Unbound: Mage's Academy I

by Finley Morrow

  "This is it." She hissed. "This is where the magical boundary is." She tossed another handful and I watched the herbs move swiftly and arrange as though they were hitting a barrier of some sort.

  "Any ideas about how to break it?" I asked.

  "I haven't seen anything quite like this before." She said. "It's not an enchantment of protection, it's more like a barrier. I was expecting certain objects in the office to be protected, but this enchantment does not discriminate. It seems like anyone who crosses it will set it off."

  "What if we don't cross it?" I asked. I was formulating a plan in my mind.

  "What are you thinking?" She eyed me suspiciously.

  "I tried something for my exam in Practical Thaumaturgy. I've been experimenting with moving hallows in physical space and using them sort of like portals. What if we open a hallow and then transport ourselves into the office without crossing the barrier." I explained the process.

  "That might work, but is it safe?" She asked. I thought of what Professor Malus had said.

  "Strictly speaking, I don't think so." I conceded. She crossed her arms.

  "There is a chance that we could mess up the projection and end up stuck in the luminous ether." She said.

  "Ah. Well, I guess we'll have to try not to let that happen," I said. "Unless you have another idea.

  She frowned. "Let's do it and get out of here quick."

  I nodded. We placed our hands together and the hallow appeared almost instantly. It was so much easier to do this with two people. We stepped inside the hallow and then decided to try to move to the hallow right in front of the headmaster's desk. It would be easy for us both to visualize. We held the image in our minds, then stepped out of the hallow hoping for the best. I held my breath as we walked out and let out a sigh of relief when we were standing right in front of the desk.

  "Now get your book and let's get out of here," I whispered quickly.

  "You're right," She replied. Ligeia began to scan the bookshelves in the Headmaster's office and I took the opportunity to search for clues about the demon summoning. I began at his desk. If he was going to have something about it that seemed like a likely spot. I pulled open drawers and found mainly office supplies. There were some magical artifacts, hourglasses, strange engraved stones, etc. but nothing to suggest a demon. I worked my way through every crevice of his desk.

  It was pitch black outside and Ligeia was using an illumination spell to see, but it wasn't very bright. That was probably a good thing because it would mean nobody would see it from outside.

  "What book are you looking for anyway?" I asked, hoping we could get out of there soon.

  "I'm not sure." She whispered hurriedly.

  "What do you mean you're not sure?" I said, feeling my heart begin to race. Had she brought me in here on a fool's errand?

  "I'll know when I see it." She muttered. "He'll tell me."

  "Oh," I said simply. It dawned on me how utterly strange this world of magic was. Ligeia was utterly at the whim of this trickster god of hers.

  "What is he like?" I asked. "If you don't mind me asking." I clarified.

  She sorted through books quickly as she answered, pulling them out to briefly glance at the cover before moving on to the next. "He's odd I suppose," she explained. "He doesn't ask for much but when he does it mostly doesn't make any sense. Although one time he did make me set up a prank on a professor involving a goat." She laughed sardonically.

  "Do I want to know?" I said.

  "Probably not," She said.

  We returned to our respective searches. I had thoroughly checked the desk and found nothing. I started to scan the bookshelves. I knew I wouldn't be able to recognize the book, but I hoped that something interesting might stand out to me. I scanned title after title, not even sure what I was looking for. I came across a small book. I pressed my finger against the top of the spine to pull it out and it was much heavier than I'd anticipated. I pulled it out. The cover was blank and made of worn brown leather. I opened it and found to my surprise that it was hiding a wooding box in a cutout slot in the middle. Each page was handwritten with some kind of incantation. It read NO EYES TO SEE NO EARS TO HEAR. I set aside the book and pulled out the box. Inside was a folded parchment.

  Rite for gaining power from a Demon

  The one who finds himself bound to a demon may wish to increase his own power and control of the relationship to the demon to whom he is bound. In this case he fortunate for there is one way to secure such power and control. It requires the bound to offer up another, a mage of great power, as a sacrifice to the demon. This person will then become bound to the demon as well, and while the binding does offer some benefits, they will be required to see to the bidding of the demon as the demon wills.

  * * *

  I swallowed hard. These were instructions about how to bind another person to a demon to increase your own power and control. I stopped before I got to the ritual. This was clear evidence of the headmaster's intentions, but even more damning, it was evident that the headmaster himself was bound to a demon.

  "Esther, I think I found it," Ligeia exclaimed. I would have to warn her later.

  "Okay, grab it and let's get out of here." I hissed. Ligeia grabbed the book and we readied ourselves to form the hallow. Just as we were prepared to exit the office, a light flickered in the hallway.

  "Someone's here," She said under her breath. "Let's cloak ourselves." I nodded and we both entered hallows of invisibility.

  Just then Professor Atwater entered the room, followed by the Headmaster.

  "Thank you for meeting with me," The headmaster said, gesturing towards the seat in front of his desk.

  "Of course, do tell me what's on your mind," My advisor said, settling into the leather chair. I did my best not to make a sound.

  "It's about Esther Crenshaw," he stated plainly. I had to hold back a gasp. It took all my concentration to maintain invisibility as he talked about me before my eyes. "You are aware, that she is unbound are you not?" The headmaster asked.

  "Yes, that fact had not escaped me." Professor Atwater reflected calmly.

  "Do you not think it's a problem," The headmaster questioned.

  "Certainly she is demonstrating a remarkable capacity for magic, but as of yet I have not seen anything from her that poses a danger to the school or herself." He answered.

  "In your expert opinion, what are you proposing?" the Headmaster pressed.

  "I suppose the best thing to do would be to wait and see if she is called upon by any god or goddess." Professor Atwater said smoothly.

  "Hmmmph." The headmaster didn't seem to like this answer. I now understood that it didn't serve his needs or further his plot of binding me to a demon. Professor Atwater seemed unaware of that particular point. "And what of the beast?" The headmaster asked. This piqued my interest. What beast was he talking about? The thing I had seen in the woods?

  "The hunt has ended for now," He sighed, rubbing his beard. He added, "we don't know what triggered it however, so there is a chance that it may start again."

  "That is a problem indeed." said the headmaster.

  "Mr. Wilderwood will be remaining here over the holiday so I will keep an eye on him." Professor Atwater advised.

  "Wonderful, thank you, Professor." He said and dismissed my advisor.

  He sat at his desk, stared at his watch for a moment, then stood up. I thought he was going to leave, but he peered around his office. For a moment, I was scared he knew we were there, but he stared at his bookshelf, right at the spot where the wooden box was hidden. It was sinister to me now that I knew what was there. I silently prayed for him to leave, so that we could escape. My heart pounded knowing that he was only feet away from us. I didn't think I could transport us away without him knowing.

  The power didn't work at long distances. Also, I had no way of speaking to Ligeia to get her on the same page as me. However, after staring at the box for several moments he put out his lamp and walked out of the
room. We both let out a sigh of relief. After waiting long enough to be sure he was gone we crept silently out of the building and back to Halewick House.

  20

  I hardly fell asleep that night. Though I must have slept at some point, I barely remember it. It was hard to stop the adrenaline after what we had just done. Besides I had enough to think about after what I had discovered. My instincts about the headmaster had been right. He was up to something, but what about my advisor? Was he part of it too? I couldn't be sure. I laid awake until finally, the light began to stream through my window. It was illuminated brighter by the fresh snow that had fallen last night.

  Kairn was gone for weeks, but he showed up again finally. Last night did answer one question. Kairn was in fact connected to the Lord of the Wild Hunt. I wasn't sure what that meant but I had to get some answers. I set out from Halewick intending to confront Kairn about who or what he was. I walked all the way to the large dark house on the other edge of campus, where many of the boys at the Mage's Academy lived.

  There was a pair of footprints leading away from the house and to the woods on the edge of campus. I followed my hunch and began to trail the footprints. They wound me deep into the trees. I could see across the whole forest since the trees had lost so many of their leaves. It was almost a barren landscape, but I could still hear the sounds of animals. There was a sound of footsteps near me, and the closer they got, I realized it was not one creature but many. I started to see animals moving all around me, running from something. This was it.

  Behind all of them, deer and rabbits and wild dogs, was another creature, a creature more terrifying than all the rest. But this creature was familiar to me. He rode a horse and wore the terrifying mask of death. It was him. I knew it. He stopped in front of me and I knew it was my chance.

  "Who are you?" I asked. My voice sounded small, as it was muffled by the snow.

  He stepped down from his horse. He towered six feet tall at least and his skin was exposed to the freezing cold. His swirling black tattoos told me all I need to know and I could feel the heat emanating from him. He took off his mask revealing his face and he began to transform, shifting into a more humanoid form. He reached out to touch my face and whispered harshly to me.

  "You can't be here, it's not safe." He hissed. It was Kairn.

  "Not safe from what, you?" I asked. "I need to know what's going on?"

  His face became desperate, morphing into a pained expression. I saw his changing again, his form shifting. "Don't you know what you are. Go-" he shouted.

  But soon he had already shifted back into his wild and terrible form. He had long claws and I saw his antlers were not part of his mask. He was a beast. He shifted his head toward something behind me. He screamed, but it was no longer human. I thought he was going to attack me, but he lunged behind me. There was something black and moving in the corner of my eye. I felt a cold sickening brush on my back. I whipped around me and saw, to my horror, the demon that had plagued my nightmares. No longer made of ink and smoke, she was real, she was here. She wrapped a tentacle around my arm and whispered into my ear. "Your crows can't stop me forever, I will take you." Her voice was sickening, her words thick like oil, and I almost threw up on the spot.

  Kairn roared at her in some ancient tongue and took out a sword. He turned to me one last time, shouting something in that strange language. I couldn't understand the words, but I knew he meant for me to run. So I did. I pounded footsteps in the snow all the way back to Halewick house. I couldn't catch my breath by the time I got back, but I ran inside, slammed the door and locked it. It wasn't even noon yet and Maeve and Ligeia were both in the kitchen.

  "What's going on?" Ligeia said.

  I couldn't get my words out at first between ragged breaths. I went to the kitchen to get a drink of water and then sat them both down in the living room. I told them everything. I told them about the summoning ritual and the burns. I told them about finding the ritual in the Headmaster's office, and how he was trying to get me to bind with a demon. Finally, I told them about how I had gone to see Kairn, and I really had seen him for what he was. He was not evil. He tried to save me.

  "So you're telling me Kairn is connected to this Lord of the Wild Hunt thing?" Maeve asked.

  "Yeah, that's exactly what I'm telling you," I said. "He's not bad, and he even saved me."

  "Still," Ligeia said, "That sort of thing is not normal. Mages can't usually do that sort of thing?"

  "I don't know, I'm just telling you what I saw," I explained. Then I saw a light flicker in Ligeia's eyes.

  "Wait a minute," She said, "I think I have something that might help." She ran upstairs and Maeve and I just looked at each other.

  She ran back down the stairs and held a book in her arms. It was the book she had stolen from the headmaster's office. I read the title, Bound to the Gods: The Art and Variety of Mages. What was this about?

  "I think I know why I had to get this book now." She flipped through the pages looking for something. She pointed to a passage.

  * * *

  All Mages get their power through connections to the gods. For most, this means entering into a binding contract to serve that god in exchange for power and the ability to use it. However, very rarely, some Mages of extraordinary power achieve their connection to the gods in other ways.

  * * *

  I scanned the paragraph looking for something that would help me understand. I spotted a line that made me raise my eyebrows. It was right here all along. Of course, the Headmaster wouldn't have wanted us to have this book.

  * * *

  Many of the old gods do not work through the more modern ways of contracts and bindings. The ancient ones make themselves present in the world through incarnations. Incarnations are mages of course but are also physical embodiments of the power of the gods. One of the most ancient of these is the Lord of the Wild Hunt, a god that incarnates among man only every thousand years. The Lord of the Wild Hunt is charged with bringing the world into balance. The mage who embodies him may be activated into the hunt by the presence of evil, which it cleanses to bring balance to the world.

  * * *

  "So Kairn is a-" I stammered.

  "-an incarnation." Ligeia finished my sentence. "I should've known when I first read this."

  "And he's being activated by the demon that you summoned and that the headmaster is bound to." Maeve finished.

  "Of course," I said. "So what do I do now? I've got a demon after me."

  "It seems like Kairn is trying to help you. Maybe you should talk to him." Ligeia said.

  "Maybe so," I sighed. We went to the kitchen and Ligeia prepared an herbal tea for all of us. I couldn't help but notice that crows were beginning to flock around my windows. What had the demon meant earlier? Were the crows protecting me from her? I was so confused.

  I had all but decided to stay inside the house for the rest of the week when we heard a knock on the door. We were all rattled and I jumped when I heard the sound. I let out a nervous laugh, but it didn't help relieve the tension. I opened the door and saw Kairn standing in front of Halewick house.

  "Oh, it's you," I said, feeling the color drain from my face. He was a sight to see. Now that I knew what he was, I could see the otherworldly reflection in him. He was truly not human.

  * * *

  * * *

  21

  "Can I come inside?" Kairn asked me, piercing me with his dark gaze. Ligeia and Maeve were watching me from the sitting room and I heard them shifting around trying to get a better look.

  "Um Sure," I swallowed, nervously. It seemed out of place to have him inside my house when I had seen him transform into something wild and unearthly in front of me. "Let's go upstairs."

  I led him to my room. I didn't think I could have this conversation with my friends watching me. What was worse, they knew I had been harboring feelings for him, which seemed ridiculous now. He really was a god, and he would have no interest in me I was sure. I offered him the cha
ir in my room and sat across from him on my bed, leaning against the bedpost for support.

  "You are in danger," He said sternly. His arm muscle was tightening as he spoke. "This demon, she's the reason why...." He paused.

  "The reason why you were called to the Wild Hunt?" I guessed. He didn't look surprised.

  "Yes, as you seem to be so well aware." He said. "What does she want with you?"

  "I don't know exactly, but I do know that the Headmaster has been trying to force me to bind with her all year," I explained, feeling relieved to share this burden with somebody else. He had tried to protect on two occasions, so he was on my side at least.

  "What?" He sounded shocked.

  "It's kind of a long story," I laughed bitterly, but I think the headmaster is bound to a demon. He's been trying to sacrifice me to her as well to increase his own power.

  "We need to go to Professor Atwater about this at once?" He suggested fiercely.

  "Professor Atwater?" I thought back to seeing him in the Headmaster's office. "What does he have to do with this?" I asked.

  "He's been helping me. He knows what I am. If the headmaster is the one who has been awakening this evil, he needs to know so that he can help us." Kairn said.

  "Do you trust him?" I asked.

  "Entirely," Kairn said. He stood up and moved towards the door. "We need to go now."

  "Right this second?" I asked.

  "Yes. I sent her into the underworld, but it won't last long. She'll be back." He said and I sensed an intensity in the way he looked at me. I shifted the subject abruptly.