Albert's Journey Continues: The Round About Way Home, Book 2 Part 1

By David Alvord

While in the lands of Queen Ira, Albert's daughters were taken by a band of marauding Ogres beyond the Great Wastelands. Even though Albert and Boris had just defeated a powerful wizard and his armies, killed a three-headed monster, and saved the lands of Queen Ira, their quest to return home would be sidetracked. Receiving help along the way, A

• Language: English
• Publisher: Book Vine Press
• Release date: Dec 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9781959450863

Book preview

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter One

Albert looked at his friends Amulek and Byron for a few moments before he answered them. Finally, Albert got up the nerve and looked the great wizard Amulek in the eyes, What has happened? he asked them, not caring who answered him first.

Both the wizards, Byron and Amulek looked at each other as if one was hoping the other would speak first. Byron cleared his throat before he spoke. Albert, you have probably guessed by now that you cannot go home yet. We know of what you have done here in the lands beyond the high mountains, and for that we will always be grateful, however, something terrible has happened in your village in the hollow by the stream; I haven’t the heart to tell you. Desperately, Albert’s gaze shifted from the face of Byron’s to that of Amulek’s as he waited with dread in his heart for the news that he was about to hear.

As Amulek prepared himself to speak, Albert sensed that something was very wrong, it must be or else Amulek (who likes to hear himself speak as often as possible) would not be taking so long to open his mouth and get on with it. Albert watched the great wizard’s face as he struggled to find the right words to say to Albert. After a long period of silence, Amulek began his story.

While you were gone away from your village, a small band of ogres that had been sighted in the area came together as one large group and when they felt their number was large enough, came to you village late one dark foggy night. While they were there, the band of ogres broke into some of the villagers homes and they, before Amulek could continue, Albert interrupted him.

Did they break into my home? Are my daughters safe? Tell me please, did they do harm to my daughters? Amulek looked at Albert and as Amulek’s eyes began to fill with tears, he told Albert just exactly what Albert had been most afraid of the entire time that he had been gone.

As Amulek told Albert what had happened, Albert learned that the ogres had broken into his home and had carried his daughters out of the house and into the dark and cold foggy night. The direction that they headed was to the west. The men of the village were able to follow the ogre’s tracks for many miles until they arrived at the edge of the wastelands; there the ogre’s tracks simply disappeared.

When the wizard finished telling Albert all that he knew about the ogre’s raid on his village, Albert was furious! He looked straight at his master, Byron. "When I left on this journey, you made a promise to me that you personally would look after my daughters and that you would keep them safe until I returned, what happened?

What in the world kept you from keeping the promise that you made me?" Albert’s eyes burned with rage and looked as if they were on fire as he stared menacingly at the wizard waiting for an answer. Master Wizard Byron hung his head in shame and he began to cry as he tried his best to explain to Albert that he had been called away to another village on some very unexpected and seemingly strange business, and when he returned to the village he was too late to stop the ogres from taking Albert’s daughters from out of the house and off to who knows where.

Albert could see that the wizard who he had called his master for so many years was indeed truly sorry, but that didn’t keep Albert from feeling deeply angry towards him. "What shall we do’? Albert thought to himself, ‘more importantly, what shall I do’, his head was reeling with what he had just leaned. His battles with the beast and the armies of Brak-Zorak, had left him extremely weary to the point to where all he could think about was returning home to his comfortable home in the hollow by the stream and spending the rest of his days with his family, but now, his daughters had been taken, the thoughts that Albert had about returning home were now focused on finding his daughters and bringing them home safely.

Albert looked at the two men of magic that stood before him, I need to get to where the ogre’s trail ends as quickly as possible, and I need to get there right now. Albert then put his right hand on Boris’ shoulder, looked at Amulek and Byron and said, and Boris is coming with me. Boris’ face lit up with joy at the thought of going on another adventure with his friend Albert.

The two wizards, Byron and Amulek were relieved to see that Albert had not chosen to go on this new adventure alone, they both knew of the dangers that awaited Albert in the wastelands and in the great unknown lands that lay on the other side of them.

Amulek was the first of the two wizards to speak. Albert, I hope you know that this is going to be a very long and very dangerous journey that you and your friend are about to undertake. Unfortunately, we have brought no spell books or artifacts of magic that will help you get out of any danger that the two of you are bound to run into.

Albert looked at the two wizards; Amulek and Byron, for a few seconds and then he spoke; I don’t care what we have to endure, the safety of my three daughters is at stake and I don’t care what dangers lie in wait for us, just get me to the wastelands and we’ll go from there.

After hearing what Albert had to say, Amulek and Byron turned away from Albert and had a lengthy discussion, after a few minutes passed, Amulek turned to face Albert. We have decided that together, Byron and I, have enough of our wizardly powers to transport the two of you to the edge of the wastelands, but remember this, our powers do not extend beyond that point.

I just want to get there, said Albert and if the two of you can do that, then go ahead. And with that, Byron and Amulek began to build a small fire on the ground. Soon, there was a raging fire that burned, sending showers of sparks into the sky.

Once the flames had reached a height that Amulek thought was sufficient, he reached into his tattered old bag that he always carried with him and brought out a corked reddish-purple vial that was made out of clay, he pulled the cork out of the vial and poured the vials contents onto the flames. When he did that, the once red-orange flames of the fire turned blue then purple then black and then suddenly, the black flames became transparent, Albert thought that the fire had gone out and started to walk towards where the fire had burned. He got to about five feet away from the fire pit and he could feel the heat from the invisible burning flames.

Amulek then motioned to both Albert and Boris to come stand in front of him, once they were both standing in front of the Master Wizard, Byron began to scratch a circle around them in the dirt. Once the circle was completed, Byron then threw the stick that he used to draw the circle in the dirt into the fire, although Albert and Boris could not see the flames, the heat that was coming off was extremely intense, so much so that Boris’ eyebrows began to smoke, as well as the hair on Albert’s head.

As the heat from the flames became hotter and hotter, Albert looked towards where the heat was coming from and noticed a small black speck hanging in the air; as he watched the speck it became a small circle about the same size as an apple. The circle started to grow larger and larger. As it grew, Albert saw that the center of the circle began to move out to the circles edge, and as it did so, a bright light began to shine through the ever-widening opening within the circle. Soon the circle was wide enough so that Albert thought he could walk right through it.

Albert then turned his attention towards Amulek and Byron. What’s happening? Albert yelled to the two wizards. Amulek looked first Albert then at Boris and then back at Albert. Jump Said Amulek jump into the circle…jump before it’s too late. Hurry Albert, Byron urged. Take your friend by the arm and jump!

Albert looked at his friend Boris, grabbed his am and without hesitation, the two of them jumped into the circle.

Once they had jumped into the circle, Albert looked behind him and saw that the opening that he and his friend had jumped through had closed up behind them. Albert then looked in front of him and saw that they were inside what seemed like a very long dark tunnel, and they were falling! Down, down, down they went, weren’t falling very fast; in fact it seemed as if they were actually floating downward. Soon Albert could see a light at the end of the tunnel. As they reached the end of the tunnel, both Albert and Boris hit the ground with a heavy thud.

Where are we Albert? Boris asked, after the two friends had regained their senses from the trip through the tunnel. Albert looked around him, after a few minutes of looking around Albert turned to his friend and smiled. We’re at the edge of the wastelands my friend, time to go and find the girls. And off they went to find not only the girls, but to find the ogres who had taken Albert’s girls away from their home in the village in the hallow by the stream.

Chapter Two

After many hours of scouting, Boris found where the Ogres tracks ended and disappeared into the wastelands. Albert, called Boris; I found some tracks that look like they lead off through that low pass off in the distance. Albert rushed over to Boris’ location and first studied the tracks that were on the ground in front of them and then he tried to follow the tracks by eye out towards the pass that was beginning to turn dark with the coming of nighttime. After a few minutes of trying to imagine where the ogres had gone, Albert turned to Boris. It makes sense that the ogres would head for that pass. We can’t see their tracks, but that pass out there is about the only way to travel through there; unless they decided to head out over those rocky mountains to the left and right of that pass. If they did, well, that wouldn’t make a lot of sense…but then again, no one has ever accused ogres of being very bright.

Boris agreed with