Jacks School of Shines, page 7
When she stopped shaking, her classmates let go of her. She took a big breath, opened her eyes and big tears rolled down her cheeks. Eibhlin sat up, trying to get her bearings.
“Why the tears?” one classmate asked.
“Hopeless,” she whispered. “We’ll never win this battle unless we get smarter.” Looking at each friend in the eye, she murmured, “Hunter is dead.” Sorrow rained down on the small group of school friends and grief looked through Eibhlin’s tearstained eyes.
* * *
I needed cover for the night and for the cold that came in quickly. I didn’t know any of these parts, for I’d come far. The forest looked different from what I was used to near the school. I heard a different type of sound that I couldn’t describe. It might have been a bird, but a bird of the night would sound much different than this one. It was loud and only had one tune and was no song I could relate to. In this spooky forest, I shook off an eerie feeling that came over me quickly and then left just has fast. It couldn’t be that bad, I told myself and walked on into the dusk, relieved to see a hunter’s shack in the distance.
Alone in this rundown old shack, I listened to a bird like none other I’d heard. It was just one, so I lay down and rested my weary bones. My sorrow and loneliness gave me an achy head. I wanted to take a chance to sleep and by morning start out fresh to find the right trail to the school. But for now, my heavy eyes wanted to close. I couldn’t dream, though, for fear I’d wind up in a nightmare.
While I drifted off to sleep, the song kept coming out of the forest. At one time, it sounded close to the hut and it relaxed my soul so that I finally dozed off. I didn’t know that the bird found me. Others wanted this bird to use against the school and to aid in their power. The bird found me because of my pure heart. For a young wizard boy, I’d put temptations behind me when I asked myself, “Am I here for the good of it all or just to use my darkest magic against the Dark Robes?” I felt truly deep in my heart on that day I was here to fight and do my best to wipe out the evilness of the men that killed my Headmaster.
Sleeping on hard wooden floors hurt my back, so I woke from a restless night. I peered out the window and saw on a tree branch an odd looking bird. When the bird saw me, it began its song; its words reached deep into my heart. I didn’t know only I could hear that bird’s songs. Others heard a screech and sounds that didn’t mean anything to them. The song was only for the pure of heart.
I could understand its meaning. One part was of sorrow and of tears that would rain soon when the Dark Robes started to rid the school of its professors. I was large, but still just a teenager. I took a chance on the outside of the shack and headed over to view the bird up close. It took to flight and landed on a closer tree branch where, in a few more steps, I’d be face to face with this wonderful creature. The young wizard from Shines School of Witchcraft and Wizardry leaned over a tiny bit to give all my attention to that wonderful, colorful bird.
The bird said, “Colin, the power of the Evil Goblin is getting much too strong and he wants the book brought to him and his men to the Forgotten Forest. But take heart. You will win one day. In the end, you will come through to the last.”
My eyes widened in surprise. “You know my name? How?”
“I know much, young wizard. I’ve been searching for you.”
“Searching for…?” I took a step back, my eyebrows furrowed. “Who are you?”
“I am Kah’la. Some call me the magical bird. Others call me the bird of hope.”
“Kah’la! I’ve read about you in history books. This is such an honor!”
“Yes, well…” Kah’la preened his feathers, his chest out. Then, making an odd sound deep in his throat, he shifted on the branch. “Never mind that. Right now, that wand of yours needs to be updated. I will tell you how to do this. It’s called the ‘bringing of power’ to one’s own wand through one’s heart and soul and good mind. That way, you’ll have a better chance to fight back. When the morning sun rises in two hours, there will be a forest full of Dark Robes looking for you. Therefore, you will need to be ready and ever so steady. Fill yourself with love. See yourself victorious.
“Get your wand and we’ll start. Now, to attract the benevolent spirit to your wand, take out your school bag and shake the magical writing quill that Eibhlin gave to you. Hold the quill and wave it three times around your wand. Over and over and over. That’s a boy,” Kah’la said. “Your wand needs that charm to start the beginning to this empowerment. It’s the enhancement of a female power. I’ll say this in a language you may understand. It’s your first step and I’ll say it first to ward off evil. The third eye of all will increase psychic gifts with its presence here.
“The second step is the nurturing of the soul of the wand. It will get warm and it just might reach temperatures of high degrees, but don’t let go. Third is the star of a midnight runner, a cast out star that has been forgotten for many years and needs a home. Watch for the strike of a beam of light, as it will hit your wand with a great force in a moment. Fourth is the good and plenty of charms. All that you will be will come forward in your head and your now-trusted wand.”
Feeling the difference, I could only nod, for I truly marveled.
“The fifth and final part is very powerful. It’s best if you hang onto that tree because the glow of the magical words will appear. I shall now speak at’tomly’ accruable ‘bates fomented celibates.”
Holding my wand tightly in my right hand, I wrapped my left arm around a low tree branch and braced myself. A light shined onto me, running through my whole body and into my wand, which began to pulsate and hum with new energy. A tingling sensation electrified me, and I could feel my hair stand on end. In a few seconds, the light disappeared, leaving me too stunned to speak.
“And now take a handful of this secret soil from God’s green earth and sprinkle it all over your wand. Say out loud in your own spoken tongue, ‘dust to dust, ash to ash, of fireflies on butterflies, of wings to the power of three, of my wand, may it bring new strength and show me its new magical power.
“Mighty spirit, show this young boy and this wand all the magical power he will need from this day forth. I call on the Dragon’s Breath to make its fog to hide me and this young boy, so the men coming upon his path won’t see him until it’s time for him to strike. Now they wait for the trail to be filled by the Dragon’s Breath, which will lead them here. The Dragon’s fog will be their doom, not this young boy’s. To fight evil, this wand will bring victory to him and safeguard against all from evil on this morning.”
The fog arose around me, first up to my ankles, and then to my waist. I held my wand tightly, for it vibrated hard and heavy in my hand. For a giant sized boy, it took all my strength in that hand just to hold it steady. Full of new magic, it wanted to cast its first spell soon.
The fog got thicker and rose past my head. I couldn’t see clearly as I waited. I headed away from the tree with the magical bird and stood tall on the path, for Kah’la said the forest was full of Dark Robes who’d very shortly be on their way.
My ragged appearance was quite startling, for I’d been through a lot. Dried mud soiled the knees of my pants. All my clothes had tears and were worn thin. My hair looked wild and I doubted my own mother would recognize me. But, inside that ragged appearance, strength and courage beat in my heart. I stood in the middle of the path, peering through the fog. I could see through this darkened breath created by Kah’la.
The Dark Robes lurked among the trees, moving slowly as if no fear dwelt in them. They didn’t know I had a gift of powerful new magic. Soon I’d find out how good this new revived wand would be. I gulped and sweated a bit and my eyes darted this way and that. I could clearly see many of the men, but they hadn’t seen me yet. The Dragon’s fog thickened around me even more.
This spell worked, for they just walked right by me, headed to the cabin. The Dragon’s Breath made me unnoticeable and invisible to them. The wand sang out, bending forward on its own to point and fire at will. I tried to remember all of the spells I learned through the years but, before I got a chance to shout one out, my mind and my wand worked together. The fire of light went out and started to sing of doom, for Kah’la and my wand rang out many great castings. The men crept up to the cabin and spells knocked them out, one by one.
The bird sang loud and clear of their deaths. I needed both hands on my wand, for it had a mind of its own, shooting lightning at any Dark Robe who crossed its path. This many evil men cast down by a wizard boy’s wand would never be known to happen again.
The Dragon’s Breath lifted to reveal a dozen or so men lying down from the use of this very tired magical wand in my hand. At the time of so many casting spells, the wand had gotten hot, but it felt cold to the touch now.
I could see one or two still behind a tree. My victory didn’t seem to stop this madness of evil against me and my school. I ran over to pick up my newfound friend and placed him on my arm. Running away from all this doom, further into the forest, he tried to have a conversation.
He said, “Nice job, young boy. You did well.” I looked shocked, for my eyes locked onto his as I ran, not looking where I was going.
Kah’la’s eyes were marvelous. They’re like green shiny orbs of the magical kingdom from a folk lore story I once read. The Firebird was invariably described as a large bird in majestic plumage that brightly glowed in red, orange and yellow light, like a bonfire just past the turbulent flame. The feathers didn’t cease glowing if removed, and one feather could light a large room if not concealed. In later iconography, the form of Firebird was usually of a smallish peacock of fire colors, complete with a crest on its head and tail feathers with glowing "eyes".
The bird warned, “Watch out there, dear boy. If you trip, you will surely drop me.”
“Yes,” I agreed, “I’ll be careful where I step from now on.” I slowed down to catch my breath and felt safe enough to sit down and take a break.
Kah’la said, “I am here for you. The heroic journey draws to an end for this day, Colin. You have truly survived this ordeal and done well. Your Headmasters had planned many of the deeds through this journey that you will survive and win. You are now the most feared Dark Robe fighter that has ever lived. Now many rewards from all your deeds for the good against evil will come to you.
“You now can claim victory and gain trust in yourself and your new powered wand. Don’t let anyone tell you anything different. After the confrontation with all those men, you might wonder why you’re way out here in this part of the forest and not headed back to the safety of the school. You belong out here. This is where the fight is, and it was brought to you. That’s what’s making the school much safer, for now they will all look for you once the news gets out about this morning’s duel. You will do better and become greater than the Headmaster whom you admired.
“You will have every Dark Robe getting geared up and ready to look for you. That’s what the Headmaster saw long ago. The fight must be in this part of the north forest, with me as your guide. I am only here to give you the insight and knowledge to survive with religious hymns that purify the soul. Well, that’s my magical deed to be done. A lot of this empowerment to your wand and to you is from your friends and from the land,” the bird told me as I sat and listened carefully.
“Eibhlin’s quill was special, for she was given a spell quill from her mother to write magic or have with her to protect her. The giver was a very powerful witch. Enchanted spells were sprinkled on that very same quill to enhance life and the light. That’s why it had to be rubbed and waved around your wand.
“The light is a power given by love, Colin. Love is the strength of the wand. Dust and ash from the earth is the life part of wizards who have been here and gone through this before. The magic from me is most mystic and colorful to behold.”
I asked what happened to my friends, but the bird just sat there, quiet for the most part. He shook his head and said just one thing to me, “They were brought out to follow you, my boy, to see you through but, the fright they saw, no boy or man could handle. That’s for you.” We had talked long into the day and until the cold of the night skies closed in. The glow of the moon offered us our only light.
“It must have been really bad for my friends. I feel sad and sorrow for them out there.”
Kah’la asked, “Do you know where the boys went and when you separated? That would help me find them.”
“I have bad news, I’m afraid. I found two of my dear friends dead and, for the rest, I fear the worst.”
Chapter 13: Crossroads Landing
Tom found himself stuck trying to get back to the school. Poor Tom walked in all different directions in the forest for five days. He happened to come to Crossroads Landing, where nine different roads converged. It was the worst of places to be for a young wizard like Tom.
Tom had never come across a spell of the Crossroads Landing. A lost soul or two wandered there. Most lost wizards tried every road, only to wind up in the middle once again. One of the crossroads went into infinity. And every road they thought they tried left them confused and stuck, heading down the next. At the start of the journey, choice of the first crossroad was most important.
In all these past months, Tom hadn’t seen anyone. Over the past two months, he’d tried four of the roads. He hadn’t figured out to double back in a wizard’s way of thinking. Wizard way, of all ways, worked best to reverse the steps by resaying a spell. Saying a spell was most specialized in thought. In theory, the right way to say it was for one to walk into a Spell Well. Without it, though, it took moments to gather one’s wits; they all wound up back at the Crossroads Landing, looking at the other roads, deciding which one they’d try next.
Now that Tom found himself starved and worn out, he would have to do it once again if he wanted to get back to the school. A much wiser wizard would figure out to start backwards in an “undo” of a most Tempered Spell.
For this was one of the worst spells around. Tempered Spell was a soul’s lost mind game of a maze. Only the weak and unwise got stuck in one. It didn’t happen often, but sometimes a wise wizard would come into the crossroads maze. Tom saw that each road had a mystic stone statue at its beginning. He had seen at the end of one road that the statues didn’t match. Tom thought to himself that it must be a key to this puzzle. He needed to find the one that matched and go that way. It had been a hundred years since more than one wizard, good or bad, had come here. This special place was created long ago when very old wizards did very unusual spells and meant it to be a place to keep dragons at bay that came into the forest way back then.
* * *
For Eibhlin back at the school, her classmates felt relieved for she had come out of her dream spell ok. It was hard to act like everything was normal at the school. Students had a hard time concentrating on their work in class for they now knew what was happening out there. With Hunter, Riley and John dead, they knew poor Tom and I must be going through a lot of hell.
Eibhlin’s classmates snuck around in the halls now to watch if she had one of her fits. She didn’t like it when her friends lurked behind her and watched her every move. She’d awake in the morning to find her roommates looking at her, wondering if she’d had a new dream. When she walked in the halls, she heard shuffling feet move on for they camped out all night in the hallway right by Eibhlin’s room.
One student made it clear they felt helpless because they didn’t go out with me and my four friends.
“Our Headmaster,” as one of them pointed out to her, “we cherished him, too. We are all guilty for letting them go, as we should all have gone together. We thought it was a great idea in the beginning but, as we now know, it was to be to some of the boys’ doom.”
It’d been sad times in the school, worried with no new word of us from Eibhlin and her third eye. Had we boys gotten caught? Had we wound up no longer alive? How were we surviving this evil plight? Now, the laughter in the halls died down for the school’s fear for us.
Some of the other boys and even the girls braved themselves to sneak out. They tried to form a plan, a plan to escape through the portal light that held the Dark and Evil out of this school. The mind of Eibhlin was hard at work. She convinced the professor’s bluebird to help the children find a way out without hurting the temperamental Crimson Light. It took a strong force to enter from the outside, but had anyone tried to walk through it, to go to the outside?
The schoolroom filled with children, yelling and screaming and pushing with their newly learned great magical skill, eager to be the first group to leave before daylight. All in that room had gotten caught up in fighting this evil presence. They forgot that, if they left the school grounds, they placed themselves in the greatest of harms way. By now, the staff had figured out that there was something going on, for they couldn’t find one student on the school’s main floor.
The main doors, and not just the main castle doors either, but the main door to the outside was found, one of two hidden doors that the school had to enter and exit in case of an emergency. The professors who wanted to leave and look for us again couldn’t. All of the staff was called to stay and protect the school.
The professors had magic and their own ability to do what needed to be done. The Wizard Council announced that all hands must stay on school grounds. If the Dark and Evil knew professors were out and about, they would fall victim. I had taken the fight and main body of the Dark Robes out in the Forgotten Forest.
At the school, dawn broke. Professor Woods went into the monastery to pray for the angel of magic believability to help me and the one student at the school who was slaughtered by the evil men.
