(Six Parts. 9500 words)
One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six
One
Pep fought to keep his face expressionless as the chief appeared on the other side of the metallic bars. Pep knew that he hadn’t actually been imprisoned, that this entire affair was a charade intended to teach him a valuable lesson. The chief was in league with Master Jol and the other adults who refused to believe him.
“Pep,” the chief sighed, twisting the ends of his white mustache in feigned concern. “We’ve talked about this. Using magic as a weapon against others is prohibited.”
Pep’s mask flickered. A scowl briefly contorted his swollen lips.
“Eight people injured. Extensive damage to the Harris manor. You’re lucky that Master Jol offered to personally repair the damages and heal the wounded.” The chief leaned closer. “Are you ready to apologize to your classmate? Lord Harris and Damien are waiting outside.”
Pep could no longer remain silent. “This is Damien’s fault! He attacked me first!”
“Pep…”
“None of you understand!” Pep shouted. “Every day I spend at school only makes it worse. Everyone knows that I have no family, no place beyond the dormitory to call home! Even after all this time, no one believes that I belong here!”
To his credit, the chief attempted to show compassion. “I know it’s hard to adjust, boy. But the gods have bestowed upon you a precious gift. Magic is a rarity these days. It is a skill that must be properly nurtured. Otherwise, you’re placing yourself and everyone around you in danger.”
“All of you say the same thing,” Pep seethed. “I was doing just fine on my own!”
“Living in the woods is not a suitable life for a boy,” the chief replied sternly. “Now. Are you ready to apologize to Lord Harris and his son?”
Pep crossed his scrawny arms in defiance.
The chief sighed once again. “Then I have no choice but to leave you in this cell overnight. You best have your apology ready in the morning.”
*
Pep refused to sleep. His anger wouldn’t allow it. Looking back, he now understood his mistake. He had little experience with dark magic. Where he had intended to summon a storm of frogs to assail Damien, he had instead summoned only a single giant beast. Clearly, he had spoken the words of his spell in the wrong order, accidently assigning them another meaning.
An unfamiliar voice startled him. “I’m not quite sure what to think of you, boy. Choosing to spend a night in a cell when a few simple words would have set you free. I wish I had such an option.”
“None of this is my fault,” Pep hissed. Only then did he realize that he had seen no one else in the station’s other cells, that the voice did not seem to have a definitive source. “Who are you?”
“My name is Iris,” the voice replied.
Chills raced down Pep’s spine. Iris was an evil sorceress who had nearly destroyed the town. No one had seen her since her capture many years before. She was Master Jol’s primary example to explain the dangers of misusing magic. Could it really be the same woman?
“I sense that you have heard of me,” the voice said. “I’m sure Jol and the others make every effort to use my actions as a warning against the use of dark magic.”
Pep brought his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms tightly around them. “Go away. I don’t want to talk to someone like you.”
“Whyever not? I listened to the story you told the chief, and I believe you. We’re not so different, you and I.”
“What … what do you mean?”
“We don’t fit in here. No one understands us,” Iris replied. “We dare to question why certain magic is labeled good and other magic is labeled evil. Perhaps most important of all, we dare to question why we can’t use our gifts to defend ourselves.”
Pep considered the woman’s words for a long moment. “You truly believe me?”
“Of course. Lord Harris and I grew up together. He has always been a spoiled brat. I would not expect his son to be any different.”
“Is it true what they say about you?”
“That I summoned an army of the undead in an attempt to take control of the town?” Iris paused. “The issue is far more complicated than that. Lord Harris and his friends seek to control every aspect of life in the town. I was only trying to leave.”
“You wanted to leave? Where would you have gone?”
“When you get out here, ask Master Jol about the Northern Temple…”
*
The next day, Pep delivered the necessary apology. Master Jol had already healed Damien and his father, denying Pep the chance to see the results of his miscast spell in the light of day. Even the Harris manor had nearly been restored to its previous state. Pep watched through narrow eyes as a group of volunteers repainted the recently-repaired wing before trudging onward to the school.
“Pep?” Master Jol questioned as Pep entered the main hall. Light streamed through the room’s colorful glass windows, outlining the older man in an artificial rainbow cloak. “You’re early.” As it was a day off for the other students, the graying sorcerer was the only one present.
“I would like to speak you before I start cleaning,” Pep began cautiously, thinking over Iris’ words from the night before. The chief had informed him of his additional punishment only after he had sufficiently expressed his remorse to a smug Damien.
Master Jol stood and motioned to one of the benches that populated the cavernous chamber. Pep took a seat next to the old man and recoiled at the smell of his stained robes.
“The results of a morning filled with hard work,” Master Jol chuckled.
“In the cell, I had a lot of time to think,” Pep said, using his predetermined words. “I’ve been at this school for over three years now, and things haven’t gotten much better. Is there … somewhere else I can learn to control my gift?”
“Has it truly been three years?” Master Jol mused, scratching his shaven head.
That’s not the point! Pep maintained his composure. Another outburst of anger would be pointless. He needed Master Jol to answer his question. “Certainly, there has to be other schools like this one in the kingdom. Certainly, you are not the only teacher.”
“You have come far, Pep, but you still have far to go. I am the person most qualified to handle your education. This school is the envy of the settled world.”
“What about the Northern Temple?”
The old man paled … but only for an instant. “Your request is out of the question, Pep. A vital part of your education is to learn how to work with your fellow sorcerers. Once you can do that, I promise that you will find your place in this town.”
“And if my place isn’t here? If I am destined to journey elsewhere?”
Master Jol rose to his feet and summoned a broom to his hand. “Your place is here, Pep. I will entertain this discussion no further. The use of dark magic will not be tolerated!”
*
Pep sat outside the station beneath the light of the stars, exhausted. His muscles burned. Master Jol had deemed it necessary to clean the entirety of the school. The old man had personally inspected every corner for dust. Pep had barely managed to contain his anger.
The voice of Iris came at last. “So, you have returned. Tell me, what did your master have to say?”
“You were right,” Pep hissed. “He won’t allow me to leave. Not now. Not ever.”
“I told you they are hiding something.”
Pep nodded. The truth was now all too clear.
“Did you bring the necessary ingredients?”
“I have everything you asked for.”
“Perfect,” Iris replied. “I will guide you through the spell. We will be free of this town in no time…”
Two
Iris led Pep beyond the town gate in the dead of night.
The ghostly woman moved with purpose. Her body had withered away in captivity, perhaps mortally so. A soiled dress hung loose around her shockingly thin figure. Her long white hair remained still despite the wind as if refusing to believe it had been freed.
Pep did not dare to speak until long after they had left the town behind. Instead, he stared at his hands, the very hands which had cast the complex spell required to free the older woman. The ends of his fingers remained hot to the touch. His nails had turned black. Unlike when he had summoned the frog, the changes had yet to revert.
Is this the stain of dark magic? Pep wondered as Iris led through the silent forest. Master Jol had warned him about potential side effects. He frowned at the thought of his former teacher. All magic had repercussions on the caster. Some effects were merely more noticeable than others.
As the first rays of dawn leisurely stretched across the sky, the forest sprung to life around them. Rodents emerged from their burrows. Bees swarmed from their hives. Birds sung from their nests in the canopy high above.
“You are a quiet one, Pep,” Iris said presently.
“This is … where they found me,” he explained. “This used to be my home.”
Iris slowed and allowed Pep to come alongside her, then took his hand in her own. Pep shivered from her icy touch.
“How does a boy grow up in the wood?” she asked as they continued on.
Pep shrugged. He had never been certain of the beginning himself. His time within the forest had long since melded together into one long and indistinguishable day. “We were traveling on the road,” he began softly. “I don’t know where we were going, if we were near the town. Something … attacked our wagon. When I came to, my parents were gone.”
“Gone?”
“Dead. Their bodies were gone … but I saw the blood. Too much blood. The horses were gone as well.” Pep had detailed this part of his story countless times before. As always, Master Jol and the others hadn’t believed him. They had insisted he had been abandoned. That his parents had taken the horses and ridden off for one reason or another. The wagon had never been found.
“This wood is a dangerous place. Master Jol did not lie about that. There are walls around the town for good reason,” Iris said.
“You believe me then?”
“Of course I do.”
“Why do you think the monster never came back for me?”
Iris’ pale lips curled into a smile. Her dark eyes gleamed in the morning light. “The creatures that live in the forest have learned to avoid humans who can use magic.”
*
The Northern Temple was far closer to the town than Pep had expected.
As the sun neared its peak, Iris came to a halt upon one of the hills scattered throughout the forest and pointed ahead. Pep’s eyes widened as he studied the abandoned structure in the distance. Vines wrapped around its thin turrets, and white and yellow flowers claimed its domed roof. Hints of gold sparkled beneath the overgrown canvas, traces of the temple’s past life struggling to break free.
“What happened to it?” Pep asked as Iris summoned a small fire. The old woman extended a scrawny arm to one side, and a rabbit, accompanied by a puff of foul-smelling smoke, appeared in her wrinkled hand. With a harsh command, she suspended the dead animal above the fire.
“The town happened,” Iris explained in a somber tone. “The Northern Temple was once much like your school. Mages came from all over the region to study with the resident Masters, to learn and hone their divine craft. There was no distinction between dark and light magic. There was only magic and those who sought to learn it. It was a noble place.”
“Did you study there?”
Iris laughed dryly. “No. Although, when I was young, we were allowed to take supervised visits. The old Masters believed their students should learn the history of magic.”
“Do you know why the temple was abandoned?”
The old woman nodded. “In the days where the world was in balance, the temple thrived. When those who could use magic decided to take power for themselves, the temple was abandoned in favor of the manors and high walls of our former residence.”
Pep scratched his head in confusion. “If it is abandoned, then what is the point of going there?”
Iris smiled. “Something important was left behind. We will need to retrieve it in order to truly be free of the town.”
*
At sunset, Pep followed Iris into the overrun clearing before the Northern Temple. The old woman had not said much since their shared meal, only reiterating her desire to reach shelter before nightfall. She did not elaborate on what had been left behind in the temple. Pep figured he would find out what she sought soon enough.
The temple was even more impressive up close. Its intricate design revealed it as a monument to magic. Beneath the abundant vegetation, figures, both animal and human alike, had been painted in a variety of different colors and poses across the entirety of its surface. Ancient runes filled the space between them. Pep could sense the dormant magic within the temple calling to him.
Suddenly, Pep stopped and held his hands to the light. His heart began to race.
His fingers had gone completely numb.
“What’s wrong?” Iris asked.
Pep turned over his palms and displayed them to the woman. The darkness had spread from his nails to the tips of his fingers and begun to descend toward his hands. In fact, he could barely move his fingers at all. Iris approached and touched the inside of his left palm.
“Do you feel that?”
Pep nodded. “Barely. What’s happening to me?”
“Your body is having an adverse reaction to the spell you cast to free me. I did not realize that you had never handled so much magic before.” She pulled his hand closer to her sunken face then allowed it to fall. “I will put a stop to this inside the temple.”
“I can’t feel my hands. Am I going … going to die?”
Iris shook her head. “I won’t allow it, child. I owe you my life after all. Follow me.”
Inside, the Northern Temple was barren. Iris brought the central chamber to light with a simple spell and guided Pep toward the far end of the room where an old podium resided atop a raised platform. To Pep’s surprise, animals seemed to have completely avoided the obvious shelter. It seemed the creatures of the wood truly feared mages after all.
“Hurry, Pep,” Iris commanded, spinning a crooked finger to implore speed. “We must cast the counter spell as soon as possible. Fortunately, I have experience. There is no need to be afraid.”
Pep ascended a set of weathered stairs, collapsed into a cushioned chair summoned by the older woman, and stared at his hands in horror. The blackness had spread to his wrists. “Iris … what’s happening to me?”
Light sprung from the woman’s finger tips as she began an intricate cantrip.
A booming voice interrupted the proceedings. “Stop this at once, Iris! Let the boy go!” Master Jol appeared before the crumbling stage in a dazzling display of light.
Iris whirled about and deflected a missile of magic. “I was wondering when you’d arrive. As expected, you’re far too late to make a difference.”
“Let him go! I cannot allow you to make this exchange!”
Pep struggled to his feet. His insides burned. “Help me, Iris!”
Iris redirected another attack from Master Jol, sending it back in the direction from which it had come. The impact of the spell sent the old man flying toward the temple entrance.
“Iris!” Pep sobbed, holding up his black arms. “Please make it stop!”
Iris touched a glowing finger to his forehead. “As promised, you will be cured. Thank you again for freeing me, boy…”
*
Pep opened his eyes, unsure of where he was. The sky overhead was an alien shade of orange and filled with strange spiraling clouds. He sighed in relief when he discovered that he was able to move his fingers, that his arms had returned to their normal color.
“Iris?” Pep questioned uncertainly.
At the rumble of thunder, he sat up … and found himself face to face with a giant frog.
Three
The frog was nearly three times Pep’s size. Its skin was colored a dark orange and littered with black spots. The creature’s golden eyes narrowed as it studied him.
“You again,” the frog bellowed in obvious disgust.
Once again upon his feet, Pep found himself shocked into a temporary silence. His gaze fled from the imposing creature before him to conduct a study of his somewhat-less-imposing surroundings. The land was bleak and barren, covered by rocks and steaming pools of slime. It looked like no place he had ever seen before, even in books.
A thunderous croak from the frog reclaimed Pep’s attention.
“Me? Again?” Pep managed in a weak voice. He felt powerless against the creature and was certain that the frog could devour him whenever it pleased. He attempted to cast a spell that would put a safe distance between them. No magic answered his call.
The frog further narrowed its eyes. “It is your fault that I’m here, boy! Your spell dragged me from the forest into your town. There, I was subdued and banished to this forsaken place.”
“My spell…” Pep recoiled as revelation arrived. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to. I wanted to summon a storm of frogs to invade Damien’s house. I made a mistake and somehow only got one giant frog. I … guess that was you.”
“Frog?” the creature echoed, swelling in anger. “I am a toad!”
“Is there … is there a difference?”
The toad closed his eyes for a long moment. “I suppose it no longer matters. Farewell, boy.” With that the beast turned and prepared to leap away.
Pep struggled to find words. He couldn’t let the toad leave, it was the only creature around and his only source of information about this strange land. For the first time, Pep wondered if he had died. The thought sent his body into a fit of shivers. He didn’t want to be alone. He needed help.
Pep forced himself to speak. “My name is Pep. What is yours?”
“My name?” The toad grumbled. “A human wouldn’t be able to comprehend it.”
“Try me.”
The beast let out a series of low, rumbling noises. “That is my name,” he said afterward.
“You were right!” Pep laughed, suddenly unafraid. “I will call you Frog.”
Again, Frog narrowed his eyes. “I am not interested in further conversation, boy. I have no desire to converse with the careless human who put me in this unenviable prison.”
“But you can’t go! I have to figure out a way to get out of here. I have to figure out what happened to me.” Pep sighed. “I have to know if Iris lied to me, if she’s just like all the rest of them…”
“Iris?” Frog questioned. “What has that woman got to do with this?”
Pep quickly explained what had transpired after he had summoned the toad, ending with the chaotic showdown between Iris and Master Jol in the Northern Temple.
“Come with me, boy,” Frog commanded once the story reached its end. “Perhaps you can be of use after all.”
Pep hesitated. Could he trust the toad? Then again, what choice did he have?
Frog lowered his angled head to the ground. “Climb aboard.”
*
From atop the giant toad, Pep watched the bizarre world pass by. The tortured landscape was periodically broken by jagged hills and clusters of thorny trees. Frog steered clear of the bubbling pools of ooze and the bottomless fissures that emitted a harsh, yellow smoke.
It was impossible to tell how much time passed. The orange sky within the alien world was unchanging. No sun or moon cycled overhead. Eventually, Frog stopped beside a lake of nearly-blue water, and allowed Pep to slide from his oily back.
Pep froze upon his descent. Dozens of distant, shadowy creatures lurked around the shore of the lake. None seemed eager to approach.
“Ah, so you can discern the others then,” Frog said. “I was unsure how far your human eyes could see.”
Pep sat down by the water and looked longingly at the fiery sky. “Who are they, Frog?”
“Other animals who have been banished by the humans. All once lived in the forest surrounding your cursed town.”
Banished. The same word again. Pep scratched his chin. “Was I banished as well?”
Frog croaked. “I suspect not.”
“What makes you say that?”
“By their nature, humans are violent creatures. If they could banish their enemies to this place, I believe it would be full of them by now. Iris would certainly be among them.”
Pep hummed in thought. “So, if I wasn’t banished, then what?” Fragments of his memories from the Northern Temple surfaced, but he could not piece them together.
“I have a theory,” Frog grumbled. “It is not a pleasant one.”
“What is it?”
“Patience, boy. It has yet to be confirmed.”
Pep thought of what Iris had told him while they walked through the forest. “I was taught that the creatures of the forest are dangerous. That they fear magic. Is that why they have been banished here? Because they are a threat?”
“Alas. If only the motivations of humans were so pure.”
“I don’t understand. Why banish creatures if they are not dangerous?”
Frog was silent for a long moment. “You said that you went to the Northern Temple. Did you see what was painted upon its walls?”
“Yes! Humans and animals separated by runes.”
“Long ago, humans and animals were allies,” Frog explained. “In those days, the world was in balance. Magic was used constructively. Never for harm. In the time since, humans have corrupted magic.”
Pep regarded the toad with eyes wide. “You’re saying that … animals can use magic as well?”
“Aye, boy. All of us trapped here are magic users.”
“I don’t understand. I was never taught that…”
“Think on it,” Frog instructed. “I will return soon.”
Pep watched the great toad wade into the murky water of the lake and disappear beneath it.
*
Pep thought long on Frog’s words. He compared them against everything he had learned at school and what Iris had taught him in their brief time together. He thought of the animals and humans painted upon the walls of the Northern Temple. After realizing that both animals and humans had been depicted in stances used to summon magic, Pep concluded that the words of the toad were true.
That meant that both Master Jol and Iris had misled him. The words of the white-haired woman replayed within his troubled mind. In the days where the world was balanced, the temple thrived. When those who could use magic decided to take power for themselves, the temple was abandoned…
Pep placed his head into his hands and closed his eyes. He imagined a world without the town, one where animals and humans practiced magic together at the Northern Temple. Slowly, he watched the forest descend into chaos as the humans carved out a place for their town and banished the magic-wielding creatures that stood in their way.
Pep’s eyes bolted open in horror. Was that why his parents had been attacked? Had the creature only been acting in self-defense? Had Master Jol and the others hunted down the offender and banished them to this horrible place?
A high-pitched voice derailed his train of thought. “I don’t like the look of you.”
When Pep couldn’t initially find the source, he stood and began to turn in circles.
“Down here, you fool.”
Pep knelt to examine the tiny creature. Its ochre shell blended in with the odd-colored earth that made up the shoreline of the lake. “And who are you?”
“A snail. Obviously.”
“I am a human,” Pep replied. “My name is Pep.”
“Well, Pep. You’re standing atop the entrance to my burrow. If you leave now, no harm shall befall you.”
“We can’t use magic here. I’ve already tried.”
“There are other ways to inflict harm, human!” the snail decreed. “Why are you here anyway?”
“I’m waiting on Frog. He went beneath the water to test his theory.”
“Beneath the water…” the snail trailed off. “Why would he want to see Mu? He is a horrible person.”
“Who is Mu?”
“The one creature who truly deserves to be here.” The snail was quiet for a moment. “I’ve changed my mind. We shall wait here together for Frog’s return.”
They didn’t wait long. What seemed a short time later, Frog emerged from the lake. Water dripped from his orange skin as he approached where Pep and the snail sat on the shore.
“It is as I thought, boy,” Frog said. “You were not banished. You were exchanged with another resident of this place.”
“You mean Mu?” Pep asked. At the toad’s surprised look, he pointed to the snail. “Snail told me about him.”
“If Mu has partnered with Iris, only evil can result,” Frog said. “Climb aboard. We must visit Nagina immediately.”
“Who’s Nagina?”
“The first creature banished here.”
Pep looked down to the snail. “Would you like to join us?”
The snail audibly scoffed. “Are you insane? No one should ever go near that damned dragon!”
Four
“Will you teach me magic, Frog?” Pep asked.
The giant toad landed upon the discolored soil and grunted. They had been traveling for hours, yet the strange landscape beneath the orange sky remained unchanged. The only evidence of progress was the creatures along the shoreline of the seemingly endless lake. There were hundreds of them. Never did they pass the same one.
“Teach you magic?” Frog repeated slowly.
Pep nodded enthusiastically.
“Why me?”
“I don’t much like Master Jol or anyone else in town. I thought that once we are free from this place that I could learn magic from you.”
Frog croaked with laughter, causing a pair of nearby swans to take flight. “I’ll make you a deal, boy. If you can convince Nagina to let us leave here, I will teach you magic.”
“Deal!” Pep raised his arms in triumph, then slowly lowered them as he realized the extent of the agreement he had made. “Snail said that Nagina was a dragon. Is that true?”
“Aye.”
Images of dragons played across Pep’s mind. Great and fearsome creatures made of colorful scales and majestic wings who fought with razor teeth and claws. Of course, Pep had never seen a dragon in person. No living human had. Master Jol claimed that the last of the dragons had disappeared centuries before Pep was born.
“Do you know what happened?” Pep asked. “How she got here?”
“How do you think? The same way as the rest of us.”
“But … but how could a dragon be bested by humans? Dragons are the most powerful creatures to have ever existed!”
Frog bent his legs, preparing to jump. “She trusted the wrong person.”
*
Stop this at once, Iris! Let the boy go!
Pep awoke in a cold sweat, startled by scenes from the battle in the Northern Temple. Groaning, he made his way toward the edge of the endless lake. A family of rodents scattered upon his approach, streaking toward a nearby cluster of thorny trees.
I cannot allow you to make this exchange!
Pep stared at his reflection upon the water and sighed. Iris had never understood him. She had convinced him to break her out of prison with the intention of exchanging him for Mu. That had been her plan the entire time. The stories about the ghostly woman had been right – she had lied to him.
Pep had been the one who didn’t understand. Master Jol had tried to save him. The old man had risked his life to come to the Northern Temple. He may never have left.
Meaning I truly am alone, Pep realized grimly.
Pep splashed water upon his face then drew his knees to his chest. It felt like the night he had spent in the town’s jail all over again. Only the world with the orange sky had no night. And his cell had no bars. For the first time, he found himself missing his dreary room in the dormitory.
“Sorrow does not suit a young boy,” Frog said in greeting as he emerged from the lake. The massive toad hopped overtop the seated Pep, showering him in murky water.
“I made a mistake, Frog,” Pep lamented.
Frog laughed. “You’ve made countless mistakes, boy. We all do. Have you already forgotten that you were the one who got me banished here?”
“I said I was sorry.”
“I don’t desire your apologies, boy. Mistakes must be rectified with action. Now, get on your feet. Today is the day we reach Nagina.”
Pep begrudgingly obliged. He turned to face the great toad and scratched his chin. “How do you know what day it is? There is no night here. There is only–”
He saw Frog’s tongue an instant too late. It struck him in the chest and sent him flying backward into the water.
Pep found himself beneath the surface of the lake, frozen not in shock but in awe. Thousands of vibrant fish swam around him. They came in blue and red and green and every color imaginable. He had never seen a sight so beautiful in his entire life. When the toad’s tongue wrapped around his slender figure and pulled him back to shore, he began to laugh.
“I fail to see what is so funny,” Frog grumbled. “You must control your emotions before Nagina.”
Pep howled with laughter. He could barely contain himself. The horrific images of the Northern Temple, the truth of Iris’ deceit dissipated like the morning fog in the face of the sun. “You’re trying … you’re trying to teach me a lesson! You really do want to be my teacher!”
The toad sighed. “Just climb on already.”
*
Nagina lived in a tower. The structure rose from the center of the lake like a colorful waterspout, twisting round and round until it disappeared into the silver clouds above.
The closer the glorious tower came, the more anxious Pep grew. He wondered what would happen if he couldn’t convince the dragon to return him home … if he could even talk to the dragon at all. Then again, he hadn’t been able to talk to animals before being exchanged, and he had since befriended a giant toad and a tiny snail. The strange world had turned order upside down.
Pep broke a lengthy silence with a question. “Have you ever spoken to her, Frog?”
“Spoken? To Nagina?” The toad hummed as he swam in the direction of the glowing tower. “Once. When I first arrived.”
“Really?” Pep’s eyes grew wide. “What did she say?”
“In short, she told me to go away.”
“Oh…”
Frog sensed his unease and elaborated, “I asked Nagina what I had to do to get home to the forest. She responded that I deserved to be here, then dismissed me. Seconds later, I found myself where I had entered this strange land. You arrived soon thereafter, and now, here I am once again.”
They reached the tower a short time later. Its base was rooted on a small island of glittering stones. The lake lapped softly upon its shore. No other creatures were in sight.
Pep slid from the toad’s back and turned his gaze skyward. “How am I supposed to get to the top? There aren’t any stairs.”
“The tower is an illusion,” Frog explained. “Just walk toward it.”
“Are you sure?”
The toad narrowed his golden eyes. “I brought you all the way here didn’t I? Just trust me.”
“Trusting others hasn’t worked out well for me.”
“Do you want to learn magic from me or not, boy?”
“Yes!”
“Then do as I say.”
As Pep walked toward the tower, the world blurred…
*
Pep found himself among silver clouds. A platform of cool stone rested beneath his bare feet, and the bizarre world stretched endlessly before him. To his surprise, he noted that the land was more water than earth, that the lake he and Frog had traversed was only one of countless many.
A soothing voice snared his attention. “A boy? Here?”
Pep turned and somehow managed to retain his composure. Inches away, a being made of pure white light hung in the air. Rainbow-tipped wings spread from the creature’s thin and sinuous body, blocking out the orange sky. Golden eyes set atop spear-length teeth studied him closely.
“My name is Pep,” Pep said. “I need your help to get home.”
Nagina shuttered her brilliant eyes. “I do not help the undeserving, Pep. It is my duty to maintain balance. If you are here, it is for good reason.”
“But you don’t understand!”
“I understand all too well. Those who are here deserve to be here.”
Pep shook his head, fighting against the feeling that all was already lost. “Please, Nagina. You have it all wrong, none of the animals deserve to be here. The town has thrown everything out of balance!”
“You speak the words of others.”
Pep moved to his secondary strategy. “Mu has escaped! If you don’t do something–”
“A threat?” the dragon interjected. “More empty words. If you have nothing more to say, then I will send you on your way.”
“But…” Pep hung his head in defeat. Then, he remembered something. “Frog told me that you are here because you trusted the wrong person. That’s why I am here as well.”
The majestic creature hummed. “Tell me more.”
“I thought that I was alone in the world, that no one was looking out for me. When Iris told me that she understood what I was going through, I believed her. I thought she would take me from the town and we would explore the world together. I hoped that she would teach me magic. Instead, she exchanged me for Mu in the Northern Temple…”
The eyes of the dragon seemed to stare into his soul.
“Maybe I do deserve to be here for freeing her,” Pep continued. “But Frog doesn’t! He’s only here because I used dark magic in an attempt to harm someone. And neither do the other animals! They’ve been driven from the forest because they can use magic, because my people saw them as threats to the town. Now Iris and Mu are going to destroy the town and perhaps the forest as well if I don’t do something!”
“Is this the truth?” Nagina asked at last.
Pep nodded. “Please help us. You can put a stop to all of this!”
The dragon smiled. “I can do nothing for you, boy.”
“But…” Pep stared at the creature, crestfallen. “I see. You don’t believe me either…”
“You are mistaken, boy. I believe your every word is truth, as are mine,” Nagina replied. “I cannot send you back to your home. Only you can do that.”
Five
Pep stared at the glowing dragon for a long moment. The wheels of his young mind attempted to turn but did not find traction. “I don’t understand. I can’t use magic here.”
Nagina chuckled and flapped her rainbow wings. Pep watched in awe as the creature shrunk in size and alighted beside him on the stone platform. “This time, you speak what you believe is the truth. When was the last time you used magic, boy?”
“When I freed Iris,” Pep replied, perhaps too swiftly. His next words were far slower, “the spell turned my hands black afterward. I lost feeling in my arms. I was … afraid that I was going to die.”
“And yet here you are. Alive and well. What happened next?”
Pep ran a hand through his dark hair, thinking back upon the horrible day in the Northern Temple. “Iris said she would negate the effects with a spell. That’s when Master Jol arrived. They fought. Then I woke up here. My body was back to normal, so I guessed that Iris cured me.”
“Iris did purge the magical energy from your body. However, being sent to this realm disconnects one from magic entirety. That is why no banished creature can use magic here.”
“What … what do you mean?” Suddenly, Pep felt more alone than ever. “Please tell me that isn’t so, Nagina. I don’t know what I am without magic.”
“My words are always true,” the dragon replied in her smooth voice.
Pep hung his head. What am I going to do now?
“Fortunately, connections that have been severed can be remade. I have decided to restore your link to magic and allow you to lead the others from this place. I was wrong to keep them here. Once they return home, their link to magic will naturally repair. You have shown me a truth that I could not see for myself, boy. For so long, I have been trapped by my greatest mistake.”
“What happened to you, Nagina?”
The beautiful creature was silent for some time. “Long ago, I befriended a power human sorcerer. He convinced me to cross into this world then closed the gateway behind me. I retained my connection to magic because I came here voluntarily.”
“Why do you not return home?”
Pep retreated as Nagina’s golden eyes turned to red and smoke poured from her mouth. It was only for an instant, but in that instant Pep saw a deep-seeded hatred that reminded him of Iris. “I have no wish to further imbalance your world.” The dragon paused and regained her composure. “Extend your arms, and I will restore your connection to magic.”
Pep obeyed and watched in wonder as a fountain of blue fire sprung the dragon’s mouth. Where he had expected to feel agony, Pep discovered the opposite – bliss. Nagina guided her flame across the length of first his right arm, then his left. Where once his arms had been riddled with decay, they now glowed with white light.
Pep smiled after the strange flames died. “Frog taught me that the only way to redeem your mistakes is with action. Will you come with us? Will you help save the town from Iris and Mu?”
“I am not yet ready to return,” Nagina replied. “To find your way home, you must simply cast a Return spell. All in contact will accompany you. Now, be gone…”
… Pep found himself standing on the island of sparkling stones. It was larger than he remembered. To his surprise, it was filled with creatures.
Frog hopped toward the base of the radiant tower and landed before him. “You’ve returned,” the toad said. “Did Nagina agree to send us home?”
Pep grinned. “Not quite. Everyone who is sent here loses their connection with magic. She restored mine and told me how to get back. Once we are home, everyone’s magic will return.” He surveyed the myriad of creatures congregated behind the spotted toad. “What are they all doing here, Frog?”
“What do think? I summoned them here. The presence of a human in this world did not go unnoticed. They’ve all been waiting for you. You were up there for quite a while.”
“I don’t understand. What if I had failed?”
“I knew that you would succeed, boy,” Frog replied, voice filled with pride. “I believed in you.”
Pep’s smile broadened. “Let’s go home.”
*
Pep returned to the forest. He stared at the sun through the canopy of leaves and admired the white clouds dancing across the blue sky. Frog stood at his side as the other animals disbursed, returning the once-silent forest to its instinctual lively state.
“Do you see it, boy?” Frog asked presently.
Pep turned to the toad and nodded. Ahead, the sky was stained black. Smoke. “That’s in the direction of the town. How long do you think we were in the world with the orange sky?”
“Far too long.” Frog lowered his head. “Let us hurry. We have a lot of ground to cover.”
Pep hesitated. “I don’t understand. Why would you want to help the town? Why help the people who banished you … who banished all the other creatures?”
It was different voice that responded. “Because we need to prove that animals and humans can live in harmony. If Mu has aligned with a human, then so must we!”
“Snail!” Pep bent down and picked up the tiny creature by its shell. When he looked up, he discovered the clearing was once again filled with animals. Where he had thought the banished creatures had fled, they had instead returned with their kin.
A towering stag approached and bowed his head. “Once animals and humans lived in harmony. We believe that balance can be restored. Your actions have inspired us, human boy.”
“Do any of you have eyes on the town?” Frog asked.
From a tree, a colorful bird spoke. “The humans battle against Mu. They will soon be defeated.”
“More than just Mu!” another bird chimed in. “Many creatures have joined the side of the great snake and seek vengeance upon the humans!”
The stag spoke once again. “Mu must be stopped. The others are only misguided.”
“The boy and I will take care of Mu,” Frog replied. “The rest of you convince the others of the error in their ways. Now go! We will be right behind you!”
Pep waited to speak until the other animals had left the clearing. “What about Iris? I don’t stand a chance against her.”
“There is a stop we must make before going to the town.”
*
A cloud of dirt rose into the warm air as Frog landed before the Northern Temple. The ancient structure remained unchanged from when Pep had first seen it. Vines and flowers covered its walls and high towers, obscuring the human and animal figures painted beneath. A field of flowers occupied the golden dome that served as its roof.
Here, the forest was silent.
“I don’t like this place, Frog,” Pep whispered, skirmishing against dark memories.
The giant toad grunted. “In order to overcome your fears, you must face them.” He hopped toward the entrance. “Follow me.”
Cautiously, Pep entered the temple. The interior of the structure was in utter disarray. The ground was blackened, and a harsh burning smell filled the air. Frog moved toward the central chamber’s far end where the old stage had been broken beyond repair.
“Come closer,” Frog instructed. “Conquer your fear.”
Pep slowly walked forward to stand beside the giant toad.
“What do you see, boy?”
Scratching his head, Pep examined the ruined platform. He saw himself seated upon a chair, darkness creeping down his numb arms. Then, he remembered the sublime feel of the dragonfire and the words of the majestic creature atop the tower.
Pep saw the truth. Sinister magic hung like a veil over the stage.
“It’s an illusion,” he said.
Frog hummed. “Your former Master is trapped beneath the ground in a cocoon of magic. We need to free him and quickly. He will help us combat Iris.”
Pep approached the stage bearing a genuine smile. “I know just the spell to free him!”
Six
Master Jol sat outside the Northern Temple, drinking water collected from a nearby stream. The old man’s robes were in shambles. His unruly gray hair made it appear as if a furry animal had taken up residence upon his head.
Pep observed his former teacher in silence. Whenever Master Jol looked his way, he diverted his eyes to his hands, ensuring there were no repercussions from the cantrip he had used to set the old man free. Pep had modified the spell Iris had taught him, evoking what he had learned in school to replace elements of dark magic with those of light.
At last, Master Jol spoke. “I am sorry that I did not believe you, Pep. After you disappeared, Damien came forward and revealed that he had bullied you with magic.”
“I’m sorry as well,” Pep replied grimly. “Iris tricked me.”
To his surprise, the old man laughed. “She is a cunning woman. But you have shown some cunning of your own by turning her spell to our benefit. Not to mention that you have escaped the world of the banished. I did not know that was possible. When Iris successfully exchanged you and imprisoned me, I thought that all was lost.”
“This is far from over, elder human,” Frog interjected in his low voice. Master Jol didn’t seem surprised that the toad could speak. “Iris and Mu are attempting to take over the town, perhaps to destroy it. We need your help to stop them.”
“Mu? Is that truly who she exchanged Pep for?”
“We don’t have time for this!”
Master Jol stood and knocked dirt from his robes. “How do you plan to defeat Mu? I’m certain you remember how many of us it took the first time.”
The first time? Pep wondered. He didn’t have the chance to ask his question aloud.
Frog bellowed an indecipherable spell, then extended his long and pink tongue. Smoke briefly filled the air then vanished to reveal a glimmering sword in his mouth. “I will cut off the head of the snake. That is the only way to end this.”
“Still, it may not be enough,” Master Jol remarked. “If I may offer some assistance.”
Frog croaked in agreement.
The old man extended his hands in the direction of the toad and shouted a single archaic word. Pep watched in fascination as both toad and sword doubled in size.
“You’re nearly as big as the Northern Temple!” Pep exclaimed.
“Both of you climb aboard. We can only hope that we are not too late…”
*
Black smoke hung like fog over the town. Frog left little time for Pep to speak between jumps, let alone inquire about the peculiar words of Master Jol. It was now clear to Pep that the giant toad and the old man knew each other, that they had previously worked together in some capacity. Unfortunately, the seismic leaps of the magically-enhanced toad denied all opportunity for conversation.
The town gate lay upon the road in defeat. The walls to either side were damaged and bore the black kiss of flame. A score of armored soldiers and animals were scattered to either side of the threshold. It took Pep a moment to comprehend that they were dead.
Pep bared his teeth as images from the night of his parents’ death resurfaced. He saw the broken wagon upon the forest road. The trails of blood leading deeper into the wood. He remembered something holding him in place, then running away in the opposite direction. He remembered–
Frog’s voice forced him back to the present. “Where is she, elder human?”
“I sense dark magic at the center of the town.”
“It’s … the same spell,” Pep added softly. “The same spell used to imprison you.”
“Meaning Iris wants everyone to suffer as she did,” Master Jol replied. “I sense no resistance, meaning she has likely succeeded in doing just that.”
“Hold tight!” Frog commanded an instant before leaping into the air once again.
*
Frog landed just outside the town square. The stone structures enclosing the gathering place stood like defeated sentries. Broken glass and blood covered the cobbled ground. However, there were no corpses. A single creature occupied the open space ahead.
Mu was gigantic. A black snake as large as the magically-enhanced toad. The nightmarish creature expanded his midnight hood in challenge as his crimson eyes settled upon the new arrivals. Venom fell like rain from his fangs, each drop hissing upon contact with the stone.
Iris appeared as Pep remembered her, a slender woman with a worn face and white hair. Her figure had managed to regain some semblance of life since he had last seen her, and her rags had been replaced by a dark dress.
At a call from Mu, the woman leaped into the air and landed atop the snake’s angled head.
“I see that you have returned, Pep,” Iris smirked. “And that you have freed your Master.”
Master Jol responded. “Surrender now, Iris. I do not wish to kill you. This will go much the same as your first attempt to destroy the town.”
“You are mistaken, dearest Jol. The first time I underestimated those who lived here. I believed that summoning the dead would be enough. Obviously, I was wrong. The dead are worthless as they cannot use magic.” Iris raised her hand. “Mu, however, can!”
A missile of light launched from the mouth of the great snake.
Frog reacted swiftly, parting the spell with his sword. Fresh smoke filled the square.
“Still believe you can take him?” Jol asked the giant toad.
“I have no doubt, elder human,” Frog replied. “Divide and conquer.”
Pep sought clarity from the older man beside him, only to watch Jol disappear in a flash of light. He looked across the square in time to see Jol emerge atop Mu, grab Iris by the arm, and disappear once again.
“That’s right, old friend,” Frog croaked. “At last, we get to finish what we started.”
“Do not think that I will make the same mistake twice, toad,” Mu replied in a deafening whisper. “And you, boy. Don’t think that I have forgotten you. I suppose one must truly eliminate all traces of the past in order to move forward.”
Pep frowned. “What do you mean?”
“You are a true rarity. A meal I did not have the opportunity to finish!”
Shadows broke from the surrounding buildings and propelled Mu forward.
At last, Pep remembered. He had seen the red eyes of the snake once before, as magic snared his parent’s wagon. Terrified, he had watched the snake collect first his parents, then the horses. It had seemed that time itself had frozen. Somehow, Pep had managed to free himself from Mu’s spell and run into the forest in search of safety.
Frog leapt gracefully over the charging snake, his blade clipping Mu’s spotted hood. The toad landed with a grunt and deflected an incoming spell with another swing of his sword.
“You killed them!” Pep screamed at Mu, suddenly enraged. “Everything that has happened to me is your fault!”
“Easy, boy,” Frog cautioned as the two massive creatures stared at one another. The ground beneath them rumbled, and wind rushed through the square. In the distance, a pair of powerful spells collided. “Mu is not a foe who is easily beaten. We can vanquish him together, but you must not become emotional. Strike his eyes when I give the signal.”
Pep didn’t listen to Frog. As the creatures came together in a clash of fangs and steel, he leaped from the back of the toad and summoned fire to his hands. With a wild scream, he propelled himself toward the mouth of the great snake and unleashed his attack.
Mu moved faster than seemed possible, avoiding Pep’s spells and guiding his black tail like a whip through the air. In that instant, Pep saw his death, a blow that would send his body to break against the wall of one the nearby buildings. He realized that Frog had been right, that he should not have acted in anger.
That was how all of this started. I let my emotions get the best of me…
Then, Frog was there. The tail of the snake caught the great toad in the chest a heartbeat after he wrapped Pep’s body with his tongue and secured him within his mouth.
Pep cringed at the force of the ensuing blow. Seconds later, he fell from Frog’s mouth and scurried to his feet.
“Frog…” Pep stuttered. The toad had destroyed the entryway of the town hall. Rubble covered his spotted body. He did not move.
Pep turned and found Mu before him, fangs glistening with venom.
“You should have listened to him,” the snake cackled. “To think, the Lord of the Toads would sacrifice himself to save a pathetic boy!”
Pep stepped forward, calling forth fire once again. “I won’t let you hurt him!”
The great snake was unfazed as flames assaulted his figure. “Is that your only form of attack?” Mu turned his head to where the fighting continued between Iris and Master Jol. “It is clear that you are only an ordinary boy after all. How did you ever manage to free yourself from my hypnosis with such unrefined skill?”
In response, Pep renewed his assault.
This time, the flames passed through the body of the snake. Pep watched helplessly as the creature cast an incomprehensible spell, and the flames he had sent forth combined into a sphere of black fire.
Mu hissed in surprise as the ball of magic rose to eye level. “This magic … this is not something humans are supposed to be able to–”
An ear-splitting roar silenced the great snake. Before Pep could discern its source, Mu launched the ball of flame skyward.
White light tore open the cloudy sky.
Nagina streaked downward, rainbow wings folded close to her long body. She spun away from Mu’s attack, opened her jaw, and unleashed a sublime torrent of flame.
Pep acted quickly, summoning a defensive shell around himself and Frog, then turned away as dragonfire engulfed the nightmarish snake.
When Pep looked again upon the square, Nagina had pinned Mu beneath her claws. The glorious dragon observed him with radiant eyes.
“You continue to amaze me, boy,” the dragon said in her smooth voice. “The ability to summon dragonfire is a rare feat for a human.”
Pep looked at his hands in disbelief. Dragonfire…
“Nagina,” Frog croaked weakly. The toad shook the rubble from his body and regained his footing. He had returned to his normal size. “Why are you here?”
“To rectify a mistake,” the dragon replied. “You have taught the boy well.”
“And nearly gotten killed for my troubles!”
Nagina smiled. “Take comfort in the fact that this fight is over. I will return Mu to his prison. I leave the rest to both of you…”
The glowing dragon and the black snake disappeared in a flash of light.
“Sorry for not listening to you, Frog,” Pep said. “I let my emotions get the better of me.”
“I already told you that I have no desire for apologies. Mistakes must be answered with action.” Frog sighed. “Let’s see how the old man fared.”
*
Pep and Frog found Master Jol and a dozen other of the town’s residents standing in a circle. In its center, Iris hung in a cage of magic. The white-haired woman regarded the boy with spite.
Master Jol excused himself from the collaborative spell and approached the giant toad. “Mu?”
“Finished,” Frog replied bluntly.
“Then it seems your work here is done. Thank the other animals for us.”
Frog hummed. “Thank them yourselves. It is up to you humans to repair what has been broken. It was not animals who banished humans to another realm.”
Jol bowed his head. “Then allow me to apologize to you first, Lord Toad.”
Frog closed his eyes and nodded. “A good start.”
“Well, Pep,” Jol said, looking up at the boy perched atop the giant toad. “Would you like to help us cast the spell to imprison Iris? You do have ample experience with its unique structure.”
Pep shook his head.
“Then I suppose I will see you at school first thing tomorrow.”
Pep grinned. “Frog is my teacher now.”
“Frog?”
“Humans can’t pronounce his name,” Pep explained.
“This creature … can’t be your master,” Jol managed. Color flooded his wrinkled face. “You must learn to control your gift! Only I can teach you to do that!”
“You’re questioning my abilities?” Frog asked sharply.
“Well … yes. I mean…”
“And to think I believed your apology sincere. Prepare yourself, boy. We’re leaving.”
Pep waved. “Bye, Master Jol. Perhaps we will meet again someday.”
“You will not leave this town!” the old man shouted. “I will not permit–” Pep grinned as Frog leapt into the air.
THE END