The Wizard of Time (Book 1) by G.L. Breedon

charm.”
     “And now it is your talisman,” Ohin said, his voice a deep whisper.
    “I remembered I couldn’t find it and I suddenly realized why,” Gabriel said. “I should have said something, but I was afraid you wouldn’t let me come here to get it.”  Gabriel could feel the imprints of the pocket watch now that he knew what to look for and was impressed to find that the simple heirloom handed down from his grandfather was nearly as powerful as the imbued seashells that Ohin used as a talisman.
    “You need to learn to trust me,” Ohin said. “And me to trust you. You made the right choice coming here, but next time, give me some warning.”
    “Sorry, it won’t happen again.” He looked up at Ohin in the dim light. He didn’t like the idea of disappointing Ohin. “I’m ready to try and take us back to the castle now.”
    “We should do something first,” Ohin said, clasping a firm hand on Gabriel’s shoulder.
    A moment of blackness and blinding white and they stood outside the kitchen window looking in on his previous self and his parents having dinner. The tears rolled down Gabriel’s cheeks before he even felt them in his eyes. He saw his mother laughing at something his father had said. A story about their marriage, Gabriel remembered. How Gabriel’s father had gone out shopping for a baby crib and had come home with a camping tent instead. Gabriel’s grandfather had shouted, “What’s your boy gonna sleep in, an orange crate?”  He could see himself laugh, as well. And his father’s wide grin as he retold the often-told family tale. Gabriel felt his face break into a smile as he watched through the window. So much happiness, so much pain, all bound up together in the same moment.
    “I want to go home,” Gabriel said, extending his hand.
    “I wanted you to see this now, so you wouldn’t be tempted to see it later on your own,” Ohin said as he placed the small chunk of amber in Gabriel’s upturned palm.
    “I know,” Gabriel replied as he closed his eyes, holding the amber fossil in one hand and the pocket watch in the other. He felt the energy and imprints of the pocket watch as easily as he felt Ohin’s hand on his shoulder.
    “Make sure you return us after we left,” Ohin said. “Arriving too early could be...awkward.”
    “Right,” Gabriel said. “Avoid bifurcations. We should get t-shirts made.”
    An instant later all was blackness then whiteness, then they stood on the balcony of the Clock Tower of Windsor Castle one hundred twenty-five million years in the past. Gabriel looked up at the clock and saw from the placement of the minute hand that they had been gone less than an hour.
    “Excellent execution,” Ohin said. “You’ve done better than I could possibly have hoped. I have never heard of an apprentice Time Mage learning so quickly. I’m very proud of you.” Ohin ruffled Gabriel’s hair.
    Gabriel wiped the last of the tears from his eyes. He made Ohin proud on the first lesson. If he could never make his parents proud of him again, and he couldn’t without creating a dangerous new branch of time, then making Ohin proud would do just fine.
     

Chapter 8: Dinner Time
     
    The day was long. Filled with hour after hour of new and interesting things. Ohin and Gabriel returned in time to join the other members of the team for their morning training session. Ohin briefly described Gabriel’s amazing accomplishments to the others as they gathered on the grass of the Upper Ward. Gabriel felt the heat rising on his face while Ohin spoke.
    “I guess you’re not the only prodigy,” Rajan said to Teresa.
    “You’re a prodigy?” Gabriel asked.
    “I have a knack for fire magic,” Teresa said, wrinkling her nose in embarrassment.
    “And before she joined us here, she was a math prodigy,” Rajan said. “Already in her second year of a physics degree.”
    “Math is harder than magic,” Teresa said. “But I’ve never done anything as impressive as making a