a call," she said, standing up. When she returned, Marie was already fast asleep, so she tucked her feet onto the sofa and covered her with a soft, white doona.
"Good night," she said, kneeling by her side and stroking her hair.
Chapter 5
Shamir and his Kanook had been sitting in the arboreal ring for many hours. It was the night after the full moon and, as the daylight waned and a huge, shimmering sphere slowly began to appear on the horizon, Shamir felt his heart lighten. The orange globe rose in the darkening sky and as it did so, his attention was drawn to the centre of the circle, where an orange pool of light was forming. The tops of the great trees were framing its edges with a fringe of broken shadows that looked like the ashes around an enormous bonfire. As he stared into the heart of the golden light, an image appeared in the centre of the circle. At first it was nothing, just a tiny flickering of particles making a shape out of the orange light, but then it started to become much more. The particles began to cluster together making a real form, the body of a young person made out of orange light. To begin with, there was no detail on it, just the outline of a beautiful mannequin. However, in time, the sculptural nature of the form grew and, as the moon left the circle, a young man was left like an offering from nature at the feet of the wizard and his friend. Shamir stepped lightly forward, bowed to the moon and wrapped up the naked figure in the grey cloak that he had slung over his shoulder. Shamir cradled the young man in his arms and whispered a prayer of welcome, before they lifted him together and made their way out of the circle.
The path to the cottage was moist from dew and the forest was completely silent all around them. The cold night air strained their lungs and their puffing and stumbling was the only disturbance in the sleeping woodland. They stopped a few times to rest along the way and apart from a snowy owl that followed their movements for a while, they weren't seen by anyone.
By the time they made it to the front steps of the wizard's cottage, the first glimmers of light were beginning to appear in the sky. Tired from carrying his heavy load, Shamir leant against the front door in an effort to open it without putting Charlie down. As he did so, he lost his hold and stumbled through the door, dragging the other two with him. They ended up in a tangled heap on the floor and poor old Kanook smacked his knee as he lunged inside. He sat on the rug, rubbing his kneecap, as Shamir struggled to put the sleeping young man under the doona. Satisfied that he was comfortable, Shamir checked his pulse.
"How's his heartbeat?" asked the elf.
"It's quite stable and his breathing seems strong," said Shamir.
"Good, well we can only wait and see what happens now. Let's hope his character is strong enough to cope with the change."
"Yes, let's hope so," said Shamir quietly.
"Now, I might go home, but I will ask Ayou to come round and sit with you. That's if you don't need me for a while."
"No, I'm fine, you go home and nurse your knee. I'll send news when there's some to send," replied Shamir. With that, he gave Kanook a big hug, before helping him hobble to the door.
Charlie woke up to the smell of toast and he felt comfy and snug in a warm bed. It wasn't until he opened his eyes that his mind started to race and fear began to rise in his chest. Before any thoughts could take hold, a soft voice interrupted their flow.
"Don't worry if things don't make sense at the moment. A lot has changed, but you are perfectly safe," soothed the voice.
Charlie slipped back into the comfort of sleep for a while. It was quite a few hours later when he finally opened his eyes again to see someone kneeling beside his bed in a room he had never seen before. An old man of at least seventy, with a craggy face and bright diamond like eyes that twinkled like tiny wise stars. He wore a grey shirt with
"Good night," she said, kneeling by her side and stroking her hair.
Chapter 5
Shamir and his Kanook had been sitting in the arboreal ring for many hours. It was the night after the full moon and, as the daylight waned and a huge, shimmering sphere slowly began to appear on the horizon, Shamir felt his heart lighten. The orange globe rose in the darkening sky and as it did so, his attention was drawn to the centre of the circle, where an orange pool of light was forming. The tops of the great trees were framing its edges with a fringe of broken shadows that looked like the ashes around an enormous bonfire. As he stared into the heart of the golden light, an image appeared in the centre of the circle. At first it was nothing, just a tiny flickering of particles making a shape out of the orange light, but then it started to become much more. The particles began to cluster together making a real form, the body of a young person made out of orange light. To begin with, there was no detail on it, just the outline of a beautiful mannequin. However, in time, the sculptural nature of the form grew and, as the moon left the circle, a young man was left like an offering from nature at the feet of the wizard and his friend. Shamir stepped lightly forward, bowed to the moon and wrapped up the naked figure in the grey cloak that he had slung over his shoulder. Shamir cradled the young man in his arms and whispered a prayer of welcome, before they lifted him together and made their way out of the circle.
The path to the cottage was moist from dew and the forest was completely silent all around them. The cold night air strained their lungs and their puffing and stumbling was the only disturbance in the sleeping woodland. They stopped a few times to rest along the way and apart from a snowy owl that followed their movements for a while, they weren't seen by anyone.
By the time they made it to the front steps of the wizard's cottage, the first glimmers of light were beginning to appear in the sky. Tired from carrying his heavy load, Shamir leant against the front door in an effort to open it without putting Charlie down. As he did so, he lost his hold and stumbled through the door, dragging the other two with him. They ended up in a tangled heap on the floor and poor old Kanook smacked his knee as he lunged inside. He sat on the rug, rubbing his kneecap, as Shamir struggled to put the sleeping young man under the doona. Satisfied that he was comfortable, Shamir checked his pulse.
"How's his heartbeat?" asked the elf.
"It's quite stable and his breathing seems strong," said Shamir.
"Good, well we can only wait and see what happens now. Let's hope his character is strong enough to cope with the change."
"Yes, let's hope so," said Shamir quietly.
"Now, I might go home, but I will ask Ayou to come round and sit with you. That's if you don't need me for a while."
"No, I'm fine, you go home and nurse your knee. I'll send news when there's some to send," replied Shamir. With that, he gave Kanook a big hug, before helping him hobble to the door.
Charlie woke up to the smell of toast and he felt comfy and snug in a warm bed. It wasn't until he opened his eyes that his mind started to race and fear began to rise in his chest. Before any thoughts could take hold, a soft voice interrupted their flow.
"Don't worry if things don't make sense at the moment. A lot has changed, but you are perfectly safe," soothed the voice.
Charlie slipped back into the comfort of sleep for a while. It was quite a few hours later when he finally opened his eyes again to see someone kneeling beside his bed in a room he had never seen before. An old man of at least seventy, with a craggy face and bright diamond like eyes that twinkled like tiny wise stars. He wore a grey shirt with
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