The Wizard of Time (Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

presence of the castle somehow disturbed the dinosaurs outside its walls, it would be unlikely to create a bifurcation of the Primary Continuum since all the dinosaurs would go extinct around sixty-five million years BCE. Ohin had said that the castle had limited electricity, powered by a series of small windmills outside the castle walls. Lighting also came from oil lamps, candles, and magic.
    Gabriel tried not to think about too much of it. It was all very confusing. He had lain in bed for an entire day, contemplating it. Only after a good meal and a good night’s sleep had he been allowed out of bed. Too much shock to the system to get up too soon, Sema said. Take things slowly, he was told. Try not to rush. Let your mind and body adjust. Adjust to being dead and then alive and being a Time Mage. Sure. That was easy. Just lie in bed and think about it all.
    Sema had arrived the next morning for what she said would be their daily walk together. Mostly she asked him questions about his family. Letting him talk about his loss. He spoke about his mother, his father, and his sister. About missing them more than he had thought possible. About all the memories that flooded into his mind. Random memories. Like the rainy Saturday two years ago when his mother had made tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, and they had all spent the afternoon together watching The Philadelphia Story on TV. It was his mother’s favorite film. She loved Cary Grant. Memories like that. Sema informed him that his mother, father, and sister all lived long and happy lives. That made him feel better. Knowing they were happy somewhere in time.
    When he asked, she told him that only three of his classmates had perished in the sunken bus that day. He had saved two lives. It was good to know that his death had made a difference.
    He was in a much better mood by the time Ohin met them. As Sema left them, Gabriel wondered how much of his good mood was due to her magic and how much was the result of speaking aloud his deepest feelings. That could be pretty powerful magic of a different kind, he realized. But none of it really calmed his mind. And seeing the castle gave him more to think about. So much it felt overwhelming. Maybe they were right. Maybe he should have stayed in bed. Best to stick with things at hand. Things that he could think about one at a time.
    “Why don’t they ever land?” Gabriel asked, looking up at the leathery, winged creatures in the sky.
    “There is an invisible barrier around the castle,” Ohin explained. “It makes sure nothing gets near the castle and no one steps outside its grounds. Another security measure. The Council placed this castle far enough in the past so that it wouldn’t be likely to affect the Primary Continuum, but there is no sense taking chances.”
    “And why Windsor Castle?” Gabriel asked, looking around the magnificent structure and its grounds one more time. It had been quite a shock to step from his room in the infirmary and into the courtyard to see the castle. He had recognized it immediately. He and his parents had taken a trip to London when he was eleven and he had spent hours dragging them around the castle and pouring over the guidebook for interesting bits of history. He loved the ghost stories in particular. King Henry VIII haunting the cloisters, the specter of Queen Elizabeth I in the Royal Library, the spirit of Herne the hunter and gamekeeper stalking the grounds with his wraithlike pack of dogs. He wondered if any of the ghosts had been brought back in time with the castle.
    “The head of the Council, Elizabeth Palfrey, chose the castle,” Ohin said. “I assume she wanted something that could house everyone. She was born in Victorian London, so maybe it felt comfortable.”
    It was certainly large enough. He supposed it needed to be. Hundreds of people lived in the castle. Although the Upper Ward was nearly empty at this time of the morning, he could see several people walking