Contributor: E.S. Wynn

Burying his face into the coarse pillows of his bed, Simon muffled his own angry yells until there was nothing left in him to scream about, then lay quiet for a long moment, tears streaming down his cheeks. All around him the house lay silent, as if hours had passed and his father had tucked himself away in bed. Carefully, quietly, Simon crept to the edge of the attic door and cracked it open, listening for the familiar rise and fall of his father's snoring. Like the faint whistle of a distant train, it came to him, and suppressing a smile, he crept back to the bed, pulled the gnarled and rune-etched wand the old man had given him out from under one of his pillows.

“The key to the wizarding wall” He whispered the old man's words, stared at the hand-smoothed length of wood. “The only way to open the door to the wall where the orange wizards of J'nihen take their oath and receive the soul of the elder wizard who will teach them in the arts of ancient magic.” He swallowed. “Sounds. . . a little scary.”

“For a boy, maybe.” A voice echoed from behind him. Frightened, Simon spun around, found himself facing the tall, dark shape of a man he didn't know, a man who stood out starkly in the attic, dressed entirely in long, billowing black robes. Dark eyes glanced down at the wand in Simon's hand. “Never point a wand at anyone, unless you intend to use it, Simon.”

“How. . .” Simon fumbled with the wand, tucked it into his pocket. “How do you know my name?”

“I am a seeker.” The man said. “I know everyone's name.”

“A seeker?” Simon hesitated, then stepped back in fear. “Why are you here?”

“To make sure you make the right decision.” The seeker said.

“Decision?”

“Go. Tonight.” The seeker gestured, and the window at the head of the bed shattered into a million pieces. “Now. Run away from this place. Seek out Kell, ask him about the portal of Tagn, ask him for the word that activates the key.”

“But I--”

“GO!” The seeker thundered.

Terrified, Simon turned and ran, jumped out the second story window of the little cottage and sprinted across the roof to a tree that was easy to slip down through. In an instant he was gone, a shadow in the night, running from street to street, chased by the seeker's words.