Avis Blackthorn: Is Not an Evil Wizard! (15 page)

I felt reinvigorated. And Ernie seemed
perkier at my renewed vigour, for I had a mission. I was trying to
think of a way to follow Malakai without being spotted. I needed to
get to the Library and hunt for invisibility Spells. Resuming my
spot at the clock face, cross legged as if in prayer, I sat and
thought about Malakai night after night, contemplating what he was
and what he could be doing. I didn’t know much about him. Not much
at all. How old was he? Where was he from? What was his favourite
dinner? Strange thoughts indeed, but necessary, for he was just a
man.

All of a sudden I heard this charging noise.
Streams of people came pilling out into the courtyard below for a
snowball fight, it looked amazing. Graham and Simon led the charge,
with their ties around their head. Hang on, had their ties changed
colour? They had! Turquoise blue when we started, their’s were now
maroon! That must have meant that they had gone up a level in
Magic!

A jealous pot of rage suddenly burned white
hot inside me. They were steaming ahead with their Magical training
and I was being left behind, being taught by some shoddy ghosts.
All because I was being made a scapegoat. Well, I would show them.
I didn’t need a tie to tell me how good at Magic I was.

“Go and join in,” said Ernie watching them
play.

“Naa…” Can you imagine? They’d all run back
in as soon as they saw me running towards them.

I could tell Christmas day wasn’t far off,
perhaps a day or two. Decorations littered the outside of the
school and a huge Christmas tree stood proudly in the centre of the
courtyard. I was woken each morning by the flipping bells, which
rang out this deafening Christmas song for about ten flipping
minutes.

It seems I would be spending Christmas alone.
At least, not with anyone who was alive.

***

In the dead of night on Christmas eve I made
my way down through the school. Tiptoeing quietly along the
corridors I hadn’t trod for weeks, into the boys’ bathroom. I
pulled the metal grate away and eased into the small passage.
Descending the stairs, I iced the river as I had done before, and
entered the dim cathedral-like Library. I was searching for: a
Spell, or an idea that would enable me to follow Malakai without
him spotting me. And, maybe some information on the man himself. It
occurred to me that if I could find a Spell that copied books I
could take some back with me to the clock tower. I almost knew how
to levitate now, but it was hit and miss.

Searching books in the Library is a long and
arduous process. Magic books are unnecessarily big with too much
information. Wizards, I know, like to waffle on. Some of the
ladders were wobbly too… I wish Ernie was here, he would be good
company, and give me a bit of light.

I laid some interesting looking books out on
the table and began reading, taking notes on my ink and
parchment.

After an hour, the page was full of tiny
Spells, ideas and thoughts that the books had given me. I felt
alive, standing over these brilliant books hunting for clues. A lot
of Spells and passages in the books had been black marked, but
eventually I found a Spell that didn’t quite give you invisibility
as such, but damn near close. It made whoever looked at you avert
their gaze and forget what they saw, your image drawn away from
their retina like a magnet. Combine that with Spells for making no
noise when you walk and you’re near enough impossible to be
noticed. But did Malakai have retinas? I wondered.

I searched for ages for a book about Malakai
but searching the
M
section for books entitled
Malakai
revealed nothing. I suppose finding a Malakai
autobiography was a bit of a long shot. There were, however,
certain passages and paragraphs written about him, but nothing I
didn’t already know.

Footsteps tapped softly along the icy river.
I ducked under the table instinctively. Someone else was coming! My
heart beat hard, breath short. Eyes scanning under the table where
I could see someone emerge slowly. Their eyes scanning the
vicinity, looking for the person who had frozen the river. Who was
this? It was too dark to tell, probably a Magisteer.

“Who iced this river?” called the voice. It
was a voice I hadn’t heard in a long time, but one which I dreamed
of hearing for a long time.

I stood. “Tina?” Her hands raised
automatically through the gloom. “It’s me, Avis.” She didn’t drop
them straight away, stepping forward slowly until she got a good
sight of me.

“Avis!” she stared at me for ages, as if I
perhaps wasn’t real. “Where the HELL have you been?! I’ve been
looking for you everywhere you dopy git!”

It was not the reaction I was expecting. “Er…
the…” I stammered, not knowing what to say first. “Clock tower…
looking for
me
?”

“Yeah, Partington too, said you weren’t in
your room, he keeps checking. Said you disappeared, or were hiding.
You’re a good hider.”

“I am. Years of practice.”

“Clock tower ayh, good find.” She said
climbing out of the river. I just stared at her trying to remind
myself this was not a dream. “I came to find you weeks ago, but you
just went off radar… I wanted to tell you that I believe you are
innocent, always did. When people started saying it was you, I
thought, something doesn’t stick here… Anyway, you’re still a git,
I wondered who iced the river. I couldn't get the boat up here, had
to
walk
it,” she tutted then looked at me suspiciously.
“Anyway, what are you doing here? It’s Christmas Eve silly.”

“I was…” Did I tell her about my plan to
follow Malakai? “Just looking for stuff, bored, and er…” I shrugged
feeling uncomfortable, my cheeks hot.

She eyed me again and frowned, then sat down
at the table. I tucked my parchment away. “Ahh, nice to sit down.
Sit down Avis, don’t be so nervous. No one’s gonna come in, it’s
Christmas Eve!” She winked.

“What are you doing here then?” I said,
sitting.

“Came to look for more books, in my
quest
, which I am no further through.” She tilted her head
back and stared up into the immense domed Library ceiling. I tried
to look cool, even though months of solitude had made me forget
social etiquette and had to stop myself staring.

“You never told me what your quest was,” I
said.

“No… I didn’t did I. Wasn’t sure I could
trust you to be honest, but, I think I can
now
.”

She was still looking up into the roof,
smiling. “Why now?” I said.

“Because you’ve seen
him
haven't you…
Malakai? He was the one who set the demon on Hunter. Even Hunter
said as much. The Lily is scared to admit that Malakai is coming
into the school so he let you take the blame.”

I nodded. She’d got it in one, but I didn't
know what that had to do with her quest.

“That’s why I can trust you Avis, you’ve seen
him. He did something horrible, knowing you would get blamed for
it. Do you know why?” She was leaning across the table looking
intently at me now with her twinkling eyes, my mind flickered back
to the dream I had.

“I have an idea,” I said but truth was, I
didn’t, just a best guess. “I’m a Blackthorn, not a very evil
Blackthorn, we are expected to be evil and join him as soon as we
leave school. He knows I will just be a liability?”

Tina juggled her head, she wasn’t satisfied
with the answer, but I was on the right track.

“Well, I mean, he did say something about me
being a
seventh son
?”

Her eyes flashed. “You’re a what?” she said
terrified.

I sat back. “What? Yeah, I’m a seventh son,
he spoke to me telepathically, said he never wanted a seventh son
to work for him.”

Tina blinked fast. “He
kills
seventh
sons.”

I frowned and giggled a little. Perhaps it
was the solitude again. “What? Why?”

“You really know nothing about Magic do you?”
I didn’t answer. “Seventh son is a myth, but it could be real.
Seventh son’s have a power that no one else has. That’s why Malakai
doesn’t like you. You’re a threat to him. Yes, yes, that’s why he
didn’t just kill you, he got you in trouble instead.”

“I think maybe my parents have something to
do with the fact that he didn’t kill me?” I said hopefully, wishing
that perhaps they had, for once, stuck up for me.

“I can’t remember the myth, need to look it
up! Not now, too late. My
quest
…” she said leaning forward
even closer until I could feel her breath on my face. “Listen… My
quest is to find the source of Malakai’s power…” she said. “My
brother, he died trying to find and destroy it. Wish he’d just not
have bothered. He was the nicest person you could ever meet, tall,
handsome… but anyway, he got close, but I think he anticipated what
was coming because he wrote all these instructions and Spells, and
his notes up for the next person to take up the quest and eliminate
Malakai.”

“How did you find it?”

“He left some notes in his desk at home, in a
letter for me.” As starlight twinkled into the room, I saw a tiny
tear in her glassy eyes. “I think…” she said wiping them. “Malakai
has
The Book Of Names
… You must have heard of that?” When
she saw my blank expression she carried on. “Fine. Let me explain…
The Book Of Names is this huge, ancient book that’s recorded the
name of every Wizard that’s ever been born. Their
given name
appears in the columns next to their
true name…
” I gasped. I
had heard about this. “So my given name is Tina, but my true
Magical name, which I don’t know, is in that book. When you know
someone’s true name you have complete power over them! Most people
don’t even know their true name, its too dangerous to know it in
case someone tortures it out of you. But if you have the Book Of
Names, you have power over everyone! Now, you are different…
because seventh son’s true names are not in the Book Of Names!”

“
Ohh
…” I said, as the revelation
finally dawned on me. “So, what your saying is, Malakai can’t
control me, like he does others because he can’t know my true
name?”

“Exactly,” she said sitting back.

“So that’s the book you were looking for… the
Book Of Names, is it in here?”

“No,” she laughed. “It’s not going to be
here… Why don’t you show me where you’ve been living these past
months Avis Blackthorn.”

We crept up to my clock tower and I showed
her round. She danced around the huge bells, and sung Christmas
carols.

She laughed. “It was Christmas day two hours
ago…” she said, looking at the giant clock face. “It’s cold up
here! However have you managed?”

I said my fire Spell and in a column of blue
light, fire lit up inside the glass cabinet.

“
Oooo
very impressive,” she said
warming her hands. “And you
sleep
here?”

She got into my bed, well I say bed, it was a
collection of cushions, pillows, sheets, rugs and clothes.

“I prefer to think of it as a nest,” I
said.

“I like it…” she said laying down and patting
the space next to her. I joined her in my bed. This was like some
awesome dream, but somehow it felt so normal. I wrapped all the
blankets over us, and we simply lay there watching the stars
through the clock face. At last, I had someone to share Christmas
with.

“Merry Christmas Avis.”

“Merry Christmas Tina.”

Zzzzz…

***

The bells for Christmas day rang out, nearly
deafening us both. “What the hec!” Tina called above the racket,
her hair everywhere. When it ended she flopped back down.

“Merry Christmas,” I said smiling.

She rolled her head to the side and looked at
me smirking. This filled my stomach with butterflies. “Got me a
present?” I swallowed, “I’m only joking,” she laughed.

When I looked around I realised my Shrunken
Head which I had grown so used to, had vanished. How strange. It
was with me when I left last night to go to the Library. Oh well, I
was glad to be rid of it.

Tina stretched. “You better not think this
makes us
an
item
.”

I went a little red. “What? No, no way,” I
scoffed.

Would I ever?

“Come on,” she said, dressing quickly. “Let’s
go and get breakfast.”

It was early, really early. I wasn’t sure how
much sleep I’d had but with Tina I didn’t feel tired at all. We
walked together through the school, which was alive and brimming
with noise and activity. People were running down the halls,
knocking on friends dorms. Fireworks blazed overhead, crackling
Christmas songs. Snowmen stood grinning in place of suits of
armour. Decorations littered the corridors, so much so, that it was
hard to take it all in. Impkus the ghost flew past me blowing a
trumpet and wishing all he passed a “
Merry Christmas!
”

In the Chamber, all the Magisteers including
The Lily, were up on their table in good cheer, awaiting breakfast.
Some of them still in their pyjamas! Me and Tina sat at a table and
she grinned at me with her brilliant white teeth. Suddenly
Breakfast exploded onto the table. There was everything you could
possibly imagine, it was like a heavenly last supper. Me and Tina
dined, we dined like there was no tomorrow.

When we finished, these little boxes of
presents popped up in front of us. This surprised me as I wasn’t
expecting presents. I rarely got a present at Christmas, so this
was well, utter excitement.

“Well are you going to open it?” said
Tina.

“But, what is it? Who is it from?”

“From the school, I think… You have to open
to find that out,” she said, ripping into her box. Inside hers was
a tin of
Magic Hidden Ink.
“Oh brilliant!” She called with
genuine surprise, frowning at how anyone would know to get her such
a thing. “Go on, you now…”