Quagmire's Test: Gnometopia, #1

Saguaro Books, LLC

SB

Arizona

Copyright © 2013 Linda Steaveson

Printed in the United States of America

All Rights Reserved

Layout Editor  Caitlin Demo

This book is a work of fiction. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews.

Reviewers may quote passages for use in periodicals, newspapers, or broadcasts provided credit is given to Gnometopia by Linda Steaveson and Saguaro Books, LLC.

Saguaro Books, LLC

16201 E. Keymar Dr.

Fountain Hills, AZ 85268

www.saguarobooks.com

ISBN: 978-1482740820

Library of Congress Cataloging Number

LCCN: 2001012345

Printed in the United States of America

First Edition

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To my daughter Kristen, whose companionship in creativity has been a joy.

To my Grandson, Andru. Your love and laughter help make my life complete. Thanks

for being who you are.

To my dear friends Carolyn and Pat, thanks for being my sounding boards.

Table of Contents

Prologue      9

Chapter 1 13 The History

Chapter 2 21 The Journey

Chapter 3 37 The Discovery

Chapter 4 47 The Experience

Chapter 5 69 The Informant

Chapter 6 79 The Capture

Chapter 7  97 The Imprisonment

Chapter 8    109 A Bargain With The King

Chapter 9     117     The Plan

Chapter 10    125     A Declaration Of War

Chapter 11    131      The Meeting of Kings

Chapter 12   141     The King Comes Home

Chapter 13   147    The Journey Home

About the Author

Prologue

T

he rain came down hard, pelting the back of a cloaked figure as it trudged through the underbrush trying to keep out of sight of the guards who were searching for a run-away witch. A trumpet sounded. The figure stopped for a moment, its heart pounding so hard it feared the trackers could hear it even though they were moving away. Feeling safe, the figure continued toward home.

After an hour, the figure stopped to rest. Leaning on a boulder, it turned its face toward the rain; the cool drops were a pleasant reward for a successful escape. Just as it rose to proceed, a hand grabbed onto its shoulder and spun it around. In an instant the hood was ripped from its head as a gruff voice yelled, I have the witch.

Just as the witch raised her wand, a guard wrenched it away, threw it to the ground and stomped it into the wet leaf litter. It broke with a loud snap. The witch lurched toward the guard, but before she could reach him, a second guard slammed her to the ground with a blow from behind. Slowly, she raised her head to see the first of the guards. His burly unkempt face was smug and sickening. He appeared to have been away from clean water far too long.  He leaned closer to her as he said, You won’t need that wand where you’re going, missy. His breath was like a rotting animal carcass, most of his teeth were black with decay. The witch gagged as she turned away from him. He commanded the other guards to raise her to her feet. As a last attempt to save herself, she tried to break free. The first guard struck her across the face with the back of his hand, which still held a sword.

Knocked to her knees once more, she glared at the guards who laughed at her. She could feel blood trickling down from the side of her mouth. With her right hand, she reached up and touched the split in her lip. Methodically, she drew her hand away. As she did, she looked first at the blood on her finger, then at the guard. She very slowly closed her mouth, raised her left brow and smiled. The guard laughed.

Then in a mocking tone he continued, Poor little witch is without her wand to free her from the king’s big, bad men. Too bad, you didn’t keep your place and remain in the service of our new ruler. Now, what are you goin’ to do? He danced around, making a whimpering noise, pretending to wipe away nonexistent tears and saying, Poor little witch. Poor little witch. The other guards laughed and clapped their hands. While the guards entertained themselves, the witch glanced around and there, within arm’s length, was a precious Death Cap mushroom. The guards did not notice as she grabbed it up and crushed it in her hands. She brought her hands to her face and whispered just the right words.

Chapter 1

The History

I

t all began in the large, dark forest of Gwendare, in the land ruled by Queen Gwendolyn. Now, in this forest lived a multitude of creatures. The furry ones lived in stumps, those with feathers lived in trees and some with scales lived in caves. Most who were human lived in houses. One such house dweller was a young witch named Quagmire Pinch.

Quaggy, as her family and friends knew her, came from a long line of natural witches going back hundreds of years. The family tree was quite impressive with her fifth great-grandmother Fancy, acting as Queen Gwendolyn’s seeress and astrologer. That fact alone made the Pinch family one of power and prestige in the witch community, until the reign of King Haight. At the time of his triumph over Queen Gwendolyn, Haight had grown tired of witches. He began to banish from the country and dispose of anyone who practiced the art of witchcraft.

Following the execution of Queen Gwendolyn, Fancy Pinch managed to escape that same fate by leaving Gwendare. To insure the witch community would offer no resistance, the King executed all castle servants loyal to Gwendolyn. Yes, it was a dark and gloomy time for witches, as well as all mystical creatures that dwelled in Gwendare.

Immediately after a proclamation of Haight’s intensions, the rest of the Pinch family went into hiding, conjuring only out of necessity. After fifty years of the king‘s horrific plunder of the country, this cruel ruler was overthrown by the army of Gwendolyn’s daughter, Fortuna. Fortuna’s rule ushered in a quieter, more serene way of life.  It was at this point, the Pinch family came out of hiding, returning to their home to live openly as witches for two-hundred years.

The house, in which Quagmire lived, saw many children born into the Pinch family. Because of its construction, this house withstood the most severe storms as well as any battles fought to secure freedom from potential invaders. Such had been the case during the half-century of terror inflicted by King Haight. The home was a small but comfortable stone structure, with a thickly thatched roof. It had a big main room, which contained a fireplace used for heating and cooking. There were two large bedrooms and ample loft space above. The windows were made of intricately shaped leaded glass. It was rather ornate for its time.

Quagmire’s parents were priceless, as parents go. Her father, Lochlann Pendergast, loved to dance and play jokes on people. His fiery red hair was a mass of curls; a hint to his temperament and playfulness. He loved music and played the concertina for any occasion he could create. Showing an industrious side, he owned a meadery where he made both spiced and fruited mead, also known as honey wine. The people believed Lochlann’s mead was the very best mead in all of Gwendare and it was true. His was the finest because his family stole the recipe from another. This is not to say his was a family of thieves, but there was a proclamation during the reign of the king, to find the best mead for the royal family. The makers of the chosen elixir would be revered and spared a cruel demise. Therefore, what was Lochlann’s family to do?

Quagmire’s mother, Spinney Pinch, was rather placid in her youth. It was not until she met Lochlann that she became a different person. She was frolicsome. Her head was in the clouds more than it was on her studies, but she managed to become a formidable witch, nonetheless. In her later years, after she had her daughter, she became somewhat matronly and could be quite strict. The only throwback to her youth was her flute playing.  When Lochlann would pick up his concertina, she would accompany him on her flute. It was a sight to behold. When those two would play, their music made people sing and dance.

There were many happy moments spent in this home. Rarely was sadness a part of their life, when they no longer had to hide. They held parties, celebrations and festivals inside this house, as well as on the grounds. The Pinch family had owned this home for as long as anyone could remember. Moreover, just like those before her, Quagmire was very shrewd and imaginative. So much so, through her final years of study, she was under the discipline of Crone Sibyl Beldam. Sibyl was a crone with unequaled capabilities. She too, came from a line of natural witches whose powers had surpassed others in the sisterhood. Because of their strengths, the women of that family accepted the position of Crone for many generations. Fancy Pinch was the first witch in the Pinch family. When she began to show witchy talents as a child, the family allied themselves with the Beldams to tutor her.

As for Quagmire, the Pinch family relied on Sibyl for instruction. Now, Sibyl rather liked her young student and quietly admired her, as she reminded the Crone of herself when she was Quagmire’s age. When her student feigned illness to get out of her chores, lessons and the like, Sibyl would ignore those bouts, continuing to prod the young witch to mind her studies, until her student would concede. At first, this made the young witch very angry, but eventually, she came to respect Sibyl more and more for seeing through her act.

Quagmire Pinch was one in a million. The skill she had shown over the years was remarkable. The adults in her family felt she had the potential to become an outstanding witch, if only she would apply herself. She began conjuring at a very young age. Even though she was very good at it, she was also a bit careless. She once made the barn explode into a burst of flames, which turned into butterflies. Her mother undid that mishap and issued a stern warning followed by a lecture on the proper use of a wand, as well as