Legacy: The Mark of Merlin. Gerald Pruett

few of their frontline wizards, but before we could re-aim our fire beyond the partisans, the Raven’s surviving wizards and sorceresses magically fired all they had.

       The sky had lit up bright with all the fireballs passing each other in flight. Wizards and partisans on each side were spread out to minimize the casualties, so once each fireball had landed, only one to two people were hit by it—if any.

       Once the main fire had begun, our wizards who were reciting the cloaking incantation had shifted their chant to the barrier incantation, so when the fireballs that were fired against us would land, they would have less of an impact. I believe the Raven’s wizards had done the same.

       As the wizards and sorceresses were exchanging fireballs, the Raven’s surviving partisans and wolf-likens had stormed the citadel, and as they were entering, they were met by our partisans.

       It became immediately obvious that the Raven’s partisans were instructed to ignore our partisans when they could and go after our wizards and sorceresses. Some Raven’s partisans or likens had actually made it past our partisans as they went after their primary target. Most were cut down though by the wizards or sorceresses as they approached them, but a few had succeeded, only to be killed moments later by one of our partisans.

       With wizards on both sides chanting the barrier incantation throughout the battle, the battle waged on for hours, and compared to other battles fought throughout history, the number of casualties were light.

       Neither side was able to dominate the fight, and just before the last liken-moon (liken-moon is my word for the moon that is needed to change man into beast). Anyway, before the last liken-moon of the month could set, someone from the Raven’s side had sounded a horn.

       The Raven’s surviving partisans and likens quickly withdrew from the fight, and just after their partisans had reached their frontline wizards the Raven withdrew completely.

       Once the battle was over, our slightly wounded had picked up the dead and the seriously wounded; including the Raven’s dead and seriously wounded. All of the Raven’s dead and wounded were partisans though.

       Some had complained about treating the Raven’s wounded as one of ours, but Hanford retorted, “Kindness begets kindness. The Wizard Wars aren’t ever going to end if we continue to behave like savages towards one another.”

       And so the seriously wounded (our wounded and the Raven’s wounded alike) were carried to the lab where Catherine and Catherine’s three apprentices could attend to them. Catherine is Hanford’s sister, a powerful sorceress and the main healer for the coven.

       The dead were carried away and placed in a room to wait their ceremonial burial.

       Once a path between the chamber beneath the citadel and the main assembly room was cleared from any signs of battle, the children were escorted to the assembly room. There the children waited as the adults cleaned up the signs of battle everywhere else.

       Later this evening is the burial ceremony for the ones who had died in the battle, so everyone is preparing for that.

       That’s it for what I can scribe down.

      (Randolph’s handwriting)

       It’s Friday night, and before I go to bed I thought I should say that the burial ceremony went as it should. Our fallen wizards, sorceresses and partisans were each given a wizard’s ceremony. The Raven’s fallen were also a part of the ceremony and they were buried alongside our fallen without distinction.

       Oh and in spite of last night’s attack on the citadel, several more acorn covens had showed up while seeking refuge.

       I should also say that Hanford doesn’t care to keep prisoners, and while ignoring the objections from the others, Hanford had the Raven’s injured partisans escorted to the perimeter of our borders and then released once their wounds had been treated.

       Anyway that’s all I have for right now.

       It’s Saturday night. Friday night to Saturday morning was uneventful. After everyone had awakened and had eaten his or her morning meal, Hanford had called an assembly meeting.

       Apparently Elizabeth and I weren’t the only ones among the acorn covens who had to leave their Legacy volumes behind. Most of the Legacy volumes are only different within the last two hundred years. Before that the history of the Legacy volumes are mostly the same for everyone. Therefore, starting Monday morning, there will be a workshop to teach the history of our legacy.

       The attendance to the workshop is open to all ages and it’s voluntary.

       Elizabeth is planning to go to that. I wouldn’t mind going to that workshop myself, but there’s another workshop that is taking place at the same time that I want to go to. That workshop is on learning incantations and potions, and anyone fifteen years old or older can attend.

       If I was going to get Elizabeth and myself through this, I’m going to have to learn all I can.

       Anyway that’s all I have for right now.

       It’s Sunday night. Last night was again uneventful. I learned that a lot of the adults were planning to attend the workshops. To accommodate the number of people who are planning to learn the incantations, the workshop was moved from a small room to the dining room. The dining room will be closed during the few hours that the workshop will be taking place.

       The workshop on learning the Legacy volumes will be held in the assembly room.

       These workshops will be held on every Monday through Friday until further notice, and as I wrote yesterday, the attendance to the workshops is voluntary.

       Anyway, that’s all I have for right now.

       It’s Monday evening, and things were somewhat eventful, but not because of the Raven Coven. Thomas (a nineteen-year- old who thought that he knew more than our mentor about mixing potions) had mixed things before being told to and had blown pieces out of the table that he was sitting at.

       A few people around Thomas were shot with small chunks of flying wood. Thomas (I’m sad to say) had suffered piercing wounds about his chest, and the bright flash that had occurred had burned his eyes.

       Catherine said that Thomas will live, but she’s very doubtful that he’ll see again.

       That’s all I have, but Elizabeth wants to write down what she had learned from her workshop.

      (Elizabeth’s handwriting)

       Hi, it’s Elizabeth again. You knew that though.

       Anyway, here’s