Avis Blackthorn: Is Not an Evil Wizard! (4 page)

His words echoed around the chamber, no one
spoke. Ross and his friends didn’t look as receptive. The Lily
turned to us.

“We all welcome you here as part of the
Hailing Hall family. We have a long tradition of good and able
Wizards. To use their skills learnt here to help and improve the
lives of others. But also to help sow the seeds to help everyone
realise their innate Magical abilities. The lessons here are tough,
long, arduous but rewarding. Our Magisteers are the most
experienced, practical Wizards you will find anywhere in the Seven
Magical Kingdoms. You will shortly, be placed in forms. This form
will consist of seven girls and seven boys. They will be like your
family. Get to know them well. We have not put them together by
random, but in the hope that your qualities will complement each
other. You will be given a form tutor each. This Magisteer will be
more like a parent. Treat them as such. As for me, I encourage you
to come and ask me anything, if you feel the pressing need. So
without further ado, lets commence!”

A bong clapped out of nowhere and made me
jump. Then, this small pedestal grew out of the ground. The Lily
indicated one of the new years to step up. Poor girl, she looked
terrified. I was glad it wasn't me first.

“H-h-hello… my name is Ursula Herrald and
erm… an interesting fact about me is… erm…”

“Come on,” said Magister Dodaline
impatiently.

“Erm, erm, is that my great-great-great-great
Granddad was the founder of the Herrald newspaper…”

The crowd crooned. That was a good one, I
don’t know why she hesitated. The Herrald is very popular Magical
newspaper. Mum and Dad don’t get it, as it’s biased against
Malakai. But I sometimes saw Butler Kilkenny reading it in the
servant’s quarters.

Ominously the line trickled down. I felt a
ball of gas that needed to be expelled swell violently in my lower
colon. I held onto it. Robin was next, and looking more like a
turtle peeping out from under a shell, he took to the podium.

“Ello. My name’s Robin Wilson, I am from the
outside, a place called Yorkshire in England. And an interesting
fact about me is that… I won the spelling championship of England
aged seven.” Robin looked kind of sheepish, he said his interesting
fact kind of apologetically as if he felt boasting was sinful.

And then, it was me. My legs like jelly as I
walked up to the podium. In my nervousness I think I looked a bit
sour. It’s not my fault, it’s just what my face does when I’m
nervous, goes all sour and superior. The Chamber of people looking
at me was quite surreal, for I was used to this many people
laughing or making fun of me. All I had to do was not muck this up
and I’d be fine. I could see Ross’s face smiling devilishly,
whispering to his friends.

“H-hi. My…” I cleared my throat, because my
voice kept cracking. I didn’t want to look weak. “My name is Avis
Blackthorn.” I announced. There was a kind of groan, some people
tutted and looked away. Some of the people nearest Ross nudged him.
I was losing them already, I didn’t want to be associated with my
brother, or any Blackthorns, I wanted to be my own person…

“And the interesting fact about me is…” While
we were queuing, I decided that my fact would be that I had a
birthmark of the number seven on my bottom, it would be sure to
raise to a laugh. But, after the initial reaction to my name, I
stupidly, trying to win the crowd back announced: “And I am nothing
like my family in any way, they are all evil, I am not…”

There was a wave of
Oooing
, as eyes
started to sway towards my brother. He played it cool of course,
his dark eyes fixed on me. I felt a wave of dread, I knew what
those eyes meant. He was really angry. I swallowed. Some people, I
think, looked kind of pleased that I had denounced myself from my
family, others didn’t look convinced, perhaps they thought it was a
Blackthorn trick. I hobbled from the podium in silence and joined
Robin at the other side of the Chamber.

The next boy up caused a wail of laughter as
he tripped headfirst into the podium, which rocked on the spot. The
lad was quite large and got up not looking fazed at all. He laughed
at himself with this big booming laugh which made the crowd laugh
harder still.

Then he said, causing more laughter. “My
name’s Hunter. My interesting fact, is that I am not a hunter.” He
hopped away to join us and nearly head butted me, clearly Hunter
was quite accident prone.

We were swiftly given our form name and
table. Through sheer luck and good fortune, myself, Robin and
Hunter were all in the same form, we were
The Condors
. We
sat at this large round table in the middle of the Chamber. Also
joining our table, one by one were: Graham, a “Scottish” boy from
the Outside. Jess, this red lipped, pure white faced girl who
looked like she might break if you dropped her. Florence, a girl
with loads of freckles. Dennis, a short funny looking lad who spoke
so quickly it was hard to understand him. Ellen, this shy girl with
large glasses and long poker straight hair. Jake and his twin
sister Grettle, I’d never seen identical twins before, especially
not a boy and girl one. They were both blond, with green eyes and
this kind of naughty, mischievous look. I wasn’t sure if I liked
it, they sat side by side laughing intermittently as if passing
each other telepathic messages. The last four were, Simon, a plain
looking boy from Happendance like me. Joanna, a girl who looked
like she belonged more in the woods as her flyaway bushy brown hair
would otherwise indicate. Then Dawn, a very large girl who was
munching on a box of chocolate raisons.

Apparently the last girl who was supposed to
be in our form hadn't made it, or had decided not to come… so we
were a form of thirteen.

We all sort of sat there at the table not
looking at each other or saying anything. When everyone was seated,
The Lily stood and clapped his hands. Suddenly the tables exploded
with food! Plates and saucers of all kinds of stuff just appeared.
There was so much to look at my eyes kind of went all funny. The
food was barely on the table for a second before Hunter picked up
his plate and started spooning great clumps of mash, mini pies,
peas, peppers, cabbage, this weird sausage looking thing, all
sorts. I took a little while longer, before commencing
tentatively.

“Weird innit…” said Hunter, he was speaking
with his mouth full. I hated that, but I didn’t say anything.
“There’s only three black boys including me in this year.”

“Oh,” I said, I didn’t know what to follow
this up with so I kind of looked around and nodded. “I suppose
there is.”

“Yeah, there’s thirty in the year above.”

“Oh right.” I said, again not knowing what to
say.

“Anyway, it’s not about how many or what
colour is it? We’re all the same, we’re all Magic!” he shouted and
this pea flew across the table and hit Ellen on her glasses, it
left a nasty smudge on the front and she just kind of looked at
it.

“Sorry,” said Hunter.

“It’s fine,” she said wiping them with her
sleeve. “Just eat them with your mouth closed next time.”

Hunter did.

I had more pressing issues however. I
enquired gently of the people round the table, as if I was just
making idle chit chat, if they had all brought their Ever-changing
robes and channellers. Every single one of them said that of course
they had. I felt a stone drop in my chest. What if the school
chucked me out because I didn’t come with the right stuff?

After I finished my jam tart and custard the
table fell into a getting to know each other chat.
Where are you
from? What’s your name again? Are you an Outsider or a born Wizard?
Predictions about what we would be doing at school.
All that
kind of stuff.

The girl called Jess started speaking to me.
“So Avis, you have an older brother here?” I nodded. “So you, out
of all of us, must know what will be happening over the coming
weeks?”

They all looked at me. “No, well, my brother
hasn’t told me anything, he wouldn’t, we don’t get on. He’s evil,
like my family…”

“I’ve heard about you
Blackthorns
…”
said Dawn, through a mouthful of cake. “You all work for
Malakai
.”

I didn’t like Dawn’s tone. “No. I don’t. My
family does.”

“Same thing,” She said.

“No, it’s about as similar as a Dragon and a
gecko.”

“They’re related, both reptiles.” She said,
crumbs falling everywhere. Her and Hunter really were made for each
other.

“You know what I mean.” I could tell me and
this Dawn were going to have a problem with each other.

“Who’s Malakai?” said Robin.

Dawn got there before I did. “Oh, well you
wouldn’t know would you being an Outsider. He’s the most evil man
in all the Seven Magical Kingdoms, a Sorcerer, he’s killed more
Wizards than I’ve had hot dinners…” I reframed from saying out loud
the insult I had in mind. “And he rules with black Magic and evil
dark powers. Some say his evil Magic turned him into this horned
beast with blackened skeletal hands.”

“Nothing wrong with that,” said Hunter.

“No! But charred, long clawed hands.”

Most people round the table shuddered at her
waffle. She wasn’t wrong. He was all of those things and more. But
it’s how she said it that grinded on me.

Graham, Ellen, Hunter and Robin were all
Outsiders, like you, and the rest were from the surrounding seven
Magical Kingdoms. Jake and Grettle were from Golandria, English was
there second language, they were quite good at it but definitely
needed work. They kept getting ‘
hello
’ mixed up with ‘
how
are you
’.

Mind you, I would never be able to speak
Golandrian.

Soon after that and quite late into the
evening the older years took themselves off to their rooms. Then
one by one, each new years’ table was escorted by a Magisteers to
our rooms. Apparently the dorms were all over the school. Ours was
out of the Chamber, back into the hall, up the large staircase,
then along about fifty hallways, left, right, left, right, left
again, I would never remember this! Then along a dark third floor
hallway complete with turquoise carpets, oak panelled walls, large
hanging chandeliers and strange ghoulish pictures, and finally we
were at the entrance to the Condor boys dorm room.

The Magisteer leading us wore all grey and
was stooped with no expression whatsoever. He didn't even introduce
himself, or even say a word for the entire walk through the castle.
He unlocked the thick oak door and pushed. We all traipsed in and
looked around. So this was our room for the next year. Seven beds
lay spaced around a large open room. It had a three leather sofas
facing a grand fireplace, the same turquoise carpet as the
hallways, and two tall mullioned windows looking out across the
back courtyard. It was dark by now of course, but in the distance I
could just make out the lights from Unverdown.

“Your suitcases are next to your beds,” said
the Magisteer with no expression. “Bathrooms are along the hallway,
turn right, left and right again. Your form tutor will arrive
tomorrow morning to pick you up for classes. Goodnight.”

We all sort of looked at each other nervously
as the door slammed shut. Hunter jumped on the nearest bed and lay
down, before we had even searched the beds for our bags. My bag was
on a bed was in the middle, facing the windows. Either side of me
was Dennis and Graham. Robin was opposite, with Jake, Hunter and
Simon in the other corners. The beds all sort of faced each other
and it was smaller than the one I had at home. But boy, when I got
on it… it was the comfiest bed I’d ever lay on! Must of been made
with clouds, or Unicorn feathers. Somehow the mattress seemed to
take all the stress out of my body from this monumentally tiring
day. Either side of ours beds was a wardrobe, and a desk. I put all
my clothes away and stashed my bag under the bed. I lined my pens
and paper out on my writing desk. Then, we all sort of collected
together by the door to go and get washed. Bit sad really, but if
we got lost together it wouldn’t be as harrowing. I collected my
wash bag and off we went.

We found it ok. The Bathroom was long, with
thirty sinks and mirrors all a line, with a large walk in shower
and toilet cubicles the other end. Past the long line of sinks were
these huge white steel bathtubs, with their equally huge metal
taps. Along the wall nearest them was a selection, in glass
decanters, of special bath foams, shampoos and soaps. They had some
for born-wizards and others for the Outsiders who were a bit
squeamish of spider soap and slug juice shampoo.

Robin looked particular grossed out by the
selection in my wash bag. He nearly feinted when I started brushing
my teeth. Mind you, he began using this white minty stuff, it
stank! Hunter, oblivious, was already using some of the stuff in
the jars to wash his face. I don’t think he looked, because he was
using
Worry-free Worm Juice Bubble Bath
to wash his face. He
was a strange boy.

I walked back to our dorm with Robin. The
girls’ dorm was on the other side of school, for this I was glad,
as I don’t think I could have stood trying to share a room with
Dawn.

“What do you think of the place?” I said to
Robin, who looked shell shocked, with big bags under his eyes.

“I didn’t know Magic existed until last week,
now I find myself in a Magic school… it kinda feels like some
strange dream.”

As soon as my head hit that soft pillow I was
out like a light. Strange dreams flew round my head. Like they do
when you first go to a new and strange place. I was sure I kept
waking up, confused as to where I was. Someone was snoring awfully
loud. My bets were on Hunter.

Then, at some god awful time in the night, I
had the fright of my life. I had just heard something. So I sat up
slowly and peered round in the darkness, snores reverberating
around the room. When suddenly, out of the blue this glowing white,
monstrous faced entity shot out from under my bad and stared at me.
His eyes were black, his mouth gaping wide, his skin crawling with
a thousand maggots.