Conrad puts his unique skill as a sky rider into action, wanting this moment to last as he enacts a sudden, vertical ascent, climbing ever higher until I struggle to maintain his direction of flight. Then he releases a white web courtesy of the Weveris charm … a web that opens as it falls, leaving only one thing to do … spin off the Williynx and fall towards it, knowing this is what Conrad had planned all along.
Unlike our fall towards the snow-covered streets, there’s no shifty wizard to track and no mission to complete, so I let out a laugh as I fall, hearing Conrad’s yelp of joy behind me as we hit the web at the same time, grabbing onto each other as it wraps itself around us. The Weveris charm has a multitude of powers …. often used against the enemy, but also able to morph into protective forms like the romantic blanket around us now, cocooning us from the snow as we fall.
“You smell good,” I say as I hold on to Conrad, running my hand along the scar on his neck. He never likes me touching it, the scar reminding him of his dad’s tragic death, but Theodore died a hero and, as I keep reminding the boy I love, heroes deserve to be remembered.
“You don’t smell so bad yourself,” he quips as we fall at exhilarating speed, the white web tightening as if it senses our need for intimacy.
With a kiss, I run my hand through Conrad’s copper-blonde hair, the surge of warmth flooding through me as it always does. “So, ice or flight?” he asks in reference to how we’re going to enter another familiar realm.
We’ve already been collected by our Williynx this morning, inches from the ground, so ice it is. The Weveris charm is deactivated, releasing us back into the open and the blasts of ice follow … two perfect channels streaking towards us, swooping under us until we can plant our feet on them, allowing us to skate on ice.
We slide on the paths of ice at a descending angle until the rollercoaster of fun begins, a screech of joy from me as the ice paths swoop upwards, spinning us in loops as we climb ever higher … towards the Perium in the sky and The Hallowed Land in the grounds of The Cendryll … where Jacob is introducing a legendary Society game to his impressionable students.
The Hallowed Lawn is Jacob’s chosen place for lessons involving a degree of risk. With his class receiving their foundational training, Jacob’s version of the curriculum has brought him to defensive charms. Although the Society has accepted the need for greater unity, the admission of under-age members follows a strict protocol.
It wasn’t as simple as: ‘Hi, kids. Just to let you know we work in a secret, magical universe and you’ve been chosen to join!’
It took time, selection and surveillance to test loyalties. After all, most kids can’t keep a secret for ten minutes let alone a lifetime, but a lifelong commitment is what’s expected, meaning the weak willed and loose-tongued were rejected: the Removilis charm removing all memories of their time in the S.P.M.A.
It would be ridiculous for a secret, magical Society not to have a memory altering potion, and the Removilis charm is ours, leaving the kids who’ve talked their way out of selection none the wiser. In the end, the eight were chosen, giving my brother his first class. I tried to talk Jacob out of it, suggesting he’d be bored teaching magic instead of using it, but he’s determined to forge a new path.
Jacob’s been with me every step of the way, from my entrance into the S.P.M.A. to the brutal reality of war, and it’s strange not to be with him now. Circumstances change, though, leading people to choose their own path, like Kaira who’s decided she’s seen enough magic and mayhem for the time being. Jacob’s six foot tall and lean with shoulder-length hair: kind, patient and considerate, making him the perfect candidate for teaching.
The morning return to The Cendryll is to help Jacob introduce a game to his class, thinking he might need help in explaining the intricacies of Rucklz. A game requiring skill and wit, Rucklz originally formed part of the initial training for new witches and wizards, the theory being that if you couldn’t handle theoretical battle, you weren’t cut out for a real one.
A board game in its original form, Rucklz is popular among Society folk, including in the tea rooms of Poridian Parlour. Formed of a collection of dots, the aim of the game is to activate one of the dots, transforming it into an object of attack or defence, depending on the order of play. Jacob’s idea is to create Rucklz on a much larger scale — out on The Hallowed Lawn which has become his training ground.
He’s using the game to improve his students’ reaction time. The class are improving their knowledge of defensive charms, Jacob says, but are still too slow in their response. Rucklz will simulate a friendly battle, forcing them to improve their intellectual and physical dexterity: two things needed when magic is called upon in sticky situations.
The Hallowed Lawn gets its name from generations of heroic witches and wizards who’ve given their lives for the continued protection of the S.P.M.A., Conrad’s dad being one such legend. Their ashes get released here in the presence of every Society soldier, marking the earth forever with the memory of the dead.
Jacob’s chosen this particular place for the space it offers and for its symbolic importance: a reminder of the consequences of misusing magic. He’s also realised that a traditional classroom is too limiting for effective tutelage, so The Hallowed Lawn it is. The threat of ‘returning to the classroom’ is normally enough
