Bryony ducked, the magic bolt fizzing over her head. There was an explosion behind her, accompanied by an eruption of white icing chunks.
“Look what you did!” Maddy glowered at Bryony. “You ruined my party cake!”
Bryony looked round to see the charred remains of the once beautiful cake. Then she saw something lying in the pile of smouldering crumbs. It looked like, but it couldn’t be…
A human skull.
“Boney!” Bryony’s voice was shrill with delight. “I’ve found you!”
“That’s Boney?” Edwin peered doubtfully at the skull.
Bryony nodded. “Boney helped me escape from the dungeon. He was a prisoner down there for hundreds of years. His body had been eaten by rats, but his soul remained.”
“A skull?” Edwin gave Maddy a stupefied stare. “I thought you said it was fruit and nut.”
Bryony hurried towards the cake, but froze when the skull started glowing.
“Boney?”
The skull pulsed with light, growing steadily brighter, then rose into the air by itself. Bryony watched, mystified, as the glowing skull hovered in front of her.
“Boney, are you OK?” Bryony reached out tentatively, but drew her finger back when a halo of sparks formed around the skull.
There was a stuttering flash, and a mighty blast of air that sent Bryony reeling backwards. Edwin caught her in his arms, and she clung to him as a howling wind tore through the hall, ripping the cloth from the table and hurling cups and crockery to the floor in a jarring chorus of clangs and clatters.
The howling wind died as suddenly as it had begun. A voice broke the silence that followed.
A familiar voice that Bryony was relieved to hear.
“Surpri-ise!”
She lifted her head, but her smile faded when she saw the figure standing before her.
It was tall, clad in white robes, its face obscured by a pointed hood. Its arms were outstretched, its human hands waving back at her.
“Oh dear.” The hooded head twitched from side to side. “Have I missed the party?”
“Boney?” Bryony looked around to see if the skull was lying nearby. “Are you there?”
“Boney.” The white robed figure chuckled. “That’s a very amusing name. And quite fitting, given the state I was in when you found me. But back in the old days I went by a much grander title.”
“I recognise that voice.” Maddy’s blue eyes widened as she stared at the hooded figure. “But it can’t be…”
“In the old days I was respected.” The robed figure bowed its head. “In the old days I was a member of the Council of the Wise Ones.” The figure pulled down its hood to reveal a head of wavy grey hair. “In the old days…”
“No.” Maddy’s head twitched from side to side. “That’s impossible. You can’t be here. Not here.”
The figure raised its head, the candlelight revealing the features of a middle aged man with angular cheeks and a prominent hooked nose. His eyes shone like discs of pure silver, blazing with intelligence and power. “In the old days, I was known…”
As he said the words, the hall shook with an ominous tremor.
“… as Magister.”
21 What Are You Doing Here?
“You’re Magister?” Bryony gaped at the silver-eyed man. “Boney, you were Magister all along?”
“So it seems,” said Magister. “Now all my memories have returned. Along with my magic powers, which I used to re-create my old body. A very good likeness don’t you think, Malady?”
“It isn’t you,” said Maddy. “You can’t be here, not now.”
“But it would appear I am.” The grey haired man spread his arms in an almost apologetic gesture. “Sorry for gate-crashing your party. But I’m rather miffed I didn’t get an invite.”
“What are you doing here?” Maddy’s voice was a hateful snarl. “And how come you were hiding in my cake?”
“I admit it wasn’t my ideal choice of entrance.” Magister grinned, displaying perfect white teeth. “Would have much preferred sponge.”
“Keep away from him!” Edwin grabbed Bryony’s arm and drew her back from Magister. “This is the renegade warlock guy that tricked Maddy into stealing the Tome Terriblis, so he could use its power for himself.”
Magister’s smile fell as he regarded Edwin. “Not much of a character reference there, eh? I’ve heard better things about you from your stepsister: Edwin, the brave and clever Guardian of Wychetts. Though she didn’t mention the weird hair and heron’s legs.”
“You’re evil.” Edwin hissed at Magister. “A traitor to the Wise Ones.”
“I’m not a bad man,” protested Magister. “More a man who wants to be good, so very badly. And remember it wasn’t me who stole the Tome.”
“You put me up to it,” snapped Maddy. “You told me where it was and how I could gain access to the library. And all the time you wanted to use its power against the Wise Ones.”
“Oh yes, so I did.” Magister nodded as though he’d just remembered. “Less risky than stealing the Tome myself. But once I got my sweaty little hands on it there was no stopping me.”
Then Edwin realised something about Magister. “But how come you know about Maddy and the Tome? All that hasn’t happened yet. Unless… you’re from the future?”
“A shrewd deduction,” acknowledged Magister. “And one that raises some curious questions, don’t you think?”
“So that’s why you were in Maddy’s dungeon,” realised Bryony. “You were her prisoner, too.”
“But I never held any prisoners.” Maddy whined despairingly. “We don’t have a dungeon at Maddergrub Manor.”
“Stop lying,” barked Bryony. “I was there. I saw…”
“She isn’t lying,” cut in Magister. “At least not about the dungeon. Which raises some even more curious questions. Eh, Malady?”
“You shouldn’t be here.” Maddy pointed at Magister. “You belong in the shadows, and that’s where you’re headed.”
At Maddy’s words the Maddergrub family aimed their pointed fingers. Six bolts of green lightning crackled through the air straight at Magister. It seemed there was no time to react, but somehow the grey haired man raised his right hand to deflect the sizzling barrage.
Sparks burst everywhere, the lightning bolts rebounding off the walls and ceiling. Bryony and Edwin dropped to the floor, not daring to lift their heads until the last stray missile had fizzled out.
“That was lovely. No party is complete without indoor fireworks.” The grey haired man stood grinning, none the worse for the magical pyrotechnics. “But you see, Malady? Even your combined Maddergrub powers are no match for The Magister. Now let’s play nicely, eh?”
The Maddergrub family lowered their hands, but Maddy kept her trembling finger pointed at Magister as he continued to address her.
“You asked me what I was doing here, Malady. That was a very good question. But the answer depends on where ‘here’ actually is.”
“It’s Maddergrub Manor.” Edwin was surprised Magister hadn’t worked that out by now. “We’re in the banqueting hall.”
“But are we?” Magister’s silver eyes rolled doubtfully. “I’ve been here before, that night I claimed the Tome. And this is not quite how I remember it. The place seems wider, taller, grander.”
Edwin looked around him. He’d been in the banqueting hall before, too; it was where he’d sat his entrance exam for the Schrunkopf Institute, and where he’d fought Maddy for the Tome. He’d been too busy to pay much attention to his surroundings at the time, but now he came to think of it, the hall was much larger than he remembered. But then so was the rest Maddergrub Manor. The main tower had seemed twice as tall as before when he’d climbed the stairs. Everything about the place was so much grander, as though somehow exaggerated.
He gave Maddy a questioning look, but she was still pointing at Magister.
“You’ve said enough,” she snarled. “If you like fireworks, we’ll give you fireworks.
”
“You and your lovely family?” Magister snorted with amusement. “I thought we’d just established that isn’t likely.”
Maddy’s mouth twisted into a mirthless smile. “I didn’t mean my family.”
There were five puffs of smoke as the Maddergrub family vanished.
“What have you done?” A horrified Edwin screamed accusingly at Magister. “You’ve killed them!”
Magister denied the charge with a shake of his grey head. “You can’t kill something that was never alive in the first place. And anyway, it was nothing to do with me.”
There was a shattering noise from above, broken glass fragments raining down on the hall. Bryony looked up to see something black and monstrous had smashed through a window in the ceiling. It resembled a giant bat with glowing red eyes. It could only be…
“A Vampiropteryx?” She looked at Edwin. “Is that a Vampiropteryx?”
“Yes, it’s a Vampi… one of them.” Then the realisation hit Edwin, and he cried in terror. “They’re back! Everyone take cover!”
He dragged Bryony with him under the table. He called out to Maddy, but she stood her ground as if untroubled by the monster’s appearance.
The Vampiropteryx dived at Magister, discharging a ball of green fire from its gaping jaws.
Magister spread his arms, a halo of light flaring around him to absorb the Vampiropteryxe’s fire. Then he thrust a hand into the air, unleashing a beam of pure magic that turned the bat monster into floating wisps of ash.
“Not bad.” Magister put his finger to his lips and blew, as if clearing smoke from the barrel of a gun. “Still haven’t lost my touch after all these years.”
But even as he spoke, more Vampiropteryx streamed through the smashed ceiling window.
“We’ve got to help,” Edwin told Bryony. “Maddy won’t stand a chance against this many bat monsters.”
However Bryony wasn’t convinced that Maddy needed rescuing. “But they’re not interested in her. They’re making straight for Magister.”
Edwin saw Bryony was right. The bat creatures didn’t seem to notice Maddy, venting all their fury on the grey haired man instead. But Magister parried their green firebombs with a series of nimble arm gestures, before dispatching each monster in turn with bursts of his own magic energy.
“Keep ‘em coming,” he roared. “I need the practice.”
Edwin wondered what Magister meant. Then there was a louder smashing noise, and the largest Vampiropteryx yet came crashing through the ceiling.
“It’s their King!” Edwin thought the mighty beast had been destroyed. “Maddy, get out of there!”
But still Maddy didn’t move. Her eyes were screwed shut, her lips moving soundlessly whilst the horned monster circled above her.
“That’s beautiful.” Magister seemed genuinely in awe of the Vampiropteryx King. “I commend your creative skills, Malady. It’s a shame you never showed as much attention to detail in your magic lessons.”
The Vampiropteryx King swooped low, its spiked tail swishing close to Maddy’s head.
Then Maddy opened her eyes, and Edwin was horrified to see them burn as red as the bat monster’s. She pointed at Magister, and the Vampiropteryx King lunged at its victim…
22 The Guvnor
Magister blocked an orb of green fire, then shot a retaliatory bolt of magic at the Vampiropteryx King. The bat creature twisted in the air to avoid the attack, its flailing spiked tail gouging chunks from the table above Edwin and Bryony’s heads.
“This is great fun.” Magister’s silver eyes gleamed with delight as they tracked the flight of the Vampiropteryx King. “Best party game ever!”
The bat monster circled before diving again at Magister, its clawed legs raking at his head.
Magister ducked, bringing his right arm up. His hand morphed into a long metal sword that he thrust at the monster’s belly.
The Vampiropteryx King exhaled an agonised scream as Magister’s blade struck deep. Then it pulled away, a fountain of dark blood erupting from its wound. Magister gave a shout of victory, but the royal monster wasn’t yet defeated. Its great spiked tail lashed at Magister, too fast for him to react.
“Boney!” Bryony screamed when she saw the grey haired figure flung across the hall.
Magister lay still, his white robe stained with blood. The wounded Vampiropteryx King hovered over him, as though savouring the moment before the final kill.
“What are you doing?” Edwin made a grab for Bryony when she squirmed from under the table. “Come back, it’s too dangerous!”
“I’ve got to save Boney.” Bryony ran towards the Vampiropteryx King. “Over here,” she yelled, waving her arms. “You want a fight, I’ll give you a fight!”
The bat monster’s eyes flared red in acceptance of the challenge. It twisted in the air to face Bryony, presenting a perfect target.
Bryony wasted no time, firing a bolt of magic from her pointed finger. There was a flash as the glowing missile struck its target. The Vampiropteryx King recoiled with a shriek of pain, but recovered in a heartbeat to make a retaliatory lunge at Bryony.
She fired again. Again there was a flash when her attack hit home, but still the Vampiropteryx King came on, horned head lowered to ram her.
Bryony realised her magic was no match for the fearsome bat monster, but she wasn’t going down without a fight. She planted her feet firmly on the floor, raised her arm again, and aimed her finger for what would surely be the final time…
Suddenly there was someone at her side. A hand grabbed hers. Bryony felt a surge of power through her arm...
The hall filled with light. There was a loud boom, and a piercing scream from the Vampiropteryx King.
The scream faded into silence. The air hung heavy with smoke, and when the fog cleared Bryony saw there was nothing left of the bat monster except a cloud of scattered cinders.
Arm still raised, Bryony turned to see it was Edwin who held her hand.
She smiled her thanks, but a groan of pain drew her attention to the wounded Magister. She broke away from Edwin and ran to where the grey haired man lay.
“Boney?” She knelt by his side. “Can you hear me? Boney?”
“I thought I’d already told you I am not your Boney.” Those silver eyes snapped open to fix Bryony with a reproving stare. “You should try and pay more attention in class.”
“You’re hurt.” Bryony winced, trying not to look at his bloody robes. “But we can heal you with magic.”
“I’m finished,” croaked Magister.
“Don’t say that.” Bryony attempted a smile. “It’s probably just a scratch. And you’re a powerful warlock, so you can just...”
Magister sprang to his feet, seemingly recovered. “Wounds can be healed,” he told a gobsmacked Bryony. “But I’m still finished. Because this world is finished.”
There was another rumble from below. Bryony looked round to see that only a few candles remained alight, a dense darkness closing around them.
“There can only be minutes left.” Magister directed his gaze at the green haired girl sitting hunched against the wall. “Then this world will end, along with everything in it.”
Maddy’s head was bowed, her shoulders heaving with sobs. Edwin crouched next to her, a hand on her arm.
“I’m sorry.” Maddy looked up at him through tear misted glasses. “I didn’t mean it to be like this. I didn’t want to hurt anyone. I just wanted to see my family again. You must understand…”
“But I don’t understand,” breathed Edwin. “The Vampi… bat monsters. It’s like you were controlling them.”
“She was,” said Magister. “More than that. She created them in the first place.”
“What are you talking about?” Edwin spoke without taking his eyes off Maddy.
“Malady invented the Vampiropteryx, a product of her idle daydreaming in my magic class.” Magister smiled wryly. “Caused all sorts of merry hell, if I recall. She was lucky not to get expelled. I o
nly let her off because I recognised her creative talents. Evil magic leeching bat monsters from another dimension was pure genius. Although she could have come up with an easier to pronounce name for them.”
“So Alphonsus was right?” Edwin directed this question at Maddy. “The Vampi… bat monsters aren’t real?”
“Nothing here is real,” sniffed Maddy. “The manor, my family, the Vampiropteryx. It’s all a dream. A world of dreams.”
The rumbles grew louder, shaking the floor. The ceiling heaved, and flakes of plaster fell like snow.
Bryony glanced nervously around her. “So if this isn’t Maddergrub Manor, where are we?”
“As Malady says, we are in a world of dreams.” Magister gestured at the surrounding shadows. “A world of magic dreams, where mere thoughts can become reality. If you know how to tap into the power source.”
“What power source?” asked Bryony.
“The boy should know.” Magister nodded at Edwin. “He’s supposed to be the clever one.”
But Edwin was still struggling to come to terms with Maddy’s revelation, and all he could do was shrug.
“Oh come on, lad.” Magister scowled impatiently. “Think about it.”
Edwin tried to think, but nothing made sense. “So you’re saying we haven’t travelled back in time after all?”
“Magic time travel is possible,” conceded Magister. “But only the most learned magical practitioners have mastered the art. The Wise Ones strongly disapproved of dabbling in such things, which is why even Malady would never risk going back to her own time. So she planned a much shorter trip instead. Not back in time, more sideways, to another realm. Another dimension, if you like.”
“I’m not getting this.” Edwin just couldn’t understand what he was hearing.
“I think you are,” said Magister. “If what Bryony told me about you is true, I suspect you will have been getting it ever since you arrived. Think, lad.”
Edwin was still trying to think, but there was a loud noise disrupting his thoughts. Not rumbles from below this time, but a deep rhythmic breathing.
Wychetts and the Dungeon of Dreams Page 14
