In the shades of Daventry's woods, a young boy hurried along the path back to his cottage. His messy brown hair flipped and flopped around as he ran to a small wooden house in a clearing. He grabbed his father's ax, his deep blue eyes shining in the sunlight.

He heard a voice from nearby in the forest as he grabbed the ax from a stump next to the cottage. He knew his task was urgent: his father's job as a woodcutter was all that fed his family. Two years ago his father wouldn't have been doing nearly this much work, and Jasper wouldn't have needed to help. For two years ago, a magical bowl had been stolen from his family by a thieving dwarf. Now, he had to work with his father to get the money to feed his parents and himself.

The voice called out again, and the young man recognized it as the voice of a knight, Sir William. He crept toward and listened carefully. The knight was speaking to his wife. He said to his wife, "Look at this parchment! A wanted poster-all the way from Kolyma! It looks as if they are having troubles over there. Though that Count Dracula may be dead, their troubles are not over."

The lady nodded, and replied, "Well, that's plenty of gold for only a few bandits or so. Why don't you travel there, and capture them?"

The knight only shook his head, "No, my love. My heart is here with you, and on these posters they say these are more than just bandits! A witch and an enchanter are the top wanted."

Suddenly, an idea popped up in the young man's mind. He could travel to Kolyma and capture these people himself! Then, he would have enough money to feed his family and himself! It was brilliant!

All he had to do was get a vessel and the necessary supplies... and of course ask his parents. They had to let him go. It was a brilliant idea!

Suddenly, a voice called from the woods, "Jasper! Hurry, I need my ax." Quickly, Jasper ran back through the forest, its leaves just beginning to turn golden and red, to his father who was cutting down a cedar deep in the forests.

After a long day, Jasper hurried back to the cabin where his family lived. He knew that dinner, though it would be a measly meal, would be the perfect time to tell his mother and father about his plans.

As they began to eat, Jasper looked for a chance to bring up his master plan. Then his father began to speak. "I found a wanted poster, all the way from Kolyma, where Queen Valanice once lived. To capture those troublemakers would gain any family riches beyond their wildest dreams. It's too bad my old bones are too tired for travel."

Jasper nearly jumped in his seat as he began, "Father? Well... I heard a knight speaking about that poster. I wondered... maybe... if I could travel to Kolyma, and try to capture them."

His father looked worried, but his mother had another idea, "That would be wonderful!"

"But it would be dangerous," his father added, "not to mention actually trying to capture these people."

"Come on!" his mother said, defending him. "Jasper is quite old enough to handle it. You've about the adventures King Graham has made, haven't you?"

"But what about the costs?" his father continued. Jasper winced at the thought. That, he thought, would be the most difficult part of the argument.

He had a plan though. "I can help you. I'll get plenty of money, and I can use what I earn. The biggest part will be getting there. Then, the rest would mostly be supplies."

His father, still reluctant, replied, "Maybe... I'll know by the morning. Get some sleep."

Jasper hurried to his small bed. Then, he quickly blew out his candle. Finally, he crept into bed and fell into a dreamless sleep.

Suddenly he awoke. A bright light shone at his door, but through his window he could see it was still nighttime. He quietly went to the door and opened it just a crack, but then the whole door flew open and Jasper saw a fairy standing in the doorway. Her hair was long and dark, and her eyes seemed to flash with the colors of the rainbow.

"Opali'onia!" he called out.

His fairy godmother—an old friend of his mother's—smiled at him. Jasper held the door open as she strode into the cottage. She sat herself on a small chair at a table in the center of the cottage and waited.

As she did this, the sun began to rise above the sky. Soon, Jasper's mother was getting out of bed, and so was his father, but slowly.

"Jasper?" his mother asked sleepily. "Is that you?"

His mother quietly got out of her bed and walked over to her son at the table. Then, she looked to a usually empty chair at one end of the table. She rubbed her eyes to make sure it wasn't just a dream.

"Opali'onia!" she said with a shock. "What are you doing here?"

"I was over at Crispin's the other day," she began as Jasper's father woke up and quickly joined in on the conversation. "He showed me the wanted poster from Kolyma. I knew just what Jasper would do about it. So, I came here with everything he might need—some gold from my extra stash, food, a ship schedule, a compass, a telescope, and a map of Kolyma from my cousin…" She rambled on for awhile.

They talked all morning as Jasper's mother prepared breakfast. By noon, they were heading off to the southeast on a rickety, rented horse-drawn carriage. They were at the port by dusk, and then they stayed the night at The Bi Zula Inn. At dawn the next morning, they rushed to the docks. Jasper boarded Kolyma's Spirit and waved good-bye to his family.

Little did he know he was about to begin the journey of his life.