He blinked several times, his eyes protesting against bright shafts of light. A curtain was moving, catching the warm breeze that pushed past an open window and filled the room with the smell of salt. Bells sounded in the distance—the kind Max had heard when he’d visited a harbor once with his mom. He rolled from his bed and walked toward the opening. He was fairly high up, maybe six stories or so, and below him ocean waves crashed into rocks formed from the seaside cliff. In the distance, square-sailed ships moved across the blue horizon. He turned back and regarded the room. Near the window was a desk, and rounded shelves full of books ran along the walls. A rapping at the door was followed by the creak of it opening. Max turned and was relieved to find the face of Dirk poking through. “Dude, today’s the day! Get out of your pajama robes and into your wizard robes.” Max frowned and looked down at what he was wearing.
