David Starlight and some friends pushed past us laughing and joking, he didn’t even realise it was us. Robin and I didn’t like David Starlight, he was a show off and an idiot. His Riptide team, the Eagles, beat ours last year, well beat is an understatement, they humiliated us. I shivered at the thought at having to play Riptide again, out of fright, not excitement. The school grounds was busier than I had ever seen them. Carriages zoomed over head, people hugged and laughed, statues bowed, ghosts — barely visible — busied about with carrying things around.
Straker was waiting for us in the Hall, smiling pleasantly, which was weird. Straker was a strange Magisteer, he wore an impeccable grey suit and appeared to have no neck. His skin was tight like a snake and his eyes blacker than the night. He was moody too. So now that he was smiling, it just looked weird — I am not sure I saw him smile for the whole first year.
“Bags on the floor,” he quipped. “As they will be taken to your dorms.”
I dropped my bad next to Robin and Tina’s as the little parchment labels suddenly popped into the air with our names on, before the whole thing disappeared in a flash.
Tina nudged me in the ribs. “Ah! What is it?” I said. She was staring up at the roof. Robin and I followed her gaze. All around the hall was the usual armour and flags of all the different forms, the Riptide schedule and all sorts…
“I don’t see anything?” said Robin.
“Nor me.”
Tina huffed and pointed to each corner of the room. Now I saw them. On small plinths around the perimeter, and each corner of the high Hall were big eyes. It sent a shiver down my spine as I saw them watching us. It was literally a big eye ball. White and staring. They were new.
“They’re Occulus…” said Tina gravely.
“Never heard of it,” I said. Tina seemed perturbed by the big eye balls. But now all around the hall, others had noticed them too.
“Sir, Sir?” said Jack Zapper tugging Straker’s sleeve. “What are those eye’s up there?” the Occulus seemed to hear him, and leaned in for a closer look, causing a few people to whimper. Straker pretended to look up and tried to pretend he didn’t hear him.
“Come on, off to the Chamber,” he managed.
I turned to Tina. “Why do we have them?”
Her face was scrunched up with concentration as she thought. “Dunno. Dad never mentioned it. Bet you anything the Lily says they are for our own protection…”
Straker pushed open the doors to the Chamber. Noise erupted from all around, the other five years above us were already in here causing an awful racket. There was much shouts of excitement, and fast garbled talking about their summer off. Robin and I gave a quick wave goodbye to Tina whose table squealed as they saw her, pulling her into a group hug. We walked slowly through the melee, over to the Condor’s form table and ahhhh, it all returned to me… the smell of preparing food drifting up from the kitchens below, the burning coals, the feint flowery incense, and the centuries of old dust. The Chamber was a funny old room, it was huge, round and domed. The roof was brick and curved over like a big upside down fish bowl. All over the walls and ceiling were suits of armour, pictures of famous Witches and Wizards, flags, drapes, quotes, old Riptide kits, swords and magical regalia that had been donated by famous Wizards that had been schooled here over the years. It was stuffed full. Dangerously close to all this stuff hung fire brackets which blazed different colour light depending on the mood of the Chamber, as well as huge chandeliers that hung in mid air and dripped hot wax on you. I took a seat next to Robin, we were the first back on our table. “I’m starving!” said Robin rubbing his stomach.
“We just ate like three hours ago?” I said.
Robin smirked. “Well, Mum says I’m a growing lad,” he winked.
“Robin, I doubt you’ll ever stop growing, it’s gonna turn out that your of Giant lineage,” I said pointing to a picture on the wall of a Giant, sweeping twenty Wizards into the air.
He laughed. “It could certainly come in handy! I meant to ask you…” he said, his tone changing as he leaned in closer and whispering. “Have you found out anything about, you know, the whereabouts of… thingy.”
Glancing around our table, there was a fourth year form and a seventh year form table nearest us. So I kept my voice low. “Not much, we’ll find a better place to… talk,” I glanced around again to make sure no one could hear. “But, I did overhead some people at the wedding… they reckon he’s gone for good, they’re all terrified…”
Robin raised his eyebrows and smiled. “Nice, but er… what do your parents think about it all?”
“I don’t think they have yet. Knowing them, they’ll have a plan lined up.” They always do, trust me.
Suddenly a big booming laugh echoed around the Chamber. Robin and I looked at each other, we knew that laugh. Through the crowd bounced the larger than life Hunter.
“Here they are!” he boomed pulling us both into rib cracking hugs. “How ya been!?”
“Go—ood.” I managed with the little air I had remaining. He laughed again and ruffled my hair.
“Nice to see ya’ Avis…” his scars were still horrific, starting at his neck and working upwards to his temple like a shadowy rock face, they were deep and pronounced. Last year Hunter had been attacked by a demon, set on him by Malakai after we tried to trick the Eagles form and David Starlight. It was a horrible time, for everyone.
“Where’s everyone else?” said Robin.
“On the way now Robbie!” Hunter pointed, sure enough the rest of the Condors came pushing though the crowd and came to sit down on our table. I felt a trickle of nerves at seeing them again, we hadn’t been the best of friends last year and I really wanted to prove myself this time. I wouldn’t be shy, or nervous this year. For some reason, being a Blackthorn I feel like I need to prove myself more than anyone else, prove that I am not evil like the rest of my family.
“Hi Ellen,” I said coming to hug the clever, shy, be-speckled girl with long poker straight hair.
She looked up at me with big, bug eyes and seemed to recognise me, eventually. “Avis…” she said dreamily. “How’ve you been?”
This carried on for a while, I shook hands (very formally) with Graham who was tall, dark-haired and well mannered, he was from Scotland on the Outside and sometimes it was hard to tell what he was saying. Simon, his best friend shook my hand limply, he didn’t like me much and I shared his disapproval. He was short with blonde hair and a puffy face, big nose and snooty demeanour. I said a quick hello to Dawn too, as Graham and Robin hugged for they were quite good friends last year, especially when I was barred from the rest of the school and spent months in an old clock tower. Dawn was a very big girl and seemed to have got bigger over the summer. She was dressed in a big floral blouse that my Mother would have called a bath curtain, her hair was fair and shaped to a small bob. She always looked a bit gormless too, her mouth slightly open like she was waiting for someone to tell her to shut it. Jess and Florence waved at me across the table, they were best friends. Jess has the reddest lips and whitest skin you’d ever see, and would give Snow White a run for her money. Florence was very tanned with big dark freckles and long wavy ginger hair. I swear it wasn’t ginger last year. Joanna half waved at me shyly as she joined Ellen, her big bushy hair falling over her reddening face.
Someone tapped me on the shoulder. “Hello,” said the boy who was taller than me and looked faintly recognisable.
“Hello?” I said confused. “Who are you?”
The boy smirked. “It’s me, Dennis.”
“No way?” It was too. Last year Dennis was a small, squeaky boy who hung around with the girls. Now he was taller than me, and had a voice deeper than Hunter’s. “What happened to you?”
“Dunno, voice broke I think. Anyway… good to see you again.” He took my hand and shook it, I nearly flinched as his hands were huge, they looked troll-like.
“Sure,” I said turning and tapping Robin as Dennis walked away. “Robin?
Did you see Dennis?”
Robin laughed and nodded. “Someone must have put a growth Spell on him… no other explanation — he’s taller than me!”
Jake and Grettle, the two blonde Golandrian twins, took a seat at the table and shook hands, but refused hugs. Golandrian’s didn’t do hugs.
“Avis… ‘ow are you?” said Jake, whose English had transformed, the first time we spoke it was non-existent. He shook my hand with a strong grip. “Not goin’ to murder anyone ‘dis year ‘den?”
I laughed nervously. He had a dark stare that I couldn’t look at for long, it was hard to tell if Jake was joking or not.
“Attention all,” called a voice from the front of the Chamber, as noise and chatter barely died down. “I SAID ATTENTION ALL!” the voice boomed, magically enhanced across the Chamber.
Silence fell, as all turned to see the Lily standing proudly at the foot of the Magisteers table. He was a very charismatic man, dressed head to foot in white robes, his bald head shining, a short white beard glistening as if it had been dipped in glitter. He opened up his arms in welcome and everyone rushed to take their seats. “Welcome back one and all to another year at Hailing Hall. I trust you had a good summer off and recharged your batteries. Soon enough the new first years will enter the Chamber for the first time to learn and live here amongst us for the next seven years. I want you to be welcoming, pleasant and show them warmth and understanding. You will all remember what its like to be on the other side of that door.” The Lily glanced around once more, then nodded his big bald head at the Chamber door.
It opened at once and in piled the new first years. They followed Magisteer Dodaline who marched fervently to the front of the Chamber where they all turned and faced us, looking terrified. The Lily moved slowly around the staff table, smiling softly, his hands in prayer. “Welcome, welcome!” he called. “I am the Lily, your Headmaster here at Hailing Hall.”
And then, just as he had done when we were first years, he moved slowly along the line and looked at each terrified person in the eyes.
“At this school, we pride ourselves on our ability to learn the most sacred art of magic. Something denied to ninety-nine per cent of the world. You are the privileged ones, and I needn’t remind you of the great power that comes with these abilities. You are all very powerful people, in your own right, and together even more so. The fate of humanity is in your hands whether you like it or not. Many assume this means they have power over those less fortunate. But the true nature of man is not his ability to rule others but to treat those less fortunate exactly as they would like to be treated themselves.”
BONG! It came out of nowhere, scaring the life out of me. Robin laughed as he saw me nearly jump out of my skin. “Not funny…” I mouthed at him. A small pedestal grew from the ground as the poor first years took to the stage and announced their name and interesting fact. Robin was still laughing at me jumping, so I poked him in the ribs.
“H-hello my name is Glenda Compton-Campbell…” there was muttering in the crowd, then a woop from a sixth year table. It was Marshall Compton-Cambell’s sister. Marshall was well known as the top scorer in the Centaurs Riptide team. “And my interesting fact is that I can run a hundred and twenty boots in ten seconds.” Everyone clapped and ooooed. Impressive, (if it was true).
“What the hec’s a hundred and twenty boots?” said Graham. Simon tutted and told him it was what Wizards measured things by.
One by one, the poor things got up and announced their name and interesting fact. Half way through Ramid Kahn, the fourth year joker snuck through and lined up with them, and he just about managed to announce his name, the crowd who knew what he was doing in hysterics, before he was chased off the podium by a very angry Magisteer Mallard. Some of the names I just about recognised, brothers or sisters or even cousins of people who already went here. Like Duncan Herrald, brother of Ursula Herrald in our year — their descendant was the one who started the Herrald newspaper. There was Ingrid Bloaters little sister Margret Bloater, who looked identical to her — big and round, much like the name. Apart from that there was no one else of note, that I recognised anyway. No one that was going to give me a run for my money by being more evil than the Blackthorns. The first years took their new tables and settled down tentatively with their new forms.
The Lily stood once more, Robin licked his lips as it was nearly time for the food to come out. “Before we start our wonderful feast I had one more thing to mention. Some of you may have noticed the Occulus around the school. I am afraid these will be a permanent addition to our time here. The school councillors have deemed it necessary to aid the security of the school…” we all knew he meant Malakai. Tina was frowning and watching avidly. “Please do not try to tamper with them, they will alert us if you do. If you have nothing to hide it won’t report you. They are here for your protection, so please just pretend they are not there.” I smiled and glanced back to where Tina was, she caught my eye and nodded as if to say I told you so.
After a huge dinner we walked back to our room together.
“Eighteen, nineteen, twenty…” said Robin who was counting as we tried to remember the way back to our dorm room.
Hunter rubbed his huge, round, full tummy and glanced at Robin. “What you counting Robbie?”
“Twenty-one… I am counting the amount of Occulus’s there are on the way to our dorm room. There’s loads… and don’t call me Robb—”
“What the hec are Occulus’s?” said Hunter as if he thought they sounded made up.
“Them,” I said pointing up at the big white eyeball watching us over its plinth in the corner of the corridor. Hunter looked around vaguely.
Jake cleared his throat. “It’s a watchers tool. They want to watch everything we do, like a fascist dictatorship. Means we cannot sneak out of bed, cannot go where we are not supposed to, not skip lessons, stay outside at lunch, because these things will see us and report back to the Magisteers,” he sighed. I never thought about it like that, what if I needed to go to the Library in the middle of the night like I did last year? Or go off to find something important? I wouldn’t be able to. An Occulus would spot me.
“What does it do if it spots you then?” I said.
“Wails…” said Jake. “We had them at my last school, just after the riots…” he and Gret smiled at each other. “They wail like a siren.”
“Freaky stuff,” said Robin who had stopped counting and was now frowning up at the Occulus’s with disdain.
The carpet in the hallway to our dorm had changed colour, from a bright first year turquoise, to a dark blood red. And the pictures of semi-famous Wizards, Giants and Magical creatures still lined the walls leading to our door. Inside, everything was the same, except the now blood red carpet. Seven beds were spaced equidistant around the room facing each other, laden with blood red top sheets. The tall brick fireplace now burned a welcoming orange fire, surrounding it were the three comfy couches that were unofficially known as our homework seats, as we always sat in them together to do our homework.
My bag was already on my bed, I undid the zip and pulled out the heaped mass of stuff which I’d piled in rather haphazardly. Next to my bed was a flimsy wooden wardrobe. Hanging up my clothes I realised how pointless it was, they were so crumpled. I should just leave them in the wash bag for the laundry ghosts now. I put my new clothes up on hangers, Tina was a good dresser, I was really pleased with my new clothes.
“Very flashy,” said Graham, pointing over at my tartan top. “Tartan eh, that’s my people’s spiritual pattern.” I laughed, but truthfully I didn’t know what he was on about. I put my pens and parchment in my similarly flimsy desk and lay on my bed to relax. Ahhhh… the bed was bliss. Beds at home were so old and lumpy, whereas these beds at Hailing Hall were like sleeping on clouds, or unicorn feathers.
Robin was being fussy and folding his clothes just so and so while Graham laughed at him. Simon was very quietly trying to do a smoothing spell on his ever-changing robes and t
ie, but kept huffing.
“What’s up with you?” Hunter boomed.
Simon grimaced sourly. “Got a new channeller, but I am not sure if it’s working properly. It better be, cost enough…” I sniggered as I recalled Simon’s last channeller, a big pearl necklace, he’d probably begged his parents all summer to get him a new one. “Something funny?” he called across the room to me.
“Oh come on boys,” said Graham. “Let’s not start this again, you two will get on this year.”
Simon swallowed, but the sour look remained. “Yeah we will, as long as he promises not to try and kill any of us in our sleep.”
My heart began pounding, how could he say that? After even the Lily came out and said I was innocent? “That’s not fair Simon,” said Robin putting his neat pile of jumpers down. “You know Avis had nothing to do with that, it was Malakai.”
“Yeah, here’s the proof,” said Hunter, pointing dramatically at his face.
“Okay, okay!” called Simon, throwing his ever-changing robes into his wardrobe with a thud. “Just don’t like it, that’s all.”
Jake hissed. “You’ve never liked ‘im. You don’ even need an excuse. Just man up.” Simon was scowling and glanced across to me, I smiled, which wound him up even more. They had all stuck up for me, I wasn’t used to it.
“Well, what if I can’t do magic? With this faulty channeller?”
Jake threw his book down on the bed. “I don’t know, just tell Partington when we see him!” Simon sniffed after his telling off and walked out the door in silence muttering something about getting washed.
Robin turned to me when he left and pulled a face. “I don’t think your on his Christmas card list!”
“I know,” I said giggling a little. “I don’t know what I am meant to have done?”
Avis Blackthorn and the Magical Multicolour Jumper (The Wizard Magic School Series, Book 2) Page 5
