Red Jack

by Alex Linwood

  Leaving the main building by the side door, as she had been instructed, she found a small plaza. It had granite tiles paved in a circular pattern radiating out from a center spot in a spiral design. Along the spiral, there were different doors standing alone in frames without any supporting walls to hold them up. The doors were sprinkled around the plaza with no real pattern Portia could pick out. She walked closer to one to examine how it was standing up—the hairs on the back of her neck tingled from the magic that emanated from it.

  Each door had a different symbol on it. Hilda had told her their house door had the etching of a small fire on it. It was the symbol they used in the school for pyromancy. The door she was standing in front of had an anvil on it.

  She continued on, examining each door until she found the one with the fire symbol. She stood in front of it, took a deep breath, then reached out and knocked on it. Three knocks. On the third knock, the door swung in, revealing a large room. Much to Portia’s surprise, it was filled with students talking and laughing and celebrating. The noise came out of the room and washed over her in a wave. It was a shocking contrast to the quiet of the plaza just a few seconds ago. Portia steeled her nerves and walked through the door.

  Portia looked around the room. It was large—large enough to hold forty people or more. There were couches along three of the walls. There were no windows, only a few doors that were shut. Students sat on the couches or stood talking in groups. When someone noticed Portia standing in the room, they cheered for her, causing others to join in as well.

  Before Portia could react, another student came up and pushed a glass of bubbly liquid into her hand. “Have a seat. Make yourself welcome,” he said, gesturing to the sofas around the room.

  Portia looked around more closely for an empty seat while sipping the sweet drink. The room was surprisingly crowded. Everyone in the room seemed to be her age or just a little older. One or two were as old as Peter and towered high above the others. The school was filled with young people.

  A boy with messy brown hair caught her eye. He alone had noticed how awkwardly she stood there. He patted the sofa next to him then waved Portia over and pointed to the cushion once again. She nodded back and approached him.

  “Come. Sit. We won’t bite,” he said. He gestured to the rest of the people sitting on the sofa. “We’re all new this year too.” His face turned red, and he quickly followed up his comments with more. “I mean, I’m guessing you are new. You don’t seem as familiar with the place… I mean…” His face turned even redder.

  The boy next to him had slicked-back hair that was white at the roots and faded to silvery blue at the ends. He was laughing at the red-faced boy next to him. Turning to Portia, he held out his hand. “Greetings. I’m Liam. The fool next to me is my brother, Richard. He means well.”

  Richard huffed and then finished his drink in one swallow. Liam ignored him, turning instead to point at the two girls on the other side of him. One was tall and willowy. Liam tapped this girl on her knee to get her attention, “Hey, we have a new one.” Liam motioned to Portia. “Her name is…” He turned to Portia again. “What is your name?”

  “Portia.”

  “Splendid name,” he responded, “just splendid.”

  Portia turned a little red herself. She couldn’t tell if he was making fun of her or really did like her name. The girl next to Liam wasn’t laughing. That was a good sign. Portia gave the girl a small wave.

  “My name is Ella, nice to meet you,” the girl said with a sunny smile. “This one next to me is Mia.” She leaned into the girl at the far end of the couch.

  Portia was stunned at the brilliant red hair of the girl at the far end of the couch. She’d never seen such fiery hair before. To top it off, the girl had red clothing and red boots. She was magnificently dressed. Portia suddenly felt self-conscious of her own clothing, even though it was new. The girl in red turned to Portia and gave her a gentle smile.

  Ella leaned in towards Portia. “She doesn’t say much, but I have managed to pry from her that she’s from House Kelynack. A real noble. Isn’t that cool?” She motioned to herself. “I’m just from a small town. How about you?”

  Portia wasn’t ready to answer that question. She took a sip of her drink to buy time, but Ella only stared at her with big eyes and awaited her response. Portia tried to sound casual. “I’m from a small town too.” She looked around the room, searching for another topic. “Have you been here long? In this room I mean. I thought I was one of the first groups to pass.”

  Liam interjected. “Not too long. It’s amazing how many students they can get through in a day. Richard and I thought we were amongst the first to finish too, but when we got here it was nearly full. Hopefully we can learn that sort of magic too while we’re here. You know, getting a lot of stuff done without looking like it.” He winked at Portia while Ella nodded agreeably.

  Richard took Portia’s glass along with Liam’s and Ella’s. Mia waved Richard away. He got up from the couch. “I’ll see what I can do about refills.”

  “Good plan, brother,” Liam said. He scooted closer to Portia once Richard was gone. “So, what did you think of the tests? I didn’t think they were too hard. I was worried I’d be ravenous afterwards.”

  So, Portia wasn’t the only one who needed food after magic. “I get hungry too!” Portia laughed, her shoulders relaxing a bit.

  “Aha! I’ll be right back,” Liam said, getting up and walking over to a low table pushed against the wall. It was covered with sliced meats, cheeses, and breads. Portia realized how hungry she was when she saw it. Liam piled a plate high with food. He turned and winked at her, holding up one finger then grabbing a huge stack of bread to go with his plate. He came back to the couch and sat next to Portia. He handed her half the bread and then motioned for her to help herself to the plate he had placed on the couch between them. She didn’t need a second invitation.

  The sandwich she made was delicious. She shoved it in her mouth and took a bite so large that she could barely chew it. Just then, Richard came back with full glasses for everyone. Portia happily took hers. A warm feeling overcame her as she wolfed down her sandwich and held the glass of sweet bubbly liquid. Academy life was wonderful so far—a world away from her life a year ago.

  The party continued on for another hour or so. Portia was overwhelmed with all the new people. A few of the older students came by—ones that had been in the Academy for a while—and introduced themselves to the new students. Portia was too exhausted to remember all their names. She vowed to do better in the morning.

  Abruptly, Professor Hilda Griffiths burst through the door. She looked around the room, flashing a broad grin at everybody. She puffed her chest with pride, accepted a glass from one of the older students, and took a long drink, draining it. Giving back the empty glass to the waiting student, she turned to face the room. She clapped her hands loudly. “Hello? Hello. May I have everyone’s attention?”

  The talking in the room quieted down. Everyone turned to Hilda.

  “Wonderful. Welcome to the Pyromancy house. You all have magic abilities in the same general magic tree. Some of you can even access magic on the whole tree of pyromancy, while others of you can only do one item, but often exceptionally powerfully. But regardless, it is our hope—we, the teachers of the Magic Academy—that by assigning you to live together, you can learn from each other. That is why we are divided by houses of magic.” Hilda walked around the room while she talked, making eye contact with each student as she passed by. “That is not to say you can’t learn from others with different skills. It is just that we believe you have the most to learn, and share, with others of the same magic tree.”

  Hilda stopped in front of a large door. “I’m sure that many of you are curious to see your new house. Shall we go on a tour?” When the students murmured yes and rose from their seats, Hilda nodded back then opened the door she was standing in front of and waved the students to walk in.

  The first room
they went into was the kitchen. Portia was amazed at the size of the room, as well as the size of everything else in it. There was an ice box that was at least seven feet wide. The hearth was enormous, having three spots to hang large kettles. There were long wooden tables and benches—enough seating for thirty people or more—with large baskets on top holding fresh fruit. Onions and garlic hung in strings on the wall. Every surface was spotlessly clean.

  In addition to the kitchen, there was a formal dining room with more long tables. Dorm rooms came next, each with a set of bunk beds and its own bathroom, complete with an installed bathtub. Portia did her best to hide her amazement. Perhaps all the students lived like this at home.

  But the best room of all was the library. It was a large space with a vaulted ceiling. Comfortable, overstuffed chairs filled half the floor area with the other half dotted with tables and chairs. The walls themselves were made out of bookcases, each one packed from floor to ceiling with books. There were leather-bound books, sheaths of parchment tied together with string, and paper tubes stacked in a rack in the far corner. When Hilda was asked about them, she said, “They’re maps, of course. You will all be expected to learn geography.” Portia’s heart leapt with excitement at that; she would finally get to learn about the world.

  When they had run through all the rooms of the house, having gone up and down stairs and even explored the wash area in the basement and inspected the storage areas, they returned to the formal dining area. The students sat at the tables while Hilda went to retrieve the document with their dorm assignments. Her assistant had been working on it once all the tests were completed, finishing up while Hilda gave the tour .

  Hilda returned from her assistant’s office. “Now that we’ve seen the whole house, are there any questions?” Hilda asked, looking around the room expectantly.

  Ella held up her hand, and at Hilda’s nod, she asked, “Yes, where are we? I remember opening a door in a courtyard, one that had many doors. But when I passed through the door, I’m suddenly in a huge house. Are all these houses somehow stuffed in the courtyard?” The other students laughed uncomfortably at her question. It was disconcerting to not know where they were, and even more so, to not have thought about it for the last several hours.

  “That’s an excellent question,” Hilda said, nodding. “We are not in the courtyard. I do not know of any magic that is capable of squeezing houses into such a small space. The royal planners would give much for such skills.” She gave a small chuckle, echoed by the class.

  “Are we even in Coverack?” Liam asked with a chuckle.

  “That we are,” Hilda answered, her face suddenly turning serious, “but I cannot tell you where. We do this for safety reasons. I do not wish to scare you, but there are those who would rather that the knowledge of magic not be passed on. If they had their way, no young people would be educated in it.” Hilda sat down heavily at the head of the main table. “Those doors in the courtyard are keyed to the inhabitants of each house. No one who is not in our house can get in here, at least not without special permission from myself or certain other Academy leaders. And that permission is rarely granted. The same is true for the other houses. You may be curious, but you will not see the interiors of the other houses without a good reason. So please, don’t plan on any large parties—at least none that include outside people.”

  The room quieted at the mention of anti-magic sentiments. There were criers in the street predicting the end of the world and blaming it on magic and those with magical abilities. Portia had heard about a young child stabbed to death by his own father who believed that magic was the heart of evil in the world. Whispers reached her ears that the man was a part of a cult that was working to eradicate all magic. They preached death to those that defied them. The kingdom had worked hard to eradicate this sect but could never quite pin them all down. They would slip away from one town, only to reappear in another. It was a moving target for the royal guard.

  “Yes, but how did we get here?” Richard asked, intent on the question and not seeming to share the same glum mood as the rest of the house. “I mean, how do the doors work?”

  His mind was transfixed by the question. In every room in the house during the tour, he had been obsessed with how things worked. He had pulled on the cables of the dumbwaiter in the kitchen, inquired about plumbing for the bathtubs, and asked how the lighting system worked. The latter had been a wonder to most of them. There were the normal candles but also small glass bulbs that Hilda had said pyromancers could make glow, giving them all a gentle light. Portia wondered if the other houses were also so lucky, but she thought they might have other things that they did not, based on their own special skills. Or perhaps the houses shared magic between them.

  “Portal magic is a very special tree of magic. A few planners for the Magic Academy have set up all the portals in advance. By decree, these portals can only be created with approval from the royal house. A practitioner of portal magic is rare. For safety reasons, it is important that any such skilled magician work with the royal house. We are lucky to have several of them in the Academy. Which brings up another rule—you are never to question what magical skills an instructor possesses. They will let you know what you need to know. Do not defy this rule.” Hilda looked intently at all the students. Portia had never seen her have such a serious expression before. She was curious as to why but didn’t dare ask it. Not even Liam was so brave.

  “So, all the houses have access to their own portals. That is all you need to know about that for now,” Hilda said, rising from her seat at the table, holding the parchment paper containing the room assignments. “It’s been a long day. I’m sure you would all like to find your rooms. We start early in the morning, so it’s important for you to get your rest.”

  Hilda read off names in pairs. The dorm rooms were small, approximately twelve feet square. They were large enough for the bunk bed, several clothing chests, and two desks—one for each student. Portia and Ella were placed in the same room. Ella’s chest of belongings was already in the room. Portia was surprised at how large it was. It was painted with stick figures and crude images of children’s toys. Ella shrugged when Portia asked her about it, giving her a smile. “My little brothers said they would miss me and wanted me to remember them. So, they painted my trunk.”

  The twins were placed together, of course, and Mia was given her own room since there were an odd number of students. Portia both felt sorry for her and a little envious. Privacy was nice, but Portia thought she would be too lonely if she had a room all by herself.

  Chapter 12

  A gigantic eye peered down at her. Gray, patterned skin surrounded the eyeball. Long fingers appeared below the eye in the crack in the sky, grasping the edge of the tear on each side and straining to pry it open further. A screech filled the air. Portia couldn’t breathe; her limbs were stuck in place.

  She opened her eyes and saw the dorm room around her. She was tangled in the covers. She slowed her breathing, trying to calm herself from her nightmare.

  The screech of a rusty hinge caught her attention as Ella came in from the bathroom, her hair bundled high on the top of her head and a sunny smile on her face. “You’re awake, good. We have our schedules,” Ella gestured to the desks, “and breakfast is in ten minutes. They rang the bell already.”

  “Bell?” Portia said, feeling confused.

  “It’s all on our sheets.” Ella walked to one of the desks, lifting a piece of paper to show Portia. “They are customized for each of us. This is mine.” Portia glanced over and saw that the other desk also had a small sheet of parchment on it. “They left us our schedules for classes. It talks about the bells too. We get a wake-up bell, and then a ten-minute warning for breakfast. I’m guessing they had to add the warning when some crabby elite student missed their first meal.” Ella gave a little laugh. “You’d better hurry, or you are going to miss your own breakfast.”

  Portia leapt out of bed and grabbed her clothes on the way to th
e bathroom. Her stomach was growling. She was determined not to miss a single free meal.

  The formal dining room was empty when they got downstairs. Continuing on to the kitchen, they found the rest of the house residents. The students chattered noisily over the sounds of silverware clattering on dishes. The smell of coffee overwhelmed Portia, and she left Ella’s side to make a beeline for the kettle of the dark drink next to a stack of mugs. When she had a sip, she looked around to see what else was available. There were scrambled eggs, some fried meat, and a huge stack of pastries still on the serving buffet, even though most of the students had already gone through the line. Portia stuffed a pastry in her mouth and chewed it while grabbing a plate and piling it high with eggs.

  She joined Mia, Ella, and several girls she recognized from the previous day’s tour at one of the long tables. They were comparing their class schedules. Mia looked up at her. “What is your first class today, Portia?”

  Portia pulled her schedule out of her bag. She scanned the paper. “History.” She had not had time to read her entire sheet before breakfast. She regretted sleeping in so late, which also meant she didn’t have time for a bath. She vowed to try out that tub as soon as possible, maybe even this evening.

  “That’s my first class too,” Mia said. “Apparently we all have it together—at least those of us at this table.” The other girls nodded in agreement.

  Ella rose to get her own breakfast. She stopped by the table where the twins, Richard and Liam, were sitting. Portia saw her give them a hard time, punching Liam in the shoulder while laughing. She wished she had that easy confidence with others. It seemed so natural to Ella.