Avis Blackthorn: Is Not an Evil Wizard! (14 page)

I was in the main building now, with all its
glorious, garish portraits lining the walls, and long tapestries
hanging down like dirty waterfalls. My eyes had been so used to
darkness and nothing, that they buzzed and were very sore. I
desperately needed a shower too. I hadn’t changed my clothes in a
week. Then I saw people, up ahead, in plain clothes (it must have
been Sunday) milling around in the corridors. There were three boys
in dark red robes from the second year, who were playing some
Magical card game. I scuttled past them as quickly as possible.
When they looked up and saw me, they cowered back against the wall,
eyes following me as if I was Malakai himself.

It wasn’t far to the Chamber, but it felt
like I was running some emotional marathon. I entered the hall with
trepidation, for I could hear lots of voices. I kept my head low as
possible, avoiding the eyes that now fell on me. After ten steps or
so, I felt the conversation change as group by group, person by
person, they saw me. Hushed whispers now reverberated around me. I
didn’t look up, didn’t say anything, I just kept moving and moving
quickly. The solitude and lack of noise had caused the whispers to
sound like shouts. All around me, hisses and spits split my ears
with accusations.

Here comes the boy who raises demons. Who
attacks his friends. Who nearly killed a boy. Who pretends to be an
evil Wizard. Well he is a Blackthorn! Why is he still in the
school? How can he stand there knowing what he did?! To one of his
own form!

Well
I
didn’t!

I was relived to finally be standing in front
of the Chamber doors to escape the whispers. Thankfully, the
Chamber was not very full, a smattering of people eating, some
doing homework with a few Magisteers at their table. All, however,
noticed me when I walked in. Everyone stopped talking. Magisteer
Dodaline who had taken Hunter to the Healer’s room looked
affronted. Others looked terrified and began scribbling away at
their homework, amongst dropped glances of barely concealed
contempt.

I could see the accusations in their eyes,
they thought I did it. I was so hungry I dived for the food. And
ate my first proper meal for weeks, the bobbing head beside me
silent and watching. It felt like more of a beacon than a helpful
tool to stop me becoming a victim of vengeance.

***

Over the coming month, things didn’t change
much. Hunter left the Healer’s room and went home for a few weeks.
When he returned, the whole Chamber burst into a tumultuous roar,
one by one they shook his hand and stroked his scars which were
horrific. He seemed pleased with them. I was sitting at a table on
my own, in a shadowy corner of the Chamber. I didn’t know how he
would respond to me, so I stayed where I was.

I found out the hard way that I wasn’t
allowed anywhere near my dorm, Partington’s classroom or the Eagles
dorm, as a barrage of ghosts would appear, hurling abuse at me if I
stepped one foot over their invisible boundaries. That really had
scared the living daylights out of me.

I returned to my new favourite place, the
clock tower. It was set up high in the spire. And no one came up
here, ever, they couldn’t anyway. I only found it by accident when
having a hunt around near the dark turret room. Both clock faces
are see-through so I can see everything that happens from both
sides of the courtyard and the gardens. It’s weird watching people
because I get sad that I can’t join them. I found it hidden behind
a large tapestry in one of the long corridors near my turret. The
first night I sat still listening to the satisfying clicks of the
metal clockwork and watching the sun setting over the horizon. Then
I couldn’t stand going back to the small, dank turret, so I
collected all my stuff and moved into the clock tower. At least
here I had a view, some light and no Magisteers coming to check up
on me every other day unannounced. I mean, it wasn’t perfect, the
bells rang deafening loud at certain times, there was a flock of
pigeons up in the rafters that pooed all the time and it was
incredibly dusty, but it sure felt homely.

Things moved slowly on the ‘
innocent
campaign
’ however. I decided, through a motivational talk from
Ernie who pops by each day, that I should do my best to clear my
name. Seeing as no one else was prepared to do anything about it. I
had not heard anything, except a rumour from Ernie that the Lily
was waiting for Hunter to be completely better before asking him
what happened. Straker had already been having long discussions
with apparent witnesses. For definite I knew he must have spoken
to: Robin, David Starlight including Straker’s own form… so if they
told the truth, surely Straker would have to profess my
innocence?

But as yet, I heard nothing.

Spurred on however by Ernie’s motivation that
I would clear my name, I attempted to speak to Robin.

It was lunch about two weeks ago. I saw him
sitting with the Condor boys, he and Graham were talking about
something, I couldn’t hear what. I walked over slowly and sat next
to him. When he saw me, he nearly jumped into the air.

“I just want to talk…” I whispered.

“I don’t… don’t wanna talk to you!” he said
trembling, loud enough for the whole Chamber to hear.

Five third years in orange robes near us
stood and eyed me up. The Shrunken Head on my shoulder eyeing them
back. I stood and sighed as eyes all around the Chamber followed
the proceedings.

“You really think,” I whispered. “That I,
would do
that
to Hunter? I am telling you it was…
him
…”

“You’re not right in the head,” said Robin
tapping his temple. “I saw you.”

“Right come on,” said the fifth year. “Leave
now.”

“I just wanted to…” more people around me on
tables stood now, their hands ready to Spell. What did they think I
was? “Fine, fine…” I managed.

That was as far as I got. I left the Chamber
and returned to the Clock tower where I stayed.

Tina’s face floated through my dreams
constantly. She had probably forgotten all about me, or thought I
was a nasty disease like all the others. I wondered how far she’d
got with her quest. I still didn’t know what it was about. As I lay
in the dusty clock tower, moonlight shining in through the large
oval face, I lay wondering about what she was doing right now.
Perhaps she was in the Library looking for that book. Who knows,
perhaps Robin was helping her.

Lessons with the ghosts were so boring. I had
two teachers, three if you included Ernie. Magisteer Hungerford,
who was a right evil cow, stuck up and with an attitude problem of
some sort because she wouldn’t let me answer anything, just droned
on asking rhetorical questions. It was really annoying.

Mr. Jenkinson was really boring too. He said
everything as if I was five years old and sometimes he’d just fall
asleep half way through talking. And if I woke him up he began the
lesson from the beginning, so mostly I didn’t bother. The dungeon
where I had my lessons with the ghosts was drab, dank and cold. It
was a long walk from my room in the tower to the dungeons every
day, past the offensive looks in the corridors, down into icy cold,
damp dripping rooms with less light than a lit matchstick. It was
only me in the lessons too. At least, I think it was.

Ernie taught me too, still bringing me up
bits of work from Partington. He would relay things to me he had
picked up as he flew around the castle hearing titbits. Lately he
had taken to hiding in suits of armour near the Eagle boys dorm,
but didn’t hear anything of value.

Spurned on again by Ernie’s talks in the
clock tower about retribution, I gee’d myself up to go and talk to
certain people. Like he said, I didn’t have anything to lose. I’d
already decided that if I was kicked out of Hailing Hall, I
wouldn’t be going home - I was never going back there.

On Sunday morning I spotted Hunter walking
alone in the courtyard. I made my way down as quick as I could into
the blistering sun, which I was not used to at the moment. Zooming
out of the back entrance, my heart beating fast, I walked quickly
to catch up with him. Expecting him to run away I slowed and tried
to make myself small and unthreatening. I could see his scars
properly now. He had two deep gashes across his face, on his left
cheek, stretching up to his forehead. Like a giant sideways
smile.

I swallowed. “Hunter, it’s me, Avis.”

He didn’t stop walking, but smiled. “I know,”
he said smiling.

“Right… erm… god, this is so hard but I want
you to know… I would never do anything to harm you, and I swear on
my limited life, it was not me who did that to you.”

“I know,” he said.

I frowned. “What do you mean? Everyone thinks
it’s me. Straker, Dodaline, the whole school…”

Hunter stopped and shook his head. “Even if
it was you, I would forgive you. I’ve… seen things now that made me
realise that life is too short for holding grudges, or worrying
about being a loser. And I got a month in this sweet ass Healer’s
room, take me back there any day! And a couple of weeks at home
with the family. Ok, the demon was scary as hell… but I know that
could never have been you. I know you Avis.” He looked at me, his
left eye partially shut because of the scar. “You aint got it in
ya’ to do something like that!”

He smiled, and something inside me breathed a
huge sigh of relief.

“Anyway, I saw him…”

“Saw who?”

“
Malakai
. Big shiny blue eyes, long
fingers… saw him in the reflection of the armour mask. Not for
long, but I saw him.”

“But… ” I was on the verge of tears.
“Everyone hates me, they think I did it.”

“It was a stupid plan, we are all accountable
in some way. But I agree, you should not be blamed for this.” He
said pointing at his face.

I swallowed the tears. “Has anyone asked you
about it?”

“Yeah,” he said as we crossed the grassy
field towards the floating island. “The Lily asked me and Straker.
I told them it was Malakai. They asked me not to tell anyone else
in the school. Made me swear…”

And then it dawned on me why everyone still
thought it was me - the Lily didn’t want people to think that
Malakai was coming into the school! I was the scapegoat!

“Don’t worry Avis, the Lily assured me this
would all be sorted out and you’ll be fine,” he gave me a tap on on
the shoulder and walked across the bridge to the floating island,
leaving me standing there in disbelief. That was not how I expected
the conversation to go. The Shrunken Head was shielding itself from
the sun behind my shoulder so I made my way back indoors.

Resuming my place, cross legged behind the
clock face, I stared out across the courtyard watching everyone
playing and frolicking in the sun. I couldn't help the tears, the
despair too much — I felt appalling sorry for myself and lay in a
ball cursing this crappy world! I cursed the Lily, Straker and the
Eagles. They all knew I was innocent, but were using me as the
scapegoat, so no one else in the school would become terrified that
Malakai could just waltz in whenever he liked. I was sad that my
experience of this Magical school had been robbed of me,
unjustly.

Ernie appeared and sat opposite me, bringing
food from Sunday dinner. I wasn’t hungry. I just wanted to sit and
listen to the clock ticking it’s loud satisfying clunks.

“It’s not healthy to trap yourself up here.
You have to be brave and face the world.”

I sniffed. “Yeah, not right now.” I told him
what Hunter said and Ernie nodded along and hugged me. He was cold,
but it felt… comforting to feel the touch of someone, even someone
dead.

I didn’t leave the clock tower for a few
days, I just lay and stared out across the landscape. I bet the
ghost Magisteers hadn’t even noticed my lack of appearance. Hec,
probably no one did.

Ernie brought me food which sat in an uneaten
pile in the corner. I continued to sit and watch the sun chase the
moon into night and day. Warm, hot days replaced overnight with
falling white snowflakes and frosty cold winds. The black clouds
rolled in, bringing winter with them. Christmas was just around the
corner. Ernie gave me a Spell to make a contained fire. It sat
behind me providing this modicum of heat, yet I could still see my
breath in front of me. Some people went home for Christmas. I
watched them, with their new levitating Spells carrying their bags
and cases across the courtyard, into carriages and flying home. For
a moment, I couldn't decide where I would rather be… here, or
home.

***

Lying in my pit, staring out at the familiar
view across Hailing Hall, moonlight streaming across soft white
snow, blue flames unable to melt the ice that had settled in my
bones, I slipped in and out of dreams. One, was a wonderful dream
that I was intent on trying to prolong. I was with Tina, down by
the lake, swimming… then we were running in the sun and Spelling
each other for fun… then she kissed me. It ended just before our
lips met. And I woke to the cold, shivering between my
blankets.

Something outside caught my attention. A
shape was moving through the snow, along the side of the hedge. It
was tall, with long skeletal hands and blue glowing eyes… Malakai
was walking towards the castle. Cloak hiding his skeletal head. I
rubbed my eyes, making sure I wasn’t still dreaming. He was the one
who had done this to me. But why was he coming into the school?

For five consecutive nights, at one thirty in
the morning, I saw him making his way into the school. It could not
have been a dream. I stayed awake watching. On the sixth night, I
sat up and made a decision, I had to find out what he was up to. I
reasoned for a long time, but in the end I thought
I have
nothing to lose.
Once I decide on something its pretty hard to
persuade me otherwise. And I had decided on something major. I
would find out why Malakai was coming into the school, and I would
do everything I could to stop him and his evil plans. Avis
Blackthorn would get his revenge!