Tales of Wonder

By Donald H Sullivan

An exciting collection of eight fantasy tales. For the reader who wishes to get lost in a world of wizards, elves, space aliens, and savage beasts, and to experience magic, excitement, suspense, danger, and adventure.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: May 4, 2011
• ISBN: 9781257697489

Donald H Sullivan

I'm a native Floridian, retired from the US Army, I started writing in the army, mostly training and tech manuals. Boring stuff, but it whetted my interest in writing. I've written sci-fi, thrillers, mysteries, humor, fantasies, horror, and more. I'm now living in NC. While in the army, I served in air defense artillery, military intelligence, and psychological operations. I also worked in Federal Civil Service as a quality assurance specialist, ammunition surveillance. I love writing, reading, most kinds of music, and animals--especially dogs.

Book preview

Tales of Wonder

Title Page

TALES OF WONDER

Donald H Sullivan

Copyright Page

Copyright 2011 Donald H Sullivan

ISBN: 978-1-257-69748-9

All rights reserved

All stories herein are works of fiction.  Any resemblance of the fictional characters to real persons, living or dead, is strictly coincidental.

Table of Contents

Author's introduction

The Mistress of Magic

Beasts of the Outlands

The Elves vs the Aliens

Elfenwurl

Wild Magic

The Black Star

Lady of Illusions

The Kidnapped Unicorn

Author's introduction

Desiree, a popular TV illusionist, feels compelled to visit an old, run-down curio shop, where she finds a magic wand that belonged to Merlin.  The wand leads her on a perilous journey to a world in another dimension.

That world is doomed to certain destruction, but the inhabitants believe that Desiree is their only hope  to save them with her powerful magic.  She tries to convince them that she has no real magic abilities, but is only an illusionist

Trynt, a shaman for the Komandi tribe, is sent on a quest to find why strange, extremely dangerous, beasts have suddenly appeared in the outlands of the Komandi territory.  So far, the only group that ventured into the territory never returned. 

When Trynt enters the territory, he encounters all manner of beasts…and an alien from another world.

Aliens from outer space are planning an invasion of Earth.  Only the elves, who dwell in secret places on Earth, are aware of the planned invasion.  The elves know that the weapons of the aliens are far superior to the weapons of Earths mortals, and decide that it is up to them to defend Earth.  However, they learn that the weapons and ships of the aliens may be too powerful for even elf magic.

Willy O'Toole, former nightclub entertainer, becomes a homeless beggar due to alcoholism.  He meets an elf in a public park who transports him to a world of the little people.  There he gains magic power himself and becomes king.  But finds it more than he bargained for,  with a very powerful little elf as a rival.

The chief wizard gives up on trying to school Carma in the art of sorcery because of her errant magic.  But it is that same wild, errant magic that causes him to send her on an important quest.

Hiram is tricked into accepting a ring with a death curse on it.  Whoever is in possession of the ring during a full moon must die.  There is only one way he can rid himself of the ring:  He must find someone who will willingly accept it.  He can't throw it away or force it on anyone.

With a full moon only days away, he tries to think of a way to rid himself of it without foisting it off on an innocent person.

Helen's uncle is an inventor, who is away on a business trip.  She and her cousin sneak into his lab and play with his experimental dream machine.  She has her cousin to sleep, and then tunes in on his dream.  But she inadvertently joins him in his dream.

Both are trapped in a strange dream world, desperately trying to find their way back to reality.

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Mistress of Magic

There was nothing special about the small curio shop.  Old  English  lettering on the plate glass window proclaimed Antiques and Curios.

Desiree stopped.  Wait, she said, let's take a look at what they've got here.

Sheila rolled her eyes upward.  Are you serious?  I can tell you what they've got. Crummy junk, that's what.  Just look at the dump.  She tugged her sister's arm .  C'mon.  Let's not waste our time here.

Desiree was only half listening.  I have a gut feeling that this place has something I can use in my act.

You and your gut feelings will do me in.  First you get a gut feeling to come to this run-down part of town, and now you want to go in this run-down joint.  Let's get outta this area before we get mugged.

No, wait.  I mean it.  I want to check this place out.  It'll only take a few minutes.

Sheila shrugged and rolled her eyes.  Whatever you say.

Desiree laughed.  C'mon, let's go in.

It was a small hole-in-the-wall shop, and there wasn't much to see.  It was dingy, dimly lighted, and the items weren't displayed attractively.  A thin, stoop-shouldered woman behind the counter looked up as they entered.  Her bespectacled eyes widened and her mouth flew open.

Why…aren't you Desiree, The Mistress of Magic?

Desiree smiled.  Yours truly.

We watched your TV special last night.  We think you're great.  She chuckled.  My grandson's got a crush on you.   Raves about your raven hair and violet eyes.  Me, I think you look like a young Cindy Crawford.

Well…maybe a slightly toned down version, said Sheila.  They all laughed.  After promising her autograph and assuring the woman she needed no help, Desiree proceeded to browse through the shop with Sheila in tow.  She saw nothing but the usual items such as statuettes, vases, jewelry boxes, and such.

Some really nice stuff, Sheila muttered, We shoulda brought a shopping cart.

Desiree ignored the sarcasm, but was about to admit that Sheila was right when she spotted the black leather case.  It was about eighteen inches long, and about two inches on each side.   It held her eyes like a magnet.

Without looking inside, she said, That's what I'm looking for.

Sheila stared at her in disbelief.  Are you out of you're ever-lovin mind?   You have no idea what's in there and you're buying it?  I should have you committed.

But Desiree would not be swayed.  She knew that she must have the item inside that case.  She purchased the item and they headed home.

~~*~~

A magic wand?  Sheila rolled her eyes.  A child's toy and you paid  two hundred bucks for it.  That little old lady will probably go home tonight and brag that she ripped off Desiree, Mistress of Magic.

Desiree wasn't listening.  She was studying the wand that she held in her hand.  It was silver, or perhaps silver plated, about fifteen inches long and one-half inches in diameter, and had a small five pointed star attached to the end.

Sheila went on, If you're going to use a wand on your next show, you could have found something a little more spectacular.  And cheaper.  Sheesh.

Desiree was always searching for supernatural  things she could work into her act.  But she had no such plans for the wand.

No.  I'm not going to use it in my act.  It's just that I've always wanted a wand that could do real magic.  She regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth.

You've always been fascinated by magic, Sis, and you believed in fairies, elves and stuff when you were a little girl.  But you're a big girl now, and you've become one of the best illusionists around.  You, of all people, should know there's no such thing as real magic.

Desiree sighed.  "Of course I know that.  What I meant was that the wand is merely symbolic of real magic.  I see it as a sort of fulfillment of a childhood dream.

But Desiree knew that was only a half-truth.  She had always dreamed of having real magic at her command--not merely the illusion of magic at which she had become so adept through years of study and practice.  But it wasn't her dream of magic that had led her to the little curio shop.  In fact, she did not know what led her there.

~~*~~

That night, when she went to bed she placed the wand on the night stand beside her, for she found that she felt uneasy when it was out of reach.  It seemed to be taking control of her mind, which made her uncomfortable.  She tossed and turned, unable to sleep.  Tomorrow, she decided, she would get rid of the wand.   She smiled.  Ha, that will give Sheila something more to gripe about.

As she was finally drifting off to sleep, something awakened her.  A voice was whispering her name.  Was Sheila calling her?  No, the voice was in her mind.  It was her imagination.

The voice grew a little louder.  Desiree, I am real.  I am not your imagination.

She was alert now, sitting up in bed.  She could hear the voice plainly.  It's that damned wand.  It's causing me to lose my mind.

You are sane, Desiree.  Please listen to me, for I cannot hold contact much longer.  Please come to the world of Grenair…

What…who are you?

"Please.  I have no time to explain.  Please listen carefully.  If you do not come to Grenair, our world will perish.  We need your help.  Now, this hour.  You have the key to get here:  The Wand of Merlin, which you, and only you, have the power to command.

"Please listen carefully.  To use the wand, you must first address it, Wand of Merlin.  Second, you state  your command.   Then finally end with,  I so command.

"Your command to come here will be, Wand of Merlin, take me to Arlyn Castle of Grenair.  I so command."

The voice repeated the command, and then began to fade out.  I must go now, my time is up.  Please hurry, Fair Desiree.

Desiree was stunned.  She had not been dreaming, and the voice was not her imagination.  But what the voice asked of her was staggering.  To save a world from destruction!

The owner of the voice must have witnessed some of her illusions and assumed that she had magic powers.    But she was a mere illusionist.