Jacks School of Shines Read online

  I said, “Keep that nonsense up, you guys, and we will be paying for all the things we break out of our pocket money for the next ten years. So watch it!”

  “Yikes!” Riley yelled, “Run.” We all started to run.

  I shouted back to Riley, stumbling and tripping on the stone walkways, “Why? What did you see?”

  “It’s coming,” he said.

  “What’s coming?” I asked, looking around the courtyard for two things: “it” and a good place to take cover.

  We hid in an old barn behind bales of hay. Tom sneezed from his straw allergies, and I placed my hand over his mouth before the next sneeze came out. He told of seeing this haunting dark figure flying overhead.

  The figure had us pinned. We did not see it clearly, but its huge shadow scared us. We lay low until we saw it again. Four of the boys placed their hands upon Tom’s mouth so he wouldn’t sneeze again and give away our hiding place. We gripped our wands tightly in our other hands, but we couldn’t see a target to cast our first wave of said spells.

  “Scary,” Tom muttered in a low whisper.

  “It’s some sort of demented creature. We should’ve never left the safety of the school,” Riley cried to the others. The Evil Goblin’s magic created the dark creature to swoop down on the villages around the school. By the evilest of ways, it took away anyone not a part of the Dark and Evil.

  * * *

  The professors guarded the school, in addition to trying to continue classes. One professor, Professor Woods, came forward and attended the students’ council. They talked for days behind closed doors. On the next morning, as they sat eating their morning breakfast, a student asked the question, “Professor Woods, where are the five missing boys?”

  She had a feeling they went astray. Her eyes stared at the small group of children. Professor Woods was the girl’s House Professor, wise beyond her years for being just twenty-five, and she could hear everything going on. The castle did not have a hiding place, for the reach of her great hearing ability came in the form of a tiny magical bluebird that flew from room to room.

  Bluebirds were known to be eavesdroppers by nature, listening on everyone’s conversation from the start. Because she supervised all the girls’ houses, Woods needed to stay on top of things. A bluebird eavesdropping helped find out what news behind closed doors. The bluebird could find a way in, quiet as a house mouse.

  The bluebird is a mystic sort of fellow. When Professor Woods started working for the school, she conjured up a bluebird to fly around unannounced from room-to-room, day and night. The bluebird acted as a second pair of ears. We didn’t know while we made plans to leave the school that Woods’ bluebird already knew, and, moreover, told all to Woods. She waited before she told any other professor she worked with. Woods made the bluebird stay away from the children at the last minute. She didn’t want to know how they planned to sneak out of the main gates because, deep down in her heart, she agreed with the students that only the specially picked few should go. The Wizard’s Light hit us boys only, a clear sign to her heart.

  The rest of the professors didn’t agree that the students should take on this task. But the bluebird confirmed this plan was written down in the Headmaster’s notes long ago. The Headmaster’s eyes stared at the lower house study for one reason — he focused on that room.

  * * *

  I now can see it required a charm to make the people in the village look real and alive with activity. It gave the village a presence so no one would know that the Dark Robes had destroyed all inside. The other four boys still had fears and stayed close to me. We took a chance and walked up to one of the spelled villagers and I poked my finger through one. I stepped back in shock, staring at my index finger as the goulash glue dripped off. Strange it seemed as my whole hand went through as if it was numb.

  I remarked in a hushed whisper, “The work of the black wands, I bet.” Clouds covered our heads, coming from nowhere. We felt alone, but in the part of the village ring of huts, something very strange and eerie happened.

  We five wide-eyed school boys saw witches’ brooms zigzagging around in a whirlpool in the village ring. Shocked and unable to cope, we strained to understand.

  Riley and John headed over to see if there were any riders among the swirling frenzy. The two boys saw that the brooms didn’t have any riders on the handles. The witches’ brooms had gone wild, spinning around and around in a whirlpool, then imploding in the inner circle to disappear into thin air and reappear once again.

  Chapter 5: Crazy Brooms

  Since the year 1025 in Merlin’s time, no evil magic had been brought forward unless by an unknown source. Dark and Evil used the imploding brooms and anything else of magical hard matter. Hunter’s studies in his second year included the school’s history, where he learned and gained insight into the Dark and Evil. Knowing the danger, Hunter warned Tom, John, Riley and me to turn back and avoid this circle, or we might be caught up in its magic spin.

  The madcap brooms circled closer and closer, pulling everything in by their energy, one after another. They looked like a catfight, flying up and around and out again. The whirlwind of brooms changed into many different shapes. I stared when they formed a horrible creature’s face, not knowing who it might have been at one time.

  It grew larger than life. Whatever caused the evil magic of old ramped up, approaching closer while we stood motionless. We witnessed this fury of circling witches’ brooms and gulped.

  Tom took it upon himself to step forward for a closer look. To fail and run away would show him to be too young for such a fright. The warbling of its magical sense picked up speed and headed for the rest running for cover.

  Seeing everyone scatter from the sight, their faces full of fear, Hunter grabbed Riley’s coat, yelling, “Don’t leave me! We must not split up.”

  I yelled over the whirlwind’s noise, “Don’t be tempted to flee for your own life!”

  The shape came nearer and it became clear who it was, a reminder of who created such evil mess of old forgotten magic. We ran in all different directions. Frightened, Tom went for cover and Hunter as well.

  The hurling broomsticks cracked and tore apart. Tom, Hunter and John kept running for their lives.

  “Don’t run! Stand still. It won’t come near if you hold still,” I shouted.

  The shape made a deafening noise. It was too late for my friends; they all had scattered. I stepped under the overhang of a hut’s roof and peered from its shadows to see more of the whirlwind’s shape.

  The street cleared of everyone and I found myself alone. As big as I am, I never moved quickly as some others do. The shape became a haunted looking giant. I read a book my first year about the lost history of this thing where a spirit of nature, like a Crimson Light, comes from the sky. The shape takes on different forms and adapts to most sizes until one becomes clear and covers the sky. Anyone who sees this shape will be doomed, for not one wizard in history lived more than a day from the horror and great shock.

  I have been doomed as no one else saw this thing besides me. I fear not to tell. I ran off to find where my friends might have gone. Feeling alone, I ran from doorway to glass window, looking, but there’s not one to be found. What will I do? I’ve lost all of my friends.

  I stopped from a dead run, my feet burning from the brick-laid streets, and looked in a window. In Mr. Temp’s candy shop, my friends stuffed handfuls of candy in their mouths and filled their pockets as well. Their cheeks looked like squirrels stuffed to bursting. They noticed me at the window, and, feeling guilty, dropped most of their ill-gotten gain to the floor.

  I must have looked a terrible fright to them. The sign in the sky took a great deal out of me knowing I was doomed! It must be from a presence of long ago. The evil foresaw this, and grew strong, refusing to rest.

  Still swallowing bits of taffies, Tom muttered, “We’re just having a bit of breakfast.”

  Riley said, “Aw, Colin, you are always bossy.”

  I s
aid, “Come on, guys. We’ve got to go.” With a push of my large hands, I forced the guys to go outside.

  Jiggling about on the way out of the shop’s door, I said, “Now, run toward the woods. We must be quick!” Only I knew what danger laid a head. To run toward the woods with mouths full of candy proved quite challenging.

  As the largest boy, I’d always been placed in the position of big brother. I took care in saying nothing about what I saw in the sky.

  Throughout the morning, they kept asking, “What did you see to make us all run like scared little mice?”

  I replied, “Like mice with fat checks storing for winter grub.”

  I figured it best to leave this village behind us as fast as we could go. We seemed to be lost in this part of the forest already. The five of us had never been this far. The thick tree line made it hard to see my hand in front of my face. Crimson fog and the screams of the poor lost wretched filled the forest. We were getting pretty scared. The lonely howls of the dead made me wonder, were they lost like us?

  My friends stared at me, and at the flashes and sparks of glowing enchantment coming off me as if it were New Years Eve. Raging magic was at serious work here. Wild thoughts from what took place made Riley whimper.

  “We’re going to wind up dead like our Headmaster, aren’t we?” His legs buckled in grief.

  “Grim outlook you boys have,” I said with a smile.

  Through Merlin’s eyes, we could only study good magic. Bad magic was never allowed to be spoken or used or thought of and never attempted. This Dark Magic was a mystery to us, though I seemed to understand more and more.

  Merlin knew when he started the school long ago, no kept record of any Dark Magic was ever used. Barn’s study must have the book of all Evil spells — the book dark forces had been after all these years.

  Chapter 6: The Headmaster Did Know

  Yes, it’s true. The Headmaster saw the future. He also knew about the new magic to be done by one of the five boys he picked. Over one hundred years ago, Robert Barns wrote, Time will come when a lad will be hit by a great Wizards Light. It will help him become a great and powerful wizard throughout the land.

  Through his crystal bowl, with water added long ago from the smoky forest, he could see the near future. The whirling of the rippling waves stilled and became clear, showing many new and exciting things. However he witnessed his own death and also saw, if he resisted the Dark Robes, many of the Shines students would be hurt and killed on that day.

  He wanted to put his plan into action soon and pick an aide of moral fiber. Merlin’s Law of the Crimson Light could be temperamental and he needed to choose wisely. The Light needed proof before giving power of true magic. To pick the golden few to take his place, the Headmaster knew not even his will could change that dream.

  Already overhearing talks on how to get rid of him, Headmaster Barns decided to hurry and make his choices so he would be ready as the spell was created. The Dark Robes had no idea Barns placed them on his timely spell.

  At the school, Barns brought forward a spell only he knew. The Spell of Reaction enabled one to endure a change. Five of the best wizard boys came forward and only one of them would become a great wizard and deal with such a strong force.

  This special boy must stand the test of time and find the strength to fight the dark forces. The explosion that two girls heard hiding in the stairwell was his enhancing the nature of the event now coming into play. The motions of the wizard clock were set tick-tocking away as the spell blew onto the men, the men who would play a part in making one boy a great and fearless wizard.

  The nature of the office’s events on the day they killed Barns surprised and confused the Dark Robes. As they went through the motions of the plan, they agreed, while in the village below the school, to find out more about his dead man’s stare.

  Who took notice of the Headmaster’s face on that grim moment? Me. The Headmaster figured long ago that one boy, bright as he was and strong, needed a push — a sorcerer’s push.

  * * *

  In the dark, wind through tree leaves made the only sound. Not a forest creature stirred or whimpered.

  The howls of the many packs of wolves and other magic creatures residing in the Forgotten Forest came forward with a rush of clanging shouts to our tender ears. We stood quiet and on guard with our wands in hand. Some of the boys trembled, looking into the night.

  I moved on all fours through the bushes, the guys stumbling after me. “Let’s head for that light,” I told them.

  We searched for shelter in the increasing cold. Getting closer, I could see the light came from a fire. I made out many men standing around this huge fire pit and all wearing the same garment — black robes covered them from head to toe. I led, but the other boys crawled on their knees and could not see the faces through the dances in the flickering firelight.

  I called up my courage to look at them, my eyes straining above the tall blades of grass that grew knee deep in the meadow. The boys lay upon the grass. Tom and Hunter from their own fear did not want to crawl up.

  Ants found their way up the boys’ pants, biting their legs. The boys wanted to scream and jump to get them off, but they couldn’t. They bit their tongues, desperate to keep still, for the slightest movement made the dry meadow grass noisy. The rustlings cannot be louder than a breath of a sleeping child. Any louder meant death, for the men by the fire would hear us.

  The light from the fire lit the men’s faces, some so disfigured, I had to look away. We did not dare go any further. John saw one of the men dancing around the fire like their leader, and he felt faint. The head Evil Goblin danced, twirling his magical black wand around, sending incantations fluttering, captivating to all who heard. John felt ill from the effects from just that.

  He whispered to me, “I felt like my heart missed a beat, for the men now are chanting a big binding winding spell.”

  Snap went a branch lying on the ground. I stopped dead in my tracks. A few of the men closest to us hidden in the tall grass heard that sound, their heads turning this way and that. John lifted his head one last time to peer over the grass.

  I whispered, “Please don’t hear me. Please don’t hear that snap of that branch.” But two men did and one came over to take a look.

  The Dark Robed man came so close, we flattened ourselves to hide. The dark huge figure of a man stood close to me, a sharpened toe of his black boot almost crushing my hand and wand. I knew the last wand to break sent a young boy off to the hospital. I could see that this man held a wand too, a black wand. I gulped from fear with it dangling inches above my nose.

  A man yelled from the fire, “What the devil are you doing over there?”

  “I thought I heard something.”

  “Forget it. Get back over here. We’ve got to get down to business. The spell is just about ready to put it all together.”

  Chapter 7: The Fire Pit

  “Oh!” I thought, “We’ve been found out.” I started to scramble to get the heck out of there, but I sighed with relief when I overheard the men ready to start their dark magic. The man left; the close call over.

  John muttered under his breath, “I hope they thought we were weird forest creatures lurking about.”

  The man walked back to the fire and yelled along with the others as a thunderous sound of praise for the fire grew. The howls of the dead came about.

  The calls of doom rang in our ears. Raging magic came clear as the fire rose up to one hundred feet high above the men. We saw the ceremony underway and knew men became Dark Robes here. The Evil Goblin started his bidding at this very fire ring.

  They started with the trance. Good wizards became Dark and Evil. The Dark created more to aid against the School of Shines. As the fire grew and the men danced, they chanted forbidden spells. These men turned good village wizards into evil ones. The fire roared upward to swirl and engulf them all.

  Hunter and I headed back to take another look. We only needed a few minutes to recover fr
om the fright from almost getting stepped on. The others waited at their hiding places. We crawled closer and closer, inch by inch, until we heard a high voice. I knew that voice! We had to choose: put a stop to it or warn people their lives might be in jeopardy.

  The man intoned, “See as the young wizard comes to power. Watch for the boy’s name!”

  Great alarm filled my chest. The men’s eyes darted back and forth, looking into the shadows, worried about who it might be. The man by the fire held up the scroll and read off the name.

  “COLIN!” shouted out the wizard boy from a nearby school. Whispered voices spilled from the fire and another behind me in the woods, then the man said, “He’s from the School of Shines!”

  My heart sank into my shoes. Hunter gulped in grief from knowing too much. I was to be the next powerful wizard.

  The man from the shadows dressed in a dull red robe, rather than a black one. He towered over the head man and took great care in leaning forward to whisper to the Druid’s ear. His eyes glared at the news and he swung his wand across the flame. The fire roared leapt for the moon.

  We lay there, straining to hear the man speak to the other side of the fire.

  “The boy Colin has been missing from the school for the past day. A messenger brought the news.” The men in the crowd muttered and grunted.

  “This boy has more magical powers than us.” A hush went through the crowd; the men grew nervous. He stated, “He only knows what little the school has taught him.” The men laughed. “Take great comfort in his lack of magical knowledge.” The school to the Dark Robes was weak in the teaching of magical sensibility. He said, “Now we must find this lost boy.”