Read Online Ruins of Camelot by G. Norman Lippert - Free Book Online

of the Kingdom where witches and wizards mingle amongst us.  They sell us magical tools, enchanted powders, and potions, though carefully and in very small amounts.  We have a store of such things in the academy as you know, Professor, and even in this very castle."
    "You speak true," Toph nodded, smiling.  "Wizardkind does move amongst us, though in small numbers.  Most are hidden away, forgotten, conducting their affairs in secret.  Even today, there are tales that a society of wizardry has settled itself in Lord Hayden's abandoned castle, near the rim of Direwood Forest.  It was rumoured to be haunted after his untimely death so that none dared claim it.  Wizardkind fears no ghosts however; thus, the property was theirs for the taking.  I have even heard tell that a small non-magical peasant community lives within sight of the castle, working around and even within it, though forbidden from observing any of the mysterious acts wrought by those within its walls."
    "Poppycock and codswallop," Gabriella's father proclaimed jovially.  "I sent scouts to inspect Lord Hayden's properties in the years since his death.  They reported nothing more than a hulking ruin surrounded by a band of deluded wanderers.  It may be haunted, but it is certainly not the site of any magical society."
    "Pardon me for saying so, Your Highness," Toph commented, "but I suspect that is exactly what any magical denizens would wish your scouts to see.  And I have no doubt that their enchantments would be extremely convincing."
    "As you say, Professor," the King allowed, waving a hand and smiling.
    "I fail to s ee what this has to do with G randmother and me hiding out in the old cottage," Gabriella said, growing impatient.
    "Quite right, Your Highness," Toph agreed.  "It is easy to become distracted by tales of the magical folk.  The point is simply this: whilst wizardkind once lived amongst us and greatly influenced our world with their enchantments, they now abide in secret, leaving only the slightest magical footprint upon the affairs of men.  Like the dragons and ancient beasts known to roam the northernmost barrens, we sense their presence mostly by the size of the legends they leave behind, echoing through the veil of history."
    "But," the King said, peering aside at his daughter meaningfully, "unlike the dragons of the northern barrens, the magical folk do still make the very rare appearance in the Kingdom.  In the most unexpected and mysterious ways, when we least expect it, they intervene in our affairs."
    "I don't understand," Gabriella said, glancing from her father to Professor Toph.  "As you just said, no witches or wizards have set foot within the castle walls for well over a century."
    The King nodded.  He drew a deep breath and resumed the story, taking it over from Professor Toph.  "When we discovered you and your grandmother in the hunting cabin, we immediately bundled you into blankets and hid you away in the warmth of a covered sledge.  Before we embarked upon the return trip to the castle, however, a group of soldiers searched the cottage, collecting any remaining provisions and possessions.  It was then that something strange was discovered, something curious enough to call myself and the Magic Master forth."
    Toph spoke again then.  "There was sign of a struggle in the snow behind the cottage," he said gravely.  "The fresh drifts had been disturbed at the rear entrance, as if someone or something had been thrown down there and had scrambled away.  Large footprints led off into the wood.  Whether the prints belonged to a mannish beast or a very large human, there was no way to tell.  What was apparent, however, was that whatever struggle had occurred in the snow behind the cottage, it had ended with one party fleeing into the wood and the other departing via a sleigh of some kind, pulled by reindeer."
    "Surely, Grandmother or I would have recalled such an event," Gabriella commented, smiling crookedly, as if