I remember feeling that way once but life has a way of humbling you, offering sharp reminders of how fragile all things are: lessons the excited, young crew will learn in time. Conrad and I have been called in as reinforcements, helping to referee the game. Rucklz is a game that can get out of hand when hot headed characters are involved, and this is Jacob’s first attempt at recreating the board game on a much larger scale, leaving me to wonder what chaos awaits us.
We appear in the sky above The Hallowed Lawn on our paths of ice which our Williynx continue to create for us … a dramatic entrance causing the eight students to turn away from Jacob’s tutelage, chasing the turquoise and powder-blue feathers floating towards them.
Whoever catches a feather first gets a ride on their chosen Williynx. I laugh as the path of ice beneath my feet surges towards the immaculate grass, allowing me to keep my balance as I tilt with the curves of ice. Conrad stays low as the lanes of ice guide us towards Jacob, our hair lifting in the crisp morning air as we touch down to the excited yelps of The Fateful Eight.
That class is made up four boys and four girls: Ava Blin, Tom Koll, Kate Follygrin, Roan Khan, Tilly Flint, Olin Zucklewick, Leach Creswell and Ethan Lyell. Ava is the tallest of the group, something she’s self-conscious about while Katie is the most competitive, and Tom the most sensitive. Tom’s fully aware of the dark stain over his family name, created by the evil wizard Erent Koll.
Tom’s nothing like his great uncle but still feels the need to gain people’s trust. Luckily, Ethan has become close friends with Tom, a boy with all the style and sensitivity of his great uncle: the legendary Weyen Lyell. Ethan continues the Lyell tradition of large afro hair, his athletic frame lending itself well to lessons centred around physical dexterity.
“Morning, lovebirds,” Jacob says in welcome, offering me a brief hug before shaking Conrad’s hand. He always gives Conrad a ‘parental look’ — a weird joke they share regarding our ‘growing relationship’.
Luckily, I’ve avoided the awkwardness of ‘boyfriend meeting parents’ because my dad’s never really been around and my mum … well, let’s just say she’s ‘finding her feet’ after a dramatic downfall. Mum used to be a big fish in The Cendryll but now she spends her days on the margins of Society Square — in a house left to her by Kaira’s grandad, but I’m getting off track: back to Rucklz and the magic of defensive charms.
“How’re The Dream Team?” Conrad asks, unable to hide his amusement at Jacob’s evident frustration.
“Annoying and over excitable,” Jacob replies, the top button of his shirt undone with the Society tie hanging down. He didn’t respond well to the idea of uniforms for teachers, relenting at the suggestion of a tie. His blue jeans, untucked shirt and jumper make up the rest of his ‘uniform’: a brother I miss on my adventures.
Leah Creswell yells in excitement as Conrad’s Williynx takes off from The Hallowed Lawn, taking the student who caught the first feather on a trip through the skies. The rest of the class crowd around us, desperate to know about our recent adventures.
“Have you caught any malevs recently?” Ethan Lyell asks, patting his afro to maintain its perfect form.
“We’ve bumped into a few,” I say with a smile.
“Can you teach us how to skate on ice in the sky later?” Tilly Flint asks, the most skittish of the group, giggling nervously after every statement. I find her a bit annoying, wanting to snap her into the reality of the life she’s chosen.
The first question she’d asked us was what it felt like to kill Erent Koll. The question brought blushes to Tom Koll’s face: the great nephew of the sinister wizard buried in The Saralin Sands.
Tilly isn’t the brightest but has a kind heart, leading her and Tom to become friends once he’d forgiven her thoughtless comment. With cliques forming among the students, it’s time to find out who’s going to make the grade. After all, their lessons will come to an end at the end of the year — the time when a decision will be made regarding their suitability for life as permanent witches and wizards.
The successful few will take their places in Society faculties or one of hundreds of shops spread throughout England. Here, they’ll settle into a life between the above ground world and the secret, magical universe they’ve had the fortune to be selected for. Selection, though, is only the beginning.
Jacob’s got his theories on where they’ll all end up, certain that only four of them will want to range beyond the safety of The Society Sphere: Ethan Lyell (because of his natural gifts), Tom Koll (out of a need to prove himself), Katie Follygrin (due to her competitive spirit) and Olin Zucklewick (out of sheer restlessness).
Conrad thinks that Roan Khan is the dark horse: quiet and brooding as if he’s planning his future but only time will tell. My money’s on Tilly Flint whose scatty nature is partly an act: the perfect foil for a young witch seeking an advantage within a group who know what’s at stake: a life of wonder or a return to above-ground drudgery.
“Time for a bit of carnage, I think,” Conrad jokes.
Jacob claps his hands at this statement, getting the attention of his students. “Okay, class: time to master your defences.”
“Defensive charms!” The group shout in joy only to be disappointed by a shake of the head from Jacob.
“Not quite. We’ll look at defensive charms again this afternoon, but before we do that we need to check your reflexes and reaction times.”
“Why?” queries Tom Koll.
“Because if you have to use magic, you’ll want to be confident you can
