Zak Turner - A Twist In Time (36 page)

There was a pause while they all looked at each other, and then the headmaster continued.

“Right, Barty, let’s see what you’ve managed to teach these two about duelling.  It’s too soon for them to enter the tournament at school, but I’m pretty sure they’ll be able to wipe the floor with anyone who takes them on when the time comes!”

23.  Any Port In A Storm

Zak and Tallion told Steven about their conversation with the headmaster, and their plans for half term, as soon as they got to the Academy the following morning.

“Well, apart from the risk of getting killed if I stand next to you, I wish I was going with you!  It’s going to be dead lonely round here for a whole week without you!”

“You’ll have plenty to do on the farm mate, surely?  And anyway, you said you didn’t want to come to wizard school!”

“Aye, well, I do enjoy working on t’ farm, and I
am
looking forward to it, but knowing you two ’re at wizard school ‘ll take t’ edge off it a bit.”

“And you also want to see Sartrina…” added Tallion with a lopsided smile at their farmer friend.

“Well, aye, maybe a little bit…”

“We know.  You forgot again,” said Tallion tapping his forehead.

“That’s dead annoying Tal!”  Steven snapped with a frown, and then sighed.  “Sorry.  I know you can’t do anythin’ about it.  It’s right unfair that I can’t hear your thoughts too, though!”

“I’ll tell you mine then,” said Zak quickly.  “I’m dead nervous about being in a building with a thousand teenage witches and wizards, at least one of whom has been bewitched to kill Tallion the moment he sees him, and maybe me too.  Then there’s looking like a right fool in front of everyone when I don’t know how the school works, it’ll be like being a newbie there on the first day of term all over again, and then I’m longing to have a go at Balayage, but I’m worried I’ll get knocked off me broom and break me legs or neck or summat, then there’s…”

“Alright, alright, I don’t want to ‘ear all yer thoughts Zak Turner!  Sorry, I was being stupid, but it
is
uncomfortable though…”

Zak put his arm round his despondent friend’s shoulders and ruffled his hair with his other hand. 

“Don’t be sorry, I know it’s not nice.  Imagine me having to listen to what’s in all this lot’s heads though, all the time, non-stop...!  It drives us both nuts!”

Zak had waved his free arm round the academy playground as he spoke, and as Steven surveyed the assortment of giggling girls, and bolshie farmer’s sons he saw that Zak had a point.  Their minds would be full of all sorts of junk that he definitely wouldn’t want to listen to!

“Do you really want to come to Mhonarr Castle, Steven?” asked Tallion a few seconds later.  Zak could hear his soul mate’s thoughts and raised his eyebrows in surprise!

“Yeah, I do,” said the young farmer without hesitating, “but you’re right though, me main reason’s to see Sartrina, though I’d love ter see t’ castle too!”

Zak, we’re porting by ourselves, so no-one would notice if we took Steven along!  We could send a message to Sartrina asking her to meet us in the portal room early, and then we could sneak him in so that they can see each other.  We could even give him a quick tour of the castle!

Tallion Middleham!  You have merged so far into my personality that you’re suggesting things that only Steven would normally egg
me
on to suggest!  It’s a great plan though.  Do you think we’ll get expelled if we’re caught?

Would it make any difference?  We’re learning everything we need right here in the dale…

I can’t believe this is you thinking Tallion, what happened to Mr Cautious?! 

He merged with Mr Happy Go Lucky.  Anyway, I want to do something for Steven, I don’t want to leave him here all holiday week by himself!

So how do we explain his absence from the dale?

He’ll only be away for a few hours!  We’ll tell his mum and dad the truth, that he’s spending the afternoon with us because we’re going to be away for the rest of the week.  Then one of us will port him back to the dale on Sunday evening.

Both of us.

Okay, both of us.  I don’t want to be there alone either mate, it’s not just you!

“Steven, we have a plan.  Are you up for a bit of an adventure?”

* * *

Steven jumped at the chance to visit Mhonarr Castle, and as soon as he got home on Thursday evening he made sure that his mam and dad were happy with him spending Sunday afternoon with his two friends.  He got the okay, based on being around for the rest of the holiday week to help his dad replace the fencing in several fields.  Steven wished Eridan could be there, because it would probably only take him half a morning to do the whole lot!

PE on Friday turned out to be a rugby taster.  Zak was happy enough playing this sport too, and could easily out run anyone who tried to tackle him, likewise Tallion, who was still the faster of the two wizards.

However, neither of them were very keen on rolling around in the mud when it came to tackling the opposition, and as a result, for the second time that week, a little bit of magic sneaked out!

The first time it happened Tallion wasn’t even aware that he’d done anything.  As the ball was being passed along the line of players who were running towards him, one of them dropped it, and a knock-on was awarded, meaning there was no need for a tackle.  When it happened again a couple of minutes later, Tallion realised that he’d done it by inadvertently moving the ball by telekinesis, just as the other player was reaching out to catch it.

You’ll get caught!
came Zak’s voice in his mind.

How can they possibly catch me?  They don’t believe in magic and don’t even know we’re wizards!

Not them, Barty!  You forgot that he’s here watching out for us.

He’s watching out for trouble, not for my accidental magic!

I bet he’s watching out for both!

Okay, okay, I’ll try not to do it again.  The first one was completely unintentional anyway; it was only the second one that was semi-deliberate.

Tallion was as good as his word, and Zak was surprised to see him making a couple of tackles later on that he could easily have avoided by repeating the telekinesis.  Tallion couldn’t resist interfering with one of the goal kicks though, but this time it was to make the ball go
through
the posts rather than miss.  His team were trailing by one point and just needed the try converting to give them a win. 

However, the goal kick was to be taken by a pupil who looked like he’d never kicked a rugby ball in his life, and it would have ended up going very wide and much too low without a bit of ‘magical intervention’.  Tallion sorted it all out from the moment that the boy’s boot made a very bad contact with the ball, and sent it on a perfect trajectory to nick just inside the left upright, about two inches over the bar.

The first year, who’d never achieved anything on the sports field in his life, stared at the ball in stunned amazement.  He suddenly found himself the hero of the moment, with his team-mates crowding round and cheering.  Tallion couldn’t stop himself grinning at the shocked expression on the boy’s face.

If Barty didn’t notice that, then I’m a wood elf!

He just needed a bit of encouragement Zak, he’s gonna try so much harder in future now that he thinks he can actually do it.  Success is all in the mind you know!

Aye reet!  Poor Rob when he finds that his magic boot never works again!

It will…

* * *

Steven came up to the castle as usual on Friday evening to join in with the magic classes, and his two friends decided to have a bit of fun with him using Tai Tuie’s Tomb.  They told him that they wanted to do their academy homework up the LookOut Tower because there was a special library room set up there as a study.  The unsuspecting farmer’s son dutifully followed them through the secret passages and up the tower.  The mischievous wizards had debated not telling him about the thirteenth step, but decided to spare his bruises as the trick with the homework was going to be enough fun.

I hope he doesn’t say anything to Barty!

He won’t.  He’ll be too puzzled to say anything to anyone because he’ll think he’s done something silly!

You’re bad!

I’m his best mate; that what best mates are for!

I’m glad I’m yer soul mate then, not yer best mate!

Me too, my friend, me too.

Steven, who went into the room first, was a bit surprised to see the huge number of books on the shelves around the walls, and immediately started to have a look at the titles.  There was a whole section about farming magic, another about working with magical creatures, and then a small section with books full of practical basic spells.

Zak looked at Tallion in puzzlement.  None of those books had been there when he’d glanced at the titles on Wednesday with Bjarne!  Zak moved to another section and discovered a collection of books about Balayage, a subject which had been on his mind a lot over the last few days because he wanted to play the following week at Mhonarr.  He’d been worried he didn’t know enough about it and would make a fool of himself. 

A small seed of doubt and understanding was taking root in his mind that they were missing something about this room, but he squashed it down and pulled one of the Balayage books off the shelf, intending to have a look through it quickly before he started his homework. 

He heard Tallion’s mind expressing great satisfaction that
he’d
found a collection of books about magical means of travel, and more particularly one about porting!  His soul mate had been worrying about their need to port by themselves ever since the headmaster had asked them to do it, so he wasn't surprised that Tallion was now very happy to have stumbled across a book about it.

Without realising it, all three boys had followed in Bjarne’s footsteps and fallen right into one of the traps of Tai Tuie’s Tomb.  The mythical Polynesian god had defeated his enemies with kindness, heaping on them gifts and pleasures until they were enemies no more, and became his friends.  Thus he beguiled all those who sought his help, disarmed those who sought his hurt, and silently stole their lives away…

* * *

Sartrina re-read the letter from Steven, unable to believe that he was going to try and sneak into the castle!  She was sure that there would be some sort of magic in place to prevent unknown wizards coming through the portals, and she really wanted to advise him to ask the headmaster about it rather than breaking the rules. 

She still had a niggling doubt in her mind though that he wasn’t magical enough to be allowed in.  That, together with her overwhelming desire to see him again, clouded her judgement and it was only a minute before she decided to go along with the plan. 

She wondered if she should tell Andra, whom she’d become very close to, but decided to keep this one a secret.  She didn’t want to risk anything spoiling her chance of seeing her boyfriend.  She quickly wrote back that she’d be in the portal room at two thirty on Sunday afternoon, and dropped the letter into the post box by the grand staircase on her way into dinner.

* * *

Back in Lofthouse Castle, the three boys were so engrossed in their books that, like Bjarne, they lost all track of time.  It was actually pangs of hunger that disturbed Steven, just enough to make him look up from his own book to see the other two still avidly devouring theirs!

“How long ‘ave we been in ‘ere readin’?  It feels like ages and ages.  I’ve almost read through this whole book!”

Zak glanced up and remembered the joke they were going to play on Steven.  With a smirk he looked at the grandfather clock and was genuinely shocked to see that fully two hours had passed!  The little niggly doubt about the room resurfaced, but was again squashed back down as other matters were pressing.

“Blimey, we’ve been ‘ere two hours!”

“Two hours?!” echoed Steven in fright.  “That means it must be nearly six!  Ruddy Nora, we’re gonna get in some bother now!  We’ve missed our Alchemy lesson wi’ Barty,
and
we’re gonna be late fer dinner!”

Tallion heard Zak’s thoughts begging him to join in, so he put on a panicky look before he spoke.

“Quick, put the books back on the shelves, we need to leave it exactly as we found it.  Come on, down the tower to the classrooms!”

Zak suddenly had a wicked thought about the thirteenth step.  They should let Steven rush down the stairs first while they waited on the first floor, and then he’d stand on the thirteenth step, and the staircase would turn into a slide sending him hurtling to the bottom.

That’s not nice Zak!  I know you’re his friend, but he’ll be running down the steps as fast as he can go and he might really hurt himself!

Aye, you’re right.  I’ll shout to him to avoid it as we go down.  He’ll have to stop at the bottom anyway because he won’t know how to get into the secret passage.  When shall we tell him about the time travelling thing?

Let’s rush all the way to the school rooms first.  When he sees that Barty isn’t there, and sees the clock on the wall, he’ll start to realise something’s wrong.

Perfect!

The mischievous plot went off exactly as planned, and Steven even managed to avoid the thirteenth step on his helter-skelter rush down the tower.  His first emotion when Barty wasn't in the classroom was panic, thinking that their teacher had left because they hadn’t shown up, then he glanced at the clock.  He was relieved to see that it wasn’t yet six meaning they weren’t yet late for dinner.  Then he did a double take.