“Answer the call and find out” Sandoron mumbled. “What does that even mean?” He had lain there all night, barely sleeping, staring into the space where he knew the orb was, even though it was now too dark to see it. Where did the orb come from? And that blinding light. Was his grandfather playing a trick on him?

He sat up, glancing out the window. The moon was setting and the suns were just starting to peak their heads up in the valleys to the southeast. Shaking his head Sandoron stretched and climbed out of bed to sit in the chair before his table and lit the lamp. “This is the second morning I’ve used this lamp to find a strange black ball…” He reached down to pickup the orb but as soon as his hand touched it he froze.

The wards on every timber in the house flared a brilliant red light. This was different than the light last night. This one seemed to be glowing outward. He heard shouts from downstairs. He felt tingling in his fingers, like when he held one of his grandfathers inventions, but somehow different more natural somehow like a breeze blowing through the trees and rustling the leaves, it felt right, natural.

There was a thump against his door, it wasn’t barred but it didn’t come open. Another thump. Then, his grandfather shouting something he didn’t catch. Something was strange, he felt detached. His thoughts slow it was like the world was moving faster around him. Another thump. More yelling. Finally the wards flared brilliantly and dimmed. His door opened, and his grandmother wearing her nightgown and carrying a weapon he’d never seen her use burst in the room. It was strange seeing her with a weapon but like the tingle on his fingers it felt right. His Grandfather came in behind her, a strange glowing book in his hand open as he read out of it, screaming really, at the top of his lungs.

“You will not have him!” Grams was yelling. Strangely she was staring at the same spot in the rafters I had stared most of the night.

Gramps was still reading, but began throwing something around the room all around all of them from a bag hanging from his waist.

Grams turned around and slammed the door shut before jamming a bar in place, one that was covered in cobwebs as he never used it. Why would he lock the door when it’s just him and his grandparents in the house. In fact, why was she locking it now with them all in the room together, was the farm under attack?

Red light once more flared in the room, this time brighter and Gramps began to slump against the bed his yells slowly fading to whispers.

“Will it hold?” Grams asked.

“I think so, I reinforced it last summer and just now. Those wards could keep the king’s army at bay for a year.” Gramps sighed finally stopping his reading.

Grams was looking around the room, “Promising, I wish that was all we had to worry about in this.” When she saw what Sandoron was touching she turned white. She strode over and kicked it away from his hand.

Finally able to move again, he sat back and just looked at his grandparents whom he’d never seen move so quickly, with such surety, or be so bad-ass. “What just happened?” he asked looking at Grams and what he realized was a very sleek crossbow.

She ignored the question, looking at Gramps “Can you erase it?”

Gramps shook his head. “I could suppress it but with this much magic, much of it… not normal… I wouldn’t bet a single copper it would hold.”

Grams sighed, looking back at him, “Sandoron… Sando… Dear… I know this will be hard but first we have to ask you some questions.”

“Grams I’m not a child. Tell me what is going on and then I will answer your questions.” He shot back.

She sighed, “First, I have to know a few things. Where did that - “ she pointed at the orb on the floor, “come from? Why did you touch it? And did you see anything when you did?” her tone was firm.

“I don’t know. I heard something fall to the ground and there it was.” He pointed to the place he tried to pick the orb up from. Why wouldn’t I touch it? And no, I felt something but the only time I saw anything out of the ordinary was last night right after the orb appeared. The room light up with a bright light and there was a voice, a woman I think, she said “Answer The Call and find out.” He said, realizing that she wasn’t going to budge.

His grandparents shared a look. “Find what out?” Gramps finally asked.

“Find out what you were hiding from me, and what the orb is.” He replied. “Now, I’ve answered your questions. Answer one of mine.” He paused. “Why are there wards that could keep armies out protecting my room?” He hedged, doubting he’d get a straight answer about the orb but his grandfather loved to talk about his inventions so maybe he could get something more than he meant to let slip. “Oh, and what did Grams mean about erasing things?” He smirked.

His grandfather paled.

His grandmother tsked.

He looked back and forth between them, daring them to try to lie.

“Why don’t you start with the explanation of why you killed Benji, and how there was no Splox?” Grams asked.

Gramps paled further he was almost as white as porcelain now.

Sandoron just looked at them mouth agape. “WHAT?” His grandmother had successfully changed the subject but he didn’t care. His sweet affable grandfather had killed his pet chicken?

“Why’d you go and tell him that?” Gramps grumped turning to Sandoron “Benji wasn’t a normal rooster, he was a Cockskrell. I won’t go into details about what all that means but he was a magical creature. One with a mean streak. You think he crowed at the moon because he was stupid? Ha. That damned bird knew it would wake you every time. He was preening for attention and to ruin your morning. Mine too, his mana infused cackling really burned the ear.” He reached up to rub his ear before continuing.

“Anyway, he was getting too big for his britches and was going to become dangerous eventually… And well, you’ve noticed some of the things on the farm aren’t like they used to be. Mana in the entire region is falling and all of the creatures sensitive to it are starting to show the effects, not to mention my tools.” He gestured to the wards. “I’ve had to keep infusing these and the other magics around the farm every so often for months now.”

Sandoron stared. Magic, he always wondered but was never sure if his grandfather was a caster or just a tool user. What other secrets were his grandparents keeping? Were they desperate fugitives too, is that why this room could withstand the king’s army? He shook his head focusing. “What do you mean the mana in the region is falling? And what does that have to do with killing Benji, I mean he was always a mean one but dangerous?”

Gramps sighed. “We’ve sheltered you here, maybe too much. Kept you from seeing much of the world. Most of it is not nearly as safe as the farm. Why do you think we only go to town when we have to?”

“I always thought you and Grams were just hermits who didn’t like people.”

Grams huffed.

Gramps chuckled, “Not too far from the truth. At least for some of us.” He glanced at Grams “But the truth of the matter is the roads can be dangerous. It’s why the town has walls, and why people rarely travel alone.” He sighed. “Anyway, when a creature who depends on mana becomes mana starved they begin to lose their sense of self and can go feral. We were already seeing the signs in Benji who was the most magical creature we have on the farm. I’m afraid to say the Cronkose will be next. Banya didn’t kick you last month because you stepped on her tail.” He ran a hand through his patchy hair and tugged on his long goatee. “That’s why I had to take care of Benji now, I used his core to build something to distribute mana in the barn to help protect them from that for now.”

“So that’s what happened to Benji… You’re also capable of casting magic. Are you a full wizard like In the stories or just a hedge mage like the one in town? Since you are more than just the enchanter you always told me you were” Sandoron looked at Gramps with both excitement and anger. “Or will you continue to lie to me?”

Gramps looked down. “Everyone has their secrets, even you he glanced at the bedsheets. I never lied, you know I am no good at lying. I just never explained the full extent of what I can do.” He glanced around. “It’s no use denying I’m a full circle wizard. You’d guess it eventually if you look around the farm enough knowing what you know and having seen what you saw today.”

The room shook, the lights from the wards flaring even brighter as they began to sizzled, darkening one by one.

Grams swore, the first time ever heard her swear. “Sleep, Now!” she said looking at Sandoron

He only got a moment to look at her and open his mouth before sleep took him and he slumped to the floor with a thud.

—

“Sleep, Now!” she yelled.

Kasner took a few components from his reagent pouch and threw them at his grandson and spoke the words “Krul, Ton Ekawa” and watched him slump to the ground with a thump as the last of the wards fizzled out.

Aelene stepped over-top of her grandson pointing her crossbow at the ceiling as if daring it to come closer.

“He has accepted The Call.” a voice, the whispering of leaves in the wind spoke. And suddenly the room was filled with light. “Powerful magics wizard. You are still strong after all these many years.”

Kasner grumbled “Fat lot of good it did.”

“Oh, you’d be surprised.” A woman, clothed in vines and leaves stepped out of the light before it faded. “The magics failed to fully take hold. He wasn’t given the power, only The Calling.”

Aelene swore again, divine entities always brought out the best in her. “You mean your insidious magics have marked him and set him on the path without providing the tools to keep himself alive?”

“Just so” the woman replied “though, if your magics had not interfered he would have gotten a formidable set of tools indeed, only two other heroes have been called this time it was feared without sufficient power they would be lost before they could gather. Tidings are foul indeed. And the world is in a need not seen since… Well, For a very long time.” She shook her head.

Aelene glanced down at the boy, the man, between her feet. “Remove the magics or I swear by all the divines here and now I will put you down like I should have all those years ago.”

Kasner shook his head, pulling his wife’s crossbow down toward the ground. “You know that’s not how it works. He’s been called. We’ll do what we must to protect him.” He looked sharply at the ethereal figure who had already started to fade. “And that means you too you foul bitch. We’ll be at the town cathedral in a fortnight. You will grant him the aid your attempt to bypass our protections cost him. Or I will take up my wife’s vow myself.”

“Very well, it will be good to see you there again Kasner, Aelene, it has been too long.” With those parting words she was gone, faded into the night.

Kasner exhaled through his teeth, leaning down to brush the hair from Sandoron’s face. “I messed up, you wouldn’t be in this danger if I had been stronger, if those wards had stopped her from getting that cursed orb into your room.” He glanced over to where the orb lay before their conversation with a goddess to see it turned to dust.

“You aren’t to blame for this. It’s these gods who think they can rule our lives like we are just their tools. Let them come down and fight their own battles.” She shuddered, what could they do? Their boy had been called by the gods to be their champion and clean up their mess. They could be there for him and protect him but this was his fight now. All of their efforts to shield him from the world, would they end up killing him instead of protecting him?