We were on the run in the dead of night. We made it in to the heart of the woods before we stopped to catch our breath. The owls were out and we heard the faint sound of wolves. We took deep, heavy breaths then pressed on again until our legs were too sore.

Luckily, we were able to find a moss patch and laid down in it. It was a hard, cold, but we slept nonetheless. I shifted often through the night, waking only once to grumble about missing the bed of the Inn.

A feint crack of gray light woke me. There was fog that crawled across the floor of the woods. After a few moments of listening to the woods wake up, I woke my brother and set off again.

We traveled through the woods for about an hour. There were a few birds that sang and leaves that moved in the wind, but other than that the woods were silent.

It was so quiet that when we heard a branch snap near us, we were spooked. My body tensed. I reached for a knife that was tied to my pack; my body rigid. There was another snap; both of us stood defensive.

From behind on of the trees came a man dressed in blue and black robes. The robes had a white speckled patterned and his pointed hat matched the robes.

“Huzzah!” He said with a raise of his hand. “How interesting to meet others in the woods at this time of morning!”

He must’ve saw the knife in my hand.

“No need for that, young sir. Huzzah! I’m only here for the Pot-Speckled Mushrooms; they only pop out of the ground at dawn, ya know!”

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

I lowered my weapon. Who was this guy? He must’ve read my mind because he spoke again.

“My name is Ikythyk. I’m the wizard of Levitztown, the town just past the woods. Who might you be?”

“My name is August and this is my brother, Leo.” I introduced.

“We were supposed to find you!” Leo exclaimed.

“Is that so?! Huzzah; whatever for?”

Leo opened his bag and pulled out the blanket. He carefully unwrapped the blanket and showed him a corner of the star.

“By the Divine!” He exclaimed, grabbing his hat.

He came uncomfortably close to our faces; studying our eyes.

“You must be Devin and Clemina’s boys. I can see it in your eyes. Oh, they told me this day would come, but it’s sooner than I expected. “

“You knew our parents?” I asked.

“I did, huzzah! Right around the time Leo was brought home, they came to me about the a star that had landed at their cottage. We made a plan to find a way to send it back if a problem should arise; and I guess here you are.”

“What a small world,” whispered Leo.

“I’ll take you to my tower. The mushrooms can wait. Huzzah! Let’s away!”

We followed the strange wizard out of the woods and to the next town. We talked about our journey and the ruffian that seemed to be pursuing us. He cautioned us to keep the star hidden, as if we didn’t already know.

He led us through the town, stopping for nothing. He brought us to a stone house that had a tall tower attached to the back of it.

“Huzzah!” He said. “Here’s home.” He presented with his arms outstretched.