by Vance Huxley
Una patted Abel on the back as she came past. “He got us organised to save the Headmaster. It’s a pity I can’t bring a sword to school.”
“Or General Ferryl, I reckon.” Warren had a half-smile, looking at Abel’s shoulder. Abel just shrugged.
“While Abel did nothing of course. He didn’t even hold anyone’s hand.” Jenny smirked at Ferryl/Claris because she knew General Ferryl hadn’t been telling Abel anything. “You must be slipping.”
“Considering what Abel was throwing, he’d have burned my hand right off. Though I certainly felt safe among you four.” Ferryl/Claris looked past Abel. “Here comes the first ambulance.”
Una came back, helping Rachel. “Rachel is a bit young for this. She more or less drained herself and it’s hit her hard.”
“Give me your lead bar please, Una.” Kelis put one hand in her blouse again, where she’d undone the second button, and held the small lead bar with her other hand. “Here you go, Rachel.”
The fourteen-year old took the bar, concentrated, and straightened with a little smile. “Whew, thanks. Here Una, you’ll want what’s left in there. Did you see the thistle?”
“And heard. Flower power?” Further discussion had to stop as the ambulances pulled up and professionals began to deal with the injuries, freeing the teachers to get the pupils organised. Abel felt Zephyr flow back into his arm, and a definite drain on his depleted reserves of magic. “Well done. Are you all right?”
“I am a bit dizzy. Too much bopping. Did I get enough?”
“Yes, and your fire glyphs were very small and well controlled.”
“Oh. You saw. Was that all right? I wasn’t sure but I couldn’t bop them all.” Zephyr sounded worried.
“Every bit helped today. If anyone noticed they’ll think you were Ferryl. Can you manage spooky-phone to tell everyone they remember nothing? We all fainted, just like the others.” The smoky lines shot out, connecting to a dozen at a time. Many of the recipients looked over to nod agreement.
“Does your tattoo need a boost?” Kelis put her hand in her blouse again.
“She would appreciate it, if you can spare it?”
“Just a bit. There’s a few others looking drained, exhausted. I’ll work around them.” Abel passed his gold bar and soon afterwards drained the magic back out of it. Maybe he should carry an extra belt? He’d ask Ferryl if she could make more. Kelis set off to top up any Taverner who looked particularly tired.
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While teachers checked on students and directed them towards prefects or the ambulances, Abel’s group headed towards the trees. One glance showed all the hex posts were gone, not just thrown aside. “Dryad.” Abel tapped on the tree, letting a little magic tap as well. He was too angry to be completely polite today. “We wish to talk, and will not accept no.” A branch creaked. “The next dryad will consider more carefully if you drop a branch. The charred stump of this tree will make it more polite.”
“You do not have enough magic left.”
“Not right this second, but I can come back later. You saw how many of us there are. Now please tell me who took down those posts.”
“Two magic users, strong ones. They threatened to burn us if we interfered.” The dryad sounded sullen, but worried. Being caught between warring sorcerers was a dryad’s nightmare.
“Then it’s a pity you didn’t let us have a bit of magic for our barrier. The glyphs would have protected you and combined your magic.” Abel’s mind spun. Sorcerers? “Would you recognise them?”
“Humans all look the same, but they had hoods as well. They said you were not proper sorcerers, that you were barely trained.” Branches rustled on several trees.
“Are we?”
“No. We watched. We did not realize what would come, then we did not expect you to stop them.” Branches rustled again, across six or seven trees. “We caused no harm.”
“Will you let us use your magic now, to strengthen the barrier?”
“No. We will not stand between sorcerers. All our histories tell us that we will burn if we do.” Abel didn’t answer, mainly because he didn’t trust his temper. Pointing out that not helping could get them burned wasn’t fair.
“The teachers are calling, Abel.” Rob tugged his arm. “Don’t do what I’d like to, because we’re being watched.” Abel turned away and the group headed back across the field. As he did the St. John’s Ambulance Brigade arrived and split up among the students, checking everyone who wasn’t by the ambulances. The teachers were directing everyone into year groups, so Claris and Jenny left Rob and Abel as the lads re-joined Kelis. With so many others around them, there wasn’t much chance to talk.
“Now young fella, did you get any injuries?” A St. John’s man pulled Abel out of the crowd. “Here, you need some on this on that scratch.” He produced a swab then dropped his voice. “You slept through it all, Abel. Some students might have hallucinated, but that’s to be expected with a gas leak.”
Abel frowned, then realised this must be Vicar Creepio’s man. “What about the bites and stings, and the state of the grass?”
“The gas drove a nest of hornets crazy. The grass will be dug up which will explain its condition.” He nodded towards the school gates where two men with cameras were trying to get in past a very determined man in a yellow hi-vis vest. “Their long-range pictures won’t be very clear, nor will any film if a TV crew arrive.”
“The medics in the ambulances will get a really good look, and they’ll make reports.” Abel inspected the nearest ambulance and paramedics and they looked genuine.
“We have a few people in the hospital and on some ambulances. A little creative paperwork, some judicious muddling of memories, and seemings over the wounds to make them look like stings will deal with most of it.” The St. John’s man kept dabbing. “By tomorrow magical healing will leave irritating bumps instead of the nastier wounds. After that, anyone else will begin to doubt their own memories of what happened.”
“What, all the students? They saw creatures before passing out. The big wolves and the spiny snakes at least.” Abel really couldn’t believe it would be as easy as it sounded.
“Varglin and Beinsnork, bonesnakes? They are strange companions.” The man chuckled and patted Abel on the shoulder. “No matter, we will deal with it. We get plenty of practice, though not usually on this scale.” He looked quizzical. “I’m told you can tell everyone else who needs to know?”
“Yes. Though I’m still not convinced you’ll get away with it.”
“Don’t worry, some of us have had a lot of practice. Smoke, mirrors, magic, and a little help from the good Lord can do wonders. It’s a bit more subtle than knocking everyone out.” He raised a hand to stop Abel’s reply. “Which was the best thing at the time.” The St. John’s man raised his voice. “There you are young man. That shouldn’t give you any more trouble.” He turned away towards another student.
Abel asked Zephyr to spread the news, smiling as the St. John’s man stopped for a moment to stare at the spooky-phone lines. Several Taverners looked decidedly sceptical, but there wasn’t anything else any of them could do. Though even as he thought that, Abel saw a small glyph strike Rachel’s very conspicuous giant thistle and it wilted. Within minutes other very small glyphs were growing bits of grass on the worst of the burned patches.
The Headmaster and a small group came to a decision, and split to get everyone lined up. The school would be closed today, but open tomorrow unless the parents were notified. Any student feeling ill after leaving here should call the doctor, or ask a parent to take them to A&E. The school buses would be here in half an hour. Anyone unable to get home or juniors who didn’t have someone waiting there could stay at school.
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When Abel, Rob, Kelis and Ferryl/Claris got off the bus at the end of the lane they didn’t feel much like celebrating the unexpected holiday. Even a diversion into Castle House Gardens to fill up themselves and their belts and gold bars with magic didn’t
raise their spirits much. Sitting there quietly filling up the twenty-one empty lead bars and one diamond collected at school, none of them could make up their minds. Had Pendragon launched the attack and if so, why? If not, who could it be?
Ferryl wondered if a rival sorcerer had done it to embarrass Pendragon, believing he protected the school. In that case it could be the start of a take-over bid, but seemed too public. According to Ferryl, sorcerer disputes were quiet affairs that never drew public attention. Eventually they went home, where they all professed complete ignorance because they’d passed out. At least Rob had corroboration from a very confused Melanie when Samantha went and brought her from school.
By nine o’clock, Abel knew who’d launched the attack. He’d had two phone calls, the first a very annoyed Pendragon complaining about the embarrassment in ‘his’ town. He wanted to know if Abel had taken his watcher bird, because the last it saw was students collapsing. Ferryl/Claris thought the mazzlement might have hit it as well and possibly broken the link.
The second call came from an angry Leech boss, the Firstseed. According to her, one of her people had been keeping an eye on Abel and his friends, and seen the youngling’s host attending school. The host looked much healthier than when they left her outside the village, strong enough for a meeting. The attack was to demonstrate what might happen if Abel and his friends didn’t cooperate. If there were more delays, the next attack would be directly on pupils. Firstseed would seed four, from among those who seemed to be his friends. Abel did his best, explaining the host wasn’t able to manage without the youngling yet and he really did want to buy her. As a compromise, he’d agreed to meet by the end of October. He had to call with a date within three days.
“We’ll call Vicar Creepio. He’ll find her and sort out the whole gross mess.” Rob glanced at Ferryl/Claris. “Or do we want four more Claris’ to try and fix? We haven’t got enough Ferryls. Unless you two can make a bunch of Zephyrs to do the job?”
“No, please. Don’t make me do that.”
Though Ferryl scotched the idea anyway. “They couldn’t even if we made them. Even Zephyr couldn’t spread herself through a person properly, not well enough to fix the damage and control a mind. She isn’t strong enough yet and hasn’t the experience.”
Abel ignored Zephyr being theoretically capable of that with more training. “Zephyr won’t do it. She is really, really worried we’ll ask her.” Which Abel wouldn’t do, not after that plea.
“So we ask Creepio?” Kelis shook her head. “No, because if he finds her and turns loose God’s SAS he’ll get the key. Then he’ll use it to open Castle House, the church won’t be able to resist the temptation. He really wants whatever it is in there under control or dead.”
Ferryl/Claris looked worried at that idea. “What is in there hates the church. Key or not it would attack. He has no idea what he’ll rouse and will not bring enough backup to survive.”
“Then the church will bring up the heavies, and Brinsford is rubble.” Abel thumped the desk. “We’ve got to go to the meeting, but we need to know where. Can we get it out of the Leech? Ferryl?”
“Not unless it is back in a human.” Ferryl/Claris sounded resigned. “I will spend all my time looking through Claris’ memories. I found a clear view of the sign, but we need the actual building.” Ferryl/Claris wrote it down. “Do any of you recognise this?”
“That sounds like a bargain store, carpets or sofas, that sort of thing. It’ll be on the internet.” Rob looked happier. “Can’t you work out the angle from the window to narrow down where Claris was looking from, Ferryl?”
Unfortunately all Claris’ memories were muddled with fear, pain and sheer panic. After going around and around Ferryl agreed that if she couldn’t get a better fix, she’d go and scout the street. That would be a last resort. If a Leech spotted them the first they’d know would be four schoolchildren going missing. Abel would ring the number tomorrow and arrange to meet on the last day of October, to give them as long as possible. That would be Halloween, which seemed appropriate.
At least there’d be no awkward questions over the attack. None of the Taverners could believe what they’d seen on the local news at six o’clock. Exactly as Abel had been told, the local authorities ascribed the collapse of the students to a burst gas main, and the wounds to hornets. None of the pictures showed fang, claw or horn marks, only big red bumps from stings. St. John’s Ambulance Brigade really were a division of God’s SAS, or their medics at least.
The school remained closed the next day, with local news showing diggers ripping up part of the school field to fix the alleged main. Confused survivors, including two Taverners, were interviewed but told reporters they hadn’t seen a thing. Despite the strange circumstances, the national news never picked up the story at all. All the Taverners exchanged very cautious texts, but daren’t really discuss something they allegedly slept through.
That evening Abel had another call, from Creepio. “Thank you for your prompt action, and your silence. Your Taverners are very disciplined for young magic users. Can you give me more details now?”
“Thank you for God’s medics.” Abel explained the attack including the bit about the two sorcerers or strong apprentices and Creepio promised to investigate. The denial of magic and suppression of sightings and incidents lay at the heart of the old pact. If some sorcerer had been so blatant the Magical Council would be asked to act, and from the tone the asking wouldn’t be polite. Creepio didn’t sound happy when he pointed out that even unaligned apprentices could keep the rules, so a sorcerer would need a very good excuse.
Abel asked about all the different creatures, and apparently most of them lived in the countryside but never came into towns. Creepio seemed puzzled how anyone had rounded them up and then kept them focussed on the humans rather than each other. He finished by telling Abel to use the trees to strengthen the protection at the school. When Abel said the dryads wouldn’t agree, Creepio told him to insist.
The last part annoyed Kelis and Rob when Abel told them. Upsetting all the dryads by threatening some of them wasn’t a road any of them wanted to go down. Creepio would probably threaten to burn the lot but he had the usual church indifference to the fate of magical beings and God’s SAS to back him. Jenny, who had come to Brinsford to talk freely and collect her recharged diamond, thought singeing one wouldn’t be too bad.
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The small, slightly guilty looking group of Taverners waiting as Abel got off the school bus didn’t wait for any questions. “The dryads want to talk to you.” Una turned and led off across a school field that showed no signs of burning or the diggers. Magical landscaping had removed every sign. Abel, Kelis, Rob and Ferryl/Claris glanced at each other, baffled, and followed. On the way Kelis passed out the recharged lead bars.
“Greetings, dryad.”
“Greetings, sorcerer. We have reconsidered. The situation has been explained and our trees will provide magic to power your barrier, providing we are not harmed by the link or the effect.”
Abel felt Ferryl/Claris’ hand in his and connected through Zephyr. “Will we have to give them all a pebble, Ferryl? I’m not keen on giving them stone glyphs as protection in case someone nicks one. They’d use it to get into Dead Wood.”
“But a stronger barrier would even stop the larger creatures, and we could use the tree magic to strengthen the boundary all around the school. It is possible if we construct a different glyph for this barrier, or the dryads are warded. Though they may consider that a binding.”
“I understand, dryad. We can build a barrier strong enough to stop even the worst creatures, but would need to give you a ward to keep you safe.” Abel glanced up, startled as trees all around them creaked threateningly. “That is not a threat.”
“Why not? Your apprentices have threatened if not directly. If we will not help, they say the trees may as well be cut down to provide timber for stakes!” Branches waved and leaves rustled as the nearby trees showed their reactio
n. “We will not be bound!”
“I never said that. I wouldn’t harm….” Abel stopped and thought. If another attack came through, and killed a student, how would he feel? “I would never threaten that or burning, but I may act in anger. If a child is killed then I may lash out in anger. I would regret damaging a tree, but maybe too late for tree and dryad. I will not bind anything.”
Zephyr popped out of his arm and connected to the tree. “I am not bound. I am free if I wish, but protected.” The connection disappeared. “Sorry Abel, I forgot. I shouldn’t connect to dryads.”
“Don’t worry, you already did it once before. But try to remember.” Either the dryad had whatever information Ferryl worried about or it hadn’t, too late to change it now.
At least Zephyr’s intervention had some effect. “Protected but not bound? Would we have a tether?”
“A Tavern mark on each dryad would suffice.”
“Just a mark such as this.” Abel pulled out a wooden plaque. He always carried a few in case someone needed them to protect a friend or relative.
“If you put that on us, it is a binding.” Leaves rustled, but not quite as threatening. The other dryads were still wary.
“Draw it yourself. We’ll bring inks from the school and you can test them first. If you all agree, we will weave a barrier to stop anything but a full sorcerer. Since the links to the barrier will also connect your trees, you might even be able to stop them as well.”
“But not you.”
“I will be able to pass the barrier. Even so you might be able to defeat me if you are linked, but not if I bring the other Taverners. You will have to agree to us maintaining the barrier and you mustn’t kill innocent trespassers, the non-magical type.” The school bell rang. “We must go now. Look at this and please think about it.” Abel tossed the plaque down and the whole group pelted back across the field as the last students went through the doors. There wasn’t even time to talk via Zephyr as the group split up to reach their lockers and classes.
