It was an emotional experience. The seventh years looked so sad to be leaving what was their home for the last seven years. And yet there was an excitement at entering the Seven Kingdoms as fully trained, Professional Working Wizards. I shook and wished warmly as many people as I could. Some smiled when I shook their hands, ruffling my hair and wishing me well. Robin too was grilled by one or two about what he did. He remained as vague as possible, before someone else would shake his hand and ask him the same.
I spotted Ross who wasn’t shaking anyones hand. He was looking down at the ground and made his way out of the double doors alone. We all followed the seventh years and the Magisteers out of the Chamber and into the courtyard. Carriages were lined up in neat rows, ready for the seventh years to go home, or indeed, wherever they were off to next. I knew of several, Kellie Kirkyard, Timothy Howard, Ahmed Omran and Helen Ulysses who were going travelling around the Seven Magical Kingdoms and the Outside, I overheard them in the Chamber talking about where they would meet. How exciting, what an adventure!
The Magisteers stood as one, with their arms in the air. A pool of white light lit the sky and, at its full height burst. A gigantic rainbow split the sky, arching across the school. It was so bright it cast a technicolor glow across the grass courtyard. Then, carriages began launching into the air, as seventh years waved their scarves out of windows and soaring off into the rainbow and away to start their new lives.
Me, Tina and Robin collected our luggage from the hall and stood together as Ernie joined us (he didn’t have any luggage). No one said anything, we just stood in silence. This was the end. We all hugged and I heard Tina start sobbing.
“I’m staying here with Dad,” said Ernie. “Gonna help him pack.” He sighed deeply and looked around at the sunny, green fields. “It will be nice to see home again, I’m sick of this place,” he laughed.
“I’ll wait with you,” said Tina.
Me and Robin said our goodbyes to the Condor form who stood nearby. “Hunter…” I said shaking his hand. “Take care, see you next year…” he pulled me into a hug.
“You will Avis…”
I repeated the same to Jess, Simon, Graham, Ellen, Jake, and all the others. I shook their hands, hopefully next year I would get to know them a lot more. Fireworks erupted into the air all around us as the Magisteers stood at the foot of the hall and waved their goodbyes and hugging some teary eyed first years.
Partington was standing and waving at us as hard as he could. “SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!” he bellowed as the Lily tapped him to quieten down. We all laughed.
A big black carriage suddenly soared through the air, dropped and pulled up next to me. The door opened.
“Blimey,” I said, recognising my parents best black carriage. “It’s my parents best carriage!?” I looked around for Ross, perhaps it had mistaken me for him. But, he had already gone.
Tina wiped her eyes then hugged me so tightly I thought my ribs might crack.
I swallowed, trying to suppress the thought that I wouldn’t see her face for the next couple of months. “I’ll hopefully see you before the start of next year… all of you.”
“Please do!” said Tina. “Or we’ll come looking for you!” she said, tears streaming down her golden face. Robin kept blinking and cleaning his glasses. “Oh!” called Tina. “If we meet up, we can go shopping, get you some better clothes!”
“Erm… ok?” I said.
I shook Robin and Ernie by the hand once more and got into the carriage. Partington whistled from the hallway entrance and waved again. I looked around at the place that had become my home, before taking my seat in the most luxurious carriage my parents owned. It didn’t even require moody horses, it drove itself. I lay my suitcases down and wound the window down. All across the courtyard were tearful goodbyes, hugs and carriages shooting into the air. I saw the boys of the Eagles form all saying their goodbyes to Straker, who mellowly bowed to each of them.
Hunter seemed to be deep in conversation with both Jess and Florence, while Gret and Jake got into the most gothic carriage I’ve ever seen, adorned with Golandrian drapes, gas lamps and mean, black horses.
Then, my carriage shot into the air so fast I thought I might have left my stomach on the school grounds. I leant out the window and waved to my friends. My best friends. Tall, clever, be-speckled Robin. The taller, handsome, charismatic Ernie. And of course, the teary, mad, beautiful Tina. Maybe someone up there does like me, before I started school, I wished more than anything to make a friend. And, well, I’d made three of the best friends I could have ever wished for.
In a few seconds they turned into mere specs. We hit the rainbow and multi coloured glitter filled the carriage. The sky was full of carriages like a flock of black birds dancing above a fountain of exploding Magical fireworks.
Hailing Hall looked even more amazing from above. The clock tower, my home for those long, cold, solitary months, started to ring out. I smiled and waved goodbye to it. In a way, I would really miss that clock tower.
The trees, all having uprooted themselves were now waving their gigantic branches at us. In a carriage opposite me, David Starlight glanced across and caught my eye. For a moment, I thought he might smile. But then, he just ignored me and closed the blinds. Charming.
The box the Lily had given me sat on top of my bag. I took it and sat back. A little confused, I opened the curious box. I pulled out… the pair of Seven League Shoes!
How on earth could he have possibly known?
I sat back and relaxed. I had no idea what I was going home to. My parents sending me their best carriage was a good sign, but who knows with the Blackthorns? I put the Seven League Shoes on, just in case, and closed my eyes.
To be continued…
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The second book in the series: “Avis Blackthorn and the Magical Multicolour Jumper” is OUT NOW!
From the blurb: Avis Blackthorn is a good wizard — unlike his family, who are the most evil family in all of the Seven Magical Kingdoms. He is in his second year at “Hailing Hall School for Wizards,”. Little does he know that this year will be as eventful and stressful as the first. Strange things are brewing… and Avis is determined to get to the bottom of it.
His trusty friend Robin joins Avis through thick and thin — as they start new lessons with the Magisteers, rebuild a Stadium and go to the Happendance Carnival. But when he buys an old incense holder with a strange mark on, he soon realises that it contains a Djinn, one that will grant him a wish…
That’s where mystery after mystery — humorous, haunting and chilling — starts to unfold…
It knits Avis a very special, magical, multicolour jumper that does very special things, suddenly Avis is the most popular person in school, everybody loves him! But every wish has a bite in the tail...
Avis’ very place at school is in jeopardy — facing expulsion, he must do all he can to uncover the truth and save his place at school. He must not only cope with something trying to kill him, with a family member teaching in the school and his best friend Tina ignoring him but also with a furious jealousy that could threaten to ruin everything he holds dear…
On top of that, the newspapers are reporting that Malakai, the most evil Sorcerer in all the Seven Magical Kingdoms is back! And he will be out for revenge — Avis knows the first person he’ll come back for — him!
Read now to discover Jack Simmonds’ funny, enhancing, spell-binding adventure — Avis Blackthorn and the Magical Multicolour Jumper…
Read the first chapter for FREE:
Avis Blackthorn and the Magical Multicolour Jumper
(Book 2)
CHAPTER ONE
The Return of the Brothers
Hello. My name is Avis Blackthorn and I am thirteen years old. I belong to what is, the most evil family
in all of the Seven Magical Kingdoms and even, perhaps, in all of your kingdoms too. We call your world the Outside. My best friend Robin is from there, a place called Yorkshire? He goes to the same school as me — Hailing Hall School for Wizards — I started last year and it was my sanctuary. A sanctuary from my evil family with whom I play a constant battle, because I am not like them. Not at all. My parents and nine siblings are all very evil and work for Malakai — the most powerful, evil Sorcerer ever known — well, they did, until I defeated him at the end of last year.
My family hate me because I am not evil. I am treated like the runt, kept away at parties in case I embarrass them in front of all the other Malakai supporters. Some would disagree when I say I am not evil — only because of what happened in first year — I was set up. Framed for the attack of one of my friends by no lesser than the most evil and high lord of darkness (or whatever it was he called himself), Malakai. Fortunately, and with a great deal of luck and bluffing, I, yes me, managed to defeat him! In the process I saved Tina Partington and her brother Ernie Partington, who was a ghost for ten years and is thankfully, now a human again. It was my best friend Robin who saved the day, he raised Ernie and me back to our bodies! No mean feat, let me tell you.
Right now, I am scrubbing the floor high up in one of the twelve turrets. It’s absolutely filthy! I mean black with dirt. I doubt it’s ever been cleaned. This is not a voluntary decision either, I am being held at spell-point, practically, by my parents who need the castle to be in ship shape ready for a thousand or so guests to turn up for the wedding of the bloody year. My sister Marianne and her poor deluded Prince finance are getting married in the grounds of our castle Darkhampton. She has him under a love spell I just know it. My parents encourage them who to marry — usually rich and influential families to increase their own reach and power. I heard that the family of the prince are really angry, they want nothing to do with us, knowing its a scam.
So far over the past week I’ve scrubbed floors, dusted every wooden surface within a four mile radius, whacked every drape to within an inch of its life, then dusted again as centuries of dust and muck came spewing out everywhere… I mean it really is the dirtiest castle ever! I finished each day without a thanks and looking like a Slackerdown Yeti (black, dirty, and very, very moody.) And I did all this cleaning without magic! My parents don’t trust me, and… I don’t have a bloody channeller do I! If you don’t know, a channeller is a thing that allows you to do magic, as per the name, you channel magic through it. If you don’t you could blow yourself up. I had one at the start of last year from the schools lost property. Which turned out to be the young Malakai’s! That’s how I worked out how to defeat him, he had his True Name written on it in hidden ink. I used his True Name to defeat him — the most evil Sorcerer ever, in all of history! And now I’m scrubbing floors. Mind you, if my parents ever find out what I did I would be in for a fate worse than death. They absolutely love him, and would do anything he asks. I wondered if they knew he had even been defeated? To be fair, they were rushing round the castle every minute of the day making beds up for guests, decorating, organising the chefs and all stuff like that.
Let me zap back a week and tell you what happened after I got out the carriage on the way back from school. I had fallen asleep in the plush ceremonial carriage pulled magically through the sky without any horses and started dreaming about killer rainbows that began attacking me… (I know, but it had been a stressful year). I woke just as we pulled up over my home and castle, Darkhampton, as my parents insist on calling it. I forgot how dark and gloomy it looked, it’s held in a perpetual cycle of darkness while sunlight passes right around it. No trees, no plants, in fact, life was barely visible as I gazed down, the old feelings of being mistreated by my big evil family crept over me again. I suppose I’d got used to living in comfort, Hailing Hall had life, sunlight, walking trees, talking statues, the place buzzed with life… this was… deader than a lump of spent charcoal.
I was curious when the ceremonial carriage pulled up for me outside the school (and a little anxious), for I was rarely treated to such comfort by my parents. It was certainly suspicious. Just in case though, when I was in the carriage I put on my new, centuries old Seven League Shoes— a gift from the Lily, the Headmaster of Hailing Hall. I had no flipping clue how they worked, but according to the myth, they allow you to… it’s either walk great distances fast, or run away quicker than you are normally able to… something like that.
When we touched onto the baron carriageway outside the drawbridge front door, my Dad rushed out to greet me… which was odd.
“Oh Ross, there you are…” he barked, not looking. “Quickly, quickly we need the carriage to go and pick up Wilso— you’re not Ross! Avis?” He said looking down his nose at me with a scrunched up bearded face. “This wasn’t for you… Oh well… get inside quickly!”
So a lovely warm welcome home for me after nearly a year away. I traipsed into the big Hall — a huge space that they use for receptions and parties, with a couple of big fireplaces, the biggest staircase you’ve ever seen and all adorned with stuffed magical animals in undignified poses on plinths. The room was miserable, the carpet was the only colour, blood red of course… but it was miserable because the walls were full of paintings of old, mostly dead family members — none of whom were smiling. We have a long history of evil family members and its rather uncouth to smile, or be in any way charismatic, humorous or nice.
“There you are,” said a spiky high voice. It was my Mother, scaring the hell out of me as she popped into existence out of nowhere. “Come on Avis! Bags down, lets get to work…” she clicked her bony fingers and a rusty mop and bucket appeared in front of me.
“Erm…” I squeaked under her dark stare.
“I trust you know how to use it?” she smiled viciously. “Start in the turrets, immediately.” With a puff of dark vile smelly smoke she vanished. Well, she hadn’t changed, not at all. My Mother was still tall, thin and haughty with a face like thunder, all sharp and pointed as if she’s got a lemon wedged up the back of her throat. And she was bossy. I sighed and made my way up to the turrets — I certainly didn't have the guts to defy her.
My parents grudgingly allowed me meal breaks in between all the scrubbing. Believe me I tried to get out of it, but they seemed to know when I was slacking… I had just started a particularly stubborn black corridor, and thought I would have a sit down. My body ached, every muscle pleaded with me to stop and as I sat against the wall my consciousness slipped into a deep sleep, before out of nowhere a burst of bright blue electricity struck my bottom!
“AHH!” I called.
“Get to work!” called my Fathers voice along the hallway. Seriously? I mean come on! I needed a break. Why did they have to have the wedding here anyway? I felt like Cinderella, being treated like a slave! Mind you, I could do what she did… sue her family and live in comfort for the rest of her life on the settlement. Apparently it bankrupted that family and they all had to move into a council flat with relatives on the Outside. I imagined my parents all living in a tiny flat after I sued them for mistreatment. I held onto this fuzzy dream as I scrubbed and scrubbed.
During one meal break sitting at the huge long table in the Hall eating my hard, mouldy cheese and bread that Butler Kilkenny brought me — there was a great big noise from the carriageway outside. Like a thunder clap my parents appeared out of nowhere by the front door. The drawbridge lowered and in walked my eldest three brothers Wilson, Simon and Harold.
“Mamma!” they cooed, doing air kisses for about ten minutes. My brothers entourages then proceeded to go back and forth to the carriages bringing in box after box of stuff and piling it up in the hall.
“You can’t leave them all there,” said Mother, snapping at one of the men who was sweating profusely as he lugged the heavy boxes.
“Where would you like us to put them ma’am?”
Simon, the second oldest and dimmest, said: “In our rooms of course… o
h, we don’ have rooms yet. What rooms Avis in?” I sighed and sank a little lower down the table, but not before Wilson spotted me.
“Avis!” he called, their beady evil eyes coming to rest on me. “Which room are you in?”
“I don’t know what room it is,” I lied. “You can’t have it anyway… I’m in there, why do you want it?”
“Because, we’ve travelled an awfully long way,” said Simon. “And must rest.”
“We are guests,” said Harold grinning. “Only fair we get pick of the rooms and if your in it, that is rather unfortunate.” I smiled at them as best I could, there was no point arguing with these three. Wilson looked like a dog with a smashed in face, due to a fight with a Wolfraptor. He wore blood red ceremonial gowns with gold trimmings… I rather thought he looked like a baboon in a cape. Simon was simple, very simple, when he looks at you there’s clearly nothing much there. He’s dead behind the eyes and brainless — slime always drips from the corner of his mouth and his choice of clothes is beyond strange. Today’s selection is: chrome trousers with a neon yellow shirt and pastel green trimmings. All the brains went to Harold, he is exceptionally clever and cunning, I would never, ever decide on him as an enemy — he’s the one sibling I am most scared of.
“Let me vanish all the stuff from my room first,” I said.
“No, no,” said Wilson. “Leave it, I want to have a play with it.”
I grimaced. “Well you can’t, it’s mine,” I called. Mother turned and caught me with a piercing stare.
Avis Blackthorn: Is Not an Evil Wizard! Page 22