Summon the Elven Mage, Barbara Ferrier [ebook reader with highlighter .TXT] 📗

room, so he’d feel like a guest on vacation. Out the window was a view of the floating mountains and the Ball Return. Large transparent purple and white spheres filled the sky. Beneath them was an array of geometric buildings in the hills. The three moons of Kalendra could also be seen clearly in the evening sky.

As Kris awoke, he heard the murmur of voices in the dining room downstairs.

“Well, hello,” Kris said as he pinched himself again, seeing Sylvia across the room. “I … I … How …? Where … am I …?” Kris looked at himself in bed in a genuinely nice hotel room. He felt clean and comfortable in the pajamas he wore. He glimpsed his face in the mirror next to the bed and saw he looked like he’d been beaten by a nasty opponent. He sported a big black eye and scratches on his nose and cheek. Sylvia walked across the room and looked into his eyes as she sat down.

“What?” Kris said.

“Welcome,” she said. “Not sure how you ended up here. Good thing Shantini and Jetson found you. My wolves. They keep things running smoothly around here. If you’d stayed in that canyon much longer,” she shook her head. “While you were asleep, Shantini showed me where she found you. We wanted to be sure you hadn’t lost anything, so we searched in case anything had fallen out of your bag. I found these.” Sylvia pulled out a pencil and two ink pens that Jim had given Kris to draw the mural.

“My bag … Oh, right.” Kris paused, staring off for a minute. “Is there a man named Kelne who lives near here? I met him, and we had a lovely cup of tea. Is that possible? I don’t know what’s real and what my brain is making up. I seem to have forgotten … uh … quite a lot.”

“Kelne is a friend of mine. My name is Sylvia.”

“Sylvia, yes. That’s right. He said I should meet you. I don’t think he meant by nearly killing myself.”

She smiled kindly. “Are you hungry? I thought you might want to sit at the table over there.” She nodded toward the window. “I can help. You won’t need to move.”

“My body was broken. I remember that. My back and my legs felt like they were facing the wrong way. Is that what happened? That big gust of wind said the world had had just about enough of me. I think I was discarded off the cliff,” Kris said. “Kelne said I’d be okay on my own. Then I relived my most ridiculous memories. I couldn’t get my mind to stop racing from one humiliation to another. I assure you it wasn’t nearly as much fun as it sounds,” he said in jest, trying to smile through bruised and swollen lips.

Sylvia looked Kris in the eye. “We can teach you how to deal with that wind. Welcome. And your name?”

“Oh, I’m Kris. Kris Campbell is my full name. Where … where exactly are we? I was on Earth with my friend Edwardo, but he had to leave in an emergency. I thought I was going crazy, but he insisted the spirit of the village had pierced my heart and I would be fine. … I don’t mean to ramble, but none of this makes any sense.” He tried to shake his head, but his neck hurt too much.

Sylvia listened carefully.

“There was this woman. She showed me the archaeological site and insisted I protect the ancestors. But when I watched her, she walked up to a large round colorful carving in the cliff wall. Then she touched it and disappeared. I don’t know where she went. But I took the time to draw what was on that wall. I think I might have touched it too, by accident. The next thing I knew, I was standing in a bank of clouds next to a similar carving, with my journal and a few pens in my hand. Does any of that make sense, or am I completely mad?” Kris looked over at Sylvia, who listened to every word.

“You were on Earth?” Sylvia said. “And touched a carved mural that brought you here?”

“Yeah. Where else can people live but Earth? Where are we?”

Sylvia placed the green crystal on Kris’s leg once again, to reduce the swelling and bruising. Then she helped him, using her magic, to move to the table by the window. Kris saw mountains floating in the sky, and three moons. He stared into the very unusual view in disbelief. He turned to Sylvia and back to the window two more times.

“Where are we?” Kris asked.

“Kalendra, of course. We’re in the Outer Plateaus, to be more specific.”

“The Outer …?”

“Plateaus. Close to the White City,” Sylvia said.

“The White City. Kelne told me about that place. He said I would also like Wizandor Village,” Kris said. “That’s where I was headed when I had an argument with those winds.”

“You’re not crazy,” Sylvia said. “Those are places we recommend. When you’re a little stronger, I’ll give you a tour, introduce you to my friends.” She smiled.

“But what am I doing in Kalendra?” Kris said, sounding desperate. “I mean, isn’t it odd? I couldn’t … tell anyone. They’d lock me up for being delusional if you know what I mean.

“Everything was normal until I got to the Paris train station. It was that little man in the crowd. He … started all of this. He told me to use my intuition, simplify my life. It worked. But then it led me way off the beaten path, until I got … here.” Kris looked up, bemused. “Does that mean I’m supposed to be here? Is that what’s going on?”

Sylvia met his eyes. “You said it. What do you think?”

Kris took a big bite of the savory pie Sylvia served him. He didn’t know what to think. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the combination of savory and sweet flavors.

“I think … that this food is delicious, and you are exceedingly kind to take care of me. Thank you,”