Legends from The Warlock's Chair - Prequel - Nightfire

Chapter Seven - Home Again

DOTTY OPENED HER EYES and winced at the dull pain that shot through her head. The sun was hot on her face. For a moment, she had no memory of where she was. She sat up slowly and looked around. 

Of course, the pool. They had come here to get a drink.

Her brother and sister lay on the ground close by. Dotty leant over and shook them gently. They both sat up, blinking against the sunlight.

'What happened?' Henry asked suspiciously, glancing at his surroundings.

'Do you not remember?' Dotty replied instantly.

'I remember playing in the garden,' he told her. 'But nothing after that.'

Dotty tried to recall what had happened. 'We were thirsty; I think you brought us here to get a drink from the pool.' 

Henry shook his head. 'I cannot, and why are my clothes all wet?' 

Dotty felt her dress; it too was damp. She touched Alice's dress, suddenly realizing all of their clothes were slightly wet. She looked up at the sky for any sign of rain clouds. But the visible patch she could see between the overhanging trees was as blue as it had been earlier. She gazed out across the pool, trying to recall what had happened since they had left the garden. But try as she might, nothing came back to her.

'Alice, do you know what happened to us?' 

Alice scrunched her face, thinking very hard. She shook her head. 'Sorry Dotty.'

'Children,' came a gruff voice from behind them. 'There you are; we have been searching for you for the past hour.'

They turned as one at the sound of the voice. Dotty recognised the man running towards them at once; he had been talking to their father in the garden earlier. She thought his name was Haggerty or something like that.

He stopped in front of them. Leaning over hands on knees, breathing deeply.

'Your father...he his...mighty worried,' he wheezed between great gulps of air.

'We were just exploring the countryside,' Dotty quickly informed him. 'We must have fallen asleep.' She saw no reason to tell him they could not remember what had happened.

Haggerty nodded. He had got his breath back now. 'Well, you'll have some explaining to do when I get you back to the house. Your father was furious at having to disrupt the work to search for you.'

Dotty knew they would be in trouble, her more than her brother and sister. She was the oldest; she should have known better, would be her father's argument. She could hear him even now. 

'Come on, we had better get back and face the music then,' she told Henry. 'I will take the blame, there is no point in us all getting into trouble over it.'

Henry smiled at her. 'I doubt father will let any of us get away with it,' he said. 'There will be a punishment of some kind for all three of us.'

Goodbye, Mirrorglow. I will see you again soon.

'Who...' Dotty started to say. She turned to find Alice at the water's edge. Her sister was staring out into the calm clear surface of the pool.

The brief shard of a memory played on the edge of dotty's mind 'What did you say?' she asked.

Alice looked up a smile played on the edges of her mouth.

'Nothing,' she replied dreamily.

'But I could have sworn that you...'

Deep in the water, something flashed silver, then it was gone.

From the undergrowth at the edge of Whytewytch Wood, Caen Avery Oryxicus watch the children walk reluctantly back up the field towards the manor house.

The Elven King turned to the Captain of the Royal Guard who was crouched down beside him. 'Halmar, you did well to report this to me. And now I have seen these children with my own eyes. I agree, they could well be the ones spoken of in the prophecy. They will bear watching; they may reveal themselves in some way.'

Halmar Quynn nodded. 'Yes, sire. I will set a watch on the children and the house, make sure no harm befalls them until we can determine if they are the ones.'

The King flicked a lock of his fair hair away from his face. 'Do so Halmar, then come we must return to Ellyonia, deliver this news to the Council. I am sure they will find it most interesting.' 

                                               ******

                                           The End

                         Watch out for more exciting 

                 adventures of Dotty, Henry and Alice.

                          Coming soon to Wattpad

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