Druid Magic (Druid Academy Book 1)

by C. S. Churton

  “You raised him,” I said. “The dead man in the forest. That was you.” I stared at him in horror as it sunk in. “And in the grove, and the hallways at Halloween. Everywhere I smelt it, I saw Toby.”

  “Yes, well, I couldn’t very well risk you disturbing my little experiment and getting hurt, could I?”

  “You didn’t have any problem hurting other people,” I said, edging to one side and trying to circle round to the door. Raphael stepped too, keeping himself between me and the only way out.

  “But don’t you see?” He smiled, his teeth flashing white in the flickering light of his fireball. “I did all of that for you.”

  “For me?” None of this was making any sense. I needed to get away from this lunatic, back to the castle. I needed one of the professors. Even Atherton would do right now.

  “Don’t sound so surprised. Surely, you must have suspected?” he said, the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth like he was teasing me with a riddle. When I didn’t answer, he continued, “The Keria girl was standing between you and a spot on the team. I removed her. And when I heard what that dragon rider tried with you…”

  His lip curled into a snarl and his fireball doubled in size before he composed himself. “Well, I could hardly allow him to go unpunished, could I? The professor needn’t have got hurt, but she insisted on trying to stop me with these wretched plants. Of course, she’s the only one who knows how to harvest the seeds, so with her out of the way, I was free to carry on. Just as soon as my creature regained his strength.”

  “And Felicity?” I said, groping for a way to keep him talking as I backed away, towards one of the tall windows at the rear of the greenhouse. He laughed.

  “She was a bonus. But I certainly couldn’t have her getting you expelled now, could I?”

  “Why not? I don’t understand!”

  He grinned, like it was all some grand secret.

  “You will. One day. But right now, we need to have a little chat. Right after I destroy that last plant.”

  “Down there, by the greenhouse!” The voice sounded distantly, and as I looked through the tinted glass, I saw a handful of floating fireballs, growing larger as they got closer. Raphael whipped his head round with a snarl. Without another word, he shrank into the form of a ginger cat, opened a small portal, and darted through it.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  I’d never been so glad to be inside Professor Talendale’s office. Actually, I’d never been glad to be inside his office at all, given that invariably I was having a shit tonne of bad news dumped on me. But tonight was an exception, and I could not have been happier to be inside the large, creepy, and oddly-animated chamber.

  I was slumped in a chair, aching head to toe – an all too familiar side effect of overusing my powers – and the professor was regarding me from the other side of his living desk.

  “Professor, is there any news about–”

  He raised his eyebrows and I fell silent, swallowing the rest of my question. I hadn’t seen Kelsey or Felicity since the professors had found us out by the greenhouses. I might not have been Felicity’s biggest fan – okay, that was an understatement – but when it came down to it, she’d really come through for us. I hoped she was okay.

  The professor exhaled heavily and leaned back in his seat.

  “Ms Eldridge, what you did tonight is enough to get you expelled from Dragondale, and have your magic permanently bound.”

  “I know, Professor, but I–”

  He raised a hand and I clamped my mouth shut again, staring down at my mud-covered boots.

  “However, you are also the reason that Raphael and his abomination were stopped, and we can’t very well expel the hero of Dragondale, can we?”

  I jerked my head up; he had a barest hint of a smile crinkling round the edges of his mouth.

  “I’m not getting expelled?”

  “Not this time. Now, I imagine you have a lot of questions about what happened tonight. Let me start with what I imagine is the first of them. Both Miss Winters and Miss Hutton are in the medical wing and recovering well. Miss Hutton was bitten, but Professor Sumner seems to think the Beathanian plant will be ready for harvesting in the morning, and so she and the other victims should make full recoveries in the next couple of days.”

  I nodded, taking a moment to let the information sink in. Kelsey and Felicity were okay. And Keira and Ethan and Professor Ellerby, they were all going to be fine, too. It would have been a different story if we hadn’t gotten to that plant first.

  “Thank you, Professor.”

  “You have other questions?”

  I nodded again – I had about a hundred. I didn’t think his good will would extent to a hundred questions though, so I started with the most important.

  “Toby – I mean, Raphael – who is he, really?”

  “I believe you know about skin walkers?” he said, and his eyes seemed to pin me to the spot as I recalled mine and Sam’s ill-fated attempts to transform ourselves, and my fluffy tail. “Very little happens inside these walls of which I am not aware, Ms Eldridge.”

  “Yes, Professor,” I answered his question, and tried to quell the unsettling sensation squirming in my stomach.

  “Unfortunately, Toby was one of those few things that slipped past my notice. I believed him – as did we all – to be a wampus cat. It came as a great surprise to me to learn his true identity tonight. Not least because Raphael is no stranger to me. He once attended this academy, many years ago.”

  “He did?” I was leaning forward on my seat without realising it. “What happened?”

  “He was an excellent pupil. He excelled in many of his classes, some say he was one of the brightest students Dragondale has ever known.”

  “And you?” I asked, breathlessly.

  “I, Ms Eldridge, believe that there is more to excellence than merely being academically gifted. Raphael frequently clashed with his classmates; often he could be found at the centre of this or that altercation. Of course, it was not always that way. When he first arrived at Dragondale he showed great promise, his attitude was excellent. Indeed, he had every mark of becoming a great druid one day.”

  He leaned back in his seat again, looking mournful.

  “We may never know what changed him, but almost overnight he became different. Surly. More aggressive. Such a shame. He graduated, though there are those of us who felt he should not have, that he was a danger to the magical community.”

  “Why?” The single word slipped from my lips without permission. Talendale cleared his throat.

  “Well, I don’t think we need get into that. But there have been rumours about his… activities since graduation. Suffice to say, young lady, that you had a very lucky escape this evening.”

  His voice had turned stern again and I tried my best to look repentant.

  “I know, Professor. I’m sorry.”

  “Hm, yes, I’m sure you are,” he said, sounding anything but.

  “What about… what about that… thing he raised? Is it dead now? How did he do that?”

  The professor stroked his chin.

  “So many questions. There are many branches of magic, as you will learn – some more frowned upon than others. Necromancy is one of those branches. Indeed, there are very few places one can even learn such magics.”

  “But one of them is here,” I blurted.

  “No, not at all.” Professor Talendale’s voice sharpened. “We would never permit such dark magic to be practiced inside our hallowed walls, let alone encourage it.”

  I vividly recalled the book I found in the library, the book on necromancy that wasn’t as covered in dust as the other books. Talendale watched me closely – he was right, there was very little he missed.

  “There are some here who do study it,” he said, “in order to learn how best to combat its effects. And well it is too – without such studies we would not know the proper way to counter the effects of Raphael’s abomination, nor how to ensure it is laid t
o rest, once and for all.”

  “Then… it is dead?”

  The professor inclined his head.

  “It is.”

  “What about Toby – Raphael – whoever. What if he just comes back and raises more of them? What if–”

  I realised my voice was bordering on hysterical and sucked in a deep breath. The thought of that creature coming near me, biting me, its rotten teeth sinking into my flesh… I’d been so close to it, so many times.

  “That won’t happen, dear,” Talendale said, in a tone that was almost kindly, but his face was as impassive as always. “The academy carefully monitors who is permitted to portal in and out of its grounds. We granted Toby special permissions as a mascot of Dragondale, but those permissions have been revoked, and as himself, Raphael never had dispensation to portal into the academy. He will no longer be able to cross our threshold without using the main gate, and I assure you, that shall not happen. In fact, I have no doubt that he shall be apprehended in the very near future. Put him from your mind.”

  If only it was that simple.

  “He said some things.”

  “Oh?”

  “He said he chose his victims to protect me, and that he meant me no harm. Why would he say that?”

  “Interesting. Very interesting.” The professor rose to his feet and paced the cold stone floor. My eyes flickered as they followed him. Abruptly, he stopped and turned to look out of the window.

  “I fear that must remain a mystery, for now, at least. Perhaps he was aware of your potential – your control of opposing elements. Perhaps he saw something of himself in you. Regardless, he will no longer bother you. And I believe you have bigger things with which to concern yourself.”

  I frowned, wondering if maybe the lack of sleep was catching up with me, because nothing more important than the walking dead and a mysterious outcast benefactor came to mind.

  “I do?”

  “There is a certain game that was postponed until the threat was dealt with. That threat has now been removed, but I fear young Keira will not be up to taking her position. This will be your debut game, will it not?”

  I stared at him with open mouth.

  “This academy has a noble history in the sport of Itealta, Ms Eldridge. I trust you will not let us down.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  I was excused from my lessons for the next two days, along with all of the other riders on the four Itealta teams. Logan was brutal in training, determined to get us in shape for the game. Our training sessions were enough to keep Madam Leechinton busy – which she wasn’t thrilled about, while she was busily coaxing Keira, Felcitiy, Ethan and Professor Ellebry through their recovery. Eventually, after Josh had made three trips to the hospital wing inside an hour, she threatened to leave any more of our injured players to heal naturally, and Logan eased up on us a little – which was to say the sessions were only horrific, as opposed to torturous.

  By the time the afternoon of the match came around, I was pretty sure we were all of the verge of mutiny. Logan caught up with us in the main hall, just as I was about to tuck into an indulgently unhealthy burger and fries. If ever there was a time for comfort food, this was it.

  “Alright team,” Logan said, pulling out a chair and setting a tray with a single apple on it on the table in front of him. “It’s our first – our only – game this season, so I don’t need to tell you how important it is. Earth and Water are going to play before us, and the winner of the Itealta cup is going to be determined entirely on goals scored.”

  There were a couple of groans from round the table. I looked around the glum faces.

  “What? Why is that bad?”

  “Air have won the cup for the last four years running,” Josh said. He slumped forward onto the table and buried his head in his arms. “We’re screwed.”

  Logan aimed his hand at the small circle of Josh’s head visible above his arms.

  “That’s quitter talk. They won’t need to defeat us out there if you’re already defeated in here.” He switched his attention to me as Josh rubbed the back of his head ruefully. “We might have the toughest game, but that just means we’ll have all the more glory when we beat them. Our manoeuvres are tighter than they’ve ever been, and we’ve got a secret weapon: Stormclaw.”

  Great. No pressure, then. I shoved my burger and fries aside, untouched.

  “That’s the spirit,” Logan said. “Healthy body, healthy mind.”

  He tossed me his apple. I looked at it then for a second then dropped it onto the table. It was even less appealing than the hot food.

  “Now, I know it’s yours and Stormclaw’s first game, but he was bred for this. And I made you first reserve for a reason. I wouldn’t be letting you play if I didn’t have complete confidence in you both.”

  Yeah, and that was the problem. What if I fell fifty feet with the whole academy watching? Worse, what if I let the team down?

  “Uh, do you get to bring on a replacement if I fall to my death?”

  He clapped me on the shoulder with a laugh.

  “You’ve kept your sense of humour, I like that.”

  “Humour. Right,” I muttered.

  The main hall emptied around us as the rest of the students went outside to watch the first game.

  “Right, gather round,” Logan said, as an Earth hurried out of the room, leaving only our table occupied. “Time for one last run through of our tactics.”

  Logan’s run through took nearly an hour, leaving us with just over sixty minutes to get our gryffs warmed up and down to the pitch. I was the last to leave, after taking my tray of congealed food back to the kitchen mage.

  “Good luck, Lyssa,” he said. “Not that you’ll need it.”

  “Thanks,” I muttered, and headed out of the hall and almost walked straight into the rest of my team clustered around a shrunken figure in a red cloak.

  “Keira!” I reached forward and embraced her gently, worried I might break her; she looked so pale and fragile. “Shouldn’t you still be in the hospital wing?”

  “We convinced old Leech that it would help our recovery if we got outside for a while. Me and that Air girl. And I couldn’t miss the game, could I?”

  I felt a pang of guilt; I was riding in Keira’s spot on the team. She must’ve seen it on my face, because she met my eye with a smile.

  “I can’t think of anyone better to ride my position while I’m not up to it. But don’t pay attention to what any of these boneheads tell you.”

  Logan puffed up with mock indignation and she flipped him off causally.

  “They’ll expect you to be everywhere at once, but you’re a winger – your place is on the wing. Your opposite number on the Air team, Anika Mahto, is wicked fast and if you’re not guarding that flank, she’ll be right up there before you know it, ready for their centre to offload for a fast goal. She’s their best player, and no matter what anyone tells you, she’s your only priority.”

  With this, she cocked an eyebrow at Logan, as though daring him to correct her.

  “She’s got a point,” he conceded. “Mahto’s a real threat – but just don’t lose sight of the rest of the game. Teams win games, not individuals.”

  “Okay! Can you please all stop giving me advice, before my head explodes?”

  “Just one more thing,” Keira said with a smile.

  “What?”

  “Have fun.”

  Like that was going to happen. My stomach had been possessed by a pile of wrestling snakes and I could barely put one foot in front of the other as I traipsed down to Stormclaw’s stall with all the enthusiasm of a condemned woman walking to the gallows. By the time I reached the barn, I was so busy staring at the ground and wishing it would open up and swallow me that I almost walked straight into her.

  “Watch where you’re going, Charity.”

  “Felicity. Look, I’m really busy, I’ve got to get Stormclaw warmed up. If you’ve come to say thanks there’s really no–”

 
“Hardly.” She looked like she had a bad taste in her mouth, but maybe it was just her own bitterness. “What on earth would I have to thank you for?”

  “Um, I don’t know, saving your life?”

  She closed the gap between us and hissed at me.

  “That is not what happened, and if that’s what you’ve been going around telling everyone, then you’re going to be sorry. And even if you had help me in some small way, I wouldn’t have been in danger in the first place if you hadn’t been breaking rules, so make sure you tell them that.”

  “Relax,” I said, and tried to force the muscles in my shoulders to follow my own advice, without much success. Felicity was trying my patience. “I haven’t been talking to anyone. Literally. Logan’s training regime has been brutal. Speaking of which, I’ve got a game to win, so if you don’t mind…”

  She didn’t move, so I brushed past her.

  “Wait!”

  I turned around with a sigh.

  “What, Felicity?”

  “Forget it. Go get ready for your game – you’re going to need all the practice you can get, going up against Mahto.”

  She sneered, then turned and hobbled away. I stalked into the barn, snatched up Stormclaw’s headcollar and let myself into his stall, fuming the whole while.

  “The gall of her,” I snapped as I clipped Stormclaw’s bridle on. “I did save her life, and she knows it. Should have just let the zombie eat her.”

  “That’s some pep talk.”

  I jumped, and shoved my head over the stall door to see Logan standing in the aisle with his gryff, Dartalon, waiting patiently at his shoulder.

  “Are you ready?”

  “I just need to get Stormclaw’s saddle on.”

  “Good. Join us in the paddock as soon as you’re ready,” he said, and started to lead his gryff towards the exit. “And Lyssa? That airhead was just trying to psyche you out. Don’t let her get under your skin.”

  That was easier said than done, but I tried to put her out of my mind, for now at least. Getting on a gryff with less than perfect concentration was likely to end up with a trip to the hospital wing, and I doubted Madam Leechington would have time to get me patched up before the match started now.