.”

“I am not sure who or what is responsible for the disappearances,” replied Tullius. “I simply want you to be on your guard until we find out whether there are Goblins in the forest again.”

At the mention of Goblins, Elerian nearly dropped the bag of feed he was spreading for the chickens. At last, it seemed that he might learn something about the mysterious enemies Balbus was always warning him about. Straining his ears as he spread the feed, he continued to listen as Tullius spoke.

“If you are willing, I thought we might search the forest today. I would especially like to visit the cave in the hills which the Goblins used as a hiding place last time.”

“Do you think that’s wise?” asked Balbus as he recalled in vivid detail their disastrous attempt to rescue Julian’s children from the Goblins.

“It is daytime and we will not approach the ravine directly,” said Tullius reassuringly. “We should be safe enough if we are careful and quiet. We are only going out to see what we can see.

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