Macy Vickers and the Book of Spells

by Paul R. Melia

  Macy looked stunned and could hardly believe what Romulus had said. Her face was a picture of complete horror at what might have happened if he had not stopped her in time.

  “He is okay, isn’t he? I never touched him! I was going to — until you called me — but I never got that far!” Macy blurted her words out in an emotional and a heartfelt voice.

  “I know you didn’t,” said Romulus. “Don’t worry yourself … he’s fine.”

  Macy looked at the Spell Keeper, still in a dream world of his own, and breathed a sigh of relief. “What’s the problem, then? Why can’t he be woken up unexpectedly?”

  Romulus gave Macy a stern look and shook his head. “Firstly, it isn’t polite to disturb someone when they are sleeping. Especially when you grab them by the shoulders.” The look on Romulus’s face turned to one of a part smile, then back to a more serious mode. “I’m not entirely sure why waking him up can be so dangerous to his health… It’s never been explained to me properly. I just know it shouldn’t be done.” For a moment Romulus seemed to drift off into a world of his own. Macy moved to his side and prodded him on the arm. It worked, and he snapped out of it. “He did once mention something to me — if my memory serves me right. When he goes to sleep, he falls so far into a deep, coma like state, his heart rate drops dramatically. Almost to a virtual stop.”

  “Maybe the shock of being woken from such a deep sleep puts too much strain on his heart?” said Macy inquiringly.

  “Maybe!”

  The Spell Keeper’s eyes jolted open and he sat bolt upright. “What’s all the commotion about? Can’t a sorcerer get a good night’s sleep in his own home anymore around here?”

  “You’re awake,” shouted Macy with delight.

  “How observant you are, young lady,” he replied in a cumbersome manner. He was still half asleep, and if the truth were known, he wasn’t exactly the happiest individual to talk to first thing in the morning. Grumpy, and downright rude would be a good way of describing him at that precise moment. “I don’t mind you staying here, but I must insist on some form of peace and quiet.”

  “I’m sorry,” said Macy apologetically.

  Romulus was in a far less forgiving mood with the Spell Keeper’s acid tongue. And waved his hand in a pacifying gesture. “Calm down, calm down.”

  The Spell Keeper acknowledged his unacceptable behaviour. “Oh, I’m sorry. Don’t mind me. I’m not at my best first thing in the morning.”

  “You could have fooled me,” said Macy mockingly under her breath.

  “What was that?” asked the Spell Keeper as he placed his legs over the front of the worktop.

  “Nothing!” replied Macy hurriedly … and a little white lie entered her head. “I was just saying, I’m glad you’re awake, that’s all.”

  The Spell Keeper frowned. “You’re a strange girl. I’ll say that for you.”

  Macy was about to come back with one of her all too common quick-cut remarks, but Romulus stepped in. He placed a finger to his lips and closed his eyes and his actions had not gone unnoticed by Macy. It was as if she had read his mind and decided against opening her mouth.

  — CHAPTER SEVENTEEN —

  The Hat of Invisibility

  With everyone up and fully alert, it was decided they would make an early start to Tormencer Castle. But before leaving the relative safety of the Spell Keeper’s underground cave there were a few essentials that would be needed on their dangerous and untried mission.

  Romulus and Macy left the spell room first and entered the passageway.

  “If we are going up against the likes of Kraken and Gordrick I’d like to be prepared. It’s not going to be easy, you know,” called out the Spell Keeper following a short distance behind.

  Macy slowed and waited for him. “What do you mean, prepared? It’s a first for all of us, as far as I am aware. How can you prepare for something you’ve never experienced before?”

  “Having never been in this predicament, you’re right. But I do have some insight into the workings of Kraken’s mind, twisted though it may be. So, taking some precautions isn’t a bad idea, don’t you agree?”

  It was Romulus’s turn to question the Spell Keeper about what he was intending to take on the trip. “What exactly did you have in mind?” If I know you, it’s bound to be something special.”

  “Oh no … special is going a bit over the top. It’s just a few potions that may aid our rescue attempt. This little beauty for instance.” He lifted his cloak and produced a purple silk pouch. “I call it wormhole dust.” He opened the pouch and tipped a small quantity of gold and silver dust into the palm of his hand. “It’s for making holes in solid objects, such as walls. Ingenious, don’t you think?”

  “Very,” said Romulus enthusiastically. “It’ll come in handy, for sure. Especially as Kraken will undoubtably have every entrance and exit to the castle guarded.”

  “That was my thinking behind taking my magic wormhole dust.” The Spell Keeper curled his hand into a funnel and poured the shimmering colourful dust back into the open pouch and tucked it safely under his cloak.

  “What else have you got?” asked Macy expectantly.

  The Spell Keeper had a glint in his eye. “I thought this might come in handy as well … what do you think?” He delved deep into one of his long oval necked sleeves. “Come on… Ah … here we go.” He whipped out a green woollen hat.

  “Don’t tell me—” Macy smirked, “—it’s in case we reach the castle, only to find there is a fancy-dress party taking place?” She took the hat from the Spell Keeper and placed it on her head. “Does it suit me?”

  “Yes, it’s a perfect fit … though a fancy-dress party is not what it’s intended for! said the Spell Keeper lethargically. “For one … you wouldn’t be seen.”

  “What do you mean, wouldn’t be seen? Are you saying I’m ugly or something?” Macy’s voice rose in temperature.

  “Oh no, you’re missing the point, my dear!” Romulus stepped in. “I remember the Spell Keeper showing me this particular hat before. It’s the Hat of Invisibility — and makes the wearer invisible … as you are now.”

  “What? I’m invisible? You can’t see me at all?”

  “Well, almost,” said the Spell Keeper, half-heartedly. “For some reason, which I can’t quite put my finger on — and believe me I’ve tried, you can’t be seen, but … the hat still can be. Look in the mirror and see for yourself.”

  Macy didn’t need telling twice and raced down the passageway and into the bedroom. “Wow! Now that’s what I call cool.” She gazed at the mirror in the centre of the wardrobe and removed the hat and became visible again.... Then she placed it back on, leaving nothing but the hat in the mirrors reflection.

  Eager to see what else the Spell Keeper might have up his sleeve, Macy dashed out of the bedroom, back up the passageway and into the spell room, where she found the Spell Keeper and Romulus deep in discussion.

  What they were talking about was how they were going to tackle the problem of rescuing their friends and family. Not forgetting of course, the Book of Spells and Ring of Power.

  “Ah, I see you’re back with us?” The Spell Keeper reached over and took the hat off Macy’s head, and placed it back up his sleeve. “Well, I think it’s time we made a move. I have plenty more potion, trickery and spells to take with me, but we don’t have time to discuss them all, right now.”

  Outside the Spell Keeper’s underground cave they searched in vain for the Zynador, Macy and Romulus had arrived on the day before, who was going to fly them to Tormencer Castle.

  Then, Macy recognised a sound that came from behind a huge mound of boulders. She trudged through the long grass and made a trail that led right up to it. Romulus spotted Macy as she picked up pace and sprinted, full pelt, in hot pursuit.

  “Wait for me, you two.” The Spell Keeper was left lagging behind and did all he could to stop his long featherweight beard from becoming tangled within the long grass. But his admirable attempt
s to hoist it high up above his head proved futile. Misjudging his footing, he tripped over a half-buried rock, summersaulted theatrically through the air, and ended up in a heap on the ground. “Blast. I didn’t see that coming.” Carefully, he tried to get to his feet but became aware that he couldn’t straighten his back as his beard had become entangled in the maze of long grass. “Damn and blast.” He pulled on his beard with all his might and it finally broke free, minus a few whiskers, and sent him tumbling onto his backside. Again, he tried to stand, and this time succeeded. “I must have a trim next time I’m home,” he muttered to himself.

  Whilst the Spell Keeper had been preoccupied with his trip and fall, Macy and Romulus had arrived at the mound of boulders. Unsure what sort of mood the Zynador was going to be in Romulus moved out in front and tiptoed round the side of the boulders. “There it is,” he pointed frantically. For such an enormous creature the Zynador seemed adapt at camouflaging itself. The only give-away to its position had been part of its translucent wings.

  As they both stood looking in the Zynador’s direction an unexpected tap on Macy’s shoulder sent a shiver down her spine. And only after she had managed to gather all her faculties back once more did she notice that it had been the Spell Keeper who’d done the tapping.

  “I don’t believe it!” she wailed. “What are you doing creeping up on me like that? You could’ve given me a heart attack you know.”

  “Sorry,” replied the Spell Keeper remorsefully. “It was stupid of me.”

  Macy reeled her temper in and accepted his apology with a nod of her head. “What took you so long to catch up, anyway? Dropped some of your potions, did you?”

  “No, not exactly.” The Spell Keeper felt too embarrassed to tell Macy the reason for his late arrival and instead skipped her prying questions. “I see you found it then? The Zynador, that is.”

  “Yes, and with no help from yourself, I might add,” came a cheap-shot reply from Macy.

  The Zynador … having moments earlier been startled to the point of waking up … due to Macy’s over the top reaction from being tapped on the shoulder … was now standing tall. And after a severe blinking spree, it let out a half yawn, half cough, thrashed its head from side to side and stretched out both wings, before recoiling them.

  “Looks as though we’ve upset the magnificent beast,” said the Spell Keeper as he picked yet more broken strands of grass out of his ruffled beard.

  “The Zynador is fine,” said Romulus promptly. “It’s just woken up, that’s all.”

  The Spell Keeper stroked his beard. “Well, upset or not, there’s no time like the present. We’re not going to rescue anyone standing around here. Let’s climb aboard.”

  They searched about and found a suitable take-off strip ... a long stretch of grass barren pathway. The only problem with it, was that it was littered with rocks and large chunks of broken and dead trees. But a launch pad it was, and it would just have to do.

  The seating arrangements on the Zynador turned out to be a tight squeeze and Macy had managed to force both her legs into the left-hand side leg holder at the back and Romulus had done the same with the right-hand side and leg holder. The Spell Keeper had decided that he’d try his hand at flying and popped his legs either side of the Zynador, into the two front leg holders.

  “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” asked Macy, with a look of concern prominent on her face. “Wouldn’t Romulus be a better choice for a pilot?”

  “I beg your pardon?” replied the Spell Keeper sternly. “Romulus?” he turned his attention to the opposite side. “Did you hear what the little madam just said?” The Spell Keeper rudely pointed a finger over his shoulder.

  “Well—” smiled Romulus, “—I’d be the last person to question any decision of yours, but I did wonder myself, why it is you want to fly the Zynador?” He took a deep breath and continued. “As I recall, the last time you took control of one of these creatures, it ended up with you taking an early bath in the lagoon at the Valley of Crystal Water.”

  Macy burst into a fit of hysterics on hearing Romulus’s recollection, much to the disapproval of the Spell Keeper.

  “And what’s so funny?” He turned his head and gave Macy a distasteful glare.

  “Oh, I’m sorry.” Still sniggering behind a hand-clasped mouth, Macy’s eyes started to water. “I just had a vision in my head of you climbing out of the lagoon, soaked to the skin.”

  Romulus could see that an argument was brewing … one which would serve no purpose and set about trying to defuse the situation. “Come on, you two. There’s no point in us falling out with each other. We’ve got work to do.” He lifted up the leather steering straps and handed the over to the Spell Keeper. “I’ve got full confidence in you. If you say you want to fly the Zynador, then so be it.”

  “You’ve got more confidence in him than me,” said Macy under her breath.

  “What did you say?” The Spell Keeper once again took offence to Macy’s tone of voice.

  Sensing that she may have over stepped the mark, Macy relented. “You’ve both made your minds up as to who is going to take control of the flying side of thing … so I’ll just keep my mouth shut, shall I?”

  Romulus and the Spell Keeper nodded their heads in agreement to Macy’s last comment.

  — CHAPTER EIGHTEEN —

  The Stormy Crash Landing

  The flight to Tormencer Castle took roughly thirty minutes and as an orange glow from the sun bounced off the castle walls, a wonderful mixture of pencil case colours glistened brightly. But the pleasant weather was not to last.

  It was Macy who first noticed the clouds looming ominously ahead. Both Romulus and the Spell Keeper had been busy discussing strategies and tactics on how they were going to enter the castle.

  Huge grey powder puff sacks filled with water homed in on them from all directions ... drawn toward the Zynador and its passengers as if by a gigantic magnate.

  “I don’t like the look of this!” Macy winced and screwed up her face. “If you ask me, we’re in for a rough ride. There’s definitely a storm in the air.”

  The Spell Keeper glanced over at Macy ... stuck a finger in his mouth and held the saliva-coated digit high in the air. “Certainly, there has been a noticeable change in wind speed and temperature, I must say.”

  “It’s more than a noticeable change — there’s a massive storm heading in our direction. Look!” Macy’s eyes bulged as the grey clouds parted and a large menacing black cloud descended on them. White lightning, golf ball size hailstones and deafening thunder burst out all around as the black cloud exploded into life.

  The Spell Keeper withdrew his finger and praised Macy for her alertness. “Well done, young lady. I’m glad to see someone’s keeping an eye on what’s happening. Now, what to do next … that’s the question?”

  But there was no time for a plan of action to be put in place. In the time it had taken the Spell Keeper to finish his sentence the storm had picked up in intensity and was reaping its mighty force upon anything and everything in its path.

  “Hold on,” yelled Romulus. He reached back and grabbing hold of the leather steering straps from the Spell Keeper’s battered and bruised hands. The Spell Keeper had taken several direct hits on them from several of the oversize hailstones. “Sorry, but I’d better take over from here. I can see by the state of your hands, you could do with a rest.”

  “I didn’t want to say anything—” the Spell Keeper gave a visible sigh of relief, “—it’s a lot harder than I remember, trying to control one of these beasts, and this weather isn’t helping.” The Spell Keeper wiped his face dry with a sleeve from his long robe; and looked up to the heavens and muttered a few misgivings under his bearded breath.

  “I don’t know how much longer the Zynador can hold on. It’s losing height and running out of energy.” Romulus fought as hard as he could to control the Zynador. It was being battered by the storm and buffeted from side to side by a ferocious wind that had now
joined in the relentless onslaught … ably assisted by a torrential downpouring of rain. But it was the hailstones that caused the Zynador and everyone riding on it the greatest problems.

  Romulus was under immense pressure to keep control of the Zynador, but it wasn’t easy. He was in the wrong position for a star. Flying a Zynador at the best of times was a skill in itself but flying one side-saddle was almost impossible. But that is what Romulus was faced with, and to be fair, he was giving it his best shot.

  The Spell Keeper dropped his gaze and had a look on his face that said he had a plan up his sleeve, literally. It hadn’t been just his hands that had felt the pain of being struck by the hailstones, his head had taken a pounding too. But instead of causing him concern, it seemed to have given him an idea.

  “I’ve got it!” he shrilled. Stuffing a hand deep inside one of his sleeves he frantically fumbled about, before pulling out a glass container the size of a small drinks bottle. It was half filled with a blue mixture of fine dust and yellow oil. “Ah … that’s what I’ve been looking for!”

  “Whatever you’ve got in mind, get on with it.” Macy’s hands were red. She had used them to protect her head and the hailstones had taken their toll on her soft skin.

  But it was Romulus who had suffered the most. He had no choice but to keep hold of the steering straps, and that left his head dangerously exposed to the violent wrath of the elements.

  “Hold on … I’m nearly ready … don’t worry!” cried the Spell Keeper. The storm had intensified, and his voice was all but drowned out by the unforgiving thunder and lightning. “I don’t know why I never thought of it before. Here we go. Better late than never.”

  “Get on with it!” yelled Romulus. “My head and hands can’t take much more.” He had worked himself into a bit of a state and was close to being knocked unconscious.

  The Spell Keeper unscrewed the top of the bottle, and … keeping a tight hold of it, threw the contents high into the air. The blue dust and yellow oil had an immediate effect as they collided with the missile attack of hailstones.