Jason Gilleylin knew he was going to have to cross the dark forest in order to arrive in Cirrkuth for his initiation into his Master's Society of Sorcerers. He understood that even though he was the youngest ever to be initiated, he was old enough. He was to make his journey alone, as his Master's Health had been failing fast.

Inexperience caught Jason unprepared for nightfall. Groping on hands and knees through thorny bushes and prickly weeds, he searched for deadwood as dark, ominous images danced in his head.

He imagined fire-breathing dragons devouring other young men who had attempted to cross the terrible, dark forest before him. He imagined what his true danger looked like, the one known to him as Lord Drewk. His dark thoughts teased his senses as shadows wove themselves through darker spaces.

After seeming hours of wood gathering, Jason sat before his woodpile, concentrating on starting a warming fire, whose brilliance he hoped would chase away the frightening images from his mind. He closed his eyes and concentrated on a swirl of red energy, making it spin around his head. He directed a beam into the woodpile until he felt warmth playing across his body.

Opening his eyes, he found his success was not imaginary ... the wood burned! He quickly glanced about and could find nothing else illuminating the night sky. Filled with pride, he allowed himself a small victory dance around his campfire.

"See, Master?" he called out into the still night, "I told you I could take care of myself!"

"What?" questioned Master Nardutth's image, floating within Jason's mind, "Is the forest still intact?"

Jason's face reddened with the reminder of his past mistakes. He hung his head sheepishly and responded meekly, "Yes, Master. Only the wood burns ... this time."

"Well done, Jason. Well done in deed." His Master's voice trailed off after his fading image.

Sitting before his fire, wrapping his arms about himself, and soaking in the fire's warmth, Jason reflected on his past. He remembered his many times of burning everything but what he intended. He also remembered the basis of his loyalty to and love for Master Nardutth, the one who had found him abandoned at the edge of the forest years before. He was grateful for his Master taking him in and raising him as his own. With his many blunders, Jason often wondered why his Master wanted to keep him around and teach him anything.

A noise startled Jason from his reverie. Standing, his lungs felt heavy as he breathed in the dawn's foggy veil.

A cloaked form flowed toward him as sounds of giant wings flapped overhead. A sphere of liquid colors bobbed before the stranger. Jason was stunned. A familiarity with the stranger tugged at him as though reminding him of a dream long forgotten.

The stranger moved closer and closer.

Fear grabbed Jason's feet, freezing them where he stood. He called out, but the words lodged in his throat, fearing discovery.

The ball bobbed closer.

Electrified, Jason felt the oozing energies flow toward him as he watched a giant golden winged dragon land behind the stranger.

Feeling his journey now ended, Jason swallowed a lump of hopelessness and failure. He remained transfixed while the ball hovered inches before his eyes. Heaviness gripped his heart as he became engulfed with the swirling masses of fluid energy. His head throbbed rhythmically with his pounding heart. Colors crashed into his forehead with blinding brilliance. He felt himself falling as he blacked out.

When Jason came to, the fog was gone, so was the dragon along with the stranger. He looked about. Turning his head, his vision swam in nauseating currents of morning light. His stomach cramped with vice-like intensity. He squatted on the ground.

When able, he gathered his belongings and started walking deeper into the forest. Thick bramble bushes reached out as if alive, clawing and scratching at his thin body. Jason felt the pricking of each individual thorn. He heard flapping wings of a flock of birds flying overhead. He felt the sensuality of a breeze caressing the higher branches as he walked on. An uncanny beauty settled over the dark forest. He felt giddy with his new heightened awareness.

As the day progressed, a forewarning tingled the nape of his neck. Something awaited him ahead. Excitement coursed through him as a mysterious self-confidence never known before nudged him onward.

Night canceled day and Jason was better prepared. His campfire held back some of the coldness accompanying the deepening darkness of night. Seated on a log, warming himself, Jason felt eyes bearing on his back. Looking around, his eyes met only the night-fog trying to warm itself by his campfire.

Jason's head began bobbing up and down in rhythm with oncoming sleep. Visions of Cirrkuth, Master Nardutth, and his forthcoming initiation danced in his head. He thought he heard his Master speaking to him, when...

A dark, raspy voice whispered, "Jason." The voice shattered his thoughts. "Jason Gilleylin."

Startled, falling off his log, Jason cried out, "Wha...what? Who's there?"

A dark mass seemed to appear from nowhere before him, standing between him and his fire.

"Who are you?" Jason asked.

"I've come to hurry you along your journey. Quickly, Jason, you must come with me." the voice commanded.

"But...why? Who are you?" Jason repeated his question, not understanding what he was feeling from the dark stranger.

"Master Nardutth died early this morning. Quick, you must come with me."

"No!" Jason cried out. "You're lying. Master Nardutth was just fine when I left him two days ago." Jason remembered his master's failing health. A tear trickled down his distorted, grief stricken face.

"Come see for yourself," the dark voice pointed a gnarled finger to a small pool of water before him.

Jason cautiously came to the puddle and looked where the dark man was pointing. Dropping to his knees, Jason's voice wailed out to the tree tops, "NO!"

He felt his breath knocked out from him as he gasped. Before him was the image of his Master's limp, pale body being wrapped in what he knew to be funeral cloth. "No, Master. No." He fought back a floodgate of tears. He wanted to vomit his grief away.

"Beware of deceivers!" a voice commanded him from within the water.

Opening his eyes, Jason saw his Master looking straight at him.

"Stand fast your journey, Jason." Jason heard his Master order him as ripples washed away the image.

Shocked, Jason looked up from the rippled water and realized he was confronting his worst fear. "Lord Drewk!" he growled, shaking an angry fist. "You're a liar!"

Lord Drewk threw back his cloak and pointed a crooked wand toward Jason. Blue-white lightening danced around its tip.

Jason watched the display before him. At the same time, an angry red light began forming around his body, just barely within his realm of sight. Jason felt its warmth coursing its way through his entire body. He felt a pressure beginning to swell in his chest as he looked with hatred at his nemesis standing before him. He looked from side to side, trying to find an escape from whatever was coming his way from the gnarled wand.

Jason lunged to one side, rolling along the ground like a ball, as a bright flash stretched itself out from the wand. The blue-white lightening struck a bush behind where he stood only a moment ago. Jason saw it explode in devouring flames.

Slowly he stood up, watching the wand taking on more energy for another attempt. He pointed his hands toward his enemy and was as shocked to see what happened next as Lord Drewk was. Blue balls of fire shot out from his palms in rapid succession.

Lord Drewk jumped behind a tree, shielding himself from the blue onslaught. One moment the tree shielded him, the next moment it was gone!

Jason, wondering where his power had come from, was caught off guard. He did not have time to escape the oncoming bolt of energy Lord Drewk pointed his direction. He was struck squarely in the chest.

Knocked off his feet, Jason flew backward past two, three bushes. Sprawled on the ground, he wondered if he were dead. Feeling about himself, he discovered the flame had singed his clothing, but he was not hurt. Unsteadily, he got to his feet. Looking in Lord Drewk's direction, Jason saw the disbelief splayed across the nasty gnarled face before him.

Lord Drewk pointed his electric wand again, but Jason felt more confident as he felt something tingling on his forehead. Suddenly, hot balls of fire shot out from his eyes toward Lord Drewk. For an instant, Jason saw fear scrawled across his foe's face.

Suddenly Jason saw Lord Drewk draw a circle in the air beside himself and disappeared into the air just as the angry balls of fire struck where he had stood only a moment before.

Jason looked around, but found Lord Drewk nowhere. He thought for a moment that maybe his eyes had played a trick on him. He wondered if he had struck his target and disintegrated his nemesis.

A voice squelched his theories as it drifted through the air, "I'll be back!"

Jason looked around, ready for the attack. No one was here. He was alone.

Tired and drained from his battle, Jason sat down on his log and stared into his fire for a long time. Not understanding what had taken place, he tried fathoming what had happened. He tried to grasp where his powers had come from, when he never knew they were there before now. Then his mind reminded him of the floating ball of energy he had encountered the day before.

"Good going, my boy. Well done indeed!" a voice invaded his thoughts.

Jason shot his sight all around, thinking Lord Drewk had returned. Then he remembered how much the voice had sounded like Master Nardutth's.

"Master?" he asked aloud, "Master? You there?"

Stillness answered its quiet response.

Jason stared into the blazing campfire as he tried to resolve his feelings of disappointment of not conquering his enemy. His eyes glazed over as they reflected dancing flames.

He shook his head, clearing his mind, and realized he was looking into smoldering smoke. Over the horizon, the sun was dawning his final day in the forest. Soon he would be in Cirrkuth. Grabbing his belongings, he struck out on the last leg of his journey. As he wound his way through dense foliage and moss-covered ground, he realized he was nearing the forest's exit.

The sun was shining high overhead as he came to the clearing, leaving the dark forest behind. Stopping for his mid-day meal, he realized something he had not thought of before... he felt older!

After cleaning his campfire, he continued, knowing that he should be arriving in Cirrkuth by nightfall. He walked on, thinking, wondering, developing a headache. He rubbed his temples many times, trying to massage the pain of too many thoughts from his head.

As the sun bedded itself down for the night, Jason walked through the dirt roads of Cirrkuth. People passed by, giving him a quick glance, then seemingly wanting to avoid him. He kept his eyes forward, searching for the place he was told to go to.

After several turns and twists in the road, Jason finally found himself standing before a huge wooden door. He reached out his hand, took hold of the knocker, and rapped twice. Someone's stirring within alerted him to his end of his journey.

Slowly, the door creaked open.

Jason looked up and found himself confronted a tall man of ancient years. Long white hair hung straight down from just above the man's ears and around the head. The rest of his head was bald. A sharp pointed nose accetuated the deep black eyes looking down at him. Jason gulped.

"Yes, you're finally here." The voice contrasted the looks of ancient age. "Well, come in, boy. I don't have all night." The old man turned, his white robe rustling against the door.

Jason catiously entered the large room.

Looking around, he saw few pieces of wooden furniture scattered about, all facing the huge, blazing fireplace.

Seated in front of the fireplace was his Master.

Jason ran to him, crying out, "Oh, Master. I thought you dead."

"A lot of people think I should be, by now, but, as you can see, I'm alive and have been awaiting your arrival. Come, tell us about your journey."

Excited by seeing his Master alive, Jsaon relatd his tale of his journey through the forest. He told of the stranger on the golden dragon, of the encounter with the ball of liquid light, and of his confrontation with Lord Drewk. All the while he was talking, the men gathered around and nodded their understandings.

Master Nardutth had a coughing fit, causing Jason concern.

Jason looked at his Master, wondering how much longer he was to be around. "Master?"

"Yes, Jason?" he replied between coughs.

"You don't know how scared I was when I saw you dead. And, then, when you sat up and told me about deceevers, you wouldn't believe how angry I was." Jason sat on the floor, his knees giving out on him fom sitting in a squatted position during his entire story of his adventure.

Master Nardutth smiled at him, saying, "Oh, I can well believe, my son. Now, you must rest and prepare yourself for your new adventure."

"What?" Jason did not want anymore adventures for a long, long time. Then, remembering why he was there, he asked, "But, what about the initiation?"

"Hmph!" exclaimed the old man who had answered the door and let Jason in. "I told you he wouldn't learn anything from his journey."

Master Nardutth silenced him with a wave of a hand. "Jason, just what do you think yourjourney was?"

Jason leaned back in shock. He never thought about the experiences as being hisinitiation. Now, however, the understanding flooded him with clarity.

"Why do you think I took you in twelve cycles ago? To raise a child of my own? I don'thave time for that. Boy, you've got a purpose ahead of you. Your journey has only begun."

Jason wanted to object, but Master Nardutth silenced him, seeming to know already hisobjections.

"We're all getting too old for these events, anymore. You've got so much to learn and insuch a short time. Tomorrow we will get started. But, for tonight, go to bed. Rest. You'regoing to need all the rest you can get now. Go, now, boy. Sleep."

Jason stood and was escorted from the room. Just before he left the room, he turned tolook at his Master. Love flooded over him as he saw his Master smiling at him. Jason smiled back with dawning comprehension. He looked forward to the morrow.