The Flying Glass (Fanglewick School of Magic Book 1)

by E. M. Cooper

  ‘What’s it for?’ Marnie asked.

  Lissa stared at her with a startled expression. ‘Oh no, I don’t know. What if Thigi expects us to know that too? I’ve got to go and study.’

  ‘It’s for calming the fire of dragon hatchlings, so they don’t burn each other in the breeding nest,’ Seb said quietly.

  ‘Trust you to know the theory, with your chockle memory,’ Lissa said.

  ‘What’s a chockle?’ Seb said.

  ‘Big animal with a trunk and huge floppy ears.’

  He laughed. ‘We call them elephants.’

  ‘Ah, here you are, sorry I’m late.’ Lexi strode towards them along the corridor. ‘A few young elves in Lyra House were having a meltdown over the upcoming exams. I had to have a group session with them and settle them with a dash of magical hypnosis.’

  ‘Are we taking the bus?’ Marnie asked.

  ‘Goodness me, no. I can’t remember the last time I travelled on public transport. You never know what you might catch and it’s so slow. I know some of the wizards prefer the old ways, but I’m a modern kind of witch—apart from my broomstick.’ She chuckled. ‘You don’t know what I’m talking about, do you?’

  Marnie, Seb and Lissa looked at her with puzzled expressions.

  ‘Knobbly knees,’ she said to the office door, which sprang open. ‘Don’t bother memorising the password because Jax changes it every day.’ She grinned. ‘Not that you would?’

  ‘Of course not,’ said Lissa immediately.

  ‘Come in, we need to get going.’

  Mystified, Marnie followed her into the room with Seb and Lissa. The committee room appeared vacant apart from the fish diving and plopping in and out of Crabwinkle’s fish tank. ‘So, we’re going to Wandermere?’

  Lexi fiddled in the pocket of her navy dress under her cloak and extracted four sticks of chalk. ‘Now, you won’t want to try this at home. It takes a long time to master and is disastrous if you get it wrong.’ She grabbed an extensible brass protractor from her leather bag and fixed a stick of green chalk into it. Skilfully she drew a large circle. ‘It has to be a good circle; otherwise the spell can go haywire.’ She replaced the green chalk with a red stick and drew a slightly smaller circle within the first. She then drew a series of symbols and letters with the yellow and white chalk. ‘You’d better zip your backpack, Marnie unless you want your cat to be launched into the ether.’ Her laugh sounded more like a snort.

  Marnie pressed Bella’s head down and zipped the bag before putting it over her shoulders.

  ‘Everyone put one foot on the circle and hold hands,’ Lexi said.

  Marnie gingerly stepped on the chalk lines and grabbed Lissa and Seb’s hands with her sweaty palms.

  ‘Ready?’

  With wide eyes, they nodded.

  Lexi mumbled an indecipherable string of words at high speed. Suddenly a rush of air and chalk dust whooshed from the floor as Marnie lifted and spun in a blurring cloud. She coughed and sneezed for several moments after she felt the ground under her again. When the cloud settled, she was sprawled on the lawn outside the Imporium where she had seen wizards arriving the day she last visited Wandermere.

  Everyone okay?’ Lexi asked.

  ‘We’re all fine.’ Seb leaned with his hands on his knees.

  After Marnie had unzipped the backpack and checked Bella, she stood and dusted herself off.

  ‘You didn’t tell us,’ Seb said looking at Lexi, ‘what happens if you get the travelling spell wrong?’

  ‘Mmm, well it hasn’t happened to me, but I’ve heard of the odd mishap ... witches or wizards getting stranded or lost. Nasty business.’ Lexi gathered her bag. ‘How about we head off to Thundery Way, the main market place?’

  The children followed her down the cobbled street but were brought to a standstill when three massive dragons came screeching overhead and landed less than a football field away. Seb and Lissa stood frozen with mouths open in shock.

  ‘They’re magnificent, aren’t they?’ Lexi said not breaking her stride. ‘Come along, you’re completely safe.’

  The dragons pawed the ground and snorted as their owners pulled their leather reins and guided them to a halt. In the morning sun their scales glinted like copper shields and their leathery wings creaked and cracked as they stretched and retracted.

  ‘Could we watch them for a few minutes?’ Seb asked in an awestruck tone.

  ‘Yes, of course, it’s your first time, isn’t it?’ Lexi said. ‘I remember the first time I saw a dragon ... so long ago now. We don’t have them in Xenia. They’re unique to the Old World, as far as I know.’

  When they reached the cordoned-off area, the children watched one of the dragons that seemed on edge compared to the others. Several handlers wearing steel-capped boots and long gloves grabbed tethering ropes and hooked them to the dragon. Straining, they dragged on them as the creature roared. Suddenly it turned its head and opened its mouth wide, blasting red and gold flame into the air.

  ‘Goodness,’ Lexi said as its owner yelled at the animal and raised a wand in front of it. The creature settled and lowered its head while blowing streams of smoke from its nostrils.

  ‘That looks like Mr Arnold, but it couldn’t be,’ said Seb watching the rider of the largest dragon dismount behind the other two animals.

  Lexi squinted at him. ‘I think you’re right. So the rumour’s true. I heard he landed a position at the Imporium since the fuss at Fanglewick.’

  ‘Doing what?’ Seb asked.

  ‘Working with the Border Protection Department.’

  Seb laughed. ‘He couldn’t even control a bunch of foster kids. He was always away with the fairies. It was Mrs Arnold who kept a check on us.’

  ‘Tsk,’ Lexi said. ‘If you ask me it’s all a little too convenient. First his son summons a djinn and then he fronts up for the head job at Fanglewick and when that fails, he lands a plum position in the Imporium.’

  Seb paled. ‘You know about Charlie?’

  ‘Sorry, I thought Marnie had told you,’ said Lexi.

  ‘Oh, I meant to,’ Marnie said sheepishly. She had forgotten with all the fuss over the Fanglewick exams.

  ‘Never mind, I won’t tell anyone. I’m well aware of their dysfunctional family.’

  Mr Arnold shouted at the elfin dragon handlers to take his creature to be watered and fed while he beckoned to a pair of goblins to collect his leather bags.

  ‘Lazy git,’ Seb said, ‘Why doesn’t he carry them himself?’

  ‘He’s coming this way. Should we hide?’ Lissa asked.

  ‘Of course not,’ said Lexi standing squarely to face him as though she wanted to be seen. ‘Good morning, Zachary. Lovely day for a ride?’

  Mr Arnold startled and twitched when he saw the group. ‘Morning, Ms Spindlewood. What are you children doing out of school?’ he said in an officious tone. He plucked a rolled newspaper from his cloak and slapped a goblin, who was fiddling with a leather flap on one of his bags.

  ‘Professor Crabwinkle asked me to bring the children to Wandermere for school supplies.’

  Mr Arnold cleared his throat. ‘Well you’d better get going then. It isn’t a safe place for outsiders.’ He brushed a fleck of dust from his new white Imporium uniform as though to draw attention to the three stripes on his shoulder.

  Marnie could see Lexi was trying hard not to bite back.

  Mr Arnold turned to Marnie and Seb. ‘I’ll be seeing you two back at Downfell for Christmas. It should be jolly.’ He showed his teeth when he said ‘jolly’, making Marnie cringe.

  ‘Come along, students. You have a lovely day, Zachary.’ When the group had moved far enough away, Lexi shook her head. ‘Did you see the stripes on his shoulder?’

  Seb chuckled. ‘It was kind of hard to not see them with the way he was pointing at them.’

  ‘Three stripes for a senior official,’ said Lexi in a mystified tone. ‘That means he’s been promoted to head of department. Ah the Imporium works in mysterious w
ays.’

  ‘So he must have some very good friends in the Imporium,’ Marnie said.

  ‘Pity he couldn’t stay with them for Christmas,’ Seb said.

  ‘Forget about him,’ Lexi said brightly. ‘We’re here to see the sights of Thundery Way. Croak and Furnows is just around the corner.’ Lexi led the way down a small alley past witches, wizards and elves carrying parcels and bags of shopping.

  ‘Croak and Furnows is a pet shop,’ Lissa said. ‘I visited it with my mother years ago.’

  ‘All the animals you children received this year are bought from Cyril Croak. He selects them from the Old World and brings them here for us,’ Lexi explained before opening the door. A strange mixture of incense, pepper and ordinary animal smells wafted from the shop. Owls and humming birds fluttered in cages, cats wrestled in an enclosure and toads croaked in tanks against the far wall. A kitten played on the counter in front of an elderly wizard with a dazzling white beard and hair who was hunched over a crossword puzzle.

  ‘Welcome,’ Mr Croak said looking at them with his gold eyes. ‘How can I help you?’

  Marnie lifted Bella from the backpack. ‘My cat was bought from your shop, but she wasn’t immunised.’

  Lexi stepped forward and gave Croak a certificate. ‘I was given this when I bought the cat from one of your assistants. It says here she was, but I can feel she’s not.’

  Croak frowned and tilted his chin. ‘You’re a psychic?’

  Lexi nodded.

  ‘Very odd. I never sell animals without making sure they have spell protections.’

  ‘I thought they were immunised for diseases,’ Seb said.

  Lexi shook her head. ‘She had those as a kitten. The immunisation on the certificate is for magical protection.’

  Croak sighed. ‘I’m sorry about that. I’ll do it again.’

  ‘We’ll pick out a travelling bag while you do,’ Lexi said.

  He disappeared behind a curtain with Bella.

  ‘Couldn’t you have performed the protective spell on Bella?’ Marnie asked.

  ‘No, it doesn’t work like that. Protection spells for travel are regulated. Once Mr Croak immunises Bella, he must lodge a record with the Imporium.’

  When Mr Croak returned, he handed her back to Marnie. ‘There we go. All done. She’s a fine creature, isn’t she? I see you’ve picked out a bag. It’s ready for travel through the demonic halo.’

  ‘Excellent, thank you.’ Lexi fished in her bag. ‘How much?’

  Croak rubbed his chin. ‘Seeing you had to return for the immunisation, I’ll give you a discount. Fifteen digdas.’

  Lexi didn’t flinch. ‘Five.’

  ‘The bag’s top quality ... lined with fairy gossamer ... your cat will travel safely and in comfort through the halo in any phase of the moon. Ten digdas.’

  Lexi nodded and handed Croak a handful of coins.

  Once they were out on the street, they wandered back along the alley to Thundery Way.

  ‘I don’t have any money to pay you,’ Marnie said.

  ‘After working for months in the goblin kitchen, you’ve accumulated some credit with the school. Don’t worry about it.’

  ‘I told Professor Crabwinkle I’d work for nothing.’

  Lexi shook her head. ‘We’ll go to Blends & Fizzles next. I have to order some potion supplies for Professor Thigimus.’

  They passed a few stores and the children stopped to giggle at a strange display featuring three wizard models in a clothing store called Your Highness.

  ‘We stock fashion for the discerning wizard,’ Seb read above the display.

  One model with a painful expression wore a black gown with a flurry of silver stars around the hem and had his hand outstretched towards a stuffed owl suspended by a string from the ceiling. Another of the models held a stick aloft as though he were conjuring a spell with his mouth wide open and his eyes closed. A spider had taken up residence in his open mouth and was dangling from his plastic teeth. His shiny green satin gown skimmed the floor and the cuffs covered in sequins were large and loose.

  ‘That outfit looks draughty,’ Lexi said.

  ‘Bet Mr Arnold will be shopping here soon,’ Seb said, ‘as a discerning wizard.’

  They walked past chattering and cackling witches huddled at cafe tables sipping smoking drinks and dodged goblins struggling with stuffed shopping bags while chasing their wizard masters.

  ‘This is Blends and Fizzles. Watch out for the owner, she’s a cantankerous witch.’ Lexi pushed the door open and a bell tinkled over the doorway as they entered the shop. Long aisles of shelves held bottles, pots, jars and packages lined up in precise order with neat handwritten labels. Cauldrons hung from hooks on the walls and ladders led to higher shelves holding wooden casks with taps. Marnie sniffed an amazing scent of peppermint blended with sulphur like dragon’s breath.

  ‘Good morning, Lexi,’ said a thin witch clad in black leather and lace as she emerged from the top of an aisle. ‘I haven’t seen you for ages.’

  ‘Hello, Prunella. I’ve just returned to the Old World.’

  ‘From?’

  ‘Xenia. I’m working at Fanglewick for a spell.’

  ‘Indeed. How lovely for you.’

  ‘Is Theo with you?’

  Lexi flinched. ‘No.’

  ‘What a shame. These interbreed romances never seem to last, do they?’ Her tone was for a moment, flinty and unkind.

  Marnie stared at her feet, embarrassed to be intruding on what seemed to be a private and awkward conversation.

  ‘It isn’t that ... never mind, Lexi said. ‘How’s your business partner, Hester?’

  ‘Fine. She’ll be here after lunch.’

  Lexi dug into her bag for a piece of paper. ‘I’m here with a shopping list for school supplies.’

  ‘Oh, Bengt Silas usually does that. Still, it’s good for you to know how the Fanglewick system works.’ Prunella’s voice was high-pitched and whiny, like an insect swarm, a sound that would quickly get on your nerves.

  ‘If you could give us our usual order, please and I also have a few extra requests.’

  Prunella snapped her fingers and a small goblin carrying a scroll scurried from under a bench.

  ‘We need seven mid-scoops of shredded Helgate batwing ... black, please, um, and a large bottle of liquefied gnat tongues.’

  ‘Yes, we have them in supply. Is that all?’

  Lexi tapped the side of her face. ‘Let me think.’ She hesitated. ‘There was something else. I know ... do you have any black candles?’

  Prunella’s eyes popped. ‘For the school?’

  Lexi nodded with a defiant look.

  ‘Hexcraft isn’t on the curriculum ... is it?’

  ‘It isn’t for the students.’

  ‘Oh, very well,’ she snapped. ‘How many?’

  ‘A dozen and throw in half a dozen red ones too if you have them in stock.’

  As the teenagers filed from Blends and Fizzles into the street, no one dared ask about Lexi’s strange additions to the supply list. By the time she had led them to a cafe and they had eaten a delicious lunch of chicken wings and ice cream cake in the sunshine, Marnie had filed the memory away to the back of her mind.

  * * *

  CHAPTER 25

  Journey to Downfell

  Seb and Lissa survived the examinations and passed their first year at Fanglewick and were thrilled to come somewhere in the middle of all the results. Lissa had been shocked to get the Dragonus draught for her final potions test, but with the help of Seb’s description and her fanatical practice, it proved to be her strongest result. Both of them had scraped a pass in the broomstick test although Seb had suffered a death wobble while turning near the end. Thankfully Silas had been distracted after he swallowed a fly and gave him the benefit of doubt.

  A week later, Lexi visited Marnie in her room after dinner carrying a small bottle of juice, a spoon and glass.

  ‘I’ve come with your travelling spell,’ Lexi sai
d.

  ‘Don’t you have to register it?’

  ‘It has been.’ Lexi reached into her leather bag and pulled out a paper pouch. ‘Professor Crabwinkle had to get special permission and the bureaucrats at the Imporium registered the details yesterday. Do you know, according to their records, it’s the first time someone has entered Fanglewick under magical age.’ She laughed. ‘Either that or people have used a little feral magic in the past. I’m sure it’s been done before.’

  ‘So what do I have to do?’

  ‘You get to drink this one.’ She emptied the pouch of green crystal powder into the glass and poured the orange juice on it before stirring it and handing it to Marnie. ‘Enjoy.’

  Marnie wiped her mouth and handed the empty glass back to Lexi. ‘I’m nervous about going back. How do I know the spell will work?’

  Lexi closed her eyes and stood still for a few moments. ‘It’s already working. By tomorrow it will have infiltrated every cell in your body and you’ll be ready to travel. I give you my word.’

  Marnie wanted to ask her about how she knew Mage Mystilic and why she had bought black and red candles in Blends and Fizzles, but felt she was prying.

  Lexi smiled. ‘Next year we’ll get to know each other better, Marnie.’

  ‘I’d like that.’

  ‘I’m off to Xenia tomorrow, so I won’t see you until next term. Have a lovely trip back to your world and work hard on your magic.’

  ‘I will, thank you. I hope you have a happy Christmas.’

  * * *

  Marnie and Seb stood on the front lawns of Fanglewick with Charlie, who hadn’t said a word to them. They watched as students jostled for a place on the lawn as the vortices touched down.

  ‘I feel so nervous,’ Marnie whispered to Seb.

  ‘You and me both.’

  Muriel Crawfoot was handing out travel cards and directing students into three clusters to send them to the right world. ‘Okay, all students going to Earth, line up, please.’

  ‘You’re not bringing that cat are you?’ Charlie said as he stepped up with Marnie and Seb.