Chapter Thirteen

“This island is gorgeous to be plain with all ya. It’s awesome like no other.”

That was Ariadne. “Do some magic let’s see of what you’ve got.”

Jesi spoke.

“Watch me then. But you know what? I feel suddenly strange as if we are not here alone; never mind.”

            Adne blinked and a strong wind started to blow. It pulled her hair back and straight. Thunder struck; lightening flashed succinctly and a premature darkness involuntarily crept onto the sexy small isle.

            Caulin’s heart quaked for a moment and he fell to the ground. Jesi’s heart was thudding in his chest dastardly; he consequently with no choice welcomed the fall to the ground too. The strong wind seemed to have lost control of its spell and the speed and pressure of it climbed up. What was going on? Was that really Ariadne? She could put up such a scary thing as a demonstration?

Caulin found it hard to believe but it looked like he had no option but to accept that Adne was doing all that. By this time Jesi was shouting at Ariadne to cease the fucking wind. It was carrying lots of stones and other objects that were hitting against them with lots of determination. Jesi manifestly shuddered in austere tribulation.

The new hideous Ariadne, unsatisfied with her horrid demonstration of power, raised her right hand and suspended above the heads of the two fellows.

The small decidedly started to submerge. Caulin noticed this and suspended to one of the closest hills he could find. He then made a spell as loudly as he could to diffuse the darkness that troubled him, expectedly; the darkness begun to lose its thickness and brought some relief to the nervous nerves of Caulin.

            Adne sagaciously brought back the darkness and made Jesi suspend to her level, saving him from the unhesitant water that was making its way to the island on a high velocity. He felt scared and cold from the strong wind.

            Caulin felt uneasy. What the hell was happening? Was that the same Ariadne Caulin knew? Golly, she had to quit immediately; Caulin thought. He dipped into his lungs and shouted at Ariadne.

“I adjure you to stop Ariadne!”

He said, rather imperiously.

“I will, but wait a second for the best of the Gore Trio.”

She said. Caulin not fathom what she meant by saying her doings were for their best.

“What the fuck do you mean by that?”

He asked.

“Keep watching dude.”

She admonished copiously.

            Caulin and Jesi apparently could not comprehend the actions of Ariadne. All their cautions fell on huge rocks of insensibility and were unexpectedly overridden by the boisterous blow of the wind and the turbulent waves of the mighty river. Jesi’s mood was sour and withdrawn while that of Caulin was beyond estimation.

            Ariadne muttered a spell; a repulsive smell outdid the nice odor the kind river provided. Jesi almost choked to death. Everything seems irritatingly horrid now and Jesi could overlook it no more. Caulin could also not condone the excesses of Ariadne any longer; he floated to Jesi and pulled him away. By this time both boys were weak from lack of air to feed their alveoli with. Ariadne had all this time been muttering something under her breath.  Caulin could not make out the words but her lips kept moving.

            Caulin held Jesi’s hand into his and together muttered a spell to eliminate the darkness and the smell. But the stench pertinaciously refused to budge. They tried severally but the smell persistently remained obstinate.

            And then suddenly, the smell briskly disappeared and the darkness retreated. The sexy island emerged to the normal level and the strong wind tamed. Ariadne extinguished the suspension beneath their feet and they fell to the ground.

            Caulin and Jesi fixed their gaze at Ariadne. She stared back; for a moment not a single word was uttered. At last Jesi broke the fake spell of the darkness.

“Is it possible to get scared to death? Because I thought I was dead before Caulin pulled to me to his side.”

He said.

“I honestly don’t follow.”

Caulin said, plain facedly.

“You don’t follow what; the fact that I was getting scared to death?”

Jesi gasped.

“Oh yeah, but Adne, that wasn’t you right?”

“Who else could it have been little baby?”

“Yeah, I’m impressed at that but I’m not a little baby. Secondly, you continued to use your powers while our lives were in danger. Is that you are insensible to plight?”

Caulin demanded seriously.

“What is that? What danger are you talking about?”

She said.

“How guilt free you are girl. I’m damn talking about the fucking submergence and the smell. We were suffocating for goodness’ sake!”

“You don’t get anything I guess. What kind of magic do you guys have? I am pretty sure whoever teaches you your spells and and other Arts is losing because you do not take your lessons seriously.”

Ariadne said and walked slightly away from the boys.

“Should I take that personal?”

Caulin asked.

“You can kiss my ass,”

“Aha, that is what I get for asking something for the good of the Gore Trio. I see that and I swear I will take my lessons seriously, bitch!”

Caulin said and disappeared.

“Where did he go?”

Jesi asked and glanced around.

“Don’t you thing you were a little too mean on him? He was just worried and I know that, you know that as well. So what was the rudeness about?”

Jesi asked Ariadne.

“I still don’t get, none of you realized the attack did you?”

“Attack, what the hell is that?”

Jesi asked.

“We were damn attacked so I thought you two should understand my actions. I did the darkness anyway but the submergence and the pungent smell was from a dark force whatsoever.”

She said.

“”What I said to Caulin I didn’t mean it; I only thought he was feigning ignorance so I played along. I’m sorry man. Tell Caulin I’m sorry when you get home. I’m sure he will be mad in his bed by now.”

She said.

“Not really, I’m not mad at the girl I love.”

That was Caulin speaking; he appeared behind Ariadne and wore a smile on his face but it disappeared soon after Jesi had turned to look at it.

“What attack was that then?”

“Someone who wants us down in this mission is attacking maybe to pull us away. What do you think?”

“It may be Professor Shade Quist then. Probably he feels we will succeed in uncovering him so he’s trying to get us down before it’s too late for him to strike.”

Jesi suggested.

“I don’t think so. This island is haunted. I read that Drakeizar or The Escapee Magrid leaves a mark at where ever he goes and that mark makes the place haunted. The same applies to anyone he kills; a mark is engraved on the body of the dead and after a few seconds or so, the body transforms into a new creature called the Horge. As of now Drakeizar has millions of Horges working for him because he has killed millions of people.”

Caulin said rapidly.

“That is weird.”

Adne said.

“Hey Jess,”

Caulin called, as he sometimes shortens his name.

“You need to help me find something really essential. That old Librarian, Professor Grave is your friend isn’t he?”

He asked.

“He is definitely”

Jesi replied.

“You have to steal something from him and please forget the virtues you mom feeds you with.”

“You want me to steal baby?” Jesi gasped.

“It’s imperative you do so. Besides this stealing is also a virtue because it will only lead to the termination of the deathly wizard and the Horges with which he does destruction.”

Caulin explained.

“Apart from the Horges he’s got another class of wizards known as the Vaylixes. They are not flesh and blood but shadows in which Drakeizar has infused his soul. Before The Escapee Magrid dies, his Horges and Vaylixes must die first.”

Ariadne lectured.

“Vaylixes, what is that?”

Jess asked.

“The singular is Vaylix; and the plural, Vaylixes. Note that with crystal perfection.”

Adne said.

“Why that name, what does it mean anyway?”

“Does it matter?”

“Of course everything does matter if we want to get to the root of this mess.”

Jesi said.

“Did you read about The Escapee Magrid in the library?”

Jesi demanded.

“No, Professor Shade said a lot to me and he gave me some books about some major wizards who once existed. Drakeizar is supposed to be dead but I’m yet to find out how he did it.”

“I meant to say he made himself immortal such that he will not die any time. It will be hard to find out but easier if we accost Professor Shade. He will talk to us if we play our cards well enough.”

Adne said briefly and withdrew.

Jesi smiled slightly and looked at Caulin who had drifted away for a moment apparently cogitating on the most effective of plans for terminating his adversaries. Casting his gaze back at Ariadne, he said;

“You know something Adne; I do admire you a lot.”

“You mean to say?”

“I mean to say you are greatly a smart young woman. And that is why you will be the one to steal the book Caulin wants from Professor Grave.”

Jesi said.

“But I thought we had already decided on that. You are his pal, therefore the best for the job.”

“You don’t get it Adne, the old man trusts me so much and I can’t afford to breach that great trust he has in me.”

“There he goes again. The fact that you are the one he trusts most makes you just the perfect one for the assignment. Look man, you can’t let your feelings and your virtues get in the way. A time will come when even Professor Grave will be proud of you for contributing to the destruction of Drakeizar. And that will obviously not be possible if you claim to be a perfectionist. Get it?”

Adne said.

“What is the book Caulin needs?”

“I don’t know, call him.”

Adne said calmly.

“Hey bro, the book you want; what is it called?”

Jesi demanded.

“The gnome throngs; that is the title and it is authored by Lord Stag.”

Caulin said and looked away as he had been distracted by the clear call of Jess.

“Gnome, quite weird and I wonder for a second what horrid secret the book will carry.”

“Caulin, please get over here, let make plans for tomorrow, there isn’t any time to lose I guess.”

Adne opted. Caulin made his way to the two and kept silent waiting to hear what any of them may have to say.

“So then, what have you been thinking tell us?”

Jesi said.

“I’m certain you two should have been thinking about something too; tell it first because I would want mine to be the ultimate.”

Caulin said coolly.

“No one is going to be bossy here hello,”

Ariadne said. Caulin glanced at her but said nothing, obviously sticking to his earlier words.

“Alright, it’s fine. We will start real business tomorrow and see how things turn out. For now I will get the book, at the same time you two should be doing something too.”

Jess said and reclined.

“Tell us how you plan to get the book then.”

Caulin demanded.

“I will check to see when he leaves the library, and then I can get it. The book you are requesting is sure not going to be in the main library where I can just borrow it; because undoubtedly it has got a lot to do with wizardry. It should be somewhere stuck in his small office I guess.”

Jesi said.

“That doesn’t sound like a good plan. You are most liable to get caught because that lunatic is almost always at the library.”

“You can’t call him that name dude; anyway, at exactly half an hour over ten, he goes to collect his late breakfast from the pantry. I will only take advantage.”

Jesi said.

“How long does he take to take his food?”

Caulin asked.

“Roughly seven to eight minutes I suppose.”

“Why, he doesn’t eat in the pantry?”

Jesi replied evenly.

“Then the time is terribly horrible. You won’t be able to search a single shelf before his mighty old hand will land at your back.”

Adne said.

“But we still need to get the book and that is the only time he leaves the library. That means it has to be the best time for you to fetch the book.”

Caulin said.

“What of when school ends, don’t you think we can as well find it easier fetching the item at that time?”

Ariadne asked.

“No, to the power of no; the library will be closed at that time and the key will as usual be submitted to the chief of security. We can’t risk our asses by squeezing our way through.”

Caulin objected vehemently.

“Let’s cut the time to five minutes to avert any unforeseen contingencies. So the plan should be that you will complete finding the book in just five minutes. Is that okay?”

Caulin asked.

“What answer are you expecting boy?”

Jesi asked.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Never mind, my point is that, the five minutes you are suggesting is insufficient. I doubt if I can make it in time before he returns.”

Jesi said.

“Don’t you be pessimistic this time please? You can make it and that is final. All you need right now is to make up your mind.”

“That won’t be enough.”

“Then believe in yourself.”

“That is not encouraging either.”

“Dude, trust your instincts.”

Caulin said on a note of finality. Jesi said nothing this time.

“Hold on, what if even Professor Grave has magic? He will sense it if there is an invasion just like I felt it when there was a little attack on this clumsy island.”

Ariadne figured out.

“I think the woman has a point there.”

Jesi said referring to Adne.

“It’s simple, you wear the cloak of Goltheryn, remember? It doesn’t just make you invisible but pins your magical powers against sensibility. That implies you are cool to go.”

“I don’t have that cloak; it is expensive and hard to get expect in Jergeg. Never been there before, what do I do?”

“You can’t have mine. My mom keeps it in one of her enchanted safe. So on that note, we would have to do it the hard way; your mission tomorrow is clear.”

“I thought you once said your nanny, Lord Veethys bought you one on your eleventh birthday?”

“Aye, he did. But one of my mother’s servant witches stole it and run off with it to the wizarding Realm of Jergeg. I can’t tell what she did with it. My mom found her and killed her but for some reason could not retrieve the Cloak.”

“So then, ask her to give it to you.”

“You don’t follow. I can’t lie to my mom. Anytime I do she finds out the truth and it becomes hell in Hurricane Grove. Besides, she will get to know that I’m using magic in the out and I don’t know what she would do to avert it. I swear, Mrs. Granger can kill the world to save her interest.”

Caulin said.

“Now, Ariadne, you should try and find the resting place of Professor Shade Quist just before he comes to teach. I found out he hardly uses the Staff room where most of the teachers are.”

“I will stay in class and cover for the two of you. I’m sure you know how eagle eyed Hoffery Rannistar is being for the past few days. Until then, it’s good luck,”

Caulin said and all went dead on the island newly discovered.