Avis Blackthorn: Is Not an Evil Wizard! (26 page)

Partington’s eyes were huge, trying to take
in every morsel of Ernie’s body. “Ernest?” he said. “You’re… here…
alive
?”

They both stood gingerly and for a long
moment Partington just stared at his son. Maybe trying to work out
of Ernie was real, or part of some dream caused by a bump to the
head. Eventually he decided on the former and pulled him into a rib
cracking hug.

“I can’t believe it,” Partington cried as
Tina joined them. I wasn’t sure if they were laughing or crying -
both, I think. Robin caught my eye and grinned.

“But how? Why? Who?” said Partington.
“Thought we’d… lost you
forever
…”

Ernie looked over Partington’s shoulder at me
and Robin. “It was Avis,” he said. “Avis could see me, while you
two couldn’t. They both worked it all out.”

Partington and Tina turned to face me and
Robin, their eyes swimming with tears. “Oh boys, you clever,
clever, brave boys!” cried Partington hysterically, coming to hug
us both, long tears forming streaks in the dirt on his face. “How
did you
ever
?!
Malakai
? And Ernie… the Book of
Names!” he didn’t know what to say first.

“Avis?” said Tina looking confused. “But…
your a seventh son? How did you… get back?” she looked at
Robin.

“Well actually,” said Robin. “He
is
in
the Book of Names.”

“What?” I said. “But, I can’t be… I’m the
seventh son
in my family. Even Malakai said so.”

Robin rubbed his glasses. “If that’s true,
how do you think I brought you back to life? I saw it… it appeared
just as the book was disappearing. But I’ve forgotten it now.”
Robin blinked looking around, as if the answer may be on the walls.
“How strange…”

“Well you will forget it,” said Tina matter
of factly. “The Book of Names won’t let you remember them! And this
is interesting, the Book wanted you to bring Avis back.” Her eyes
were swimming with adoration.

“Perhaps…” said Ernie. “Or, it could have
something to do with Avis knowing and saying Malakai’s true
name?”

Partington cleared his throat. “Could be.
Let’s keep this conversation for a later time. Let’s get out of
here.”

As I stood, I heard my joints and bones
click. My body felt a hundred years old. “Take it slow Avis…” said
Tina. “Your going to ache for a while, that body has died, it needs
time to recuperate.”

“Whereas mine,” said Ernie. “Is brand new. I
feel great!” he gave a twirl.

Tina hugged Robin, then me. “I can’t believe
you did it,” she mouthed as we began moving slowly back through the
passageway.

I felt strange. I was so glad Tina was ok,
Ernie too, and well, my genius plan had worked. But my heart
yearned to be on that escalator. As we left the room I saw Ernie
look longingly over his shoulder at the place where the crack in
the wall was. He felt it too, I just knew it.

“Where do you think the Book went next?” I
said stumbling behind, my voice croaky.

“Wherever it’s gone,” said Robin. “Let us
hope it won’t be found for a long time, not by Malakai, not by
anyone.”

“You have freed countless Wizards from curses
and spells, you do realise that.”

“You’re gonna be famous,” said Tina.

“Hmm…” I said. “I’m not sure about that.” I
felt awful, don’t get me wrong, my chest ached, my legs hurt, my
head thumped, but, I was so glad it was finished. Malakai, the man
who had been a shadow over my family since I could always remember,
had been reduced to nothing more than a mere mortal. He’d got away,
but I’d completed what I set out to do - and now, she was walking
right beside me, a little weak, but we were all fine, just
fine.

You see, I knew that I could not challenge
Malakai in Magical skill, but I did know his true name, largely by
accident. Yet I couldn’t say it. After reading about ghosts, I
learnt something that most Wizards don’t pay attention to — spells
don’t apply to ghosts in the same way. The only way I could say his
true name and weaken him, was if I was a ghost. I didn’t want to
completely end him, because then Tina would remain cursed. I gave
Robin the instructions, telling him to open them just before
midnight so he wouldn’t tell everyone and spoil my plan. I’d found
a book that gave direct instructions on how to bring back the dead
using a true name. What I wasn’t expecting was to be brought back
myself.

I kept waking up in a sweat but seeing Tina’s
green lit face staring at me in the bed opposite. “Shhh…” she’d
say, soothingly. “It’s ok.”

When dawn stretched in through the tall
windows, the Healer came around the beds with hot drinks and food
on a floating sheet of green light. I sat up slowly and ate, under
stern orders from the Healer, a bowl of gloopy green stuff. As I
swallowed, I felt it going all the way down, pulsing pure energy to
the ends of my fingers and toes. The Healer smiled. I felt much
better already.

Partington, sat opposite, propped himself up
in bed then said he wanted to know everything. Ernie in the bed
next to his dad, was inspecting his legs and prodding his knee
caps. I sighed, not sure where to start. Robin, in the bed to my
left, finished the green stuff, handing the Healer his bowl and
then put his glasses on smiling round cheerily.

So I told them everything. With the green
light pulsing through me it felt cathartic to relive recent events
and telling my captive audience all that I had done. After I
finished, and after much gasps and intake of breaths we all sat
back for a brief moment of silence. Partington, the oldest out of
us all, was simply bursting with questions.

“Well…” I said, answering his third in a row.
“People only come back as ghosts if they have an emotional anchor
to earth.”

“I
see
…” said Partington enthralled,
sitting before me like some disciple in prayer before his
master.

“But, I couldn’t have done any of what I did
without Tina, or Ernie, or Robin, or you Partington. Don’t you see,
I just
finished
the job. It was Ernie’s quest first, then
Tina’s, then mine… I basically followed their notes.”

“And the key?” said Partington. “To the door,
was from Ernest?”

“Yes, from the past,” I said.

Ernie cleared his throat. “Just before I
went, I made a copy, in case I failed. I put a
Destiny Charm
on it.”

“My god,” said Partington clapping a hand to
his mouth.

“What’s a
Destiny Charm
?” said
Tina.

“It’s errr…” said Robin, cleaning his glasses
with his shirt again. “Well, a flipping hard charm that leaves
Magic the guardian of an item. Then, it follows the
Seven Flows
of Magical Destiny
, through coincidence and serendipity, and
then it appears to the right person in the right place at the right
time.”

I blinked impressed, how did Robin know
that?

Partington turned to Ernie with a pained
expression. “Oh Ernie… you went after Malakai because of…
Mother
?” Ernie nodded, looking down at his feet.

I admitted my concerns that Malakai was still
at large, mostly to fill the uncomfortable silence that had
befallen. His threat of coming back to finish the job now preying
on my mind.

“Pah! He won’t be coming back anytime soon.
Anyway, if he does, we’ll be ready for him,” said Partington
raising a fist in the air.

“And he’ll be scared of you Avis,” said
Robin.

Yes,
I thought,
but, I can’t say
his true name anymore.
I kicked myself, I should have
telepathically sent his name to all the ghosts. Not that I knew how
to.

“You know, when this gets out, and it will…”
said Tina grinning at me. “You’ll be famous Avis. What are your
family going to think?”

I grimaced. “I dare to think.”

“But Avis you will be the face of the
uprising against Malakai! We can begin to dismantle his empire.
Once this gets out it will be just what people need, they will have
the confidence to confront him. His main power is gone! He doesn’t
have the Book of Names anymore, he’s weak.”

“He’ll be looking for it though, I bet ya,”
said Robin.

“He will,” said Partington. “Ernest is right
though, Avis. If you become the face of the uprising, having
already conquered him, you will give so many Wizards the hope to
stand up to injustice again. And that’s very important.”

“I am not the right person to be the face of
any uprising, believe me! As I said, I just followed on from your
quests. I’d prefer anonymity.”

Ernie looked fit to burst. “But!”

“He said he wants anonymity,” said Tina
defiantly. Her stare enough to make Ernie and Partington back down.
“But, there might be an alternative…” she said. “I mean, we’d have
to figure out the right story, but, I don’t see why it wouldn’t
work…”

It was agreed and a Magical pact had been
formed. If anyone even so much as breathed what we’d agreed to
anyone but each other, then something very nasty would happen.

“And you are sure that is ok with you Avis?”
said Ernie.

“I am one hundred percent sure.” It was a
great plan, I had to agree.

“Right,” said Partington as the Healer nodded
that we could all leave. “Time to tell the world…”

***

A special assembly had been called in the
Chamber. I was sitting next to Tina and Robin, sipping kiwi juice,
my heart thumping. The Chamber was packed to the brim and buzzing
with excitement that an impromptu assembly had been called. They
were all whispering, trying to guess what it could be about.

The Lily prowled the front of the Chamber and
once silence fell and addressed the packed room, beaming wide.

“It has long been known…” he called. “That
the man known as
Malakai
held a deep Magical power over a
vast portion of our Society. He was schooled here, at Hailing Hall
and all of you have heard of him, his evil ways and mysterious
plans that we would all be entering into, with little choice,” he
paused. “I am pleased to say then, that after an altercation in the
school last night, Malakai’s powers have been
severely
weakened
…” talking broke out. I saw Ross’s livid, confused face
as he looked round at his friends. But then cheering. The whole
school began cheering and screaming with joy.

“
NO WAY!
”

“
HOW?!
”

“
Impossible
!” People cried, hugging
each other.

“Hush… hush!” cried the Lily over the
impenetrable noise and excitement. “Let me introduce then… our
hero. The person who did it, the one who has saved countless lives,
not just from death, but from a life of martyrdom. Now, let us
listen to his fascinating story… Ernest Partington!”

The crowd roared and screamed as Ernie stood
from the Magisteers table and walked confidently to the front. The
whole school stood and cheered for ages. I smiled as he looked over
at me. Tina was clapping and screaming all at the same time, she
glanced at me once or twice to see if I was jealous. I wasn’t… not
much, this was for the best. Huge drapes and posters fells from the
rafters with Ernie’s face emblazoned across them. Ernie was a crowd
pleaser. His good looks endeared him instantly to the girls and his
confidence and bravado gave the boys a new hero.

“So that’s what happened…” finished Ernie.
“And now, I can finally retake my last year of school.” The crowd
stood again and applauded. Some were crying, astounded at the
brilliant story. And it was a brilliant story, mostly made up by
me.

Ernie had recounted to an enthralled audience
how as a ghost he couldn’t be seen, how he lived in the clock tower
and one day stumbled upon an old amulet with a name written inside.
It was the true name of Malakai, the one who had killed him.

“And I soon worked out, with some help, that
I was the only one who could stop him… Ghosts are the only one’s
who can say a Jarred Name.”

We left the Chamber. Everyone in the school
so excited that they began running around the castle sending
firework Spells whizzing into the ceilings and off into the
grounds. I realised that there were more people who’s lives had
been touched by Malakai than I’d realised. Even the Magisteers
joined in the celebrations, until the castle was a mass of colour,
noise and excitement. The Lily was standing on the staircase above
the hall, he caught my eye and winked.

***

The last three months at Hailing Hall were
what I thought coming to this school was supposed to be like. In
other words, it was bliss.

Ernie had managed to get himself on the front
page of the Herrald for a whole week. We hardly saw him, as he was
continually in meetings with journalists who wanted their five
minutes with the now infamous Ernie Partington. Suddenly any doubt
I had about not revealing it was actually me dissipated. The
newspaper was very flattering about such a young, clever, handsome
boy, yet still ran with the headline
Ghost-Boy defeats
Malakai!

Of course, Ernie wasn’t impressed with it,
the papers referring to him as
Ghost-boy
hit a nerve I
think. Still, the school was walking on air, housing an A list
celebrity. Someone who had won back the liberty of thousands of
Wizards across all the Seven Magical Kingdoms. You know, I almost
kept forgetting that it was me that did those things. He was the
man of the moment and Partington was so proud. He knew it was a
sham, but I think he was just pleased to have his only son
back.

I was glad now that I didn’t die. Just for
those last few months at school. It took me a week or so to fully
recover from dying, but after, I felt normal again. I slept in the
Healer’s room a few more nights, under her orders, I didn’t
complain. The sleep you could get in that room was unbelievable.
When me and Tina left the Healers room after a week, Tina now fully
recovered and back to her normal self, we danced and skipped along
to the Chamber where we indulged ourself in a huge meal with three
puddings! It felt so good to eat!