Grave Digger Academy II

by c a king

  “Tee-he.” Ollie’s voice deepened to a throaty growl. Tiny feet left indents beneath them as he moved toward Woolly—two fighters prepared to duel.

  “Have I angered you?” Woolly mused, holding his ground. “Come on then. Let’s have it. Hit me with everything you’ve got.”

  Makayla’s mouth opened, but words refused to form. The tremendous aura hanging over the two standing before her stole the limelight for itself. Woolly was understandable. She’d seen that side of him before. This was the first time she’d seen the same from Ollie. It wasn’t evil, but rather a powerful magic in its rawest form.

  Ollie’s tail elongated, whipping in front of him, the horn-like tip turning a bit more white with every pass. This was the form the headmistress had described. Those pictures had been partially accurate, after all.

  Makayla gasped, trying to remember how she used to breathe. This was beyond her abilities. They were both on a different level completely. A part of her wanted to look away, frightful of the outcome. That wasn’t going to happen. She was the deer caught in headlights, unable to turn from destiny.

  Woolly motioned with his hands, energy forming into a ball. “You dare to challenge me? You wretched beast.” He bent down, shooting the sphere across the room as if he were bowling and the imp the last remaining pin.

  “Tee-he,” Ollie bellowed, the sheer force sending anything not tied down flying across the room. The round bundle of power shrank, disappearing before reaching its target.

  Woolly straightened his jacket, shaking off the counter to his magic. “It seems I may have underestimated you. You’re not an ordinary imp, are you? No. There is quite a bit of fight in you. No matter. An imp of any stage is no match for a necromancer of my status.” He wiggled his shoulders, preparing for another attack, this time a baseball style. The wind up—the pitch...

  “Tee-he-he.” Ollie’s tail whipped forward, the horn slapping the ball back in the direction it came from. It was a hit—a home run by all rights. He continued forward, toothy grin exposing sharp fangs. Drool dripped from his mouth.

  “You’re a stubborn little critter, aren’t you?” Woolly’s eyes screamed madness. “I’ll get you yet.” He turned to Makayla, pulling her to her feet. One arm wrapped around her neck, the other hand pointed a dagger at her temple. “What say you now? It’s her you are here for, isn’t it? Who would have thought a brat like this could tame an imp?”

  “Tee-he-he. Tee-he-he. Tee-he-he.”

  “Insolent brat.” Spit flew from his lips. He pushed the blade into her skin. Blood dripped down his own temple instead. “What is this magic?” he cursed, tossing her to the floor. His sleeve wiped away the trickle of blood. “This isn’t over.” He lunged forward, one foot freezing mid-step.

  “Tee-he-he.” Ollie leapt up, butt facing the statue-like man. A puff of yellow gas surrounded Woolly’s nose.

  “Ollie!” Makayla thought twice about scolding him. It was a rather appropriate response to the situation. “Good job.” She shrugged. “Thanks.” The rope binding her loosened.

  “Tee-he-he.” Ollie jumped on her shoulder, crouching down.

  “It’s not time to go yet,” Makayla said. “Can you hold him there a little longer? I have to find something and make sure it’s safe before I can leave.”

  “Tee-he.”

  Makayla plucked the scrying charm from her bracelet. Immediately it grew to the size of a hand mirror. “I want to see the future... my future. Show me finding the Aegis’ stone hidden in this castle, the green one.”

  Scrying magic had two rules main rules. The information the person sought needed to take place in the same vicinity as they currently were, and it had to be the user’s future that was shown. She’d properly addressed both. It was merely a matter of waiting for the response. If a picture didn’t appear, it meant she was never going to find the stone.

  An image of herself appeared on the reflective surface. Makayla grinned. She knew exactly where to look.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  “Here it is!” Makayla called out. She dropped to her knees, pushing aside bits of baseboard and wall to reveal the hidden treasure. A glance down at the deep hunter green crystal sent shivers racing faster than her heart. Once again, in her hand she held the power behind a maniacal plot. There was no way she was letting even one of the stones fall into the grasp of evil incarnate.

  “Tee-he.” Ollie cocked his head, eyes reflecting back the colour of the rock. His tail twitched wildly behind him, the tip having returned to its normal black colour.

  “Let’s go.” Makayla stood, brushing dust off her pants. “I’d rather not stay in here any longer than I have to.”

  “Did you think it would be that easy?” Woolly’s voice echoed through the walls. “No mere imp can hold me.” The ceiling began to crumble, walls following suit. “Thank you for finding me the stone.”

  “I’m not giving it to you,” Makayla yelled at the top of her lungs. “I’ll never give it to you.” She covered his ears, his laughter banging on the drums inside.

  “I beg to differ,” Woolly argued. “You already have. The very floor you stand on is a duplicate of the real Necromancer Academy. I made it specifically for this moment—to destroy it and you—reducing everything here to a pile of ash. Only the strength of that stone will survive.”

  Makayla crouched down. “Ollie, I need you to do something.” She placed the stone in his hand. “Take this to Thomas.”

  “Tee.”

  Makayla rubbed her forehead. “Remember the squirrel you imitated? Thomas was the one carrying their nuts.”

  “Tee-he-he.”

  “Make sure no one else touches it.” Makayla nudged his back. “I’ll be okay. Woolly can’t have this, though.”

  “It’s no use,” Woolly cackled in the background. “You can’t escape. I’m sealing all the doors as we speak. Magic won’t be able to help you. Did you know imps go into a demon realm to transport themselves. No humans are allowed... we can’t survive there. It’s also the one portal I can’t block. You can rest assured, the imp will survive.”

  “Go!” Makayla ordered.

  “Tee,” Ollie paused, tilting his head, slightly, “he.” Only a puff of smoke remained where the imp once stood.

  “Oh,” Woolly moaned. “I can move again.” He counted to ten. “Ready or not, here I come.”

  Makayla raced for the front door, pulling the handle with all her might. It didn’t budge. She really was stuck.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Leo gulped, trying to swallow the lump in his throat. “That’s it, huh?” Two fingers loosened his collar. “It looks like a fun place to study.” It wasn’t welcoming in the least. In fact, it was the sort of place one hesitated to near, let alone enter.

  If buildings wore cloaks, the old Necromancer Academy’s was shrouded by darkness. It wasn’t the appearance that was the problem, losing oneself was. Beyond the unkempt yard, weathered wood, and broken windows, lay something more sinister. It was the type of place that without spells had the ability to rewire a person. A loving son upon entering would desire nothing more than to kill his own mother.

  Caz took the lead. “There is no point in standing here staring with our jaws dropped.” A long blade appeared in his had, slicing through the weeds to form a path to the front porch. “Follow me.”

  Tye jumped up four stairs in one leap. “It’s locked.” He wriggled the door handle, glancing in a dirty window to the side. “Makayla.”

  “Shh,” Nami complained. “Do you want the necromancer to know we are here? What sort of a rescue is that?”

  “If Woolly is here,” Leo huffed, “he already knows we are at the door.”

  “Right you are,” Woolly’s voice sounded. “I’m afraid the academy isn’t looking for any new students. Why don’t you try again next year?”

  “Where’s Makayla?” Caz yelled.

  “I’ve decided to keep her,” Woolly cackled. “She’s locked inside, trying to find a way out. It’s q
uite amusing actually.”

  “Let her go,” Tye yelled, ramming the door with his shoulder. He turned to Frankie. “Can’t you blast the door?”

  “I wish I could,” Frankie replied. “There’s an electricity collecting tower on this building. It’ll suck up anything I try.”

  “Great.” Tye rubbed one hand through his hair. He glanced at his brother. “Our magic is useless, too. I could tell the moment I grabbed the door handle. It’s not the building blocking us. The old geezer must have added specific wards to stop us.”

  “Then it’s my turn to shine,” Nami leapt forward, aiming his wand at the door. A flash of bright light exploded, hitting the door and bouncing back. He jumped out of the way just in time. “Or not.”

  “We came all this way and we can’t do anything?” Lila complained.

  “That’s right,” Woolly replied. “These are my spells keeping you out and Makayla in. There’s no hope. Watch as bit and pieces of the academy disappear before your eyes, and understand how helpless you are against me.”

  Two portals opened behind them, Puffer and Gargle walked through, moving to join the formation of students.

  “I thought helpers couldn’t set foot on the property,” Leo whispered. “What are they doing here?”

  “They can’t,” Frankie replied. “The building itself won’t allow them or their magic anywhere near it.”

  Puffer inhaled deeply, chest sticking out. His long neck lowered, a roar opening his mouth. Flames spewed, but never came in contact with the building. He straightened up, eyes still on the prize. A minute later another stream of flames attacked with much the same results.

  “Poor thing must be desperate,” Frankie said, watching the ongoing useless assault. “They are as helpless as we are.”

  Gargle growled in her direction, then nodded for Puffer to try again.

  “Wait,” Caz said. “The flames are getting closer. Watch.” Another stream of fiery breath poured forth, this time reaching the top of the front porch.

  “I don’t get it,” Leo said. “Is it...”

  Another attempt left scorch marks on the front door. Gargle rushed forward, busting down the entrance with brute force. A minute later he returned with Makayla in arms.

  “Hey, guys,” Makayla said. “Everyone should run.”

  The cemetery wasn’t the best place to stop and rest, but it provided a nice view of the disappearing magic.

  “What happened at the end?” Leo asked. “Why did your helpers’ magic start working when ours was still being blocked?”

  “I had a gut hunch,” Makayla answered. “Woolly was using his own magic to stop other wizards from entering. The building had wards built in to it to fight against helpers. I figured, at a certain point, those spells would begin crumbling along with the walls.”

  “That’s taking an enormous chance!” Nami exclaimed. “What was to stop the necromancer from blocking your helpers’ magic as well?”

  “A spell on an entire building,” Makayla replied, brows arched. “Not even Woolly could pull that off alone. There must have been several enchanters involved. I was banking on that being the case, anyway.”

  Caz tossed his arm around his sister’s shoulders. “Are you okay?”

  “A little shaky,” Makayla admitted. “I’ll survive though.” She glanced around at all the faces. “Thank you... all of you... for coming to save me.”

  “A day in the life of a big brother.” Tye struck a pose.

  Frankie rolled her eyes. “None of us could do a thing. It was rather embarrassing how helpless we were.”

  “Now you know, you can work on getting stronger,” Makayla said. “We all can.” A bat circled above, flying down to hover in front of her face. “Boris!”

  “Looks like Headmistress Meet knows what’s going on,” Leo sighed. “Guess I’m stuck in this academy for another year. Do you think you could avoid necromancers altogether next semester?”

  “I’m doing it by choice,” Makayla complained.

  “We can all discuss this later,” Caz said. “If Mary Meet is aware of Woolly’s interference, the plug is going to be pulled soon. We better get back to our home academies quickly.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Juliet’s whiskers twitched, eyes studying the look on the headmistress’s face. She spit a walnut on the desk.

  “What is that?” the headmistress asked, searching the eyes of her students.

  “A nut,” Thomas answered.

  Headmistress Meet sighed, “I know that much. Why is it on my desk along with this rodent?”

  “It’s our treasure. The one we were supposed to keep safe,” Thomas replied. “Crack it open.”

  The side of the headmistress’s fist came down hard, crushing the shell into small fragments. She brushed the debris aside, picking up the small gem her students had been charged with protecting. “I’m impressed, but your achievements in these games are mute. The entire event will be cancelled due to outside interference.”

  Frankie dropped ten more gems on the headmistress’s desk. “I guess these are useless too, then.”

  “And these,” Leo added his to the pile.

  Mary Meet’s features softened. “We might actually have placed well this year.” She shook her head. “No use crying over spilled milk. The eight of you...” she paused, “...we are missing someone. What was his name?”

  The burning sensation returned. “Griffin,” Makayla answered. “I haven’t seen him since...” her words faded.

  “He probably left early,” the headmistress said. “There are some parents pulling their children out on their own accord. I’m sure he’ll turn up again...”

  “Where is the little troublemaker?” Fania barged into the room, heading straight for the side of Mary Meet’s desk.

  The headmistress held up one hand, silencing all grumbles from the students before they began. “It’s nice to see you too. My students are all safe. Thank you for asking. I was just about to find out what happened. Perhaps you’d like to hear this, too.”

  “I think we all know what happened,” Fania scoffed, darting an evil eye directly at Makayla. “The entire event is ruined.”

  “I’d like to ask nonetheless.” Mary Meet motioned for her guest to take a seat. “Shall we continue?”

  “Fine,” Fania sat, crossing her legs.

  “Why were you near the Necromancer Academy? You knew it was off-limits, didn’t you?”

  “I wasn’t planning on it,” Makayla answer. “I used the grave digger shovels in the front plot. I was trying to reach the cemetery near Marsh Academy. Somehow I ended up right beside the abandoned academy instead.”

  “We’ve confirmed that the shovels on the campus grounds were tampered with,” Tallen added.

  “There are usable shovels on your bracelet,” Mary Meet argued. “That’s what you had them for.”

  “I didn’t want to waste them,” Makayla said. “Two days is a long time for only four one way trips. I figured that shovels found lying about in cemeteries, other than our own, might have been traps, but never considered the ones in our own backyard as dangerous.”

  “What happened when you arrived?”

  “Can we get on with it?” Fania squawked. “We don’t need all the boring parts. Get to the main issue.”

  “It was Woolly,” Makayla blurted out. “He was the one who made the building appear and he lured me there.”

  Fania sat up straight, knees locked together. “And why would he do that?”

  “He said he wanted me to find another one of Ageis’ stones.” Makayla pursed his lips together. “For some reason he felt I could locate it faster than he could.”

  “And did you?”

  All eyes turned to her. “Yes,” Makayla answered.

  “And where is it now?” Fania’s features hardened.

  “Ollie has it,” Makayla answered.

  “Ollie?” Fania scooted forward in her seat. “The imp has it? Why would you even consider trusting something of
such value to a devil-kind?”

  “I couldn’t escape,” Makayla explained. “At the time, I didn’t know if I’d be able to. Woolly claimed the gem would survive the destruction of the fake academy and fall into his hands. It seemed logical to keep the stone away from him.”

  “If it was so logical, where is it?” Fania bellowed.

  “Romeo!” Thomas exclaimed.

  The squirrel dashed across the floor, climb up the desk. A walnut landed on Mary Meet’s paperwork. “Delightful,” the headmistress sighed. “Another nut to crush, as if I don’t have enough already.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Fania questioned.

  The side of the headmistress’s fist came down with a thud. “Nothing in particular.” She brushed away bits of shell, pulling out the green stone. “I don’t believe it. This is...”

  “Tee-he-he.” Ollie appeared in the same spot the squirrel had been. In a single leap, he landed on Makayla’s shoulder.

  “He actually brought it back,” the headmistress mused. “And problem solved.” She handed the stone directly to Fania. “I think we can both agree Makayla wouldn’t have offered up a second stone if she was in cahoots with Woolly or anyone else. They are too valuable.”

  “I suppose that’s true,” Fania huffed. “That doesn’t mean we won’t be watching the lot of you.”

  “Please do,” Makayla replied. “Woolly frightens me. He’s stronger than last year and more desperate. I’m lucky to be alive.”

  “Right.” Fania pulled her cape around her shoulders, heading out the door.

  “You did a good job this year,” Mary Meet said. “I’m proud of each and every one of you. I have a feeling this isn’t over yet. We’ll all have to take precautions next year to ensure the safety of our academy.”

  “You act as if the school year is over,” Thomas said. “There’s still another three weeks to go.”

  “I’m afraid not,” the headmistress replied. “In light of the events, the year is officially over. You’ve all passed, of course. The Crones are investigating and will have the final say on the start date for your third year. There’s nothing left to say but pack your things and have a fun break.”