The White Wolf and the Wizard
Chapter 8
As a new Saturday morning dawned, the sun rose as it did on any other day, the birds sang just as they did on any other day, but this day was different. This day was dark and shadowed and Michael Scot could sense it. The wizard awoke with the sun, his eyes snapping open the second the sun began to rise. He pushed back the thick curtains on his bed and stood with much effort.
"Master?" McTaggart frowned. He'd been bringing the man his breakfast and was surprised when Michael walked slowly to stand underneath the well, the rising run bringing in steams of light.
"It's here," Michael said solemnly, "The Day of Reckoning has dawned," he murmured.
"...Sir..." McTaggart sighed, moving over to his master.
The air was thick and it seemed to weigh on Michael, he was already weakening and his strong sense of foreboding
"It's out there," the wizard narrowed his eyes, looking up at the sky through the well.
"It...you mean the Wolf...but it can't be..."
"My defences have faded," Michael said, "And I am to follow."
"That want happen, master."
"...I wish I had your confidence," the wizard replied, "...I have to prepare..."
A short while later, all four students of Michael Scot dressed in their archaic finery and cloaks while McTaggart, in his own clothes of a thousand hears ago, adjusted his master's cloak as the man stood motionless before the full length, ornately framed mirror.
"My staff..." Michael said, staring lifelessly into the mirror as McTaggart retrieved the black staff from where it rested against the wall.
"Maybe you're wrong, maybe today's not the day," the servant said, handing the staff to his master.
Michael said nothing, clutching his hands round his staff, he turned from the mirror and they went up to face their enemy.
Marie had been sat at her computer emailing Laura. Her friend was still half asleep that morning and they planned on meeting up later in the day, but Marnie jolted back from her desk when she suddenly felt as though something was very wrong. Her lungs suddenly felt as if they were on fire, she felt sharp, stabbing pains, relentless in their attack on her body and she reached out for something to grab onto.
...But then, it all faded away, as though nothing was wrong.
She saw an image flash in her mind of Michael falling to the ground, his staff clattering beside him. He was standing outside, in the courtyard of Tantallon castle.
"Michael?" she called out, "Michael?!" she tried again, receiving only silence.
Marnie had no idea what to do, she was panicking. Then, her eyes fell back into the computer screen and she quickly brought up the website for the old castle and entered the same password she'd done before. She waited hopefully for thirty seconds but nothing happened. She tried again and again with the same results. "No..." she hissed, "Why won't you work?!"
Marnie clutched her necklace as tightly as she could. She knew she had to get to the castle and she had to get to Michael fast. She imagined herself vanishing like she'd seen Michael do before and just as she was beginning to disappear, her father came into the room carrying a plate of toast for her, he watched with wide eyes he jumped out and tried to touch her shoulder, but he ended up being transported with her.
It felt as though she were being pulled in all directions but when she opened her eyes, Marnie was standing outside the crumbling castle. She saw the Wolf overpowering Michael and his students, but before she could do anything she heard her father's voice.
"Marnie!" he yelled.
"Dad!" she turned back, "Why are you..."
"Marnie, move!" Ailsa cried and Marnie ran to her father, leading him to hide behind the stone walls.
"Marnie, what's going on?!" Ross asked her, frantically.
"I'll explain later, dad," she panted, "Just stay here, I have to help!"
"No, Marnie..." the man shouted as she ran away, "Come back!"
There was lighting and crackling energy being thrown in every direction but the main fight seemed to be between Michael and the Wolf. Every time an attack hit him, his students winced at the same time, and it was clear that he was loosing.
Michael suddenly fell to his knees and a second later, so did his students and so did McTaggart, their forms fading. His power was also spent and he couldn't keep all five of them alive as well as use his magic to fight. The Wolf seemed to sneer at the wizard and it started to move towards him.
Marnie ran as fast as she could and picked up Michael's staff as the animal picked up speed and pounced, she swung it, almost like a bat and knocked the animal off its feet. The Wolf was thrown back through sheer force.
It quickly recovered and growled loudly, charging towards them again. Marnie this time aimed the staff, as she had seen the wizard do, straight at the Wolf. Her necklace shone brightly and the staff let loose an extremely strong blast of lightning.
The Wolf let out a spell of its own and it met Marnie's attack, clashing violently with a loud crackling sound. It gripped its claws into the ground as it was pushed back but it them started to force her back, their two attacks fighting for dominance.
But Marnie, though determined, wasn't as skilled as the Wolf yet, and the two clashing forces narrowed in on her, getting so close to touch her hands, making her cry out.
Michael, seeing this struggle, raised his right hand, casting out what power he could muster and it joined Marnie's attack on the animal. His students followed his lead and did the same.
Their power struggle continued, but with its boost, the white magic was stronger and it was able to finally overpower the black magic. It hit the animal with a loud crackling noise and the Wolf let out an ear-screeching cry just before it shattered like broken glass.
Marnie breathed a sigh of relief and leaned all her weight on the staff she was holding. She felt tired and drained and her limbs felt like they'd been stretched to their limits on a rack.
Michael, with one arm slung across McTaggart's shoulders, was standing up, meeting Marnie's gaze. She walked over to him slowly, and held out his staff for him to take back.
"You could keep it," the wizard raised an eyebrow, "It has the power of a thousand years...there's nothing stopping you."
"Yeah, there is," she smiled, taking the man's hand and placing the staff on his palm. He clutched his fingers around the old staff and he felt his powers return full force, flooding his body with energy. "I'm not a thief," Marnie said to him.
"...Thank you," Michael retuned her smile.
"So...that's it? It's really gone?" Marnie asked.
"It's really gone," he nodded.
"What'll you do now?"
For this, Michael had no answer. He looked back at his students, who were regarding him with serene smiles and McTaggart stood aside to let his master stand on his own again.
The wizard raised his staff and brought it back down with thundering force, shaking the cliff face and sending tremors through the stone of his castle as the air around him shone gold. "...I can breathe again," he beamed, and slowly, turned to his ever faithful friend and servant, "I offered you your freedom once, McTaggart, before all this began..."
"I've served you this long, sir, I'll be damned if I'm gonna stop now," the man replied with a smile.
"And you?" Michael asked his four students.
The four of them seemed to confer for a brief second with only their eyes and expressions, then they turned back to their master.
"Well...with all due deference and respect, master," Edwin began "Taking everything into consideration, we..."
"We're not gong anywhere," Bruno spoke over his friend.
"No, we're not," Edwin smiled.
"...As you wish," Michael replied.
"...Erm...Marnie...what just..." Ross McBride spoke eventually, ruining the moment. He'd walked with uncertain steps, across to the group standing not far away and he'd come to a stop behind them.
"Oh, no..." Marnie breathed her head snapping across to see her father, "Dad...I totally forgot...it was an accident, I swear, Michael, I didn't mean to..."
"You think I've never seen a magical accident in my time?" the wizard chuckled, smiling down at her, "I think you've some explaining to do...Unless you want him to forget..." he added quietly.
"No...I'll tell him...erm...if that's okay...I mean..."
"Go on, explain away," the wizard prompted indulgently.
"...Wait a minute..." Ross blinked, looking at Michael, "I know you...yes...you were at that Antique shop..."
"Yeah, dad, and a whole lot of other places too," Marnie laughed.
"I..."
"You're never gonna believe all this, trust me...maybe you should sit down," she suggested.
Michael clicked his fingers without warning and the eight of them were instantly transported into his Inner Sanctum. "Be my guest," Michael smiled, waving a hand to light the fire.
Marnie sighed at this further use of blatant magic before she'd even had a chance to explain anything to her father. "Show off," she muttered to him and he shrugged almost innocently.
"How did we...wasn't I just..."
"Yeah...erm..." Marnie frowned. "Come on, dad, sit down," she said, leading her father to sit in one of the chairs.
Michael stood a short distance away leaning on his staff with McTaggart at his side, while his students made themselves comfortable, sitting on the desks and tables.
"Well...dad...it's erm...it's like this..." the young girl began again.
"Did I...did I miss something?" her father furrowed his brow looking over at Michael and the others, "It's a bit late for Halloween," he said, taking in their clothes.
"Well...erm...that's Michael Scot..." Marnie said, her expression nervous.
Her father stared at her in confusion and looked across at the wizard leaning on his staff across the room. "Marnie..."
"I forget the long introduction...something about the Romans...and mountains...and something else..." she said quickly, ignoring the chortles from Michael's students at her summary.
"...Marnie, listen to me," Ross shook his head.
"No, dad, I'm not crazy, I mean, I really thought I was..."
"I don't see what you find funny about this," the man spoke over his daughter when he saw Michael's students chuckling. "Who are you people, anyway?!"
"Edwin de Wynter, at your service, sir," Edwin gave a brief bow, "And these are my compatriots, Ailsa, Bruno and Wolfgang."
"...And...what are you?"
"We're alchemists, of course," Edwin answered indignantly.
"...Of course..." Ross scoffed, "That's alright, then, I thought for a moment that you were wizards!"
"Dad..." Marnie sighed.
"And you..." he frowned, "What was that out there?! Did I really see a wolf, or what?"
"...Erm...yes," she shrugged, "You did...but it's gone now...so everything's cool...I think."
"That's hardly the best explanation, Marnie," Ailsa hid her smile behind her hand.
"Well, what am I supposed to say?!" Marnie yelled, spinning around, "Oh 'hey dad, guess what I've been doing? I've been learning magic to help an old wizard guy and his students get rid of this crazy wolf that steals people's powers, and I'..." she stopped, frowning, "Whoops..." Marnie breathed, slowly turning back to face her father. "Erm...but...that's the truth, anyway..."
"Old wizard guy?" Michael repeated, raising an eyebrow, and McTaggart shrugged.
"...How about we just go home?" Marnie asked her father, cautiously.
"How?" Ross asked her.
"Why don't you let me," Michael said to Marnie, "Use that door," he added, gesturing to the closest old door.
"Come on, dad," Marnie took her father' arm and lead him to the door. With a last backward glance, she opened it, and it clicked shut a second later.
"...Well that could've gone worse," Bruno said, breaking the tension.
