The Apprentice of Amadan Dubh

By Kandi J Wyatt

Fame, fortune, and the favor of a certain red-headed girl.

 

That's all Paddy wants, and as apprentice to the Master Mage of County King, he's certain to attain them all. Yet when his teacher turns their magic malevolent, Paddy is forced to count the cost of his power…and his dreams.

 

Fall into Ireland before the potato famine, and enjoy this heart-warming Irish tale with a magical twist.

 

A Short Story

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kandi J Wyatt
• Release date: May 19, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201504168

Kandi J Wyatt

Even as a young girl, Kandi J Wyatt, had a knack for words. She loved to read them, even if it was on a shampoo bottle! By high school Kandi had learned to put words together on paper to create stories for those she loved. Nowadays, she writes for her kids, whether that's her own five or the hundreds of students she's been lucky to teach. When Kandi's not spinning words to create stories, she's using them to teach students about Spanish, life, and leadership.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Praise youthfulness, and it’ll respond to ye.

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Queenstown, Ireland, 1821

OUT o’ my way, laddie! 

The sailor didn’t even wait for Paddy to move. The young man barely caught himself against the ship’s railing, and scrambled to keep a grip on his cane. The steely grey water reeled beneath him as he fought for his balance.

To drown right here in port after all that happened? Now that would please Dreejean.

Paddy backed away from the edge and made his way shakily toward the gangplank. He wrenched his thoughts away from the mage and conjured images of his family. 

Former family.  The bitter pain ripped through his body as if he had taken their suffering for his own.

He waved feebly—more a symbolic gesture to his homeland and the memories it held than a farewell to anyone on the docks. Every face below was a stranger, now; the people he loved most had not accompanied him. But perhaps, if he was fortunate, he would also leave the magic behind.

Knockarley, Ireland, 1819

LAD, ye ‘ave nothing t’ be afraid of. Yer da says yer good with the ancient magic. All I want is t’ see what ye can do.

Paddy looked into the master mage’s face, forcing down the fear and trepidation. From all he’d heard of the ardree, this meeting could change his life forever. What could he show someone who held mastery over far more than he could even dream?

Reaching toward the current running through the ground and seeping through the soles of his shoes, he allowed the ahwhen to fill him. Now all it needed was a spark.

"Cotty." 

He smiled as he saw the grasses around him bend to his will. 

Dreejean’s bushy eyebrows raised. 

’Tis all ye can do?

Paddy’s smile faded, and he shook his head, pursing his lips. The next word was new to him, and the magic still sometimes faltered. But if he could do anything to impress Dreejean, it would be...

"Folowan." 

The pebble at his feet floated into the air, gently as a feather, hovering before his chest. His heart danced an elated rhythm as he looked to the ardree. 

Abruptly, the stone dipped in the air, and Paddy raised his palm to enforce his will, focusing his efforts and praying it would not fall. The tiny chip of quartz suddenly felt like a boulder weighing on his will. After long, perspiring seconds, the wobbling pebble finally stabilized. With care, he released the energy and allowed the stone to settle into Dreejean’s palm. 

Had it been enough? 

’Ow long ‘ave ye been using the magic?

Paddy stared down at his worn brown boots and noted his stocking toe. He quickly pulled it back into the shoe. 

I’ve always felt it, in the land, wherever I go. ‘Tis ever flowing through the ground, and it soaks into my being, but ‘twasn’t until after Master Bergin allowed me to attend school that I discovered how to release the energy.

And ‘ow was that?

A fly buzzed at Paddy’s ear. He’d never told a