Magisteer Dodaline led us through the crowd, everyone wore different coloured robes and ties. There was a huge mix, creating this rainbow effect of colours. The oldest and tallest ones were wearing bottle green robes, and what looked like the year just above us were all in red. And in the middle were blues, purples, browns, yellows and oranges. The teachers, or that’s who I presumed they were, had their own round table to the left, raised up a little to survey the Chamber. They all wore brown, black and grey, except one man, who was stood and dressed all in a brilliant, pristine white. When we reached the front of the Chamber we were turned around to face everyone. My heart suddenly began beating a million knots an hour.
“Welcome, welcome!” bellowed the man in white who stood and smiled wide. “I am The Lily, your Headmaster here at Hailing Hall.” He began to walk slowly round the staff table. He was an old man, but he had this… aura, I suppose you call it, no one in the Chamber spoke or made any movement when he was speaking. He glided towards us and walked along the line, looking at each and every one of us. He was completely bald, but his white robes were so dazzling to the eye I couldn’t look directly at them.
When he got to me, it felt as if time slowed down. My hammering heart stopped racing, I felt calm. Then, I felt as if he had just scanned my entire soul. And I saw this small smile dance across his face. He knew who I was, I didn’t even need to tell him my name. His face was kind, his nose large, his eyes grey and spotted, but twinkling as they scanned his subjects. I was already fascinated by this man who was called The Lily.
When he finished, he moved around the room, between the tables doing the same with everyone else who had returned. “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. Therefore the fate of humanity is in your hands, whether you like it or not. Many have assumed this meant they had the power over those less fortunate, but others know this is not correct. The true nature of man, is not his ability to rule others, but their ability to treat others less fortunate exactly as themselves.”
His words echoed around the chamber, no one spoke. Ross and his friends didn’t look as receptive. The Lily turned to us.
“We all welcome you here as part of the Hailing Hall family. We have a long tradition of good and able Wizards. To use their skills learnt here to help and improve the lives of others. But also to help sow the seeds to help everyone realise their innate Magical abilities. The lessons here are tough, long, arduous but rewarding. Our Magisteers are the most experienced, practical Wizards you will find anywhere in the Seven Magical Kingdoms. You will shortly, be placed in forms. This form will consist of seven girls and seven boys. They will be like your family. Get to know them well. We have not put them together by random, but in the hope that your qualities will complement each other. You will be given a form tutor each. This Magisteer will be more like a parent. Treat them as such. As for me, I encourage you to come and ask me anything, if you feel the pressing need. So without further ado, lets commence!”
A bong clapped out of nowhere and made me jump. Then, this small pedestal grew out of the ground. The Lily indicated one of the new years to step up. Poor girl, she looked terrified. I was glad it wasn't me first.
“H-h-hello… my name is Ursula Herrald and erm… an interesting fact about me is… erm…”
“Come on,” said Magister Dodaline impatiently.
“Erm, erm, is that my great-great-great-great Granddad was the founder of the Herrald newspaper…”
The crowd crooned. That was a good one, I don’t know why she hesitated. The Herrald is very popular Magical newspaper. Mum and Dad don’t get it, as it’s biased against Malakai. But I sometimes saw Butler Kilkenny reading it in the servant’s quarters.
Ominously the line trickled down. I felt a ball of gas that needed to be expelled swell violently in my lower colon. I held onto it. Robin was next, and looking more like a turtle peeping out from under a shell, he took to the podium.
“Ello. My name’s Robin Wilson, I am from the outside, a place called Yorkshire in England. And an interesting fact about me is that… I won the spelling championship of England aged seven.” Robin looked kind of sheepish, he said his interesting fact kind of apologetically as if he felt boasting was sinful.
And then, it was me. My legs like jelly as I walked up to the podium. In my nervousness I think I looked a bit sour. It’s not my fault, it’s just what my face does when I’m nervous, goes all sour and superior. The Chamber of people looking at me was quite surreal, for I was used to this many people laughing or making fun of me. All I had to do was not muck this up and I’d be fine. I could see Ross’s face smiling devilishly, whispering to his friends.
“H-hi. My…” I cleared my throat, because my voice kept cracking. I didn’t want to look weak. “My name is Avis Blackthorn.” I announced. There was a kind of groan, some people tutted and looked away. Some of the people nearest Ross nudged him. I was losing them already, I didn’t want to be associated with my brother, or any Blackthorns, I wanted to be my own person…
“And the interesting fact about me is…” While we were queuing, I decided that my fact would be that I had a birthmark of the number seven on my bottom, it would be sure to raise to a laugh. But, after the initial reaction to my name, I stupidly, trying to win the crowd back announced: “And I am nothing like my family in any way, they are all evil, I am not…”
There was a wave of Oooing, as eyes started to sway towards my brother. He played it cool of course, his dark eyes fixed on me. I felt a wave of dread, I knew what those eyes meant. He was really angry. I swallowed. Some people, I think, looked kind of pleased that I had denounced myself from my family, others didn’t look convinced, perhaps they thought it was a Blackthorn trick. I hobbled from the podium in silence and joined Robin at the other side of the Chamber.
The next boy up caused a wail of laughter as he tripped headfirst into the podium, which rocked on the spot. The lad was quite large and got up not looking fazed at all. He laughed at himself with this big booming laugh which made the crowd laugh harder still.
Then he said, causing more laughter. “My name’s Hunter. My interesting fact, is that I am not a hunter.” He hopped away to join us and nearly head butted me, clearly Hunter was quite accident prone.
We were swiftly given our form name and table. Through sheer luck and good fortune, myself, Robin and Hunter were all in the same form, we were The Condors. We sat at this large round table in the middle of the Chamber. Also joining our table, one by one were: Graham, a “Scottish” boy from the Outside. Jess, this red lipped, pure white faced girl who looked like she might break if you dropped her. Florence, a girl with loads of freckles. Dennis, a short funny looking lad who spoke so quickly it was hard to understand him. Ellen, this shy girl with large glasses and long poker straight hair. Jake and his twin sister Grettle, I’d never seen identical twins before, especially not a boy and girl one. They were both blond, with green eyes and this kind of naughty, mischievous look. I wasn’t sure if I liked it, they sat side by side laughing intermittently as if passing each other telepathic messages. The last four were, Simon, a plain looking boy from Happendance like me. Joanna, a girl who looked like she belonged more in the woods as her flyaway bushy brown hair would otherwise indicate. Then Dawn, a very large girl who was munching on a box of chocolate raisons.
Apparently the last girl who was supposed to be in our form hadn't made it, or had decided not to come… so we were a form of thirteen.
We all sort of sat there at the table not looking at each other or saying anything. When everyone was seated, The Lily stood and clapped his hands. Suddenly the tables exploded with food! Plates and saucers of all kinds of stuff just appeared. There was so much to look at my eyes kind of went all funny. The food was ba
rely on the table for a second before Hunter picked up his plate and started spooning great clumps of mash, mini pies, peas, peppers, cabbage, this weird sausage looking thing, all sorts. I took a little while longer, before commencing tentatively.
“Weird innit…” said Hunter, he was speaking with his mouth full. I hated that, but I didn’t say anything. “There’s only three black boys including me in this year.”
“Oh,” I said, I didn’t know what to follow this up with so I kind of looked around and nodded. “I suppose there is.”
“Yeah, there’s thirty in the year above.”
“Oh right.” I said, again not knowing what to say.
“Anyway, it’s not about how many or what colour is it? We’re all the same, we’re all Magic!” he shouted and this pea flew across the table and hit Ellen on her glasses, it left a nasty smudge on the front and she just kind of looked at it.
“Sorry,” said Hunter.
“It’s fine,” she said wiping them with her sleeve. “Just eat them with your mouth closed next time.”
Hunter did.
I had more pressing issues however. I enquired gently of the people round the table, as if I was just making idle chit chat, if they had all brought their Ever-changing robes and channellers. Every single one of them said that of course they had. I felt a stone drop in my chest. What if the school chucked me out because I didn’t come with the right stuff?
After I finished my jam tart and custard the table fell into a getting to know each other chat. Where are you from? What’s your name again? Are you an Outsider or a born Wizard? Predictions about what we would be doing at school. All that kind of stuff.
The girl called Jess started speaking to me. “So Avis, you have an older brother here?” I nodded. “So you, out of all of us, must know what will be happening over the coming weeks?”
They all looked at me. “No, well, my brother hasn’t told me anything, he wouldn’t, we don’t get on. He’s evil, like my family…”
“I’ve heard about you Blackthorns…” said Dawn, through a mouthful of cake. “You all work for Malakai.”
I didn’t like Dawn’s tone. “No. I don’t. My family does.”
“Same thing,” She said.
“No, it’s about as similar as a Dragon and a gecko.”
“They’re related, both reptiles.” She said, crumbs falling everywhere. Her and Hunter really were made for each other.
“You know what I mean.” I could tell me and this Dawn were going to have a problem with each other.
“Who’s Malakai?” said Robin.
Dawn got there before I did. “Oh, well you wouldn’t know would you being an Outsider. He’s the most evil man in all the Seven Magical Kingdoms, a Sorcerer, he’s killed more Wizards than I’ve had hot dinners…” I reframed from saying out loud the insult I had in mind. “And he rules with black Magic and evil dark powers. Some say his evil Magic turned him into this horned beast with blackened skeletal hands.”
“Nothing wrong with that,” said Hunter.
“No! But charred, long clawed hands.”
Most people round the table shuddered at her waffle. She wasn’t wrong. He was all of those things and more. But it’s how she said it that grinded on me.
Graham, Ellen, Hunter and Robin were all Outsiders, like you, and the rest were from the surrounding seven Magical Kingdoms. Jake and Grettle were from Golandria, English was there second language, they were quite good at it but definitely needed work. They kept getting ‘hello’ mixed up with ‘how are you’.
Mind you, I would never be able to speak Golandrian.
Soon after that and quite late into the evening the older years took themselves off to their rooms. Then one by one, each new years’ table was escorted by a Magisteers to our rooms. Apparently the dorms were all over the school. Ours was out of the Chamber, back into the hall, up the large staircase, then along about fifty hallways, left, right, left, right, left again, I would never remember this! Then along a dark third floor hallway complete with turquoise carpets, oak panelled walls, large hanging chandeliers and strange ghoulish pictures, and finally we were at the entrance to the Condor boys dorm room.
The Magisteer leading us wore all grey and was stooped with no expression whatsoever. He didn't even introduce himself, or even say a word for the entire walk through the castle. He unlocked the thick oak door and pushed. We all traipsed in and looked around. So this was our room for the next year. Seven beds lay spaced around a large open room. It had a three leather sofas facing a grand fireplace, the same turquoise carpet as the hallways, and two tall mullioned windows looking out across the back courtyard. It was dark by now of course, but in the distance I could just make out the lights from Unverdown.
“Your suitcases are next to your beds,” said the Magisteer with no expression. “Bathrooms are along the hallway, turn right, left and right again. Your form tutor will arrive tomorrow morning to pick you up for classes. Goodnight.”
We all sort of looked at each other nervously as the door slammed shut. Hunter jumped on the nearest bed and lay down, before we had even searched the beds for our bags. My bag was on a bed was in the middle, facing the windows. Either side of me was Dennis and Graham. Robin was opposite, with Jake, Hunter and Simon in the other corners. The beds all sort of faced each other and it was smaller than the one I had at home. But boy, when I got on it… it was the comfiest bed I’d ever lay on! Must of been made with clouds, or Unicorn feathers. Somehow the mattress seemed to take all the stress out of my body from this monumentally tiring day. Either side of ours beds was a wardrobe, and a desk. I put all my clothes away and stashed my bag under the bed. I lined my pens and paper out on my writing desk. Then, we all sort of collected together by the door to go and get washed. Bit sad really, but if we got lost together it wouldn’t be as harrowing. I collected my wash bag and off we went.
We found it ok. The Bathroom was long, with thirty sinks and mirrors all a line, with a large walk in shower and toilet cubicles the other end. Past the long line of sinks were these huge white steel bathtubs, with their equally huge metal taps. Along the wall nearest them was a selection, in glass decanters, of special bath foams, shampoos and soaps. They had some for born-wizards and others for the Outsiders who were a bit squeamish of spider soap and slug juice shampoo.
Robin looked particular grossed out by the selection in my wash bag. He nearly feinted when I started brushing my teeth. Mind you, he began using this white minty stuff, it stank! Hunter, oblivious, was already using some of the stuff in the jars to wash his face. I don’t think he looked, because he was using Worry-free Worm Juice Bubble Bath to wash his face. He was a strange boy.
I walked back to our dorm with Robin. The girls’ dorm was on the other side of school, for this I was glad, as I don’t think I could have stood trying to share a room with Dawn.
“What do you think of the place?” I said to Robin, who looked shell shocked, with big bags under his eyes.
“I didn’t know Magic existed until last week, now I find myself in a Magic school… it kinda feels like some strange dream.”
As soon as my head hit that soft pillow I was out like a light. Strange dreams flew round my head. Like they do when you first go to a new and strange place. I was sure I kept waking up, confused as to where I was. Someone was snoring awfully loud. My bets were on Hunter.
Then, at some god awful time in the night, I had the fright of my life. I had just heard something. So I sat up slowly and peered round in the darkness, snores reverberating around the room. When suddenly, out of the blue this glowing white, monstrous faced entity shot out from under my bad and stared at me. His eyes were black, his mouth gaping wide, his skin crawling with a thousand maggots.
“AHHHH!” I screamed.
The glowing white face screamed back at me, it’s gaping mouth opening wider than a black hole. The others woke.
“What’s the matter?” said Robin half asleep. I pointed up at the thing, which floated up near the c
eiling, a large pot in it’s arms. Robin took one look and dived beneath his sheets, trembling. Simon and Jake began laughing.
“Ha, ha,” said Jake. “Why ‘ar you gettching sca’red of the work ghosts?”
“Work ghosts?” I said, trying to stop my bedsheets from trembling.
“Yeah,” said Simon. “They do all the crappy jobs in this place, didn’t you know that?”
I didn’t say anything, but turned over. Ashamed of myself that I should have screamed out loud because of a ghost. We had loads at home.
“Such rudeness!” The ghost cried fleeing through the wall, dropping the chamber pot with a crash (thank goodness it was empty).
Well, no one told me about ghosts working at the school. As I tried to get back to sleep again, my poor heart hammering in my chest, I could hear Jake and Simon still laughing to each other.
CHAPTER FOUR
The Lost Channeller
It wasn’t long before we were all awake. I woke when I heard the bedroom door creak open. Through the curtains I could see it was still dark outside. But now someone with a gas lamp was creeping inside.
“Good morning…” said the voice softly. I pretended to still be asleep. “Boys? Boys?”
No one stirred, the man sighed softly. “Oh well…” He clicked his fingers and a second later an ear splitting BONG! erupted across the room. There were a few thuds as Hunter and Graham fell out of bed. It shocked me too and I was already awake!
As my eyes adjusted to the small light, I saw a man dressed in a browny-green tweed suit, with a strange triangular hat, large round glasses, and a soft demeanour.
“Up we get boys, up we get…” He began to walk around the room slowly. “My name is Magisteer Partington and I am your new form tutor. Now, get dressed, as we will go and get the girls up and then go for a walk. I’ll be outside in the hallway, you have three minutes.”
Avis Blackthorn: Is Not an Evil Wizard! Page 3
