Jeremiab's Tale

Here is a small insight (that is not finished) into Jeremiab's earlier life. Here it goes....
Jeremiab’s Tale

Written by Samantha Nelson

Anna walked through the village, whistling. People yelled out prices for cloth and food, shoes and jewels as she passed. She paid them no mind. The forest was calling her, and she had to hurry if she was to make it there soon. As much as she wanted to get going, however, she couldn’t help but stare at Jeremiab as she passed him. He was the old man of the town, and some pretty weird rumors had flown around, talking about how weird he was. He didn’t even stir as she watched him writing on a scroll. She wouldn’t let his oddness disturb her, though. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and she had a plan for adventure. Nothing could ruin today… could it?

Anna didn’t notice that as she left Jeremiab, he stood up and followed her. He walked in her footprints, seeming not to make a sound. She whistled as she noted all the unusual things in the landscape. A torn cloth here, an odd scratch in the dirt there… yes, something was not exactly right around the town. She stopped to bend down and examine an animal footprint that just looked… big, too big to be let inside the kingdom, let alone the village.

Anna looked around her and noticed Jeremiab standing, staring at her. She got up, brushed herself off, and held out her hand.

“Hello. I’m Anna Jaksnov. Nice to um…meet you.” She kept her hand outstretched.

“I know who you are, just as you know me. You’re aunt and uncle doesn’t know you’re here, do they?”

Anna blushed, and remarked, “So what if they didn’t? They wouldn’t really care. They just want me to come home for dinner at the proper time.”

“On the contrary. They love you very much, and they should like to know your whereabouts.”

Anna blushed again, the tossed her hair around her face.

“Whatever you say, old man.” Then she stalked away, while Jeremiab walked in her footsteps.

Most people would have been offended at what she said, but Jeremiab was oblivious to insults. He got them all the time… from the townspeople, the servants in the castle, even the king seemed a little scared of him. Jeremiab was used to it, however, so the insult was left unnoticed.

He walked a little bit faster to catch up to Anna. Even though she was only fourteen, she had the muscle and physical ability of an older teenager. Her face was not one of great beauty, what with her circular face and small nose, but it served her well enough. Tall, athletic built with long legs meant that she usually won the races in the summer, even against the boys. Her dark hair swung behind her, creating a pendulum that caused Jeremiab’s focus to waver. Back and forth, it swung, back and forth… Stop it! Jeremiab told himself. Stay focused. This girl obviously knows more than she lets on.

Anna forced her eyes to only see the road in front of her, and not the man slightly behind and slightly beside her. She had let the old man come, not because she wanted him to, but because if he got offended, she could be in big trouble. Jeremiab may be old, but many people respected him. Some townspeople insulted him, but they were just too simple to let on how much they were scared of him. Anna wondered how he had gained such high status. He worked for the king that was one reason. He also was known to play tricks on you, letting you think he would do one thing, but then go and do another. What he wanted always seemed to come to him. And not only that, but he was just weird. All those rumors probably weren’t true, but… still. Then a noise shook Anna out of her thoughts.

Jeremiab looked towards the noise. It was coming from inside the forest. Anna knew that she shouldn’t go inside without protection, but she had done it millions of times before. She had never gotten hurt inside the thick, dark woodlands before. Surely she wouldn’t start now. Her boots crumpled the leaves beneath her as she plunged into the unknown jungle. Jeremiab followed her cautiously.



The noise continued as Anna got closer and closer to the heart of the wild haven. She could hear Jeremiab following her, but she deemed it alright to have a little protection this time. She had never heard something like this before. Just as she was about to inch closer to the noise, the weird snuffling stopped. Then a fully grown dragon entered their path. Anna stepped back and squeaked as Jeremiab cursed. Then the dragon grabbed Anna and Jeremiab, and flew high into the air.

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A fuzzy thought entered Anna’s brain. Where am I? , she thought. She sat up and opened her eyes. Light was streaming in through an opening in a wall. It took Anna a few minutes to notice that that was the only window to the outside world. Her eyes scanned the room, looking for any source of escape. None what so ever. The cave (for that was what it was) had no other opening beside the window as far as she could tell. The walls of the stone haven were dry and slightly warm to the touch. The sunlight must have warmed this whole room, Anna realized. No wonder she didn’t feel the slightest bit cold. As she looked around, she saw that the cave was clean, except for the occasional footprint here or there… footprints! Anna bent down and saw that the floor was covered in a thin layer of dirt. As she stood up, her eyes saw a flicker of movement. Jeremiab was lying in the dirt, groaning. She rushed over to him.

“Jeremiab! Are you okay?” she asked curiously.

“Ouch,” was all that he replied.

Anna shook him a little to wake him up fully. He groaned and rolled over… then groaned again. She prodded him.

“Wake up!” she told him sternly. He grunted and sat up.

Anna breathed a sigh of relief. In this crazy adventure, he was her link to normalcy. She quickly told him where they were.

“Okay, so I think the dragon took us to this cave, and-”

Jeremiab held up a hand. “I know. I saw all of the landscape as he flew you and me over the forest and into the mountains.

“You saw all of that? How come I don’t remember any of that?” asked Anna, dumbstruck.

Jeremiab looked calm as could be in the morning light. “On the way here, you passed out. All throughout the rest of the day you remained unconscious. Only was it this morning that you woke up.”



Anna blushed, embarrassed at having passed out. She was supposed to be the amazing fighter, the hero, the adventurer. Then, her first big journey and she faints. How girly was that!? True, she was a girl, but being who she was, she forgot most of the time. She shook herself and looked at Jeremiab. His short grey hair was a bit rumpled from sleep, but he looked fine, if a little bruised from napping on a dirt floor all night. She had never really seen his face so… so… nervous looking before. It was hard to tell his real emotions, but in the end, what she saw was a face with a bit of nervous tension. She felt the same way.

Jeremiab stood up and stretched. He yawned some, too, and scratched his head. He then sat down again and took out a pipe. Anna wrinkled her nose. Her uncle had used his pipe before, and she had never liked it then. She didn’t suppose she would like it now, either.

“Please don’t use your pipe, Jeremiab. I don’t like the smoke it puffs out.”

Jeremiab looked slightly surprised, but put the pipe away. Then he sighed, and started talking.

“I suppose you want to know why we were captured by a dragon, don’t you.” His eyes swiveled towards her.

Anna nodded. “Yeah, I had thought about it.”

Jeremiab sighed again. “I’m a wizard.”

Anna gasped. “What? You… you’re a wizard?” she asked timidly.

He nodded. “I work for King Matthew. That’s why I am found to be your village so often: it is the closest town to the palace. My job is to keep the harder criminals out of the kingdom, stop dark creatures and wizards from entering or causing harm and many other small jobs. You could call me an Attendant, of sorts.”

Anna knew what Attendants were, of course. They stopped crime in the cities and towns, and tried to keep peace. Sometimes they succeeded… sometimes they did not.

Jeremiab continued his narrative. “The dragon is owned by Riodan Rimlore, the darkest wizard of all ages. May the world forever cast him out, and let his own dark creatures consume him. This dragon was looking for me. Well, he found me by a miraculous stroke of luck, and you just happened to be caught up in it. But you were looking for him anyhow, so you would have been caught either way.”

Anna scowled. She had been looking for him, but only because she worried that he would attack the town. And, well… because this was her first chance at a real adventure.

Anna replied scathingly, “I guess all hope is lost then. If this dragon truly is Rimlore’s, (she had heard enough stories to know that he was evil) then we are surely going to be eaten, or taken prisoner.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say we are without hope,” Jeremiab stated firmly. “If hope was lost, then we would be sitting in the underworld some where, marveling at how stupid we were not to listen to our hearts and be good boys and girls. Hope can be found in all places, no matter where you are.”

Anna snorted.

 That is the end of Jeremiab's Tale. Please tell me if you like it.
-Tiger