Miraclist

by P B Hughes

  Caden was about to speak when a stream of teachers poured out through the tunnel—the Apex Academy Headmaster leading the charge, Shelta Fussin behind him.

  “What happened here?” he shrieked. “Explain yourselves!”

  Daniel suddenly realized he was the same man with the curled mustache that lead the procession of carriages that forced them off the road the day before; the same man that had called them peasants and whipped his horses so brutally.

  “Hello, Headmaster,” said Caden steadily. “We were just minding our own business when these three attacked us. Isn’t that right, Butch—right, Brawn?”

  The twins nodded. “I seen it with my own eyes,” said one of them with a drawl. He released Gregory.

  “Yes,” Sneed chimed in, still rubbing his shin. “Look at the mark they left!” A bump had formed on his leg.

  “They’re lying!” cried Daniel, looking over to Jude to show the teachers his bloodied face. Jude had disappeared.

  “I want these Littleton rapscallions expelled from the games immediately!” cried the Headmaster. “I will not tolerate my students being molested!”

  “We didn’t attack them,” Daniel protested. “They attacked us!”

  “Professor Beelzy,” said Ms. Fussin. “I am afraid it is not in my jurisdiction to expel anyone, and as it stands, it’s merely your students’ word against theirs.”

  “Unacceptable!” cried Professor Beelzy. “My students are the finest in the land, and will not be questioned as common liars.”

  Ms. Fussin raised an eyebrow. “No student is perfect,” she said, surveying the scene. She bit her lip. “And I think if we questioned the bystanders we’d get a more balanced depiction of what really went on. Is that what you want, Professor Beelzy?”

  “Caden is our Valedictorian, Apex Student Body President, and Captain of the jousting team. His word carries more weight than anyone here! If nothing is done, I will take this to the highest officials, I assure you Ms. Fussin!”

  “Do as you wish,” she responded. “In the meantime,” her voice raised several decibels as she addressed the crowd, “you students are dismissed—but remember, be back by twelve thirty. Also, the city gate will be open throughout the day to ease travel, so if you need to do anything outside of town, feel free. And lastly, please, no more roughhousing.”

  With that, she and the other teachers walked back through the halls, leaving Professor Beelzy standing alone. The Professor strode up to Daniel and poked a long, black staff with a yellow stone at the top in his face.

  “I am watching you, boy. You and your friends won’t get away with your shenanigans. You’ll be expelled before this day is over.” He whirled around. “Come students!”

  Daniel, horrified at the prospect of not being allowed to compete, stared wide-eyed in silence.

  A line of students formed behind Professor Beelzy, and they walked back out through the tunnel. Caden stayed behind and pled with Ari.

  “Ari, it was only a game that got out of hand—”

  “I don’t want to hear it, Caden—not another word. Now leave me alone!”

  Caden’s hands clinched as he glowered down at her. She would not meet his eyes. “No one humiliates me—not you, not anybody.” He spun on his heel and stormed down the tunnel after the other students.

  Ari turned to Daniel and Gregory. “I—I’m so sorry,” she began, but Gregory shrugged her off.

  “You’re just as bad as he is!” he exclaimed, walking away down the hall. “Any girl who would be with a boy like that has issues.”

  Ari stared at the ground, a hurt look on her face.

  It wasn’t until the last line of students left the courtyard that Daniel spotted Jude sitting behind the tree. Daniel made his way over to him, followed by Ari.

  “Jude,” said Daniel, “are you all right?”

  Jude’s face was caked with blood. He sat, staring blankly at the grass in front of him.

  “Why didn’t you fight back? You could have demolished that guy!”

  “He was goading me,” said Jude quietly. “He wanted me to use energy so that I’d get kicked out. I will not play his game.”

  “Jude,” said Ari, “I hope you know that I’m not like them.”

  Jude’s head shot up when he heard her voice, and he stood to his feet, pointing an angry finger in her direction. “And you,” he said, “I won’t play your game either. I want nothing to do with you.”

  “G-game?” she stuttered, “I am not playing a game.”

  “Then what do you want from me?” Jude blurted, his face reddening with anger.

  “Nothing—I don’t want anything. I was just trying to be friendly.”

  “Well I don’t want your friendship! Get away from me!”

  Tears welled in Ari’s eyes. She turned and ran away—back down the tunnel.

  “You didn’t have to do that, Jude,” said Daniel as he watched her go. “She was only trying to help.”

  Jude turned on Daniel. “You get away from me, too, you traitor! You’re taking her side!”

  Daniel stiffened. “Everyone is suspect to you, Jude. One day you’re going to need someone—and then you’ll find yourself painfully alone.”

  Daniel left Jude sitting with his back against the tree, hood pulled over his head. Daniel walked down the tunnel, the sound of his boots echoing eerily as he trod. The halls were now deserted, the archways closed off to the public. Now that he was alone, Daniel thought the statues looked more alive—as if they might spring from their perches at any moment. He passed the statue of the Cythe, this time giving it a quick glance and a shudder, slightly worried that it would actually come to life. Then he heard the faint sound of crying coming from behind.

  “Hello?” he asked.

  The noise stopped, and Daniel heard a shuffling sound from behind the statue. Carefully, he peered over the edge. There, a brown haired girl was lying flat on the floor, trying her hardest to avoid being seen.

  “Ari?” said Daniel.

  “Oh!” she said standing up quickly. “Hello.” She brushed her purple cloak and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. “I was just…examining the nuances of this…statue.” She began to touch the statue and peer down at its feet with false interest.

  “Right,” replied Daniel slowly, unsure what to say. “Um…I wanted to apologize for what my friends said back there. It was uncalled for.”

  “What did they say?” she said, pretending to sound light-hearted. “They didn’t say anything really, did they?”

  “About you being a terrible person—I don’t believe that.”

  Ari looked up at Daniel, her eyes reddening. “There’s truth to it, you know. I know I must be a horrid person to be with a boy like Caden.”

  “No,” said Daniel, trying to mask the uncertainty in his voice. “You seem like quite a nice person to me. I don’t think Caden being a beast is a reflection on your character.”

  “I…he…it wasn’t,” she began to sob. “I’m really sorry; I didn’t know it would be like this. I really thought he was good—I—I’m so sorry.”

  “Hey,” said Daniel, taken aback that a girl he barely knew was crying in front of him. “Don’t worry, people aren’t always who we think they are.”

  Tears continued to run down her cheeks. “I—am sorry I’m—crying,” she said between hiccups. “I—hate crying in front—of people. I just can’t—help—it.”

  Daniel felt sorry for her. He reached out a hand and placed it comfortingly on her shoulder. “Listen,” he said, “It’s only eight, and I’m heading to the outer stables to visit my gryphon if you’d like to join me.”

  Her crying stopped, though her hiccups did not. “You—own a gryphon?”

  “Yep,” said Daniel, his chest swelling with pride.

  She peered up at Daniel, deciding whether or not she could trust him. “You want to be my friend…even though I’m an Apex student?” She drew back slightly.

  “You know,” replied Daniel, “the way I look at it is th
at we’re all a part of the same university now, so it’s really silly for us to be fighting over school pride.”

  Ari sniffed hard. “I agree. That’s what I told Caden, but he told me,” she paused for a moment, “never mind.” She looked at the floor, and then back to Daniel, her keen blue eyes shining as she stepped out from behind the statue and into the light. “How did you come to own a gryphon?”

  “Well, I only found her about a month ago,” Daniel replied. “My friends and I, we rescued her from a bounty hunter. Would you like to hear about it?”

  “Oh, do tell!” she said as they started toward the outskirts of the city.

  The two of them reached the road and surreptitiously hopped on the back of a beet farmer’s wagon that appeared to be headed toward the city gate. On the way, Daniel told Ari the whole story of how they found Shade, though he left out the bit about them finding the scroll. Ari was an excellent listener, remaining quietly attentive the entire way through the city, gasping and laughing appropriately—which Daniel greatly appreciated.

  Once they exited the city gate, they hopped down and took the path to the right—the same Shade was led down when Daniel last saw her. They walked all the way to the edge of the wall and around the other side to a thin strip of land. In the distance, the outer stables came into view. They were built into the side of the city wall. A guard in silver armor stood outside the intense metal gate, separating creatures of all sorts from the outside world. He was several years older than Daniel, smooth-faced and tall, head covered by chainmail and a studded helmet. He wore a white cotton shirt with a blue lion emblazoned on the front. In front of him was a short woman dressed in canary yellow, a brown sack slung across her back, jabbering at a high volume. Behind her was a horse-drawn wagon that looked remarkably like Mordecai’s.

  “I apologize madam, but the rules state that there shall be no entry without proper documentation—that goes for you and anybody else who wishes to enter!” huffed the guard.

  The woman rose on her toes and wagged a finger in his face “I’ll have you know that the gryphon inside happens to be under my protection!”

  “That gryphon is under my protection, discourteous woman! As such, I must kindly ask you to shove off!” retorted the guard, pointing down the road.

  The woman, of course, was Mrs. Doppledodger—lip curled like an angry bulldog, gray hair lying across her face in thick strands, free hand on her hip. “Insolent pup, this is a matter of great importance! If you don’t let me in I’ll—”

  Mrs. Doppledodger saw Daniel from the corner of her eye and bounced with surprise. “Ah ha! There he is!”

  She scuttled away from the guard and up to Daniel, still looking very flustered.

  “What took you so long?” she barked.

  “I’m sorry?” said Daniel, taken aback. “I don’t remember scheduling a meeting.”

  “That’s because you didn’t! I just assumed you’d come to visit your gryphon sooner than later,” Mrs. Doppledodger replied. She looked Ari up and down with suspicious eyes, “And now I see why it was later.”

  Daniel turned pink and cleared his throat. “Uh, Mrs. Doppledodger, this is my friend Ari Celeste. Ari, this is Mrs. Doppledodger.”

  “Hello!” said Ari brightly. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “A pleasure,” Mrs. Doppledodger responded dryly.

  “What can I do for you, Mrs. Doppledodger?” asked Daniel, trying to hide the irritation in his voice at having her encroach upon his time with Ari.

  “I’ve come to give you this,” she said as she set her sack down and rifled through it. She pulled out a thin whistle made from a shiny black stone and held it up.

  “What is that?” asked Daniel, peering curiously at the whistle.

  “This,” replied Mrs. Doppledodger, “is a feather-whistle—a gryphon caller, if you will. Gryphons are highly receptive to it, and will come from miles away if trained to respond to its call.”

  “My goodness,” said Ari. “Is that made from Ebson Stone?”

  Mrs. Doppledodger raised her eyebrow. “Smart girl. Yes, it’s Ebson Stone. It’s rare and highly valued. Now, we must get to Shade.”

  Daniel showed the guard the grey ticket that Chancellor Harquist had given him. He stared at the ticket intently, and then studied Daniel’s face.

  “You know,” he said, leaning in and peering into Daniel’s face with sharp brown eyes, “there’s been quite a lot of bustle about that gryphon of yours.”

  Daniel gave Mrs. Doppledodger a worried look, but she kept her gaze intently on the guard.

  The guard continued, “You’re the fourth person in twenty-four hours to request to see her.”

  “Who else?” Mrs. Doppledodger interrogated.

  The guard gave her a sour look. “One was a man, wealthy by his attire. He attempted to bribe me to let him inside.”

  “Did you let him?” asked Daniel.

  The guard fumed with righteous indignation. “Sir Weston would never accept a dishonest penny! I told him I’d arrest him if he ever tried that again—rich or not.”

  “Bartholomew Burke,” Daniel said. “He offered a lot of money for her yesterday evening.”

  Mrs. Doppledodger turned to Daniel. “You don’t sell that gryphon for anything—not for any amount, do you hear me?”

  Daniel shrank back a bit and crossed his arms. “I’d never sell Shade—and what’s more, I told him so.”

  “Good,” Mrs. Doppledodger responded and then turned back to the guard. “Who else came by?”

  Sir Weston blanched and grasped the hilt of his sword. He dropped his voice to a hush. “A strange chap dressed in black. His face was covered—I could barely see his eyes. I thought he was going to cut me in two when I told him he wasn’t allowed in, the way he hissed and gripped his scimitar.” Then he puffed up with an air of pride. “But Sir Weston never backs down! I gave him my righteous eye—like this,” Sir Weston opened one eye as wide as he could while narrowing the other to a slit, then crossed his arms in front of him. “When he saw my face he rode off the way he came.”

  “You did well to not let them pass,” said Mrs. Doppledodger, her anger toward the guard dissipating.

  “Simply completing my duty, my good woman,” Sir Weston replied as he tapped on the gate with the pommel of his sword. “Lo! Gizzard! We’ve got some owners wishing to visit their gryphon.”

  The gate began to rise with slow, stretching moans until they were able to step underneath. The stables were stuffy and warm, though very well kempt. As soon as they were inside, the gate lowered behind them. The small man who had taken Shade from Daniel the day before sat crouched on a stool, silently staring at them.

  “This is Gizzard,” said Sir Weston, giving a nod to the little man. “He tends to the animals—don’t mind him; he’s mute for the most part.”

  Gizzard let out a raspy laugh, clapped his hands together, and hopped down from the stool. Sir Weston ushered them along, Gizzard hobbling behind them.

  Thin slats lined the top of the ceiling, allowing little sunlight inside, and along the walls, several torches blazed, providing a glow usually reserved for night. The first few stables near the door were empty, clean straw spread about the floor creating soft beds for whatever creature would need it next.

  Sir Weston led them deeper into the stables until they came to an area with thick barred cages. In one of them, a lion lay sprawled out on straw. In another, an ape, munching on a piece of fruit. In the last cage was a rhinogruff—a huge creature with four stump-like legs and a gray, leathery hide, snorting angrily at its imprisonment. Its short tail swished like a pendulum as Daniel stopped to take a look. It let out a snort from its bull-like nose, baring its long white tusks.

  “This is Crusher,” said Sir Weston “She’s been ill as of late, so she’s been a devil to care for. Knocked out Gizzard’s tooth, didn’t she?”

  Gizzard gave them a grin, revealing a wide gap in his front teeth.

  They moved past the rhinogruff�
�s cage to several other large empty ones, rising to the top of the wall, sealed at the top.

  “Those are the wyverns’ cages,” said Sir Weston, “though we rarely house them. They’re difficult to care for because they only mind their masters.”

  Daniel imagined Rasta Murk’s wyvern inside the cage and hoped he’d seen the last of it. Monsters like that were never meant to be pets, he thought.

  A little further on was another large door, shut off from the world. The smell of death reeked from behind. A low rumble reverberated from inside, like the growling of a great, digesting belly. Ari wrinkled her face and pulled her cloak up over her nose as they passed by.

  “What’s in there?” she asked, pointing to the thick, windowless iron door.

  Sir Weston stopped; a dark look spread across his face. “The composition of nightmares. In there is Senator Greavus’ pet cobariss—Malodia, he calls her.” He paused for a moment and stared at the door.

  “What need would the Senator have for a creature like that?” asked Ari.

  “I shudder to think,” replied Sir Weston. “He rarely visits her, but when he does he goes in alone, save for his bodyguard.”

  “A pet monster for a monster,” said Mrs. Doppledodger, shaking her head.

  “Let’s get a move on,” said Sir Weston.

  Finally, they arrived at Shade’s cage. There she was, curled up in the corner, asleep with her head tucked beneath her wing, her black fur rising and falling from steady breaths.

  “Shade!” Daniel shouted when he saw her.

  Her head shot up and she blinked drowsily, searching for the source of the noise. Then she saw Daniel. She leapt up to her feet, bounding back and forth in front of the gate, squawking excitedly like a dog whose master had just returned home.

  “Hang on, hang on,” said Sir Weston as Gizzard ducked under their legs. He stuck a gold key in the latch and twisted open the door.

  Shade bounded right on top of Daniel, rubbing his face with her nose. Daniel laughed and tried to stand, but Shade wouldn’t let him up. The sound of a high-pitched whistle filled the stables. Shade sat up—ears perked, stiff and obedient.