Fabian Gravel
andthe Witches of Elandoria
FABiAN GRAVEL ANDTHE WiTCHESOFElANDORiA
To Dad ♥
FABiANGRAVEL ANDTHE WiTCHESOFElANDORiA
by
TeolindaAvivi
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©2025 Text:TeolindaAvivi
Illustrations: Iben Widén
CoverIllustration: Iben Widén
Translation: DenisWilliamson
Layout:TeolindaAvivi
TechnicalSupport: Karl Wikander
Graphic Design: BoD
Publisher: BoD· BooksonDemand, Östermalmstorg 1, 114 42 Stockholm, Sweden, bod@bod.se
Printedby: LibriPlureos GmbH,Friedensallee 273, 22763 Hamburg, Germany
ISBN:978-91-8097-192-8
TheWitches of Elandoriainthe Higher School
Castanya,MasterofAll Beasts
Trains pupils to become Beast-Tamers.Tounderstand, train andtamemanykinds of animals andcreatures,fromtinymice to mighty Jaw-Beasts.
Olympia, Master of AllElements
Trains pupils to become Element-Tamers,protectingthe realmfromnatural disastersand shapingthe land with Fire, Earth, Airand Water.
Alexia,MasterofAll Plants
Trains pupils to become Plant-Tamers.Abletospeak to trees, heal sick plants,orcontrol theirgrowth. From cultivating magical herbs, tending gardens, to restoringforests after disasters.
Xantippa,MasterSeerofLifeand Death
Trains pupils,preferablywithaninnategift, to become Seers of Life andDeath.Theylearn to foretell thefuture, offer counselindifficult decisions, blessbirths, or help someonesay farewell.
Benedicta, Master of AllMinerals
Trains pupils to become Mineral-Tamers.Tolearn to grow andprogramme therealm’s crystals foreverydaymagic and magical technology.
Hera,MasterAlchemist
Trains pupils to become Alchemists andHealers.Teaching them to make potions, ointments, andhealing elixirsfor both body andsoul. Alchemists mayopenapothecaries, beauty salons,or experience shops. Healersworkinthe HallsofHerbal Healing, wherethe sick andinjured arecared for.
Chapter1 Dragons
“Wakeup, Fabian!The dragonsare coming!”
Fabian satupwitha startand fumbledfor hisspell book lyingbesidehim.His father washopping up anddowninthe lanternlight, clapping hishands.
“Hurry up,lad,thisisour chance!”
“But Dad, I’ve gotschool today…”
Fabian rubbed hiseyesand sawhis father holdingout a grubby leathersatchel. He took it gingerly with hisfingertips andquickly shut theflap.
“You’llstill have time forschool, Fabian.It’snot even morningyet.Quick now, before thetrail goes cold.Here, have awarmtomatotoeat.”
Teddy, hisdad,heldout alarge tomato,bubblinginhis hand. Fabian burned hisfingers andquickly droppeditinto hisschoolbag.Hepackedhis spellbook,his quilland his inkpot.Thenheglanced outofthe window.
“But it’s stilldarkoutside,” he mumbled.
“Exactly,lad.That’swhenthe dragonscome.”
Fabian jumped down from thekitchen sofa whereheslept andslowly pulledon histrousersbeforereachingfor hisred jumper.
“Isitraining?” he askedquietly.
Teddyopenedthe door andpeeredout.
“No, it’s stopped,”hesaid.
Justthenthree dark shapes soared past andmomentarily blottedout thesliverofthe moon abovethe treetops.
“Now!They’re back!Hurry!”
He slammedthe door rightinFabian’sface, makinghim jump.Fabianstuffedhis raincoatintohis schoolbagand sighed as he heard thetomatoburst with asquelch.
He slungthe schoolbagand thegrubbyleather satchel over hisshoulders andcautiouslyopenedthe frontdooronto theveranda.Hecould hear hisfather’sfootstepsinthe garden.
Thedarknesslay like athick blanketoverthe forest and theirsmall garden,and waterdripped from thetrees.Fabian triedtotakea deep breath,but theair caught in histhroat and he coughed.
“Dad?” he squeaked.
He looked around. Thebushesloomed like black phantoms with long claws.
“Dad?” he called alittlelouder.
“Overhere, Fabian!Hurry!I’vefound atrail!”
Teddy’svoice came from within thewoods, followed by a crashing noiseashedisappeared furtherintothe trees. Fabian grabbedone of thelit verandalanternsand tiptoeddownthe stepsintothe garden.Hefroze when somethingrustled in the rose bush.Oh, howhehated thedark.
Then he startedtorun.Heran as fast as hisshort legs wouldcarry him, straight into theforest. Holdingthe lantern outinfront of him, he zigzaggedbetweenblack bushes and
trees.Hegaspedfor breath andwantedtoclose hiseyes. He promised himselfthiswould be thelasttime he followed his father into thewoods at night.
“Fabian! Over here!”
Teddy’svoicecamefromthe farsideofa densethicket. Fabian whimperedand hurled himselfstraightintothe bushes. Branches snaggedhis bags,thornsscratched hisfaceand tuggedathis hair.
When he burstthrough to theother side,hewas hitbythe all-too-familiar stench offresh dragon droppings. He stopped dead andgagged. Turningaway, he retched.
He heardTeddy runningfurther ahead, shouting:“Fabian, youtakethatpile. I’ll grab thenext!”
Fabian held up thelantern to avoidsteppinginthe mess. In itsflickeringlight he sawa steaming heap of black-green, oily dung.Soon thewhole area would be crawling with all sortsofhungrycreatures.Hehad to be quick.
Whimpering,heopenedthe leathersatchel andpulledout apairofglovesand asmall trowel.Hegaggedagain.
Tearsburnedbehindhis eyelids. He sworehewould never becomea MaterialKeeper like hisparents.
Hisdad wasbrilliant at tracking.His nose could tell if a dragon hadflown by,evenifithad been minutesearlier.He could also sitina sealed room handling dragon poowithout so much as gagging or even openinga window.
Fabian retchedagain andwenttowork. Carefully, he scooped up atrowelfuland letthe slime plop into thebag with awet splurt.
He could hear rustling in thebushesall around him. He hadtohurry.One more scoop.
Afew smallerForestTrolls camelumbering towardsthe pile.Fabianshoveda smallgreen trollaside andmanaged to fill thetroweloncemore. Butthe trollreturnedand gave him akickonthe arm. The dung flew throughthe airand landed on anothertroll, except forone sticky glob that landed right on Fabian’s schoolbag.
“No!”Fabianshrieked. “Not my school bag!”
He droppedeverythingand snatched ahandful of leaves from abush. He scrubbed at thebag as hard as he could, snifflingasheworked.
“No, no,no! Notthe schoolbag!”
Theslurpingand squelching sounds of thetrollsfeasting grew louder.
Suddenly, heavyfootstepsthudded nearby.Without thinking, Fabian grabbedthe lanternand bolted in the opposite direction.
Run. Just run! wasall he couldthink before hislegstook over completely.His heartpounded wildly againsthis ribs. Running forhis life wassomething he'd learnt earlyon.
Alarge Forest Trollwas approaching. Notasenormousas theMountainTrolls,but stilldangerous.Dangerous enough.
It hadcaughtthe scentofdragondungtoo andwas lumbering towardsthe spot.
Thelittletrollsscatteredlikeleavesinthe wind andwaited behind thebushesfor theirturn. Fabian barely caught a glimpse of thebeast.A cold shiver randownhis spine. His kneeswantedtobuckle, butheforcedthemtokeep running. Then camethe rain.
Nota gentle summer drizzle,but aviolent downpour that drownedout everything in sight. Thelantern hissedand went out.
In thedarkness, Fabian stumbled onwards, heavierwith everystep. Toowet to putonhis raincoat.Too tiredtofeel afraid.Each step felt like lifting asack of lead.
Chapter2
Miss Livia
Allthe pupils satinthe dark classroomwhenMissLivia came in.She wavedher hands, andthe crystals in thewindows and alongthe walls crackled to life andlit up.The temperaturein theroom rose,and Fabian took offhis dripping raincoat and hung it over thebackofhis chair.
“Fanny,would youbesokindastolight thefire?”said Miss Livia.
Shesmiledand held outa litcandletoFanny.MissLivia’s long blonde hair wastiedupina neat bun, and, as always she wore asimplelightred dress. Shepointed towardsthe fireplace.
Little Fannywas oneofthe younger pupils at theonly school in thevillage of Aldercrow. Fabian glancedather sideways andcrossed hisfingers she’dmanageit. Fannywas sweet,but hopeless at everyday magic.She wavedher hands andshouted, “Micro Aeraki!”
Apuffofash shot up from thefireplace andthe children sittingclosest begantocough.Fabianrolledhis eyes.
“Excellent chancefor everyone to practise,”saidMiss Livia. “Stand up,please.”
Therewas aclatterofchairsuntil everyone was ready.
“You should move your handslike this,” Miss Liviasaid, showingthemthe motion.“Andsay: MicriFotia. Alltogether now. One, two, three!”
An infernoofflamesburst from thefireplace,a cloudof ashfilledthe room,and thefirepainted ablack stainacross thewall. Miss Liviastopped it allwitha quickwaveofher hand anda sharpcall, “SviseTi Fotia!”
That waswhatFabianhad been waitingfor,how to put outfire. He practised hermovements quietlyand repeated her wordstohimself,“SviseTiFotia!”
When everyone hadsat down again, Fabian wavedhis hands andlit thefireinthe hearth in Fanny’splace.He’dbeen able to do that sincehewas four.MissLivia gave hima warm smile.
“Thankyou,Fabian. Wouldyou also be so kind as to demonstratehow to pour waterfroma jugintoa glass?”
Shepointed to thejug on herdesk. Fabian stood again, wavedhis hands, andmuttered,
“ChynoNero.”
Thejug liftedgracefullyintothe airand slowly poured waterintothe glassinone long,steadystream.
That’s when he heardMella whisperloudlytothe others,
“I thinkFabiansmellsevenmorelike poothanusual today. Ibet hisdad thepoo-keepergavehim abowlofdung porridgefor breakfast. Ithink we should callhim Poo-Fabian.”
Theclass burstout laughing andbegan to chant, “PooFabian!Poo-Fabian!”
Fabian lost focus, andthe jetofwater shot outacrossthe classroom.The children roared with laughter andstarted running around.
Poo-Fabian. Thewords bouncedaroundinsideFabian’s head.Hewantedtosay somethingback,something clever that wouldmakethemall stop laughing.But when he opened his mouth, nothingcameout.
They don’tunderstand, he thought. They don’tknowhow hard it is to geta jugtoobey. None of them candoit.
He squeezed hiseyesshutand triedtopushdownthe knot of discomfort rising in hisstomach.
Thinkabout everything Ican do.I am FabianGravel. I’m not… poo.
Butitwas hard to believeitwiththe wholeclass bouncing around, shouting hisnew name as if it weresomekindof festival chant.
Then Miss Liviawhippedoff herscarf,flicked herhand andmutteredquickly, “Kremontai Anapoda.”
Thescarfflewacross theroom, grabbedholdofMella’s feet andliftedher up to theceiling.She waslefthanging upside down,her plaits sticking outinevery direction, her skirtfalling over herfaceand everyone burstout laughing at herbrightyellowknickers.
Thepupilskeptrunning around theclassroom,pointing anddodging thejet of water.
“Help! Getmedownfromhere!”Mella shrieked from her upside-downposition.
FabianGraveland the Witches of Elandoria is a magicalfantasyadventure forreaders aged 9–12.
Whenthe trolls attack,Fabian is forced to flee. In theroyal capital, he facesintrigue, betrayal,and terrorsbeyondanythinghecould have imagined.
He isn’tstrong. He isn’tfamous. Not even particularly brave.
Yetthe RoyalCourt sendshim out, together with theheadstrongdwarf princess Ozza andthe mysterious Handyman,touncover thetruth behind a realminturmoil.
Chaosreigns, andendless rainthreatens to drownthe land.Six powerful witches seem to have lost control.
Fabian Gravel andthe Witchesof Elandoria is the firstbook in an exciting, action-filledfantasy series about friendship,courage,and everyday magic. www.teolindaavivi.com
