Witching Games: The Fire Witch Chronicles 1

by R A Lindo

  Leah forms a shield with ease, crossing Tom’s path to fling it back in Katie’s direction. The shield is formed of Mithium — indestructible steel — so there’s no danger of it shattering when the spear makes contact. With their defences intact and the team moving with greater agility and speed, Ethan’s ‘Wicked Wizards’ close in on Olin who’s struggling to get to his feet.

  Olin finds his bearings just in time, creating a steel cage around himself as a shower of bullets rain down, bouncing off his cage as he yells in frustration. With Ava and Roan gaining in confidence, partly in the knowledge that no spear or bullet can penetrate their steel wall. The action intensifies as Katie roars her team forwards, jumping into the air as she throws a spinning arc of steel towards Ethan and Tom who are now working in tandem.

  They smash away the arc of steel with their swords before their weapons transform into a bow and arrow, releasing a flurry of arrows towards Katie who slips as she forms two shields: a mistake that ends her participation in the game as the arrows thud into the shields, knocking one of them out of her hand.

  “One nil!” Ethan shouts as his teammates roar in delight.

  With Katie out of the action, screaming her frustration from the side lines, Olin comes into his own, spinning low as weapons fly his way. Jacob, Conrad and I keep the Magneia charm activated, ensuring no weapons make contact with the students: a simple charm which draws objects towards us when they’re in danger of striking the students.

  I draw a scythe-like object to me, manipulating its trajectory to make sure it whizzes past Ava’s head. After all, I doubt anymore parents will be sending their kids to magic school if a student ends up in hospital!

  Sensing the need to force home their advantage, Ethan’s team split into two pairs with Tilly and Tom taking on Ava and Roan … leaving Ethan and Leah to target Olin’s small form. They’ve fallen into a trap they don’t see, though, Olin pretending to lose his footing again as Katie screams at him from the side lines.

  It’s a clever trap, appreciated from our referring position on the west boundary. Olin has pretended to slip to draw his opponents closer, dropping onto his stomach as spinning orbs fly towards him, missing him by inches. Seconds later, he strikes out with fireworks that he’s buried in the ground — camouflaged by a simple use of the Invisilis charm: the obvious advantage no other student’s thought of.

  As Ethan and Leah close in, Olin releases the fireworks, wrapping himself in a steel cylindric shield as they crackle and explode through the air … darting towards Ethan and Leah’s shocked figures who scramble to form their defences. They’re a second too late and the half-formed swords are splintered, disintegrating seconds later and sending to the side lines.

  A roar from Laieya and Erivan signals another shift in the game, reaching its climax with the least likely candidates left standing. Team One are now led by Olin: the diminutive, dark haired wizard with a gift for silent strikes. He calls Ava and Roan towards him, quickly organising a triad formation reminiscent of the ones used in my own battles.

  Every witch and wizard has a particular gift, normally discovered in times of trouble, and it’s fair to say Olin’s discovering his on The Hallowed Lawn: a boy with a gift for cunning attacks. If I was to put my money on anyone becoming a Society soldier, it would be the least likely of the class: Olin Zucklewick — grandson of Ivo Zucklewick who runs the Society bookshop in Founders’ Quad.

  Olin shouts orders to Ava and Roan as a blizzard of objects bounce off their pyramid shield: a defensive wall that suddenly blasts open with the trio riding in the air on the steel walls. The three sections of the shield have become a floating army, taking their opposition by surprise. Ethan’s two remaining team members — Tilly and Tom — duck as Odin, Ava and Roan release an additional shower of steel in the form of creatures crashing onto The Hallowed Lawn.

  I’m a little taken aback by the creation — a feeling shared by Tilly and Tom who get caught in two minds regarding the necessary defence. They decide on webs to trap the creatures before changing their minds at the last minute, producing a steel mesh instead.

  The mesh wall doesn’t form in time, bringing a collective cry of ‘DISIRA’ from us: the disintegration charm obliterating the steel creatures seconds before they descend on Tilly and Tom.

  Team One, led by Olin, have won the first game of Rucklz, something the ever-confident Ethan and Katie find a little unnerving. As self-assured as they are, each has fallen short in today’s test, making them realise their future in the S.P.M.A. isn’t going to be plain sailing, after all.

  7

  Familiar Visions

  With The Hallowed Lawn returned to its immaculate state via the use of a Repellia charm, Jacob sends the class off to lunch — a signal for the students to activate portable Periums, transporting them back to The Cendryll. If they’re anything like I was, they’ll take a detour to Founders’ Quad, heading for Wimples sweet shop or Merrymopes milkshake and ice cream parlour.

  They’re under strict orders to stay within the boundaries of Founders’ Quad, either returning to their rooms in The Cendryll or enjoying the Society shops in the above ground section. Not that this will stop them exploring. I wasn’t one for rules myself which got me into a world of trouble: the sort of trouble Jacob is keen to protect his students from.

  There’s no evil force to worry about, meaning Jacob has an hour to relax. He’s a little more serious than he used to be: the consequence of being responsible for eight students, I suppose.

  I’ve tried my hardest to talk him out of committing to a career teaching new witches and wizards, but he remains committed to a quieter life. It’s only Conrad and I who can’t resist the pull of The Society Sphere — the endless realms offering a mixture of wonder and freedom. Although we’re still young, we’re as equipped as any witch or wizard, allowing us the freedom of discovery.

  With the final student disappearing through their Perium, Jacob, Conrad and I put the finishing touches to The Hallowed Lawn, ensuring the divots are ironed out and every blade of grass is replaced. It’s a sacred place, after all, and although the Society elders aren’t precious about the use of the ground, its maintenance is another thing altogether.

  The sky clouds over suddenly, leaving us to activate our own portable Perium: a curtain of light leading us into temporary darkness. Once inside, we walk through a tunnel of doors, each one getting smaller until we arrive in the Cendryll.

  The Cendryll’s where everything started … where I met Kaira and Conrad, leading me to the life I live now. It’s also a reminder of the infinite power magic offers — the beautiful, delicate Quij fluttering in the air, carrying books to and from the bookcases perched under the vast skylight.

  The big change is the presence of sky urchins and giants from Sad Souls. Not everyone’s got used to having sky urchins around the place, some of the more nervous members jumping every time the scar-ravaged creatures approach. It probably doesn’t help that they’ve refused to change their black rags for something more ‘fitting’ as Elin Farraday likes to put it.

  Abandoning their uniform would be an abandonment of their traditions as a species conditioned for war, they argue, war which has given them their scars. They move through The Cendryll crowds proudly, taking the more nervous members of Jacob’s class under their wing: a symbol of one marginalised group recognising another.

  Everything’s about unity now so no one dares make any group feel uncomfortable, leaving the ageing giants to lend their services to the creation of charms. The giants are called Ulux. They lived in a grey, depressing place called Sad Souls for years until the elders got a grip and realised the groups they most relied on in times of need deserved greater recognition — a recognition that started with inclusion.

  “We should go and say hello,” Jacob suggests as Casper and Philomeena Renn appear on the spiral staircase: the two adults who took us under their wing in uncertain times.

  Jacob’s big on loyalty, regularly reminding me of the need to sh
ow my face around here more. I know he’s right because The Cendryll is home now — the only home I’ve ever really known. Helping Jacob out with his students is my way of showing my appreciation — to a brother and a magical faculty — but life as a Night Ranger means perpetual motion, so I’ll be off again soon, seeking new adventures and putting a lid on trouble.

  Thankfully, Conrad feels the same, travelling with me on my journeys throughout the S.P.M.A., including the ‘alone time’ we always manage to fit in. Let’s face it, the Society can be demanding and there’s no better example of that than Kaira’s dad and aunt: two legends who have sacrificed so much.

  So, it’s time to do some quick hellos, checking in on familiar faces, before I’m off through the skylight on the back of my powder-blue Williynx, hoping I’ll be able to avoid Jacob’s questions about mum.

  “Keeping out of trouble, Guppy?” Casper Renn asks with a smile - ever the elegant leader dressed in a light-blue suit with matching shirt and tie.

  “Mainly,” I reply, returning the smile and nodding to Kerevenn: the first giant I ever laid eyes on. Kerevenn’s all angles and bones but has a gentle nature, helping to take the edges off the sky urchins’ blunt interactions with more timid Society members.

  “And are we fitting in time for romance?” Philomeena Renn asks, her good looks and flawless brown skin always reminding me of Kaira.

  I don’t ask about Kaira, partly because it always makes me sad to think of her journeying through the S.P.M.A. on her own, but also because I know her dad and aunt miss her as much as I do. Instead, we skirt around the issue, discussing the progress of Jacob’s class.

  “They’re pretty fierce,” Conrad states.

  “Who’s your money on?” Casper asks, regarding those likely to make the grade.

  “Ethan, Ava and Olin at the moment,” Conrad replies, looking up at the Quij who flutter above our heads, their bodies glowing a warm orange in welcome.

  “Olin definitely,” I add. “He’s the dark horse of the group, playing the fumbling wizard to his advantage.”

  “So, bumped into any shifty characters lately?” Philomeena asks, dressed in a slick, all-grey trouser suit.

  She knows we have, but is really asking about our decision to let Joseph Flint off the hook.

  “Just the evening witch.”

  “Alice Aradel?”

  I nod. “Trying to get her hands on some artefacts: Zombuls mainly.”

  “What did she have over Joseph to get him to sneak them to her?” Casper asks, sharing his sister’s elegance and flawless, brown skin.

  “That’s what we’re going to find out later,” Conrad replies, clearly eager to get back into the morning air.

  Like his Williynx, Conrad isn’t designed to live a magical existence cooped up inside a faculty; he’s born to roam, seeking thrills to feed his taste for adventure. I’m also keen to leave before the ‘mum’ question comes up, something Jacob picks up on.

  “Have you seen mum lately?” he asks already knowing the answer.

  I avoid his gaze, glancing at Laieya who licks her powder-blue feathers near Quandary Corner: the quiet seating area I once claimed as my own. “I’ll go soon.”

  “She’s on her own, Guppy.”

  “I know.”

  “Are you ever going to forgive her?”

  “What she did isn’t easy to forgive.”

  “You promised you’d try,” Jacob adds, tapping me on the arm to get my focus. “Let old wounds heal, Guppy.”

  I let my brother’s comment resonate for a while before I repeat my promise to visit mum … in the twisted building on the margins of Society Square. I clearly haven’t let old wounds heal because the building reminds me of why she’s forced to live an isolated existence. Mum was at the heart of The Cendryll until she made a massive mistake during a particularly heartless phase.

  She wasn’t there for us and treated us like an annoyance she’d rather be rid of … happy when Kaira’s dad and aunt took us under their wing … so why should I feel the need to visit her…? Don’t parents have to earn their children’s respect…?

  Anyway, enough of that — time to get back to the skies and a few more tight squeezes with Conrad, just in case you thought being a Night Ranger was all about tracking down shifty witches and wizards.

  “Why don’t you go and pay mum a visit now?” Jacob pushes, giving me the look.

  “Maybe tomorrow.”

  “It’s always ‘tomorrow,' Guppy. Do it for me — one more favour before you go gallivanting off.”

  Conrad steps closer, placing an arm on my waist as a signal of support. He knows how uncomfortable I am in my mum’s presence, but he’s lost both his parents and hasn’t got a brother’s love, so I give in. “Okay. We’ll go now.”

  “Say hello from me and tell mum I’ll be over this evening.”

  I give Jacob a smile — the brother who always puts others before himself. He essentially brought me up, protecting me in my more spontaneous days in the S.P.M.A. He’s a reminder of the love surrounding me, something I sometimes forget when I’m wrapped in Conrad’s arms. Family, after all, is forever.

  We say our goodbyes, exiting The Cendryll in the traditional manner, choosing a rickety door behind The Seating Station where Society elders discuss day-to-day events. There’s less drama these days but they still love debating the benefit of certain charms, or whether teaching a group of under-age wizards will turn out to be a good thing.

  Conrad and I leave them to their debate, pulling the brass door handle out and turning it until The Hallowed Lawn appears in gold lettering. With the door handle pushed back in, we step through the door and find ourselves back in the open air — our Williynx fluttering close by, shape shifting into their majestic forms as they rise up into the sky.

  With Laieya and Erivan enjoying their own race in the morning air, Conrad senses my mood changing, realising it’s linked to my mum. He takes my hand as we walk across The Hallowed Lawn, the feeling of the light rain falling onto my skin. I’m not a big hand holder usually and Conrad knows this, only offering this gesture when introspection threatens to get in the way of our adventures.

  “It will get easier over time,” he says, offering me that smile.

  “It hasn’t got easier so far.”

  “You’ve never made it easy on your mum.”

  “Why should I?”

  “I’m not saying you should, Guppy, but if you punish her forever it’s never going to be easy.”

  I turn to Conrad, pushing my body into his as I kiss him: a kiss I let linger until he runs his hand through my brown hair, his surprising strength an unspoken symbol of his need for intimacy. He has no family aside from me now — the Society his only home — and I’m forced to remember this as we continue to kiss: a Fire Witch whose fury won’t allow her to forgive.

  As thunder sounds overhead, I let out a light laugh — my way of accepting I’m wrong about my mum. I do need to forgive in order to move on and, most importantly, not turn into the bitter person she’s become. It goes without saying how dangerous anger can be when you throw magic into the mix.

  “Come on,” Conrad urges as the rain lashes down. “Let’s get to your mum’s before we get drenched.”

  I sneak another kiss, wondering if we should just stay here as Conrad’s jeans and T-shirt get soaked, his grey overcoat doing little to protect him from the rain. He’s a perfect specimen, that’s for sure, encouraging me more towards the idea of staying put.

  Then again, Jacob’s class will be returning from their lunch break soon, and I imagine he won’t want them stumbling across us: a Fire Witch and a sky rider making the most of the rain.

  8

  The Touch of Love

  The twisted building mum lives in is hidden within a wall of protective charms. Although everything’s peaceful in the Society, mum made a lot of enemies when she was a senior member of The Cendryll: a position of power that went to her head.

  To cut a long story short, the last war
was centred around a hunt for a lethal artefact most people believed to be a myth ... that was until it turned out it really did exist … and I’m sure you can guess what happened next.

  Anyone harbouring dark desires crept out of the woodwork: malevs, captors and The Prince of the Underworld — Erent Koll. They mainly ended up dead or banished, and my mum got the ‘rehabilitation treatment’ in Sad Souls for trying to align herself to Erent Koll. Now can you see why I’m not desperate to visit?

  That’s how we know the ageing giant, Kerevenn, who’s settled in The Cendryll now. Kerevenn was the giant who oversaw my mum’s rehabilitation in Sad Souls. I’m sure you’re wondering how my mum got away with rehabilitation when others were banished to The Velynx: the faculty for bad things and bad people.

  Well, luckily for her, Casper and Philomeena Renn had already taken Jacob and me under their wing, meaning if they stuck my mum in The Velynx we’d be parentless. Also, she didn’t actually use dark magic — the one unforgivable sin in the Society — meaning she hadn’t completely crossed the line. So, that’s why she’s stuck away beyond The Society Sphere, no longer at the heart of our magical universe. Anyway, time to say hello.

  As our Williynx release a single feather, floating towards the roof of the twisted building, I hold firm in the promise I made to Jacob: to learn to forgive. We descend lower as the turquoise and powder-blue feathers make contact with the roof, turning it into the colours of the feathers to mark our arrival.

  The light goes on in the bedroom window, signalling that my mother’s not yet out of bed: a woman with little to look forward to. We touch down outside the front door, understanding the need for a gentler arrival, and I prepare myself for a visit I’ve been avoiding with Jacob’s words echoing in my mind.

  “I wasn’t expecting visitors,” mum says, peering out from behind the door.