Bloodlines 2

Chapter 2

Matthias was about to answer Merlin, when he heard the sound of footsteps in the hallway.

"I better get back down there, fast, Dad," he said, "if they come into great hall and find me sitting there in a trance with my eyes glowing they're going to know I'm a Wizard, and I'm keeping that a secret for the time being. It cuts down on the amount and type of questions I'd have to answer."

Merlin nodded.

Matt's mental presence disappeared from the Astral plain and in an instant, he was "back" in the great hall. He laid down on one of the benches and pretended that he had been sleeping, a split second before the door opened.

Enid came running in.

"Matt," she said, "The storm is getting even worse!" of course, she didn't need to tell him that he could tell by the howling of gale force winds around the building, the sound of splintering wood, and the last time he had seen this much lightning was when he had his Mother's farm had ended up in the core of a tornadic supercell back in Kansas. That was also the day he had seen his father's first Major piece of Magic when the man had thrown up a shield that had protected the farm and everything on it from the storm.

For weeks after that people had marveled at how a farm that had been in the core of the storm had sustained no more damage that a few downed branches in the front yard.

"Matt," said Enid, jarring him out of his memories, "Miss Cackle has suspended classes for the day and ordered all of the students down into the basements."

"Where's Mildred," asked Matt

"She ran back to her room to get tabby!" before Matt could answer, Miss Cackle burst into the room looking for Him and Enid. She was about to direct them to the basement, when just then they heard a sound that made Matt's blood run cold. It was a low rumbling that resembled the sound of a freight train rumbling across the tracks.

"What is that?" asked Enid, "There are no train tracks anywhere near here."

"That's not a train," said Matt, "That's a tornado!"

"This far north?" said Enid sounding scared for once

"It happens," said Matt

"Are you Certain?" asked Miss Cackle

"Oh yes," said Matt, "Once you hear that sound you never forget it!" he herded them toward the door.

"Head for the basement as fast as you can!" he said

"Where are you going?" asked Miss Cackle

"To get Mildred before she gets herself killed!" he answered as the roar got louder.

"Miss Cackle," said Enid, "Millie went back to her room for tabby!" by the time she said this Matt was already out the door.

He was about halfway down the corridor when he realized that he didn't know where Mildred's room was, but that proved to be a mute-point, when Mildred emerged from a side doorway with tabby in her arms.

"Mildred," he said catching up to her, "You've got to get o the basement fast there's a tornado coming!"

"I know," said Mildred, "I saw it from my window." They rounded a corner and fell in with a group of girls headed in the same direction. They were almost to the basement stairs when suddenly the entire top of the building was torn off like it was made of paper. Matthias grabbed Mildred and shoved her down into the basement. Tabby bolted from Mildred's arms and disappeared in the confusion.

Matt whirled around just in time to see several girls lifted off the ground and into the whirling black vortex. There it was again the unmistakable presence of dark magic. He had Merlin had been right. This was no ordinary storm.

Matt suddenly picked up by the wind and blown through what was left of a window landing outside the building. He rolled to a stopped after hitting the ground and looked up. The tornado was standing still it wasn't moving and in the funnel, he could make out the trapped girls.

"There's only one way to stop this." He said he turned and ran for the small shed at the edge of the courtyard where he had stashed his motorbike. Slipping inside he pulled a long leather case off the back of the bike. Opening the case, he pulled out a white handled sword. The sword also had a gold- plated hilt, a Large red jewel in the end of the handle and ancient runes in a line down the center of the blade.

Running back outside he turned himself invisible and then transferred himself to the highest point of Cackles still standing. His eyes began to glow, and the blade of the sword was surrounded by a glow. Turning the blade down he stuck it in the roof in front of him. Holding onto the handle of the sword with both hands, he concentrated. Under his breath he began to mutter,

"Leoht aflieman Heolstor," the old English phase that translates 'Light Banish Darkness'

His eyes grew brighter and the stone in the handle of the sword began to glow and so did the runes in the blade. Suddenly a beam of light shot out of the jewel and into the vortex. Immediately the Vortex began to dissipate. The energy lowered the captured girls to the ground gently.

Miss Cackle and Miss Hardbroom began to look around trying to see what had happened. Matthias retrieved the sword and transported himself back down to the shed. Slipping the sword back into the case, he slipped out and pretended to be crawling out of the rubble near where he had landed.

Mildred came running up.

"Matt," she cried, "are you okay?"

"Yeah," he said, standing up and brushing himself off, "I think so."

######

In an ancient estate on the other side of the town. A tall dark cloaked figure with gaunt features and green eyes was pacing back and forth in what appeared to be some sort of council chamber. Just as his frustration was reaching it's peak the door opened and in walked a dozen more men and women also dressed in dark cloaks.

They all gathered in a semi-circle around the first man who was obviously the leader.

"Hail Brother Kadis," they all said with a fist over their hearts

Their leader was to agitated to return the salute.

"you all know why our mystic storm was defused so quickly," he said, "It's because someone has one of the Excalibur blades."

"But I thought that she sword was returned to the lake of Avalon by sir Bedwyr after Arthur Pendragon's death, and remains protected by the lady of the lake?"

"That's the mythical version that everyone believes, Brother Vaughn." said Kadis, "The truth is that Merlin actually created not one but two Excaliburs. One has a white handle and the other a black and gold handle, and he fixed it so only those of his bloodline could unlock the sword's true power."

"But how can that be," said Brother Vaughn, "Arthur wielded Excalibur?!"

"Only because Merlin allowed it, so Arthur could retake Camelot from Lord Mordred and his Ally Lady Morgana.

All of this means that our informant was right one of the students at Cackles is either a child of or a direct descendant of Merlin!"

TBC…. Let me know what you think.