by David Meyer
“Thanks. Listen, I need to, uh, find my friends.” I scanned the dinner crowd. A bunch of staffers sat in Mid-Torso, not far from the windows. Jax, Nico, and Jenny occupied one table. Piper and Leandra sat at another one.
Hannah and the other girls followed my gaze. One of Hannah’s friends, a freshman named Nella Shorp, sniffed. “But those are staffers.”
I gave her an odd look. “And?”
Hannah glared at the girl. Immediately, Nella clamped her mouth shut.
“I think what she’s trying to say is that you’ve got options. You don’t have to hang out with them if you don’t want to.” She stepped up to me, so close you couldn’t fit a sheet of paper between us. “You could hang out with us instead.”
“My man!” An unfamiliar arm slipped around my shoulder. Peering to my right, I saw Calvin Hayes, flanked by sophomores. “It’s Randy, right? Randy Wolf?”
I stood still, utterly confused. I wasn’t used to attention. Well, except for the negative kind, as dished out by Porter and company.
“Nice job last night,” he said with a chuckle. “I thought Kell had you beat for sure. Shows what I know, huh?”
“Yeah,” I said uncertainly.
“Hey, Ronny.” Dean Rinzler, a cocky sophomore with a penchant for being annoying, gave me a fake jab to the ribs. “You’re looking pretty tough these days.”
“Well, I—” I started to say.
“It’s Randy, dummy.” Calvin released my shoulder and edged between us. “His name is Randy.”
Dean rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, that’s what I said. Listen, Randy, you’ve got to show me your secret sometime. Woo boy, I’ve never seen anyone get off so many spells at once.”
Right about that time, my ears began to detect whispers from around the Grille.
“He’s cute,” someone said. “What’s his name again?”
“No, no, you’re way off-base,” a guy told his friend. “He’s better than Porter. Heck, he might be as good as Kell.”
“A staffer?” A snort rang out. “That’s just stupid. Someone needs to get that kid into a classroom.”
That last comment came courtesy of Iliana Diaz, a popular senior with a bright future ahead of her. Word had it that Garrington Magic had offered her a sweet deal to join their ranks. So, her compliment felt especially good.
“Come on, Hannah.” Kell turned our way as he reached the front of the chair line. His gaze passed over my face and it felt as if the temperature had dropped to freezing. “Let’s go.”
Reluctantly, she tore herself from my side. “Just think about it,” she said with a cute wink. Then she and her friends slid through the small crowd and boarded chairs. Lifting off, they quickly found a table in Lower-Torso.
Calvin, Dean, and the other sophomores continued to chat my ear off, so much in fact that I didn’t get a chance to respond. Soon, we reached the front of the line. I hopped onto a chair, said my goodbyes, then kicked myself into the air.
As I gained altitude, I became aware of people watching me. My cheeks burned with embarrassment. But it was the good kind of embarrassment and I found myself sitting a bit taller than usual.
I rose to Mid-Torso, then kicked my way across the Grille. As I slid into the open spot between Leandra and Piper, the ghostly face of Yordlo appeared.
“Ahoy, mateys,” he said, barely fighting off a yawn. “And welcome to—” He blinked, then did a double-take as if seeing me for the first time. “Aye, it’s ye! Indeed, this is a pleasure, lad. It seems ye are quite famous these days.”
My cheeks burned even hotter. I realized that Leandra was watching me closely. Piper, meanwhile, gave me an amused look.
“I’m not famous,” I protested.
“Ye most certainly are, at least within these walls.” He lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Ye may not know this, but I can hear the words of everyone here.”
I looked around, seeing a bunch of furtive looks and admiring glances. This was my first brush with fame and to be honest, I kind of liked it.
“Now, what’ll it be?” Yordlo asked. “It’s on the house.”
“It’s always on the house,” Leandra pointed out.
Yordlo scowled at her. “If I want ye opinion, lass, I’ll ask ye for it.”
I checked the glowing menu on the table, then used my finger to flip a few pages. “I’ll take the Abyss Gobbler,” I said. “With cheesy french fries on the side.”
“Would ye like a second one to go?”
Leandra and Piper gave me knowing looks. I always ordered an extra meal for Tad.
“Actually, could you have a fresh one ready for me after class?” I asked. “I’ll take it back to the dorm.”
“Surely, lad.”
“Hey, Randy. Hey … you guys.” Before I knew what was happening, Calvin slid smoothly between Leandra and I. Folding his hands on the table, he gave Yordlo a big grin. “Say, buddy, can you bring my food here instead? I could use a change of scenery.”
Yordlo gave him a withering look. Without a word or even a nod, his ghostly presence vanished.
“Scoot over.” Dean slid into the spot on my other side, nicking Piper’s chair in the process. She nearly fell off, but Dean didn’t notice. Instead, he swiveled toward me. “So, whatcha getting, Randy? Wait, wait … don’t tell me. You’re a steak guy, right?”
Just then, Hannah appeared. Girlfriends in tow, she directed her chair into the space between Piper and Leandra. “Hey, Pepper.” She offered her a brilliant smile, which quickly faded. Reaching out, she touched a strand of Piper’s tresses. “Oh, no. Bad hair day, huh?”
Piper’s lips clamped together. She stewed in silence for a couple of seconds. Then Hannah’s girlfriends elbowed their way to the table and she looked about ready to explode.
“I’ve got some special Garrington Magic shampoo that’ll really help you with those split-ends,” Hannah said earnestly. “Of course, that’s only a small part of the problem. What you really need is—”
Piper was primed to boil over. She was normally mild-tempered, so I was kind of curious to see it. But instead, she pushed herself away from the table. Slipping through the crowd, she rode her chair to Upper-Torso. She parked it on one of the bridges, then headed straight for Left Arm.
My first instinct was to follow her. But by that time, the crowd was four chairs deep. It was so tight, I could barely breathe. Which was unfortunate since everyone seemed interested in talking to me.
I turned my head, cramped yet marveling at my sudden popularity. Yesterday, these people refused to acknowledge my existence. Now, they treated me like a best friend. In fact, the only students who didn’t seem interested in talking to me were Porter and his goons. They sat by themselves in Upper-Torso, casting an occasional nasty look in my direction.
“How rude.” Nella slid into Piper’s old space. “Well, that’s what you get for trying to help a staffer.”
Leandra arched an eyebrow. “What’s wrong with staffers?”
She stammered for a moment. “Uhh, nothing. I mean, well, what I was trying to say is—”
“She was trying to say that you guys are great at helping other people,” Hannah said, smoothly and with a nice smile. “But you’re not always good at receiving help.”
Leandra wasn’t buying it. “You think insulting her hair was help?”
“It wasn’t an insult. It was the truth.” She flipped her hair over one shoulder. “But I see what you mean. The truth can be hard to take sometimes.”
“Riiiiighhhhtttt.” Leandra gave me an apologetic look. “I need to get going. See you later.”
My eyes bulged and I lunged for her arm. But she dodged me and kicked backward. The crowd parted for her. Another chair, with Jayce Azul perched on its edge, filled the gap.
“Hi, Randy,” she said with a bright smile. “Remember me? We sat next to each other in Conveyance 9.”
Glancing past her, I saw Leandra reach the Upper-Torso bridge. Hopping onto solid ground, she shot me a look
. Seeing my crestfallen face, she laughed lightly.
“Good luck,” she mouthed, as she made her way toward Left Arm.
I decided I wasn’t hungry after all. Kicking my legs, I tried to follow her.
“Hey, don’t leave yet.” Calvin grabbed my chair, arresting its movement. “We’ve got to talk magic. Man, you’re almost as fast as Boltstar. How do you do it?”
The others leaned closer, waiting for me to spill my guts. I shifted my gaze one last time, searching for my friends. But they were already gone. For a moment, I thought about wrenching my way out of Calvin’s grip. But ultimately, I decided I could hang around for a bit. Hey, I was famous, right? How often was that going to happen in my lifetime?
I might as well enjoy it.
Chapter 41
“Thus far, our focus has been on the individual magician,” Boltstar said solemnly as he strode back and forth across the wall. “But in real life, teamwork is absolutely essential to waging a successful havoc magic campaign. If Chaotic magicians return to this institution—and rest assured they’re trying to do exactly that at this very moment—you’ll need to depend on each other. If you choose to do otherwise, your arrogance may very well cost you your life.”
I shifted uneasily in my seat. Why did these chairs have to be so darn uncomfortable? And where was Boltstar going with this? Why couldn’t he just finish his lecture already?
Truth be told, I didn’t want to be there. No, I wanted to be back in the celestarium with my friends, working on new Chaotic spells. But like it or not, class was mandatory. And so, I’d sat through the daily lecture like always, eyes trained on the ground, praying Boltstar didn’t call on me.
He smiled broadly. “With that said, we’re going to switch things up today in the HMQ.”
Nico elbowed my ribs. “In other words, he doesn’t want you to win again.”
Boltstar looked at him. “Do you have something you’d like to share with the class, Mr. Stotem?”
His face turned beet red. “Uh, yes, Headmaster. I just wanted to say that I think it’s a fine idea.”
He gave Nico a long look, then began pacing again. “Tonight, we’re going to play a game called Havoc Flag. When you enter the field of play, you’ll do so as part of a team. Specifically, students will divide themselves up by grade. Staffers will constitute the fifth team.
“The rules of Havoc Royal largely apply to this game with two exceptions. First, play will not be limited to the HMQ. Instead, all of Madkey Arena—save the locker room area—will be open to you. Second, instead of eliminating individuals, you will instead be eliminating entire teams. This can only be done by stealing their flags.”
Boltstar let his words linger for a moment. “Each team will be issued a flag along with a base somewhere within the confines of the arena. You must protect your flag while attempting to steal the flags of other teams. You may use any spell you like. If a player is knocked to the ground by a direct spell, he or she is eliminated and must go to the locker room area. We’ll continue playing until one team is left standing.”
“Oh, this is real fair,” Piper muttered. “The game’s all about numbers and we’re the smallest team here.”
In total, the various classes numbered close to two hundred people apiece. Us staffers, on the other hand, numbered less than a hundred. So, yeah. We were at a pretty serious disadvantage.
“If you obtain an opponent’s flag, take it back to your base,” he continued. “If you get eliminated along the way, you must drop it and leave the field. At that point, anyone can grab it. If, however, you manage to secure it to your own flag first, the other team will be eliminated and must leave the playing field.”
“Headmaster?” Felicia raised her hand. “What happens if we eliminate every member of another team prior to capturing their flag?”
Boltstar arched an eyebrow as if he found the question, well, kind of dumb. “If you eliminate an entire team, it shouldn’t be too hard to grab their flag, should it?”
Her face turned pink with embarrassment. “No, Headmaster.”
“I didn’t think so. Now, you cannot win the game until all other flags are affixed to your own flag. Are there any questions?”
“Yeah, I’ve got a question,” Leandra mumbled under her breath. “Why are you such a jerk?”
He looked straight at her.
She stiffened up, but still held his gaze.
“Freshmen.” Boltstar held up a pennant with an image of the Sasquatch mascot on it. “This is your flag. Your base is the Wilshire Luxury Box, directly across from the locker room tunnel.”
Porter hiked down the steps and retrieved the flag. Then he led the Freshmen toward their base.
Boltstar proceeded to hand out flags and assign bases for the other grades. They were all given luxury boxes to defend so I expected the same for us. But the headmaster, as it turned out, had other ideas.
“Staffers.” He held up a ragged old Madkey pennant, dated 1954 and displaying a cartoon hidebehind. “This will serve as your flag. Your base is the field. The HMQ, to be specific.”
Piper frowned. “We don’t get a luxury box?”
“Is that a problem, Ms. Shaw?”
“Yeah, it’s a problem,” Leandra said. “A big one. We’ll be sitting ducks out there.”
“Not if you work together, Ms. Chen.” He gave us an appraising look. “Now, come get your flag.”
Jax led us down the bleachers. Nico took the flag and we hiked toward the HMQ.
Cupping his hands around his mouth, Boltstar turned in a slow circle. “Your flag must be in plain sight,” he hollered. “Hiding it is grounds for elimination. You have ten minutes to prepare. The game starts on my whistle.”
Jax grunted as we stepped over the magic rope. “Well, we’re screwed.”
Jenny scowled. “What’s Boltstar’s problem anyway? I swear he’s got it out for us.”
“Oh, you think so?” Leandra said, sarcastically. “What was your first clue?”
Dorph bit his lip. “So, uh, does anyone have a plan?”
Gazes were shared. Slowly, everyone turned toward Piper.
Her eyes widened. “Hey, wait a second …”
None of us were havoc magic experts. So, we needed the next best thing … a history buff. Someone who’d studied old battles, who knew a thing or two about strategy. Tad would’ve been my first choice, given his obsession with magic history. Unfortunately, he wasn’t an option.
“You’re the best student we’ve got,” I said.
“Not that that’s saying much,” Leandra added.
I gave her a dirty look before shifting back to Piper. “Think hard,” I said. “Have you ever read about a battle that resembles this one?”
“Yeah,” Jeff added. “Ideally, one where the underdogs came out on top.”
Looking uncertain, she scanned the terrain. “I don’t know,” she said. “I mean, the other teams have a better sightline than us and they can use the seats for concealment. Plus, we’re surrounded on all sides.”
Leandra gave her a hard look. “Are you trying to tell us no havoc army has ever won a battle from the low ground?”
“Well, no,” she conceded. “The Battle of Tafarge Hill comes to mind. Back in 1754—”
“We don’t have time for a history lesson,” Jax growled. “Just tell us what to do.”
“Well, okay,” she said, turning back to face us. “Listen, this isn’t a great idea. It’s not even good. But, well …”
Huddling up tight, we listened to her idea. She was right. It wasn’t great or even good. But it was something.
We broke the huddle. Nico led a group of staffers into the HMQ. They picked up sizable pieces of debris, then snuck off to their assigned posts.
Meanwhile, I headed for the middle of the quadrant. Turning a table upward, I set our flag on its scorched surface. Then I scouted the region, taking sight of the other teams and evaluating cover options. Nearby, I spotted a bunch of lockers. They stood tall and proud, havin
g withstood the brunt of countless spells.
Holstering my wand, I grabbed a locker and rocked it over to two other ones. Then I moved a few more lockers into position, forming a small L-shaped cave. The cave would be my refuge, a place to hide when things got hairy. And things were about to get very hairy, indeed.
Time was running short. So, I stepped away from the lockers, making sure I was within eyesight of the other teams. Then I cupped my hands around my mouth and tilted my chin toward the bleachers. “I’ve beaten all of you,” I shouted, turning in a slow circle. “Over and over again. How’s that feel? How’s it feel to lose to a dropout?”
The other teams, drawn together in large conferences, glanced my way. Their faces registered collective surprise. And why not? Staffers weren’t supposed to be braggarts.
“Well, get used to it,” I continued. “Because you’re about to lose yet again.”
Chez glared at me. Porter gnashed his teeth. Even Calvin, my recent admirer, slammed a fist into his palm.
“You’re going down, Wolf,” Gordon yelled. A bunch of other people shouted their concurrence. And that was just fine. The more attention they paid to me, the less they worried about what my teammates were doing.
Swarmed by insults and threats, I closed my eyes. Gently, I massaged my mind into blankness, then relaxed my muscles. The first part of Piper’s plan was complete. Now, I needed to wreak, well, havoc.
Boltstar whistled.
Here we go.
Opening my eyes, I spun in a circle. Several dozen colorful spells zoomed toward me.
Oh, boy.
They drew close, a feast of dangerous color. There was no way I could block them all. So, I did the next best thing.
I ran.
Dodging and zigzagging, I darted into the L-shaped locker cave and veered into the back portion.
Spells slammed into the lockers. The air smelled of smoke and hot metal. The temperature lifted a few degrees and sweat began to trickle down the back of my neck.
The spells kept right on coming, banging into the lockers with relentless fury. Every instinct I possessed told me to stay low, to keep my head down. Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to work. Piper’s plan, like it or not, called for us to make our presence known.
