The Wondrous Tale of the Mysterious Mystic: The Series of Magical Adventures Presents

By M. Scott Smallwood

BookFest Spring 2023 Award-Winner for Humorous Fantasy! Clyde and his friends help a power sorceress find the portal to her world while protecting the enchanted Staff of the Mystic from a cunning madman and a band of hungry dragons.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Larger Than Life Books
• Release date: Jan 17, 2023
• ISBN: 9781088037850

Book preview

Prologue

HELLO again. It's me, Thadius Might, and I have a fantastic tale to share. In the first chapter of this legendary series, three unlikely fellows joined together as they embarked on their quest to find Oliver and the Lion's Chest. They experienced time travel, mythical creatures, and an unforgettable adventure through a magical jungle throughout their exciting journey. Now, they sail across the Atlantic in pursuit of their next clue. The second chapter of their great adventure must be told most eccentrically, but before I dive into the deep end of that metaphorical pool, I must tell the tale of the one known as the mysterious mystic. 

1

The Legend of the Magical Mystery

DURING the last glacial period, a peaceful tribe lived in the caves high in the mountains in modern-day Peru. After losing many of his people to hypothermia and treacherous terrain, which had also been a problem of his forefathers, the young chief vowed to lead his people to a warmer climate. His name was Chief Vukan of the Okowan Tribe, and his queen was named N’Firi.

The chief, a thin man, not only led his people along the blistering storms on foot but displayed his compassion by carrying a sick child., He also helped others keep warm by giving them his extra pelts. His confidence and determination gave his people hope as they deeply trusted their young leader. After a grueling five-month hike across the modern-day Amazon rainforest, the Okowan people found themselves standing at the foot of a three-tiered stone wall that jutted high above the clouds. There, Chief Vukan found an old piece of driftwood deposited from a nearby river and kept it to commemorate their laborious trek to their new home. While most followed him to the top of the mountain, he allowed those who felt too weak to climb to remain below and form a new tribe. N'Firi detested the location the chief chose as their new home but remained silent.

When they reached the summit, they became astounded at the sight of the large flat land decorated with many species of trees, but none more peculiar than those that appeared as if a large triangle was placed on top of a straight and narrow trunk. Small ponds decorated with colorful lily pads and surrounded by tree saplings added a wonderful touch to the streams that flowed toward the edges of the land. Chief Vukan zealously declared it to be the new home of the Okowan, and he called it The Floating Island.

Queen N'Firi was thin and slightly taller than the chief. She had straight blond hair that hung to her hourglass-shaped waist. Her skin appeared pale white as she was always covered with the pigment of her favorite flower, known to the Okowan as the Muji flower, which only grew on their new land. She wore leather garments made from swine skin and colored them violet from the pigment of the rare lily pads that only grew once every five years.

Twenty years later, the Okowan people were referred to by the surrounding tribes as the recluse people. After all, it was challenging to climb and descend the mountain on which they resided, but they felt there was no need to mingle or trade with their neighboring tribes. They grew their fruits, hunted their food, and built small cabins with materials found on their lands. 

One warm sunny morning, Queen N'Firi gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named N'Rya. Four days later, N’Firi was summoned by her betrothed, Gyoku, to return to her world in Medoria, a planet in the Andromeda galaxy. 

Gyoku and six of his troops arrived through a portal that appeared to be nothing more than a small pond fed from a narrow stream that flowed beneath the tall roots of a cypress tree while riding creatures similar to winged tigers. Their flying felines appeared white with light blue stripes and deep violet eyes.

The Medorians were also a sight for wonder as their facial features appeared balanced between human and lion. Their chin, eyes, and cheeks resembled that of a human. Their noses, teeth, and ears were shaped like a lion's. Their faces and entire body were covered with short and fine tan-colored fur, and they wore blue garments to cover their genitals. Each of their bodies appeared athletic, as if they had a lifetime membership at a popular gym. 

While they emerged from the pond like jumping fish, N’Firi became frightened. How did you find me? she asked while Chief Vukan ordered his troops to ready an attack with their spears. 

One by one, the Medorians exploded from the water like rodeo cowboys fighting to stay on a bucking bull. The physics worked perfectly as their trusted steeds landed firmly on their feet along the pond's shore.

My dear, N’Firi, he replied, you cannot hide from me. I will find you anywhere.

I suppose you have come to take me back. I am sorry to disappoint, but I will be going nowhere with you.

Chief Vukan becomes muddled. He asks N'Firi, What is this? What is happening?

Gyoku grinned and replied, I apologize for my intrusion, but Queen N'Firi is not of your world, and she must return home. She escaped Medoria after we wed nearly a year ago, and I've been searching for her ever since.

I know nothing of Medoria, but that's impossible. I found N'Firi, nearly frozen to death twenty-seven years ago. She has been my queen since. You have the wrong woman.

Gyoku laughed and said, Silly, man. You have no idea who she is. Do you? N'Firi... go ahead and tell him who you are.

N'Firi was reluctant to speak as she had been holding a secret from her beloved and didn't want to hurt him with the truth. Although apprehensive, the chief asked, N'Firi... what haven't you told me?

Vukan, she muttered. I am... not who you think I am. The surrounding Okowan people gasped. "I was forced to marry Gyoku and become queen of the Medorians. I wouldn't say I liked lying with a man I didn't love, so I ran. I ran into a hall we call the Gate of the Universe, filled with portals to other worlds. I ran into the first one I saw. It's what brought me here. I knew I needed to get away from the portal, so I transformed into an eagle and flew far away from this place. 

"Vukan... You didn't find me... I found you. When I saw you hunting a goat alone on the mountain, I returned to my original form. I only wanted to know where I could seek refuge, but then I nearly froze, and you saved me. I didn't know how to tell you the truth."

That explains why you didn't want to return to this place, replied Chief Vukan. What are you? You said you transformed into an eagle. How can you do that?

Medorians are magical beings. We each possess unique skills.

And N'Rya?

"I'm afraid not. She's only half Medorian. For her to possess magic, she would need to be deemed worthy and gifted magic by our gods. The gods' magic is much more powerful than ours and can be shared.

Vukan, I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth. Gyoku, I'm afraid you will leave here empty-handed. I'm not going anywhere.

Gyoku replied, "On the contrary. You will return to Medoria with me, and my men or I will burn this village to the ground. You don’t want the people of this village to be harmed. Do you?"

N’Firi opened her hands with her palms facing the ground, and a slight wind vortex formed just beneath. The leaves around her feet jostled and swirled to its command. N’Firi said, I will not let you harm the good people of the Okowan.

Spare me your tricks, N’Firi. We both know your powers aren’t strong enough to take on my men and me. So, what do you say? Surrender, and these innocent people see no harm. Or resist, and they all die?

Each of Gyoku’s men levitated from the backs of their tigers. They each stretched out their arms and turned toward the sky while they closed their eyes. Darl clouds from beneath their lands rose above the village, and lightning struck the ground near a small group of children.

Fearing for the safety of the Okowan people, N’Firi surrendered to Gyoku and his men. I’ll go, she said as she closed her hands. The vortex that swirled around her ceased. Please don’t hurt the people.

Gyoku said, You made the right choice.

I have a child.

It stays.

N’Firi was appalled as she was in disbelief at the words spoken by Gyoku. She’s just a baby, she said. I must care for her.

Gyoku shouted, "I will not return to Medoria with a half-breed child. Especially not one of earthling blood."

Please, Gyoku, we must take her. Who will care for her? she asked.

I’m sure her father will figure it out. Come. The time to leave is now.

Gyoku’s men used their magic to bind N’Firi’s arms to her sides. She appeared stiff like a wooden plank as she was lifted from the ground and placed over the back of a tiger against her will.

Chief Vukan was terrified. He had never before seen such sorcery.

Gyoku’s men returned to their tigers while the dark clouds returned below. Before he ordered their flight, N’Firi said to Gyoku, Please let me say goodbye.

Gyoku cared nothing of her feelings and ordered their flight toward the portal to return them to Medoria. 

Before they entered the portal, Gyoku said, There will be many to seek this portal, but no one shall find it.

Gyoku, please, said N’Firi. N’Rya. She has no powers. You must reconsider.

Gyoku sighed. As you wish. I will reconsider, but she will never see Medoria.

But you said...

I know what I said, Gyoku interrupted. When the time comes, she will be visited by our kind. They will share their powers with her. She will be as strong as ten of us combined. I feel this world may someday need one such power.

Thank you.

In that instant, N'Firi was silently working her magic, known only to herself. With a twitch of her fingertips, she embedded a powerful spell within Chief Vukan's staff. However, its presence would not be known for many years later.

Gyoku ordered his men to enter the portal, and he followed. After the final tiger's dive, the Medorians were not seen until the baby's second birthday.

On that day, she was visited by ten powerful knights as promised. They each arrived at the village of the Okowan on white flying tigers just like Gyoku and his men. Having forgotten the agreement set by Gyoku, Chief Vukan ordered his men to attack at will while the knights remained hovered above the village center.

The Okowan soldiers launched their spears toward the ten Medorian knights, but their attacks proved futile. Their spears vanished in the air and never met their intended targets.

Akantu, Medoria’s supreme general, said to Chief Vukan, Please call off your attack. We mean you no harm. We have come to share a gift with the daughter of N’Firi.

The chief was reluctant but ordered his men to cease their attack, and the ten knights landed their tigers on the ground. The villagers retreated to their cabins while their soldiers readied their spears for another attack.

Chief Vukan guided N’Rya so that she stood behind him and Akantu said, Chief Vukan of the Okowan people. I was sent here by King Gyoku and Queen N’Firi. We were given orders to share our powers with the little girl. The one called N’Rya.

Chief Vukan agreed. When they each placed their hand upon the little girl’s forehead, they not only shared a fraction of their powers but even their immortality, a gift they did not announce. 

When N’Rya was four years of age, a small band of vagabonds called the Valkesh attacked the Okowan, and a raging fire burned her village. Chief Vukan and the others perished in the attack, leaving young N'Rya to be the last of the Okowan. She was rescued by none other than the man who initiated the attack, named H’Ukan’A.

H’Ukan’A was a young tribe ruler, filled with rage fueled by the lies told to him by his elders. Though he was blinded by hatred toward a man he never knew, he felt something special when he found the little girl weeping against a cypress tree. Terrified, she stood to her feet as he approached her and attempted to flee, but the flames of the raging inferno trapped her where she stood. Please, he said to her, I won’t hurt you.

You lie, replied N’Rya. Go away.

The man she saw was a giant silhouette of a devilish monster. He wore a beige cloth around his waist and a large red sash draped from his right shoulder to his left hip. His head was shaved like a monk's, and his bare feet were covered in dirt and filth. His ear lobes contained large hole piercings and draped half the distance to his shoulders.

Almost instantly, H’Ukan’A’s anger and rage transformed into remorse and conviction. Please. I never meant to hurt anyone. I don’t know what I was thinking.

Go away. Please. I want my father.

Little girl, what’s your name?

I’m not telling you.

As the raging inferno closed in on H’Ukan’A and the little girl, he stretched his hand toward her and urged, Come. Now. You’ll die if you stay here.

N’Rya was terrified of the man who stood before her, but she was even more afraid of death by fire. She complied with H’Ukan’A and followed him and his men to the Valkesh settlement, a grieving nine-day journey through an unforgiving range of mountains. 

When they arrived at a tent resembling a Native American teepee, N’Rya met the gorgeous queen of the tribe, Ursula. Hello, little one, she said to the girl, and who might you be?

The sad little girl remained silent while she gazed upon the queen’s beautiful appearance. Ursula's ocean-blue eyes, luscious lips, and wavy brown hair appeared so angelic that they commanded the attention of everyone who glanced in her direction. Even N’Rya became captivated by her beauty.

The little girl peered at the queen’s attire, which was a violet-colored cloth covering her bosom and another fabric around her waist. It’s okay, said the queen, I understand you’re afraid. After all, I would be, too, if I lost my family and was carried off to their killer’s home. Ursula patiently awaited any response from N’Rya. She felt further encouragement was needed to convince the little girl that she was safe to speak. The queen asked, Would you care for something to drink? N’Rya stood weeping. She turned her eyes toward Ursula and nodded. Ursula grinned and said, There, that’s a start. I’ll be right back.

The queen exited the tent and commanded the outside guard to keep a close eye on the little girl to prevent her escape. The guard then stood outside the tent’s only exit, assuming that if N’Rya escaped, she would have to pass next to him.

They didn’t know that the little girl possessed magic beyond their understanding. A fleeting vacuum inside the tent tugged the walls from all sides and returned to their original position. Concerned, the guard rushed inside and found that it had become vacant. Oh boy, said the guard, the Queen is going to have me killed for this.

You’re most certainly right, replied Ursula as she entered, "I thought I commanded you to guard the tent? To prevent her escape?"

Yes, my queen.

How did she get past you?

He replied, pointing toward the tent’s entrance, She didn’t exit through there.

Ursula became impatient and frustrated. She remarked, There is no other exit. Never mind. Find the little girl and bring her to me.

Minutes later, H’Ukan’A received word of N’Rya’s escape and immediately ordered every member of his troop to engage in her search. He felt that there was something special about the little girl as he recalled a prophecy told to him by his elders when he was just a boy. The prophecy said that a baby girl would be gifted with unique abilities from the gods and would one day use her gifts to save the world from an incredible evil. The prophecy also told that she would possess the ability to share her gifts with whomever she deemed worthy. He thought anyone who possessed the power to disappear must have gotten their power from the gods. He was sure she must be the girl of whom the prophecy told. Feeling remorse over the genocide of her tribe, he planned to seek the girl himself, no matter its duration.

He spent nearly eight long years tirelessly searching modern-day South America until one day, while he rested along a riverbank with three of his loyal guards to fetch some water, he was visited by a young boy. He appeared to be age seven and told a fascinating story about a girl who healed a dead man. He had heard many stories of miraculous healing during his journey, but none quite as spectacular. Curious and excited by his electrifying tale, he asked the young boy, Are you sure it wasn’t a trick? A rouse?

No, he replied, it was real. And what’s a rouse?

Never mind. How old would you say is the girl?

I’m not sure. She is a child. Older than me.

H’Ukan’A felt confident he had finally come close to finding the girl who possessed supernatural gifts. Where can I find her? he urged. I must find her at once.

She resides in a small loft in the market. Just above the blacksmith.

H’Ukan’A and his guards raced on foot toward the village center of Lakoya, located in modern-day Peru, and onward to the market. There, they found goods of all kinds, and the street was overpopulated with people, donkeys, and carts. One could not simply run about these parts without jostling against nearly everything. Feeling utter confidence that nothing would further hinder him from reaching the girl, H’Ukan’A rushed toward the crowd and bashed anyone who stood in the way. Four royal guards took notice of H’Ukan’A’s reckless actions and began their pursuit.

Undeterred by their haste, he fought through the crowd until he found an unattended cart containing nothing but a wool blanket, then hid inside until the royal guards vacated the area. His three loyal guards, who attended his side for nearly eight years, weren’t so lucky. They were captured but remained silent about their master’s location.

Once H’Ukan’A discovered that the royal guards had discontinued their pursuit, he exited the cart and rushed toward the building occupied by the blacksmith. A stone stair accessway was positioned to the left of the small cube-shaped building, and the door to the loft was placed at its top. H’Ukan’A believed that his moment of finding the girl had finally arrived. He rushed toward the stairs and ascended to the door. Once he reached the loft, he swung open the door to discover that Ursula had found N’Rya first, and she held a boy against her with a knife near his throat. 

Astounded, H’Ukan’A asked, Ursula? What’s happening? What is this? Who is the boy? Where have you been?

H’Ukan’A and Ursula hadn't seen each other for two years. She fell in love with another man and abandoned H’Ukan’A and their daughter, Nailah.

Don’t you stand there and act like you don’t want the same thing, shouted Ursula. You’ve been pursuing her power, and so have I.

Yes, but not like this. Not this way. No one needs to be harmed.

N’Rya felt disbelief and became appalled by his comment. She asked, But you attacked my village... and killed my people. How can I be sure that you mean no harm?

I am very sorry for that. Lies clouded my judgment. I believed your people were the enemy. I know it doesn’t absolve me of what I’ve done. He knelt on his knees and pleaded, Please. Please forgive me. I have spent the last eight years searching the entire world to find you. Not for your powers… but for your forgiveness.

Spare me the lies, shouted Ursula, You are no more worthy of forgiveness than I.

I forgive you, Ursula. I forgive you for finding love in another man. I forgive you for abandoning Nailah and me. I wish you well. And your lover.

Ursula slightly lowered her knife as if she planned to free the boy. Then suddenly, she pressed the blade of her knife to the boy’s throat, and an extraordinary moment of swift magic swept the room like a fleeting gust of wind. Believing the plea of her father’s killer, N’Rya stretched her hands toward H’Ukan’A, and as if Ursula and the boy had frozen in time, she released a shared copy of her magic with the man she had forgiven, hoping that he would use it to save