“As big as a house!” Uncle Lee poured on the drama, spreading his arms wide. “The humans built cities whereas the other folk lived off the land. So, the humans put up fences and built huge castles, claiming the land for their own.”
“I bet the elves weren't happy.” Piers wouldn’t have been.
“Not a bit. The humans grew so numerous, they threatened the existence of the others. Then, they did the worst thing imaginable.”
Piers' heart hammered in his chest. Uncle told such good stories. He almost made Piers feel a part of the action. “What?”
Uncle Lee prolonged the moment by taking a sip of tea. Then, finally, he dropped his voice to barely a whisper. “Many of the creatures who lived there wielded magic.”
“Even humans?”
Uncle Lee nodded. “Some. But the humans got greedy, used their magic to name themselves kings and queens, and they tried to rule over every other living thing.”
“Then what happened?” These stories were supposed to make Piers sleepy. But, instead, he sat wide-eyed, hanging on every word.
“The gods split the world into pieces. One became the human realm, where humans could live among their own kind but not take their magic with them. Many humans fled to this new world, but a few stayed in the magical realm. There, the gods only gave power to humans who'd use their abilities to benefit all.”
“So everything turned out okay?”
“No. There were mages, the humans who could wield magic. One day, a mage struck another in anger. As the wounded mage died, his power left his body and entered the murderer. Since the murderer was a wicked man already, his hunger for power grew. He killed more mages, making himself very powerful. He became the first sorcerer.
“Other, less evil sorcerers arose after his betrayal. The high king chose the most trusted among them to help him rid the magical realm of such wickedness.”
“Did it work?”
“Yes, and no. After the great purge, humans with magical abilities were closely watched to ensure no one tried to seize control again.”
“Did any?” Piers easily imagined men in robes, cackling in wicked glee.
Uncle Lee's expression turned grave. “There once lived a village girl who possessed a small amount of magical talent, which she used to help her family's plants grow. She lived on a farm, you see. Bandits came to her village, burning crops and killing the villagers.”
“Oh no! Did she live?”
“Yes, she did. The only one in her village. She watched her parents die from where they'd hidden her in a wall of their home. After the bandits left, she went door to door, looking for survivors. She only found lifeless bodies. Friends, family. Even the young man she'd hoped to join with.”
Piers pictured the girl crying over the boy. He'd never lost anyone close to him. He'd never had anyone to lose but Uncle. “I'll bet she was sad.”
Uncle Lee nodded. “The deaths saddened her at first, but she grew angry, wanting revenge. Then she found the village healer barely clinging to life, a mage of some small skill. With power taken from the healer, our village lass set off after the bandits. One by one, she killed them. With each, she grew more vindictive, more ruthless. Once she'd killed them all, she brought down fire, burning her village to the ground to keep anyone else from claiming the belongings of those she’d known and loved.”
“What did she do then?” Had Piers' parents been murdered? Was that the reason Uncle Lee never spoke of them? Piers used to tell some of his bedtime stories to Mrs. Rice, who claimed they were far too brutal for a seven-year-old. Seven winters, as Uncle said. Piers loved those stories and just stopped telling them to others. They belonged to him and his uncle.
“Her grief drove her mad. She vowed never to be vulnerable again.” Uncle Lee paused for another sip of tea. “So, she killed mage after mage, building her powers, until she became the most powerful sorceress ever to live.”
“Wow! She must have been pretty powerful.”
“Very. But also determined to make the rest of the world bow at her feet.”
“Did the gods stop her? They stopped the other bad humans, didn’t they?”
“I do not know the rest of the story, except she paid for her crimes with her life.”
“The end?”
“For now.” Uncle Lee planted a kiss on Piers' forehead. “Go to sleep and dream of magical creatures.”
“Good night, Uncle Lee. I love you.”
“I love you too, son.”