The Professor and the Starlight Phoenix

by Nathan David Ward

  The Golden throne shaped in the form of a dragon was taken by a tall, heavy man, with a grand, bushy black beard. He wore a long purple velvet coat with silver stars sewn in to the sleeves like some kind of wearable weaponry. They definitely could have been used as throwing stars, if a time ever came - as well as his long curly cane that rested against the side of the throne.

  He was known as Professor Grimtale, Head of the Institute of Morient kind. A school for the gifted, he liked to think, but others thought of it as more of a hospital, a means of looking after the unstable youngsters that were only just discovering their silent potential.

  The children, the adults, the people who existed with Morient DNA were far greater in ability than any human. Magic circulated their blood streams, stardust twinkled in their eyes and love blossomed stronger than anything a Human had ever had to offer. A Morient, or magically orientated person, had every right to walk the land of the Humans - but most forced themselves to stay separated, creating a sense of superiority, which Kenneth had always frowned upon. Kenneth was present inside the chamber, sat in his bronze Bear-like throne and eager to add to what Miss Bilshore had said as glimpses of the appearance flashed before his eyes.

  “I told you, Professor. I was not mistaken, I saw it! I followed the Phoenix to the border of Shoulders Heath, as far as I could climb. The Starlight Phoenix has returned, Professor Grimtale, you now have two eye witnesses,” Kenneth claimed, wiping the sweat from his brow and adjusting his spectacles, looking flushed in the face as he glanced over at Sachester Bilshore - the gatekeeper of Shoulders Heath and the sacred land beyond the black mountains.

  “Believe me, Mr Brown, I do not disbelieve either of you, it has merely raised concerns. And if what you say is undoubtedly true then we must prepare for the worst – and you both know what happens then...” Grimtale smiled dangerously, “Were there any other witnesses that we should know about, Mr Brown? Miss Bilshore?” he blinked, glaring across at the pair of them.

  “There was a boy, and a man,” Kenneth muttered, “But I dealt with them, there’s nothing to worry about.”

  Grimtale gave a sigh of relief then ran his hand vigorously through his silky curls, Grimtale had a lot of love for his afro, more than what could be said about Sachester Bilshore's, whose head also sported a nest of dark curly fibres. She had just thrown it in to a bun, much like the black dress and corset she had slipped in to. There was never time in her mind for making an effort with appearance, but needless to say she was a beautiful lady and her lack of makeup complimented her natural curvaceous features, especially her rosy red lips and cheekbones. Her arm was probably the only part of herself that she had allowed a little effort, it had a brown leather bracelet curling around it, much like the body of a snake, where beneath it, the black ink etched into her flesh took the shape of a tree with branches bare and sprawled about her forearm. It kind of looked out of place where the rest of her body was bare. It was certainly a hot topic of conversation waiting to happen - just perhaps in less troubled times.

  The heavy chamber doors were opened, swinging forth and closing hard behind the two strangers who came strutting in to the circular room. One was female and wore a long, vibrant pink coat that fell to the ankles and swayed behind her as she strolled towards the open space at the centre of the chamber - where the council members sat in a circular sequence, surrounding a tall ruby statue of a bird, much the same as the one described as a Phoenix by Miss Bilshore and Kenneth Brown.

  “Sorry we’re late, Professors and…,” she paused, looking across at Kenneth like the dirt on the sole of her pink diamond slippers, “- and whatever they call you,” she added, with amusement in her tone as she slumped herself down in to the comfort of her silver seat, which appeared to resemble a strange looking snake with the body of a horse, most certainly not of the human world.

  “Professor Magenta and Mr Silverstein, how nice of you to finally join us. Better late than never,” Grimtale grumbled, looking over at Kenneth, who now had Magenta sat smarmy beside him.

  “Apologies, Professor,” said Silverstein - Magenta's companion who had followed her in to the chamber. Silverstein was tall and slender with a long colour-shifting coat wrapped snug around him, casting rivers of silver as the sun's rays glanced across him, beaming down through the glass dome lid that sat overhead, concealing the room and casting it transcendent.

  His shiny metallic shoes clattered and echoed about the chamber as he stepped towards a chair, next to Magenta. This one was much smaller, and lacking personality in comparison to the others within the circle, but it was solid bronze like the majority of the seats that sat empty, apart from the presence of the silver and singular golden throne that Grimtale sat upon.

  “Is this everyone?” Silverstein questioned, looking across to Grimtale, “Or would there be a lack of reliability in the ranks, Professor. Wouldn’t be a first now, would it?

  The chamber fell silent as Silverstein and Grimtale exchanged a stern glare.

  “Lillian Vargov, Professor Lint and Professor Yuri are otherwise preoccupied, Mr Silverstein. As for the fourth throne that sits empty, the one I assume your remark was initially intended for...I believe you know the reasons better than I.”

  Silverstein frowned, glancing over towards the solid silver chair, cast in the shape of a Phoenix bird, peering over the backrest.

  “You’re mistaken, Professor. Far before my time,” he claimed as he ruffled his silver tipped hair into a standing mass and then slumped back, eye level with Magenta who sat amused beside him.

  “Why is Kenneth here?” Silverstein whispered, leaning towards Magenta's ear as she peered across.

  “I think we both know the answer to that one, that’s if you’re right…”

  “Course I am, why else would he choose to live on their side?” Magenta blinked, lost in a world of thought while Professor Grimtale, Headmaster, clambered from his golden throne and marched to the centre of the room, pressing the shaft of his spiral shaped cane against the marbled dark of the floor beneath him, supporting his grand physique and dominating presence as he addressed the person’s present within the chamber.

  “For those unaware, the lady on my left is Sachester Bilshore, Gatekeeper of Shoulders Heath, the sacred land beyond the black mountains. Miss Bilshore, I’d like to introduce Aline Magenta, our expert in mythical creatures, and Leonard Silverstein, captain of the governing enforcer unit, protecting our borders from terrorist threats, be it Morient, Human or otherwise unclassified species.”

  Bilshore frowned as she looked to the captain.

  “Then why has the Starlight Phoenix managed to escape again?” she yelled towards Silverstein, who suddenly jolted to attention.

  “The Phoenix - It’s here? Why wasn’t this brought to my attention sooner?” asked Silverstein.

  “Why do you think you’ve been summoned, Mr Silverstein!” Grimtale asked rhetorically, peering down at him.

  “I apologise, but we have been searching high and low, Miss Bilshore. So the Starlight Phoenix is in Shoulders Heath?” Silverstein asked, wide eyed and now far more interested in the topic of discussion.

  “It’s what we are led to believe, yes,” Grimtale nodded, sensing Bilshore's eyes burning into him as she shot him a look of disgust.

  “And I want it gone! You brush aside the work I have done to make the town safe! We were even in talks to host field trips for the students next term, but with a Phoenix on the loose, it would be immoral to allow anything of the sort to proceed. We’ve all seen what they can do…” She explained, looking to Magenta who seemed eager to jump in.

  “I don’t know what planet you live on, love, but to think the children would want to visit that dump, you must be mad, and last time I checked you had much greater problems than a Phoenix. Were you just going to hope that the Veilers would stay in their holes and turn a blind eye? You realise Shoulders Heath will never be safe? Quite frankly, I pity the Phoenix!”

  Magenta smirked, amused by Miss Bilshor
e's outburst.

  “In fact, how do you propose dealing with your infestation?” she asked.

  “Enough, Magenta!” bellowed Grimtale with a stern look in his eye, “That is a matter for another time, we are here today to devise the capture of the Phoenix and its safe return to its enclosure…”

  “Inside the institute? You want to put it back where it originally escaped from?” Kenneth said in surprise.

  “It hardly escaped now, did it? We were betrayed! This is our chance to complete the rebuild that we have yearned for. The Vinemoore institute of Morient kind can be great again, I promise you all.”

  The room filled with silent concern as they all cast each other a look of worry.

  “Won’t the Phoenix’s presence here just provoke an attack from...them?” Kenneth questioned, asking the burning question the others had not wanted to raise.

  “When was the last attack? When were their kind last sighted?” interjected Grimtale, abolishing their theories with a reasonable question that most had no choice but to consider. The enemy responsible for the Institutes undoing hadn’t been seen for many years, but it was safe to assume they still existed...somewhere, some place, watching and waiting in the shadows...

  “How about we discuss what happens next, once we are in possession of the Starlight Phoenix, yes?” Silverstein chirped, leaning forward and resting his chin upon his knuckles, “I have a suggestion, if you will?”

  “Go ahead,” Grimtale nodded.

  “Bring him in,” Silverstein added, pointing towards the empty solid silver throne, “So the theories state, he was last to bond with the Phoenix. He would be the ideal candidate when we attempt to lure out the Phoenix,” he smirked.

  “no...That would be too dangerous, not to mention we would have to bring him here…”

  Silverstein nodded, “Good job it’s holiday season then, Professor!” he winked, twiddling his thumbs, waiting for confirmation.

  “Any Objections?” the headmaster asked, turning to Kenneth, Miss Bilshore and Magenta.

  “Do you even know where he is, Mr Silverstein? The man’s a ghost,” claimed Bilshore, sounding unconvinced by her tone.

  “Well, that’s where I was hoping one of you might know… Kenneth, for example?”

  Kenneth suddenly bolted upright, casting Silverstein a nervous look as he recalled the man they were talking about.

  “I’m - I’m afraid I've got nothing, it’s been years, as Miss Bilshore said, a ghost,” Kenneth looked away, knowing that Silverstein was still glaring in his direction for some strange reason, like he was suspected of something.

  “That is disappointing,to say the least,” Silverstein sighed, yet looking amused by the smirk on his face. Then Magenta spoke up.

  “I know where he is!” she said, feeling quite empowered as the other four turned simultaneously, “I know where he lives,” She added, as her gaze fell upon Leonard, who was sat loosely beside her, waiting anxiously for an answer.

  “Vinemoore. He lives in Vinemoore,” she confirmed, as Leonard Silverstein slumped back against the bronzed backrest of his chair and kicked up his feet on to the arm, exhaling loudly.

  “Vinemoore, hiding in plain sight, who would have known?” Silverstein muttered under his breath, peering up at the crystal ceiling.

  “Kenneth. Bring us Professor Robin Occamy,” ordered Silverstein, conveying a look of fury through the fires of his eyes as they fell upon him, whose face had paled. In that awful moment, he had just realised the consequence of Magenta's admittance - his friend Robin was now in grave danger...

  CHAPTER 4

  Rise Of The Reapers

  The ground was still frozen solid as Robin made his way down the hillside, heading towards the pathway that ran directly to the village town center. Charlie didn’t live far from Robin's cottage, he passed it every day on his way to work - it was just on the corner, at the other end of the walkway, the part that was cast in shadow, dark and gloomy with the sound of water trickling down the side of the concrete walls.

  Robin stopped as his gaze fell upon what was once a gravel path, but now a slab of solid ice, crackled and crystalised. He scratched at his head then turned curiously, wondering if there was another means of getting to Charlie's house that wouldn’t involve a fifteen minute detour around the back of the block. But the shop fronts ran endlessly as far as the eye could see, the walkway was his only option.

  Robin sighed, exhaling a frosty white breath and turning back, meeting the eyes of his reflection that sat on the surface of the solidified water.

  “One small step, slowly does it,” he muttered to himself, carefully placing the sole of his right boot on the surface of the ice, with his arms outstretched and placed firmly against the two brick walls either side.

  Some of the guttering overhead had broken during the storm. It now had icicles hanging from them, drawing his attention up to their spear-like tips. Robin wasn’t going to look up any longer than he needed to, he knew they were there, they weren’t helping as he carried on moving, slowly shuffling towards the opposite side of the walkway, where Charlie’s house sat peacefully, waiting.

  Robin could see the front garden now, the fence was coated in a thick spell of snow, sat directly under the warmth of the sun's rays as it rose in to the sky.

  “It’s not that I want you to go, it’s just that I don’t want you to stay,” Robin whispered, addressing the weather, trying to amuse himself as his feet started to slip and slide from side to side. He must have looked like a clumsy idiot, he was certain of it, but there was no one around to witness it, not a soul in sight. Vinemoore was silent, like most typical Christmas mornings.

  But this was a first, never had Robin found himself traipsing through the wilderness of Antarctica on Christmas morning, before. Neither had he felt so silly as he managed to bring his feet to a standstill, quickly holding his balance and launching his hands to the sides of the walls, supporting his weight and glancing skyward, directly down the frozen shafts of the icicles that were looming overhead, melting, dripping and cracking.

  It was only a matter of time before they would become unstuck - and Robin was hardly in an ideal position, stood directly beneath them as the fracturing ice appeared to imitate a set of sharp, chattering teeth as they began to lose stability.

  Robin held his stance for a moment, then bent his knees and launched himself out of the alley and straight into the bed of deep frothy whiteness that covered the ground of the surrounding cul de sac, leaving a body shaped indentation embedded in the surface of the snow, with no time to spare as the heaviest pole of ice plummeted in to the alley, shattering across the icy path.

  It was as if by magic Robin had vanished - that was of course until his head slowly re-emerged, sprouting from the pit and peering around the neighbourhood to assure himself that nobody was watching. He then began knocking the frost from his coat as he got back to his feet, which had already lost their warmth and begun to throb as numbness set in.

  “What a palava!” Robin grunted, patting away the last of the snow from his hair and trembling as a slither of ice fell down the back of his shirt and melted against his spine.

  “Close call, as well. Better luck next time, though!” he chuckled, pointing at the shattered icicle that lay in pieces against the bottom of the alley walls. He then gave a long, weary sigh as he marched over the mounds of snow that hindered the path to Charlie’s front gate.

  Once past the snow, he had arrived, and the damp rotten gate creaked as Robin pushed it open and carefully approached the green front door that sat at the end of the salted pavement.

  The heavy wooden door was framed by ivy and a bush that would have been full of blackberries back in the summertime, but now it sat weak and decrepit in the corner, sent to slumber by the chill of the season as Robin stepped up to the stone slab at the foot of the door, pressing his face against the glass before knocking.

  He’d always done that, never did him any favours, the best thing to come of it was this
one time when a little old lady opened up almost immediately - then Robin had to explain why he had ended up laid along her doormat - of course, he came up with something witty and walked away with a pork pie and cup of tea, poured into his thermal flask that he used to carry everywhere; however, this time there was no one there to spot him, but there was a light on in a back room, he could see it glowing warmly, then a shadow begun to move as Robin's eyes widened and his hand raised beside his ear and started to bang against the wood of the door, frantically.

  “Hello!” he called out, “It’s Mr Occamy! I was wondering if you had a moment, Mrs. Reed? Mr. Reed?”

  He took a breath and watched as a figure moved towards the door. He thought it must have been one of the parents at first, but as the latch clonked and the door pulled away on its hinge, Charlie appeared in the doorway, looking up at Robin with curious eyes.

  “Mr.Occamy, it’s good to see you! We didn’t make any calls if that’s why you’re here,” he said, sincerely.

  “Calls? Oh no, I’m just here to make sure you made it home okay. Are your parents back there?” Robin asked, peering down the hallway.

  “Yes, do you want me to fetch them?”

  “No, no, you’re safe and sound, that’s all that matters, little man,” Robin smirked.

  Charlie frowned.

  “What do you mean, exactly?”

  “After last night, I was just a little worried. The streets are even more dangerous at night!”

  Charlie blinked, feeling confused.

  “But I’ve not been out, it was probably one of the other kids, we all kinda look the same when we’re wearing our coats and bobble hats.”