Amelie: Wizards of White Haven

by Frances Howitt

  Max suddenly burst out laughing. Amelie had looked at her man with an anticipatory smile. ‘Surely he needs to rest?’

  ‘Of course he will need to rest,’ she said and it sounded like a promise. Max bade them goodnight and they returned slowly to their room.

  Next day Jim went back to bed after breakfast. Now they were both stronger for the food and rest Amelie spent some time and considerable energy trying to heal him further. Her aim was to heal him sufficiently to relieve his pain. She was quite successful in this although it was hard and tricky work to do. She slept for several hours after that exertion.

  When Amelie woke it was about lunch time so she went to fetch them both some food. They ate, relishing the quiet warm room and feeling of safety.

  ‘The sun’s out for a change,’ Amelie remarked. ‘I think I’ll go and have a wander round the grounds.’

  ‘Good idea. Can you have a look at the state of the perimeter wall while you’re out there? They were saying the original defences had been breached when they were attacked.’

  ‘Mm. Kathy didn’t seem to have any difficulty going out into the forest. Maybe there are serious holes in the wall. Don’t worry, I’ll be careful,’ she added noticing the concern on his face and left him to sleep.

  She walked through to the green house to check on the baby apple trees. She was happy to see the neat bed they now had all to themselves in the sun. Work on other beds had been started here too, clearing the weeds and beginning to restore order. She headed out the double doors into the sunshine. This area was where the attack had come from, so she walked from the greenhouse directly to the boundary wall. Along the way she spotted lots of items the attackers had abandoned. It seemed odd to her to leave all this stuff lying in the grass. Some would have been useful, but most now showed the effects of months of rain, ice and the gnawing of animals. Half hidden in the grass she noticed something glinting and picked up a large and impressive broad-sword. Animals had chewed at what remained of the rather mouldy leather grip. Rust stained an edge but not seriously. It would clean up. Someone would have been upset to lose such a fine and engraved weapon. She tucked it in her belt and continued on.

  She halted wide eyed. A hole large enough to drive a wagon through had been punched in the boundary wall. Anything or anyone could wander on to the grounds with ease. With such a hole there was little point in walking all the way around to look for other holes; this was serious. She was tired and shocked and felt the sudden urge to return to Jim where he lay sleeping and unprotected. Anyone could walk up to the front door unnoticed and certainly wander the grounds freely.

  ‘Where did you find that?’ Jim asked as soon as she came in.

  ‘What, this sword? It was laying in the grass amongst all the rubbish the attackers left. Since our own weapons seem to have disappeared into the weapon smith’s hands I thought it’d be sensible to hang on to this in here.’

  ‘You’re that worried about our security?’

  ‘There’s a hole in the wall big enough to drive a wagon through,’ she told him bluntly.

  ‘We didn’t have any stone walls when we were travelling,’ he reminded her.

  ‘That was different. No-one knew exactly where we were and we were constantly moving. We’re now sitting in a big vulnerable house that’s already been targeted. Whoever attacked before must know the two strongest defenders are dead. It’s not a matter of if, but more a matter of when, another attack will come.’

  ‘Let’s speak to the teachers after dinner,’ he said. He watched her stop pacing, nod at the suggestion then fetch out the oil stone they kept for honing an edge on their blades. She was obviously determined to get a usable edge back on that sword. Her very determination was what worried him. She was far more nervous than she ought to be. ‘You haven’t had a premonition have you?’

  ‘I don’t know. But I’ve a gut feeling something has found us. When I follow my gut I’m not usually wrong,’ she warned. ‘I also don’t like the way Vako seems to be acting out of character. He deliberately sought to badly injure you. Then afterwards he seemed to wake and be concerned. Could someone be controlling him do you think?’

  ‘That’s a frightening thought,’ Jim said disliking even having to consider such a possibility. But they couldn’t rule it out. They needed to tread carefully. ‘How much time do you feel we’ve got before danger threatens us?’

  ‘I don’t know. It was close and sharp and now has faded a little. But I don’t think it’s gone away,’ she said trying to explain what she felt. ‘Maybe they will seek to rush us while half the students are off campus shopping and you’re not at full strength.’

  ‘I don’t like the thought these injuries might have been orchestrated,’ Jim said grimly. He kissed her brow and went to get cleaned up. His muscles could badly use some relaxing hot water. He felt tense and worried and that in turn had locked up his damaged muscles painfully.

  Amelie watched his brow furrow in both worry and pain. She let him settle into as comfortable a position as he could find in the bath and gave the water he’d heated some minutes to sink into his aches.

  ‘Am I could use some peace to soak,’ he complained gently since she was hovering.

  ‘No, you need to be restored to full fitness,’ she told him.

  ‘Ideally, that would be nice,’ he agreed with the ghost of a smile. ‘But you’ve done as much as you can. The rest will have to heal in its normal time.’

  ‘I’ve been thinking about that today and want to try something. Can I?’ she asked. He frowned, unsure what she proposed and whether she might inadvertently make his injuries worse. ‘Trust me,’ she urged, noting his fears. Hang the risk, if there was anything she could do to ease his pain she would do it. She sat beside him and put her hands either side of his shoulder injury. She remembered the way she’d been able to feel Prince Casper’s injury. Yesterday she’d reset his dislocated shoulder. His muscles and flesh had been rigid with pain and swollen from the injuries. Today, and particularly after her work this morning, they had calmed. She now focussed on repairing the badly torn muscles. She came back to herself and let go of him and thus the pain blockers.

  ‘What have you done?’ he asked wide-eyed. He tentatively moved his arm. It twinged but the excruciating pain was gone. He felt the shoulder with his other hand; it felt solid.

  ‘Has the pain gone now?’ she asked.

  ‘Yes! Thank you so much.’ He eyed her in concern. ‘That took a lot out of you. You must rest now.’

  ‘I know what to do now and your ribs need sorting out.’

  ‘Yes, but they don’t hurt much. I’d rather you didn’t exhaust yourself trying to do all this at once. You’ve no idea how relieved I am you worked out what was needed and were able to heal my shoulder. I was worried I’d lose my strength.’

  He climbed out of the bath, dried off quickly and savoured the absence of such draining and debilitating pain. He returned to their bed knowing she would follow. They both needed to sleep and there were still a couple of hours until dinner.

  16

  Premonitions

  It was the bell which woke them again. But this time Jim was able to rise and dress without pain felling him.

  ‘You look so much better,’ Amelie told him.

  ‘I feel it, thanks to you,’ he said and they hurried to the dining hall.

  ‘Vako’s not here again,’ Jim commented softly as they came in the door.

  ‘Good. Maybe we can get some answers from the others,’ Amelie said.

  ‘Makes you wonder what he’s up to though doesn’t it?’ Jim added.

  She nodded with a frown. He squeezed her hand warningly and she cleared her expression to greet Max warmly. They sat down and listened to the idle chatter all around them. It appeared quite a large number had visited the village today.

  ‘Where’s Vako?’ Jim asked casually.

  ‘He always goes to visit friends on a rest day,’ Max said with a shrug of disinterest.

  ‘I went for
a wander this afternoon,’ Amelie said to Max. ‘I notice there’s a huge hole in the perimeter wall. Aren’t you worried you’ll be attacked again?’

  ‘Of course we worry about that. But it’s less likely to happen in the winter months,’ Max shrugged.

  ‘We found no problem travelling far and fast,’ Amelie commented. ‘While the roads are clear there’s risk. I must admit to being shocked that even the most obvious of repairs haven’t been done. I thought you’d said it’s been six months since the attack.’

  ‘We have done some repairs,’ Max said in quick defence. ‘And the local garrison have promised to patrol this way more often.’ Amelie and Jim both were just staring at him and he knew his excuses sounded lame. ‘No-one’s going to attack us now you’re here,’ he added under his breath but Amelie heard him.

  ‘The school has done nothing to repair its defences. That hole in the wall is an open invitation. Why should we risk our lives defending or helping such idiots?’ she asked Jim. She was deliberately speaking quietly but her words had enough force that they were audible to all the other teachers who’d been following their conversation. She was aware they stared at her in consternation but none dared deny she was right.

  ‘You feel there is danger?’ Max asked, noticing how pensive and watchful both were.

  ‘Yes and very soon,’ she said. ‘Where are all the weapons kept?’

  ‘At the practice yards,’ the usually silent Terry advised. ‘You think they should be brought into the house?’

  ‘Definitely! Why leave them where you can’t use them? It would be ridiculously easy for anyone attacking to help themselves to your weapons and use them on you.’

  ‘You think we should get them now?’ Bruno asked her.

  ‘Yes. Any watchers won’t see what you’re doing now it’s dark,’ Amelie said.

  Bruno was aware the others seemed surprised he should so readily do the bidding of a teenager, and a stranger too. But he’d tested her mettle and what she said made sense. He finished his dinner and left.

  ‘Anything else we should be doing?’ Terry asked her.

  ‘Post lookouts. Probably your animus students Max, they can see well in the dark. Give each group a bell or something so they can signal if they see something. We could do without attackers climbing in the window or walking in that unlocked door without warning,’ she added.

  ‘You think they could get that close to us undetected?’ Max asked, as what she was saying, suddenly hit home.

  ‘What’s to stop them? Last I looked even the front gate is left open. Intruders don’t need to scramble through the forest. They can trot sedately up the drive and walk in the unlocked front door,’ Amelie said. ‘What more of an invitation do they need?’

  ‘You don’t think closing the gate will imply we suddenly have a weakness?’

  ‘No,’ she snorted. ‘Most people close up for the night. You have a school full of vulnerable children here and were attacked and lost lives only a few months ago. Added to that the fact your main protectors died in that fight means your defences are obviously nonexistent. This casualness is a poor way to reward the defenders that lost their lives.’

  ‘We hear you,’ Max said trying to calm her ire. ‘I’ll go down to the gate and close it myself. Then I’ll fly across the grounds and check all is well.’ She nodded at him, grateful for action and he quickly left. The things she’d said reminded him forcefully of the helplessness and fear they’d all experienced during the attack. He hadn’t wanted to take up the reins of leadership after their leader and deputy had died. He hadn’t felt up to the responsibility, although he’d also suspected that the wizard students’ parents would not accept an animus headmaster. So he’d pushed that burden on to Vako. Now in light of Vako’s perpetual weariness and odd mood swings he wondered if Vako had been the right choice. The only positive thing he’d done recently was his insistence on tracking and snaring this unusual couple. Jim and Amelie hadn’t said as much of course, but they’d clearly been relieved by Vako’s absence. Certainly he couldn’t blame them for not trusting Vako based on what Bruno had said happened at the training ground.

  Max changed into his owl and silently flew high having a good look around in the moonlight. She was right that they’d become complacent. A lone horseman was walking up the drive; Vako. He was plodding along and didn’t seem to be aware of Max’s presence overhead. Not a good sign. Max wheeled and landed at the gates. He changed and had to wrestle with the stiff and weed infested gates to close them, but eventually managed to drop the bar down to lock up securely. That done he felt he could resume his owl form and continue looking around. He kept track of Vako’s leisurely progress whilst thoroughly scanning around the edges of the grounds. The hole in the wall Amelie was distressed about looked like an enormous gaping tear when viewed with fresh eyes. He shook his head, annoyed he’d let its repair slide. He’d pushed to get it sorted straight after the attack. But no-one had the strength to contemplate it then. They had been rudderless and too busy licking their wounds, depressed by the sudden death of their leaders and that the wizard enclave was not able to send them anyone to replace their Head. The sound of another horse attracted his attention and he swooped over to the practice grounds. Bruno was leading a horse and small cart back towards the house. In stark contrast to Vako, Bruno had his eyes open and was watching Max approach.

  ‘That you Max?’ Bruno asked the large owl heading his way.

  ‘Yup. All packed up?’ Max asked and landed on the side of the cart. Heaped inside were their best light weapons, swords and bows predominantly. ‘Good choice,’ Max commented. ‘I’ve shut the gate and am having a proper look round. Vako has just arrived. I passed over his head but he didn’t even notice me,’ Max added and noticed Bruno frown. Whilst Bruno had no magic he did know that Vako should have been able to sense someone close by, particularly an animus’s magical resonance.

  ‘That’s worrying,’ Bruno agreed. ‘Should we mention any of this to him?’

  Max stopped to consider that. ‘He’s not been himself recently and has been looking frail. No need to bother him with these precautions unless he sees you and asks questions. I’m going to tell anyone that asks that we thought a few more security procedures ought to be reinstated. The things Amelie suggested, we always used to do. Not many of us saw them done because Tring and Taffy took care of them. She’s right; we’ve become complacent and with virtually no defences left to speak of we are inviting trouble.’

  ‘I’m glad you see it that way too,’ Bruno said quietly. ‘She seemed unusually rattled. Do you think she senses imminent danger?’

  ‘To be honest I’ve no idea. But she doesn’t strike me as someone who would be nervous without good reason. Vako said she has tremendous power that is still growing and evolving. She is only sixteen after all. But some wizards do get premonitions.’ Max abruptly went still, staring across the short stretch of lawns to where they ended in a small but dense copse of trees.

  ‘What is it?’ Bruno whispered.

  ‘I thought I saw something move in the trees,’ Max responded equally quietly. Bruno snatched up a bow and quiver. ‘No, let’s get this stuff back to the house. I don’t feel like investigating without plenty of backup. No-one’s going to hear us way up here if we were to get into trouble.’

  Bruno nodded and urged the horse on again but he didn’t relinquish hold of the bow. ‘The night does feel full of eyes tonight,’ he muttered.

  Max ruffled his feathers feeling much the same way. He sprang into the air and protectively circled the cart high enough to keep watch without startling the horse. He caught sight of a small movement just outside the front door of the house; someone was watching him. He wheeled closer and recognised the young wizard Jim. Jim glanced quickly to one side and Max noticed a slight movement in the shadows. A black four legged shape approached Jim silently from around the side of the house. Max knew it was only his owl’s superbly acute night vision that even enabled him to see that much. But how had
Jim seen the cat with his human eyes? He swooped lower, unsure as to whether Jim was in any danger; none of his animus class was a cat. Jim stood still and calm, clearly aware of the approach of the huge panther. Since when did panthers have blue eyes? It had to be Amelie. Max floated down and landed near Jim on the wall edging the steps.

  The panther was watching him with very direct feline and predatory eyes. It was a warning and he hastily settled down on the wall furling his partially outstretched wings. Only then did she relax and push her head under Jim’s hand.

  ‘See anything Max?’ Jim asked oblivious to the small exchange.

  ‘No. But I think there’s someone in the trees to the right of the training ground. I thought I should try and pretend I wasn’t aware of a presence until we’re ready to go and look properly.’

  ‘Call your class,’ Amelie said addressing Max. ‘The grounds are way too big to cover without many eyes.’

  Max nodded and disappeared into the little alcove just inside the front door to change and dress swiftly. When he returned with his class Jim came inside and led the way into the nearest room. Beside him stood a sleek, powerfully muscled, panther.

  ‘Change everyone. We have work to do,’ the panther spoke calmly but with authority. ‘Max may have spotted intruders up near the training ground. We need to check it out, find out whom they are and if they’re alone. After the attack here a few months ago we can’t be too careful. Right, we’ll divide you up into teams, each of which will have a bird member so anything you find can be quickly relayed for action. Birds follow Max’s direction, but we need you to fly high and find these strangers. Then you can direct us. Look at your team mates and know their scents. You must keep track of each other and work in complete silence.’

  ‘Why aren’t you in dragon form?’ Kathy asked. ‘I thought you said that’s your preferred form.’

  ‘Dragons are rather too noticeable. This panther form is excellent for stealth and strong enough to tackle most things.’