Apprentice Wizards of Hope

by Gary J. Davies

  Premonition!

  Martha Sharp was annoyed. She liked to know at all times what her students were up to and right now she didn't know. While her close friend Fredrick Kroner focused on school budgets, over-all curriculum, and Council 'big picture' issues, she focused on the children, especially their education and wellbeing. A spinster with no children of her own, she regarded all the children of Hope to be her children; every single one of them including vamps, werewolves, and Norms as well as the fledgling Wizards. It was an immense responsibility; the present town of Hope with all its many faults was at the mercy of the adults, but the children were its future!

  There was of course Troy Grim and his gang of bullies to worry about. Though there were always school bullies to worry about, Troy and his buddies were a particularly troubling bunch. The thought that they would soon graduate and be released to terrorize Hope at large as full Wizards was frightening, though at least they would be out of the high school and no longer her problem. She and Fredrick had already had several serious confrontations with Horace over Troy's behavior and future. Horace was blind to Troy's faults and responded only with anger. Horace had changed over the years to someone hateful that she barely recognized.

  She didn't like it, but Troy would likely go on to receive advanced training at the Academy after high school. His abilities, though mediocre, were just enough to support his continued training. The abilities of his three buddies were fortunately inadequate to allow them to continue to the Academy, unless sometime during their senior year they displayed abilities that up to now were well hidden.

  Though Troy and his buddies were a constant annoyance, a whole new set of issues emerged when Ben King returned to Hope. Overall, Ben's influence seemed to be positive, but disruptive. She didn't like disruption and change, and Ben seemed to be a change bringer. She didn't like Ben's talk of Demons and Evil. On the other hand, she agreed with Kroner that in recent years Grim was becoming a huge problem. Then there was Alan Dale. What would his far-ranging efforts lead to? And how would Hope and Hope’s children be effected?

  She learned from several students that emboldened Apprentice Wizards were now united around Ben and his friends. They openly opposed Troy Grim's bullying and the bigotry that was increasingly preached by Troy's father and his supporters. The Apprentice Wizards protected even the Norm-students at the school! Sharp strongly approved of the group's sentiments and actions, but feared that some sort of dangerous confrontation with the Grims and their supporters could be triggered. She would have to keep an eye on the situation and make sure that her children were protected.

  Even more surprising was the rapid formation of a Junior Apprentice League at the elementary school level, promoted and led by fiery young Rick Hortega, another close friend of Ben King and the Tuttles. Perhaps not surprisingly, the Junior group included even children that were Norms!

  "Why not?" Rick told Sharp, when she spoke to the boy about his organization. "Don't the Hope Charter and the United States Constitution both support equality for everyone? That's what my group is all about! The Norms of Hope are all relatives and friends of Wizards. My parents are Norms! I wouldn't want my Mom and Dad kept out of any group; why would I keep my Norm friends from joining the Junior Apprentice League?"

  "I don't object to it at all, young man," Sharp replied, though she was astonished to hear a first-grader speak of such things. Talking with Rick Hortega was almost like talking with an intelligent adult! Clearly Rick was someone for her to keep her eye on! "I was merely curious as to its origins."

  "Ben and Ann gave me copies of the Hope Charter and the United States Constitution for me to read," said Rick. "Those have a lot of good ideas."

  Ben and the Tuttles again! Another one of the young Junior League members brought to her door something else to read: an apparent message from Alan Dale that invited Hope to join a world-wide league of paranormal people! An attached note also warned that a Demon had been spotted at the High School! Almost simultaneously, an adult messenger delivered to her an official Council copy of the note from Dale that was completely different: this one was a declaration of war on Hope and a short note signed by Horace Grim indicating that the Tuttles, Dale, and new King-house occupants were all traitors!

  What the heck was going on? She liked and trusted the Tuttles, and had a very high opinion of Alan Dale when he was a Hope student. She didn't know Ben King’s guardians well, but she did already know Ben King well enough to not suspect his guardians of wrong doing. The King and Tuttle homes were only a short walk around the block from her own home and she decided to go there herself and perhaps find out some truth! She certainly wasn't the strongest Hope Wizard, but after dealing with students and parents for three decades she was an expert in finding truth and dealing with people.

  When Sharp walked out her front door she was astonished to discover more than two dozen students of mixed ages gathered in front of her house, apparently waiting for her to emerge! And still more students were converging there from all directions!

  "Jim Nater and Rick Hortega; you're behind this, aren't you?" she asked. "Why are you and your Apprentice and Junior Apprentice friends gathering here?"

  "For your help," said Jim. "There's big trouble brewing at the Council, Vice Principle. It's going to be really terrible, and it's going to happen very soon.”

  “You know this how?” asked Sharp.

  “I had a premonition," said Jim. “I told some friends about it.”

  "And the parents of some of us insisted on you being told," added Rick. He glanced back towards the gathering crowd, where several adults had arrived. The adults nodded towards Sharp, subtly acknowledging their acquiescence with the proceedings.

  "Jim, you believe that you can foresee the future?" Sharp asked, astonished. She had judged Jim to have less magic skills than most of his new Apprentice peers, but perhaps that assessment was not correct.

  "Yes, Vice Principle," Jim replied, his face red with embarrassment. "I catch glimpses of things that might happen in the future. I never told anyone about it before, but I never foresaw anything so bad as this before. Council members will die!"

  Sharp shook her head and smiled. "Such foresight is a level five skill, Jim, and unimaginably rare. You must have merely heard people talking about the failed attack that already happened earlier today, Jim! Nobody was killed!"

  "No, no!" said Jim. "I don't mean that one! I don't see that one anymore so yes, that attack already happened and nobody was killed, just as I foresaw. I think that one was done to put the good guys into prison and out of the way! They'll be safe there for now. But there's going to be another attack! I still see it so it hasn't happened yet! And maybe it won't happen, if we can weaken the Demons."

  "We want to help against the Demons!" said Claire Jones, one of the senior class Apprentice Wizards. "The adults of Hope are confused and together we Apprentice Wizards are strong. Even many of the youngest Junior Apprentice kids have strong powers."

  "You kids aren't going into combat against Demons!" said Sharp. "No way! If there are Demons in Hope you have to let the adults handle the situation!"

  "But we won't have to confront the Demons!" said Rick. "Ben says that they feed off Evil. That means that we can weaken them by destroying the huge pile of Evil in Ben's backyard."

  "That way we won't have to combat them directly," said Claire. "We can weaken them from afar. We’ll destroy the Evil where they get their power. That's the plan that Jim and Rick came up with."

  "But whatever it is that big pile of material in the King backyard is dangerous!" Sharp protested. "And if it's Evil we don't know how to destroy Evil! The Council tried to destroy that stuff eight years ago but failed. Legend has it that elves know how to destroy Evil, but the only elf on Earth has been captured and is being held in jail by the Council!"

  "We were lucky enough to find another elf on the way here," said Rick.

  "Actually he found us," said Claire. "And he says that he can help us destroy Evil and
shield ourselves from it while we do."

  Sharp was startled when a creature of legend abruptly dropped its cloaking and appeared before her! It was either an elf or a very small person well disguised as one!

  "Greetings, Earthling!" the elf said. "My name is Rog! I am Soone's faithful and incredibly talented Apprentice! I have come to Earth to save humans from Demons and Evil!"

  "It's just like Ben told us," said Rick. "The elves are our friends!"

  "You haven't happened to see my companion Soone, have you?" asked Rog. "I fear that he has gotten himself lost since we arrived. I am most anxious to find him!"

  ****

  "Hello, Mother Richards," said the tall, handsome, middle-aged Wizard that greeted Amanda and Elizabeth when they opened the front door of the King home. Nearby four of the Hope Police Force lay about on the ground, apparently unconscious. Amanda exchanged a quick warm hug with the man, who immediately turned his attentions to Elizabeth. "Elizabeth, you look well. It's been a long time."

  "It's been a very long time, Alan Dale!" said Elizabeth. Her memory flashed back fifteen years to when she, Eric, and Alan were in all best friends graduating from the Hope Academy, and Alan asked her to go away with him to explore the world of the Unaligned. She refused. She loved both Alan and Eric, but Eric was the stable sensible one that planned to remain in Hope. Alan was the adventurer and dreamer, with dreams that reached far beyond the gates of Hope. She chose Eric, and never regretted her choice. Not very often, anyway.

  Sometimes she wondered what her life would have been like if she had chosen Alan. She imagined herself traveling throughout the world preaching unity and equality for paranormal people, while fleeing the Hope police. "You look very well yourself," she said. She wondered how was it that men reaching middle age tended to be even more attractive, while woman began to lose their appeal.

  "I was happy to hear of your children, and of you and Eric becoming Council members," said Alan. "I knew that you two would make a go of it here in Hope!"

  "And it sounds like you have found someone to make a go of it with you among the Unaligned," said Elizabeth. "I am genuinely happy for you, Alan!"

  Alan turned to gesture towards two other Wizards that stood behind him. Elizabeth hadn't even noticed them before then; she hadn’t noticed much beyond Alan. "You remember Tony and Markus?"

  "Of course!" said Elizabeth. “You are Police Attack Wizards, both of you! Four years ago you two were sent to capture Alan, weren't you?"

  "It didn't work out that way," said Markus. "We liked Alan and his ideas. So instead we helped him form the World Paranormal League. Alan has a lot of enemies. We are his friends, supporters, and bodyguards. The others sent to capture Alan also became his supporters."

  "They stubbornly insist on following me wherever I go," said Alan.

  "And he stubbornly insists on going wherever he wants to," said Tony. "He's here against our advice. Hope is no place to be for people that have been declared to be Rogues by the Hope Council."

  "The Council is in turmoil," said Elizabeth, "and Eric and my children are imprisoned by them along with Ben King and Moco."

  "Yes, and there are Demons about also, we have heard," said Alan. "Hope was screwed up enough by Grim even without Demons. Since I left Hope things have really turned to crap, haven't they!"

  "For sure," said Amanda, "and if Kroner and his friends including Eric are done away with things will become even worse. There has already been one attempt on their lives."

  "Without Kroner and Red Eric there is no chance that Hope will join the League," said Alan. "But if Hope falls to Demons, that question becomes irrelevant. Hope is still home to the highest concentration of united Wizards on Earth. Without Hope the rest of Earth would also likely fall. We have to act now. The League as yet has no cogent fighting capability but there are a few friends I have made that I can get to teleport here to help with the Demons. Meanwhile we better get ourselves to Council to free the prisoners and try to protect us all against Demons and Grim."

  "We'll go with you, of course," said Markus.

  "No," said Alan. "You and Tony stay here, wakeup your police friends and apologize to them profusely, and convert them to our cause at least temporarily. We'll need their support to save Hope. Come join us when they have recovered."

  Markus and Tony clearly weren't happy about separating from Alan, but they seemed to be used to taking orders from him. They made no complaint as Alan, Elizabeth, and Amanda teleported away with a loud popping sound.

  The trio arrived a blink in time later in front of the Hope High School complex, to find over two hundred citizens gathered around the front entrance, which was apparently closed and locked. More people were arriving every minute, and they were all anxious and agitated, the empathic trio sensed.

  "Hey, that's Elizabeth Tuttle!" someone shouted, and dozens of heads turned towards the Council Woman. "I thought she was in jail!"

  "Who is that guy with her?"

  "It's Alan Dale, the Rogue!" someone exclaimed. Several other people pointed and shouted but most of the crowd remained focused on the closed front doorway into the complex.

  "I don't give a damn who it is; can they open the doors?" Demanded an older man. "We can't be kept away from Council this way! It's illegal! And I want to know which one of those letters from Dale is the real McCoy!"

  "I want to know what they're doing about that attack earlier!" said a woman. "Did they really arrest the Tuttles? If it was Demons why did they arrest the Tuttles? The Tuttles are solid citizens!"

  "There ain't no such thing as Demons," insisted a young woman, "but there's no such thing as a crooked Tuttle either."

  "We can answer some of your questions," announced Elizabeth, her voice magnified.

  The trio weaved their way through the crowd to the top of the steps, tried in vain to open the doors, then turned to face the crowd. By now most people recognized both the Council woman and the Rogue. "It's true!" someone exclaimed, "The Tuttles are in league with Dale!"

  "Hush!" said Dale, his voice magnified. "This is the first contact I've had with Hope and my old friends the Tuttles in more than a decade. The letter that invites Hope to join the World Paranormal League is the legitimate one from me, Grim put out a fake one to continue his vendetta against me and his control of you and the Council."

  "You're a murdering Rogue and a traitor!" someone shouted.

  "Lies by Grim," said Dale. "I never murdered anyone or conspired against Hope! I've established a world-wide peace-seeking organization that I now want Hope to join! And I've come now to help save Hope from Grim and from Demons! The Tuttles are innocent and must be freed! Ben King must be freed so he can identify the Demons. Evil and Demons are real and on Earth and have to be destroyed, with the help of our ancient allies the elves!"

  "That's all Hope Council business and Hope citizen business!" someone shouted. "Even if you aren't an outright traitor, you aren’t a Hope citizen anymore and have no say in what happens here!"

  "But I am a Hope citizen and a Council member!" proclaimed Elizabeth loudly with a magic enhanced voice, as she stepped in front of Alan. "Grim had the Council illegally hold a meeting without notifying me or my husband. Grim excluded us from Council as he has excluded you! He holds my husband and children as prisoners, which is of course illegal also, as Eric is still officially a Council member, and the children are juveniles. As Council members Eric and I can't be legally excluded from Council meetings but neither can you! All citizens have a right to attend and contribute to all meetings!"

  Angry shouts of agreement came from the crowd.

  "These doors can't legally be closed to you or to me!" Elizabeth continued. "The Council was attacked by Demons according to Ben King, but Grim and his supporters weren't attacked; only members that have been his opposition were attacked! Add it all up citizens! Grim is in league with the Demons!"

  "She's right!" someone shouted.

  "Maybe not; but we won't find out for sure if we’re kept out h
ere!" said someone else.

  "This can't be allowed to happen here in Hope!" said Elizabeth, still using a magic magnified voice. "I'm a Council Member and Master Wizard and a proud citizen of Hope! My husband and children are being held prisoners in there illegally! If these doors don't open for us all I'll blast my way through them!" She turned and tried the twin front doors one more time, but they were still locked shut. They were made of solid wood several inches thick, but harbored even more solid protective wards: wards a thousand times stronger than any wood. She stepped a few paces away from the doors, then turned to again face them. Sensing what was going to happen, people that were near the door stepped farther away.

  A brilliant lightning blast erupted from Elizabeth's extended hands and struck the door with explosive force! She wasn't half the attack Wizard that Eric was, but she wasn't to be trifled with! The ground trembled from the impact, but she wasn't much surprised to find that the well warded door was unharmed.

  Elizabeth shook her head. Eric had taught her how to throw lightning bolts but aside from rare practice sessions she had never done it. Her blast was stronger than she expected, but the door wards were powered by essentially all the Wizards of Hope. She herself had helped keep the city wards strong by contributing magic energy to them hundreds of times over the years. Most Wizards gathered in the crowd had done the same. She turned to face them. "Most of you are proud Wizards of Hope! Join me now to blast open these doors and preserve Hope and the integrity of its Council!"

  This time as she turned again to face the doors she was joined by dozens of Wizards from the crowd. The next blow against the locked doors was a blindingly bright and loud, and the concussion of the blow knocked most people in the crowd off their feet!

  Still the door and surrounding building were untouched!

  "I sense that the door ward is actually stronger than when we started!" said Elizabeth, after again trying to manually open the door without success.

  "I suspect that the door ward absorbs much of your energy blasts," said Alan. "Eric would have designed them that way! He was designing these wards when I left Hope."