Neutral Magic
Disclaimer: I do not own the Worst Witch or Weirdsister College series or any characters associated with them. No money is being made from this story.
Chapter 13: The Ritual
Constance Hardbroom held a lamp aloft as she trudged wearily through the corridors of Cackles Academy, checking the dormitories. All the pupils were supposed to be in their rooms by nine thirty and in bed with the lights out by ten. But as usual there were always some who attempted to bend the rules.
After puffifying more than a dozen fashion and music magazines, along with a handful of games consoles and mobile phones Constance felt exhausted. The effect of the curse on her magic was becoming more serious with each passing day.
The Fourth Year dorms were the last on her rounds and fortunately all the girls were already in bed and asleep, which was something of a relief. The Fourth Years seemed to be taking seriously the fact that their Higher Witch Certificate exams were only a few months away.
Feeling bone tired, Constance slowly made her way back to the teachers corridor and her own room. She was not surprised to see a light shining under the door and when she opened it Mildred was sitting on her bed, waiting for her.
"Miss Hardbroom!" Mildred got to her feet and smiled a little self-consciously at her former teacher, "Everything all right?"
"Yes Mildred." Constance let out an exasperated sigh. "Although the girls we have now are just as reluctant to get to bed at a reasonable hour as you used to be!"
Mildred chuckled softly. "Well they are teenagers so what else can you expect? Anyway, are you ready to go now?"
Constance nodded. Mildred reached out and touched her arm and she felt the characteristic snatching sensation of magical transportation. An instant later they were in a completely different room.
Constance looked around her curiously. They were in a large, brightly lit room with several blackboards on one side covered by a scrawl of complex mathematical equations. There was a desk with a computer terminal on the other side, but a circle of large mirrors, rather incongruously surrounding what looked to be a hospital trolley, took up the centre of the room. Looking down she noticed the mirrors were standing on a square section of the wooden floor that in contrast to the surrounding area was rough and unvarnished. It appeared that a large item of furnishing, possibly a bench of some kind had been recently removed.
Taking her arm, Mildred led Constance towards the desk on the far side of the room where two people were waiting.
"You know Cas Crowfeather of course and I'm sure you remember Enid."
"Miss Crowfeather." Constance nodded at her healer and then turned to Enid. "I never expected to see you again, Enid Nightshade."
"Me neither!" Enid grinned impudently at her former teacher. "You're looking well, Miss Hardbroom."
Constance snorted. "Spare me the polite insincerities Enid. I look terrible, as you well know!"
"Well hopefully that's something the four of us will be able to change shortly," Mildred said, and then looked around with a frown. "Well there should be four of us. Where is Charlie anyway?"
Enid shrugged. "He said he had something to take care of and he'd meet us here soon.
Mildred scowled, looking furious. "I told him not to be late. What the hell is he playing at?"
Before either Cas or Enid could answer the door at the far end of the lab opened and Charlie Blossom walked in. Constance scrutinised the young wizard closely, thinking he had changed considerably since she had last seen him. He was certainly taller and better built although that was not particularly surprising. But there also appeared to be a subtle change in his character as well. Charlie had always had a streak of mischievous impudence about him, but he seemed to now be much more confident that in the past.
"Charlie, where have you been? I told you not to be late!"
Mildred strode up to the young wizard berating him furiously. But instead of responding verbally he snaked a arm around the young witch's waist and pulled her into a kiss. Constance watched with astonishment as Mildred surrendered instantly, returning the kiss with open mouthed abandon and pressing herself against Charlie with a wantonness she found rather disturbing.
Charlie released her, grinning smugly. Blushing furiously, Mildred walked away, shaking her head and muttering under her breath. The change in him went beyond just greater confidence; there was a subtle air of arrogance about him now that made Constance decidedly uneasy.
Even the way he moved was different, Constance suddenly realised. There was something oddly familiar about the young wizard's body language but she just couldn't bring to mind exactly what it was.
Constance watched, feeling a little puzzled as Mildred pulled what seemed to be a small wooden disc out of her pocket. She murmured something and it glowed briefly with an intense blue light. There seemed to be no other effect though and after a moment's thought she realised the object must have been a focal talisman that Mildred had just activated. Once a specific set of circumstances was realised it would cast a spell automatically.
"Mildred?" She approached the younger witch and spoke it a whisper. "Why are you using a focal talisman?"
"I'll explain later," Mildred whispered back.
"There's something wrong, isn't there?" Constance gave her former pupil a searching look. "What spell will that talisman cast and what will trigger it?"
"There's no time for this now," Mildred insisted, still speaking in a low voice. "I promise I'll explain everything later, Miss Hardbroom. For now please just trust me and everything will work out."
Constance felt far from reassured by those words, but at the moment she didn't have much choice but to go along with things.
Almost before she could process what was happening, Constance found herself lying on the hospital trolley at the centre of the array of mirrors. She felt curiously isolated, as though somehow cut off from the rest of the universe.
Gradually she became aware of voices chanting, four of them in unison, three females and a male. At first she could not distinguish any words, although she could feel magical energy swirling and crackling about her. There was an odd sensation as though something was being drawn out of her body; a feeling that only increased as the chant built in intensity until the words at last became discernible.
"…enchantus unitate et negatum concilaitis. Fiat! Fiat! Fiat!"
Instantly the magical forces swirling about her condensed and coalesced into a shimmering ball of white light, hovering just above her. Then Constance heard Mildred's voice shouting.
"Quick, get her out of there!"
Cas and Enid darted inside the circle of mirrors and quickly pulled the trolley she was lying on outside and then Mildred and Charlie pushed the mirrors closer together.
"Are you all right, Miss Hardbroom?" Mildred asked as she moved to stand beside the trolley.
"I think so," Constance muttered as she struggled to sit up.
"Let me help you," Mildred said, putting an arm about her waist and assisting her off the trolley.
As she stood up, Constance suddenly realised that although very tired she was actually free from pain, for the first time in months.
"How are you feeling?" Mildred enquired, looking at her rather anxiously.
"I feel better," Constance replied. "The pain has completely gone, although I still feel exhausted."
"I'll be a while before you recover your full strength," Mildred told her. "But we have to check your magic hasn't been affected. Try a spell."
"What spell?" Constance asked, feeling suddenly nervous. She couldn't imagine how she would cope if her magic was gone.
"Any spell," Mildred responded. "Anything will do as a test."
For a moment Constance was unsure of what to try, then she remembered a simple spell that was often used to test if a prospective witch had magical powers.
"Objectus movus shiftus!" She intoned, pointing at a laboratory stool.
To her immense relief it immediately moved several feet across the floor.
"Thank you, Mildred!" Acting on sudden impulse, Constance hugged her former pupil. "I don't know how I can ever repay you for this."
"It's nothing," Mildred muttered, looking rather flustered by the Potion teacher's uncharacteristic display of affection. "Anyone would have done the same."
"Not everyone could have done this," Cas reminded them, giving Mildred a hug as well. "It's a fantastic achievement, Millie!"
"Yeah, great job, Millie!" Enid chimed in enthusiastically.
Constance suddenly noticed that Charlie Blossom was not joining in the general chorus of congratulations. He was standing close up to the circle of mirrors, staring into one of the gaps between them as though entranced. Mildred had obviously noticed his unusual behaviour as well.
"Are you all right Charlie?" She asked anxiously.
"Of course!" Charlie turned and grinned at her. "This is an amazing accomplishment, Mildred. You've isolated part of the fundamental magic that built the universe. It's like capturing a part of God!"
"I think that's a bit of an exaggeration," Mildred said uncomfortably.
"Not at all!" Charlie grinned even wider. "Think of the power this will give us!"
"Power?" Mildred stared at him, looking rather alarmed. "I'm not after any personal power this could bring me, and you shouldn't be either, Charlie."
"Charlie?" the young wizard sniggered. "You are under a misapprehension, Mildred Hubble. I am not Charlie!"
His outline suddenly flickered and then standing there in place of Charlie Blossom was a completely different man. He was at least a decade older, with dark flowing hair and a classically handsome face marred only by a scar on his left cheek. He was dressed in a long white robe with a cowl, an elaborately carved staff in his hand.
"No!" Mildred screamed, raising her hands.
Whatever spell she had intended to cast it was too late. The wizard swung his staff in a circle, a pearly white light radiating from it. Constance felt all her muscles suddenly lock in paralysis as a binding spell took hold on her.
At that moment she suddenly remembered everything. She remembered Guy de Malfeasance visiting her room, remembered her refusal to betray Mildred and then her memory being removed. Somehow the immortal wizard had managed to impersonate Charlie and worm his way into Mildred's confidence to gain the power he was seeking.
But along with Mildred and the other two witches she was powerless to act on that knowledge. Unable to move or speak Constance could only watch helplessly, her ears ringing with the sound of the Whisperer's triumphant laughter.