They wandered through the school gardens, making their way towards the building. Shiloh stopped to admire the colorful flowers and plants along the way. The whole garden smelled of lavender—calming and floral. They made their way into the building quickly but were shocked to see that the hallways were empty and so silent, one could hear a pin drop. It looked like a normal school—she saw glass cases filled with small, golden trophies and old black-and-white team photos. The only difference was the types of photos. She saw ‘Debate Team,’ and ‘Literary Foundation’, but they seemed out of place next to something called the ‘Magical Beasts Research Club’. Their footsteps echoed as they wandered further into the school, gazing upon the rich mahogany designs and the gorgeous architecture. Shiloh could hear muffled voices from behind closed doors. Apparently, classes were in session.
A sudden roar of voices rolled over them, a happy collection of surprise and laughter. They followed the noise to that back of the school, until a set of French doors brought them out to another garden—this time, filled with students watching a Professor give a demonstration. They stood to the side and watched him intently.
“Okay, so can anyone tell me the three basic ways to use magic? First—Rowald.”
A skinny, lanky boy with round glasses answered, “Thought magic.”
“Yes, Reya?”
“Spoken Magic!”
“And lastly…. Myre?”
“Written.”
“Great, good job! So obviously you’re going to have various spells and whatnot that work best with one of these techniques over the others. But, today I want to demonstrate the difference in speed and power you’d get with the same spell, used in different ways.”
“So. Let’s go with a simple fire spell for the sake of this demonstration, how about that? I’m going to think really hard about the fire I want. I’m going to imagine the flames in my head as clearly as I can. I’m going to feel the heat on my face, and smell the smoke it creates…” He stared down at a fire of firewood, and only seconds later it burst into flame.
“Not bad, right? That’s a decent fire. It’ll do the job. But let’s try again another way.” He placed his hand above the fire, and almost instantly, it was gone, the wood looking as if it had never been burned.
“This time—spoken. A simple fire spell.” He closed his eyes and chanted quietly, “Et flamma ignis, venerunt ad me. Et flamma ignis, venerunt ad me.” The wood once again burst into flames, but this time they reached up, almost as tall as the Professor himself, and the crowd of students jumped briefly backward from the heat on their faces.
The Professor smiled warmly. “See there! It took just a little bit longer—but the flames were brighter, larger, and hotter. If you have the extra seconds, it’s more than worth it.” He extinguished the flames once again, just as easily as he had before. “Now, let’s back up a bit now.” He gestured the students away, and then motioned in the air—seemingly to no one, but out of the trees more firewood floated over and stacked itself neatly on the already positioned wood.
“Runes. They take the longest, but it’s the most powerful magic you could work with. Often, it’s used to enchant items as well. It is rare for someone to use written magic for such a simple task, but here we go for demonstrative purposes, be as it may.” He took out a small piece of parchment and began to scrawl. When he finished, he held it up briefly to show the class. As he did so, the runes themselves had lifted off of the paper and floated in the air over the firewood. In a massive burst of blinding light and heat, a mountainous bonfire had appeared out of thin air before them.
The students cheered and clapped, and the Professor gave a small bow. “And with that, you are dismissed!”
“That was cool,” Shiloh said as she and Bellamy turned to walk away. “Hey! Not you two!” They turned to the professor in surprise. Shiloh was briefly anxious that she was in trouble—as if she were in the hallway without a hall pass. Then, she remembered that this wasn’t her school at all. The professor half-jogged over to them, a grin carved into his face.
“You sure are Rowena’s daughter,” the professor said, looking at her as if looking at an old friend. “It’s a pleasure, my love. What brings you this way?”
“You know who I am?” Shiloh asked incredulously.
“You look just like she did when she was your age. I’d be able to spot you a mile away. I’m Capricorn.” He reached out to shake her hand and then Bellamy’s. “Let’s go to my classroom, we can have a chat.” He brought them back into the school, up to the second floor—which was just as beautifully built as the first—and into a large classroom, stocked full of desks, walls lined with books, and ample space at the front of the room for the practice of magic.
“So,” Capricorn said as he sat behind a large, wooden desk covered in papers and books, “have you worked with any magic at all?”
“No,” Shiloh answered softly. “Actually—Leo said you might be able to help with that.”
Capricorn looked inquisitive. “Leo, eh? Interesting.” He put his index finger to his chin in thought. “Anyway. I teach the basics of magic to our newest students here. Think of it as Magic 101.”
“So, what makes our little world so special here is that magic, in a sense, exists naturally within it. We call it mana, and your body absorbs it just by being in this world. But someone’s capacity for it will vary greatly based on an innumerable amount of factors—genetics, species, family line, and plenty more, but I swear it might even be a little bit of luck. For the most part, though, it’s determined at birth.”
“However, there is something to be said about practice. Your capacity can be greatly strengthened, and your magic ability can be honed through hard—and I mean hard—work.”
“I imagine you’ve been here long enough to feel a little bit of magic in your veins. Maybe you felt it when you entered into our world—the air just feels a little bit more… electric. So, let’s give it a shot. Watch.”
Capricorn stood and walked over to the wall of books where he selected a rather large, heavy-looking, leather-bound one and brought it back over to the desk. He opened it and let it lay flat on a random page. “I think I’d like to read Chapter 22,” he said as he hovered a hand over the open book. He was nonchalant and casual about all of it—something that seemed odd to Shiloh, considering how in awe she was about everything that had to do with magic. But to everyone else, she thought, this was as normal as anything in the human world was to her. Instantly, the pages fluttered, turning fast as if being hit by a strong breeze, and then settled. ‘CHAPTER 22’ was set in bold letters on the right page.
“Now let’s see how much of Rowena you have in you, shall we?” Capricorn smirked, gesturing her to give it a try. “Now, I want you to really focus on the feeling of that magical energy flowing within you. Close your eyes if you must, but imagine the pages turning with as much clarity as you can muster. Pick a page number and fixate on that number.”
Shiloh closed her eyes and placed her hand above the book. She remembered doing this kind of thing at home, in the human world after she had read a number of fantasy books, staring so hard at a pencil that her eyes almost tricked her into thinking it had moved. She breathed out slowly and imagined the black ink that would form into a ‘353’ in the corner of the page. She thought of gentle winds, slowly turning the pages. And then, she felt it. She felt an electricity flow quickly from her head to her toes—like a small jolt of painless lightning, and it was followed by the feeling of a gust of wind on her hand. Her eyes popped open, and she saw the pages flipping wildly—too wildly, but still, they were turning. When they settled from their frenzy and she could see it clearly, the book was turned to page 353.
“Alright then!” Capricorn exclaimed. “A bit strong on that one, but I’m impressed! I guess you really are your mother’s child.” He gave her a cheesy grin and relaxed in his chair. “Now, that will get easier once you get used to it all. You’ll find that you won’t have to focus as hard, it will take less
time, and—well, you’ll be able to control the level of force you’re using.”
Shiloh looked down at her hand skeptically. She had actually done it—real, actual magic. She stewed in her disbelief for a few seconds, before a tremendous grin graced her face all at once. She was quickly interrupted from her joy by a voice coming from the classroom door.
“Capricorn?” A young woman entered the classroom, looking concerned. “It’s Vera again. Do you have time?”
Capricorn gave a small laugh, leaning back in his chair and lacing his fingers behind his head. “Yes, I’ll take care of it. Where is she now?”
“By the fountain. It’s the butcher’s son again this time. Poor boy.”
Capricorn turned back to Shiloh and Bellamy. “I don’t suppose you’d like to see some real magic in action?”
Shiloh, confused but excited, nodded feverishly and looked to Bellamy. He gave a small smile and said, “Let’s do it.”
On their way, Capricorn explained that Vera was a young witch in his class who was having some problems controlling her magic. In bursts of emotion, she had been frequently turning people into household objects and had not been particularly successful in reversing the spells. In an effort to minimize the damage, Capricorn had told her to reach out to him at the academy when things had not quite gone her way.
“Last time she tried to fix it, her brother ended up as something halfway between a boy and an armchair. Imagine that.” He tried to suppress his giggles, but it was clear as day that Capricorn found the whole situation to be a bit more comical than tragic. “Don’t worry,” he chuckled, “we fixed him right up.”
***
Bellamy let himself fall behind, an interaction between a man and a woman near the tavern catching his attention. “Gryus, is that you? It’s been so long!” the woman gushed over the man, trying to be a better took at his hooded face. He grumbled a “No,” harshly and continued walking, but she kept stride easily. “Your hand! I know it’s you, Gryus, please. Don’t you remember me? I won’t tell anyone that you’re—“ She was cut off in a sudden bout of violence, the man flinging an arm out—at the end of that arm, a metal hand glinting in the sunlight—and pushing her forcibly backwards. She stood still, her mouth gaping open in shock, but otherwise unharmed. The man she had called Gryus rushed off, without even a glance back. As he passed going the opposite direction, Bellamy felt the hair on his arms stand up, and a chill ran down his spine. Dark magic was here; he could feel it in his bones. And it was strong. Something was not right.
Bellamy rushed forward and quickly muttered “I will be back,” in Shiloh’s ear before running off after the man who was coated in dark magic.
***
Shiloh watched him run off, concerned, as it seemed very unlike her new friend, but continued onward with Capricorn by her side.
They arrived only a few minutes later near the fountain that had been mentioned and saw a young witch—Vera—sitting forlornly with an empty flower pot in her hands. When she saw Capricorn, she fumbled over herself to stand, and almost dropped the pot in the process. She caught it just in time, and her face flushed red with even more embarrassment as she hugged the pot to her chest.
“I’m so sorry, Professor,” she gushed, “I was just so excited, I couldn’t control it…” She paused, a smile gracing her face, “He proposed…”
The smile fell again, as quickly as it had formed. “And I ruined it!”
“You’ll have a fantastic story for your children, dear,” Capricorn said kindly, “Don’t you worry—he’ll be back in no time.” She looked slightly comforted by his words and placed the flower pot gently onto the wall of the fountain. She bent down and whispered to the pot, “See? It’ll be okay! We’ll laugh about this…”
A tap came against Shiloh’s shoulder, and she turned her head to find there was a girl standing there, an older-looking version of Vera, and right beside her, a boy who also looked similar. “I guess my little sister’s proclivity for mishaps makes it a good day for a tour?” she asked before holding out her hand to shake. Shiloh looked at her strangely a moment before taking it. “Name’s Tricia, and this is Theo.” She pointed to the boy who I supposed was her brother, possibly her twin. “Seems like you’re the latest gossip topic around here.”
Shiloh let Tricia’s hand go and looked at her with chagrin. She didn’t exactly like the idea of being someone that an entire school was whispering about, even though she could understand why.
She couldn’t tell whether or not those two were trying to be mean or make friends with her, so for now, she thought it best to turn her attention back to Vera.
Chapter Seven
Bellamy watched from afar as the man he was after climbed onto a sleek, black horse and promptly galloped out of the city gates. He untied a rope that attached someone else’s horse to a nearby fence. “I’ll bring her back, don’t worry,” he promised in a hushed whisper, talking to no one in particular.
He led her to the city gates, and then hopped on once he was outside. He could still see the man in the distance, but he was disappearing fast. He raced after him, but still kept his distance—making certain that he wouldn’t be seen. They entered the forest after some time, and Bellamy was grateful for the cover. When he noticed that the horse ahead of him had slowed, and that he was gaining on them too much, he promptly dismounted his horse, and led her quietly on foot. He brushed her nose gently, offering a quiet “shhh, girl,” and moving onward.
The man slowed and eventually stopped in a small clearing free of trees. Bellamy tied his horse to a nearby tree, far enough away not to draw attention if she happened to make any noise. He crept up silently, staying hidden behind bushes and trees until he could get a good look. The man had his back to him. Bellamy watched as he took out his water skin, pulled off the cork, and flung it through the air, allowing water to spray out. The droplets, though, stayed suspended in the air, slowly forming together to create a flat surface—a mirror made from water. And suddenly, a face appeared on that surface—no longer a mirror, but now, a window.
“Well?” the face demanded impatiently, “What do you have?”
Scorpio.
“Sire, the talk of the cities is that the girl is in fact, alive and with Sagittarius.”
Scorpio let out an angry grunt, waiting for him to continue. “I have heard of no plans of attack or anything of the like. Someone in Azyda did notice him go to see Libra, however.”
Scorpio frowned, deeply. “Anything else?”
“No, Sire, but I could go to Aeôs. There is likely more information—“
“No. I won’t risk it. Besides, it’s already too late.” And then the water fell onto the ground all at once, and Scorpio was gone.
Bellamy, wide-eyed, flattened himself against a tree trunk when the man turned around to re-mount his horse. He thought briefly that he may have been caught until he heard the sound of horse hooves racing off in the other direction—deeper into the forest, and likely towards Vakaul itself.
Once the sound of hooves was safely in the distance, Bellamy ran back to his own horse and bolted away back to Tamarac, to gather Shiloh and head back to Aeôs. He had to warn them, and it had to be now. Who knew what ‘already too late’ may have meant, but it couldn’t be good.
***
After reuniting Vera and her new fiancé, Capricorn brought Shiloh back inside the academy, and they sat in his classroom with a cup of tea in each of their hands. Shiloh gathered that this was probably the perfect time to ask him more about her mother, as she had been waiting for the perfect moment.
“So, how did you know her?” she asked, shyly.
“Rowena?”
Shiloh nodded. She wasn’t sure why she was so afraid to ask. Maybe because she didn’t want to know exactly what she had missed out on when it came to her relationship with her mother. But she felt that she needed to know, regardless.
“I met your mother here, actually. We spent a nice, long, four years studying together at this scho
ol. Honestly, it was the best time of my life. Maybe that’s why I came back,” he said, smiling at the thought. “What would you like to know about her?”
“I don’t know. Everything. What was she like?”
“Well, top of our class, for starters. No one could beat her, no one could even come close. She picked up magic like she was meant for it. To be honest—she was not particularly good for our class’ self-esteem,” he joked.
“Beyond that, she was fiercely loyal. It didn’t matter the situation—she’d jump down the throats of anyone who’d dare hurt or try to take advantage of someone she cared for. But honestly, I don’t think anyone disliked your mother. It would be easy to be jealous of her, with everything, but she made it just too hard to not like her.”
He sighed, running a hand through his hair and leaning forward in his chair to look her in the eyes. “All of this, though—it’s just anecdotes. Your mother was an amazing woman, really. She was strong and intelligent and kind, sure, but that’s not the most important thing. The most important thing for you to know about her was that she loved you. She loved you so much that she gave her life for you so that you could grow up safe and happy. And I know with not a single shred of doubt in my mind that she would do it again, a hundred thousand times over.”
He gripped the mug in both of his hands tightly, looking down on it in thought. “I think the only regret that she would have—is that she isn’t here to help you through all this.”
All of a sudden, Bellamy dashed into the room, looking disheveled and frantic. “We have to go. Now,” he said tersely.
“What’s going on?” Shiloh asked, “You’re making me nervous.”
“I’ll tell you when we get back. Let’s go. Hurry.” He stood in the doorway, beckoning her towards the door. By the look in his eyes, Shiloh knew something was very wrong. She bid Capricorn a hurried farewell, thanked him for everything, and rushed to the door.
Destined (Prophecy of the Stars Book 1) Page 7
