Excerpt: The Last Sun Sets

“Come up, boy,” Came a voice from above, and Aaron pushed himself up the last few stairs and into the wizard’s study.
The room took Aaron’s breath away, never had he seen so many things crammed into one place. Books and papers were everywhere, covering every surface Aaron could see, with candles and lamps placed seeming at random between them. Mechanical apparatuses whose use he couldn’t even guess were jammed into corners and in some cases perched precariously on top of piles of books. Millions of strange objects dotted the shelf space between and in front of books. Jars and vials containing all manner of different colored things, crystals, and more.
A huge telescope was in the corner pointing out a large round window. It reminded Aaron of the small one the wizard had let him use to catch glimpses of the planets and of shooting stars, but ten times the size. Above everything the room spiraled up into rafters where Aaron could see cobwebs illuminated faintly by the candles. He did the cleaning for the rest of the house, and it was clear the wizard didn’t like to waste his time on it up here.
The wizard himself sat behind a huge wooden desk, piled high with books and papers and all kinds of other strange objects. He looked tired to Aaron, more tired than he ever looked normally.
“I’m here, sir.” Aaron said, unsure of what to do.
“Mmm,” the wizard replied from behind the sheet of parchment he was holding, “take a seat boy.”
Aaron surveyed the area in front of the desk dubiously. “Where, sir?” he asked.
The wizard finally put down the paper he was holding and looked around.
“Oh, of course,” He gestured to a pile of papers right in front of his desk. “Move those off to the side.”
Aaron carefully made his way over to the pile the old man had pointed out and lifted it gingerly out of the way, balancing it carefully on top of the stack next to it. He sat down on the chair he’d just cleared and looked at the wizard, trying not to let his gaze wander around the room.
“You are curious about the darkness, as is everyone,” the wizard began, and Aaron just nodded, not wanting to interrupt. “The men from the Church tell us that a man named Morden has killed the king and taken control of the Kingdom,” the wizard continued, “And through dark magic he created this darkness.” Aaron nodded again; it was what the Cleric had told him.
“The Church supposes it was just a show of power,” the wizard continued, “but it is more than that. There are creatures out there that live in darkness, creatures that live on evil. Morden is assembling an army and he plans to take not just the Middle Kingdom but the Three Kingdoms entirely. I have gotten reports already of giant wolves appearing, creatures that look half-man and half-beast seen marching through the woods.”
“Sir,” Aaron said, “wasn’t Cleric Derran right though, aren’t some of those creatures just children’s stories?”
“I do not recall you being there when Derran said that,” The wizard said and Aaron gripped his chair, remembering that he’d been eavesdropping. He hoped he wasn’t turning red but the wizard continued without noticing anything, “It seems that old stories may hold more truth than people give them credit for. And they may be coming back to haunt us all.”