The Land Of Magic

By Tony Mortley

A collection of folktales with a modern twist to them. Magical and entertaining.

Tony Mortley is visually impaired and loves books, the arts in general as well as the sciences. He is a keen chess player. He resides in the United Kingdom.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gotham Books
• Release date: Oct 5, 2023
• ISBN: 9798887752976

Tony Mortley

Tony Mortley was born in Hawaii. He is registered legally blind. He loves music and the dramatic arts as well as literature.

Book preview

It was a dusty shop. Kelly loved looking inside it. There were books everywhere from the floor to the ceiling. As she was walking around, one book caught her eye. It was leather-bound, the only one of its kind in the whole shop. It looked like a children’s storybook. Kelly picked up the book. It was old. Very old. The pages were worn and yellow.

How much is this? she asked the ancient shopkeeper.

That old worthless thing? he said. I’ve been trying to get rid of that for years. You can have it for a fiver.

Done, said Kelly, and she handed him the note.

Once inside her bedroom, she shut the door and opened the book. On the first page was a picture of a wise-looking old man dressed in red robes. He had a long, white beard and bright, blue eyes. He carried a wand in his right hand. I wonder what his name is, thought Kelly.

My name is Arthur, said the voice of an old man.

Kelly looked up from the book. To her amazement, she saw the man standing in front of her! She looked down at the book. The page was blank.

But that’s impossible! she shrieked.

It’s magic, said Arthur. That book is magic. I’m Arthur the White Wizard. Who are you?

Kelly Clarke.

Well, Kelly Clarke, it is time for you to begin your adventure.

Adventure?

The Land of Magic needs your help. The Dark Witch must be destroyed, or else the Land of Magic is doomed.

Before Kelly could say another word, the wizard raised his wand towards the sky, pointed to the ground with his other hand, and said, As above, so below; as within, so without!

There was a blinding flash of light, and Kelly felt her whole-body tingle. Then, they were in a forest. But this wasn’t any old forest. The tree leaves were solid gold. The grass was a blanket of silver and gold, and silver flowers grew as high as her shoulders. They were in the Land of Magic.

They’re lovely! she said to the wizard.

Don’t be fooled by what something looks like, said the wizard.

What do you mean?

These trees are lethal.

All at once, it was dark. It was as if within a second, night had fallen.

That’s an example of black magic, said the wizard.

What does that mean?

My magic is not as powerful as this magic, said Arthur. It means we run!

Why?

If one of these trees touches you, you turn into one of them. Look!

Kelly looked and, to her horror, saw the trees uprooting themselves and walking towards her. They were making low, hollow moaning noises. She ran. The wizard was close behind her. Kelly glanced back quickly and saw the trees were gaining on them. She then noticed the landscape around them was turning rocky. All of a sudden, she found she had to stop.

What’s wrong? said Arthur. Keep going!

I can’t!

She pointed. Arthur looked and saw they were near the edge of a cliff. I’d much rather die than be one of those trees, he said.

They both looked at the trees approaching them and backed further and further towards the edge of the cliff. Kelly could feel the ground shake as their fate seemed doomed. And then suddenly …

K elly felt something grab the back of her neck, suspending her in mid-air. Her eyes stared at the ground, which was moving at a rapid pace beneath her.

Are we flying? she wondered.

We’ve been saved! Arthur said.

Kelly looked and saw her friend suspended from the claws of a giant hawk! She looked above her and saw feathers above her head. Two giant hawks had plucked them from the jaws of death. Having her life saved in such a dramatic way was too much for Kelly’s mind to cope with. She fainted.

The next thing she knew, she felt warm. Kelly opened her eyes and saw she was surrounded by several giant birds: hawks, kites, and falcons. In front of her, Arthur was kneeling in front of the biggest bird of them all – an enormous eagle with a golden crown on his head.

Your Majesty, Arthur was saying, this is Kelly Clarke.

Greetings, Kelly, said the eagle in a deep, throaty voice. I am King Wingfire, king of all the creatures of the air!

Thank you for sending your hawks to save us, said Arthur. Is there anything we can do to repay your kindness?

The Dark Witch is getting more powerful by the day, said the eagle. We must stop her before she destroys the Land of Magic.

Who is the Dark Witch? asked Kelly.

She is turning all the creatures in the land evil, said Arthur. We must stop her before all is lost.

How?

My magic is not powerful enough, said Arthur. The witch is gradually draining it through her mere presence in the land. However, Kelly, your magic may just be strong enough.

"I don’t have magic!’

You summoned me to your world. Although you did not realize it at the time, you did it through magic.

You must train her, and train her quickly, said King Wingfire. Do you have enough power to transport you both to the Testing Desert, where you learned your magic, Arthur?

Just about, Your Majesty. But my power is nearly gone.

He looked at Kelly and raised his wand above his head.

Ahabadabrha-tze! he thundered.

A wind began to blow, and Kelly felt incredibly hot. All at once, the birds were gone. Instead, Kelly found herself with Arthur in the middle of a vast wasteland. There were rocks and sand everywhere and not a cloud in the sky.

This is one of the last places the witch’s magic will be able to touch. The final place will be the Cave of Ice. Anyone who enters the cave will turn to ice immediately. Now, Kelly Clarke, it is time to start your training.

S ee that large boulder? said Arthur, pointing. Imagine a ball of white light in front of you. Move the white light until it collides with the boulder. Then lift your gaze upwards."

Kelly did as she was told. To her utter astonishment and disbelief, the enormous object lifted slightly off the ground as the light collided