Chapter One
The Female Magician
The small pebble glided smoothly through the air, landing with a small splash in the round pond ahead. Small ripples surged away from the spot the stone had landed at, splashing lightly against the shoreline. The small brown dog rushed forwards at the sight of the small green frog leaping into the pond to investigate the disturbance. Stopping at the water's edge to peek at the frog, the dog found itself staring into a now still pond with a shimmering glass top and the reflection of himself. The dog barked, then backed up, timid by nature.
To the side, a rustling of tall grass attracted the dog's attention, and it went to sniff about. Another stone found its way though the air and into the pond. But this time the stone was flat, without a crack, bump, or crevace. The stone skipped its way across the pond, the glass-like appearence fading, replaced by many small ripples, gathering together at the shores and in the center of the pond. The frog that had been perched atop the lily pad quickly dove for cover, burrying itself in the soft mud below. The dog, now tired with the rustling of the grass, focused his attention once more upon the pond, amused by the small wave-like ripples, the rocking lily pad, and the croaking of frogs and chirping of crikets.
The dog sat down, panting slightly, it's tongue drooping from its mouth, and smiled as best as it could. A large splash caused the dog to leap up and dart backwards. A blue-green coloured fish poked its head out of the water slightly, then was gone. A large rock- the cause of the splash- sat in the middle of the pond, too big to sink its way to the bottom.
A girl of about thirteen appeared beside the dog, laughing quietly to herself. Her left hand was just visible beneath the long red coloured sleeve of her shirt, while her right arm protruded further out, due to the torn sleeve of the shirt on the right side. Her feet were tucked inside small shoes, and she wore loose jeans over her legs, and the shirt she wore was faded white. Her hair was tied back in a long braid, and on her right arm she wore a black coloured bracelet with the image of a four legged creature with wings. Hanging from her neck was a necklace with the letter 'D' on it.
The pond grew quiet, the girl no longer throwing stones into the water. The dog, still panting, lay down, closing his eyes. A drop of water fell on the girl's head, then a second and third followed. The sky was dark, it had been for quite a while, though the girl had no intention of going home. She had waited for this exact time to be at the pond. Pulling her left sleeve up with her right hand, the girl placed her left hand into the glass surface of the pond, and the water spread to the edges, pouring out the sides and soaking into the ground.
The rain was now pounding down, the girl's clothing soaked, her dog's fur drenched. But the pond, still quiet, remained dry, no water entering the now magical place. A face, shrouded in mist, appeared from the ground of the pond, followed by dark wings and a clawed hand. The being spoke quietly, clearly, and with a sound of authority.
"Once again you have called me forth, magician of Terra Eterna. Once again, the people of my universe are in jeopardy because I am gone. What do you want."
The girl stared at the being with no emotion, not even a shard of fear. "I have called you... because the ultimate gate has been sighted..."
The being stared at her, his face no longer covered by an angry smile, but by a stern and serious expression. "You were right to call me, magician. We shall keep in touch. If the gate is sighted again, make sure I know." The being's face, wings, and hand sank down into the pond's ground, the water returning to the pond.
The girl reached around, her hand pulling the eleastic from her braid, her wet hair falling around her face, covering the tears that were falling along her face. The dog ran towards his owner, the wet fur squished against her side.
"I know, Tanner, I know what needs to be done too," the girl said to her dog, "We need to follow him next time..."
