The Hunt for the Hollower, page 1
For Grandmommie, who always cheered me on
“THE HOLLOWER”
Being an excerpt from Lady Phelia’s
Nursery Rhymes to Caution and
Correct Ill-Behaved Children
The Hollower’s on the hunt, my child
The Hollower’s on the hunt
Your magic he’ll steal
With cunning and zeal
The Hollower’s on the hunt
The Hollower’s on the prowl, my dear
The Hollower’s on the prowl
Your spirit he’ll sap
With evil entrap
The Hollower’s on the prowl
A WORD FROM OUR NARRATOR
Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there was a wizard named Merlyn. This name might sound familiar, but this Merlyn is not your Merlyn, just as this world is not your world. This story takes place in a magical land, full of fairies, and underwater cities, and a lamentable absence of funnel cake.
Though this story takes place in this magical land, it doesn’t belong to it. Stories, you see, aren’t confined to a single space or time, as most things are.
Now then.
This story isn’t about Merlyn, but it begins with him.
Merlyn, the trusted royal advisor. Merlyn, the greatest wizard in history. Merlyn, who popped out of a magical portal after defeating the villainous sorceress Morgan le Fey and was met by a throng of anxious citizens desperate to know if evil had been vanquished.
“Of course she’s been vanquished,” Merlyn snapped, his staff still smoking from the battle. Once this was tidied up, he’d have to report to the queen, who’d been cursed into a sheep by Morgan.
“Three cheers for the most powerful wizard of all time!”
“Ha!” Merlyn scoffed. He waved his hand over the smoking end of his staff, and it burst into flames. He shook it irritably to put it out. “Wait until you see my great-great-great-great-great-grandchild!”
In the back of the crowd, a boy with a falcon perched on his shoulder scowled.
The portal Merlyn had appeared from was already gone. The wizard stood alone—except for the crowd—in the midst of a circle of enormous stone pillars, each of them easily five times the height of a grown man.
“Why?” a centaur shouted.
“What will they do?” an old man called out.
Merlyn slammed his staff into the ground. A jet of water shot up from it, finally extinguishing the smoldering bits with a hiss. “You’ll have to wait and find out! It’s dangerous to know the future.”
Merlyn’s owl familiar swooped down and perched on his staff. “Don’t be rude,” the owl scolded.
No one likes being left in the dark, especially a crowd of people who had nearly been destroyed by the embodiment of evil, but Merlyn had an advantage when it came to knowing things. He had the gift of foresight. He was able to look ahead and see things that hadn’t happened yet, but probably would. The future wasn’t always clear, but it was exceptionally less foggy when he checked in on it than when you or I try.
In any case, it was too late. Word had already swept through the crowd that Merlyn’s seventh descendant would do great things. Wonderful things. Miraculous things.
This story is about Merlyn’s seventh descendants. Let’s meet them, shall we?
They’re about to dabble in mischief that’s going to take a turn for the worse.
1 In which magic goes awry and a scheme is hatched
Merlynda of Merlyn Manor hadn’t meant to turn every inkwell in the stationery shop into miniature never-ending geysers. She also hadn’t meant to give the townspeople another magical mishap to gossip about, but she knew that’s exactly what would happen. And she absolutely, positively had not meant to practice her magic before she returned home, and not just because that’s what her mother had suggested this morning on their way into town. Today’s magical bungle had just sort of happened, which unfortunately was a common occurrence for Merlynda.
Inks of every color sprang across the shop, spraying parchment, waxes, and fancy quill pens. Panicked patrons knocked into Merlynda as they rushed out. Mr. Wintley, the faun who owned the shop, gaped at his ruined goods. Lavender-scented specialty ink burst across his cream-colored shirt and red-brown fur, filling the air with its fragrance.
Merlynda twisted as a jet of blue ink shot toward her, taking the blast on her back but protecting the envelope she clutched. She tucked the envelope into her purple robes, then turned back to Mr. Wintley. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’ll fix it!” She closed her eyes to sense the magic and—
“No! You’ve done enough!” Mr. Wintley wailed, then tried to compose himself. He gripped his horns. “I mean, er, perhaps your mother, or maybe your brother, could…?”
As if on cue, the bell above the shop door rang and Percy, Merlynda’s twin brother, stepped in. They shared their mother’s deep blue eyes and chestnut hair, but Percy always managed to strike a more collected figure. Probably because he’d never once accidentally magicked a hive of bees into the library, or teleported his lentils into the milk jug, or set off an entire shop’s ink supply into never-ending geysers. He wasn’t constantly worrying about what his magic might do next. If Percy ever wanted to do any of those things, he did it on purpose, and perfectly.
“Merlynda, haven’t you finished…?” He trailed off as a green ink jar’s cork flew at him, catching him full in the face. He froze for a moment, taking in the bursting inkpots throughout the small shop, and then started laughing.
Mr. Wintley tugged on his horns harder, hopping from one hoofed foot to the other. “Master Percy, I hardly think this is cause for amusement!”
“It’s all right, Mr. Wintley.” Percy dodged a spray of ink, unconcerned about his splattered robes. “I’ll have everything back before you can say, ‘Merlyn’s goat.’ ”
Percy focused on the ink. Magic was accessed through four primary elements: Earth, Water, Air, and Fire. Through these, wizards and other magical beings connected with the Aether—the real magic. Percy’s affinity was for Air, but it didn’t really matter. He was almost as adept with all of the elements.
Merlynda, on the other hand, bungled all of the elements equally.
She watched as Percy found the Water within the ink and used his magic to push past the Water and into the Aether. It was always at this point in the magical process that things went awry for Merlynda, usually in some form of explosion. She could never quite manage to touch the Aether.
And then, each time, the magic laughed at her. She could feel it now, laughing at the ink raining down all around them.
The magic never laughed at Percy. It apparently did whatever he bid. Percy didn’t study half as much as Merlynda (or at all, really), but magic had always come easily to him. The twins were only eleven, but Percy was already one of the most talented wizards to ever live, and he knew it. Which is why instead of calling their mother like they were supposed to whenever Merlynda bungled something, Percy cleaned up her mess. The inkwells stopped overflowing, and the stray drops and geysers throughout the shop reversed, swimming back to their pots and jars. Droplets peeled away from the parchment, quills, and even Mr. Wintley’s shirt, fluttering back to their containers.
Merlynda breathed a sigh of relief. She never meant to do any harm, but her magic always seemed to have a mind of its own.
Mr. Wintley was awestruck. “Master Percy! That was marvelous! Wondrous! Masterful! Why, if you aren’t the Septimum Genus, I’ll—” He stopped and turned red, as if suddenly remembering Merlynda was there. He needn’t have worried. Merlynda was used to such things and wasn’t bothered.
The twins’ birth had caused tremendous confusion eleven years ago. No one understood how to interpret Merlyn’s prophecy about the Septimum Genus—his seventh descendant who was meant to do spectacular things—when there were two. Was the Septimum Genus the oldest (Merlynda, by a whole seven minutes)? Or the one who showed the most magical talent (clearly Percy)?
Some people tried to blame their mother, claiming that because she’d married a nonmagical human instead of a wizard, she’d ruined Merlyn’s prophecy. Mother fired back that either Merlyn’s foresight was right, or it wasn’t, but it wouldn’t be her fault if his words didn’t come to pass. She’d marry whomever she pleased and have as many children as she liked, thank you very much.
There was also a good deal of speculation about what great things the Septimum Genus would do. For generations, the townspeople had come to Merlyn Manor seeking potions for illnesses or help removing a stray hex that blew in, but after the twins were born, things got out of hand. When they were very young, they’d be approached by townspeople who wanted their gardens to produce year-round without being tended, or travelers who wanted magical powers (magic was common enough in the world, but magical beings were a good deal rarer). Once, a young archer dressed in Lincoln green had asked them for a charm that would guarantee he’d marry his true love. He promised to have his friend write a ballad about the twins in return, so the whole land of Faelor would know of their talents.
Mother had shooed the archer away from the manor, with just a touch of Earth magic to speed him along. She also might have shouted after him that clearly too much of the world already knew of the twins’ talents, what with how often strangers barged into their affairs, and that she wouldn’t have any of it any longer. The archer left in a hurry, and word of Mother’s new boundary swept through everyone who knew of the Septimum Genus (which was the majority of the known world, to
Now that they were a bit older and their talents had had the opportunity to mature, everyone in Avonshire secretly (or not so secretly) believed that Percy was the Septimum Genus. This was just fine with Merlynda, who believed that herself. Besides, who wanted strangers constantly asking you for favors, or expecting you to always perform miracles? Who wanted the world breathing down your neck, to see what “great things” you would do?
This was why comments like Mr. Wintley’s didn’t trouble her. That, and Merlynda had less lofty goals at the moment. All she wanted was to control her magic, or at least feel comfortable with her powers. Other than that, as long as Percy was around for getting into and out of mischief with her, and as long as her best friend, Neci, was by her side, she couldn’t imagine needing anything else.
Merlynda looked at Mr. Wintley, sheepish. “I really am sorry about all of the ink, Mr. Wintley. Is the back room all right?”
Mr. Wintley didn’t quite flinch at Merlynda addressing him. “I’m sure it’s fine, Miss Merlynda, perfectly fine.” The front of the shop was devoted to stationery, but Mr. Wintley also dealt in a number of oddities and knickknacks that travelers brought in. He liked knowing things, and knew at least a little about almost everything. “Master Percy set everything straight now, didn’t he? Still got your envelope?”
Merlynda pulled the envelope from her robes. Not a drop of ink had touched it. Neci’s birthday present was inside, and if Merlynda ruined that, she didn’t know how she’d get another one.
“Excellent,” Mr. Wintley said, gazing around his shop in a daze. “Wonderful. Well, then, you two better run along.” He forced a laugh. “Give your parents my regards.”
Merlynda and Percy knew a dismissal when they heard one and took their leave.
“That was brilliant,” Percy said, replaying the ink geysers in his mind as they walked down the main street of Avonshire. “It was like an ink rainbow exploded in the shop. Are you all right?”
“No!” Merlynda said. She, too, was replaying the incident in her mind, but it made her shudder. “What if you hadn’t been able to fix it? I would’ve ruined everything in his store!”
“Sure, but I was there. How did it happen, anyway?”
Merlynda sighed. “I was signing my name to show that I’d picked up my envelope, and the ink blotted. So I tried to fix it.”
Percy tried hard not to laugh. He loved his sister and really wasn’t poking fun at her, but he also didn’t understand how one of Merlyn’s descendants could be so dismal at magic.
“It isn’t funny!” Merlynda shoved Percy playfully, and he tried to stifle his snickering.
“An inkblot,” he said with a mostly straight face, “that turned into a rainbow of infinite ink…”
Merlynda finally cracked a smile. “Maybe it’s a little funny. But only because you were able to fix it.”
Percy collected himself and waved at a group of townspeople across the street. A gnome pretended not to see and hurried his children on, but several waved back and whispered to one another excitedly. Percy pulled at the Water and Air around him, creating a fluffy cloud that he reshaped with his magic: a flower, a troll, one of the gawking townspeople, and so on. Mother would scold him if she saw (Magic isn’t a plaything, she always said), but he couldn’t help showing off. He loved showing off.
Merlynda rolled her eyes. Percy would be insufferable if it weren’t for the fact that he always, always had her back. He never lorded his skills over her, and he never even made fun of her for her magical mishaps. He might laugh a bit while cleaning things up, but it was never mean-spirited.
Their family had lived just outside of Avonshire for generations—it was where Merlyn had eventually settled down after defeating Morgan le Fey—so seeing them in town was hardly novel, even if they were the only magical beings around for miles. Since Merlyn’s day, the small village had grown into a bustling town. The streets were always busy, particularly in the main square, and as far as Merlynda could tell, they lacked for nothing. She loved it here. It was perfect.
Well, almost perfect. If she could make clouds dance like Percy could, or brew the odd potion like Mother sometimes did, perhaps the townspeople wouldn’t look at her with quite so much fear.
For now, she pretended not to notice whenever someone shot her a frightened glance, or even worse, a look of pity. “The magic laughed at me again,” she said quietly. “After the ink started springing up everywhere.”
Percy let his cloud dissipate and gave his sister his full attention. The magic had never laughed at him, and it sounded terrible. He knew how desperately his twin wanted to understand her magic. “Is it still laughing?” he asked.
Merlynda paused for a moment, listening. “No. But why does it do that?” She let the frustration creep into her voice. “It’s like it’s mocking me anytime I try to use my magic.”
“We’ll figure it out, Merlynda,” he told her, and he meant every scrap of determination he put into his voice. “Together. You’re going to be an amazing wizardess.”
Merlynda gave him a small smile. Percy might (probably) be the Septimum Genus, and he was certainly a show-off, but at the end of the day, he was always her brother. “Thanks, Percy.”
Percy’s eyes lit up, an idea forming. “Didn’t you say you found an Elemental Focus in the library the other day?”
“Yeeeees…,” Merlynda said, guessing at what Percy was thinking.
Her brother did a little leap of excitement. “Let’s summon an Elemental Stone! They’re really powerful, right? I bet you could use one to control your magic.”
Merlynda narrowed her eyes. “And if we’re successful, you’d be the youngest wizard to ever summon one.”
Percy flashed her a brilliant grin. “Well, sure. Win-win.”
Merlynda hesitated, but Percy leaned in.
“C’mon, I’ll be there. We’re Merlyn’s descendants. What can go wrong?”
A lot, they both knew. But Merlynda grinned back and nodded. “I’m in.”
* * *
Across the town square, Neci the Ardent, Merlynda’s aforementioned best friend, was drooling over the daggers on display at Avonshire’s blacksmith. Avonshire didn’t have an armory, but the minotaur blacksmith always had a few daggers available for purchase. Neci was expressly forbidden from gawking at them for as long as she had this morning. Not by the minotaur, who found Neci’s enthrallment amusing, but by her parents.
Neci was the youngest in a long line of root vegetable merchants. For generations her ancestors had farmed, harvested, and sold beets, parsnips, and carrots of many colors to the good people who ventured to their shop in Avonshire. And venture they did, for Neci’s family was famous around the known world for their delectable product. Her mother was especially proud of their wholesome, all-natural growing techniques. NO MAGIC POWDERS, POTIONS, OR SPELLS, the elaborate sign above their shop boasted, along with their company slogan: NATURALLY EXQUISITE CULINARY INGREDIENTS.
Over time this slogan had been shortened to its acronym: NECI (pronounced NEE-see). When Neci was born, her parents were so tickled about their business, and how their only child would surely follow in their footsteps, that they named her after their success.
Root vegetable farming was an old and proud tradition, but Neci wanted nothing to do with it. She could never tell her parents this, but the thing she wanted most in the entire world, the longing that filled her dreams to the brim, was to be a knight. Hence, visiting the blacksmith every few days to stare longingly at the weapons. A dagger was hardly the impressive steel carried by noble and courageous knights, but it was a good step closer than nothing.
Neci tore herself away from the blacksmith’s. It wouldn’t do any good if her mother caught her gawking. She also preferred that her next errand be kept from her parents’ knowledge, as she had learned long ago to keep her knightly ambitions a secret, so she set off toward the stationery shop at a brisk clip. She was well stocked up on parchment and quills, but Mr. Wintley was the only merchant in town who sometimes received specialty shipments and curiosities from the city. Including, occasionally, new trading parchments for Neci’s favorite game: Ye Knoble Knights Defend the Civilized World.
