Merlin's Riddle
Chapter 1
It started out as a pretty normal day at Cackles academy. Mildred was running late as usual. Someone, Mildred could make a guess who, had used up the hot water ahead of her so she was stuck with a cold shower.
Fortunately, it was a warm morning so that wasn't too bad. Finally, she rushed down to the breakfast line. She found out really quick that trying to run and braid your hair at the same time isn't easy! She skidded to a stop behind Enid and Maud.
Finally, after they had gotten their breakfast, A cream of wheat type hot cereal and toast they sat down at their usual table. That's when Mildred noticed something strange Miss Hardbroom and Miss Cackle seemed to be in an awful hurry about something.
To start with it wasn't like them to rush through a meal but that was exactly what they were doing.
"What's all the hurry about?" asked Mildred, turning to her friends.
"Miss Cackle just got word this morning that they Great Wizard is coming back for another visit today." Said Enid nonchalantly.
"I wonder why?" said Mildred, "it hasn't been that long since his last visit!"
"That's the strange part," said Maud, "Miss Cackle and the other Faculty seem to know why he's coming but they won't tell anyone."
A few minutes later breakfast time was over at the students headed off to their various classes. Mildred realized that she needed to go back to her room to get her book back and head off at a dead sprint for the staircase. Even without magic she made it back to her room in record time and grabbed her satchel off the bed. Just as she came within ear shot of the bottom of the stairs she heard the great wizard and Miss Cackle talking. Apparently for some privacy they had stepped into the bottom of the stairwell. Mildred paused just out of sight and listened. She wasn't' ordinarily an eavesdropper but she was too curious to not take this chance to find out what was going on.
"Ada," he was saying, "I'm sure I have the answer this time!" The Great Wizard was really excited.
"Indeed, your greatness," said Ada, "It would be quite accomplishment to solve Merlin's Riddle. Especially since no one has been able to solve it in nearly eight hundred years!"
"it would be the crowning achievement of any practitioner in the magical world!" he replied, "Well shall we Adjourn to the Riddle Chamber for my moment of triumph."
As Miss Cackle and the Great Wizard turned to go Mildred came down the stairs into view.
"Miss Cackle," she blurted out, "What's Merlin's riddle? And What's the Riddle Chamber?"
Miss Cackle Jumped and turned around.
"Mildred Hubble," she said, "how long have you been listening?"
"I didn't mean to eavesdrop mum," said Mildred, "I went back to my room to get my satchel and I came down the stairs just time to hear you two talking about solving Merlin's riddle and going to the riddle chamber.
Ada sighed,
"Ah well I generally frown on eavesdropping but since you already heard that much you might as well know the rest of it. Back about eight hundred years ago the legendary Merlin himself decided to find an heir. To find one that was worthy of his almost unimaginable powers he built a chamber in a large cavern in the mountain underneath this very school. Of course, that was centuries before the academy ever existed. In that chamber he placed a riddle. It's a puzzle that must be solved by the person to prove themselves worthy to be the Heir of Merlin and to inherit his power."
"Wow," said Mildred in an awestruck voice
"Wow indeed," said the Grand Wizard, puffing himself up, "and today yours truly shall be that heir." As he said this he seemed to get an idea.
"Miss Cackle," he said, "It might not be a bad idea to select a delegation of your students to accompany us into the chamber and bear witness to my triumph."
Ada wasn't sure that it was such a good idea but she couldn't refuse the grand Wizard.
"Very well," she said, "Since Mildred already knows what's going on she might as well go."
"Mildred," she said, turning to her, "Please go and bring Maud, Enid, Ethel and Esmerelda here." Mildred nodded and hurried off to do as she was told.
The girls were dumbfounded when Mildred told them what was going on. Even Ethel was at a loss for words.
Esmerelda was the first one to break the silence. As they headed back to meet Miss Cackle and the Great Wizard.
"Incredible," she said, "Merlin's legendary riddle chamber has been right under our feet all this time and none of us knew it!"
Mildred nodded, "the Great Wizard believes that he has finally solved the riddle and he wants us to be his witnesses."
When they reached Miss Cackle, Miss Hardbroom had joined them. To chaperone the girls she said. Mildred wondered if maybe that was only part of her reason for joining them she suspected that Miss Hardbroom was just as curious as they were to see if the great wizard and actually discovered the secret to the riddle after all this time and al the many failed attempts by other witches and wizards.
Miss Cackled lead the group down into the archives and back to the back wall of the room. When she got there she paused and touched an certain reddish stone that was in the wall at eye level. She tapped on it in a pattern 1,1,2, Mildred noticed. The wall before transformed into a massive carved stone gate that swung open before them. Behind them was a long white marble spiral staircase that twisted down into the bowels of the earth until it was out of sight in the darkness. As they descended the stairway runes that were carved into the stones around them began to glow and light their way.
Minutes later they were at the bottom. Stepping through another doorway they found themselves in the chamber itself. The chamber was built out of a large stone cavern inside the mountain under the school. In the exact center of the room was a large stone platform. On the platform was a pedestal and on the pedestal, was a stand with a beautiful ring. Ornately carved silver band with a large blood red stone in the setting. Surrounding the platform and pedestal was an undulating and everchanging patter of light and shadows that illuminated the area of the floor between where they were standing and the platform. On the walls of the chamber Mildred noticed old English words carved into stone. Like most of the other students she had been learning old English as part of the curriculum, so she actually knew that the words were THE KEY, THE PATH, THAT WHICH BANISHES DARKNESS
Miss Cackle spoke.
"This is Merlin's riddle chamber," she said, "The prize is of course the ring. The riddle is how to get past the protections Merlin set up and get to the ring."
"And that," said the Great Wizard Squaring his shoulders, "is what I intend to do now. For I have discovered and old English spell that I believe is the key to the riddle."
The Great Wizard spoke in old English with great solemnity.
"in Day or Night, in winter's wind or summer's shade let the way for me now be made." There was a ripple of energy arcing in the as the two magics met. When it subsided, the great wizard turned and smirked triumphantly the girls and the two teachers then he turned and walked toward the pedestal. As soon as he stepped into the ring of light and shadows there was a bright flash of light, several energy arcs and the great Wizard was blown backwards end over end over the girl's heads to land in an upended heap in the doorway. Miss Cackle and Miss Hardbroom raced to help him up.
The girls immediately had to bite back their laughter. The great wizard wasn't physically hurt but his robe and trousers had been magically singed off up to his thighs and the top of his hat was blown off too.
"Okay, Okay," he said, brushing off the two teacher's efforts "I'm Alright!" he straightened up and trying to salvage what was left of his dignity.
"Well, back to the drawing board," he said. He waved his hand and vanished.
After he was gone the teachers herded the girls out of the chamber and back to class with instructions not to tell anyone else that the location of the chamber.
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After the Grand Wizard's embarrassment, the rest of the day had passed uneventfully. Mildred now laid in her bed but sleep wouldn't come. she knew it had to be past midnight she watched the light from the full moon as it shown through her window and made different shaped shadows from the various objects in her room. What was really on her mind were the words on the walls of the chamber. THE KEY THE PATH THAT WHICH BANISHES DARKNESS. No one else seemed to even notice those words. But she couldn't help wondering what they were referring to.
She was absent mindedly holding up two fingers and wiggling them in the moon light. Suddenly she stopped short.
"Two," she whispered counting her extended fingers, "no not two but to. The Key to the path, That which banishes darkness! But what banishes darkness." About the time she softly whispered that question to herself a cloud outside moved in front of the moon and her room grew dark. A few moments later the cloud moved away and her room was softly illuminated again.
Mildred's eyes widened.
"That's it," she whispered excitedly sitting up straight in bed, "Light, Light banishes darkness!" that's when she remembered the right of light and shadows that surround the platform down in the chamber. And a thought appeared to her. She suddenly believed she had figured out the real secret to Merlin's riddle. But what if she was wrong she wouldn't be able to hide that from anybody. Especially if what happened to the great wizard happened to her.
She flopped back down on the pillow and stared at the ceiling. Sleep still wouldn't come. first she couldn't sleep because she could figure out what those words meant and now she couldn't sleep because she was to curious to know if she had solved Merlin's Riddle. After a few more minutes her curiosity threw her better judgment out the window. Hopping out of bed, and still in her night shirt she slipped out of her room and down the hall. Fortunately, Miss Hardbroom was even asleep by now.
Mildred Made her way downstairs into archives and back to the back wall. Reaching up she tapped the red stone in the same pattern that Miss Cackle had used 1,1,2. The gateway opened and gathering her courage she started down the stairs. Soon she was in the chamber. Walking up the edge of the ring of light and shadows she watching for a moment as she shifted and changed.
"Well," she said to herself, "Here goes nothing."
She hopped onto the first lighted patch and then to another before the light moved off the one she was standing on. She kept on hopping from one to another until suddenly unbelievably she was able to hop up onto the platform. She stood there for moment staring at the ring on the pedestal. She could barely believe that she had been right. But did she dare take the ring. Miss Cackle said it was prize to whomever solved the riddle. By that reasoning she had every right to it. She reached out and picked up the ring.
As soon as she did energy came from every conceivable direction and flooded into her person the arcing the energy pulsating though her lifted her off of the ground and held her in place. The light finally began to die down and she was lowered back to the ground. Once she was on the ground she took a step forward. The patches of light organized themselves into a path for her walked out on. Once she had passed however they returned to normal.
Mildred started back up the stairway trying to wrap her mind around what had just happened. That's when she realized that new runes had appeared on the staircase before they said,
"What was mine is now yours use it wisely use it for good."
TBC….well there is chapter 1 tell me what you think.