Destroying Magic

by David Meyer

  And that scared the heck out of me.

  Chapter 35

  “Okay, Randy.” Tad nodded in my direction. “Give it your best shot.”

  It was late in the evening, five days after our little escapade in the archive. After class, Leandra, Piper, and I had snuck up to the celestarium. For several hours, we’d worked independently. Piper browsed through armfuls of books she’d borrowed from the library. Leandra spent much of her time working with her simulator mirror.

  As for me, I practiced my magic. With Tad’s guidance, I’d gotten pretty good at denying Instinctia. This opened things up, allowing me to cast a variety of Chaotic spells.

  They were, unfortunately, not all that promising. My most interesting spell so far created little bursts of light, like a string of firecrackers. But they’d died out far too quickly to be of much use. The weirdest spell was undoubtedly the one that had bounced off the statue and careened into Tad’s stomach. Afterward, he’d experienced an urgent need to visit the bathroom. On the bright—and really gross—side, I now knew how to spoil a person’s bowels.

  With each new spell, bright auburn light would careen into the bust. We’d check the results, then Tad would record everything in a notebook, along with the associated emotions, wand movements, and words. That was his idea and it seemed like a pretty good one. That way, I could remember how to do each and every spell. And if I happened to come across a really good one—say, a spell capable of turning Porter into a squonk—I could practice it to my heart’s content.

  All my life, I’d been lectured about the dangers of Chaotic magic. Now that I was actually doing it, it felt a bit unsettling. But it was also liberating and I found myself awaiting each spell with bated breath. The only strange part was that my emotions were more controlled than ever. That’s because I had to keep manipulating them into new combinations in order to see what happened. But I figured that was a small price to pay for the ability to do Chaotic magic.

  Letting my mind go, I relaxed every muscle in my body. Then I whirled my emotions into an untried combination. My wand began to move, in tune with my emotional state. I entered a state of Instinctia and felt the warm embrace of the Capsudra. I longed for it, but had little trouble denying it.

  “Immaculatize,” I uttered. My emotions may have been contrived. But the wand sequences and words that followed were derived from instinct. Like Structuralism, emotions were the driving force behind Chaotic magic.

  An auburn bolt shot out of my wand. Half-curious, half-wincing, I waited to see what it would do to the bust. Deep down, I hoped it would pulverize the thing.

  Striking the statue, the auburn light blobbed across its entire surface. Then it vanished. The whole thing took less than a second and left no residue behind. In fact, the marble-like material was now a beautiful white.

  “You cleaned it.” Tad whooped with laughter. “Way to go, Randy.”

  I shook my head, trying to imagine the entry he’d write in his notebook. Something like: Spell 45: Immaculatize—Blobbed across statue at high-speed, leaving it in pristine shape. Look out maids and butlers … a new housekeeper is on the scene!

  “Hey,” Piper groused. “Watch it!”

  She sat at the table, just beyond the now-clean statue. A pile of books was scattered before her.

  “Watch what?” I asked.

  “You almost hit me!”

  “I did?”

  She gave me a withering look. “Do me a favor and keep your spells to yourself.”

  It was all rather odd. I thought the spell had disappeared upon cleaning the statue. But apparently, it had continued onward. Deep in thought, I walked to her table. Glancing through the books, I noticed one in particular. It was old and dusty. Its leather cover was ripped and showed signs of fading. Green stuff—mold, I figured—had taken up residence on the spine.

  In other words, it was perfect.

  “Hey!” she protested as I picked it up.

  “This will only take a second.” Cracking the book open, I stood it on end. Then I lined it up behind the bust.

  Grumbling softly, Piper went back to her reading. Meanwhile, I walked back to my original spot. My mind became a blank slate. My muscles fell limp. Carefully, I stirred my emotions into the proper blend. Instinct sent my wand into action. The temptation of Instinctia came and went.

  “Immaculatize,” I said.

  An auburn glow zoomed across the room. It blobbed over the bust so fast I didn’t even have time to blink. The spell vanished for a split-second and I wondered if it was gone for good. But no, there it was, just beyond the statue. Instead of disappearing, it had broken free and continued along its way. Moving just as fast, but with considerably less volume, it blobbed over Piper’s book. By the time it broke free, it was almost gone. It had just enough juice left to engulf a surprised Piper. Then it blinked out.

  I darted to the table and checked my work. As I’d expected, the book had undergone a radical transformation. It was still old and its cover was still ripped. But the dust was gone and its leather had been polished. Even better, there was no sign of that disgusting mold.

  “Looks like you cleaned two objects for the price of one.” Tad grinned. “Not bad.”

  I glanced at Piper. Her hair was greasy and she had some smudges on her face from the evening’s HMQ games. “Piper’s still dirty,” I said before I could stop myself. “But, uh, check out her—”

  “I’m dirty?” She glared at me. “Real nice, Randy.”

  Tad followed my gaze. “Wow, I see what you mean.”

  Seeing our stares, she looked down. Grabbing the bottom of her t-shirt, she stretched it outward. Before, it had been a sweaty, grimy mess. Now, however, it looked brand new. “How in the world …?”

  Tad, sporting a big grin, began scribbling in his notebook. Leaning over, I checked the entry.

  Spell 45: Immaculatize—Engulfs everyday objects at top-speed, cleaning them in the process. Proceeds onward, but at smaller size. Doesn’t clean people though … Piper is still dirty!!!

  With a soft chuckle, I returned to my mark. Working up some new emotions, I cast another spell. Then another one. And then another one. Unfortunately, none of my spells resembled havoc magic. But I wasn’t discouraged. I just needed to keep going, keep experimenting.

  It was only a matter of time.

  Chapter 36

  “Out already, eh, Wolf?” Porter, perched on the edge of the HMQ, looked away from me just long enough to utter a spell. Chestnut light spewed out of his wand. Gustav Firbottom moved to block it, but the spell caught him in the stomach. He bent over, cringing and gasping for breath. “Too bad. I was hoping to do the deed myself.”

  “Don’t worry.” Gordon grinned. “You’ll get another chance soon enough.”

  “Good thing, too.” Twisting slightly, Porter finished off Gustav with yet another spell. “The HMQ isn’t the same without my favorite Chaotic sympathizer.”

  My face burned with humiliation. I’d learned plenty of Chaotic spells over the last few days. But unless I wanted to start cleaning everything in sight, none of them were going to be particularly helpful. Well, except for Vanista. But I was too afraid to use that one, lest someone notice my sudden disappearance.

  That left the spells we’d learned in class. Unfortunately, I found it increasingly difficult to do Capsudra-based magic. Even the spells I used on the assembly line were becoming a challenge.

  “Check this out, Wolf.” Gordon aimed an ivory bolt at Nico. The staffer hit the ground, rolling and shrieking for help. “What do you think? Does he really look like he’s on fire to you?”

  By now, most of the class had gained basic competency with Elertfa and Pobyl. So, Boltstar had decided to expand our spell book. During class time, he’d instructed us on the nuances of the infamous Genphor Nokrem. Genphor was a real doozy. From what I understood, it made one’s body feel like it was on fire. And from the look on Nico’s face, I’d say that was a pretty accurate description.

  “Okay
, huddle up.” Jax lowered his head and a bunch of us eliminated staffers gathered around him. “I know we haven’t had much luck lately. But we’re getting better. We just need to keep holding them off and—”

  “And what?” Nico, holding his side and grimacing in pain, limped over to us. “We’ll get crushed again?”

  “Face it, Jax,” Jeff said. “We’re never going to win. We’re going to wind up on the ground like always, getting called Chaotic wannabes or some such nonsense.”

  Jax shook his head. “You can’t think like that.”

  “Why not? It’s true. We’re dropouts and they’re real students. End of story.”

  “Jeff’s right,” Jenny added. “I haven’t been able to cast Genphor yet. Meanwhile, the students are throwing it around like it’s kid stuff.”

  “So, forget Genphor.” Jax grunted. “Use the stuff you know. It works just as well, right?”

  They nodded reluctantly.

  “Good. Now, once the next game starts, we have to stick together. Forget personal glory, forget showing off. Watch each other’s backs. If we turn this into a defensive struggle, one of us might have a chance. Okay?”

  Nobody looked convinced. But we all nodded anyway.

  Boltstar blew a long whistle. “Mr. Garrington wins the game. Excellent job out there.”

  The students, many of whom were nursing wounds, gave a half-hearted cheer. Us staffers remained silent.

  “We’ve got time for one last game,” the headmaster announced with a pleased glint in his eye. “Everyone, please return to the HMQ.”

  We made our way onto the field. Like always, I took up position behind the string of old enchanted barriers along with the other staffers.

  “Maybe they’ll go easy on us,” Nico said, hopefully. “Show us a little mercy for once.”

  Boltstar whistled again. Immediately, spells slammed into the barriers, causing them to rock on the soil.

  Hunkering down, Leandra eyed Nico. “So much for mercy.”

  “Aim for the barriers and smoke them out of there,” Porter yelled above the fray. “The rest of you watch for counterattacks. If they lift their heads, light them up.”

  More bolts of magic careened into the barriers.

  “Excellent work, Mr. Garrington,” Boltstar shouted. “Good job taking a leadership role and developing a viable strategy.”

  “Great strategy, Mr. Garrington,” Leandra muttered in her best Boltstar voice. “Excellent job getting everyone to gang up on the weaker kids.”

  “Jeff, Nico, Randy … stabilize the barriers,” Jax called out. “Everyone else, go on the attack.”

  Piper and Leandra crawled to opposite edges of our barrier. The other staffers took up similar positions at the other barriers. Meanwhile, the spells kept coming and the barriers began to rock back and forth. Jeff, Nico, and I managed to keep them from toppling over onto all of us. But we couldn’t stop them from falling the other way. If that happened, we’d be easy prey.

  The barriers slammed into us yet again. We pushed back with all of our might.

  “Where’s our support?” Nico shouted.

  Piper threw off a quick spell. She had no time to aim so I wasn’t surprised when no one screamed in response.

  “Whoa.” With a yelp, she threw herself to the grass. Two dozen streaks soared overhead, missing her by inches.

  “Ooo, that was close, Piper,” Sya called out in a singsong voice. “I almost had you.”

  Five staffers rose up. They started to cast spells, but were greeted with a smothering wave of magic. Four of them broke off mid-spell and dropped back to the ground. But Jenny wasn’t so lucky.

  “Ouch!” Ecru-colored light struck the side of her head. Dropping her wand, she grabbed hold of her ear. “It burns,” she shrieked.

  A ruby-colored blaze crashed into her side. A pearl spell collided with her left elbow. And then she was on the ground, wailing and crying for help.

  “You’re out, Ms. Lynch,” Boltstar said. “Again. Please exit the field.”

  Jenny rolled back and forth, trying in vain to put out the imaginary fires. Desperately, I tried to recall the counter-spell we’d learned in class.

  “I got this.” Nico pulled away from the barrier. His face twisted up and he waved his wand. “Antra Corderal.”

  A new spell, the color of sand, rushed out of his wand. It crested into Jenny’s writhing form. She kept screaming, so he cast it two more times, neutralizing the other Genphor spells that had hit her. At last, she fell still, gulping at the air, her face contorted with pain and embarrassment. Then she crawled toward the sideline.

  More spells hit the barriers, rocking them into us. Again, we pushed back and they swung the other way. Only this time, they swung too far.

  “They’re tipping,” Jax screamed.

  I lunged forward, but the edge slipped out of my fingers. Seconds later, the string of barriers fell face down in the grass. Cringing, I stared across the HMQ. Sadistic faces stared back at me. Then streaks of light hurled in our direction and we scrambled for cover.

  I darted behind a stack of wide, sturdy wheels. Leandra popped up next to me, her hair mussed. Several other staffers, used to hiding by now, also made it to safety.

  “Form up,” Calvin yelled to the Sophomores. “Move in and finish—”

  A chestnut spell slammed into his cheek. Shrieking in agony, he dropped to a knee. Immediately, the Sophomores turned their attention to the Freshmen. And then everyone was firing at everyone.

  “Excellent work once again, Mr. Garrington,” Boltstar shouted. “Fantastic job catching your alliance by surprise.”

  “I love you, Mr. Garrington.” Leandra rolled her eyes. “Great job betraying your friends, Mr. Garrington. That’ll come in handy when you’re managing your family’s company, Mr. Garrington.”

  I chuckled. But that chuckle died quickly as I surveyed my fellow staffers. Jeff, clutching an injured arm, crawled toward the sideline. Fyla was on her back, twitching and moaning.

  An Elertfa spell knocked Dorph off his feet. He flopped onto his side, then slapped the ground in frustration. But as he headed for the magic rope, a second spell hit his rear. Screaming, he collapsed on the ground. Meanwhile, Gordon, who’d delivered the extra blow, howled with laugher.

  Leandra watched Boltstar, evidently waiting for some kind of admonishment. When it didn’t come, she tilted her head out into the open. “Hey, that was a dirty hit,” she shouted. “Dorph was already—”

  A fuchsia jet hit her cheek. Leandra’s anger turned into agony and she fell down, clutching her face. Nightmarish screams escaped her lips.

  “Excellent work drawing the enemy out of cover, Mr. Tancort,” Boltstar said. “And that was a well-placed shot, Ms. Masters. Now, please leave the field, Mr. Jenkins and Ms. Chen.”

  But Dorph and Leandra were in no condition to leave. In fact, they were in no condition to do much of anything.

  Again, I tried to recall the counter-spell. And again, I came up short. Was I supposed to swing the wand left then down and to the right? Or right, then down and to the left? And what were the emotions again?

  Finally, Boltstar produced his wand. He issued two quick spells, one after the other. Dorph and Leandra fell still, their chests heaving up and down, their faces contorted with pain.

  “Please exit the field,” he said.

  His casual manner made me mad. And yet, I still couldn’t help but admire him. I knew that was due in part to Womigia. And that, of course, just made me even madder.

  Daisy went down hard, the victim of a Kell Masters spell. I saw her pain, her agony. She looked close to passing out. One of her fellow sophomores issued a quick counter-spell. Her face relaxed a bit and she emitted a deep sigh. Quickly, she headed for the sideline.

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. For a single second, I found myself thinking of all the indignities spooled out by Boltstar and the Madkey School in general. I thought about how I’d dropped out of school. And I thought about Tad, ab
out how he hated himself. My anger started to boil, but I managed to cut it off. Like it or not, the situation called for control.

  A serene calmness spread through me. Something deep inside reached out and something out there reached back. We met in the middle and my eyes opened wide. Crazy amounts of energy began to surge through my veins.

  Raising my wand, I stepped out from behind the piled wheels. Gordon saw me first. With a leer on his lips, he sent a spell screaming in my direction.

  I ducked it, feeling relaxed and at peace. And yet my emotions and wand were going crazy. “Elertfa Lokwhan,” I whispered as I entered a state of Instinctia.

  The resulting spell popped him in the mouth. He collapsed next to Sya. Seeing this, she dove to the side. But I threw off another spell and it knocked her to the turf.

  An unwelcome presence appeared behind me. I whirled around and saw Felicia. Her wand was extended and a smirk rested upon her lips. Her trademark fuchsia magic streaked toward me.

  “Pobyl Caxtor,” I said, still caught in the bliss of Instinctia. “Elertfa Lokwhan.”

  My wand blasted twice. The first blaze of light took out her spell. The second one caught her in the gut and she fell to the grass.

  Others, sensing something strange and new was afoot, turned in my direction. I dodged or deflected their spells while lighting them up with my own. With each elimination, whispers began to filter in from the sidelines.

  “Wow,” Calvin said. “I can’t believe it.”

  “How’s he doing that?” Sya groused.

  Felicia grunted, obviously in pain. “He’s cheating. He must be.”

  Suddenly, a voice, loud and clear, rang out.

  “There’s just four of you left, Randy.” Piper shouted. “You’ve got this!”

  My bliss-like state vanished and I found myself standing in the middle of the field, far away from cover. Turning my head, I saw most of the class, as well as Boltstar, staring at me. For once, the headmaster was speechless.

  Shifting in a semicircle, I saw over a dozen students crawling toward the sidelines. I was barely even aware of the fact that I’d defeated them. Or rather, that Instinctia had beaten them. But hey, I was happy to take the credit.