Free Aurelius and I by Benjamin James Barnard Page A

Professor’s dirty work. He is a very powerful, highly dangerous and utterly ruthless Gravlier – an enormous creature from the Orc family, but with skin blacker than coal as opposed to the emerald green of Orcs. His very name is enough to strike fear into the heart of anybody who knows of him or his evil deeds.” Aurelius’s tone had been serious and meaningful in his description, but casually returned to normal when he spoke again. “But there is no need for you to worry about him, Charlie. There is absolutely no possibility of Captain Blackheart coming here, to Hanselwood Forest. Rain has clearly been misinformed.”
    “How can you be so sure?” I asked. “You said yourself that The Professor was trying to destroy the forest, so wouldn’t it make sense for him to send somebody he trusted to oversee it?”
    “No, Charlie, it would not,” Aurelius replied firmly, but calmly. “You see, The Professor would not send his most powerful, and most trusted ally out of Roobatzi without good reason. It would leave Blackheart far less powerful and more vulnerable without the protection of the world of dark magic, and it would do the same to The Professor within Roobatzi, who, without his most fearsome general, would be more vulnerable to being overthrown by rebel elements. No, I can assure you that Blackheart is not here. Hanselwood Forest is simply not important enough to The Professor to be worthy of sending Blackheart. No, I’m afraid that the humans The Professor has bought off will very likely be more than a match for this little forest all by themselves.!
    “What if you’re wrong? What if there is something special about Hanselwood Forest, and you just don’t know about it?”
    “For the last time, Charlie, there is nothing special about Hanselwood Forest. And if there was, I would know about it. I have been the guardian of this forest for longer than you have, been alive young man!”
    “I’m sorry,” I whimpered. “I just thought...”
    “No, Charlie, please, do not worry yourself – it is I who should be apologising. Your question was a perfectly valid one and I realise that you meant no ill by it. However, there is another reason for my certainty on the matter. You see, The Great Raymondo is a genie, and everybody knows what traitorous beings genies are. They are completely incapable of speaking the truth.”
    “Oh, I see... hang on a minute. You’re telling me genies are real? And they live in this country? But, I thought Rain said Raymondo lived in a cave. Aren’t genies supposed to live in lamps?”
    “A common mistake I’m afraid,” Aurelius laughed. “Legend has it that one genie, many centuries ago, was cursed by an evil wizard to spend eternity trapped inside a lamp, to be used at will. That lamp was then found by a young human named Aladdin and the story worked its way into legend. Real genies can come and go as they please, they have no one master and must grant the wishes of anybody who asks them. As a result, most are recluses, hiding themselves away from societies where they are constantly asked to perform their gifts, often with terrible consequences. Instead they live in remote locations, speaking only with animals, for animals have neither the ability nor the inclination to ever wish for anything.’
    “Genies can talk to animals, but animals can’t wish?”
    “That’s right. You see, while genies can understand animals, and vice versa, animals don’t exactly talk . It’s more that they use sound to help communicate their mood, but, as with all creatures who are able to communicate with animals, the connection is largely telepathic.”
    “I see.”
     
    ***
     
    In truth, despite all the incredible things I had witnessed over that past few days, I was still having trouble coming to terms with a world where magic existed, especially as it was a world I was suddenly so firmly a part of. I guess it just takes time to accept the truth when it comes as a direct contradiction to a