Chapter 2

The Two New Charter Mages

That summer holiday was tedious , fun but very tedious at times. The man in the book was a charter priest, but the fact that he was stuck in a book, even a book of power, made baptising extremely difficult. The opportunity came near the end of the holidays any way. The equipment he needed was hard to find and to make it even more difficult as the objects had to be trapped into the book with him. This took up most of the free time I got. By free time I meant the time when I was alone in the house (or tent when I was on the Isle of Wight). It was the 25th of August when the baptism finally took place.

Mum had left with Izzy, my two year old sister, to go food shopping. As soon as mum's car left the drive way I rushed upstairs and into my room. I opened the book and placed it on a book stand. Frederick swam into focus, looking a little worn out.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

"What, oh, yes, yes I'm fine, just a little tired that's all." This was followed by a humongous yawn. " right well lets get started shall we?", and before I could answer he started to chant. I noticed that a charter mark of ash was upon his forehead covering his own charter mark. Frederick continued to chant, he chanted about the eternal charter, of how it connected all the things in life and death, and how it described everything in the world. He mentioned my name and signalled with two fingers his forehead and then mine. Then he pulled a silver bottle from within his large sleeves, and took off the cork with a quiet pop. A scent of crushed thistles and sweet rosemary issued from the bottle creating an atmosphere that sharpened the mind but lulled the body. Frederick then spoke one, one syllable word, and clapped once. The ash charter mark disappeared from his forehead and a warm sensation spread across my forehead.

"Brilliant!" Frederick shouted with glee, "The charter has accepted thee."

" Does that mean I am a charter mage?" I asked hopefully. I felt with two fingers my new charter mark.

" You can become a charter mage," Frederick said, "but only if you are determined enough, and practise a lot."

" I will." I promised to Frederick, and to me.

The last week and a bit of the summer holidays was filled with me trying to create, and cast a cloaking spell. I was trying to hide my charter mark at school because I was sure that some kids would just take the mick out of me. I must admit that I thought any form of learning would be boring. Learning charter magic was different though. It was exciting using the many different marks into a spell, trying to get them in an order so that they would work. I also had to learn the names, power and type, and master marks as well, so I knew which ones to use, and which ones I shouldn't. Three days before the end of the summer holidays I had cast a successful, but crude, cloaking spell hiding my charter mark. The last few days was spent with my friends from school, now that my charter mark was hidden I accepted all their invites and made a few of my own. That was one of the best parts of this summer holiday.

It was tutor period at Alderbrook, my school, and I was chatting to a girl called Grace. Most of the other kids in our other groups said we were going out. We weren't but we did go to each others houses, and we chatted a lot.

" Grace do you want to go to my house tomorrow, I got this thing I want to show you." I asked in a sweet tone, the thing was the book of power from the library.

"Yeah sure" She said, "But don't fart in the same room as me, please." I kept renewing the book so I could still chat to Frederick. Frederick said that if anybody could see the master mark (I found that out later) on the cover they could be baptised. No other friends of mine saw the master mark, but everyone felt the pulsation. Grace had been to my house before, but I forgot about the book. The reason me and Grace got on so well was because we sat next to each other in tutor and we were in the same group as each other in most of the subjects. Tutor period had changed too. Instead of having thirty or so pupils of the same year group there was three or four of each year group. This meant that the four of us year eights were now quite close. Finally tomorrow came and I waited for Grace to feel the book.

I couldn't keep the excitement at bay, it burst out of me giving me bounds of energy, so I almost jogged home but had to slow down for Grace.

"God you're full of energy." said Grace, "Slow down would you, the world wont end if you're not at your house straight away."

"Oh I cant help it" I said, "I'm just excited that's all."

" I can see that." she muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Oi I heard that!" I said, then I clasped my arm around her shoulders. Five minutes later we walked through my front door , said hi to mum and went straight to my room. When we were both inside I closed the door. I threw off the hot school jacket and heavy school bag onto my bed. Grace followed suit. I walked over to the bookshelf and pulled the book out. I was confident Grace would see the mark, for she said she often saw a flash of gold light from my forehead, a real charter mage would see a gold film over my forehead, the film was my cloaking spell. As soon as she saw the cover she gasped, and fell. I dived forwards to catch her, but only managed to throw grace onto my bed and send me catapulting towards the floor instead. I whacked my nose with such a force it felt like it had exploded, or at least broken. Mum rushed upstairs to find out the problem, and found me squirming on the floor with a swollen nose and a fainted Grace on my bed. Mum exploded into action like my nose exploded into pain, she ran down stairs to get something. I in the mean while stumbled over to Grace and sat down next to her. My nose started to bleed so I quickly tilted my head back. Wow, I thought, that book sure can cause some carnage. Soon after mum re-entered with a chunk of ice and a glass of water.

"Here," mum said, "Put it on your nose, it'll make the swelling go down." She then sat Grace up and poured some water down her throat. Grace choked, and then came to.

"What was that!," Grace exclaimed. She then saw me with a hunk of ice resting on a swollen nose. "And what on earth happened to you?"

"Yes, what did you do to yourself ?" questioned Mum.

" Well Grace fainted, I dived to catch her, but only managed to throw grace on the bed and catapult me into the floor. My nose hit first." I explained, and I took off the ice because my nose was getting numb.

"I'll get you round to the doctors." said mum, I groaned. When mum left the room I asked Grace what made her faint, she had gone all shaky and sweaty so her reply had to wait. I comforted her by putting my arm around her, stopping the shivering, for she was ice cold. I visualised the three charter marks for heat that I knew and cast them into Grace. The cold ebbed away and colour rushed into her face. She muttered her thanks and drank some water.

"Grace tell me, did you see a symbol on the cover of that book?" I asked in a soothing tone.

"If you mean that old looking one, yes." she replied.

"Really!" I asked nearly shouting, jumping up with excitement. "The symbol with the lines that flow and look like thick mercury?"

"Yeah, yes I do, the one with the lines that look like goo." said Grace. I leapt down and picked up the book and flicked to page 178. "Look," I said, "Can you see a shape on there? Like an arched window. It might be quite faint. If you do, touch it!"

"Ok, I will but it's only a shape." She replied.

"You'll see," I said, "You'll see." Her finger touched the line like mine did one month ago, and just like my time the line erupted into golden charter fire. She went to scream but I, ready, covered her mouth with my hand.

"Here." I said, giving her my chunk of ice to put on her finger. She muttered her thanks again, rubbing her finger all over the chunk of ice. When Grace looked at the book again the fire had gone leaving that same line like the ones on the front cover. Colours were swirling there as well.

"Wow how is that possible?" She asked.

"That's nothing, just keep watching." I replied, and she did. More and more streaks of colour appeared, swirling around in a whirlpool of colours. Graced ooohed and aaaaahed at the whirlpool and then squeaked in surprise as Frederick appeared. I chuckled and introduced them.

"Frederick, Grace. Grace, Frederick."

"Hello." spoke Grace, the simple word shrouded in shyness and shock.

"Hello young gal, and how are you for I must be quite a shock." replied Frederick in a voice of grandness. Grace did look like she had been in a state of shock and utter surprise. "I take it Peter, that you want Grace baptised?" Frederick continued, I nodded and hoped Grace would want to be baptised.

"Grace, have you read this book before? (I picked up the Sabriel book and showed it to her.)" I asked. Grace simply nodded, her mind completely unable to work things out.

Grace's baptism took place the next Friday. Only more of the special aroma was needed, there was plenty of everything else. I watched in anticipation, praying the charter would except her. The book was on the book stand, with Frederick watching Grace preparing for the baptism. She had brought some formal clothes for the occasion. The clothes were a full length red dress, a set of plated gold bracelets and plain white stockings. The dress had golden lining with a flowery collar and lace all around the rims. The plated gold bracelets had her full name imbedded on them, there were three in total and the plain white stockings were just plain white stockings. Grace also had her hair down and straightened. Well, I thought, for a one person audience she certainty wants to look good. I remembered what a state I was in, sweaty from the heat and also wearing a plain t-shirt and shorts. Grace looked like perfection in a heavily worked on cool and calm state. She sat down cross-legged in front of the book. Frederick took this as a signal to start and so he began his chant. I listened carefully to the chant and felt the power in those words. One day I will have that same amount of power too. He said her name and waved his two fingers from his forehead to hers. He said one, one syllable word and clapped once. Like my baptism the ash charter mark disappeared from Frederick's forehead and a real charter mark appeared on Grace's forehead. The magic of the baptism had locked Grace in that sitting position, it wouldn't even let her twitch. The clap broke that lock and Grace then immediately sneezed. She felt her forehead and felt the charter mark there; it pulsated with her heart beat lightly under her finger tips. She spoke in a far off sort of voice, "Wow, that was freaky." So now she was a charter mage, the second in Britain for one thousand years.