Chapter 66: Witch Academy Rage
''Have you ever seen the school this busy,'' White asked Melinda.
''Not since the time they held a three way tournament with the magic schools from Spain and Egypt,'' Melinda answered.
''They'd make a good army, i'll tell you that,'' Jaime snickered.
''What can I say, us witches and wizards like to be prepared,'' Melinda smirked. ''And in war, that is very useful.''
''Couldn't agree more,'' Skylar said.
The four of them had arrived at Witch Academy for the Magically Gifted only an hour before. The school was one of the highlights of the magical world. While not a sacred place, it was a place of beauty and hope for the future of magical children and teens.
The school was kind of like an old Victorian mansion similar to the Xavier house from X-men. The walls were made of brick and stone with columns of shiny marbles. One of the highlights was the outside courtyard. There were stone platforms that had stone ramps leading to a meadow like area with a stone fountain in the center. (See image above.) Vines of grapes and other berries hung from the platform. Stone pillars were around both of the areas.
''Never underestimate a witch or wizard during war,'' Melinda evilly giggled. ''It will be a mistake you won't live long enough to make again.''
''You're a little scary sometimes, you know that right,'' White says.
''You haven't seen my scary side just yet, Gold Siren,'' Melinda smirked, walking away to help some of the students.
''Yep, scary,'' White said. ''I rest my case.''
''Not to sound too stereotypical or cliche, but I have to ask,'' Jaime started. ''Do witches and wizards really ride brooms?''
Siren and Skylar looked at each other, then burst into laughter. They definitely weren't offended by the question.
''We aren't offended, Jaime,'' White smiled. ''While quite a few ride dragons, pegasi, unicorns, or griffins, there are those that ride brooms. There had to be something for J.K. Rowling to base Quidditch off of.''
He pointed upward, and Beetle saw a few of the students handing out broomsticks to the ones that looked like they were the athletic ones. Inwardly, Beetle was celebrating the fact that he had red the Harry Potter series as he saw the similarities in these students. One of them could have been the long lost twin of the character Oliver Wood.
''I love this world the more time I send in it,'' Jaime chuckled.
''Take it in, Jaime,'' White stated, petting Skylar's mane. ''It might not be here for very much longer.''
''I don't get it,'' Jaime said, confused.
''Jaime, magic itself is being attacked, people on both sides are dying, mystics and ghosts are waging war on the Guys In White,'' White says. ''If this doesn't stop, we might need to call back all magic on Earth, wipe the slate clean. The last thing I want is to take lives, but you must show no mercy when they show you none. After what they did to me and my brother, feeling no regret or remorse, I want them to suffer. But that just isn't me."
Beetle took Siren's hand, making the mystic look him in the eyes. He could see the strain this war was taking on the mystics. Especially his boyfriend, as he is the siren of pure heart and not meant for this kind of merciless fighting.
''As long as I stand by your side, nothing will happen,'' Jaime told him, then gave him a kiss.
There was a small squeal. They turned and saw Melinda standing there looking like Halloween had come early. (Get it, because she's a witch so would find Halloween better than Christmas.)
''What, it's about time that White finally snagged a guy,'' she said. ''I tried for years before the two were originally taken by the GIW.''
''We always did say she was one heck of a lovebird,'' Skylar joked. ''Our empath friend, Phoebe, always says she'll never find love until she finds a love for everyone around her.''
"I'm not sure if that is sweet, or just sad," Jaime said.
"Melinda is... Melinda," White shrugged. "That's the best explanation I can give."
Outside, some sort of sound boomed across the area. It was a combination of bat shrieks and dragon roar.
"O dies mio," Jaime swore, covering his ears. "What is that?"
"That would be the gargoyles," Melinda told him.
"You mean those stone statues that sit on top of churches and a lot of buildings in Europe," Jaime raised an eyebrow.
"Gargoyles are actually magical creatures that look like they're made of stone," Melinda explained. "They come to life and let out that sound to force evil away. We sometimes use them as an alarm system for evil as well."
"So, which effect is it this time," Skylar asked.
"The alarm," Melinda said, then clapping twice and the gargoyles stopped. "Much better. The alarm means that the enemy approaches."
"Here we go," White says, tightening his vest. "Somebody's about to go deaf, and it ain't gonna be a mystic."
Melinda whistles, getting the attention of every other witch and wizard. They all looked at her.
"Look, I know that some of you are still young," she started. "But this is about magic. The fates have shown us a bad hand and magic is in danger. But we will not stand down. We will fight with every ounce of energy we have to keep our world safe. Witches and wizards of Witch Academy for the Magically Gifted, today we use the gifts handed down to us by our ancestors. Today... WE FIGHT!"
The crowd of mystics cheered as Melinda raised a fist into the air.
"Alright, everyone will play to their strengths," Melinda ordered. "I want all the best potion makers at every available cauldron; brew sleep, blinding, smoke screen, hand grenade, and knock-out potions. All those with good aim, namely the huntsman and huntress mages, go up high and launch the potions at the agents. Those best at wards, barriers, and force fields will reinforce the school to make sure they don't get inside. Healers stand by to tend to the injured. Everyone else, to BATTLE."
Everyone scattered with battle precision.
"This might be fun after all," White smirked.
Outside the gates of the school, agents approached the academy.
"Tempastus Impaetus," was cast.
Out of the sky came blasts of lightning. They struck around the agents, sending them into shock. Pun intended. Melinda walked up to them as the lightning caused small fires.
"I love being a witch," she smirked.
"GET HER," the leader screamed.
Melinda snapped her fingers, and dozens of teenagers seemed to come out of the woodworks. Chaos erupted as the witches and wizards attacked. Magic showered down like rain.
"Wind talon."
"Solid script- iron."
"Diamond shower."
"Water slicer."
The four spells caused different effects by four different mages. A wind witch shot out a sharp beam of twisted wind, knocking half a dozen agents back. Another witch wrote 'iron' in the air, and became physical made out of the same metal, dropping down one four agents. A wizard in a sweatshirt slashed his arms down, making magic created diamond shards fall down like a meteor shower and knock out several agents. The last spell was sent by a water mage with serious edge to him, causing sharp slashes of water to rip through agents and trees.
"Nobody tells Lena or Krinos I just did that," he yelled.
"Okay," everyone else yelled back.
A few dozen meters from the agents-academy fight, more of the GIW were trying to get over the wall. They pulled one of their "covert" vans up to it so that they could climb onto the top and then get over the wall. What they didn't expect was to be heard by a super hearing siren. He landed on the wall, looking down at them. The agents all looked up.
"Hello," White greeted. "And goodbye."
He unleashed his sonic scream. It knocked all them backwards, some slamming into tree trunks and branches. Siren jumped onto the roof of the van, his sonic powers causing the windows to shatter.
"You know, I always wondered what would happen to a human if I used my sonic scream to hit over 200 decibels," White taunted. "Humans can't survive any sound over 200. One second would pop your eardrums, one minute would probably kill you... I think. Might as well try and find out."
Opening his mouth, his siren cry came out. He always did like the cry. It was stronger than his scream, more concentrated than his wail, and he could control its size and power.
He moved it over the area, in a half circle around him. In total, about a dozen and a half agents were sent flying back.
"And that's just the start," White growled.
The ground seemed to shake wherever he stepped.
''SIREN,'' Jaime yelled. ''HEADS UP.''
Beetle formed a staple launcher on his hand, and fired. The giant staple shot past Siren and nailed an agent that was about to shoot him from behind. Beetle landed in front of his mystic boyfriend.
''You need to be a little more careful of your surroundings,'' he said.
''I have super hearing, Beetle,'' White reminded. ''I knew he was there, but I also knew you wanted to play the 'knight in shining armor' part.''
''My armor's not exactly shining, but i'll take what I can get,'' Jaime joked.
''I resent that, Jaime Reyes,'' the scarab said.
''Oops, looks like you offended the scarab,'' White laughed.
''Serves you right for annoying me all those years,'' Jaime said to the scarab.
''Be nice, boys,'' White fake scolded. ''Don't make me give you a time out.''
The two boys laughed at that, and even the scarab found it amusing. They then went back to battle.
Melinda had, since her first spell, jumped onto Skylar's back. He made a quick land in front of a group of agents that had cornered some of the students.
''Don't you dare hurt them,'' Melinda growled, holding out her hands. ''Nagnisol Amikae.''
Dark purple mist came out of her hands. As it washed over the agents, all their guns began to rust over. The once shiny metal not looked old, run down, and about to fall apart. Which, they soon did. All their weapons crumbled into pieces and fell to the ground.
''Decaying spell,'' the witch smirked. ''Comes in handy with the weapons of the modern era. And this spell, is just for getting rid of annoying people. Teewat Ligara.''
Swiping her hand through the air, she sent out a giant cyclone. The cyclone sucked up the agents and then went off to cause more damage.
''Ah, magic,'' Melinda giggled. ''How can people not love it.''
''Well, for one thing, nobody in Kansas would love that twister spell,'' Skylar told her.
''I know you're a talking horse and all, but even you should know a rhetorical question when you hear one,'' Melinda says.
''And you clearly missed the Wizard of Oz reference,'' Skylar threw back.
Siren and Beetle didn't miss it, though. The two just barely got out of the way of Melinda's spell. Siren did see the agents screaming inside of it.
''I don't think those agents are in Kansas anymore,'' White remarked, causing Beetle to burst into laughter.
''Melinda sure knows how to make the agents go running, that's for sure,'' the armored hero chuckled.
The two didn't see the figure in the shadows, watching them. The figure aimed an arrow made of black pearl right at Siren.
