TwoSpells

by Mark Morrison

  Sarah and Jon picked up their utensils hesitantly. They were bulky and wooden—almost medieval looking.

  “Hey! Where’s Mom and Percy?” Sarah asked.

  “They stepped into town for a tad,” Grandpa said, spooning green beans onto his plate.

  “How long have you guys lived in Wales, Grandpa?” Sarah asked.

  “Since around the time Noah roamed the Earth.”

  Sarah giggled. “Come on! Really!”

  “Don’t you listen ta’ his rubbish,” Grandma said. “Your grandpappy planted the trees they built the Ark with.”

  Sarah and Jon laughed as Grandpa grumbled under his breath, shaking his head and shoveling in another mouthful of food.

  “But really, children, we’ve been here forever,” Grandma said. “And our kin go back many generations.”

  “How did you and Grandpa meet?” Jon asked.

  “It was a tragic tale,” Grandpa interrupted. “Ah’ tragic, stormy evenin’—”

  Grandma slapped him playfully on the shoulder. “Oh, cut it out!” She slid her chair closer and leaned in toward Jon and Sarah as if she were about to tell a secret. “Ya’ sure ya’ want ta’ hear this?”

  Sarah shook her head. “Of course!”

  A flash of lightning followed by a crack of thunder caused the four of them to jump in their seats. The lights flickered and the dishes rattled on the table.

  Grandma looked up at the ceiling, worriedly. “It all started so many years ago. I was a wee child in school. I had a special assignment, somethin’ that required some special research. The kind of research that could only be done at the library of TwoSpells.”

  Sarah looked to Jon. “The place we passed coming here? It’s a library too?”

  Grandma’s voice dropped to a low whisper. “Aye. It be the one and only. Ah’ wicked place like none other in the world. Enchanted!”

  Sarah, Jon and Grandpa put down their utensils, easing to the edges of their seats and wide-eyed with anticipation.

  “TwoSpells is just a crummy library?” Jon asked.

  Grandma looked about the room. “Oh, ‘tis far more than crumbs, child. You’d be wise to remember that.”

  The skies above rumbled once again and the lights dimmed in the house. Grandpa stared into the darkening shadows. “Leave me be ya’ bloody fool!”

  “Grandpa?” Sarah whispered. “Who’re you talking to?”

  He snarled as he whipped around to face Sarah. “Don’t ya’ mind! It’s me business!”

  Grandma frowned and ran her fingers through Grandpa’s gray locks. He perked up and his sour expression faded as he shook his head. “Not a worry. Not a worry.”

  “So what do you mean by enchanted?” Jon asked, breaking the silence that fell over them.

  “It means magical, stupid!” Sarah snapped.

  “Hey! I’m not—”

  Grandma cleared her throat and the two of them quieted instantly. “So, as I was roamin’ the great hall of records lookin’ for somethin’ of interest, I heard a strange noise—a dull raspy wheezin’. Like an old motorcar with a leaky rubber tube.”

  Jon sat up, excited. “A monster?”

  “No!” Grandma leaned forward, her face grim and twisted. “Worse. It was your grandfather, snorin’ like an old bear!”

  “Taking a nap?” Jon asked.

  “Aye, lad,” Grandma replied.

  Grandpa shrugged his shoulders. “Me eyes were closed but I was readin’ me notes. They were taped ta’ the insides of me eyelids.”

  Grandma rolled her eyes and continued. “I approached the librarian. She was a fine young lass. I asked for help findin’ a special text. And would ya’ believe, it? She said it was shelved behind ol’ sleepin’ beauty.”

  Sarah and Jon giggled again.

  “I’m stickin’ ta’ me story,” Grandpa said. “Was just readin’ me notes.”

  “And I guess that puddle of drool was a spot a tea ya’ spilled, then?” Grandma asked.

  “Maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t. But I caught your eye didn’t I?”

  Grandma winked. “Aye. Lucky for you.”

  “So what happened next?” Sarah asked, edging closer to Grandma.

  “Well, I tried ta’ sneak by ol’ Rip Van Winkle but accidentally bumped into his chair. He leapt ten feet into the air, he did, all sleepy eyed and confused. We chatted for hours. Just the two of us.”

  “Sounds gross to me,” Jon groaned.

  Sarah laced her fingers together on the table. “What happened next Grandma?”

  “We fell in love, that’s what happened. Never spent a day apart from there on,” Grandma said with a smile. “I felt sorry for the poor old sod.”

  Another rumble of thunder shook the house, followed by wave after wave of rain whipping against the windows. The lights flickered again and Jon cowered in his chair a bit.

  Sarah broke the silence. “So what about the library?”

  “Ah, TwoSpells. Of course. Quite a special place,” Grandma reminisced. “A most magical place.”

  “Real magic?” Sarah asked.

  “The only kind they do, dear.”

  “Do ya’ think the wee ones are ready ta’ hear such things?” Grandpa asked. He shook his head. “These are no flowery fairy tales.”

  “I think so,” Grandma said, pausing before she continued. “Are ya, children?”

  “Of course,” Sarah said. She crossed her arms. “I’m twelve years old, going on thirteen.”

  “How about you, Jon?” Grandma asked. “Can ya’ handle a spellbindin’ tale?”

  “Yeah!” Jon exclaimed. “I’m older than her anyway. By two minutes!”

  Grandpa pounded the table with his fist. “Two extra minutes? Well, that settles it then. They can hear it!”

  Grandma leaned forward, starting again. “We’d been goin’ ta’ the library for quite some time when we noticed the librarian was takin’ ta’ regular sabbaticals in an obscure part of the library. We decided ta’ follow her one afternoon, do some peepin’ ya’ might say. We crept ever so lightly so as not ta’ disturb her. We traveled down—deeper and deeper into the very bowels of the mountain, where they kept all the pipes and wires of the foundry. The walkways were full of danglin’ cob webs and the floors were covered in a slippery green ooze that seeped from between the floor cracks.”

  Sarah and Jon teetered on the edges of their seats.

  “Then we saw where the librarian was really goin’. The room!”

  “What room?” Sarah asked.

  “A very special room.” Grandma’s voice dropped to a whisper. “The lass was standin’ in front of a diabolical iron door and lookin’ about suspicious-like so nobody would see her. It was locked down a might good. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a rusty old key, plunged it into the lock, twisted and wriggled it about until it clicked loudly. And then the door swung open!”

  “What was inside?” Grandpa asked.

  “Ya’ ol’ fool! You were there! Is your brain on a sabbatical?”

  Sarah nudged Grandma. “What was inside Grandma?”

  “Well, the librarian entered, easin’ the door shut behind herself. So we pressed our ears against it like so,” Grandma said, cupping a hand to the side of her head. “As we listened ta’ the shufflin’ sounds, we noticed an odd blinkin’ light, flashin’ and bouncin’ about from underneath the door. She was flickerin’ ta’ somewhere for sure.”

  “What’s flickering?” Jon asked.

  “I’ll explain ta’ ya’ later,” Grandma said with a wave of her hand. “We waited a wee bit before enterin’.”

  “What about the door? Didn’t she lock it?” Sarah asked.

  “Oh, I was gettin’ ta’ that. I used a spell I learned from your great aunt, dearly departed now, bless her heart, ta’ jiggle and spring the lock. Then we ducked inside quiet as two church mice. All we found inside was a wee candle burnin’. Smelled a might musty and evil. We could see a large pile of dusty books in one corner and the lass was nowhere t
a’ be found. We knew what she’d done,” Grandma explained. “We rambled through the stacks of books, stirrin’ up quite a mess, pushin’ and shovin’ books about until we found a larger than life book of some strange kind. It was embossed with curious letterin’ and harbored two evil eyes.”

  Grandpa snickered. “And we nicked it.”

  “Excuse me,” Grandma grumbled. “Ya’ just went and spoiled the best part.”

  Grandpa sat back in his chair and made a zipper motion over his lips.

  “Just as we began navigatin’ our way out, the room filled with a wicked strobin’ light. The librarian was returnin’. We hustled back up to the main library and hid the book for safe keepin’.”

  Jon’s eyes were wide. “Did you look inside it?”

  Grandma looked around the room before answering. “Of course! The very next mornin’, in fact. We fetched the book and we was almost too nervous ta’ look inside, but we did. The cover had those dodgy eyes peerin’ into our souls—one green the other blue. And the parchment had a strange eerie glow about it, smellin’ of wax and iron. The first page was covered in loopy fine letterin’ all windy and wonderful-like. It was an odd language, for sure. But we knew of a kind old Goblin who spent most everyday in the library, so we begged him to read it aloud to us. The Dawn of TwoSpells, it was called.”

  “So the book was actually about the library itself?” Sarah asked.

  “Aye, dear. It described how TwoSpells came to be and how the world was back in the those days. How the Regulars, that’s them, of course, and the special kind, that’s us, were once kindly mates until a few jealous and bitter persons—of their kind, decided they weren’t partial to our fascinatin’ lifestyle. Oh! The clans clashed somethin’ terrible, until they couldn’t live together anymore.”

  Grandma paused for a moment to catch her breath. Sarah, Jon and Grandpa sat impatiently waiting for her to finish.

  “First I should tell ya’ how the plot came ta’ be. Legend has it that eons ago an angry, powerful god by the name of Cosmo—ruler of the night skies—cast a fiery meteor made of the purist granite down at the mountain god Snowdon. Cosmo was jealous of the grand estate that Snowdon had built across the countryside of Wales.

  “The meteor crashed heavy into the peak of Snowdon’s favorite mountain, unleashin’ its volcanic wrath of lava and fire for nearly a century. After the ashes settled, all that was left was a massive crater—miles and miles in diameter and made of the strongest stone in the world. But they believed it ta’ be cursed by Cosmo and unfit to settle upon.

  “And there it slept, silent and waitin’. Centuries came and went. Generations of people scared to venture near. Until one day a special couple—nomadic I’d guess—came ta’ venture the range. They were a powerful witch and sorceress by the name of Lynn, and her husband Richard, a supreme sorcerer and alchemist of the great Lionhood clan. They were overjoyed with the small village and its kind folk. They settled in and began practicin’ their trade—creatin’ all sorts of spells and charms. They grew wealthy and prosperous.

  “The couple purchased the whole lot of the sleepin’ giant and surroundin’ moors from the town for a pittance and a nod. The lifeless volcano came ta’ be called the Granite Mountain of Fire. And that is where we are today. Snowdonia.”

  Sarah and Jon wriggled in their seats with anticipation.

  “They seemed to be on a mission, usin’ all their means ta’ do justice for our kind. They employed the finest contractors in the world ta’ build a splendid castle—dwarves and elves. Took nearly a hundred years ta’ chisel from the innards of the crater. And then the two took ta’ the task of buildin’ the greatest library ever imagined inside the great stone walls. They vowed ta’ fill it with every book in the world. They loved books and believed them ta’ be a source of unlimited power and wisdom.

  “They combined two very powerful grand spells, conjurin’ a special enchantment like none other before or after. And with that, TwoSpells was born. The mysterious spell made the library and any books within its walls very special indeed. You see, the books within TwoSpells are doors to other worlds. Ya’ can go anywhere, anytime that the writer had imagined. It’s a true sanctuary for witches and warlocks and wizards of all kinds.”

  “Was it really built by dwarves and elves?” Jon asked. “Google said it was just a myth.”

  “Aye. It’s true,” Grandma replied.

  “Who’s this Google chap?” Grandpa asked. “Seems everybody’s listenin’ to em’ these days.”

  Jon rolled his eyes and Sarah giggled. They continued listening.

  “Over the centuries they ruled the kingdom as King and Queen for over a thousand years, cut from the finest cloth ya’ might say. They loved that library. They’d collected books from around the world, rivalin’ every library in the entire universe. And still growin’ ta’ this day—”

  Grandma paused. The living room had darkened as the hours had crept by. The storm had blown through and the crickets had begun chirping once again.

  “Grandma, you said centuries?” Sarah asked. “How can that be possible?”

  Jon jumped in before she could answer. “Sorcerers can just make themselves young if they want to. Isn’t that right, Grandma?”

  “That’s stupid!” Sarah argued.

  “Just a moment, lass. That may not be so farfetched a thought. They conjured an immortality elixir for themselves and drank a wee sip of the youth potion,” Grandma explained, winking at Jon.

  “Are there any more cool wizards?” Jon asked.

  “Aye, the couple had twin sons. The lads were called Bohktar and Cato.”

  “Wow!” Sarah said, smiling. “Like us.”

  “Aye, very much the same,” Grandma agreed. “Our kind came from around the world ta’ visit, makin’ the family into livin’ legends. A happy lot for sure until the couple’s time ran short. They passed within days of each other—truly a sad day for the kingdom of Snowdonia, it was.

  “The boys became the Guardians of TwoSpells and began a desperate search for a permanent youth elixir for themselves. It took some years but they found it. The centuries passed quickly, the boys growin’ stronger and stronger. Their magic was more powerful than any wizard that came before them. Then, one horrid day an evil shadow cast across TwoSpells that changed everythin’ from that day forward.”

  “An evil shadow?” Jon asked. He noticed that Grandpa had stopped listening and was now fidgeting with a flashlight.

  “Aye, a dark one at that,” Grandma whispered, looking to Grandpa. “Like the ones that creep around every corner—”

  “Are we really the special kind?” Sarah interrupted.

  Grandma’s brow furrowed. “Why would ya’ ask a thing like that child?”

  “Cause you’re our grandparents. And if we’re related…”

  Grandpa shook his head. “No good can come of this. No good at all.”

  “You said you’d explain later,” Sarah argued. “And it’s later!”

  “Your mum’s gonna have me head on a platter. But ya’ do need ta’ know if you’re to live here for any length of time, lass.”

  “Cool!” Jon said. “Does that mean I’m a wizard?”

  Grandma laughed. “You’re special, that much is known. But we don’t know about all that yet. Have ya’ had any magical urges? Any magical thoughts?”

  Sarah looked to Jon. “Um—no. Should we?”

  “Late bloomers, that’s all. It’ll come ta’ ya’ one day soon enough,” Grandma said. “Now, where was I? Ah, right. The shadow. One night a dark stranger entered the castle gates. Bohktar was summoned to meet with the man—he was a monk of sorts, his face shrouded in shadow. His name was Jeremy Sermack and he brought a curse with him to TwoSpells.

  “A sickness fell upon the ancient library. Cato was the first to succumb to it. It changed him, twisted him into an evil thing obsessed with the realm of shadows. He became greedy and spiteful, resentin’ the fact that he had to share TwoSpells with his brother. The tw
o of them fought over the castle, no longer workin’ together.”

  “What happened to everyone else in the kingdom?” Sarah asked.

  “Ate them alive from the inside, I’m afraid. Not everyone, of course—but many. Their hearts were filled with anger and hate,” Grandma replied. “After that, Cato used TwoSpells ta’ travel ta’ the realm of shadow himself and continue his study of dark magic. His work changed him further. There was no comin’ back from what he did ta’ himself.”

  Sarah let out a little gasp. “What about Bohktar?”

  “He became frightfully ill some years back. A new virus. Somethin’ we’d never seen before,” Grandma replied. “A shadow virus, ya’ could say.”

  “I bet Cato did it,” Jon interjected. “He wanted TwoSpells for himself!”

  “Aye, that’s what I believe,” Grandma said. “Bohktar is still with us, fortunately, but fadin’ fast. Healers from all over came to his side, but none yet have been able to help.”

  “Does Mom know about all this?” Sarah asked. “What about Percy?”

  Jon stood on his chair and leaned across the table, excited. “No way! They’d never let us come here if they knew about all this cool, dangerous stuff!”

  Grandma nodded. “Your mum knows, aye. Percy is a fine lad, but a Regular. It’d be best to keep this between us.”

  “Tell us more!” Jon said, bouncing on his chair.

  “Settle down, lad,” Grandpa said, patting him on the head. “It’s gettin’ late. Time for bed.”

  “Aye, maybe we can finish up tomorrow. I need me beauty sleep, after all,” Grandma added with a yawn. “And you’ll need yours if you plan to visit TwoSpells.”

  CHAPTER 6

  THE STORM PICKED BACK UP AGAIN as Sarah lay awake in bed, still trying to process the story that her grandmother had told them. She couldn’t sleep.

  Sarah crept to Jon’s bedroom and pressed an ear to the door. She tapped lightly.