Blackwood Chronicles, page 6
Lalita replied: An angry woman kicked him in the crotch. The man dropped the crystal balls.
And then what happened, broadcasted Inock.
Lalita sent: Another man watching them said: “watch your balls, buddy.”
And then what happened? Inock thought, already giggling.
The angry woman said: “I hope that hurt,” sent Lalita. Then, the first man said: “Yes it did, thank you very much!”
Inock laughed aloud.
And then? he communicated back.
“Yes, but which balls did it hurt?” said the other man, broadcasted Lalita, now giggling too.
‘What’s going on? What did she say?’ said Andre.
Then thinking of Andre and his name loudly in his mind, Inock thought: Hey, Andre, listen to this: A rat took a shower. His owner sniffed him and said to his friend: “Why don’t you smell him? I think he could do with another shower yet.”
And then what? sent Andre, already laughing. Rats don’t shower, you silly!
Inock broadcasted back: The friend took the rat and smelled it and said: “You see, I don’t know, I think it smells just fur-ine!”
Andre burst into laughing fits at that.
‘That is funny!’ Andre screeched.
Then next, in his mind, Inock heard Andre’s voice: Hey, Inock, try saying this very fast and over and over: A gaggle of girls giving off girlish giggles!
‘A gaggle of girls giving off girlish giggles,’ said Inock quickly. ‘A giggle of girls giving off girlish giggles. A gaggle of giggles giving off girls giggles!’
All three friends giggled at that.
‘That’s funny, Inock!’ said Lalita, also saying out, very fast, the phrase: ‘A gaggle of girls giving off girlish giggles!’ And then: ‘That’s not bad at all for someone like you, Andre!’
‘I can enjoy a joke too, you know!’ argued Andre.
Looking at each other, they all howled with laughter.
The threesome spent the rest of the afternoon thinking all sorts of things to each other; puns, jokes and funny stories they were once involved in, all laughing away.
Inock and Andre left Lalita’s home that evening with the mental bond still active; they chose not to break it just yet.
Chapter Five
Magic Lesson
It was a cloudy but warm Friday afternoon and Inock, Andre and Lalita were atop gante, riding to Dwayne’s and Barnarbo’s farm, Inock and Andre having just finished school for the day. Lalita was arguing they hurry to get there and ask the male witch Barnarbo how to perfect the Imperiuo Fenestram spell.
‘Oh, don’t worry so much, Andre,’ said Lalita. ‘I’m sure he’ll tell us how to work the stupid spell! It’s similar to the spell he used to show us that witch James and his dark witch friends.’
‘But I heard witches are all secretive. They don’t share their spells,’ argued Andre.
‘Actually, I heard the same thing,’ said Inock. ‘Witches are secretive.’
‘Don’t worry, boys, I’ll make Barnarbo tell us how to work the spell properly,’ Lalita said with a sly smile. ‘I rechecked the original spell in my mother’s spell book. I’m now sure I decrypted it right. And anyway, I’m sure not all witches are so secretive. Look at me and you guys, we’re not so secretive. And we’re witches, aren’t we?’
‘Are we?’ Andre asked, looking behind him at a pretty girl who just zoomed past them atop gante; otherwise, the grass field-flanked path was secluded.
‘Hmm, what is a witch, anyway?’ Inock wondered out loud. ‘What makes a witch a witch?’
‘I think we are,’ Lalita said, placing stray blonde hairs behind an ear and grinning at the boys. ‘We practice magic and spells; we’re not just demons.’
‘I think there might be more to it than just that, Lalita,’ said Andre. ‘What about beliefs and rituals and who you worship and all the rest of it?’
And they discussed the differences between witches and demons and what made a witch a witch all the way to the yniqem farm. By reaching the place, they’d concluded that indeed they were witches as well as demons, inexperienced though they may be.
The threesome found Dwayne and Barnarbo feeding the many yniqem cubs on the farm. Yniqem were fire-breathing dragon-like creatures with feathers instead of scales all over their bodies, two very long feathery tails and they only ate coal and charcoal. Dwayne and Barnarbo bred and sold the brilliant creatures.
Though they were partners, Dwayne and Barnarbo certainly were different; Dwayne was an old but fit man with short white hair and Barnarbo was an incredibly handsome mixed-race man with a bright smile. All who worked on the farm were usually friendly with Inock, Andre and Lalita when they visited.
After the two brothers and Lalita helped the two farmers and a handful of farmhands feed the yniqem, Barnarbo had Inock, Andre and Lalita follow him to the toolshed to a wooden barrel full of clear rainwater to show them how to properly work the spell they had come to perfect. (As soon as they arrived, Lalita straight away announced to Barnarbo why they’d come.)
‘It’s not the spell I usually use to achieve Remote Sight but it’s one of the easiest to use for the task,’ Barnarbo said. ‘In fact, it’s far easier than the ones I usually use. But then again, I can achieve more with my spells.’
‘But this one’s easy, right?’ Lalita asked the cheerful man.
‘Yes, most witches would argue it’s the easiest,’ said Barnarbo. He turned to the barrel of water, a look of deep concentration coming across his face. ‘Now, watch and listen very carefully,’ he said.
And he began to chant:
Ostendo mei locus
Ostendi mei locus
Ostendo mei locus
Ostendi mei locus
Ostendi mei locus optare promo
Right away, a beautiful top-down vision of Kasama Market materialised on the water surface; the image was very clear, as though the group were in a helicopter looking down at the bustling market glowing with the late afternoon sun, with sound and all.
‘Wow! That was easy!’ cried Lalita. ‘You make it look so easy, Barnarbo! Hey look, guys, I can see your house!’ She was pointing at the base of the tower at the market centre, where indeed, Inock’s and Andre’s home could be seen.
‘I can see it too!’ said Inock. ‘And the image is so much clearer than when we did it!’
Barnarbo touched the water surface making the vision disappear.
‘Right, now it is your turn,’ he said. ‘Lalita, you first since this spell came from your spell book. Remember, focus, visualise and will, as I’m sure you are already aware to do.’
And so Inock, Lalita and Andre took it in turns to cast the spell on the water surface.
Lalita achieved a blurred vision of the market with muffled sound, Inock got a similar vision but without any sound at all, and Andre didn’t even get a picture.
After Andre had had his go, Barnarbo seemed to think for a moment.
‘Remember, in spellcasting it’s not just about what you see and hear,’ he said. ‘There is a lot more going on; like willing … desire … concentration … chanting … and even mental chanting. It all has to come together perfectly for the caster to achieve the desired result. From what I’ve observed so far, Lalita, I believe you and Inock are too excited to focus properly, and Andre I don’t think your heart is in it at all. You don’t want it enough.’
‘But I do. I really do,’ argued Andre, shoving his hands in his shorts pockets.
‘Don’t be discouraged, you lot,’ said Barnarbo. ‘This sort of magic isn’t for beginners. You’ve done really well so far considering you’ve already managed to conjure a vision, and with sound too. That’s really brilliant for novices!’
‘What do you think we’re doing wrong, Barnarbo? I was concentrating really hard,’ Lalita said. ‘The image is all fuzzy and the sound isn’t that good; not like when you do it.’
‘Well, I normally use a different, more complex spell for Remote Sight,’ said Barnarbo. ‘Usually, the harder spells are the better spells. You can achieve more with them.’
‘Can you teach us your spell for Remote Sight?’
‘I’m afraid I cannot, children,’ Barnarbo said, laying a hand on Inock’s shoulder. ‘The process would take too long and it is a rather tricky spell. Stick to this one.’ He beamed a brilliant white smile at them. ‘It’s clearly working for you. Just remember, practice, practice, practice if you want to master it. It is a lot to do with your focus; you need to concentrate and get every step of the spell right. Say the words of the spell clearly and correctly and even hear them in your mind; give attention to the chosen surface, and not to mention the location you want to view. And don’t just wish for the spell to work, you have to also will it, want it and see it already happening!’
Barnarbo had Inock, Andre and Lalita try out the spell a few times more, and at each repeated attempt their conjured visions got clearer and the sound a little better; even Andre managed to bring about a decent vision.
The threesome left the farm feeling rather pleased with themselves.
‘And don’t be afraid to ask me for more help with your spells if you need to,’ Barnarbo called out to them as they rode off.
‘See? I told you Barnarbo would help us,’ Lalita said.
‘It was cool!’ said Inock.
And things seemed to get better for Inock since mere days later, his father found him in the sitting room one evening doing his Business Studies homework with Andre, quietly took a seat, and told him he had some good news for him.
‘Inock, I’ve got some good news for you, son. I’ve decided to power-train you on a more regular basis,’ Tehan said.
‘Awesome! Thank you, father! When do we start?’ Inock was positively over the moon.
‘Yes, well, son, you’ve been learning so well that I decided to direct attention to the growth of your powers. Starting next week, I will train you twice a week straight after school, and perhaps from time to time during your lunch breaks. I’ve arranged it all with your mother.’
‘Oh, wow! Thank you, father!’
‘Well, son, you’ve earned it with all your hard work,’ said Tehan. ‘Be sure to keep it up. Andre, you are doing very well with your powers too. I will test your progress in another four months or so. You do not need as much training as Inock. Now, back to your homework both of you.’
‘Thank you, Tehan,’ said Andre with a smile.
Tehan got up and left the room.
‘This is really, really cool!’ said Inock, ignoring his homework. ‘I’m going to get so powerful!’
‘Not more powerful than me though, Inock, so don’t get so excited, brother,’ said Andre, grinning at him.
Inock laughed at that.
‘Of course I’ll be more powerful than you, Andre! You just wait!’
‘All right, all right, it’s very good news but we really should get back to work, Inock,’ said Andre. ‘You know how Ms Strict hates it when your homework is incomplete.’
And they got back to work, though Inock found it very difficult to concentrate after the very exciting news.
Therefrom, Inock’s powers progressed well in the weeks that followed. He power-trained with his father in the expansive orbiis, and power-trained as well as practiced spells with Lalita and Andre.
And let me tell you, there was absolutely no way the Oracle could summon Inock for errands during lessons with his father, and certainly not by terrifying Tehan with a scary monster or tricks like the Oracle often did to Ms Strict.
Although, Inock was often distracted during both power-training lessons with his father and his school lessons by the disturbing memory of seeing that dead witch Barla. Could it really have been the same woman? Inock was sure it had been. He just hoped he was wrong about the matter since he knew she was a terrible evil witch; she and a companion had killed the Oracle’s friend James without a second thought. Not to mention that her and her companion were trying to reunite their long separated dark clan of evil witches.
What’s more, there was something else on Inock’s mind, something he had been putting off doing for some time; looking into the matter of Ms Strict’s stolen ring. Inock knew he had to investigate very soon; especially since Ms Strict kept asking him for updates and he always had to lie and say he was working on it.
It was the first week of April, a Monday morning, and Inock and Andre were in the sitting room enjoying a breakfast of cereal and juice. Today was the day they would go to Unatia city to tour Unatia University. The pair would go on their own straight after breakfast.
After the meal, the two boys said goodbye to their parents at the power-training school next door then walked to the venator lookout, where they used the teleporting contraptions to get to Unatia; once there they hurried through the busy city, chatting animatedly about all they would see and do at the university.
The university wasn’t far from the Unatia venator lookout; it was a twenty-five-minute walk, if you walked at a decent pace, and the boys were happy to walk there, gawking at the various sights the city had to offer; they passed shopping centres, walked through a splendid park with beautiful tall trees with orange bark and countless towering statues, passed museums and brightly coloured triple-decker tourist buses.
Inock and Andre did a double take when they reached the university campus.
Unatia University was awesomely beautiful. It looked like a big fort with many smaller buildings surrounding it, numerous soaring ancient trees around the campus and parks with comfortable benches. A green and white flag flapped at the highest point of the main building. There were students sat around the many well-manicured fields and small groups of students moving about the place, chatting spiritedly and tittering amongst themselves.
Inock and Andre approached the main building, passing a grand bicycle parking area, and entered into the main reception area, which was littered with students, some in queues and some going about their business, the space abuzz with chatter.
The duo approached the reception desk queue and joined it.
‘This is amazing!’ Andre murmured, looking at Inock. ‘It’s so exciting, so many people. And to think we could be students here.’
‘And did you see the outside of this place?’ Inock asked, grinning. ‘It feels like I’m in a wondrous magical story! It’s a castle, Andre! We’re in a massive castle!’
After that, the boys went into a lengthy chat about the lecture they would attend about their chosen subject and what it would be like to live on campus.
At reaching the front of the queue, Inock told the receptionist why they were there. The woman offered them visitors’ passes that they wore around their necks, and then she handed them a schedule of their stay on campus.
First, the visiting students were allocated into small groups led by current students. The groups then each got a tour of the university, which included the student cafeterias, shops, sports centres, a very wide power-training arena, students living quarters, finance department, lecture halls and classrooms with memory orbs on the tables which were crystal balls hovering over golden chalices that could record memories; then they sat through a two-hour lecture about the university, its history, as well as what courses they offered, though Inock and Andre were mostly interested when the lecturer spoke about the Law courses they taught focusing on powerfuls’ affairs; they found the rest of the speech and electronic presentation a tad boring.
After the lecture, Inock and Andre attended a shorter seminar, which was led by the head of the Law department; a pasty-faced, squat man with a shiny bald head; there was a Q&A part at the end; but all Inock’s and Andre’s questions were answered by the lecturer during his speech, so they didn’t put up their hands to ask anything.
After that, the boys had lunch in the main cafeteria and were free to roam the campus on their own.
As they walked through the main building corridors, reading notice boards and collecting flyers of activities they might do while attending the university, Andre found something interesting.
‘Oooh! Inock, look,’ Andre said pointing to a flyer just outside the Student Union, ‘it says here the Student Union represents student demons and witches. Can we go in and see if we can find out what they do?’
‘Yeah, okay,’ Inock said, now reading the notice. ‘It says they have meetings to discuss student powerfuls’ issues. Sounds exciting. Let’s go in and see. Then home, I think.’
So the boys entered the Student Union department; they were in a moderate-sized room with desks and cabinets. There was a casual sitting area in a corner, where a handful of students sat talking.
A boy of about nineteen approached the pair from a desk and greeted them warmly. Inock and Andre introduced themselves, mentioning they might be attending the university in the future, and asked a few questions about what the Student Union did to represent student witches and demons and the boy explained briefly; which included powerfuls meetings with active participation from student powerfuls, One-to-One Counselling sessions, and managing the power-training arena, then he handed them a flyer each.
The front page of the flyers was in bold letters.
It was titled:
WELCOME STUDENT POWERFULS
Unatia University welcomes all manner of Powerfuls.
All variety of Witches, Demons and Learned Ones.
Read below and on the back to learn more on what we can do for you.
We hope to see you soon.
(Inock knew Learned Ones were natural-born demons with a specific power but then also learned to do magic and witchcraft.)
Minutes later, Inock and Andre left the department feeling informed and excited about Unatia University altogether; the university seemed to encompass a lot, Inock thought.
They left the university campus and commenced the walk back to the Unatia venator lookout.
And it was as they neared the lookout that they were approached by two boys and a girl, all in black jeans and vests; they looked to be in their late teens or early twenties.
The trio had been walking in the opposite direction of Inock and Andre, who were both busy reading the Student Union flyers, and had stopped right in front of the boys.
