by David Meyer
Awkwardness and guilt flooded my veins. “It was, uh, nothing.”
“There’s no need for modesty.” His smile widened as he turned back to the crowd. “Mr. Wolf dropped out of Madkey last semester. Undoubtedly, that was the right decision at the time. But things have changed. He has, as all of you have seen for yourselves, excelled in the field of Havoc Magic. I believe he’s earned a second chance.”
Murmurs turned to whispers and whispers turned to full-blown chatter. My face grew redder and redder as guilt spread to every part of my body. I knew what was about to happen. And in a way, it was worse than a permanent stint at Gutlore or even getting skinned.
“Mr. Wolf,” Boltstar said. “It’s my proud honor to restore you to this year’s Freshmen class. Your tuition, room, and board will, at my suggestion, be completely covered by the school’s sizable endowment fund.”
And there it was.
Rematriculation.
I’d wanted a Madkey degree for so long, I’d nearly forgotten why it had been so important to me. And at that moment, it all came flooding back into my mind. The approval of my parents, the respect of my peers, and once I graduated, a good job at one of the Big Three. Once again, it was all there for the taking. All I had to do was grasp it.
“No need to thank me right now, Mr. Wolf. You may return to your seat.” Twisting on his heels, he faced Tad. His face twisted into one of grave concern. “As for you, Mr. Crucible, it’s time to commence with the skinning ceremony. May your name be forgotten from this day forward and all through the annals of time so that those you love, and those who love you in turn, may avoid your everlasting shame.”
Tad stared straight ahead, his visage betraying nothing.
Boltstar’s brow furrowed. His wand moved with effortless grace and he spoke a series of quiet enchantments.
Blazing cyan light zoomed out of his wand. Tad grunted as it struck his belly. At first, he merely cringed. Then he started to recoil in shock and pain. His head lifted to the ceiling. His mouth opened wide and he screamed.
A tawny glow oozed out of Tad’s nose, ears, and mouth. It came very slowly, as if it were fighting the entire way. Meanwhile, he shrieked and yelled at the top of his lungs.
I saw it all. The determined glint in Boltstar’s eyes. The magic slipping away from Tad. And then, I could take it no longer.
My emotions shifted into place and I grabbed my wand. Whirling around, I waved it at the air.
“Herd Crash,” I shouted.
Multiple auburn bolts slammed into Boltstar’s waist. Grunting loudly, he stumbled to the side. His spell vanished and the tawny glow flooded back into Tad’s body.
The headmaster recovered quickly and started to turn toward me. But I fired off another Herd Crash and more auburn bolts slammed into him. They struck his torso, his legs, his shoulders. He fell down and the jarring impact sent his wand skidding along the grass.
“Headmaster Boltstar is a liar and a murderer,” I shouted, my voice trembling. “He doctored the collective memory to make us think otherwise. And I can prove it.”
A moment of sheer panic passed through me. There was no going back now. In a single moment, I’d thrown away everything that had ever mattered to me. My chance at a Madkey degree, my job prospects, my very reputation. And yet, I felt better than I’d ever felt in my entire life. It was as if my chains had melted away. For the first time in forever, I felt truly free.
“Help me make this right.” My voice swelled to a crescendo. “Help me stop Boltstar.”
Chapter 47
The bleachers erupted into a pure frenzy. It took me a minute to realize what was happening. But when I heard multiple cries of “traitor” and saw Kell fire an unannounced spell at Jeff’s chin, it became clear. The students weren’t helping me. No, they were doing the exact opposite, taking out anyone they thought might be on my side.
Confusion and terror set in amongst the staffers. Some fought to get down to the field. Others vaulted over their seats, hoping to reach higher ground.
Helplessly, I watched Calvin deck Jax with a spell. Liza Raico tripped Jenny, then began firing spells at her once she was on the ground. Chez Skalant and Charlie Ridges, meanwhile, blasted Dorph with spells from either end, causing him to bounce around like a pinball.
Piper and Leandra fought valiantly, trying to escape the growing insanity. But the crowd quickly gobbled them up. Within seconds, I couldn’t see them. I couldn’t see anyone, in fact. All I saw was a big blob of flesh, punctuated by a dizzying array of colorful spells.
The brawl distracted Stewart and Whitlock. Taking advantage, Tad sprinted at the former. He slammed his shoulder into the wizard’s gut and at the same time, relieved the man of his wand. Twirling the wand in his fingers, Tad fired off a quick spell, catching Stewart in the forehead. Eyes rolling backward, the professor slumped to the ground.
Tad spun toward Whitlock and snapped off another spell. She, however, was ready. With a twist of the wrist, she defused his spell. Then she stalked forward, wand at the ready, preparing to dish out blows of her own.
I pinned down my emotions. My wand went into action. “Herd Crash,” I called out.
Auburn streaks flooded the air. Clenching her jaw, Whitlock dropped to a crouch. Methodically, she waved her wand, forming a bunch of colorful orbs. One by one, my streaks collided with her orbs, reducing them to airy vapor. But a single streak managed to slip through her defenses. With a satisfying crunch, it struck her hip. Emitting a soft scream, she dropped the wand and sank to her knees.
Lips trembling, she stared daggers at me. “Traitor,” she spat. “Chaotic scum. Skinning is too good for you. I hope you rot—”
A tawny bolt struck her cheek. Eyes bulging, she wrenched violently to the side before collapsing on the ground.
Tad lowered his wand. “I never liked her,” he explained with a shrug.
I chanced another look at the bleachers. Gordon, his eyes pinched and tight, held Nico’s arms behind his back. Forgoing his wand, Porter pounded the staffer with vicious belly shots. Elsewhere, Leandra extracted herself from the scuffle. Bleeding from cuts on her arms, she fled to a higher row. Sya surged after her, wand in hand. But before she could do additional damage, Piper stepped in.
She waved her wand and raspberry streaks filled the air. They hit their mark and Sya fell hard, crashing into the bleachers. Furious students, their eyes hard and unyielding, turned on Piper. Staffers rushed over to help her.
I was tempted to do the same. But at that very moment, I became aware of people closing in on Tad and I. Twisting in either direction, I saw the rest of the faculty. They held their wands at the ready, but didn’t fire any spells our way. It took me a few seconds to realize they were holding back, so as to avoid hitting Boltstar by accident.
“It wasn’t the ramballs that set off the alarm. It was you. You broke into the archive.” Boltstar was back on his feet. Looking stiff, yet majestic, he waved off the other professors. Offering him nods, they hurried toward the bleachers. “How’d you manage to stay hidden from me?”
My heart began to thump against my chest. With more bluster than bravery, I stared him down. “Chaotic magic.”
“I see. So, you’re with them now.”
“It’s better than being with you.” My lip curled into a snarl. “I know what happened on Victory Day. I mean, what really happened, not the fake history you concocted.”
“You saw a few memories and now you think you know best?” He shook his head. “You weren’t there, Mr. Wolf. You didn’t have to live in a world run by Chaotic magic.”
I said nothing.
“The Chaotics weren’t innocent, Mr. Wolf,” he continued. “Far from it. They supported a system of free, unregulated magic. Magic that could maim or even kill. Just think about that for a moment. Would you want to live in a world where anyone could cast any spell at any moment?”
My brow furrowed. It was difficult to imagine such a reality. But I could see his point. Structuralist magic was s
afe, if a bit boring. Chaotic magic running rampant sounded, well, kind of scary.
“We put an end to that, Mr. Wolf. We put an end to the fear, the terror. The Chaotics purge was unfortunate. I won’t deny that. But it was the only way to move forward.” He sighed. “Sometimes, difficult things must be done in order to serve a greater cause.”
“You’re full of it,” Tad spat. “The Chaotics period wasn’t dangerous. Sure, there were injuries, even a few deaths. But it was never as bad as you’re claiming.”
“No,” he conceded. “It wasn’t. But it was just a matter of time. All it would’ve taken was one rogue magician. And then, pointless tragedy.”
“Isn’t that why Madkey was founded?” Tad retorted. “To help people learn magic in a safe place? To help them become responsible witches and wizards?”
“Yes, and I commend the Chaotics for that. They went to great lengths to make their magic as safe as possible. And that served us quite well for many years. But even then, we were on borrowed time. Eventually, something would’ve gone wrong. Maybe it would’ve been a witch who couldn’t control her magic. Or a wizard with incredible powers and a particularly dark heart. Regardless, it was bound to happen.” He spoke with strength, with conviction. Regardless of his argument’s merits, he believed them to his core. “But the Capsudra changed everything. It gave us a chance to evolve, to move past a time when one wizard could destroy everything we’d worked so hard to build. Unfortunately, the Chaotics didn’t see it that way.”
“You could’ve debated them,” I said. “You could’ve tried to convince them.”
“We tried. Oh, how we tried. We debated them for years. But they were too stuck in their ways.”
I recalled one of the memories I’d seen in the archive. The one with Boris Hynor lecturing at the Magical Structuralism Society. His speech had been given two years prior to Victory Day. And that was just one memory. Undoubtedly, there were others from that period. Memories of speeches, debates, lectures, arguments, all sorts of stuff.
“You couldn’t win the debate, so you killed or drodiated everyone.” I frowned. “Is that about it?”
Boltstar’s gaze lifted and I could see he was scanning the bleachers, watching as the faculty tried to reign in the violence. “An unfortunate outcome, to be sure. But still, far better than the alternative.”
“You’re a monster,” Tad said, shaking with fury.
“Sometimes one must be a monster, Mr. Crucible, if only to correct the inherent wrongs of a cruel world.”
“Chaotic magic might be dangerous,” I said slowly. “But that doesn’t make it wrong.”
His gaze, attentive and keen, turned toward me.
“Under Structuralism, magic doesn’t change. There’s no evolution, no improvement. It’s just … dormant.”
“That’s not true at all, Mr. Wolf. The Big Three—”
“The Big Three have been making the same stuff my entire life,” I said. “It changes a little every year, but never by much.”
“I’m afraid I don’t see your point, Mr. Wolf. Are you upset that you don’t have more products to buy?”
“No, I’m upset that we’ve reached our pinnacle. Sure, the world is a little safer. But it’s a little less alive, too. You’ve capped us off, ended our growth.”
“And you’ve made everyone the same,” Tad added. “You’ve crushed the very thing that made people unique. The thing that made us special.”
“A small price to pay for stability, Mr. Crucible,” Boltstar replied with a dismissive wave. “Now, I bade you both to lower your wands. Place them gently on the soil and back away.”
I swallowed hard. However, I didn’t budge an inch. Neither did Tad.
“This is your last chance,” he warned. “Surrender your wands or I’ll take them by force.”
I’d fought Boltstar, I’d felt his power. It dwarfed mine and I knew there was no way we could beat him.
But we had to try.
Squaring off, he lifted his wand.
Tad slid one foot forward. He held his wand in a loose grip at his side.
With almost effortless ease, the headmaster flicked his wrist. “Drodiate,” he said.
Sparks flew as cyan light zipped through the air.
Tad managed to dodge the spell, but just barely. Darting to his right, he began throwing off spells of his own. The ground rumbled softly. Acrid smoke filled my nostrils.
Boltstar flicked his wand, throwing up a whole heap of cyan orbs. Tad’s spells struck them, turning the orbs into colorful vapor. Undeterred, Tad kept running, kept fighting. But the headmaster vaporized each and every attack.
Changing tactics, Boltstar gave his wand a little flourish. A jagged bolt of cyan light zoomed forth.
Tad’s eyes widened and he attempted to reverse course. But the spell struck his side before he could get clear. Going limp, he collapsed to the turf.
Seeing him like that, still and unconscious, made my pulse quicken. I tried to move, to react. But my wand felt too heavy to lift and my feet remained rooted to the ground.
Boltstar twisted toward me. “I have to know something, Mr. Wolf,” he said. “Did you use Chaotic magic to win all of those HMQ games?”
I nodded.
“That must’ve taken a herculean effort on your part. It’s too bad you never put that kind of effort into your classes. Imagine what kind of student you might’ve been.” With a sigh, he waved his wand and whispered something too soft to hear.
I raced to line up my emotions. But my mind blanked and I couldn’t get off a spell in time.
Cyan light struck my stomach with the force of a sucker punch. It seized my breath and knocked me for a loop. Dropping my wand, I sank to my knees.
“A decent effort, Mr. Wolf.” Stooping down, Boltstar retrieved my wand. “But you lose.”
Chapter 48
“Nearly a century ago, we defeated the Chaotics. We converted many and chased down the stragglers, following them to the ends of the Earth. We thought we’d finished them. Unfortunately, we were wrong.” Staring straight ahead, Boltstar addressed the attentive crowd. “That was my mistake, one for which I must take full responsibility. Because of my oversight, they were able to infiltrate us, invade us. They’ve attacked us three separate times this quarter. They even turned one of our own against us. And that won’t be the end of it.”
Loud boos and angry shouts rang out.
“Screw the Chaotics!”
“Destroy them!”
“Skin them all!”
A familiar chant started up. It drowned out the individual shouts and soon, every single person in attendance spoke in one voice.
“Struc-tur-al-ize,” all of Madkey chanted. “Struc-tur-al-ize. Struc-tur-al-ize. Struc-tur-al-ize.”
Tad and I stood in the HMQ. Numerous faculty members hovered around us, their wands ready to start blasting away if we tried anything.
I had a pretty good view of the stands, so I caught occasional glimpses of my friends. With the fighting now over, they sat in the bleachers, straight-backed and with their hands in their laps. Their faces were red, their cheeks were bruised. They’d clearly taken a beating, victims of guilt-by-association. Unfortunately, I had a feeling the beatings were just getting started.
“They’ll keep coming,” Boltstar continued. “And they won’t stop until they’ve finished us off for good. Our only recourse is to get tougher, stronger, and more proficient with our spells. And so, that’s what we’ll do. Starting next quarter, this little introductory class of ours is going to develop into a full-fledged affair, complete with rigorous testing and grading. We also plan to cancel summer vacation, replacing it with an intensive, three-month havoc magic seminar. By this time next year, Madkey will be known as the world’s premiere destination for havoc magic.”
The last few minutes had passed in a blur. After defeating us, Boltstar had turned his wand toward the ceiling. A giant flurry of sparking streaks flew upward, casting a bright glow over the arena. The brawling
came to a halt. People swiveled toward the headmaster. At his command, they took their seats. Professor Tuckerson and Assistant Professor Kinder began circulating in the stands, using magical first aid on the injured, leaving the staffers for last.
“But first things first.” Boltstar tilted his head toward us. His eyes were cold and fierce. “Mr. Crucible has already been found guilty. His sentencing will proceed shortly with one minor change. Namely, he won’t be going to Gutlore. Instead, he’ll serve out his sentence at a location of my choosing.”
My brow furrowed. If Tad wasn’t being sent to Gutlore, then where was he going to go?
“I think it’s only fair that his co-conspirator, Mr. Randy Wolf, receive the same sentence.”
My blood turned icy as agreeable shouts rang out from the crowd.
“Mr. Wolf, may your name be forgotten from this day forward and all through the annals of time so that those you love, and those who love you in turn, may avoid your everlasting shame.”
His words washed over me like an icy shower. What would my parents think? And what about my friends? I knew Piper and Leandra would never turn on me. But what about my more casual buddies? People like Jax, Jenny, and Nico? Would they curse my name? Would I ever get a chance to explain myself to them?
The answer, I realized, was no. I wouldn’t get that chance. In short order, I’d lose my magic. I’d spend the rest of my life locked up in some kind of cell.
Still, I had no regrets. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. I certainly regretted not getting to Norch’s wand before it had a chance to fall and alert Boltstar. But besides that, I felt pleased with my actions. Maybe things hadn’t worked out the way I’d hoped. But at least I’d tried to do the right thing.
Leandra’s face reddened just a bit and she fidgeted in her chair. Meanwhile, Piper stared hard at me, as if hoping to memorize every inch of a face she’d never see again.
“Skin the Wolf.” Porter cupped his hands around his mouth. “Skin the Wolf.”
