Enchantress From the Stars by Sylvia Engdahl

Author:Sylvia Engdahl [Engdahl, Sylvia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Childrens
Goodreads: 1450946
Publisher: Walker Childrens
Published: 1970-01-31T22:00:00+00:00

Late that night Georyn left his bed and walked out into the meadow alone, and he looked up at the stars as he had done often in the past; but now as he gazed at them he thought of the enchanted realm, for the Lady had told him that it lay somewhere out beyond them. And he tried to imagine a day when she would be up there, beyond that black curtain, forever beyond the reach of his thought; and it seemed too hard a thing that he should be required to hasten the day. But he had known from the beginning, after all, that the price of wisdom would be high; and now there was this other thing, the business of a challenge to some mysterious, far-reaching evil, for which she herself had chosen him. So in the morning he went to his brother and said: “I believe the time has come, Terwyn, for us to be on our way; the Dragon will not wait forever.”

“I have believed that for some time!” exclaimed Terwyn. “And I am very glad to see that you have finally come around to it. But I knew, of course, that you could not go around with your head in the clouds for much longer, unless you were in truth bewitched.”

But when the brothers told the Starwatcher of their intent to set out for the place of the Dragon, he said to them, “The time has indeed come, and the Dragon must be confronted. But there is a condition of which I have not yet told you, and that is that the man who attempts this thing must go alone. One of you must stay behind, so that should the other fail, there will remain a chance that the Dragon can be defeated; and you must decide between yourselves who is to go and who is to stay.”

At this, Georyn felt a surge of joy, for he knew that Terwyn would be quick to volunteer; but his face burned with shame at such a feeling and he said firmly, “I will go.”

“You will not!” cried Terwyn angrily. “For I am the elder, and it is my right; though I would do much for you, brother, I will not give you my chance at this. I would have been off days ago, had I but known that we could not travel together in any case.”

And Georyn, seeing that Terwyn was truly anxious to win the King’s reward, conceded to his brother’s wish; and his own happiness at this turn of events he hid even from himself.

So in the hour of the next dawn the brothers stood before the Enchantress, and she returned to Terwyn the sword that had been taken from him during his first meeting with the dark wizard; and they did not ask how she had obtained it. And she said to him: “You are going now upon a venture that is fraught with more difficulties than you know, but you must not be afraid! There is a way to victory, although that way is not so simple as you have hitherto believed.

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