by K L Rymer
I go to the communal kitchen area to make coffee, but then my eyes fall behind my bed where my acceptance letter to “Merlin’s Supernatural Academy” disappeared.
How privileged I am to be accepted into such a prestigious school. If it’s so great, then why haven’t I heard of it before? Oh, right. Because I’m a muggle...
But I’m no ordinary muggle.
I yank the letter out from behind the bed and stare at the emblem of the two dragons, curiosity flowing through me now. Hey, I’m pretty open-minded.
I glance over the rendezvous point which denotes a dot on a map. It’s in the Snowdonia Mountain Range. (As if I could get there in the first place).
However, there is going to be a field trip later into the mountains for our first assignment. Maybe I could go, take a look around, and get completely lost in the process.
I finish my coffee and head out to collect my new student card, one which will declare me an official student of Bangor University.
Then I will go on my trip.
...
My hair whips around my head as if it has a mind of its own, but I don’t move. It’s way too cold to do anything but shiver my ass off.
The field trip into the mountains would have been rather pleasant... if it wasn’t raining. And it’s that miserable, windy rain too that pours in all directions. I’m smarter now and have my new raincoat.
I’m still a little hungover, yet I know I’m not the only one. All around me, undergrads steal nips from flasks of hot liquid. Even poor Megan has a cold and is looking wretched and droopy-eyed. So long as she stays far away from me, we’re good. My body hasn’t developed the antibodies it needs yet to survive against these foreign strains.
We gather on an open moor, the mountains surrounding us like sleeping giants. We left the warm bus about a mile away, and now we’re all listening to a riveting tale about palmate newts.
Newts are cute and all, but come on! Where are all the lions?
Hell, where the dragons...
I steal a peek at the mountains, trying to spot any tell-tale signs. A cave with smoke puffing out of the entrance perhaps? There is supposed to be a dragon sleeping inside one of these somewhere, right?
I’ll admit, the landscape does look impressive. So wild and untamed. And best of all, unforgiving. I wouldn’t want to be caught out here alone in the middle of winter.
We’re in the heart of Welsh country now.
Yet I think about my letter from the prestigious yet mysterious Merlin’s Supernatural Academy, and I can’t believe I considered leaving the others. Yeah, right. Even in September, it’s colder than Dante’s Ninth Circle of Hell.
But I suppose I could go to the rendezvous point. It’s not far from here, about a half mile away.
We’re splitting off into teams soon, so I can take my chances then. Megan’s out of it, and Sophie’s too busy taking notes, so I suppose I can slip away for a while.
...
Megan flops down onto a large rock, massaging her temples. Meanwhile, Sophie searches for palmate newts in a shallow pond as we’ve all been assigned.
I suppose newts are like mini dragons in a way.
We’ve split off into teams of three, and now we stand among a thicket of bracken which hides us away from the rest. Other groups aren’t too far away as I can hear them shouting to one another, declaring they have found a newt. Our professors are all around, too.
I wouldn’t blame the little amphibians for staying deep in the mud today. It’s far too cold. Plus, who would want to be plucked up by giant hands?
“Argh, it’s too wet for this shit...” Meg moans, rubbing her head.
I laugh. “Yeah, just keep your germs away from me. I’m not used to your British bugs yet.”
“Fuck you,” she retorts playfully.
My laugh morphs into a cackle. We’re already on “fuck you” terms now even though we just met two days ago. It’s a good job I understand British humor. I’ve got enough snark in me to last several lifetimes.
“Just my luck to get a cold on the second day of Freshers...” Megan peers up at Sophie. The dark-haired girl’s wrists are deep in sludgy pond muck, and we both grimace.
She’s far too enthusiastic for our liking. Megan visibly shivers.
The life of a biologist. Love it or lump it.
“Found one yet?” I ask.
“No.” Sophie shoves her glasses up, speckling the lenses with mud. “The little buggers are playing hard to get!”
Meg rolls her eyes. “Who can blame them? It’s too cold, I need to get back to bed. I couldn’t sleep last night. Someone was humping in the room above me for hours.”
“That’s students for you. Don’t worry. We’ll get our turns soon enough.” I glance towards the hill above us which shadows our little pond.
The rendezvous point is just beyond... Well, according to Google maps. The little dot on the letter doesn’t convey much. (Thanks for nothing, M, whoever you are...)
I edge away from the girls. “I’m going for a little walk.”
“Don’t get eaten by any feral sheep now,” Megan jokes.
I snort and step out from the thicket, glancing behind my shoulder. Our professor stands by another pool, showing students a pile of mud.
Quickly, I dash toward the hill, and soon enough I’m heading up to my secret location. The moor spreads below me, and now that the rain has cleared, I can see its true beauty. Despite my muddy Converse and soaked jeans, I smile.
The sun breaks through the clouds, bringing out the colors of the land, and I start to feel a little giddy. It appears I’m going on a little adventure. (I will leave the others to their mud and newts.)
Soon I’m climbing back downhill, but then I stumble, rolling several feet until I reach the bottom. Well, it beats walking, I suppose. Thank god no one was around to see me fall.
When I stand up again, wiping my arms and legs, I gasp.
Shit, where did all this mist come from? It was just sunny a moment ago. I look up to the hill and shiver.
It has vanished.
Yep...I’m definitely in wild country now. It’s like I’ve entered a different plane of existence. There appears to be two suns gleaming through a sky of dark, murky clouds, but I probably just hit my head on a rock on my way down the hill or something.
Everything has fallen completely silent. I can’t even hear the triumphant calls of “Found a newt!” anymore.
Crap. This isn’t good.
The blood flushes hot through my veins, filling my ears, and I make a point of turning back to find the others, but then an ominous rattling catches my attention.
It’s drawing closer and I back away. I can’t see a thing with all this mist. It just seems to consume everything, even me, as it seeps into my pores, and tears fall from my eyes.
No, no crying... I hate crying. It’s a sign of weakness. I will deal with this bullshit.
I hold my chin high and stare straight into the unknown. That’s where the rattling is coming from.
Soon a shape takes form, and then an old man appears, driving a cart. He holds a lamp in his free hand, the other clutching the reins of a small pony.
Bryn, get the fuck away now while you still can, says the voice of reason inside my head, yet I stay put like the stupid idiot I am and face this stranger.
A dirt road appears beneath my feet, and I definitely know I hadn’t seen it when I was up on the hill earlier.
What the hell is going on here?
Finally, the cart stops, and I meet the beady eyes of a small, bearded man. He lacks irises, and my jaw pops loose.
The creature grunts. “Pff, what’s the matter with yer? Never seen a dwarf ridin’ a cart before?”
My mouth can barely form words. “Actually... no, I haven’t.”
Why am I so blasé?
He gives me a pitiful look and shakes his head. “Well, now yer have. Come on. Get up. I have orders ta take yer to the Academy.”
I back off and he narrows
his beady eyes. “Look, lass, I don’t get paid enough for this. So if yer would be so kind as ta climb up, things will be a lot easier.”
A laugh bursts from my throat, and he startles. “Yeah, right! I’m going now. I have some palmate newts to go find. So nice meeting ya!”
I turn away, noticing the gleaming, golden horn of his fluffy pony. I hadn’t noticed the horn before because it was hidden away beneath the creature’s curly forelocks. I point a finger. “Is that a horn?”
Raising a brow, the dwarf peers at the pony. A knowing smile curves his whiskered lips. “Very observant there, aren’t yer, lass?”
I sigh, closing my eyes, then climb up into the cart. “Just go.”
I can’t believe I got swayed into this over a stupid unicorn, one that may even be fake for all I know, but where there are unicorns, there are dragons.
Let the magical adventure commence.
I’m going to die.
Chapter 3.
Miraculously, my phone still has great reception in this strange, make-believe land of dwarfs and unicorns, and I wonder why none of the girls have texted me to see where I am.
I must be miles away from our site.
Seriously, I know it’s only been two days since the three of us met, and we weren’t exactly life-long friends yet, but come on.
I’ll have to tell them off when I get back—if I even can get back that is. For all I know, I could be getting kidnapped right now. Most strangers lure little kids away with candy, but I’m lured away by a fucking unicorn. The dwarf should at least let me have a ride of Princess Sparkle Hooves when we arrive. (That’s what I dubbed his unicorn because I have the mind of a six year old.)
I tap away at my phone, keeping the police on speed dial if things get hairy. That’s if they can get to this magical land.
I’m so screwed.
I did do some martial arts when I was nine, so if the dwarf tries anything, I’ll go all kung fu.
We ride through more mist, and it’s all just so depressing. For all I know, I could have died when I fell down the hill, fatally hitting my head, and this could be the afterlife. But I hold onto hope. Maybe one day... I will get to see a dragon in the flesh.
“Ahoy, there it is!” the dwarf cries, and I tear my eyes away from my phone, my jaw metaphorically hitting the floor of the cart.
Holy frigging cow! It’s a castle...
A proper castle with turrets, battlements and towers. It’s made of gleaming granite, which makes the stonework glow beneath the light of the two suns.
Two suns... How does that even work? Does this planet orbit both at once? One does seem to be smaller than the other.
I shake my head, knowing science and logic have no place in this realm and I cast my eyes over the castle again.
Merlin’s Supernatural Academy... So, it does exist.
The terrain here is more untamed, wild, and unforgiving than what I saw in my world. So much more so. It even appears to be alive. The wilderness around me gives off a faint yet otherworldly hum.
Are we even still in Snowdonia?
“Ta answer yer question, yeah, we are,” the dwarf says.
A mind reader? How nice.
“So. Explain the two suns then.”
He turns around, raising a bushy brow. “Wha...?”
I meet his confused, black eyes. “If we’re still on Earth, then why does the sky have two suns? We’re clearly somewhere else. For all I know, you could be an alien who’s abducted me and taken me to his home planet.”
He rolls his eyes, makes a tch sound, and faces forward again. The cart rides over a stone, and I jostle. Ow.
“That’s cos we are adjacent ta Earth. When the Earth formed, so did our world. Besides, there’s only one sun in the sky... Look again.”
I glance up and see that he’s right. What I thought was a sun was in fact a giant, frozen asteroid.
So messed up.
“The headmaster’s been lookin’ forward ta seein’ yer for weeks. It’s been a while since we’ve had a human at the school.”
“Great, I love being an outcast...”
The dwarf ignores my remark and goes on. “I know it may all come as shock, but everthin’ will soon make sense, I promise yer, lass. The headmaster’s a good man. A famous man too.”
My eyes expand. “Ooh, tell me more... No, wait. Don’t. I’d rather be surprised.”
“Suit yerself.” He tugs on the reins and the unicorn trots faster, and once again I bounce hard on my ass when the cart rides over a stone.
Finally, we arrive at the arched front gate and the Dancing Dragons’ emblem greets me once more in the iron metalwork. I take a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves.
The point of no return... When I pass through that fancy-arched gate, one that’s a little too grand for my liking, I’m done for.
My heart pounds when the revelation hits me; no more newts and no more snotty-nosed Megan to give me a cold.
Shit. What if the inhabitants here give me an even worse cold? The kind that can only be found in a magical, parallel universe?
A sleek, onyx car zooms past us next, startling poor Princess Sparkle Hooves, and I’m yanked away from my morose thoughts.
“Whoa, whoa, steady lass,” the dwarf cries, glaring at the driver. “Watch where yer goin’!”
Honestly, I’m still a little shocked by the sight of a car in a magical world which I thought would have been filled with horse-drawn carriages, but no. They have cars here, too, polluting their own ozone.
Maybe I'm just jealous as hell for not being chauffeured in a luxury car. My ass is still a little tender from the bumpy ride.
The car stops, and then the dark window of the backseat winds down. A smug looking piece of shit stares back at me.
“Sorry. Did I scare your pathetic little mule, dwarf? You should know better to move out of the way when you see my family’s car, especially if you’re hauling nothing but rotten goods.” His eyes flick over to me, and a smirk slowly deforms his full-sized lips. “I swear the quality of students gets worse every year.”
The dwarf growls. “Oh, yer good for nothin’...”
The guy fake yawns, eyeing me up and down again with a look of pure disdain, and my insides boil.
“I’m sure my father would be glad to hear of how you speak to his one and only son,” Mr. Shiny Black Car says. “He is a kind benefactor of this marvellous institution after all, and probably responsible for paying half your lowly wage.”
My dwarf driver grinds his teeth, his eyes turning ominous obsidian.
“Well, I should get going. Don’t want to be caught talking to inferior beings after all. Seriously, a human and a dwarf...”
His window winds back up, and when the vehicle disappears through the gate, I give Mr. Shiny Black Car the middle finger. “What an asshole. Are they all like this here?”
The dwarf sighs dismissively. “I’m afraid so, lass. That’s Matthew Humphrey IV, the son of Matthew Humphrey III. They’re... a noble family of mages. The oldest in the land.”
Mage? Well, fuck me for being so unextraordinary.
I hug my head, rubbing my throbbing temples. “Ugh! Why did I ever come here?!”
The dwarf cackles and I throw him an ornery look.
“That’s cos yer always knew you were special deep down. Weren’t like the other humans growin’ up now, were yer?”
“No, not really... I mean... I do get gratification from watching gory anime.”
“See? Different! Though I don’t know who Anna May is, but goot on yer, lass!”
I flash a wide, forced smile, and we move along. With the threat of being knocked down by an asshole in a shiny black car long gone now, we reach the gate. Unfortunately, Princess Sparkle Hooves winds to a halt outside, and I glance at my chauffeur once again.
“This is where I leave yer.”
My chest grows heavy, and I climb down from the cart. The moment my feet touch the ground, a strange tingling runs up my spine, and I almost
double over.
What in the...?
Righting myself back up, I glance at my driver and smile. “Well, thank you for getting me to my destination safely.”
The dwarf beams a massive, crooked smile, and I struggle not to grimace. As much as he has been my generous driver, he needs to invest in a toothbrush.
“No problem, lass! Just give us a call if yer need anything. Come on! Off yer go now, lass.” He pulls the reins, and the unicorn moves off.
Just as he rounds the cart to head back up the road, I call out, “Wait! What’s your name?”
He peers back and grins that crooked smile again. “Shankfoot!”
I plaster my usual, fake smile. “Nice name!”
He gives a curt nod and pulls the reins again, and Princess Sparkle Hooves plods back up the road.
I turn around, peering up at the gate where the Dancing Dragons taunt me. It’s only then when I notice that one is red and the other is white.
Taking a deep breath, I brave my first step into my new life at Hogwarts...I mean, Merlin’s Supernatural Academy, and the moment my Converse touch the gravel on the other side, that electrical charge shoots up my spine, zapping me upright.
The land whispers that it missed me somehow, and I smirk, casting my eyes over that imposing, medieval structure again.
I can do this.
Chapter 4.
Yeah, screw that last sentiment.
I totally can’t do this.
All around the courtyard stands my future Alumni, or so I hope. If I don’t get eaten by them first.
Everyone wears a fancy gray blazer, each of them flaunting the Dancing Dragons’ emblem on their right hand pockets, and I feel so out of place
Whoopsie... Guess I didn’t get the memo then.
Every pair of eyes scrutinizes me like I’m shit stuck on the soul of their shoe, glancing over my muddy Converse, grass-stained jeans, and sodden raincoat.
One bleached blonde girl who looks as if she’s stuck her nose up a pig’s anus pulls a face next, muttering something about “human trash” to her friend.
Well, you’re pretty anthropomorphic yourself, bitch. Unless... you’ve got something to hide?
