Hedge Wizard

completed Sept 4 2025

Few remembered his given name.  He was a powerful Hedge Wizard who dealt with nature on a regular basis.  The only name that his community has called him was Greens.

The was 1754 and Greens had turned 21 an occasion that was celebrated amongst those who used the hedge wizard magic.

He was a tall man, fairly slender but that didn’t show really how strong he was.  He had a power that was based partially in magic and partially from the family business which happened to be farming.

His family had been involved with protecting the world from the demonics who had once wandered the earth just like the humans did.  The problem was that the ward they had used was awakening and they had not even told the younger generation that this was happening.

North America was not what one would expect for its magical nature.  The powers that were in Europe were very well established.  The problem was that it was not that easy over here.  There were many separate groups who each had their own practices when it came to magic.

They had the hedge Wizards who were a throwback from ancient times but they weren’t as powerful as the full blown Druids who are where they were descended from.  Then there werewas the shamans and wisewomen from the Native American Groups.

For Greens he was a hedge wizard and his line of magic was only a couple generations old.  His Grandma was a druidess and she had passed some of the knowledge to her Grandson.

Druids disappeared and they still didn’t know what had happened. Greens Grandma had been in his life for quite some time and then she just wasn’t seen from again.  Now it has been 12 years since the last Druid had been around North America.

——–

Greens was meditating in his garden that was filled with many types of vegetables and fruits. There were bushes filled with plump strawberries, wild blueberries, juicy raspberries and of course the darkest blackberries.  He was a fan of this type of garden and grew a little bit of everything like beans and peas and cucumbers.  He was a marvel and his spells helped him maintain the growth of his garden and the orchard that he had claimed as his own many years ago.

Things were far from good as so many hated the Witches but what they really were doing was killing people for witchcraft and seldom finding anyone really who was using magic.

He spent time where he could with the community which was thriving.  He had a farm not huge but enough that would feed him and his family.  His family was small and that’s how he liked it.  He could help the family but he also provided food for the smaller community of houses that were around the property.  His goal was that no one in his area would ever be hungry like he had been when he was a child.  This place was harsh at times with mountain ranges on one side and forest on two of the others.  

It was Sunday the Lord’s Day and while he wasn’t a religious man he did try and avoid doing a lot of work.  He still had tothe milk the cows and feed the animals as well as tend his crops.  He always used the magic to help them so that they would produce more.  He didn’t profit off of the magic and used the extra to keep the community strong.

Greens was in his apple orchard using his magic to help keep the rot away from the apples and keeping the ground filled with nutrients.

He heard a rustling sound behind him and turned and saw a man striding towards him.  He had a red tinge to his skin as well as he had horns like that of a bull on his head.  What the heck could this person be as the deformity was not normal and would have made him an outcast amongst many people.

A ball of fire appeared in the man’s hand.  He tossed it with ease, grinning the most evil smirk he had ever seen.  Greens opened his mind and quickly said the incantation that put a bubble of water over the fireball.  The fireball went out and he could see the anger in the man’s eyes as he had been thwarted.

Greens was fearful how had this person got into his hidden garden and how did fire suddenly appear.  He knew his magic was not going to be enough to protect him.  The creature had red eyes that held no humanity.

Reaching with his mind he started to pray for help of any kind.  Magically thorny vines appeared and wrapped their tendrils around the red eyed man who had thrown a ball of fire.   He screamed an unhumanlike curse as the thorns pierced his flesh and dragged him into the earth to snuff out life.

Breaking down, Greens fell to the ground singing when he heard a slow clapping from behind him.  “You did very well there, my young apprentice”. The voice was feminine and was very playful and almost cat-like purring.  She had long hair that touched the back of her knees.

He had never before seen this person and he wasn’t sure he wanted to now.  His senses were screaming that the earth wasn’t necessarily her friend.

She looked at his shocked face “I am sorry for being rude but you are the first to be able to bear this demonic plague in nearly 10 years.  I am Agnes, theAgnes the person who will make your every dream come true.  You are the first of the new Druids.”

Green was stunned he had heard his father say years ago that his Grandma who he always thought was a hedge wizard like him was a druid.  She had disappeared nearly 12 years ago and they believed she went off and died.  “Druids don’t exist ma’am” he stammered.

She nodded carefully “They don’t exist anymore but once they protected all of the settlements all around the world.  North America slowly they died off with no one to replace them.  The power was inherited by the children of the druids but none were taught the oath.  You are powerful and could take the oath and become the new Druid.”

Hearing this he knew that power could mean his death but it would allow him to also protect and help the community he had helped make.  This would make them all stronger and would allow for protection from whatever would come. Could the legacy from his Grandmother be to take up the mantle of a Druid and become the guiding light in North America.

It was a rush of adrenaline what had happened and his fear was subsiding now but could Agnes be right and that he would be the person to bring the power of the druids back to the world.  His world has always been small with his community never wanting to venture out away from the norm.

He looked at the lady and nodded slowly.  “If this will help the community then I will do it.” She smiled and quickly pushed her hands forward and a pulse of silver light enveloped Greens.  It turned green eventually.

He felt satisfaction flowing around her but not what he had thought it would be.  The power was telling him something was off.  

“You are mine now, your power is mine.”

He heard a voice there he hadn’t heard in forever.  “Agnes, what have you done?”. It was the voice of his grandma.

She laughed “I knew you weren’t dead my old master.  You were foolish to think hiding would work.  Now if you wish your Grandson to live and be free we will need to transfer the rest of the knowledge of the Druidic archives to my mind. “

She laughed “The Druidic archives, you know that it doesn’t work that way.  You broke the covenant and the power no longer can reside in you.  The knowledge you have is all that can be granted.”

Greens felt the power in his Grandmother and could sense the power building.  The air was ionizing and he knew it wouldn’t be enough.  He opened up his mind and linked to his Grandmother giving her the little power that he had.  The blast of lightning struck and Agnes screamed and evaporated was almost the word he would use.  

She turned to her Grandson “You young fool.  You taking the mantle of the druid has set in motion a chain of events that should not have happened yet.  I hid and didn’t let you take the mantle for that very reason.  We now must put in motion what we need.  Agnes is not dead and will return.  You need to learn your powers and be better than the hedge wizardry.   I am happy to see you Greens but it is nice to see you again”

Greens for his part was shocked he hadn’t heard his Grandmother speak in any tone other than kindness.  What had he done, wasn’t following in her footsteps be a sign of honour.  She seemed very upset that he took the mantle.

———

Greens entered the hidden fort that his Grandmother had made and used a massive amount of energy to protect this place magically.  She had called it a pocket dimension on the inside and the outside it looked just like a huge tree. 

She had told him when the issues began her and the other masters of druidry had put themselves into a hibernation that was supposed to last until the time was right.  His using his magic had awakened her and she was shocked to know that her Daughters only son had been mucking about with more than just the basic spells.

“Greens please come here I need to perform the test on you which will tell me your power level”

He came over and she grabbed his hand and pierced his finger tip and dropped blood into a small mortar.  She poured a green liquid over it and sprinkled a bit of dirt into it for good measure.  She then chanted in a language he didn’t know. He tried to remember the words but once they touched his ears they were gone from his memory.  “If this goes red you will have apprentice power, if it glows Brown you will have what we call travellers power, if you glow blue you will be a trainer level power, if it glows gold you will be a master and if it glows green you will be an adept with your power.” she stated and kept looking at the mortar waiting for the power she had infused into the spell to activate.

It took 5 minutes for the water to start to change into what it was supposed to.  It turnedit turned into a full green. “Figures.  You have the power to be an adept. The dull hue shows that you will be at the lower end but you will be able to pull power from the earth itself.  This is why they wanted you, Agnes can sense power and what strength you will have.  Had I not chased her away she would have been able to get you to destroy everything we have done.  She was no better than a standard traveller but through you she could have gained everything she wanted and ruled this country easily.”

He was sucking on the finger to try and stop the bleeding.  It had a coppery taste, something that he hated but he knew that he couldn’t do much else.  “Foolish boy. You have the power to heal yourself with magic of the Druid.  Put your power into your thoughts and have been the cut seal itself.”

Greens didn’t know that Druidry could do that.  He gathered his power and focused on picturing the wound closing. The power flowed easily but he felt exhausted.  “I did it but now I am tired and don’t feel too steady”

He sat down “That is because you haven’t learned how to temper the power or that the wound you had was not that bad so you only need a whisper of the power that you used.  There are magical lines all over this county that you can tap into.  We call them key lines.  They can be used by adepts only, though Masters can sense them.  Reach into the earth and lightly tap into the one under my home.  Do not drain too much as that is what powers this pocket dimension.”

Greens felt for the earth and the energy core.  It was very strong and he sensed untapped energy that few could touch and only the strongest would be able to use.  He tapped into the energy and drained a little from its overflowing basin giving himself a huge rush.  

“One day this will all be yours but Agnes isn’t the only issue.  What she did was be the catalyst for the big war that was foreseen when the druids all vanished from the earth.  You arebring the first to take the mantle and must train hard, your instincts are good but you need to temper the power you have and not squander it.  I will not be the one to train you but the lady Aliya who is coming to be here.  We have the facility and the capability to shield everything from what you must learn of nature magic.”

Greens was sent to the suite of rooms he had been granted and started to meditate on what happened today. His grandmother was alive and well but had left her family to protect them.  He wasn’t sure he could do that if the tables were reversed.  Giving up everything that made him who he was would be impossible.  

Only time would tell what would become of Greens and his dreams.  Would he have a wife and child or would he forever be forced to watch others have his dream as he saved their world. 

——

stay tuned for the next installment of the Druidic Stories.  in the next story Greens is training to become a full druid with his grandmother’s friend