by Noel Pogson
It was four o’clock on Sunday afternoon in real time, and one thirty on Monday afternoon in ‘tower time’ as they walked back through the portal, once again giving Sir Philip a minute’s head start. He surreptitiously closed the portal when they were all through to allow them to have their lunch together without using up any precious minutes of ‘real time’. They spent an enjoyable hour together eating and re-living the events of Sunday morning before the attack, and enjoying the footballing victory over Broughton Grammar.
Sir Philip was curious to see the strength of the friendship that Steven and Tallion had built up as a result of the life debt Steven now owed his son, and wondered what fate had in store for them all in the months and years ahead.
Would Steven turn out to be the third wizard of the group? That would be curious indeed as the boy couldn’t bring much in the way of magical power to the trio. Maybe it needed something else? After all, Zak and Tallion themselves were overwhelmingly powerful! He decided that he needed to take Steven to meet Findlay MacElver, and get a wand. They would go next Saturday, if the wandmaker was available. He was one of the few people who could get away with saying ‘no’ to the baronet when he asked for something.
Zak and Tallion of course followed the baronet’s thoughts, and filed away his musings about Steven’s possible role in their future. They were pleased that Steven was finally going to get a wand too. They’d also heard a few thoughts about time which had been a bit confusing, but they dismissed them because they couldn’t understand them.
The baronet took his leave of the boys, asking Steven and Zak to come through the portal for dinner at six p.m., but asking Tallion to stay in the tower until he came to collect him, as he didn’t want him going through the portal alone until he’d checked out his magical energy levels.
* * *
When Steven and Zak appeared in Tallion’s study a minute later, Sir Philip asked them to freshen themselves up using the bathrooms in both rooms, and then wait for him in Tallion’s study. The baronet had cast yielding charms on both boys earlier, and they immediately nodded and did as he asked. Sir Philip quickly went into the tower room to his son, and began the tricky task of resynchronising time!
“Tallion, we need to get you up and about son, but I’m a bit worried about taking you through a portal just yet. This room has some very special properties, which is why we’ve used it to help you recover quickly, but I need you to leave by the door, over there, and wait for me in the corridor outside. You’ll recognise where you are as soon as you get there, but please stay put. I’ll explain later, but things are a bit magically tangled up at the moment because of what happened at the football.”
“No problem, Father,” said the blond-haired wizard with a weak smile. He was glad to be up and about again, and was now feeling happy about everything, apart from second scar on his chest. He had very little idea of what day and time it was, other than Steven telling him it was Monday afternoon, and obediently walked out of the door to stand and wait for his father in the corridor. The yielding charm his father had placed on him left him with no option really!
It was now three pm on Sunday afternoon in the corridor outside Tai Tuie’s Tomb, and time was ticking along quite normally.
As soon as his son had closed the door, Sir Philip moved quickly to the grandfather clock and carefully opened the long case. He stopped the pendulum and waved his wand using a non-verbal spell to reveal a hidden cavity behind the weights. Using another spell, he levitated a small locket on a platinum chain out of the cavity into his waiting left hand. It glittered and sparkled with a life of its own, almost hypnotising the baronet as he stared at it. It was a powerful and dangerous object, and only with a struggle and a sigh did he manage to tear his eyes away from it, and put it in his pocket.
He quickly walked back through the portal into Tallion’s empty study, the other two boys still exactly when he’d left them, in the bathrooms freshening up, and he closed the portal allowing time in the tower room to resynchronise with real time.
It was now ten past four on Sunday afternoon in Tallion’s suite, and everywhere else in the castle, except where Tallion was standing on the ninth floor of the LookOut tower! Having Tallion just over an hour behind everyone else, and at a point in time when he was actually unconscious somewhere else, was potentially highly dangerous. If he interacted with anyone or anything when he was now, in the past, then he could inadvertently alter the future!
However, the chance of anyone climbing up the LookOut tower at three o’clock on Sunday afternoon was remote, so the baronet waited in Tallion’s bedroom until Zak and Steven were both back, and then asked them to stay there until he joined them again for dinner. The yielding charm once again did its stuff, and the two boys nodded as they sat down to wait.
Sir Philip quickly left the room through the door into the main castle, and as soon as he was in the corridor, he ported to the eighth floor of the LookOut tower. After checking that he was alone, he took out the Time Talisman, muttered an incantation over it, and went back in time by about an hour. He then climbed the stairs to the ninth floor and found his son waiting for him outside the door to Tai Tuie’s Tomb.
Tallion looked a little bit surprised as his father appeared up the stairs, because he’d left him just moments before inside the room! The baronet, however, just smiled at his son’s puzzled expression.
“This castle is full of mysteries son, and one day I’ll explain this one to you. For now though we just need to go back into the room, and then go through the portal to catch up with Zak and Steven.”
Tallion didn’t understand why he’d had to wait out in the corridor, but he knew better than to ask. He could hear his father’s thoughts, but they didn’t make much sense, as it all seemed to be about keeping track of different times of day! He dutifully followed his father back through the door into the room.
“Now, I just need to give you another rejuvenation potion, and then you need to hold this talisman with me while I cast an enchantment over us.”
“Okay, Father.”
A few moments later the baronet murmured an incantation as he and his son held the talisman, and it took them both forwards through time to real time. Tallion didn’t notice as he was still struggling with the after effects of the rejuvenation potion, which seemed to have filled his body with liquid fire that flowed right out to the tips of his fingers and toes! He did, however, hear the incantation in his father’s thoughts, and filed it away. Incantations were always useful things to know, and even if you forgot them, there were ways to get them back out of your mind if you needed them.
It was now twenty past four inside the tower room, and because the Time Talisman wasn’t inside the grandfather clock, time was ticking along normally, and was linked to the rest of the castle. The magic that forced occupants of the room to go back in time when they left couldn’t work without the Time Talisman either.
“Right,” said the baronet, feeling rather pleased with himself, “time to go and catch up with Zak and Steven. Off you go through the portal and I’ll be with you in a minute.”
The portal reopened as Tallion disappeared through it, and the young wizard arrived in his own study at twenty past four. Sir Philip quickly replaced the Time Talisman in the grandfather clock, as he had done many times in the past after he’d taken it to use it elsewhere.
Now, as soon as he left room, it would once again disconnect with the time in the rest of the castle, all the magic would re-engage, and the clock would reset, waiting for the next person to enter the room. Tai Tuie’s Tomb would be back in business.
Sir Philip followed his son through the portal, and joined the three boys in Tallion’s study.
It was just after twenty past four on Sunday afternoon, but all three boys thought it was Monday evening.
“Right, Tallion, have a quick freshen up and then we’ll go for dinner.”
Fifteen minutes later, they all trooped back through the portal into the tower room a few seconds behi
nd the baronet, which gave him just long enough to change the time on the clock to make it appear to be Monday evening. They all enjoyed a very tasty cooked dinner, after which the baronet asked Steven if he wanted to stay with his friends again for that night too.
“Umm, I’m a bit worried about me parents Sir Philip, they might not be too happy, even though they know I’m here at t’ castle. Will you go and tell ‘em everything’s okay? I would like to stay again if I can…”
“No problem Steven, leave it with me. Your parents will be fine about it I’m sure. I’ll check in with your parents too Zak, as you’re both supposed to be down at The Copse during the week.”
“Thanks, Father,” replied Zak with a smile. This week had turned out very strangely. Staying at the castle instead of going to The Copse, not going to school, Steven being there with them, it just didn’t feel right somehow.
“Okay. I don’t mind you all talking for a bit, but I want Tallion to get some rest, so do you mind spending your evening around the bed? As soon as you’re ready to settle down, please drink this potion which will help all of you to get a good night’s sleep. Please all come through the portal together at seven thirty tomorrow for breakfast.”
The boys all nodded their agreement, and the baronet walked back through the portal. Because he would only have a few seconds before they joined him after he closed it, he magically changed his clothes first to ensure they got the impression that a full night had passed when they next saw him.
“Okay boys,” he murmured to himself, as the portal closed for the last time, “this is the last lap. In a few seconds, after a good night’s sleep, you’ll be ready to re-join us in the real world of Sunday afternoon!”
The paradoxes of time travel always made him smile, not least the fact that you always ended up in two places at the same time! All that remained was explaining to them that even though they thought it was Tuesday morning, he’d taken them back in time to Sunday afternoon, because they needed Zak to revive his team-mates…!
* * *
The boys all climbed onto the giant bed and talked for about an hour before they settled down for the night, but it didn’t matter. They would return to the castle just before twenty to five on Sunday afternoon no matter how long they spent talking to each other! As they swallowed their potions, sleep fell over them all like a blanket.
* * *
“Morning boys!” called out Sir Philip a few seconds later, welcoming the boys into Tallion’s study, and to a new day for the second time in two hours.
“Did you all sleep well?”
He surreptitiously removed the yielding charms as he spoke, returning the boys completely back to normal.
“Champion, Sir Philip,” replied Steven quickly, “that’s two nights runnin’ that I’ve slept for twelve hours solid! I feel crackin’!”
“You two the same? Good! Okay then, time for breakfast, but first I need to explain something. What day is it?” he asked, catching them all by surprise.
“Err, Tuesday, Father?” asked Tallion a little hesitantly with a glance at Steven.
“To err is to make a mistake, Tallion. It’s not a word or a sound to be used in conversation. However, you are both right and wrong about the day of the week!”
The boys stared blankly at the smiling baronet.
“You have all lived through forty two hours since the football match, but today is actually still Sunday, and it’s about four thirty in the afternoon. The football match against Broughton Grammar was just a few hours ago, and there’s still a little bit of magical tidying up left to do, following the attack at the game.”
Steven was looking very puzzled, but unlike Zak and Tallion, who were a little bit wary about asking awkward questions of their father, he just plunged straight in.
“Sir, I’ve had two full night’s sleep since t’ football, and eaten several meals. There’s no way it can still be Sunday afternoon!”
“Correct,” answered the baronet with a smirk. “However, you’ve all just travelled back in time to Sunday afternoon, and you’ll be staying at this point in time to re-live the next thirty six hours and re-write that little bit of history in your lives. Unfortunately you’ll then have both periods of thirty six hours in your memories, which might be a bit confusing to start with, but you’ll get used to it. In other words, you’ve all lived a day and a half longer than your birthdays would suggest!”
Steven frowned, trying, and failing, to get his head round it. Zak and Tallion weren’t much better off! Tallion at least had the benefit of knowing that time travel was possible because he’d grown up in a wizarding family, but the other two were really struggling.
“You also need to keep it secret. Right, after you’ve had your breakfast, which will in fact be a Sunday afternoon high-tea, I need you, Zak, to come and revive six of your team-mates who are still unconscious after being hit by that spell you cast at the football match a few hours ago. Tallion, we need you too, or rather we need your magical power, at least, Zak needs your magical power to overcome the effects of the spell he cast earlier. I hope Resusipisco does the trick, because none of us have any idea what spell you actually cast Zak!”
Zak looked at Tallion with a worried frown.
I knocked out half the team with my spell? And they’ve been unconscious for two days?! Flippin heck!
Well, umm, I think they might only have been unconscious for a few hours Zak, it’s still Sunday afternoon, according to Father!
We need to talk about that too, I didn’t follow any of it!
Me neither really, but we’ll work it out. Look at Steven though; he’s completely lost!
The boys shared a smile at the expense of their utterly confounded friend!
* * *
Zak was appalled when he saw his team-mates all laid out, apparently asleep, side-by-side on an enormous bed which had appeared in the duelling room. He was very worried that he might not be able to revive them either, but he knew he had to try!
“Sorry guys, I didn’t mean to do it, really I didn’t.”
“It’s no use crying over spilt milk Zak; let’s just get them back to normal. They’re all non-magical, so it shouldn’t be too much trouble; they’re much more susceptible to magic than witches and wizards! I think the best way to do it is to take yourself back to the scene from earlier today, and imagine that you’re casting a spell to save your life. Tallion, you also need to do the same, and summon all your magical power too, but send it to Zak, not use it yourself.”
Tallion looked perplexed. He had no idea how to deliberately send his power to his soul mate!
“I’ll try,” he said in a voice that sounded much more confident than he looked or felt.
“I know that you can do this, both of you. Your energy levels are fully restored, and to be on the safe side, your breakfast contained a little something to give you an extra power boost. So long as you can transfer your energy between you, on purpose, then we’re home and dry. In your own time, boys.”
Sir Philip motioned for Barty and Steven to join him as he moved back against the wall.
* * *
Are you really okay Tallion? You were hit by a Libra Mortis after all, and none of us can even believe you’re alive let alone back to full health!
Father’s good at healing people Zak, and Mother makes the best potions around. I feel absolutely fine, really alive actually, better than normal.
That’ll be the extra potion we got for breakfast!
Maybe, but I’m ready. How do you want to do this?
Can you follow my thoughts if I imagine that dark wizard in front of me? I’ll try to imagine him about to cast a Libra Mortis, and when you see him cast it, you need to summon all your magical power to cast a Revertur, that’s what you cast before isn’t it?
Yeah. Okay, I think I’ll see the scene in your mind. Will you cast Resusipisco?
Yes. There’s nothing else to cast! Look at them all mate, lying there unconscious ‘coz of me. Sometimes I really hate magic
!
It wasn't your fault Zak! You had no choice, and probably even saved their lives! If you hadn’t stopped him, then he might have gone on attacking for ages!
No. He was already leaving mate, he’d done what he came to do. In my memory I can see that by the time the spell burst out of my wand, he was already starting to fade away, as though he was porting or something.
Yeah? Hmm, that’s a bit strange. Come on though, talking about it isn’t going to get the job done, let’s give it a try. We might need to do it a few times to synchronise our magic.
Tallion was wrong though. When Zak imagined himself back at the football pitch, the memory was very vivid! His emotions were strong too, overflowing rapidly to Tallion across their bond, and the blond-haired wizard felt his own fear rising even though part of his mind knew this was only Zak’s memory! He saw the wizard turn and lock eyes with him, felt the fierce glare between them, and then saw the red light of death burst from the dark wizard’s wand, heading right for him!
Tallion forgot that the plan was for him to summon his magic, but not cast the spell, and he was rapidly racing towards a Revertur, the magic building in a roiling, multi-coloured swirl behind him. It streamed into him, just as Steven had seen the last time, but then leapt sideways, joining with the magic that had been swirling behind Zak and was already pouring already pouring down his arm. The combined stream of magic then surged out of the end of Zak’s wand.
Zak was very relieved that he managed to cast a Resusipisco. He’d been scared that when he saw the oncoming Libra Mortis in his memory he might have cast a Revertur by mistake. Few people, however, would have recognised it as such! The magic split into six different multi-coloured streams and wrapped itself simultaneously round the six footballers laid in the giant bed. A howling, ripping sound accompanied the blazing streams of light as the magic tore through the air, and all six boys simultaneously, and instantaneously, rose straight up into the air off the bed as they revived!
Slowly, they floated back to where they’d been lying, and found themselves all sitting next to each other in bed, wide awake, their bodies tingling from head to toe!