Joshua Appleby and the Flaming Sword

By Kim Langley

Joshua looked into the deep amber eyes of the white wolf and knew his life would change forever.
Earth Magic is real. And its power can be frightening.
Joshua Appleby has always felt ordinary, but everything is about to change. As his thirteenth birthday approaches, he is tormented by nightmares and starts seeing animals that no one else seems to notice. He soon discovers the reason for this is that he has Earth Magic.
Joshua enters a secret world that he does not understand. He is watched over by the Elders and guided in the ways of Earth Magic by a white wolf, and a blue hare, in the hope that he will stay on the right path.
The Elders warn Joshua he must understand magic before confronting evil. But when a Dark Magic practitioner steals a priceless chalice and a sacred magical sword from his home town,. Joshua enlists the help of his twin sister and two friends on an adventure to find it.
Little do they realize; the worst kind of evil awaits them. Can Joshua save his friends from this evil foe and find the sword on time?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kim Langley
• Release date: Mar 11, 2021
• ISBN: 9781838327736

Kim Langley

Stories have been in Kim Langley’s mind forever! From an early age, she would take herself off on a London Routemaster Bus, along with her younger brother, Steven, to central London. Here they would spend their time in the Natural History, Science and Victoria and Albert museums exploring the magnificent halls, fascinated by amazing curiosities on display in grand wooden cabinets. They would make up stories about exhibits when they had no idea what they were. Those musty corridors allowed them to dream of long-gone days and a future yet to arrive. Art was also a huge part of her life and during these adventures she would visit The Tate and National galleries, each picture was a magical story, and what wonderful stories could be made up! Sundays the greyness of London was swapped for a day in the countryside or watching the ocean in nearby seaside towns. Those long walks made a lasting impression on her, and she joined Green Peace as soon as she was old enough. Kim developed a love of cars as her father had one rickety car after another. Watching the repairs of cars alongside motorbikes, and the sound and smell of roaring engines is a memory which will stay with her forever.In 2009 she moved to the dreamy Cotswolds and lives with her husband and their two dogs, River and Darcie. It is during her long walks and doing art she dreams of magical fantasy adventures and plots for the books she loves to write.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Earth Magic Begins

October 1962

Sophia sat by the river with her magical cat Feles. Seventeen summers had passed since she had sat here and battled with Time. She was here again to do the same thing. And it would come at a cost. Her life force in exchange for combining Earth Magic with Time.

She was not using ordinary magic, but exceptional and even dangerous magic. Magic which could swallow you up, never letting you return from the edge of its abyss. This was the problem of Earth Magic which involved Time.

She tickled Feles ear as they watched the dawn sunrise, filling the ancient woodland with its warmth. She closed her green eyes, enjoying the sun on her face. A cold, gentle breeze touched her skin, and she shivered. Taking in a deep breath the earthy smell of the forest teased her nostrils. It was a fragrance she never grew tired of.

Here she felt centred even tranquil. It was the right place to practice magic. Earth Magic.

Feles meowed agitatedly and nuzzled against her. Feles was an even-tempered silver tabby cat. Today he was sadly cross with her. Sophia knew why he was scared at what she was about to do. She scratched his chin, the weight of his head pressed down a little more on her fingers. She was glad her magical companion was with her. Their friendship spanned over fifty years. She had his guidance since she was a child.

It was rare for humans with Earth Magic to have another gift. She was such a one, but strangely she had been endowed with two.

Seer and telepath.

Sophia caressed the grass beside her and considered her gifts. A Seer, or as some would call her, or Soothsayer. One thing was for sure, her gift of Seeing was thrust on her without wanting it, cast upon her by Time. Some would call her gift prophetic. This gift came upon her without warning, visions without answers. She had to interpret the vision as best as she could. Being an empath did not come without its problems. Sensing all the emotions in a room sometimes overpowered her senses. Years of schooling her ability she now had learnt how to deal with it.

It was because of these gifts and wisdom that she sat on the

High Council of Elders. More importantly, she was an Elder of the South West, a council of seven Elders, named The Seven.

Her ears picked up the faint sound of movement along the riverbank. Her eyes flicked open. In the distance, she could see a white wolf making its way towards her. The sight did not alarm Sophia, they were old friends.

Sylvester Bluesky is here. Feles touched her mind.

He did not hide the respect he felt for the wolf in his telepathic link.

‘Be calm, Feles. I see him,’ She stroked his thick silver and black fur, blocking her fear from him. ‘What will be, will be?’

Humph! He shot back at her and pushed against her even harder.

Sophia studied Sylvester Bluesky as he approached. His steps were deliberate and fluid as he walked along the opposite bank of the river. His mighty size still surprised her. He held his grey muzzle high. Very majestic, Sophia thought to herself.

And you don’t think I am Majestic too! Sophia felt a small sting of jealously in Feles touch. She ignored him and continued watching the wolf.

She admired his agility as he jumped from rock to rock as if he were still a youth. She laughed and looked down at Feles. He turned his head away from her, sulking and not pleased with the situation.

The white wolf trotted over and sat on the other side of her. His tongue slid out from beneath his teeth as he panted from the exertion of climbing the hills.

She pulled her midnight blue cloak tighter about her body. She bowed politely to the wolf. Sitting up a little straighter, she uttered the customary greeting of their kind to the wolf.

‘Light of Autumn, Sylvester Bluesky,’ her solemn voice greeted him. Befitting the ritual, she was about to perform. Her hand caressed a purple amethyst which hung about her neck.

Light of Autumn, Sophia. His deep voice entered her mind telepathically, as only a magic animal could. He bowed to her.

A deep silky purr sounded at her side drew her back to the task at hand.

Sophia, please don’t do this. Feles touched her mind. She sensed his anxiety. He pushed an image of darkness and him standing alone in a glow of light. She recognised his terror.

‘I have no choice, Feles.’ She replied reluctantly looking down at her lifelong friend.

I see you do not want to take my counsel then. His voice ripped into her thoughts. His tail jabbed the air as he spoke. She felt his pain and his love. It was bittersweet.

Feles turned his back on her and marched over to the wolf. Sophia was in no doubt of Feles feelings on the matter. The blood drained from her cheeks, she sat up taller and lifted her chin.

‘I am an Elder of the Seven Elders of the South West. I will not wander from this path; it is my duty to our people.’ She turned her face away from him haughtily.

Hmm! Feles sent and turned his back on her. She flinched under the heat of his anger.

She looked at his back and shrugged; her path was clear.

Shall we begin? Sylvester Bluesky sniffed the air. His gleaming amber eyes studied her pale face.

Sophia tried not to flinch under his gaze. She pushed back strands of blonde hair as the wind whipped them out of their tether.

‘Time visits me as a seer. Glimpses of the future find me and interpret those visions.’

Sylvester Bluesky sat silent and still.

‘Twice now Time has given me a vision that I do not understand,’ she stated and let her hands drop away from the amethyst.

The wolf said nothing. He stared at her in his unnerving way.

Sophia folded her hands in her lap, her lips pursed.

‘I will see the future,’ sighed and sat back a little more on the pillow, ‘I do not do this lightly,’ she gazed at Feles, ‘it scares me,’ she faltered.

She scrutinized Sylvester Bluesky’s face. His opinion mattered to her. He was the old, an ancient. With that came great wisdom.

‘Seventeen years ago, the council of Seven asked me to use my gift to see into the future.’ She raised a hand and touched a small slither of white hair. ‘Alana Rose had made a Blood Bond with Bill Appleby. She had given her Earth Magic blood to a non-magic. We all know it is forbidden.’ She shook her head at the memory. ‘The Elders wanted to know if there would be any ramifications.’

‘I got this as my reward,’ she patted the white lock of hair,

Sylvester Bluesky watched Sophia drop her head.

They sat in strained silence. Feles meowed in a worried tone at her and returned to her side. She held out her hand and stroked his fur to soothe him.

‘Feles, don’t worry.’

Feles glared at her and grumbled loudly, touching his mind to hers.

I remember when you forced Time to show you the future before; I thought I had lost you to darkness.

He head-butted her side hard, projecting his worry to her. The same image of darkness and light cut painfully into her mind.

It is my responsibility to warn you if you are taking a course with magic, which is dangerous.

Sophia’s mind flinched under the discomfort of Feles touch. He hissed and there was a gleam of accusation as he stared at Sylvester Bluesky.

You are dipping your toe into the edges of Dark Magic. Are you sure you have the strength to pull away from its temptation… especially with your background! Feles soft growl echoed in the clearing.

Sophia knew Feles was referring to her family. It sickened her to think of their vile practices as they performed Dark Magic. Her lips made a hard line. Sophia had been born with Earth Magic. This had been an utter shock to her family. They never stopped telling her of their disappointment. Each day had been a struggle for her, surrounded by darkness when she was a child of the light.

Sophia drew a sharp breath. ‘Yes, Feles. I know who I am and where I have come from.’ She glared down at him and admonished him further. ‘Do you not think I don’t know what the price might be?’ Her eyes narrowed and she flicked her hand at him.

‘You saw my struggles as a child,’ she lifted her chin, ‘and now you know my strength now.’

Sophia turned away from him before he could sway her. She had struggled with Feles counsel but knew it was the right thing to do. She sat watching the river flow by. The rocks and stones shimmered beneath the crystal-clear water. The sight calmed her tight nerves.

She looked at them both. ‘There are three Earth Magic elements in abundance here. Air, Water and Earth. It is a powerful place to draw on Earth Magic.’ She scratched Feles ear giving him a little comfort in his distress. She carried on. ‘Also, to keep an anchor on the light of Earth Magic. I appreciate your advice, Feles my friend, but this is the right path for me.’

Feles strode over to a tree and sat down. He gazed at Sophia, examining her face hungrily, thinking he would never see her whole again.

Sophia touched Sylvester Bluesky’s neck. He lifted his head and howled. It was a forlorn sound that broke Sophia’s heart. Empathically, his pain was also hers. He had agreed to help her challenge Time. He sang the wolf song to her. The song ripped at her heart; it was a brutal feeling. His amber eyes grew brighter as he watched her cry. When he stopped, the silence was almost painful.

Let us begin. The wolf bowed his head. Concentrate. Let your mind be one with the Earth. Be one with Earth Magic. Sylvester Bluesky sent a focused thought to her mind.

She sat forward and placed one hand onto the amethyst crystal, which hung around her neck on a gold chain. Sophia swallowed hard. A sense of apprehension caused her hand to tremble. She steadied her hand, reached out and placed it on the white wolf’s neck.

Sophia raised the crystal into the air as far as the chain would let her and stared into the gemstone’s depths. She stared at the smooth surface of the crystal and into its heart.

‘Open time, the past, present and future.’ She called out with an authoritative cry. She held the crystal tighter, willing it to reveal fragments of the future to her.

‘OPEN THE FUTURE, APERI RELIQUUM,’ it sounded like a scream in Sophia’s head. The sound shattered against her skull. She felt heat oozing into her fingers from the amethyst, and violently vibrating in her hand.

Sophia flinched. She felt her stomach clench and heave. She recognised the sensation; it had been the same when she had last forced the seer’s gift. The sensation was not unpleasant, but she knew what would follow.

Meld with the crystal, dream with the streams of time, see the past, present, and future. Sophia felt the flow of Time passing through her. Like ribbons skimming through her mind. Her hair floating in the magic’s static, it coursed through her veins. She was in the light of Earth Magic. It flamed around her. Its touch was blissful. She was at peace and content. But there was something else. Her eyes flicked wide open. Dark Magic was within her reach. Someone was there in the darkness, someone she knew.

Come to us, come to your family.

‘No! I will never leave the light, go!’ Sophia cried; terrible loneliness engulfed her.

‘You will never be alone again. Your family is here. Cross the veil. Come to us.’ Echoed back a voice, cooing to her with affection.

Sophia knew the comfort in the words but there was no comfort in Dark Magic. Their lure was a lie.

‘No, never. I am a child of Earth Magic. I stand in the light.’ She admonished Dark Magic. ‘Leave, there is no place for you here.’

It stung like a physical blow as Dark Magic left her alone. But she was not alone. Feles voice echoed to her in the distance.

We are your family, Sophia. Stay strong.

She waited for Time to reveal the future.

With no warning, an explosion of images unfolded in her mind. Fragments she would try to fit together. Places and faces she did not recognise.

The echoes of Time washing over her. It carried her along on its grey misty current. A scene starting to unfold before her. A woman and two children. She gasped as she recognised them. Alana and her twins.

Shocked, she pushed the revelation deep inside her so darkness could not expose her thoughts.

She was falling, losing all sensation of motion. With a snap, Time transported her to another scene. A dark-haired boy was wandering through a grey valley; a dark figure was following him. The boy turned to the dark figure and was talking to him.

‘Run!’ Sophia called out to him, ‘you are in danger!’

In horror, the dark figure rushed down the hill and engulfed the boy into darkness.

Sophia felt herself being pulled away. Time grudgingly gave up its secrets about the future. The revelations were warnings.

A girl, with dark raven hair, maybe thirteen years old. Brilliant and powerful in Earth Magic. Sophia reached out to touch the girl. But she was a mirage, and Sophia’s hand went through the girl as if she were a ghost. The girl stood in front of her bed. Sophia looked down on the bed and cried out.

On her bed were two books, one Earth Magic, one Dark Magic.

The girl stood by her bed sobbing; a voice floated into the room.

‘Milly, follow me, and you will always have family and happiness.’ It was a dark, cold voice, the voice of Dark Magic.

‘No! it is not true!’ Sophia knew that the girl could not hear her, she shouted out her warning.

Sophia heard screaming; it filled her head. Then darkness turned away from the girl. It bore down on Sophia like huge wings and tried to engulf her.

‘I am a child of light,’ Sophia threw up her arms and a golden glow erupted from her hands, ‘Go!’

The image dissolved. Time had led her back in the present, where she belonged. Before Sophia opened her eyes, the caress of Feles paws on her face reassured her, she was in the present. He was gently patting her.

Wake up, Wake up! Feles sounded scared.

‘It’s alright Feles, I am awake,’ she pulled herself into a sitting position.

Feles purred and pushed his face against her waist. She stretched out her hand and caressed his fur gently, comforting him. She was groggy; she needed a drink of water after her encounter with Time.

Well, was it worth it? Sylvester Bluesky sat behind her. His amber eyes were shiny in the daylight.

Sophia sat for a moment longer before she answered.

‘Yes, I believe I found out what I needed,’ she drew out a flask from her bag and unscrewed the cap. She drank the cool water, wiping her mouth when she had finished.

‘Yes, it was worth it,’ she put the flask back in its bag and wiped her mouth once more.

She got up off her cushion and added, ‘now I must pay back the Earth with my offering.’

Sylvester Bluesky glanced at Sophia’s face. She had a fine line along her brow and a second small slither of white hair. Sophia had paid the price for seeing into the future. It had aged her.

She was still beautiful for her years; he decided.

Sophia reached out and caressed the wolf’s head.

‘Thank you, Sylvester Bluesky,’ she murmured gratefully.

Putting her hand in her deep pocket, she touched two paper bags full of snowdrop bulbs. Her offerings to Earth Magic. She would plant them restore the energy of Earth Magic.

‘You give back in measure of what you use. It is our way to keep balance.’ Even though it was the early morning she was exhausted from using the magic of a Seer. ‘Come Feles, I need to make an offering to Earth Magic.’ She nodded at Sylvester and turned with Feles and left the sanctuary of the woodland.

Sylvester Bluesky watched her go and soon she had disappeared. He sat for a long time reflecting over his life with humans. He had had many human companions down the ages. Some stronger in Earth Magic than others. He held his muzzle up to the air. He smelt a tang in the air, and it disturbed him. He licked his lips trying to remember what the smell reminded him of. His ancient eyes widened. It was a vision, an aftershock of magic from Sophia’s Seeing, violently assaulting his senses. The vision left him as quickly as it had arrived. He stood up and howled into the trees, a song of despair, a song of sorrow

Chapter 2

Out of the Shadows

Alana Appleby stood alone in her garden. Her fingers grazed the brittle heads of lavender. She breathed in the remains of the plant’s sweet aroma. It was her ritual to greet the night in this little paradise. She covered her green eyes against the brilliance of the sunset. The horizon blazed a trail of red and orange. Announcing the arrival of the silver moon, who would rule as queen of the night.

A north wind tugged her black hair with a gentle caress. Alana pulled her woollen shawl tighter about her narrow shoulders.

‘Not even All Hallows yet and winter’s snapping at the door!’ she grumbled and shook her head a little.

The sound of shrieking children in the cottage behind her interrupted her thoughts.

‘Well, time to go back inside,’ she said, reluctantly.

A splash of yellow caught her attention. She crouched down and touched a solitary yellow rose, the last left on the rosebush. The petals were brittle between her fingers, they crumbled and fell to the ground.

With a final glance at the vibrant horizon. She turned and walked with quick strides to the cottage. She stopped at the threshold for a moment. The sound of laughter erupting from her twin son and daughter as they played. A grin crept across her mouth; they always made her smile. The wind touched her ankles and sent a chill through her. She shivered and closed the door behind her.

‘Thought you were never going to come in!’ Bill Appleby’s jovial voice filled the narrow hallway. She hung her shawl on the oak stand near the door. He stood in the doorway which led to their comfortable kitchen.

‘Bill,’ Alana chuckled, and with a light foot made her way down the narrow corridor towards her husband.

‘Come on. Let’s watch the rest of the sunset.’ She arched an eyebrow and squeezed past his tall frame, caught his hand, and led him to a large kitchen window. They stood together like night and day. Alana’s almost black hair against Bill’s light brown. It was a companionable silence as they watched the last of the sunset give way to the blackness of night.

‘I love the sky when it’s peppered with stars and softened by the glow of moonlight,’ Alana sighed.

‘Bill, there is a new energy in the garden, I can almost touch it.’ Her hand reached up and played with his long hair absentmindedly. ‘With Joshua’s nightmares, I am beginning to wonder…’ She let the words hang for a moment.

Bill peeped around to make sure the twins had not joined them while they were enjoying a moment together.

‘Wonder what?’ he asked. ‘Did Sylvester Bluesky visit you this evening?’ Bill whispered.

‘No, he has gone to visit my Cousin Sophia,’ she said in hushed tones. She felt Bill tense beneath her fingers. Her forehead wrinkled as she deliberated her next question.

Bill nodded but did not offer a reply.

‘You know Bill, it’s about time the children met her,’ she peeped up at her husband. ‘I know the meeting with Cousin Sophia had not gone well when you met all those years ago.’

They stood in silence. Eventually, Alana tapped his hand with her forefinger.

‘Old arguments should be left in the past,’ she said gently. Bill’s brown eyes narrowed as he glared down at her and started to speak. His reply was interrupted by two dark haired children barging into the kitchen.

‘Mum is dinner ready yet, we are starving!’ Joshua Appleby pushed his fringe out of his blue eyes, smiling at his mother. He stared pointedly at the black stove, searching for evidence of cooking pans.

‘Wash your hands and set the table.’ Alana nodded.

‘Milly cut some bread and get the butter out from the larder.’ Alana raised an eyebrow at her daughter. Milly’s face took on a mutinous expression as if she were about to argue.

‘Okay!’ Milly’s broody look changed to a grin. She was hungry and rushed to a larder and disappeared inside. She reappeared with a blue and white butter dish and a loaf of bread.

Dinner had been the usual affair of discussion about the day’s news and jobs for the next.

‘Well, you two clear the table.’ Alana clapped her hands and winked. ‘Joshua, you can choose the game tonight.’

Joshua pulled himself up off the chair and cleared away the plates.

‘I want to wash,’ Milly decided. She went to a large butler sink, turned the tap, and watched water explode into the sink. She added soap into it and watched its froth growing in height.

Alana raised an eyebrow as she watched a mountain of soap suds rise dangerously above the sink.

‘Joshua, you better get to drying the plates or else Milly will let that tower of soap suds escape onto the floor!’ she laughed at them walking over to the radio and switching it on. Bill laughed as the music came onto the radio. He got up from the table and grabbed her hand.

‘Time for a dance!’ he cried and pulled her into the middle of the kitchen. Alana laughed as he guided her around the kitchen to the music.

At the end of the evening, Alana watched the children climb the stairs for bed. She laughed to herself at the usual wails from Milly that it was too early for bed!

It had all seemed normal, but Alana grew uneasy. She stared out of the window and the thought came floating back to her. The new energy in the garden had troubled her.

Earth Magic. And it wasn’t hers.

Her forehead crinkled with a puzzled frown. She was the only person for many miles around to possess Earth Magic. Where could it have come from? She stood thinking for some time when unexpectedly; she felt the stir of something she had not felt for a long time. Not since she was nine years old.

Turning away from the window, she looked at Bill sitting by the fireplace. He pulled his guitar from its peg on the wall. He glanced up at her and smiled. It was their favourite time of the evening. Alone together. When Bill played and sang to her. He strummed the strings, playing one of his favourite songs.

‘Bill, we need to talk about Joshua,’ she began, taking a chair on the opposite side of the fireplace. ‘I am sure I know why Joshua is having terrible nightmares.’

Bills fingers stopped and hovered over the guitar strings.

‘Oh, I see,’ he said and rested the guitar against his body as he sat back. ‘What is wrong with him?’ he put his head to one side and looked at her quizzically.

‘He has all the signs he is going through the Nox Certamen, the Night Struggle.’ Brushing her hand over her eyes feeling the enormity of the situation.

‘You told me about that. The choice between good and evil. The struggle takes place in dreams.’ He rubbed his forehead, ‘I don’t understand why Joshua is having nightmares?’ he asked, there was an edge to his voice.

He put his guitar back on its peg on the wall. He leant forward in his seat a little.

‘You said only one magical person is born every few generations,’ he spoke softly. The edges of his mouth had turned white.

‘It is only a thought.’ She reached over and rested her hand on his knee, ‘I am not sure. It’s just this evening, in the garden…’ she stumbled on the words, ‘there was the touch of Earth Magic from another person.’

She glanced to the window again and thought of the feeling she had had. She knew what had to be done.

‘I will ask Sylvester Bluesky to meet with me in the morning.’

Chapter 3

Nightmares of the believer

Joshua gazed up at the ceiling of his bedroom. He had been lying in bed for some time, but sleep eluded him. Turning over onto his side and raising himself onto an elbow. He pummeled his pillow; in the hope, he could get comfortable.

‘Feels like my head is on a bag of marbles!’ he grumbled to himself.

He pulled the blankets up to his chin; they were heavy on his body. He tossed and turned to get comfortable, but it was of no use. His body and mind would not rest. He lay staring into an inky void.

‘Why won’t you leave me alone!’ he whispered into the darkness. His eyelids weighed like two lead weights, refusing to give him rest even when they were closed.

The nightmares seem to invade his sleep more frequent of late. Thoughts slipped through his mind like loose threads. He blinked as he mused and tried to make sense of his nightmares.

‘Well, they are not the normal nightmares,’ he mumbled.

He thought about his last dream, vivid and terrifying like the others. It had left him gasping for breath, and his heart beating with pain like stabs as he woke to daybreak. His hand touched the softness of the blanket. He cringed at the thought in the morning he would wake up to clammy pyjamas around his body.

‘Let me have one night’s sleep,’ he cried into his pillow. He woke exhausted each morning after the nightmare’s nightly onslaught. His mother’s quotes about nightmares cut into his fevered thoughts.

‘Nightmares are thieves of the night. Find out the question they are asking, then, you will understand,’ her voice seemed to fill the room.

‘Let me sleep tonight. No nightmares, please!’ He said out loud to the empty bedroom and sighed to himself.

He was sceptical his mother’s words would work tempering the beast of his nightmares. Closing his eyes, he mumbled the quote in hope.

Unfortunately, for Joshua, the nightmare began.

Fragments of the same dream, night after night. Dark and cold. He entered the familiar nightmare. Terror raised its venomous head as his conscience gave way to the dream world.

Joshua stood in a long dark tunnel. It was silent. The impregnated silence that was thick and menacing.

He knew he was not alone.

‘Hello?’ Joshua’s voice sounded hollow, echoing away down the tunnel. He screwed up his eyes to pierce the darkness.

A small breeze stroked his body. It felt electric and cold against his skin. He recoiled at its touch and took a long, deep breath. The air caused him to cough. It tasted