Archie Greene and the Raven's Spell

by D D Everest

  Archie’s heart sank. Peter Quiggley roared with laughter.

  ‘Oh dear! There’s something Greene hasn’t told you. Shall I tell them, Archie, or will you?’

  Archie felt his stomach twist. He shook his head. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘I lost the Torchstone when the Pale Writer attacked me in the churchyard.’

  Quiggley was taunting them now. ‘Luckily, when he dropped it, I was there to pick it up. He couldn’t see me of course because I was using the invisibility potion.’

  ‘And what did you do with the Torchstone, Peter?’ asked Graves, trying to remain calm.

  Quiggley smiled. ‘I extinguished it along with the Flame of Pharos!’ he said. ‘So you see, Archie, when you and Grey put out the Dark Flame you didn’t save magic, you destroyed it once and for all!’

  Graves gave a deep sigh. ‘That’s that then,’ she said. ‘The Opus Magus has been saved. But without the magical flames there can be no more magic.’

  Bramble coughed. ‘Erm, actually, they’re not quite extinguished,’ she said, reaching into her pocket to produce an egg-shaped object that gave off an amber light.

  ‘The Torchstone!’ gasped Archie, goggling at it. ‘But how?’

  ‘There were two, remember?’ said Bramble.

  ‘The spare!’ cried Archie. ‘So that was you?’

  Bramble grinned. ‘Just a precaution,’ she said. ‘I took it the same time you took the other one. I thought we might as well double up.’

  ‘Why didn’t you say anything?’ cried Archie.

  ‘I thought the fewer people who knew the better,’ said Bramble.

  Archie smiled. ‘Yes, but you could have told us!’

  ‘And spoil the surprise!’ said Bramble, her lips curling into a grin. ‘You know how we Greys like our secrets!’

  ‘So we have saved magic after all!’ cried Thistle.

  ‘I think this calls for a celebration,’ said Graves. ‘Send out the ravens to every corner of the magical realm. Tell the magical world that the Flame of Pharos still burns and magic lives on!’

  30

  The Last Flame

  It was the day after the showdown at Ripley Mansion. The torrential rainfall of the night before had been replaced by warm sunshine. The storm had passed and the air smelled clean and fresh.

  There were celebrations going on all over the magical realm. At number 32 Houndstooth Road, Archie, Bramble and Thistle were getting ready to leave for a big party at Quill’s.

  Gardenia was standing in the kitchen in her best frock with Woodbine, who was in a crumpled suit that Archie recognised from the old newspaper cutting.

  It had already been decided the night before that Archie and Bramble were to carry on living with the Foxes. Houndstooth Road was their home.

  ‘I’ll miss you all of course,’ Gardenia said. ‘But it won’t be for long. As soon as I can sell my cottage I’m moving back to Oxford. There’s no reason to stay away any more!’

  ‘That’s brilliant, news, Gran,’ said Archie, giving her a big hug.

  Gardenia glanced at the clock.

  ‘What’s taking Loretta so long?’ she asked.

  Thistle called up the stairs. ‘The party’s starting soon, Mum. Hurry up!’

  At that moment there was a knock at the door. Woodbine went to answer it and Archie heard voices in the hall. Feodora Graves and Wolfus Bone walked through to the kitchen.

  ‘We just dropped by to let you know that the Word Smithy has been relit,’ said Graves. ‘The Flame of Pharos burns brightly once more!’

  ‘That’s the best news ever,’ said Archie.

  ‘And the plotters have been rounded up,’ said Bone. ‘Rumold was arrested at the asylum and will be charged with crimes against magic, as will Morgred. Amos Roach will stand trial for killing Katerina’s adopted parents and aunt.’

  ‘And this is for you,’ said Graves, handing Thistle an envelope. He tore it open.

  ‘Wow! It’s a letter from the museum,’ he said excitedly. ‘I’m to start in the mythical menagerie on Monday!’ He beamed with pleasure.

  ‘Congratulations,’ said Gardenia. ‘Rupert will be thrilled for you.’

  ‘What will happen to Quiggley?’ asked Bramble.

  ‘He’s too young to stand trial for putting out the Flame, so for now he’ll go to the Home for Young Magical Offenders where he can’t cause any more trouble. Katerina Krone will remain at the asylum. Orpheus Gloom is replacing Rumold in charge.’

  Bone looked at Woodbine. ‘We have Roach to thank for the drubbing we received. It was Motley Brown who tipped him and the other Greaders off that The Book of Night was being moved.’

  ‘So Gloom wasn’t part of the plot?’ asked Bramble.

  ‘No, he was telling the truth. He only found out about The Book of Night when he discovered the secret library. He reported it to the museum as soon as he realised what it was.’

  ‘The Book of Night is now safely chained up with the other Terrible Tomes in the crypt,’ added Bone. ‘You’ll be pleased to know, too, that the other books from the dark library have been locked away in the Darchive. Orpheus saw to that.’

  ‘So all’s well that ends well,’ said Thistle.

  Archie’s expression changed as he felt a sudden sadness. ‘I was just thinking about Fabian Grey,’ he said. ‘It’s not surprising the vision almost drove him mad. Imagine finding out you had to turn into a raven to fulfil your destiny?’

  ‘It’s Gideon I feel for,’ said Bone. ‘He was my friend. He spent his life looking for clues about Fabian Grey without knowing that he was searching for himself. It’s no wonder the pressure got to him in the end.’

  ‘I’m not sure it did,’ said Graves. ‘The Greaders wanted him to think he was going mad. The medication Brown was mixing for him contained March hare’s blood to dull his mind. Rumold admitted it under questioning. They wanted Hawke locked up in the asylum where they could keep him out of the way – they didn’t want him somehow discovering how to extinguish the Dark Flame.

  ‘The raven left the receipt from Folly & Catchpole in his room at the asylum for him to find. But Rumold saw it and thought it was for The Opus Magus, so they released Hawke and followed him to Folly & Catchpole’s offices. When he came out with the package they grabbed him and took him to Ripley Mansion. By then they had guessed he was Fabian Grey and thought they’d got the primary spell.’

  ‘But it was just Grey’s account of what had happened to him!’ said Archie.

  ‘Yes,’ said Graves. ‘That was the clever plan that Alex and Amelia Greene came up with. Alex persuaded Grey to write it all down so that he would remember who he was.’

  ‘And The Opus Magus was in the raven’s memory,’ said Bramble.

  ‘That’s right,’ said Graves. ‘The Grimoire’s curse only affected Grey when he was a man. When he changed into the raven he still had his bibliographical memory so he could remember everything from before.’

  Thistle looked thoughtful. ‘Something I don’t understand is why Hawke didn’t have the streak of white in his hair?’

  ‘Hawke had no memory of what he’d seen in The Book of Prophecy, so his mind was unburdened and his hair was untouched,’ said Graves. ‘The raven had the white streak because it remembered. As Hawke’s memory started to come back, his hair started to turn white, too.’

  ‘And I thought it was the stress he was under!’ said Archie.

  ‘I suppose it was really,’ said Graves. ‘It was the stress of being Fabian Grey.’

  ‘That’d turn anyone’s hair white!’ agreed Archie.

  ‘Grey gave his life to save magic. And we must never forget the sacrifice your parents made,’ said Graves. ‘But now is not the time for sadness. It is a time to honour them and celebrate their lives. There will be statues of Gideon Hawke and your parents in the museum, and Rusp, too.’

  ‘Fabian Grey will be remembered for what he was,’ said Bone, ‘the greatest alchemist of all.’

  Archie looked thoughtful. ‘I don’t t
hink any of that mattered to him,’ he said. ‘I think all he cared about was saving magic.’

  Just then Loretta tottered into the room. She was wearing violet high heels and a large fuchsia-coloured hat.

  ‘How do I look?’ she asked.

  ‘Very purple,’ said Thistle.

  ‘You look lovely … Mum,’ said Bramble, giving Thistle a sharp dig in the ribs.

  Loretta beamed at them. She took a mirror from her lavender-coloured handbag and puckered her lips.

  ‘I’ve made a cake to take to the party. It’s in the larder,’ she said, applying some purple lipstick. ‘Where are you going?’

  ‘We’ll see you there,’ called Bramble over her shoulder. ‘We’re meeting Arabella and Rupert.’

  ‘But what about the …’

  The front door closed behind them.

  ‘… cake?’

  With the sun shining on their faces and the wind in their hair, Archie, Bramble and Thistle ran down the garden path and along Houndstooth Road. They ran all the way to the Bodleian Library where Rupert and Arabella were waiting for them. Together the five of them walked to Quill’s.

  High up on the roof of the Bodleian, a raven with a white streak on its head sat watching. Its flinty eyes observed the five teenagers as they passed beneath it arm in arm. It listened to the magic of their laughter, and remembered what it was to be young. Then, with a cry of pure joy, it flew up into the air and arrowed across the rooftops of Oxford.

  John Dee’s Prophecy

  When white burns black

  And shadows prey

  Then hope must lie

  With all that’s grey.

  The raven knows

  What was forgot

  It holds the key

  To magic’s lock.

  To stop the dark

  There is a price

  A selfless act

  Of sacrifice.

  Mudberry’s Magical Glossary

  The following excerpts are reproduced from Mudberry’s A Beginner’s Guide to Magic (13th Edition), with grateful thanks to the Mudberry family.

  Agatha’s Emporium A magical shop in Oxford that sells astroscopes and other magical memorabilia. It is one of the best-known magical stores, along with the Flaming Tattoo Parlour, Mother Marek’s Musical Muffins and Veruca’s Secret.

  Aisle of White The magical bookshop attached to the Museum of Magical Miscellany. The Aisle of White serves as a place to sort the magical books from other books that people come to sell, and is the only part of the museum open to the Unready. Its current proprietor is Geoffrey Screech.

  The Alchemists’ Club A group of seventeenth-century alchemists led by Fabian Grey, who tried to rewrite the magical books contained in the Museum of Magical Miscellany. Their magical experiments started the Great Fire of London and led to the introduction of the Lores of Magical Restraint. Their experiments also triggered the Alchemist’s Curse.

  Alchemists’ Firemark The symbol of a golden dragon swallowing its own tail (also known as the Golden Circle firemark). The appearance of the firemark indicates that an apprentice is able to write magic. It is also the symbol of the Alchemists’ Club.

  Amora The smell of magic. Different types of magic give off different amoras. Natural magic smells of nature. Mortal magic smells of fusty rooms and fire smoke. And supernatural magic smells of cold tombs and dead flesh.

  Apprenticeships The magical apprenticeships were developed as a way to pass on the magical knowledge to the next generation. The Flame of Pharos determines the order in which an apprentice learns the three book skills:

  Finding (firemark symbol: eye)

  Binding (firemark symbol: needle and thread)

  Minding (firemark symbol: ladder)

  Archive Located in the Department of Lost Books at the Museum of Magical Miscellany. The archive is where all the old texts relating to magical books are kept. The texts date back to the Great Library of Alexandria and the Golden Age of Magic that preceded it.

  Azoth A magical substance highly prized by alchemists. It is one of the three requirements for writing magic. The other two are the Golden Circle firemark and an enchanted quill made from a feather given freely by a magical creature. The ancient magic writers wrote their master spells with azoth because of its long-lasting properties. It can also extend the life expectancy of mortals. The symbol for azoth is the caduceus.

  Barzak The most feared darchemist of his time, Barzak wrote The Book of Souls, one of the seven Terrible Tomes, and was responsible for burning down the Great Library of Alexandria. He was subsequently imprisoned in The Book of Souls by Archie Greene.

  Black Dragon The firemark of the Flame of Pandemonium – the Dark Flame.

  Bookend Beasts Ancient stone griffins that guard magical books and artifacts. They can be identified by their amber eyes and can come to life if the secrets they protect are threatened. Bookend beasts are extremely loyal and able to perform remarkable feats of magic. The last known pair protected the magic books in the Great Library of Alexandria. Highly dangerous: do not approach.

  Bookery The great vaulted space between Quill’s and the entrance to the Museum of Magical Miscellany, where magical books roost in huge bookcases like birds or fly around in flocks.

  Books of Destiny The name given to The Book of Prophecy and The Book of Reckoning. The Book of Yore is also sometimes included.

  Book of Night, The (proper title The Book of Nightmares) Was written by three darchemists to summon the Flame of Pandemonium from the underworld. Opening The Book of Night will release the Dark Flame and the Pale Writers, the spirits of the darchemists who wrote it. The Pale Writers seek The Opus Magus to control the primary spell and bring a dark age of magic.

  Book Whisperer One who can talk to magical books, a very rare magical ability. Archie Greene is the first book whisperer in four hundred years.

  Curiosity Compass A magical device for detecting the direction of magical energy. Curiosity compasses are useful for finding dragon hoards and other hidden magical artefacts.

  Darchemist Writer of dark magic, including the authors of the Terrible Tomes.

  Darchive A secret place in the Museum of Magical Miscellany that is kept in total darkness. The Darchive houses magical books and artifacts that must never see the light of day. A number of dark magical items are stored there. Over the years several famous and infamous members of the magical realm have gained access to the Darchive. In the seventeenth century, the alchemist Fabian Grey is known to have visited on at least one occasion. The last known visitor was Arthur Ripley.

  Dark Flame The Flame of Pandemonium that was summoned from the underworld. It is the dark twin of the Flame of Pharos. The Dark Flame has its own firemark, the Black Dragon, and its own deadly servants called the Pale Writers – the corrupted spirits of the three darchemists who summoned it.

  Door Ray The secret entrance to the back of house in Quill’s Coffee & Chocolate House. The door ray provides access to the Museum of Magical Miscellany. It is disguised as a sunbeam to confuse the Unready.

  Dragon’s Claw One of the oldest seats of learning. The Dragon’s Claw belonged to Fellwind the Destroyer, one of the great dragons of the North. Its claw was so large that it could hold two men, which is why the Dragon’s Claw is one of a small number of double seats. The Dragon’s Claw has a reputation for trickery and treachery.

  Drawing Books Highly dangerous magical books that draw unwary readers into their pages. They include The Book of Yore, which contains the history of magic.

  Emerald Eye The magical pendant that belonged to the magician John Dee and that Dee’s ghost gave to Archie Greene as his keepsafe.

  Enchanted Entrance A secret doorway underneath the Aisle of White that gives access to other magical buildings.

  Firemark Magical symbol that appears on the palm of an apprentice’s hand when he or she passes the Flame test. New firemarks appear when the Flame of Pharos determines an apprentice is ready for the next challenge.

  Flame Keepe
rs of Alexandria A secret community devoted to finding and preserving magical books. The Flame Keepers protect the Museum of Magical Miscellany in Oxford and are descended from the original guardians of the Great Library of Alexandria.

  Flame of Pharos One of the two magical flames. The Flame of Pharos burned in the lighthouse in the harbour of Alexandria, guiding travellers from faraway lands to the books. When the Great Library of Alexandria burned down, the Flame was brought to Oxford. Legend has it that the Flame contains the spirits of the magisters, the ancient magic writers from the Golden Age of Magic, and is the conscience of the magical realm. The Flame now burns in the Word Smithy in the mending workshop beneath the Aisle of White and marks new apprentices with a firemark for the three apprentice skills: Finding, Minding or Binding.

  Folly & Catchpole The oldest and most secretive law firm in England. Folly & Catchpole has been the legal firm of choice for the magical community of Britain for more than nine hundred years. Based in London it specialises in magical instructions and the storage of magical items and other secrets.

  Forbidden Books Magical books that must not be opened. They include the Terrible Tomes and other books that are covered under prohibited practices.

  Forked Fate Someone with a forked fate is said to have the forks on them. It means their destiny hangs in the balance and the outcome will be determined by a decision they have to make. A number of those with forked fates turned to dark magic, including the dark warlock Barzak and Hecate the witch.

  Golden Age of Magic Most people have forgotten about magic or don’t know it ever existed. But long ago there was a golden age when magic was practised openly. In those days, master magicians called magisters wrote the master spells that magicians have relied on ever since. As long as the master spell remains intact, someone else trained in magic can cast the spell by speaking it.

  Greaders Sworn enemies of the Flame Keepers. In secret they still use magic for their own purposes and ignore the Lores of Magical Restraint. They are called Greaders because they are greedy for magical books and will go to any lengths to get their hands on them. The apprentices who work at the museum always have to be on their guard against them. Above all else the Greaders desire the Terrible Tomes.