The Sorcerer and the Sphinx

Chapter 1: The Gardens

Once upon a time, in a land far from here, a young man lived in the quaint village of Lyamel. He was much like any other young man- He loved to fish and hunt and spar with the other villagers. But there was one thing different about him. As his friends began to fall and love and to marry, the young man remained wary of love and refused to find a suitor. Soon, the young man grew to be an old and miserable warlock, who sought the use of magic to try to fill the hole in his heart. But magic only goes so far, and the spells he cast made him incapable of love. So he hid in his manor, never venturing beyond its walls. The villagers began to talk, wondering what happened to him, but even then the talking died off, the villagers forgetting all about him. Then, one dark winter's eve, a young woman knocked on his door, seeking refuge from the cold. He granted it, albeit reluctantly, and provided her with a night's rest. Despite his hesitation, the warlock felt something awaken in his heart that night, something he had never felt before. The young woman decided to stay with the old warlock while she recovered, and soon enough, he fell in love. Against all odds, the wizard fell deeply and madly in love with the young woman and begged her to stay. She refused, however, for she felt nothing for the warlock in the end. This enraged the old warlock, who began to cast a spell that would force the young woman to stay. But the young woman knew magic too and revealed herself to be a very powerful enchantress. The warlock tried to apologize, but it was too late for him. She swore he would never love again, and that he would be doomed to an eternity in his manor, all alone.

***

The wizard Xeleus sat alone, in his tower of Icrevys, where he pondered books. One book, in particular. It had been seven years since the enchantress, Esther, had left him to rot. As he looked over the book, one who was watching behind his back would visibly be able to see small droplets of water fall onto the book pages, which looked like they had suffered a lot of use. And they had

Deep in the woods, the young woman Elsa Blackwood, who had fiery red hair and a temper quite the opposite, walked alone. Young Elsa had gotten lost on her journey from her home city of Kyalean to the village Lyamel. She now found herself deep in the Shadowed Wood, far from anything she knew. Night was beginning to fall, and she knew that soon the blackness would overcome her and that she needed to find shelter. The first shelter she happened upon was an old, seemingly abandoned manor.

She knew she had heard of this manor before. It was called Whitewillow Gardens, such a pleasant name for such a sinister place. She walked up to the gates, which she found unlocked. Xeleus always kept the gates locked, though she wasn't to know that. She had heard that a horrible figure lurked in the Gardens, and she hugged herself, perhaps from the cold. She reached the front doors and knocked. Once, twice, three times, and found that the door stayed very decidedly unopened.

Elsa waited for a few minutes more, pacing across the threshold before finally the door opened. And awaiting her was a man, possibly forty-three in age, who looked upon her with weary blue eyes.

"What do you want, girl?" he asked harshly, and Elsa noticed, with no kindness whatsoever. She cowered before him.

"I appear to have lost my way, sir, and I find myself in need of shelter, and a warm bath. The sun will be gone soon, so I beg of you to please allow me a bed for the night." He huffed at her request.

"And why should I grant you a bed for the night, girl?" he asked.

"If you are kind, your heart will grant me a bed," she said simply. And her words struck such a chord with him, like something he had heard long ago, that he couldn't refuse. He left the door open for her, quickly turning on his heel and walking away. Elsa shivered at the cold of the manor but was glad for the refuge from the unbearing night.

He led her up a large, grand staircase. He led with a single candle in his hand, which seemed way brighter than a candle should have been. He opened the door to a bedroom, which contained a single bed, a wardrobe, and a dressing table. He lit the candle on the table, before turning to her.

"You may stay here tonight. The bathroom is through that door," he gestured to a door in the corner of a room, where the door mysteriously opened, "If you would like food, think of what you want, and snap your fingers," he said vaguely before spinning around and walking quickly out of the door, closing it with a slam on his way out.

Now, our Elsa Blackwood was no fool, and under normal circumstances, she knew better than to fully trust a random old man living alone in a creepy old manor. However, she was also very tired, and very hungry, and the non-sensible part of her brain whispered to her that there was no harm in trying. So she thought of delicious rump roast and jumble cookies and snapped her fingers.

Miraculously, a plate of rump roast and a jar of jumble cookies appeared on the dressing table, hot and ready to be eaten. She greedily ate the food, not pausing to wonder about how it appeared. It was only later, much later, while she lay in bed, that she remembered one of the old stories she had heard; that the Gardens were occupied by a Warlock, and that the Gardens were magical as well as sinister. She wondered if it was true.

Elsa should have known, of course, that all stories are very true, as long as they come straight from the source. And this story, indeed, was true.