Light & Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight (39 page)

Without looking at the textbook in front of
him, Danny's hand went up, others followed suit.

"Yes, Squire Rovert?" Sir Ranald noted,
pointing to a blond-haired boy sitting just in front of Danny.

"They remain incorporeal up until moments
before they attack," the squire said as he dropped his hand.

"And incorporeal means what?" Sir Ranald
turned back to face the class from the front of the room.

"It means that any object or weapon not
imbued with magic will pass harmlessly through them," explained
Squire Rovert.

"Good," Sir Ranald said with a smile. "But,
remember this as well, Shadows can pass through any substance
without hindrance, walls, water, or the ground beneath your feet,
making this ability extremely tricky. However, as Squire Rovert has
explained, Shadows must become solid moments before they attack and
that is their weakness. If you ever find yourself facing a Shadow
without your weapon, which should never happen in the first place,
counter attacking with whatever you might have available at just
the right moment could prove the difference between life and death.
Attack too soon and your attack will yield nothing but air, attack
too late and their claws will cut through your armor like
water.

"Who can tell me another type of Shadow?" Sir
Ranald asked, turning back to his long desk, retrieving a
textbook.

"Danny," whispered Matt, sitting just to
Danny's left.

His concentration interrupted, Danny turned
toward his friend.

"This is all we've found so far on the
Mageknight," he continued, handing Danny a folded piece of
parchment. "We'll go back to the library after class, but there's a
problem."

"What's the problem?" Danny asked, snatching
the paper the instant Sir Ranald turned his back.

"In order to get into the archives, you need
a pass from one of the professors," adjusting his glasses with a
nervous twitch.

"Squire Firoth and Squire Mickler, I assume
you both have an answer for the class since you seem to be so
talkative," Sir Ranald interjected in an exaggerated tone.

Danny looked up, Sir Ranald had somehow made
his way to the middle of the second aisle without him noticing; he
was standing only two desks to his right. He couldn't remember what
the class had been discussing because he was so caught up in his
conversation with Matt.

"Had you been listening, you would have heard
Squire Faussett enlighten the class on another type of Shadow, a
Soldier Shadow," added Sir Ranald, knowing that neither boy had a
clue. "Perhaps one of you would like to give us a common
characteristic of the Soldier Shadow?"

Both Danny and Matt glanced at one another.
"They're big," said Matt, with a subtle hint of doubt in his
voice.

"An impressive guess," said Sir Ranald, not
amused. "I will expect to see both of you after class," he added,
before continuing in a broader voice. "It is true that Soldier
Shadows tend to be much larger than their Worker Shadow
counterparts."

Drowning out Sir Ranald's voice, shrugging
off the reprimand, Danny unfolded the parchment, placed it within
his open textbook and began to read Matt's scribbled notes.

Danny's mouth opened in surprise after
reading the last sentence, he wondered what it would be like to
possess the ability to predict the future. Looking at the back of
the page, he noticed that Matt had added a scribbled
postscript.

"Squire Firoth!" Sir Ranald called out from
the front of the class. "Can you name the third and most powerful
of the Shadows?"

Caught red-handed, Danny looked up with a
dumfounded expression. "Um… "

"Gran," whispered Matt.

"A Gran Shadow," Danny said, after a moment
of hesitation.

"I am glad you decided to rejoin us,"
rebutted Sir Ranald. Strolling down the middle aisle, he continued.
"That is correct, a Gran Shadow. Squire Mickler, would you be so
bold as to enlighten us with a few characteristics of this type of
Shadow?" Stopping within a few feet of Matt's desk, Sir Ranald
leaned over and placed his right hand on the edge of the desk.

Pushing his glasses further up the bridge of
his nose, Matt peered up. "Gran Shadows always appear humanoid in
shape and size, from a distance; they can be confused with allies.
Their solid forms differ from the smoky appearance of the Worker
and Soldier Shadows. The Knights of the Light that lived to tell
the tale often report their skin as pitch-black with the same
colored hair and glowing blue eyes." A small smile stretched across
Matt's face as he leaned back in his chair.

"A textbook description," said Sir Ranald,
adding, "almost word for word." Erect once again, he continued his
stride toward the back of the room. "Gran Shadows are the most
powerful class of Shadow that we know about. Only the strongest of
knights have lived to tell of their encounter and most do not live
much longer after telling it. However, some believe that there is a
fourth class of Shadow, one beyond the Gran. A class even more
powerful, not one knight among the order has ever lived to tell
about it."

A moment of silence passed within the
classroom, as if Sir Ranald intended to add a dramatic effect to
the weight of his words. However, the affect was cut short as the
first of ten chimes signaled the end of the class. Jumping up from
their seats, the squires gathered their books and their belongings
and prepared to leave.

"Remember, we will have a quiz next week!"
Sir Ranald yelled over the rising noise.

Gathering up his own belongings, Danny turned
to Matt. "How'd you know about the Grans?"

Matt produced a sly smile. "I'm a fast reader
and I read ahead."

As soon as everyone was gone, Danny and Matt
worked their way to the front to face Sir Ranald, his arms crossed,
his gaze alternating back and forth between them.

"Both of you have been chosen to honor this
school and become full-fledged Knights of the Light. Such an honor
comes with a significant amount of danger, this class may someday
see to your survival. You do understand this, I hope?"

"Yes, Professor Ranald," Danny and Matt said,
almost in unison.

"Good, then you will understand why I expect
a five-page essay on the subject we were just discussing, due by
next week."

Matt let out a soft groan in response.

"I could easily make it ten, Squire Mickler,"
added Sir Ranald. After clearing his throat with a subtle grunt, he
continued. "The next time I catch you two not paying attention, the
punishment will be much more severe." With that, he turned his
attention back to his desk, it was littered with disorganized
parchments; he waved both boys away.

Matt's head drooped down as he turned to walk
away; Matt stopped as he heard Danny speaking to Sir Ranald.

"Sir Ranald?" Danny asked.

"What is it, Squire Firoth?" Sir Ranald said
as he continued to shuffle through the disaster that was his
desk.

"Can we have a couple of passes to get into
the archives so that we can research the subject in depth?" Danny
asked, with a hint of a smile.

Sir Ranald looked up to meet Danny's steady
gaze.

Danny replaced his smile with a flat
expression very quickly.

After contemplating the request, Sir Ranald
produced a smile of his own. "That is a good idea, Squire Firoth.
The archives have invaluable information regarding the three
classes of Shadows." Bending down, he pulled out a drawer on the
left side of his desk, reached in and retrieved two small squares
of red parchment. After jotting the necessary information down, in
nearly unreadable scribbles, he offered them to Danny and said, "I
look forward to reading what you have discovered." His eyes grew
wider. "I could spend hours and hours in the archives, just
researching and reading."

Danny noticed that he'd stumbled upon one of
Sir Ranald's most cherished hobbies. "Thank you, Sir Ranald," he
offered, before the blond-haired professor could ramble on.

"Uh, yes… of course, Squire Firoth," Sir
Ranald said, looking a little disappointed. Regaining his
composure, he returned to the tasks at hand, adding, "Next week,
then. I shall expect both of your essays to be completed."

With that, Danny turned and shot Matt a quick
smile, both boys left the classroom in a hurry. Holding the two
small passes in front of him, Danny said, "Problem solved."

back to top

anny slipped around the corner of an alleyway, he
saw Chris and Anthony waiting across from the double doors that
marked the entrance to Sir Syndil's classroom. Danny snuck up
behind them and kept his back snug to the wall, trying to make as
little sound as possible.

"Hey, guys," he whispered.

Both boys jumped as they swiveled around to
confront the intruder. Anthony's right hand shot to the hilt of the
huge greatsword that lined his back, Chris smiled with relief when
he saw who had spoken to them.

"That's not funny, man," Chris said to Danny,
as he grabbed Anthony's hand and pulled it away from the pommel of
his sword. "And you need to calm down."

"Sorry."

"Has he left yet?" Danny asked.

Chris shook his head from side to side. Two
seconds later, one of the double doors creaked open.

"Back," whispered Chris, swinging his arm
wide, forcing Anthony and Danny behind him.

All three boys watched as Sir Syndil exited
the building, closed the door behind him and began walking in the
opposite direction.

"Alright, you know what to do," said
Danny.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Chris
asked.

Danny tucked his chin in approval. "Just
remember, if he looks like he's coming back, one of you needs to
come and warn me."

Chris nodded before stalking around the
corner with Anthony in tow.

Danny waited until Sir Syndil, Chris and
Anthony were out of sight before crossing the distance to the
double doors. Testing the handle, he found both doors locked. Doors
were seldom locked on White Rock Island. Cursing his luck, he
looked both ways to make sure he wasn't being watched. The area
seemed deserted as he slipped to the left of the building and
entered a meager alleyway. Looking up, he noticed a series of
slender windows nearly seven feet above him.

Gathering a couple choice items from the
alley, an empty barrel and a sturdy wooden box, Danny piled them on
top of each other and climbed to the top, his chin was level with
the window sill. Finding no handhold to help him open the
double-paned window, he unsheathed his sword and leveled the tip at
the bottom. Wedging the point between the window and the sill, he
used the sword to force it open. Finding the window unlocked, he
sighed softly as it slid up. He sheathed his sword, lifted the
window up the rest of the way, heaved his body up and over and
slipped inside. Dangling for a moment, he released his grip and
dropped the few feet to the floor. Finding a stout wooden chair and
standing on it, he reached up and re-secured the window.