Spellbound
Chapter 14

“WAKE UP AZA...IT’S TIME TO TEACH NAT AND PEN AGAIN!!!” yelled Nibbles at the sleeping figure that was Azadarin in his huge bed covered in doonas filled with goose feathers.

A quiet voice answered her almost muffled by a huge pillow.

“Goodmorning Nibbs...give me a moment to shed the sleep from my brain, to allow the visions of the night to give way to the day, to move from that which I create on a whim to things more fixed and real. In a few minutes I will be able to greet the sunlight, to see the colours as bright as the daylight; I will adjust. For now let it come with the subtleness of a gentle dawn and let me doze underwing. I’ll be there soon, I’ll wake up, you’ll see.” said Azadarin moving slightly.

“Well you better do it fast because Nat and Pen have been up for ages setting fire to twigs and branches in the front yard and making things disappear and reappear like the CHICKENS in the chook pen and I’m not totally sure if they will ever lay eggs again because of this OK?” stated Nibbles trying to use her wings to rouse Azadarin from his dreamy dozing with almost no success what so ever, but she kept flapping her wings on him incessantly.

Waking up for Azadarin could be really harsh, especially if his dreams were better than his reality. The saddest part of it is, though, that eventually even the memory of his dream would fade - if he was even lucky enough to remember it that is. Then he was left with this lonely feeling of detachment, left to explore in the empty void of emotions, the only proof that he ever had the dream to begin with. Such was his way of being...first thing in the morning.

“ok OK OK Nibbs I get it ....I’m awake and will get breakfast organised as soon as I have splashed some water on my face and brushed my teeth?” said Azadarin rising slowly from the warmth and security of his beautiful bed.

“Good to hear...I’m going to check on Nat and Pen and see what other kinds of mischief they are up to” and she flew out of the bedroom and out into the front yard while Azadarin prepared himself for the day and tried to make himself look human even if he felt like a badger with a sore head.

Mornings were never good for him but it didn’t take long until he was ready to go and get things underway again. While Nibbles, Nat and Pen were outside he made breakfast appear on the dining table with a delicate wave of his hand and almost at the same time the food appeared so did Nibbs, Nat and Pen.

“Whats for breakfast today Chef Aza?” enquired Nibbles with a huge smile on her face.

“We shall start today with Gentle-Fried Basil & Mint Winter Vegetables then for afters we shall have Guava Pudding with whipped cream....sound ok Nibbs” asked Azadarin checking the front yard to make sure it wasn’t about to burst into a bushfire and also checking to see if the chickens were ok.

They were, but they all had a wide eyes and stunned looks on their faces while clucking like there was no tomorrow. It would seem they had all never been made to disappear then reappear and they were a bit on edge, which was to be expected.

Upon walking back into the dining area of the log cabin Azadarin saw Nathaniel and Penelope conversing with Nibbles about their new found magic skills while Nibbles was trying to pick up some vegetables with her wings to start breakfast before any one else did. Nat and Pen had some soot on their faces and arms but their hands were clean and he was happy that they were practising the skills he had given them without them having to be asked to do it.

“Let’s eat” said Azadariin seating himself down and helping himself to the delicious food in front of him while watching a flurry of sooty arms reach for the vegetables and one set of wings pick up a small bowl of cauliflower and cheese and tip it down her mouth with a great deal of enthusiasm. When she put the bowl down again with some difficulty there was melted cheese all over her face and everyone laughed at how she now looked.

“What?” said Nibbles questioningly trying to understand why they were laughing so hard at her and Penelope gently gathered a napkin and whipped away the excess on her face delicately while still giggling at the sight that was Nibb’s face. It looked like she had taken a swan dive into the cheese face first. The hilarity at the dining table was good for their spirits and moral but all to soon after some beautiful Guava Pudding with lashings of fresh whipped cream it was back to business again of learning new and better spells.

So back into their rooms went Nat and Pen to gather their notebooks and 5th set of pencils each then it was back to the dining table to begin their lessons once more. Azadarin had cleared the table and Nibbles made short work of what was left of the pudding and cream then flew up into the rafters to listen to Azadarin’s opening address.

“Let’s Begin....yesterday I taught you how to hide yourselves and how to use a fire as an attack weapon. It would seem that you have set fire to every fallen twig, leaf, branch and shrub that has had the misfortune to fall or grow in my front yard so you are both well versed in setting things on fire and defending yourselves with that spell. Also...from the look on all the chooks faces in the chook pen they to have been given some thorough practise in disappearing and reappearing as well and I can only hope that they all still lay eggs regularly now that you have done this.” said Azadarin in one huge sentence.

“Today I am going to teach you how to shape shift into another creature or a plant...this is also a way of hiding and in fact attacking whoever is trying to hurt you, it is also good for some spying as well because you will still be able to hear what is going on even while you are under the spells power...ok say this gently with me Reflortis Defenaro” spoke Azadarin.

Nat and Pen said in unison very quietly...“Reflortis Defenaro”

“Good you retain the pronunciation well and now comes the tricky bit...what you have to think of as you say this spell is what you would like to become so lets try again and this time think of what you want to be, close your eyes, say the spell and I will be here to fix things if they should go wrong ok?” said Azadarin already guessing what the two of them would like to be and turn into.

Nat and Pen said in unison very loudly..“REFLORTIS DEFENARO”

The affect was instantaneous.

Nathaniel was trying so hard to concentrate on being a chair he also remembered, for a split second, he also needed to go to the toilet, so there sitting before Azadarin, Penelope and Nibbles was a white porcelain Toilet Bowl...that could talk. Penelope concentrated on turning herself into a bat just like nibbles and was testing her new found wings gaining altitude with each flap. Once she was confidant she could fly she rose up into the rafters to join Nibbles and they both flew around the dining room playing chase with each other having a merry old time while Azadarin spoke to the talking toilet that was Nathaniel.

“Well done both of you...that seemed to go very well” and he tried not to laugh as Nathaniel spoke back to him....

“Ya think so....just look at me....I'm a TOILET FOR CRYING OUT LOUD” said a dejected toilet bowl lid that was Nathaniel talking to Azadarin.

“Yes well I must say you are a very nice looking toilet bowl and lid so the spell worked...that is a positive wouldn’t you say Nat?” said Azadarin chuckling to himself.

And as the words left his lips Penelope scooted past over head just a little to close to Azadains beautiful hat and her wings caught the hat and took it clean off his head and she came crashing to the floor with the hat and landed in a giggling mess on the other side of the room. The now miffed Wizard came over looked sternly at Penelope still in her bat form and picked up his hat, dusted it off and the replaced it on his head.

“Now...the counter spell to come back from this is this...'Mendium Defenaro'...so could we take our places again and say the counter spell please?” said Azadarin.

“Yeah...like I’d be flying anywhere in a big hurry” said Nathaniel the now talking toilet upset with himself for thinking about the toilet while saying the spell.

Nat and Pen said in unison very loudly...“MENDIUM DEFENARO” and they instantly turned back into their regular selves, at which point Nathaniel got up to go to the toilet instead of being one and when he returned he looked at Penelope and said....

“You are never going to let me forget that aren’t you Pen...that I turned myself into a toilet?”

“Nope....not as long as you are alive and kicking I will never let you forget that one” said Pen laughing and cuddling Nibbles her new found flying buddy in her lap. Nibbles soaked up the attention, scratches and belly rubs like it was going out of style because she to had found a new friend as well. This was only the very startings of a very busy day ahead for all parties concerned.

The next spell Azadarin wanted to share with his wonderful students was one of the best that he used all the time, so after a short break for lunch and some Braised Ginger Shrimps with Pecan Krispies for afters then it was back into the spells again, only this time Azadarin took them outside into the forest and into a special place he had set up previous to them being there.

Nathaniel and Penelope were lost for words when they saw what Azadarin had done.

It was time to teach them both outside in the real world under completely circumstances...dangerous ones.