The Final Journey: A Jenny Dewberry Series

Chapter 1

The Beast Within

The breath of fire soared past him as he bent down to grab his sword for the second time after the two headed dragon charged him, swatting with its long, scaly tail. It had knocked the sword right out of his hand onto the hard, cracked ground. Now, with sword in hand again, which he intended to keep this time, the terrified man turned just in time to see sharp, jagged, yellow teeth coming at him. The foul mouth of the dragon’s second head tried to chomp him in two. One way or the other, the dragon was determined to cook him, then eat him for supper. Michael fought hard to stay alive.

His thoughts were scrambled in his mind as his life flashed before him. Where had this vile creature come from? One minute Michael had been standing at the entrance of a kingdom he never knew existed, after walking through a solid brick wall back on earth. The next thing he realized, he was being attacked by this horrid, green beast!

Before the attack by the beast, he had just entered Endfoenation, an underground kingdom where evil demons and witches reside, because he’d thought this was where he belonged, until he saw the place. He began having second thoughts. The last thing he remembered was closing his eyes and feeling the cold breeze upon his face. He had been standing with his head slightly back staring up at the dark sky . . . wondering why he was in this world. A whirlwind of emotions had caught him off guard and he’d felt like he was falling into a deep, black hole. When Michael had finally opened his eyes, he’d come face to face with a two-headed dragon, instead of a hole. Was this a dream, was it a vision, or was it real? This couldn’t be possible!

Yet, here he was, fighting a demon so real that he could feel the scorching heat of its breath almost on top of him, singeing his hair and skin. The dragon lunged forward, knocking Michael to the ground, trapping him. With the dragon’s heads hanging over the frightened man, yellowish-white froth drooled out from both mouths, burning Michael when it landed on him. He tried to wiggle and squirm free to avoid the deadly drops of drool and flee, but without success. Then the dragon’s large, red eyes caught Michael’s, forcing him to look deep into them, in an attempt to paralyze and gain complete control with their bright red gaze. The dragon was not about to lose him, for he needed this man or he would not be able to break free.

Michael fought to close his eyes, to escape the hypnotic gaze and break away from the evil that threatened to overpower him, the evil he’d felt since entering this kingdom. With all his concentration and using all of his remaining strength, he finally broke free of the mesmerizing power.

With eyes closed, his mind slowly came awake, released from the dragon’s hold. It was as if he had been in a deep sleep, then woke up. When he opened his eyes again the dragon was gone, disappeared! Sweat vanished off of Michael’s face as relief overcame him. He found himself lying on the ground, very confused, staring into a kingdom of wretchedness. Out of breath, the bewildered man wasn’t sure about anything anymore, especially after death had challenged him. Had this episode with the dragon just been a dream, a nightmare? It seemed so real. Was it a vision of his future, and if it was, why had it been given to him? What did it mean? His whole life seemed like a bad dream! Nothing made sense.

Yet, there were burn marks in his clothes from the dragon’s drool.

As Michael lay there, confused, he remembered what Alinore had given him that had turned his life upside down. He sat up and pulled out a letter that had been nestled in the bottom of his pocket for some time, haunting him. Unfolding the wrinkled paper, he reread it for the hundredth time. It, at least was not a figment of his imagination. It was all too real.

May, 9, 2005

My dearest Michael,

By now you have learned of my departure from this life. I have regretted not spending more time with you and getting to know you. I have missed you more than you will ever know and I have cherished the times I have spent with you on those long walks in the beautiful and mysterious hills over in England. This letter will come as quite a shock to you and I wish now I had told you in person. But I just couldn’t bring myself to tell you. You are a good person and deserve the truth, especially now. Michael, I have been holding back the truth from you for almost fifty years. Please forgive me for what I am about to tell you.

I really do not know where to start, except to just come out and tell you . . . Michael, you are my son. I loved your father very much but something happened years ago that was out of my control and so for your safety I moved to England for a short time until you were born and left you there to be raised by my husband’s brother. Ronald was not your father. He married me knowing I was carrying someone else’s child. He was so good to me and very understanding. I know this must be very confusing. Go to Virginia and speak to Kurthanyo Eastman. He is your father.

These are my last days and I am very weak. There is so much to tell you. I know your father who raised you, Richard Grayson, loved you very much. He had asked me not to tell you the truth until after his death and I granted his wish. I knew his time was close, as was mine. So I am sending this letter with my daughter, your sister, when she goes over to his funeral. She does not know any of this, so do not blame her. She will be as shocked as you are right now, when she finds out.

There is one more thing which is very crucial to your existence. Talk to my granddaughter, Jenny, she will tell you the rest and fill you in on who you are and what you will become. Please, Michael, remember always, that I truly loved you and only wanted to keep you safe.

Until we meet again

With all my Love

Alinore Grayson

Your devoted mother

Michael searched the horizon, gazing upon this land of desolation, a land that looked as bleak and barren as his life felt. For reasons he couldn’t understand, he was drawn to it. It pulled at him. The emptiness inside his heart and soul hurt with an intensity that made the pain inflicted by the dragon seem as nothing. He hadn’t been aware of the extent of his misery until now. Overpowering, mysterious feelings that hinted of hidden secrets withheld from him, the deep sorrow of love denied, of possibilities lost, the bitterness from his past . . . all of these played a part in bringing him here. But why?

A shimmer of light shone through the opening of the oval mirror and slithered inside. It shook with anticipation. An evil darkness that dwelled in this kingdom hovered over the distraught man, worming its way into the dark bleakness that had entered into his being. It wanted to own and control Michael’s heartbroken spirit and draw him to the dark side.

The evil, dwelling within this underworld, came from an extremely powerful and malevolent source located in the secret chamber. This source needed Michael’s soul, which would enable it to survive and flourish, so it could live once more and be ruler of all the kingdoms. It would not give up until it had control of every living thing. It fed on the misery and hopelessness engendered by Michael and all other living beings, whether they were witches, warlocks, other magical living beings, or snippits. It loved the suffering of others.

This evil had been banished, to stay forever within the confines of a magical mirror through a powerful evil book, which was locked away in the secret chamber. It had been trapped there for close to a hundred years. However, because of all the hatred and sins committed in the kingdoms throughout those years, evil had become so powerfully strong that it could read and control a susceptible person’s mind through its magic, even in other kingdoms. It did it all from the secret chamber, seeing and hearing almost everything through the eyes, ears, and minds of individuals who carried darkness, despair, or evil thoughts in their hearts. But that power was not enough. Evil wanted a body and life once more. It wanted to escape its prison and be able to wander anywhere, in any kingdom. It wanted freedom!

This evil source was very clever, very tricky and very conniving. It knew how to entice an angry or unhappy person who was down in the dumps, and draw him or her into its clutches. Evil wanted to have power over the universe spreading misery and corruption. It wanted it all. It wanted to be the most powerful being to ever exist, to be the Lord and ruler over all. And it would not stop until it had accomplished just that.

To accomplish its goal, the evil source needed a being of powerful, magical lineage to help it escape and apply its evil and conniving tactics. Evil and its cohort would take over all of the kingdoms and banish goodness in all of mankind making all creation his. Only Michael Grayson, with both a powerful Wizard father and a Washena mother – King and Queen in their own right - was that person!

Unaware of the evil role planned for him, Michael Grayson, or rather, Michael Eastman, sat there by the entrance where he had met his demon, the dragon, rereading the letter and thinking about his past.

Since first reading it, he had learned that Alinore Grayson and Kurthanyo Eastman were his parents. This mysterious letter had been given to him over in England following the death of Richard Grayson, the man Michael had thought was his father. The letter was from Alinore Grayson who had posed as his aunt all those years. The letter told him that Alinore was his true mother.

Michael had left England and had flown to Virginia, as instructed in the letter. He had found, to his great astonishment, that he came from two very powerful bloodlines of a magical race of people, known as witches and wizards! Michael also discovered that his newly found parents, Alinore and Kurthanyo, had divorced before he was born.

The story unraveled in Michaels mind as he sat there on the cold, hard ground daydreaming about his parents.

Out of his mind with anger and hurt, Kurthanyo, had sought revenge, by casting a spell on Alinore, taking away her magic. But it had back fired! Something had gone wrong! What he had meant to be a temporary measure, had become a permanent reality for all white magicholders, even Kurthanyo. All white magic was gone! With the loss of his own magic he could not undo what he had done. His despair was complete.

This was thanks to Madiva, a very jealous, conniving, evil witch, who was Alinore’s cousin. She had cast a double spell on Kurthanyo which was what had really caused white magic to disappear forever and The World of Witchery to fall asleep for the past fifty years.

Michael shook his head in disgust as he stared at the piece of crumpled up paper in his hand.

So, only Jenny Dewberry, a second generation, female ancestor of Alinore Grayson, could have broken that spell. If anything, at least she was good for that, he thought. Thank goodness Jenny broke the double spell.

By breaking the spell, Jenny Dewberry brought back white magic and woke the magical world of wizards and witches. Unfortunately, it skipped a generation on Terrain (Earth) and her mother had not received any magic or powers. That’s the brutality of the spell.

Michael, on the other hand, gained his magic because he had been conceived before the spell was cast and both parents were magicholders who came from very powerful bloodlines. His magic soared through his veins, igniting a fire within him which was so powerful that not even the double spell could make it vanish forever.

Michael didn’t know exactly how he felt about everything he had learned. He was still furious and hurt, probably like his father had been when Alinore broke up with him. He was angry at both of them for the unhappy life he had lived the past fifty years with an adopted mother who hated him. All those years wasted with parents who had never really loved him. All those years lost without his magic! He would never see those years again. He would never, ever get them back. And he would never know the mother and father he should have had. So much anger, so much betrayal. Why? Why would she keep a secret as important as that from him?

No, he hadn’t realized how he felt until he heard the voice in his head . . . that haunting, disturbing voice. Michael, we need each other, it said. "We have both been betrayed. We need each other. I can get the life back for you that Alinore and Kurthanyo took. You need me Michael. You need me!"

It ate at him until he was devoured with hatred. That hatred turned to rage, which was now being pulled through the underworld, down the cold hallways of the intimidating castle, and through the door with the unfriendly one eye, the one eye that was a spy for its master, the demon in the evil book. The eye saw everything and so could the book.

The river of hatred wafted into the secret chamber and hovered over the Evil Book of Spells. It slowly seeped into the cover through the mouth of the book.

Ohhhhhh . . . this feels good . . . all this hatred . . . all these mixed, gloomy feelings, the hopelessness, the despair. Oh yes! Come to me Michael! Come to me, yelled the book.

The organ began to play a sinister tune which rang throughout the secret chamber. It gave off an eerie feeling that was gobbled up by the book that sat on the pedestal. The room shook with the rhythm of the music causing a rumble of stones grinding against each other. The dark water in the abyss splashed up against the edges, spraying the cobble floor.

Damaskus, where are you? the book screamed.

I’m here master, the dark hawk screeched. How can I serve you?

You need to go and welcome our young friend who is at the entrance. Bring him to me for I am anxious to meet him. We have to make sure his mind doesn’t have any doubts for we don’t want to lose him to the good side. After we talk, stay with him always to establish trust and companionship between him and you, my feathery friend. Show him the ropes of this new, exciting life. Now go!

The powerful bird nodded as he lifted his muscular body up off the pedestal and flew across the enormous, dark, gloomy room. He glanced down to watch the waves of the abyss dance wildly to the haunting music. The waves were so high that they almost touched him as he flew across. When he reached the opening of the chamber, the door with the one eye sprang open and Damaskus soared through the passages and out of the castle. The moon hid behind a few, dark clouds making the night more sinister than usual.

Michael jumped to his feet and stood staring at a world that welcomed him, a world where he belonged. He felt that he was a part of this devilish, infernal kingdom and yet he had never been here before to the land of the forgotten, wicked souls.

I’m home, he yelled with arms stretched out, looking up to the black, starless sky. In the distance, he saw an object flying toward him.

The hawk screeched, Our master awaits.

Michael jumped at the sound of the harsh, squawky voice. Who had spoken to him? He could see no one else but a big hawk that had just landed on a bush near him. He glanced around searching for the person who had spoken.

Again he heard a voice, but not the one he often heard in his head. Michael, welcome.

What? Who said that?

Me, Damaskus. . . . I’m here in the bush.

Michael turned and faced the bird that was perched in the bush of dead twigs. You! You talk? But you’re a hawk. At least you’re not a dragon. I seem to be hallucinating viscous beasts lately.

Ahhhh, the two headed dragon. Our master sometimes brings out his pet in himself. Not to worry. I am only a hawk and . . . yes I talk. I have since I was born.

What do you mean, ‘Our master brings out his pet in himself’ and why would he do that? The dragon darn near killed me!

It’s his way of showing you how powerful he is. He can make you visualize what he becomes and it can be very real.

Indeed he can! The two headed dragon was very real and scared the daylights out of me.

That’s the master’s way. That’s how he welcomes you. . . . Michael, now that we’ve been introduced, we need to go. Our master awaits.

Our master? Michael asked. Who is our master?

In time you will meet, but now you must follow me to the castle.

Michael watched as the dark bird flew toward the castle. He followed, stepping over rocks, not even stumbling through patches of dead, short bushes. It seemed that he just glided over the protruding rocks and twigs and anything else that popped up in his way. His eyes glowed bright red as he searched the night to find his way through the dark. Michael was amazed at how well he could see.

He thought to himself as he continued on his journey, It must be my powers that allow me to see in the dark. This is incredible.

The castle doors opened wide to let the new King enter. Michael marched inside, astonished. He had seen several castles in England, but nothing like this one. It was made of dark grey stone with many towers, which is nothing unusual. But, it wasn’t just the look of it that gave it that uniqueness. It was the feeling of powerfulness, excitement and fear, with a touch of sorrow mixed in, that wrapped around Michael and yanked him into its embrace.

Follow me Michael, this way, the hawk screeched. Our master is waiting.

"This master you’re talking about, who is he?

You’ll see, you’ll see, the excited hawk squawked, as he flew through rooms, down passages leading deep in the underground until they came to a curved, dark, wooden door.

We’re here, the hawk announced.

Who’s here? the door asked.

Me, Damaskus and your new King.

Michael jumped back, alarmed at a talking door.

New King? Ah yes, of course, the eerie door replied. The large, dark-yellow eye, which was planted in the middle of the door slowly opened and sleepily gazed upon the man standing in front of it. The eye said, So this is our new King, is it? What does Madiva have to say about this? She’s not going to be happy you know, the door yelled.

Never mind, door! Madiva is not your master any more. Michael will be, so just open and let us through, the bird shouted.

Damaskus, you don’t have to yell. I can hear you.

Then open up, you good for nothing door.

I would like to, but there’s a problem. Madiva cast a spell on me, only allowing me to let her enter, and you of course. I cannot let our new King enter until the spell is reversed.

What! When did this happen? Damaskus asked.

When you left for the mountains and never came back, the irritated door answered.

Well, I’m back now and if you don’t obey me, The Evil Book will be furious. Tell me her secret password.

I can’t do that! the eye screeched.

And why not?

Because, he’s here . . . you know, our new King.

Michael spoke up, I can leave if you want me to.

No, that won’t be necessary, because the door will reverse the spell itself or our emperor will make the presence in the door vanish forever and replace it with a new one, Damaskus screeched, turning his irritated face toward the door. Is that understood door!

Okay, okay but Madiva will turn me into firewood! the door pouted.

Door!

Alright, alright, here it goes. The door’s eerie eye widened and its sulky mouth unwillingly chanted,

With my power

I reverse Madiva’s spells

To open to thee, our new King

Where our emperor dwells

The door to my darling

Open to me

Let me pass through

For I am the key.

Now you need the key, said the stubborn door.

What key? Michael asked.

Well . . . the key to my door.

Damaskus became violently upset and screeched, Door, Madiva won’t have to turn you into firewood because I will!

Okay, okay settle down. There is an extra key under the third stone against the wall in front of me. Just lift it up, the key will be there. Nobody knows about it. Not even Madiva.

You’re lucky door, Michael, please . . .

Michael reached down and lifted the third stone. There, embedded in dirt and cobwebs, was an old, brass key. He picked up the key, rolling it around and around in his fingers to free it from the dirt that clung to the brass. Then Michael inserted the key into the keyhole of the dirty, brass doorknob. He turned it, but nothing happened.

Door! the big, black bird screamed. I’ve had enough of you!

He has to say the spell, the door quickly explained.

With the key still in the keyhole, Michael chanted:

The door to my Lord

Open to me

Let me pass through

For I am the key.

Hmmmm, yes, he learns fast, the door replied, Enter.

The large, heavy door slowly swung open and Michael entered the secret chamber followed by Damaskus. The door closed with a bang as Michael stood just inside of the large room of this unholy place, listening to the music of a bitter sweet symphony which echoed throughout the chamber. It intensified as Michael raised his arms high into the air and closed his eyes feeling the tremendous evil that was engulfing him. It sent cold shivers rushing up and down his spine and his body slightly shuddered.

After taking as much evil as he could and with the music still playing, he opened his eyes. In front of him was a dark, deep abyss, surrounded by a thick, eerie mist. The mist was unnaturally swaying to the music, giving it a very haunting appearance. Somehow he knew what to do. He waved his arms and the mist lifted revealing a path. From inside the abyss, a large, metallic, hunter-green, serpent’s head appeared with big, bloodshot eyes, and a forked tongue hanging out of its mouth.

Michael’s eyes grew big as he watched this unbelievable creature swim toward him, then stop. Its scales glistened as it floated in the dark, blackish-blue water. The serpent glowed as Michael stepped onto the top of its head and the creature started swimming to the other side.

A cool breeze swept past him as they glided across the water. The music became louder and louder giving Michael goose bumps that shot up and down his arms right to his neck. He shook with pleasure as they sailed across the abyss.

The excitement, the thrill, the power, the suspense – all those emotions consumed him. And he was ready. He was ready to take on the worlds, the universe, or whatever was in store for him. He was ready for the challenges he would face in this new life of black magic. He was ready . . . ready to meet his destiny, ready to take his place alongside his master, as king in this new, underground kingdom of the darkside, Endfoenation. He would become the greatest sorcerer to ever live.

His master, the all powerful demon of darkness, awaited his arrival!

Chapter 2

The Beginning of the Journey

Raven woke from a peaceful sleep to a frightening consciousness. He wavered on his perch almost falling to the floor so he flew to the arched windowsill. He had a dreadful feeling, a very dreadful feeling.

As he gaped out the window, memories suddenly flooded the black bird’s small mind. The day Madiva received Raven as her starler, had been the best day of his life. She had utterly adored him and squealed with delight when she saw him. He had been in his glory. Madiva had just turned thirteen years old and had just received her magic.

When witches and warlocks receive their magic and powers, they also receive an animal guardian called a starler. Each starler has the responsibility to protect and help its master throughout the witch’s life. In other words, a starler is a witch’s best friend.

Searching the barren horizon, Raven realized it was early morning and Madiva still wasn’t home. He felt sick and queasy about it, but why? It had been her wedding night, after all, and he was happy for her, but yet . . . he couldn’t explain the terrifying feeling that was consuming him. When Raven had left Madiva last night in the hands of her new husband, Kurthanyo Eastman, he’d thought his master was safe. The couple was content and madly in love, so he had left them alone. And why not! After everything that Madiva had done to capture Kurthanyo’s heart with her spells, she had earned the right to want to spend time together – alone. But now he wasn’t so sure that he should have left her side.

Raven had come home to Madiva’s chamber in Endfoenation after the wedding and had fallen asleep. Now, after waking up with this disturbing feeling, he was going to find his master to make sure she was okay. Raven was extremely worried.

He flew through the entrance directly into Terrain, not paying any attention to who might see him. He didn’t care because soon Madiva would be ruling this pathetic non-magical world where no magic existed, except for the few witches and warlocks who had moved there from the World of Witchery. Why, then? Why would she want this place that was inhabited only by snippits? Snippits are of course, just mortal, non-magic folk who are useless, so why would she want to control this world? Raven only shook his feathery head as he flew toward the house where he had left Madiva in her blissful, married state.

The house on 2330 Ocean Bay in Oceanview seemed very quiet as Raven flew to the attic window. The sun had just poked its face through a cloud of darkness that was slowly ascending over the city’s horizon. It was trying to bring life to this disgusting place, a place Raven did not like. He lifted the window with his magic and flew inside, then landed on a perch while searching the room. Everything seemed okay. The candles were burnt down and in the same place they had been last night, the black roses were still blooming, two empty goblets were sitting on a table, and the place looked just like it had when he left it. Then he saw the oval frame. A terrible sensation washed over him and his black feathers stood on end. The old, brass frame was there without the mirror. What had happened to the mirror!

A bright glow shone over in the corner of the attic. It was Madiva’s matyeka, a crystal ball, on top of a shaft. She would never go anywhere without her crystal ball. Most times she would leave her shaft in Endfoenation and carry her matyeka in her pocket. But there it was, glowing intensely, unguarded.

Then he noticed a small, wooden box on the floor beside the empty frame. It began to shake and Raven could hear a whispering, muffled sound emerge from it. The black raven quickly flew to the disturbing, shaking box and landed on the floor right beside it. There was an uncanny aurora wrapped around the wooden box and the empty, brass frame – one that was very unfamiliar to him. Raven ignored the unusual awareness and opened the lid of the box with his beak. He glanced inside. All he saw were pieces of the mirror. This was not good. Not good at all!

Suddenly Raven saw movement in one of the larger pieces. As he scooted closer to examine it, he couldn’t believe his beady eyes. They grew big at the sight. He squawked, "Nooooo! It’s MADIVA my QUEEN"! His feathers stood on end.

The crazed, black bird knew that once a witch was banished into a mirror, escape from that prison could be achieved in due course, with help from the outside. On the other hand, if the mirror shattered into a thousand pieces there would be no hope for that witch to ever leave. The spirit would be trapped for eternity, eventually dying a slow death with no hope of escape.

He was drenched deep in sadness. Tears from his small, beady eyes, escaped and fell into the wooden box bathing the broken pieces of mirror in his sorrow. The whispering stopped.

Raven quickly flew back to Endfoenation with the horrifying news hanging on his shocked mind. He swooped through the cool, swirling breeze of the entrance and into the land of the wicked. Soaring through the sky over the villages, he screamed the devastating news to all the witches and warlocks who had been exiled into the underworld. They were Madiva’s followers and she was their Queen. But now, she was gone, forever!

Madiva’s banished! Madiva’s banished! he squawked. Our Queen is dead!

Raven was traumatized and furious. He wanted everyone to know what had happened. He could only think of one person who could have done this – Jenny Dewberry.

There was a pandemonium of excitement that rushed from kingdom to kingdom with the news of Madiva’s death. It caused waves of commotion, ecstatic happiness, and gossip among all the magical beings who had been victims of Madiva’s evil, conniving actions and trickery. Many festivities were to be held in honor of Jenny Dewberry to celebrate the banishment of the evil witch.

All the nations were very excited about the news that – finally – evil was gone.

But evil was not gone! In fact, what the people didn’t know was – in the very near future there would be an Evil source so powerful, it would be the ultimate terror in their lives, one that would make Madiva look like a spineless pest instead of seriously evil.

The one person, who was responsible for Madiva’s banishment into the oval mirror, was not thinking of festivities or celebrations. Instead she was anxious to begin preparations to go into Endfoenation to find her missing parents.

News had come to Jenny, while she was in the Mystic Kingdom battling to save it from the evil that had nearly destroyed it, that Madiva had banished Jenny’s and Kathy’s parents with deathbolts, an electrifying string of power that shot from a witch’s finger with deadly force. Very lethal, meant to kill!

Jenny didn’t know if her parents were dead or alive and she was scared to death to find out the truth. The young, thirteen-year-old girl and her friend, Kathy, had tried to provide protection for their parents who knew nothing of magic and the dangers involved, but the naïve adults had not understood the seriousness of their situation.

Jenny, her brother, Donny, and friends, Kathy, Gerry and Davyn, had brought magical elipsee rocks home from The World of Witchery when they had gone inside that magical world to wake it up from a fifty-year sleep. They had given the elipsee rock necklaces to the parents, hoping that the powerful magic and healing properties they held would provide the needed protection.

The young witches had also cast protection spells and had warned the adults to stay in the powerfully protected attic. But the parents had not stayed in the attic as they had been warned to do, and if the elipsee rocks did not work on snippits, the Dewberrys and Kathy’s parents, the Collins, were doomed. Jenny’s heart ached at the thought.

Jenny’s last memory of her mother and father was when she was saying goodbye in the attic just before leaving for the Mystic Kingdom. She recalled standing just in front of the closet, placing a magical rock around the neck of each parent to keep them safe from evil. As Jenny slipped the soft leather string around the smooth skin of her mother’s neck, she remembered the look she had seen in her mother’s eyes. The look haunted Jenny. It was the look of confusion and disbelief along with fear of the unknown that had petrified her mother. Jenny had wished she could have spent more time with her mother to show her how wonderful magic and this new life would be. The young girl had never dreamed that she would not see her parents again.

Tears slowly trickled down Jenny’s cheeks. With her hand, she reached up and quickly wiped them away before anyone saw her. No one could see her cry because she had to be strong.

She felt lost and totally alone in the world with her parents and grandmother gone. And it wasn’t just that, Jenny felt something else, something very evil that she should not be feeling. Madiva was gone – so what could this unfamiliar sensation be and why was it coming to her now. She’d had evil feelings in the past from Madiva, but this was nothing like that. This was something else. This was definitely demonic.

Jenny had to get a grip. She had to take control of her feelings and beat whatever was trying to destroy her. This is crazy, the young witch said to herself.

Shivers raced through her body as she sat on the sofa examining the situation. The curious teenager had to know why an evil source was still out there. Where had it come from? Why was it attacking her in the attic which was supposed to be protected from such evil? She decided to find out then and there what it was, so she could concentrate on finding her parents. Moving her hand slowly in a round motion she chanted in a whisper:

A wave of life to see beyond

The feelings coming are very strong

They push through protected walls

The evil outside forever calls

I need to know what they imply

So push the veil and let me spy

Eyelids closed. A brush of cold wind stroked her face. When it passed by and stillness came, she opened her eyes. It was as if darkness had swallowed her whole. She could not see a thing because it was pitch black everywhere she looked. Then out of nowhere, a sliver of green light began growing, revealing a large book that seemed to emit waves of evil. It was in a cave-like room with a black image standing by a floor-length, oval mirror. The malevolent feelings came to Jenny stronger than ever before . . . making her sick to her stomach. A depressing, haunting feeling grasped at her innermost soul and an uncanny feeling wrapped around and around her shaking body inducing panic and fear. She trembled at the sight as the feelings exploded within her. With magic she quickly wiped it away with a wave of her hand and destroyed the image, but some of the feelings stayed.

She forced herself to become calm for she knew they would have a battle ahead of them.

Her surroundings slowly came into focus as the magical room came back to life.

The attic was noisy again with anticipation while waiting for the Eastman boys. Voices of Donny and Jason talking up a storm about the whole magic thing, the chatter of Kathy and Aunt Agatha telling stories of their adventures, and the soft, steady purring that came from Jenny’s starler, a black cat, Sheba . . . gave her peace. All these sounds helped her to relax as the young witch sat on the sofa sideways, hugging her knees.

Listening to all the voices up in their protected attic on this early morning, her mind wandered aimlessly as she thought about the past few weeks.

Alinore Grayson, the ordinary, thirteen-year-old girl’s grandmother, had given Jenny a key to an old, wooden trunk hidden in her grandmother’s magical attic just before she died. Jenny had found the trunk and ever since then, her life had been forever changed and turned upside down. She’d found out her grandmother was a witch but had turned mortal and plain because of a spell. Jenny had broken that spell and developed magic and powers of her own which led her into magical kingdoms that she would never have dreamed existed.

The adventures they had been on were unbelievable and overwhelming, waking her grandmother’s world, The World of Witchery, plus saving the