Then light and sound filled my vision again. I was somewhere else. Somehow, either the shoes, or some magic I did not know — had taken me back to the Seven Magical Kingdoms. I was in Gnippoh’s the shopping capital of Happendance. A magical place filled with brilliant shops and stalls selling just about anything you could imagine. I’d been here a few times with my parents when I was younger. They always hated it and would never buy my anything, always there on business. I remembered people cowering in the street as they passed. Me just bobbing along and gorping at all the brilliant stuff in the windows.
I gazed around now, shaking off the strange feeling from that teleportation (or whatever it was), blinking as my consciousness returned. Up ahead was the entrance to Gnippoh’s — a big, long, magical bridge with the hot River Tooze beneath, steam and mist rising over it clouding the town ahead in a mysterious white haze. The bridge was covered all the way over in statues of famous Wizards, Witches, Warlocks, and Warlords, which all stood high and opposing in their stoney forms.
“Come on! Get a move on!” said a little voice, I wheeled around to see where it was coming from. “Oi you, dozy!” it called again. It was coming from a small fat gnome dressed in a tartan kilt who was urging me forwards.
“What do you want?” I said affronted as he waved me forwards.
“How dare you speak to me like that!” he called, jumping up to his full height of two feet and pointing a minuscule finger at me. “There’s other people wants to use this fairy ring than you, ya know!” I stepped back and looked around. He was right — I was standing inside a fairy ring. It was basically a small grassy knoll covered in flowers and a hazy green light. As soon as I stepped off and onto the cobble stones, there was a small thudding sound as another person landed inside it.
“Ouch…” called the man. “What was the hold up back there?” he said at the gnome, who gesticulated towards me, then urged the man off the ring. I looked around. I had just walked off a fairy ring? But just a minute before I was on the Outside and now I was back in the Magical Kingdoms. I didn’t know where I was more in danger — get murdered by my brothers or spiked to death by a Outsider. Choices, choices.
I looked down at the fading gold of my shoes. I didn’t know how they worked or why they had brought me here, all I knew was — I was blooming grateful.
There were more fairy rings dotted all the way around the entrance to the bridge, as well as high pitched whistles from trains pulling into stations that built themselves as they pulled in. I crossed the wide Tooze bridge, taking in the wonderful spindly gothic buildings that were arching into the sky like it was a competition for who could stretch the tallest. All of them looked dangerously uneven as they teetered and tottered, the only thing keeping them where they were being Magic. With thatched roofs, mullioned windows and every building being a different colour — it really was unlike anywhere I’d ever seen. Father had always remarked that the lack of town planning in Gnippoh’s let it down, he refused to go unless necessary. I liked it, I thought it was charming.
How I would have loved to shop, but the day was setting in and my eyes were stinging with tiredness. I marched into Old Poh Town, the main square of Gnippoh’s with it’s tall, white obelisk cathedral, tall five story roofless shops with bridges across to each other and the circle market complete with ravaging purple pigeons that would peck your face off for a bit of bread. I took a dark back street northwards and saw a sign for a place I remembered staying at before. The Percevius Den Inn. I sighed my thanks, my weary legs carrying me beyond the threshold and booking into a small, grim room with a view across the town square.
Zzzzzzz…
I slept like a cursed princess. Not even the drunken celebrations in the square woke me. I must have been tired when I paid for the room, because it wasn’t the best. This place was not exactly how I remember it as a kid. It was small. Very small. I could just about fit in the bed and I’m small. It had brown, or once white, sheets. The walls were green and black. The floor was a blackened stone covered in a grey rug which I reckon used to be colourful, but not anymore. Next to the window was a desk and chair. The desk was covered in stains and old food. Grim. I put some of my clothes away and cleaned the room a bit. I mean, after living in a big dirty castle I’m used to dirt but not this much.
Sitting in the chair I blinked away the heavy sleep, which clung to me like a goblin. I didn’t even know what time it was. The square was grey and raining and devoid of people. The white steam rose up from the river behind the buildings. Just then there was a knock at the door, before it opened.
“Breakfast orders?” said the scullery maid looking bored. She looked about my age but I hadn't seen her at Hailing Hall.
“Right,” I said, my stomach rumbling. “What is there?”
I sat in a chair that seemed to be sinking down further and further the longer I sat on it. The bar area downstairs was equally shabby, but I didn’t care, I was too hungry. I woofed the bacon, sausages and eggs down with toast and kiwi juice. Yum! Then, I got up to pay the ruddy faced man at the bar.
“‘Ere, ain’t you the Blackthorn kid?” he said leering over a pump at me.
“Who me? No…” I said as all my insides turned to jelly.
“Yeah you are I’m sure… your little erm… Aver… no, Avis!” he clicked his fingers as he remembered.
“I’m not a Blackthorn,” I scowled, the jelly wobbled inside me as I tried to think of a story. “I’m a Wilson, Robin Wilson…”
“Wilson?” said the man, his red face turning perplexed. “Aint never heard of no Wilson. You sure your a Wil—”
“Positive!” I cried as I rushed back upstairs. I was stupid, so stupid. Why hadn’t I disguised myself?! Of course people would recognise me, I had the most evil parents in all the Seven Magical Kingdoms. All I could do now was hope the bar man didn’t snitch. Otherwise I was for it.
Later that day I pulled out some clothes. I needed to wear something that wasn’t going to shout ‘Blackthorn!’ — I needed to stay hidden. Looking at the clothes I realised there was no way, I’d hardly packed anything in the mad rush. Unless I could change my own face there was no way I could even go out. I mean, I had sat and watched out the window earlier as Wizard after Wizard walked past whom I recognised from the meetings with my parents. I would be captured immediately. I wondered what happened to them at the wedding. I didn’t doubt that they were ok, I’ve never seen better Wizards than my parents. But who were those people all in white? And why were they attacking the wedding?
I had three weeks until the start of school. Three weeks of hiding, hoping no one would find me, of being bored in an amazing city I couldn’t go out in, and three weeks of missing my best friends — Tina, Robin and Ernie. As I sat alone up here in this cramped room with little to do, all I wanted was to be able to speak to them. I didn’t even know their addresses, so I couldn’t even send a telegram. I had consciously not taken their addresses. Think about it, what if my brothers got hold of them? Exactly.
Gnippoh’s is a funny place, it has an entire year of seasons in a week. So on the Monday I sat and watched rain, then sleet. Tuesday, more rain and wind followed by all the leaves falling out of the trees. Wednesday, it snowed so hard they had to close the market. By Thursday it thawed out and turned into a river, before melting away completely and new buds and shoots began appearing on the trees all around. By Friday everything was in full bloom. Saturday and Sunday were really sunny, all day and by Sunday night it had gone back to cold and rain again.
Each morning I had to sit and watch the market sellers shouting and demonstrating their amazing fruit, or fish, or contraption. Out on the square was every market stall you could imagine, even a guy selling channellers. How I yearned to go out and explore, but the image of being back at Hailing Hall, safe, kept me up here. I didn’t want to risk it.
So I just sat, the scullery maid would give me a knock when it was time for breakfast, or lunch or dinner and I would sit and draw it out for as long as poss
ible. The food was ok, sloppy sausage and mash that looked more like soup, and lasagne that looked more like, well, porridge. Never mind, it was better than the food at home. And the scullery maid was nice to me, sometimes if she wasn’t busy she’d come and sit with me while I ate, she was pleasant enough, a bit thick, but I don’t judge.
I had memorised the route to school so much that I was sure it had bored straight into my memory for life. The letter from last year had instructions on it for how to get to Hailing Hall from Gnippoh’s. And so I resumed my place in the chair by the window; watching, snoozing and dreaming, wondering about how my life could have been different if I just had a normal family. That is, until, one day when I spotted some people I knew through the window. I wouldn’t have believed it, would’ve have put it down as wishful thinking. Robin and Tina were walking slowly through the square, down the steps towards the main shopping town. I rubbed my eyes and looked closer. It was the last day of the summer holidays and the last day I had to stay here at this dirty Den Inn. I jumped up and threw clothes on, grabbed my bag and ran out of the room without a backwards glance.
“Thanks Jenny, thanks Hamish!” I called to the bar man and scullery maid as I legged it out the doors and into the dark alley. Running, I pushed through the crowd, trying to see above their heads for where Robin and Tina went. I skipped the steps three at a time and jumped through a gap in the market stalls. I was outside the tall white obelisk cathedral now and looked around but they were no where to be seen. I’d missed them!
“Avis?” said a voice. I turned, Tina and Robin stood mouths open in pleasant surprise.
“There you are!” I called and ran at them.
“Ahh!” Robin called laughing as I practically tackled him to the floor. “Missed you too.”
“Oh Avis…” said Tina giggling and hugging me. “How have you been?” she scanned me up and down, for injuries probably.
“Fine, yeah, just fine… ah I’ve missed you guys. Had no way of finding you. Been staying there…”
Tina’s eyebrows raised. “What the dirty Den?” her nose shrivelled up at the thought of it. “Why?”
“Bit of trouble at home, you know.”
Robin nodded. “We did know actually,” he said, taking off his thick glasses and polishing them as they had got all steamed up. “Tina sent me a copy of the Herrald, apparently some people attacked the Blackthorn wedding?”
“Yeah they did…” I said. “Do they know who?”
“Let’s go somewhere,” said Tina. “A nice cafe — Slippy Spoons is nice and quiet, come on its just down here…”
“Thank you,” I said taking the quite frankly humungous mug of hot chocolate.
“Told you it was good,” Tina smiled taking the cherry from the top of her teetering mountain of cream and marshmallows before eating it. The cafe was quiet, cheap and tucked away down a dark alley. The table and seats were strange, they were made of orange plastic. “It’s an imitation of a cafe on the Outside. They call it a greasy spoon, don’t they Robin?” Robin nodded straight into his mountain of cream, and now looked like Father Christmas. I couldn’t help but laugh.
“I am so glad I bumped into you guys. I was gonna go mad in that Inn.”
“So,” said Robin slurping his chocolate. “How did you get away?”
“Stole a carriage.” I grimaced. “Crashed it too, on the Outside.”
Tina nearly choked. “You did whaaaaat?” she put a hand to her temple as if she was an exasperated parent.
“So did they say who the attackers in white at the wedding were?” I said.
Robin shook his head. “They don’t know, just said that it was a group that used to exist a long time ago or something. Didn’t really understand it.” I looked to Tina for a better explanation, but she shrugged.
“I was glad to get away to tell you the truth, treated me like a slave when I got back. Cleaning, scrubbing, sorting out stuff for the wedding. God knows what they would have done to me if there was no wedding,” I shuddered.
“Well, think yourself lucky…” said Robin. “I can’t talk about magic or anything to my parents, friends, no one.”
“Why not?”
Tina sighed. “He’s an Outsider. It does strange things to Outsiders when you show them, or expose them to magic. Sends them maaaaad,” she said rolling her eyes round her head and sticking her tongue out.
I blinked. “Who was it who said if you show an Outsider magic then they spontaneously explode?” Tina and Robin spluttered into their drinks.
“Perhaps it was someone having a laugh?” said Tina giggling. “To be fair, it’s not a bad allegory. It messes an Outsider up if they are shown it. Most can’t handle it. They call it Exspelling, when you send an Outsider mad by exposing them to magic.”
“I dunno,” said Robin. “I mean I reckon my parents would understand if I told them. Outsiders are more open minded these days.”
“Where do they think you go all year?” I said.
Robin smirked. “A boarding school for talented young men to become spies for the British Government.” We all laughed heartily, which felt weird, my mouth wasn't used to it.
“How’s Ernie?” I said. “Where is he?”
“At home with Dad still packing, they both hate shopping!”
“So do I…” said Robin.
“Ah, but not Gnippoh’s?!” Tina said, throwing her arms wide. “No one hates shopping in Gnippoh’s. I seem to remember telling Avis at the end of last year that I needed to take him clothes shopping…” she winked.
There were more robes in this shops than I had ever seen in my life. “This is the place to get them. You could do with some more as well Robin, I seem to remember you grew out of last years,” Robin grimaced.
“Welcome to Ruben’s Robes!” called an excitable man coming around his desk. He had a pencil behind his ear and a big bushy moustache. “Right… Hailing Hall?” he said looking at me.
“Yes Sir,” I said and he nodded, his eyes scanning me all over before narrowing as he twisted his moustache, deep in thought. A notebook and pencil jumped into his hand as he began to write what I presumed to be measurements. After a few flicks through all the rails in the shop he stopped.
“Aha! Here we are. Just the right sized ever-changing robe… you’ll be a first year will you?”
“No! Second,” I said a little sourly.
“Second, right, well this should do you,” he handed me a long, brilliant robe. It felt heavy and as I touched it, turning bright blood red.
“Wow,” said Robin just behind me.
I was so glad I now actually had robes that would fit me properly, I wouldn’t look like a leprechaun anymore! Robin was measured and bought some robes that extended if, or as, he grew. Once we had our new robes wrapped, bagged and paid for, we moved on together and shopped. It was the best day I could have imagined. We went to Sordina’s Sweet Emporium which had sweets in jars all the way up a huge glass wall that reached high into the sky. It was so full of children and adults fighting for space that we had to take a few breathers outside before jumping back in. The sweets were alive! Robin got bitten by a jelly snake, before biting its head off. Tina got half attacked by a gnome as we left who thought she stole something — she promptly told it to sod off. And I bought the biggest packet of wriggly worm sweets in the world.
Later on we went to a clothes shop and I let Tina choose me some clothes, like I had a choice! She chose me a pair of smart jeans, a new white school shirt and a very fancy red and green tartan shirt — I was actually quite pleased with her choice, she was too, she kept gloating about it. “Oh you do look lovely Avis, you really do!” Robin rolled his eyes at me every time he heard her say that.
As the sun began to set we decided it was time to set off for Hailing Hall. At last.
CHAPTER FOUR
A Crash in the Night
I huffed and puffed up the hill to Hailing Hall. This time my bag floating behind me. I don’t know how I did it last year.
&nb
sp; This time though, it was stuffed full of brilliant new stuff I’d bought from Gnippoh’s.
Our school was perched high on a huge canyon, with views all the way around Happendance, the nicest of all the Seven Magical Kingdoms. To the right of the track was a huge drop — Robin kept pointing it out to me. I wish he wouldn’t, I hated heights. The canyon spread right off into the distance for as far as you could see. Perched on the opposite cliff edges were some brave looking cottages, smoke rising slowly into the air, wavering in the haze of the summer sun.
We followed the flow of people up the hill from the train station, bags all floating behind our heads. Some, third years I think, were all playing a game of trying to hit each others bags down. One, a rather large boy, was complaining, “Oi stop it, there’s some things that could smash if my bag drops!”
“Why, what you got in their? Your Mum’s best china?” they all laughed.
The big iron gates opened wide revealing paradise. Huge, lush gardens greeted us and statues stood to attention smiling gleefully. Loud peacocks strutted around weaving in and out of the individual hedges shaped like magical creatures, who all bowed low. Carriages zoomed overhead and landed in the carriage courtyard. I smiled, at least this year I wouldn’t have a git brother to try and avoid at all costs.
“What are you smiling about?” said Tina.
“I was just thinking how good it is to be back!” We walked right on up that gravel path slowly together, taking it all in. Whoops and cheers filled the air as people bumped into their best friends again. The new first years quietly weaved through the crowd and collected silently in front of Magisteer Dodaline on the grass. She was a funny looking Wizard, with long grey hair tied up in a plat, with big baggy brown robes and a funny triangular brown hat. She didn’t like me, I just knew it, she thought I was responsible for the attack on my friend Hunter last year, which I wasn’t. The first years all sat around nervously, glancing around at us, they looked so small. Smaller even than me. I heard Tina go awwww.
Avis Blackthorn and the Magical Multicolour Jumper (The Wizard Magic School Series, Book 2) Page 4