The Alpha And Omega Of Magic

Chapter Nine - Caught In The Act.

                                          Chapter Nine - Caught In The Act. 

      “Clint! Cl-Clint-t,” I cried out, walking down the steep slope of the palace grounds. My momentum built up because of the inclination. Absolutely out of breath, I fell flat on the cobblestoned street and gasping for air, I said, “Are the guards looking?”

          He looked up to verify and gave me a thumbs down. I gently undid my black cloak and rolled it up into a pillow. Clint looked at me wide eyed and asked, “Any news on Noah?”

      “Uh-huh!” Should I tell him about the pitiable condition they were in? I wondered. Carefully formulating a precise reply, I said, “Don’t worry. Everything went fine. I’ll be able to rescue him, tomorrow.”

        The sun had plunged into the western skies, radiating a soft, reddish-pink glow and wagons full of chatty ladies rode past us. I slid a strand of hair past my ear and kept walking, staring at my profound brown gladiator shoes—a part of the school uniform. Clint mumbled a weak ‘thank you’ and handed me a piece of cheese wrapped in muslin. Vigilantly, I unpacked it and shoving the silky cloth into a pocket, I nibbled at the spongy cheese. It tasted bitter and carried high amounts of saturated salts, but it’s taste was mind-boggling.

      As we reached the church, I pulled out the kyanite ring from my skirt’s pocket. “Stay here, with me . . . tonight only! Please?” Clint wiped his nose on a handkerchief.

       “B-but, I need to go back to my dormitory little Clint. You’ll be safe. It’s only a matter of a couple of days and very soon, you’ll be back with your brother.”

      His lips curled into a smile. Before I mumbled the special words to transport me to Nicosia, I opened my arms and beckoned him to hug me. Clint came closer and hesitantly held me. I pulled him closer and rubbed his back, affectionately. “You’re a brilliant eleven year old.” As I said that particular phrase, a tumultuous whirlwind jerked me and collapsing to the floor, I fell in a faint.

        I furtively shut the door past the Storage Room and climbed up a flight of stairs heading towards the restroom. As usual, the restroom smelled of exotic wild roses which flared my nostrils. I locked myself up in a booth and pulling the kyanite ring out of my pocket, I decided to ensure Dartel’s words—“Queen Sydnetia’s daughter could not transport herself from any other place but the old, burnt church.” When I silently mumbled the words, nothing significant happened. The ring’s stone glowed for a moment, eventually turning normal again. So, it was true indeed.

       As I walked towards the dormitory, I devised a clever plan of action. Seeing nobody else in the hallway, I talked to myself, “In The Alpha and Omega of Magic’s royal court, I was supposedly a courtier. Tomorrow, I’d tell the King and Queen that all the boys and men captured in the cage should be free to test their carpentry skills—the sooner the better. If they agreed, the men would be taken to the fields in the palace’s premises and, could also obtain fresh wood from the pine trees. I would clandestinely open the back gate and free Noah and the others.” Brilliant I thought.

       Jaywalking down the dormitory corridors to warm myself up, the chilly winds felt like a sharp knife’s cut. “Where’ve ya’ been all this while?”

        I looked up to face Tia Maria, Joanna and Gerry. Tia Maria’s furious eyebrows met and her eyes turned into a deep scarlet hue—just the same color it changed into on the first day of school. “Do you know your eyes turn red?” I laughed. To my dismay, the three of them looked dead serious as they gave me looks of utmost disgust.