Merlin's Supernatural Academy: Complete series (Books 1-4) : A Young Adult Supernatural Academy Series

by K L Rymer

  His jaw won’t stop ticking as he’s still pissed that his father got away.

  I’m sure he never ran far...

  Voices drift toward us next, and we all look up at that procession of people coming from the school. Ken Tanaka leads with Shankfoot.

  I recognize Mrs. Jones and Mr. Higgles amongst the group, and Orion, Clara, and Katy. Then I spot Caleb and Darius, then Row and Laura. In fact, it’s the entire student body.

  They’re free of the Black Dragon’s curse at last, and now they’ve come to investigate.

  Ken Tanaka and Shankfoot arrive first, casting their eyes over that dirty, rotten corpse. Then everyone else stops behind them and now murmurs flow through the crowd.

  Mr. Higgles wrinkles his nose. “Good riddance I say. What would have been the point of teaching Human Studies if there were no more humans to teach my students about?”

  His spectacled gaze finds me and the rest of Mendacious, and there we all stand before those pureblood supernaturals, looking all high and mighty.

  After all, it was us who saved their asses today. They should be bowing before us.

  I suppose it’s rather bittersweet. We were the school’s outcasts but now look at us.

  We’re Merlin’s Army.

  Mr. Higgles sighs. “I guess I owe you all an apology. I took out my frustrations on the human race on all of you at some point. Please forgive me...”

  Zahara answers for us. “It’s all right, Higgles. We can’t be perfect all the time. Bygones be bygones...”

  The Human Studies’ teacher turns a shade of bright puce at her insolence, and I sigh.

  We should have put a muzzle on that Unseelie years ago...

  Mr. Tanaka addresses the school now, and the voices stop. “Everyone... pay your respects. These brave soldiers saved your lives today... We must honour them.”

  I watch, flabbergasted, as Mr. Tanaka gets down on one knee, laying down his arms as he bows. Shankfoot drops his own sword and does the same, and he struggles to kneel on his squat legs in that heavy armor.

  And one by one, the rest of the school follows suit. Both teachers and students get down on their knees. Even Caleb, an angel, bids us his respect, and Row the Muse, and it truly is a sight to behold.

  I meet the eyes of my housemates. Nora’s vivid green eyes shine as she’s choking up. Thomas stares speechless, and Jack’s chin hangs loose. Zahara smirks smugly, and Damien and Felicity squeeze each other’s hands, smiling.

  Even Angie and Mattie look proud. They may have joined our small house much later in the game, but they’re truly one of us now.

  They have real, genuine friends and not worshippers anymore, and the former bullies have come a really, really long way.

  We’ve all come a long way.

  Something comes over me next, and I have to stop my own tears from falling.

  I’m... a hero. We’re all heroes. And as a former outcast of two schools (I was never popular at high school either), it really is a heart-warming story.

  I’m like a character in a book.

  My attention is drawn next to the large mouth of a portal. It opens up beside us, and I stumble back into Mattie’s chest when a parade of knights marches out from the gateway.

  Oh, it looks like our Deus Ex Machina has arrived...

  An hour late!

  We had to save our own asses in the end.

  That’s when I recognize the milky white mare of one knight, and a loud gasp leaves my lips.

  They’re the sleeping army of Alderly Edge, and that’s the mare from the legend, the one who belonged to the farmer.

  Myrddin leads the army with his mighty staff, but then he stops abruptly when he sees that giant, rotten carcass.

  I mean, it’s hard to miss.

  His green eyes bulge and now he holds out his staff, demanding his army to stop. “Halt!”

  The knights stop, obeying his every command, and I wonder if he has them under a spell.

  They’ve all just woken up from a thousand-year nap; I bet they’re all raring to go.

  Myrddin glances my way and I cross my arms, offering him a scathing look.

  He points at Diafol’s dead body. “So... I see you managed to defeat the Black Dragon all by yourselves.”

  I scoff. “You’re damn right. Seriously, Myrddin... What time do you call this?”

  The wizard scratches the back of his peppered head, turning to his men. “Erm... slight change of plan. We will not be fighting today.”

  One knight turns his way, and now his voice echoes inside his helm. “What? We’re not fighting today?”

  “This is ridiculous!” another cries.

  “I waited a thousand years for this!”

  Myrddin chuckles nervously, backing away from his army. “Sorry... it seems I taught my students better than I thought. In the end... they didn’t even need me. I guess I’ve finally become obsolete. Now come on! Back to the cave!”

  One by one, the knights turn and march back into the portal, cursing Myrddin under their breaths.

  “Stupid old man...”

  “How about we put you under an enchanted sleep for a century?”

  Myrddin doesn’t hear their remarks as he claps his hands, offering them some morale. “Do not despair, men! Your time will come! Unfortunately, this war was not yours to fight.”

  The milky white mare passes me next and winks, and I stare astounded.

  So I guess she did wink at me that time in the cave. How creepy.

  All one hundred and forty knights vanish at last. When Myrddin closes the portal, he looks back to us all and produces another nervous titter. “Whoops. My bad.”

  I throw my arms up in defeat, flopping down onto the grass.

  I’m tired. And I need a drink—an alcoholic drink.

  But we’re not done yet.

  Matthew’s father is still at large.

  ...

  Surprise, surprise... it didn’t take us long to find him in the end. It’s as I said: you can run but you can’t hide...

  And it turns out that the coward isn’t very smart after all, hiding in the academy’s kitchens in one of the back pantries.

  Thomas sniffed him out with his fellow dog shifters. Clara and Orion reunited with Jack and Nora, but Katy stayed far away from Thomas.

  I think she caught Zahara’s stench all over him, and it’s safe to say that that relationship is finally over.

  I guess cats and dogs truly aren’t meant to get along after all.

  The canine shifters dragged him all the way from the kitchens to the castle courtyard, and there they dumped him at Mattie’s feet, covered in blood and bruises. At least he had the decency to put up a little bit of a fight (it seems he’s not a complete coward).

  We will have to hand him over to the Council so they can have him arrested, but screw that.

  We should just kill the cunt and pretend that he died right along with Diafol.

  The likes of Vlad and Death don’t need to know (yet I bet the latter will know first-hand that we’re lying through our teeth).

  Thomas kicks Matthew senior forward, and the man sprawls on his hands and knees.

  The shifter meets the young mage’s glowing, white eyes then nods. “He’s all yours, Matthew.”

  Somewhere, I hear Zahara purring at Thomas, and I don’t blame her. He’s hot.

  It seems he’s become the top alpha at the academy. Even Darius is groveling at his feet now, and he’s the biggest wolf I’ve ever seen.

  Matthew gazes down at his father with no ounce of love whatsoever, and I gulp.

  Shit.

  I haven’t seen this side of Matthew since the start of first year. Back when he was an asshole bully, and now it looks as if his mean side’s dripping through again.

  Be very afraid...

  Matthew senior buries his face into the dirty, cobblestone floor, shaking and spluttering.

  Mattie flares his nostrils. “Get up.”

  Matthew senior freezes when he hears his voic
e, yet he doesn’t obey his son’s command.

  The young mage bares his teeth, and now sparks ignite between his fingers. “Stand up and face me!”

  Finally, Matthew senior lifts his face, and now those cold, black eyes find his son.

  The two of them don’t speak, and the tension becomes so thick, you would cut it with Excalibur.

  A cold laugh oozes from Matthew Senior’s lips as he regards his son. “Well, what are you waiting for? Kill me.”

  Mattie’s left eye twitches, yet he keeps his cool. “Hand her over.”

  Whispers echo amongst the crowd. They obviously have no idea who he’s talking about. Even his friends of old look a little lost. Macson turns to Darius and Caleb, shrugging.

  It seems there were some things that even Mattie kept from his friends.

  A smirk warps Matthew Senior’s face. “Hand who over?”

  Mattie snarls, and I shiver when that homicidal maniac takes over. “Don’t play dumb... My mother’s soul.”

  “Oh, you mean this one?” Matthew senior extracts a glowing orb from his pocket, and I draw a breath.

  Patricia...

  Myrddin closes his eyes, pinching his brows. “Just hand her over, Matthew. This last act of pointless rebellion will get you nowhere. You have lost. Give up.”

  Matthew senior chuckles. “No. So long as I hold this glowing orb, I still have control over my son. After all, he will always be my puppet.”

  The man squeezes the orb, and Mattie winces in pain. Yet his discomfort soon turns to anger, and now he swings his leg around and kicks his father in the face.

  The ball goes flying, but then Mattie catches it in time, and a sigh leaves his lips.

  His eyes return to normal, and now I see a glimpse of that sad little boy as he gazes upon his mother’s essence. A tear drips down his cheek, and I form one of my own.

  He’s finally reunited with his mother.

  Somewhere, I know Gwyneira is at peace too. The dragons have left us to do a victory lap around the school, but it’s true that we really are tethered to our dragons.

  They feel what we feel after all, and vice versa.

  “M-mum...” Mattie whispers.

  There comes a sniffle, and I’m not surprised to find that Felicity is the culprit, yet she’s not the only one. Even Zahara’s eyes are glassy.

  Angelina’s hard, beautiful face contorts as she watches her former boyfriend at peace.

  It’s what he deserves after all. He’s been his father’s unwilling marionette his whole life, and now he’s finally free.

  Unfortunately, Matthew senior has other plans as he clambers to his feet, stretches his arm, then releases a hot branch of lightning.

  It shoots toward Mattie, hitting his right arm, and now he loses his grip on the glowing orb of his mother’s soul.

  She falls to the ground, and the glass containing her essence shatters to pieces.

  A hush surrounds the courtyard, yet Mattie doesn’t take his gaze off the glass.

  The glowing light inside has vanished.

  Myrddin’s eyes burn reptilian green, and now he flips his staff around, taking Matthew senior out with the blunt end of his magic stick.

  “Fuck you, Humphrey.”

  Everyone draws a simultaneous gasp. Our headmaster just said the eff word...

  Yet my mind is only on Mattie, and I turn his way now, placing a hand on his shoulder.

  “Mattie?”

  His heartbroken, tear-stained face never leaves the glass remnants of his mother’s orb. He doesn’t even look at his charred, blackened hand, and from the corner of my eye, I observe Caleb the angel stepping closer to heal the injury.

  The soul has disappeared, and I remember what Myrddin once said about humans being fragile creatures.

  Patricia Humphrey’s soul has been detached from her body for two centuries.

  She was never going to wake up again. Her body and soul have been separated for far too long.

  Her soul needs to move on.

  Yet my attention is drawn next to a beautiful woman who stands a few feet away from the shattered orb. She has long, brown hair, and eyes of soft gray, and I know I’ve seen those eyes before...

  I’m not sure if anyone else can see her, but I can. I’m like my good pal Megan after all; I’ve always been able to see spirits.

  But when people start pointing, I know I’m not the only one.

  We all see the ghost lady.

  Myrddin grabs Mattie and nudges him. “Matthew.”

  Mattie looks up, tears running down his cheeks, and now he follows the wizard’s gaze.

  His gray eyes light up when he sees the woman, and now he says a second time, “Mum...?”

  The lady floats toward him and I mean float. Her feet are soundless. Not at all like another ghost that I know of.

  That’s when I hear a whimper beside me, and there’s my canine ghost companion.

  Like a typical wuss, he’s been hiding on the other side with all the other spirits this whole time. All that talk of war had been scaring him. Plus, he’s terrified of dragons. While he’s fine with Brynmawr, he can’t handle the others (Shadow Stalker even threatened to eat his soul).

  I’m not sure why he’s appeared now though. Maybe he’s here to escort Patricia to the other side...

  I bet she was a dog lover. Judging by those kind, gray eyes, I can imagine she loved all animals.

  Patricia places her ethereal hand on Mattie’s cheek, and a whimper escapes him.

  “It’s okay, Son... I’m finally free. Don’t cry for me anymore.”

  Mattie’s beside himself as Myrddin throws an arm around his shoulder, and he really is the father Mattie never had. Myrddin even stuck up for him.

  Patricia smiles, planting a ghostly kiss on Mattie’s face. Then she wipes her son’s tears and says, “I love you, Matthew, and I will always be watching over you. I promise...”

  Mattie meets his mother’s similar, gray eyes at last. “I... I love you too...”

  Patricia smiles warmly, and with one last peck on the cheek, she leaves her son and follows Gelert into a light I can’t see.

  The moment she leaves this world, a huge weight lifts from Mattie’s shoulders, and for the first time since I’ve met him, he truly does look at peace.

  After all... he’s free himself now.

  His strings have finally been cut.

  Epilogue - Bryn

  “Bryn Williams...”

  I freeze as my name is called up to the podium.

  Shit. I can’t move my legs...

  That’s when the screaming starts in the crowd, and I close my eyes, wishing I could die from the embarrassment.

  Curse that Myrddin... He’s too loud!

  Another voice shouts right along with him, and my eyes nearly pop from their sockets when I recognize the voice of my mother. My shy, sweet mother...

  Ever since she got back with Myrddin, Mom has really come out of her shell. She’ll smile and dance at parties, and now it’s like “Larry who?”.

  “That’s my baby!” she cries.

  “Our baby! We made her together!”

  That last voice belonged to Myrddin again, and I cringe, burying my face inside my cloak.

  Well, look at me, getting all embarrassed by my parents like a normal person.

  This is the happiest day of my life.

  “Bryn Williams...” the solemn voice calls again, and I lift my head, meeting those old eyes of the faculty member as I ascend the stairs to the stage.

  I seem to be floating on air as I make my way to those senior faculty members, shake their hands, then climb back down another set of stairs to re-join my fellow zoology students in the crowd.

  Mom and Myrddin are still yelling, and I hear someone telling them to shush.

  I could only bring two people into the room for my graduation ceremony, so I chose my parents.

  I never in a million years thought that I’d experience this... Not even at my high school graduation did I have
both of my parents attend. Mom couldn’t get the time off work, and the last person I wanted was Larry stinking up the school’s gymnasium, so he was out.

  If I could have, I would have had all my family here. Mattie and the rest of Mendacious watch my graduation ceremony on a viewing screen in a separate room. My grandparents are watching it online.

  In fact, if I listen closely enough... I think I can hear them all screaming for me.

  As I walk down the center aisle in my big ass heels (yes, I wore heels at my graduation ceremony, so what), my eyes find Megan.

  She looks so smart in her black cap and gown with the red and gold stole (totally the colors of Gryffindor), and we share a little moment as we smile at one another.

  I can’t believe it... We’re fully-fledged zoologists now (my Steve Erwin dream will finally come to fruition).

  After everything Megan and I have been through, saving the world and whatnot from an evil Black Dragon, we made it.

  Sophie did too. In fact, a lot of my class are graduating today. Even Rachel, the homewrecker...

  Unfortunately for Rachel, she tripped halfway up the stairs as someone had stolen her left shoe...

  It looks like a certain little pixie had snuck into the room, so now poor Rachel had to hobble down the rest of the stairs with one shoe.

  The chills that had spread throughout the crowd were so ominous. Someone even cried that it was a demon, and there were several screams.

  Trust me. That was all Fel’s work. Not Damien’s...

  By the way, the humans totally know about the magical world now. Myrddin decided not to erase the memory of the Black Dragon.

  His reason? It would have been terribly unfair. Many humans suffered as a result, taking their own lives and losing loved ones, so to rob them of that memory would have been cruel.

  The Supernatural Council protested against Myrddin’s decision at first, but he managed to sway them in the end. He’s the only supernatural capable of erasing all human memory, so what he says goes.

  As I’ve said in the past: he’s mother fucking Merlin. He can do what he wants...

  I take my seat at last in the crowd and wait until the rest of the ceremony is finished. They still have the postgrad students to do after all.

  All the undergrads have collected their degrees by now. Well, not exactly... This ceremony is just a formality. All we did was shake the hands of the senior faculty while we go up on stage. The degrees will come in the mail a few weeks later.