Jacks School of Shines, page 6
In one of the desk’s top drawers, she found a dozen wands. Why, she wondered, did he have so many old burnt out wands? Some looked like they’d been set ablaze at the same time. But now was not the time to worry about burnt black old wands. She couldn’t believe the professor’s notes and files that lay before her lap. They showed her how clever the Headmaster really was. He saw what was to come and, to her amazement, his notes listed many of the students’ names.
He saw greatness for each student. They just needed a little encouragement and guidance.
The story of Wizard Time bygone Times
Headmaster Barns, School of Shines
A place or Time — where a young wizard should be placed in his or her life. The magical skills to greatness are revealed through choosing the right path. Choices and wise decisions have to be made and taken. Choices come from action and steps by one or more who can uphold the child to their best ability that are forced — and pushed — forward by the helping hand of another wizard or witch.
As she read down the many of lines of text, her name appeared in one entry only. She locked her eyes on that page, creased it and brought it up to her face to not miss out on any words written about her.
Wands and Dreams that become real. — Eibhlin is young and has shown signs of great magic to come from within herself. Mainly whenever one particular student is near her, a boy named Colin, who will graduate this year, magical signs come out in her studies and in practices. She does greater things when this boy is close to her.
Through her nighttime dreams, she can peer farther into the unknown. Memory — it’s known by this gift of sight that witches learn what is to come. When they are young, they learned to dismiss most — if not all — of what they saw, for it becomes too much for one to hold inside their head. Eibhlin shows us the gift as if it’s normal and shares it gladly as if all had the same gift. This Witch will prove right and go far in her studies and in her life’s quests.
She was terribly excited to read about herself and her gift. His insight overwhelmed her. He knew about the true gift of sight through dream sleep. As she read more, it told of what was to come after his death. A surprise to her eyes came when she read the first part about me becoming a true wizard with magical sensibility.
* * *
Umbrage continued to interfere with my once idyllic way of life at the school. What became of the school eroded all things that made me love it and my life. It wouldn’t be the same ever again. I saw that now. And I’d heard too much for someone my age. Learning for me became swift and reassuring to my mind. My thoughts clearly changed, and I felt older through this time alone.
I’d grown increasingly despondent even though it calmed me to think I was doing what I thought best. Now the death of my friend led to a different way of thinking about my life. One word echoed in my heart — revenge! I wanted to use the darkest of my coming powers against all who’d hurt the school and my friends. Secretly, I’d held these powers at bay, but the School of Shines was at risk. I felt strongly to head back — if I could just find the right path. I needed to warn the school on what I’d seen and heard so far. The unhappiness of all I’d seen and done weighed heavily on my mind.
Of the five who set out to do right, three were somewhere in the Forgotten Forest. It got its name one hundred and twenty five years ago when a group of girls from this very school ventured into the edges of the forest and were never seen again. The girls found themselves lost and swept in by the forest’s beauty. Truly it was breathtaking and overcoming to them. After their disappearance, the safer parts of the forest were searched, but not one sign was ever found.
Soon after, the school closed all paths to the forest. Each year, new students were warned to not to go in there. Years later, on many nights, the haunting of howling, wretched sounds and screams from the lost girls came from the edges of the forest. No one had the skills or mental strength to go back in, for it was truly haunted. In the history of the school, the dark, eerie forest was known to be a place of doom and much feared for the unknown proprieties it held.
What really lived in there a few feet from the edge of the tree line? Cobwebs hung in the first part of the forest, creating a thick tangled mess, but that’s all anyone knew for certain. The realm was so large, no one knew how far it went.
None of the professors ever found out the source of its true origins. The sounds of the doomed and the damned came clear to one’s ear. The creatures that made it from the forest and into the schoolyard became captive pets, to be studied and learned about. The creatures were unfamiliar to the professors and there was no record of their nature, so the professors started a class to study new species. Many disputes went on about these wonderful forest creatures. Some debated that the haunting, mourning sounds everyone heard came from young wizards and creatures entangled in the cobweb mesh.
One creature, many centuries old, was in the form of a bird with amazing color and splendor of his shiny feathers. Not a sound he dared make for all those centuries. Wordless of speech of any modern tongue, he only spoke old time wizardry script.
Only true magic could ever come from this bird of hope. Once found and used wisely, one would become great. Angels would fly and the poor wretched would get their wings. It meant doom if it fell into the wrong hands. It would give hope to the wrong side and could imprison all of great wizard kind in eternal dungeons. The song it sang sounded of sweetness in the gale of icy blue waves of the ocean. But it required a pure soul to make him work what decency had in store.
A terrifying storm would come to whoever abused the little bird that kept so many going onward. When all hope had fallen and all were doomed, the magical bird of hope, Kah’la, would spring forward and give the final call to help all.
* * *
Alone and lost, Hunter stretched out on the floor beside an empty ale barrel upstairs in a pub, trying to figure out what to do. A plan of action is needed! he said to himself. Hunter had been stuck in the village of Dern’s Ville. He’d been keeping a good eye on a dozen Dark Robes gathering their spells — dark magical spells they needed to enter the forest to find the missing boys from Shines. He wished the other boys and I were here to see what he had been looking at. Hunter was tired and hungry and his body had fallen asleep for laying flat and quiet all day through. He’d been spying on those busy making a brew of the worst sort of Dark Magic. Another attempt to take the school was talked about below Hunter. The school was to be used in a Demand Spell of a takeover for its knowing power. Rare, it was the spell of Old Ones. Only he wasn’t hearing the truth from the dark evil men below in the village house — the truth that all young wizards and witches would be made to follow in their footsteps. A new breed of wizardry would be brought forward if they succeeded in their quest.
The speaker went on to say, “There’s a new plan for this boy Colin. We’re afraid he might be the worst sort of young wizard to handle. If not found, he may grow up and do us all in. His powers are uncanny, even compared to the head Goblin.”
Shudder they did as they stuck together on that thought. Someone had power to deal with them and put an end to this evil. They described hope for themselves and at the same time, talked of doom to all if a young wizard like me came to power.
“We must find the magical bird, the bird of hope, first to use against the school. There’s just too many now preparing to fight against us. Even as we sit and plan, we fight amongst ourselves for the Goblin’s throne.”
Chapter 11: Hunter’s Predicament
The day became darkened and the sky damp from the sorcerer’s illuminating Crimson Light. The Goblin was not taking enough chances to overcome his own fear. He’d changed his appearance back to himself. The speaker talked many hours to the men inside the pub. He said, “I’ve called you all here for one purpose, to take control of the School and to kill the boy Colin.”
One heard the bird of hope was in the strangest and darkest part of the forest. “In capturing the bird, even if you aren’t eaten by a wild creature, the conditions are extreme and surviving the dangerous journey is doubtful.”
This bird creature derived its style of singing from psalms and religious hymns. It was the purpose of the soul — telling of the magic of this creature —and how it reacted to hardship. After its song, it asked for nothing in return, not even a single crumb. Of its own act, if the presence of a true wizard came through, the bird would listen to his word, for its song could rain down on what the wizard asked for it to do.
Hunter saw many of the village’s storekeepers in this group, leaving him shocked and feeling betrayed. These were men the students all knew through shopping when they had time after school. Who did Hunter see behind this?
One evil man had gained enough power to influence these good men all at one time. It must have been something to behold. What magical powers did he have to do all of this? The power between good and evil was temperamental. A real wizard went into evil purely for his own gain and profit.
“If you’re not joining up now, then later they might get you and you’ll wind up being hurt. The Illumination Blithe seeks you out for nothing has changed. The book is needed to finish the change,” the Evil Goblin told all of his new men that became Dark Robes. “It will have to be soon or he will die.” The Goblin’s men saw he was at his worst temper. Dark sorcerer’s magic worked inside of him.
“We must regain control and take to the skies. We’ll swoop in on the school at night and take full advantage of the dark to secretly search for the book, or his men will take him down and do the job on their own. I need to have it now or all might be lost,” said the Goblin in his natural state as a Shines evil professor, still clinging to his old house robes of blue and black with Shines written across the arms.
* * *
Eibhlin tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and turned the page, careful not to harm the parchment. Putting her elbows on the desk, she rested her chin on her hands and started reading.
Back when he worked for the school through the old Headmaster Parks, Mr. Greeley’s only stayed to find the most powerful spell book. Ministry of Magic called this book the “black one” for it contained the worst of dark magic. It was used in the most evil way to create the worst of things to be — and appear — in one’s mind. Its spells could force good wizards into obeying servants of its dark magic.
For a long time, Greeley searched through the castle, in the school’s library and in each of the student’s book bags. For years, he never gave up. One day he was found in the new Headmaster’s lower house study, going through the desk and cabinets. From then on, the new Headmaster never trusted him and had him watched at all times until it all blew up one day.
One of the students came forward with the news that he’d been accepted by the Dark and Evil because this man. A spell was placed upon many of the students through that boy’s excitement. All hell had come forward. When Greeley went on with the evilest duties of a Dark Robe, one student awoke and ran to tell the truth. Greeley had been at his worst since then and would be most dangerous if he found this book to take over the school.
Through the failed attempts to take out the new Headmaster Barns, Greeley took chances to come into the school and search through the rooms he failed to look through before. He needed that book of spells.
Eibhlin was amazed in what she’d been reading. The Headmaster’s office became her place to discover what had really been happening in the school. She told her friends in the strictest of confidence under lock and key of their private dorm room.
“Should I tell you?” she asked. “You mustn’t tell a soul. Just hearing what’s entailed will surprise you. I don’t know what will happen if the professors knew I’ve been reading the Headmaster notes. The private files have been locked up in his study,” Eibhlin said, casting a worried glance at her friends. “I’ll be in trouble for sure if anyone finds out I’ve been in there all this time. Surely they will know. There is no way to lock the big door and someone will definitely see.”
Her friend Sue asked, “What’s been here all these years? Did you find out anything?”
Nodding, she began by saying, “It all started when Mr. Greeley worked here long ago. He was caught going through Professor Barns’ study and Headmaster Parks’ private lower house, a place for his eyes only. The dark one himself, Greeley was there where no one should ever be…especially me. Greeley used Dark Magic and turned some of the students into Dark Robes through the years. That’s why so many have gone missing. No one told that missing Shines children went to the Dark side.
“He also made the magical creatures from the Forgotten Forest turn into such horrid things to attack the School of Shines. He tried to recreate the magical bird of religious hymns. He failed and it led him to his ruin of changeable appearances. One can say he’s stuck with this curse for now and all of his existence. In order to cast the largest of spells, he needs to find the black book. It’s somewhere in the school. The castle is unsafe and we are all in danger!”
* * *
Hunter was in a fine predicament now, for he took a few steps to get a closer look at the men below him. He wanted to remember each person’s face so he could tell the Ministry who was there. The other men muttered about something he could not hear. He’d been lying in the upper loft, peering through the holes of the floorboards. The ceiling made noises from his careful steps and a creak sounded from the old dried out lumber. Hunter lay at an angle to stop the floorboards from creaking even more.
One said, “Someone is spying on us!”
They grew wings and reacted wildly. One took a shape of a gruesome creature with empty eyes, a red bloody mouth and wings like a bat. It appeared to be uncommonly knowing and sly.
Hunter shook from what he saw — several winged, black, horrible looking creatures with razor-like teeth, long white hair and a wizard’s beard that grew to the floor.
The gloom of their mastery was felt by the Illumination, which in turn scared him, for they took to flight. They flew around the room in a babble of confusion and anger, looking for the noise they just heard.
As they swooshed up the stairs, Hunter bolted the door he stood behind and listened to the banging while the creatures tried to gain entry. He stood straight and held out his wand in front of him, ready to cast a big spell. Hunter didn’t know how long the door would hold against all this banging. It started to crack and he could see one horrible face coming through with its green shiny eyes. Hunter took a step back to ready his wand.
The door splintered in front of his feet. The winged Dark Robes swooped in as Hunter flicked out his wand at the first one who came at his face. He believed the vile smelling creature was going to eat him. His spell rang out loud. The first one Hunter threw into the wall.
All of the rest pounced on him like a handful of cats jumping into a bag of rats, ripping and tearing him apart. Hunter rang out one spell after another, throwing them back on opposite sides of the room. He flicked and swished cast wand spells left and right, poking through the dog pile of feathered Dark Robes that swooped on the floor to bury him. Breathless from the sheer weight and fear, Hunter gained the upper hand on the biggest one biting his toe.
Hunter lost his wand in the fight, for there were more on him than he could handle. He used his spells for the first time that came from his heart. Heartfelt cast spells were the best. Raging out through his mouth, he hurt and injured a few, but the dark feathered creatures were stronger than him. They turned into an angry mob.
The Wizard Death Blast Hunter read about in class hit him dead center. Hunter knew it was the spell that killed him as he’d never felt this kind of pain before. Hunter lay there as they left the room one by one. One remained to watch him die. Slowly Hunter opened his eyes and saw Eibhlin in the room, then she vanished and the Headmaster walked over to him and said, “Come on, son, I’ll take you home.” Dead on the floor he must lay to this day.
The Dark Robes took notice and snooped around to see if it was me. They felt the strength of the Headmaster’s ghost, who they feared. One said that he knew Hunter, as he was Hunter’s uncle. He must have gone over to the Dark and Evil side. After the flight, the men left the boy there, his young remains lifeless. He was no more trouble to them. They flew out the opening of the room and the opened windows for the meeting ended. They began their evil flight and went into the forest to look for the others, all in a rage wanting to find me, the boy wizard, who could do them great harm.
Chapter 12: Kah’la
Eibhlin fell to the floor, her arm thrown across her face, her body writhing in pain, and her screams echoing through the halls.
“No! No! Hunter!!”
Her classmates stood around her, worried, unsure of what to do.
In Eibhlin’s Spell Dream, she saw Hunter fighting the Dark Robes. She heard and felt the wings flittering around the boy. Feeling a fanged creature bite her, she screamed again. A dozen of her classmates tried to hold her down, and exchanged frightened glances when they saw blood from the scratches of invisible claws and sharp tipped wings tearing through her class robe and covering her arms and neck.
In her mind, unable to tell reality from dreams, Eibhlin fought along with Hunter. She threw herself on top of him, giving him protection from the heated, furious attacks. Eibhlin gave of herself in that terrible battle, taking all of the blows aimed at him. In later years, students realized that’s how he lasted so long, and why, in the last moments of his life, he saw her in that room. Fighting against all of them was a true feat of wizardry. Through her casting spells, she placed herself in harm’s way to protect Hunter.
