Chapter 27
Witchaven
Timothee felt his feet land on the soft forest floor as a loud crack reverberated throughout the birch tree forest of Witchaven, New York.
They stood at the ready with their various wands held outstretched in their hands as they scanned the endless stalks of white skeleton trees. A low summer mist hugged the ground and high above through the canopy of green leaves, aurora borealis danced in the starry sky. The moon, large and full, crept over the horizon tinted green, purple and red by the northern lights.
"Do you see anything?" Archie whispered.
"Nothing," Timothee answered, his eyes hunting for the slightest movements.
"There is no time to waste then, let's move," Daniel said.
"Town is this way," Theo pointed with his illuminated pen.
They kept in a tight nit pack as they approached the town which was lit by the orange glow of street lights. Townsfolk still stood like statues as they rested in the midst of everyday life.
"Even the bloody crickets are asleep," Daniel whispered, taking a step onto the main road. It felt as if the entire world had fallen silent, so quiet that they could hear themselves breathing and their hearts beating.
Timothee pointed his ringed hand towards the tall white slatted steeple a few blocks away, "Town hall is that way!"
"Okay, let's split up," Archie said, "The school is only a few blocks behind us."
Timothee turned to Theo and saw Elawin's face instead. In a feather down voice she whispered, "Child…"
He shook his head in disbelief and grabbed his rings as Theo's face returned to him.
"Are you alright?" Abigail asked.
"She's here," Timothee shouted, "She's here!"
Daniel's head darted this way and that with his spoon held forward.
Theo held up his illuminated pen frantically searching the sleeping faces, "I can't tell which one is her!"
"What do we do?" Abigail asked, her skeleton key gripped tightly in her hands.
"There!" Timothee yelled and pointed back towards the school.
A woman in a black dress was walking down the center of the street towards them with two smaller figures behind her. The ears of the Troblins bobbed up and down as they followed in tow. There was no hesitation, no fear in her stride.
Daniel pointed his spoon towards her, "Looks like we are in for a proper fight."
"Remember the plan," Archie said, "We need to find the enchanted object."
The black Vampress stopped only twenty feet away, "Give me the Partée child and I will let the rest of you live. Get in my way and you will all perish… or worst."
Daniel took a step forward, "Oy, hag! I reckon we broke your little monsters wands so that makes it four against one! After what you did to my brother, I'll have you begging for sunlight when I am through with you!"
Elawin grinned, her ice blue eyes glowing in the pale moon light. Raising both her hands over the troblins on either side of her, she whispered, "Engorgio."
The troblins shuttered, shimmied and shook as their bodies started to swell and grow up towards the night sky.
Thorne turned to Thistle as their height exceeded their master's. His voice transforming from tenor to bass as he cackled, "Look at us now Thistle!"
"Look at us now Thorne!" Thistle roared back. Now at fifteen feet his voice resembled that of a sousaphone. His long clawed fingers were over a foot long and his ears were the size of flags. An enormous protruding gut hung out of his tight stretched clothes and his pink fleshy skin had an oily sheen to it.
"We're in barney," Daniel muttered, "I'll try and hold them as long as I can."
"Time to go!" Archie ordered.
Timothee and Theo took off towards the town hall while Abigail and Archie sprinted in the opposite direction towards Witchaven High.
"Get them," Elawin hissed.
Thorne roared, his half ear shook and globs of slobber spewed from his mouth. The ground trembled under the pounding strides of the two fifteen foot troblins as they thundered off in different directions after the teen wizards.
Daniel, alone with Elawin, gripped his spoon in his right hand and stared down the dark witch. Simultaneously the wizard and witch whipped their wands around and casted spells which arced a bright beam of light that crackled, hissed and spewed magical energy.
Chapter 28
Witchaven High
"Alohomora!" Abigail screamed, wildly waving her key through the air. She darted up the steps of Witchaven High two at a time and barged through the brown metal double doors. Archie was close behind her, his face red and his glasses askew on his face.
A menacing giant clawed hand rifled through the doorway of the high school missing the teens by inches. There was an ear piercing screech as Thistle's claws ground into the tiled floor and pulled back.
Abigail looked over her shoulder as the large triangular head of Thistle peered through the double doors. His black eyes were the size of eight balls and his mouth was filled with the triangular serrated teeth the size of great white shark teeth.
"Come here!" Thistle roared. Getting down on his enormous gut and tried to crawl into the foyer of the school. The enormous troblin got stuck on the metal beam that partitioned the two swinging doors and was forced to retreat back into the darkness of night.
Archie's chest bobbed up and down as he fought for breath. Both his hands were resting on his knees and his face was flush red with beads of sweat, "I feel like we've been here before!"
Abigail tugged at Archie's shoulder, "The music room isn't too far! Follow me Arch!"
The two teens ran through the empty halls until they came to a room that was connected to the side of the auditorium. Rows of chairs surrounded a podium and cases of instruments were lined against the walls. A piano was in one corner of the room and a white drape was resting over a tall triangular object.
"What now?" Abigail said looking around the room, "There are so many instruments!"
"There!" Archie yelled pointing to the black piano in the corner of the room, "Start there!"
Abigail pointed her key and shouted, "Reducto!"
The long black grand piano made a grotesque sound as the strings inside snapped free and the wood splintered into thousands of pieces.
Archie ran over to a tall white cover and pulled it back revealing a beautiful ornate harp with the carved figure of a mermaid, "This next!"
Abigail turned her key and hesitated.
"What are you waiting for?" Archie screamed, "The troblin could be here at any moment!"
Abigail closed her eyes, "Reducto!"
The harp detonated before their eyes. Strings twinged and twanged before there was nothing left but a pile of jagged splinters.
"Did it work?" Abigail asked, "Is the curse gone?"
Archie ran to the window and looked outside towards the sky. Auroras still danced in the heavens, "No it didn't. Let's open some of the instrument cases next."
A massive hand plunged through the music room window and wrapped its long fingers around Archie. Abigail turned her head and fell backwards as shards of glass flew towards her face.
"Abigail!" Were the last words Archie was able to scream before he vanished.
Abigail rolled onto her stomach, got to her feet and darted around the doorway just out of sight.
"Come out! Come out! Wherever you are! Before I squish your friend into jelly!" Thistle beckoned.
Archie let out a horrifying scream of agony which was cut short as all the air crushed out of him.
"Think Abigail! Think!" She whispered through gritted teeth. She peered around the corner and saw Archie with the enormous hand wrapped around his torso. His face went from red to purple as the grip on him tightened.
Turning away, she hit the back of her head against the wall, "Think!" Looking down at her leg, she saw a small wet spot over her pocket and plunged her hand in pulling out a small blue vial of Wizergen. She held the vial in her hands and closed her eyes before they snapped open, "I got it!"
Chapter 29
Town Hall
"Watch out!" Theo yelled, diving over the top of a car hood with Timothee close behind.
Thorne's muscled arm ripped over the teens' heads and tore a fire hydrant clear out of the ground. A jet of water fired from the hole in the ground like a geyser and blasted the giant troblin in the face knocking him into a candy red 1957 Chevy truck. The truck crumpled like tin foil and let out a dying honk before the wheels hissed and popped like gunfire from the weight.
Theo pointed to the roundabout at the end of the block, "We're almost there!"
"We'll never make it!" Timothee shouted, getting to his feet and continuing down the sidewalk. He dodged the statuesque townsfolk who fell victim to the curse.
"Onto the road!" Theo urged, "We can't let anyone get trampled!"
Behind the teen wizards, Thorne roared as he got back to his feet. The troblin picked up the crushed truck and launched it into the forest.
"Get back here boys!" He boomed. The ground shook, cars jumped in place and storefront windows rattled as the troblin charged down the road like a bull elephant.
Timothee fired a leg locker curse over his shoulder but the spell bounced off the large troblin and disappeared into the night in a red orb of light.
Theo casted a spell only this time a blue orb hit the Troblin in the face and disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"Nothing is working!" Theo cried.
"At the same time!" Timothee shouted between breathes.
"What are we casting?" Theo yelled.
"Let's hit him with sparks!" Timothee answered.
"Right Now!" Timothee said and the two teens spun around and both fired blue and red sparks.
"My eyes!" Thorne roared and clawed frantically as the embers of the sparks hissed and crackled.
"That bought us a second!" Theo wheezed.
They reached the town hall and barged through the entrance pushing the sleeping mayor out of the way. The building had an old colonial lobby with wood pattern floors, a few leather sofas, and a secretary's desk where a woman in a navy dress slept. There were two halls that branched off to the left and right lined with office doors.
Timothee looked left and right down the empty hallways, "The bell tower! How do we get to the bell tower?"
"I don't know!" Theo panicked, "There should be stairs on the far side of one of these hallways!"
"I go left and you go right!" Timothee ordered and the two teens sprinted in opposite directions.
Timothee scanned the doors as he ran passed them looking for any sign of a stairwell. The walls had white and blue patterned wallpaper and old colonial paintings were placed in between each office door. The doors themselves were decorated with brass nameplates of elected officials and council members.
With his legs strained and his lungs burning, Timothee spotted the brass name plate labeled "Stairwell" and barged into it. He pulled himself up the stairwell until he reached the third floor and all but fell through it.
There must have been a stairwell on the opposite hall because Theo appeared in the opposite wing. The wing was nearly identical to the first floor only instead of a doorway at the junction of the two wings, there was a large glass window where moonlight flooded in.
Theo and Timothee jogged towards each other, meeting in front of the window. Timothee looked out at the full moon in the sky before turning back to Theo who was breathing at a mile a minute.
"The steeple?" Theo gasped, "There has to be a way to the steeple!"
"Where is the steeple on the town hall?" Timothee asked.
"Right above us," Theo said and pointed towards the ceiling.
They looked up simultaneously and saw a rectangular outline on the white ceiling above.
"It's a door!" Theo said.
The bright moonlight that filled the room suddenly vanished in shadow. Timothee looked towards the window just as the giant burnt face of Thorne pressed against the glass. He had black streaks around his eyes and his breath fogged the glass.
"Get back here boys!" Thorne bellowed and shattered the glass as he ripped his way into the hallway.
Timothee and Theo dove out of reach as a great clawed hand swiped for them.
Thorne clawed his way into the hallway and rose to his feet. He was too tall to stand straight up and was forced to crane his neck at a jarring angle. Globs of drool poured from his mouth, "I will tear you limb from limb. Forget the master! It ends tonight!"
Theo raised his pen but the large hand of the troblin swatted the teen and launched him into the wall. His body fell to the ground and remained still. Before Timothee could react, Thorne had him in his grasp. His long claws digging into his back, the strength of his fingers squeezing the breath out of his lungs.
"Maybe I eat the boy, Thistle?" Thorne said. His large head craned left and then right before he chuckled, "I forgot he's not here."
Opening his mouth, Timothee was horrified to see two rows of white dagger like teeth coming towards him. He tried to set himself free but found that he was trapped, locked as the giant mouth came closer and closer.
Chapter 30
Witchaven High
Abigail opened the emergency doors near the cafeteria that lead to the athletic fields where students in the midst of a soccer game slept. She watched as the massive troblin tramped around the school grounds peering through windows with a helpless Archie in his grasp.
Abigail tucked back her green lock of hair before shouting, "Hey! You!"
Thistles ears perked up before his large onyx eyes locked on Abigail.
"The girl!" Thistle growled.
"Abi… Run!" Archie wheezed before falling unconscious
Abigail dropped the empty vial of Wizergen she had been holding and pulled out her skeleton key. Winding it up, she fired a purple wave of energy towards Thistle who dodged it and dropped Archie onto the grassy field. The troblin howled and took off towards Abigail in a full sprint.
Abigail felt the ground shake under her feet as the fifteen foot behemoth dashed her way, snarling and growling as it steamed towards her. It closed the distance faster than she could have ever imagined. The black eyes of the troblin glistened in the full moonlight as its' long protracted claws were drawn.
"Here goes nothing!" Abigail thought to herself as she dropped stomach first onto the floor. She felt the rush of wind as something massive passed over her head at a blinding speed.
"No!" Thistle screamed as a large black ball of fur hit the troblin in the chest and launched him backwards. The cool summer night air was filled with the bone chilling howl of a werewolf. It was Vance, only he was in the nightmare form that the full moon brought about.
It was a ferocious fight as the fury of Vance was fully unleashed on the gigantic troblin. Abigail sprinted passed the battle of fur and flesh and ran to Archie's side, "Arch are you okay?"
Archie nodded as color returned to his face and became conscious. He looked around dazed and bewildered before finally coming to his senses, "I am okay, I am okay."
There was a bone crushing crunch and Abigail and Archie turned just in time to see Vance's jaws warped around the hand of Thistle. The troblin howled a blood curdling scream before fighting to free his hand. Working his fingers in between the long fangs, Thistles hand came free. The giant fell back and rolled before taking off towards the woods cradling his injury.
The tall powerful werewolf trotted over to them, his eyes glowing yellow and black blood smeared around his snout.
Archie took a step back, "Vance? Is that you?"
The black werewolf with a red stripe down his back sniffed a few times and lowered his head.
Archie dropped his shoulders, "Thank Merlin."
The werewolf continued to sniff in the air until something caught his attention.
"What is it?" Abigail asked.
The tall werewolf stood on his back legs and it was only then that Archie was reminded of how truly tall he was. Landing back on all fours, the werewolf began to gallop back towards town.
"What is it?" Abigail asked again but Vance just turned his head back and motioned for them to follow.
Archie turned to Abigail, "I guess we should follow him?"
"Unless you can think of something better!" Abigail said and the two teens took off.
Chapter 31
Witchaven Townhall
Timothee gagged when he smelled the warm wet sickening smell of Thorne's breath. To his horror the pink fleshy tongue of the troblin danced excitedly like a massive earth worm. He fought with all his might to break himself free but to no avail.
Looking up towards the ceiling he saw the white door for the staircase.
"I need to pull it open!" He realized. Focusing his gaze he shouted "Accio stairs!" and he heard a creak from the ceiling.
" Accio stairs!" Timothee shrieked, his head fully inside Thorne's mouth. The Troblin's tongue lathered his face and he shouted again, "ACCIO STAIRS!"
There was a tumultuous crash and Timothee's world was suddenly upside down, right side up and upside down again. He hit the wooden ground with a loud thud and a burning sensation radiated from his left wrist.
"Timothee? You groovy?" Theo groaned.
"Bien," Timothee moaned, rolling on his back. He felt fluid rushing to his left wrist.
Only a few feet away lay the troblin with the end of the ladder opened onto its' head. Thorne snored loudly and Timothee felt the floor boards shutter. A warm breeze swept in from the shattered window and he heard the howl of a werewolf.
"Is Vance out there?" He wondered.
Theo and Timothee helped each other up before getting to the wooden ladder and climbing in through the ceiling. The crawl space in the attic had a musty smell and it was impossible to see.
Theo casted, "Lumos" from his pen and illuminated rows of wooden beams and cobwebs in the crawl space. At the top of the latter was a door that was latched shut.
"The bell is just beyond this exit," Theo said, grabbing the latch and giving it a hard tug with his right hand.
The door creaked, moaned and bits of sediment fell onto their heads. Theo let out a loud grunt that rivaled the snoring troblin below before the latch swung ninety degrees and the small square door popped up.
They reached the top steps and onto the tall steeple which was the highest point in Witchaven. In the darkness they were surrounded by the tops of trees and rows of black shingled roofs. Down the street, Timothee saw a white glow where Daniel and Elawin were battling.
"This is it," Theo said, running his hand along the wide mouthed bell. It was suspended by a series of ropes and wooden planks and had a casted patterned band around the middle with the date 1768. The bell had a green patina from the years of heavy winters, spring storms and humid summers.
Theo held out his pen, "I'll see if I can cut this thing down. You check to make sure it doesn't land on anyone."
Timothee looked over the railing and saw the traffic circle. In the center of the circle was a ring of purple tulips and in the middle was the statue of the three cherubs. Their golden bronze wings glistened in the street lights.
Thorne's voice trumpeted from below, "RRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAA!"
Theo placed a hand on his head, "Oh great!"
"Stand back!" Timothee ordered and held his ringed hand towards the bell's support beam.
"What if it falls on someone!" Theo said.
"I'm counting on it! Now grab the wooden beam!" Timothee ordered as he hooked his arm around the small railing that wrapped the steeple, "REDUCTO!"
A wooden beam the size of a railroad tie splintered in the middle and both ends folded in like an accordion. The aged green bell let out a loud "Dong!" before dropping into the floor of the steeple and disappearing through the crawl space below. There were a terrific series of booms and another large "Dong!" as the bell fell onto Thorne's massive head. The troblin laid sprawled out for a second time as the massive bell rolled out of view.
"Look!" Timothee said. He pointed towards the large shattered windowsill directly below them where the green metal bell rolled out and onto the street, tolling away like the bells on a pinball machine. It bounced onto Main Street, crushed the garden of purple tulips and hit the statue of the Three Cherubs with a massive "Gong!"
The brass statue of the Three Cherubs shimmered green, red and blue and to their amazement the Auroras in the sky shimmered as well. They watched as the townsfolk below sleepily moved their heads and took a step. It was as if some unknown force had hit the play button and the pause button on life as the town once again fell back asleep. The colors on the statue faded and the Auroras continued to dance in the sky.
Timothee and Theo's head snapped to each other, "The statue!"
Chapter 32
This is the End
The high pitched whine of tattered silver twanged into the night air as a dining spoon hit the black pavement road. Daniel fell to one knee with his right hand firmly pressed over his side. Crimson blood flowed through his shaking fingers and he let out a strained grunt, "Come on Danny boy, we still got more in the tank."
"Foolish," Elawin whispered, her blue ice eyes glowing in the black dark of night. She held her rosewood wand at the tips of her fingers like a violinist holding his bow.
Closing his eyes, Daniel winced as he leaned over to grab his spoon. His hand missed on the first attempt and he nearly fell face first into the asphalt. His breathing was labored and the color on his face was starting to turn a sickly white. Using all the strength he could muster he slid his hand over the spoon and closed his finger around it. He slid the bowl of the spoon along the ground as he brought it to himself. His first attempt to stand failed and he collapsed into a sitting position with one leg tucked under the other.
"Shhhh," Elawin hushed. Her voice was as soothing as a warm bath, "Relax."
Her pearlescent fangs hung like ivory stalactites in her mouth. In a blur she was kneeling next to him. Her eyes rolling back ever so slightly at the smell of Daniel's blood, "It's easy, all you have to do is sleep."
Daniel's head was drawn back as a cold hand pulled on a tuft of his long brown hair. He was helpless to defend himself.
Elawin's cold breath against his neck sent an involuntary shutter down his spine. Looking at the street light above him, Daniel's vision went completely black, "This is the end."
Something hit Daniel with the force of a truck sending the wizard rolling along the road and coming to a stop a few feet away. His vision was restored, he looked where he had come from and saw a large black cloud of smoke. It was Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder. Inside the cloud he heard the venomous hiss of Elawin.
A large werewolf with yellow eyes came bounding from the cloud towards Daniel. Gripping his spoon in his hand he held it up eyes wide and hand shaking.
"No, Daniel! He's with us!" Abigail shouted.
"Bloody hell, I thought I was done," Daniel muttered, dropping his spoon.
"You're still going to need that!" Archie said, grabbing the spoon and placing it back into his bloody hand. He turned to Abigail and shook his head, "He doesn't look good."
Abigail looked to Vance, "You think you can hold her off while we get him to Timothee's house?"
The werewolf nodded his head. Taking a step forward with his big black paw, he licked Abigail on the cheek before turning around and vaulting back into the cloud of darkness powder.
"Here we go," Archie strained as he and Abigail helped Daniel to his feet.
"If we cut through the forest we might lose her!" Abigail said.
Chapter 33
Standing Right in Front of You
"Reducto!" Theo yelled. A blue orb of light fired from the tip of his pen and ricocheted into the night sky. A field of green rippled over the statue before disappearing.
Theo turned to Timothee, "Maybe we try at the same time?"
"No," Timothee answered, "The enchantment is too strong for that. Daniel said we should try fire if the Reducto didn't work."
"What spell was that again?"
"Incendio," Timothee said, "You have to move your wand like this."
"Okay, got it!"
"On Three! One, two Three!"
The two teens held out their makeshift wands as they casted in unison, "Incendio!"
Two streams of flame shot out like dragons breath. The spell was so loud and so hot that it was hard for Timothee to hear anything but the roaring of the flame. The enchantment on the statue of the Three Cherubs turned a bright green letting out a high pitched scream like a steam whistle.
"Keep going!" Theo yelled but he couldn't even hear his own words.
The night sky lit up in intensity of beautiful colors of green, red and blue until the moon itself was lost in the light.
The metal in the statue creaked and groaned and started to sweat drops of red hot glowing bronze.
Timothee whipped his wand back and fired it forward roaring, "Draco Incendio Totalis!" and the flame coming from his rings turned from yellow and to purple. The scarlet ruby on his ring began to glow in the night.
The heat was so intense that it burned his hand and he had to look away for fear that hair would ignite at any moment. Theo looked over and noticed that the flecks of green in Timothee's eyes were also alight in his brown irises. There was something ancient and powerful in his look, like the very magic in his soul was emanating through him. His clothes started turning black at the edges charred from the intense heat.
The bronze trumpets wilted and the details in the three cherubs melted until they were nothing more than three featureless mounds. They looked more like dementors than cherubs and that is when it happened. It sounded as if a great cloth was being torn apart. The green glowing enchantment split down the middle and rip traveled straight towards the aurora in the sky. A great green blast exploded from the statue launching Timothee into the purple flower bed as a green wave washed over them and the rest of the town.
Timothee opened his eyes and looked at a black starless sky. A falling star streaked across the heavens and vanished before one by one the stars came back into the night sky. There were no longer any greens, reds or purples. No blues, pinks or oranges. Just a black background dotted with twinkling constellations. In the eastern sky, the first signs of sunrise were starting to show.
"We did it," Timothee whispered. Extending a hand, he placed it on the large copper-green bell that was next to them, "I can't believe we didn't see it."
"See what?" Theo asked.
"It was before us the whole time. The statue of the Three Cherubs never changed color, never formed a patina like we learned in Mr. Burnside's class. It was the enchantment that kept it bronze."
"It's the things standing right in front of you that are hardest to see," Theo muttered.
All at once the town of Witchaven woke up from their slumber. A police officer who was directing traffic blew his whistle and a woman and her dog took a few steps on their daily walk and stopped. They looked around in bewilderment, unsure of where the time had gone.
Timothee heard a small chirp next to his ear. Sitting up, he extended his hand and a small green and brown cricket climbed on it. Holding it up he watched it crawl around before letting out another chirp and in that second call, the entire night erupted in the sounds of cooing birds, chirping crickets and croaking bull frogs.
"Look!" Theo pointed, as a large canine dashed into the forest. A dark ball of smoke followed the large creature into the forest.
"We need to get to the others!" Timothee yelled.
Chapter 34
Mauling
"I'm just saying, that is pretty much a kiss," Archie explained.
"It was a lick on the cheek from a werewolf," Abigail said.
"And that's what people call dog kisses ergo Vance kissed you," Archie explained.
"I'm not getting into this," Abigail said, "We are being chased by a vampire."
"Wait, wait, wait! I need a moment!" Daniel begged.
"We can't stop!" Abigail ordered.
Daniel shook his head, "I need a second. I can't breathe."
"Okay, Just a second. Then we have to get moving again," Abigail said, lowering Daniel at the base of a white birch tree.
Archie's head was on high alert, looking left and right, "We can't stay long."
"Just go and get help, I'll wait here," Daniel pleaded. He leaned back against the tree and looked up towards the pre-dawn sky, "I failed you Oliver."
Abigail knelt down, "You didn't fail anyone. You tried your best and that's all anyone could ask for."
"She killed my brother and I couldn't avenge him," Daniel replied.
Abigail shook her head, "You're alive and that is what your bother would have wanted over any vengeance you could have sought out. He died so that you could live, not that you could spend the rest of your life plotting revenge or die in the pursuit of it. He wanted you to live."
Daniel closed his eyes and put more pressure on his bleeding side, "I don't know."
"I do," Abigail assured, "Now let's keep moving."
Helping Daniel to his feet they began to take a few steps when the summer night air was suddenly filled with the life of nature.
"Look!" Archie said, pointing towards the clear sky, "The auroras are gone!"
"They did it!" Abigail shouted gleefully.
"And it looks like morning is on its' way," Daniel added.
The sudden feeling of joy vanished as the sound of crashing trees came rushing towards them.
"You're mine!" Thistle roared, as he barreled through the forest towards them knocking over full grown trees like a bull dozer.
Abigail pulled out her key and held it out, "I'm really getting sick of this guy."
"REDUCIO!" A man's voice called out from the forest.
A blue orb hit the charging troblin in the chest but did not stop his stride. He came for them, shrinking smaller and smaller. This time running into a tree and spinning around rather than knocking it over. His base voice returned to its soprano pitch. It was only when Thistle had reached Archie, Abigail and Daniel, that he realized what had happened. Looking up at them, the troblin stopped dead in his tracks.
"Um… I…" Thistle stammered.
"What were you saying earlier?" Abigail asked suspiciously, "We are yours?"
"No, what I meant was that," The troblin stammered.
Abigail whipped her key back like a fishing pole and snapped it forward as she casted, "Eat slugs!"
The pink fleshy troblin turned a shade of green as a slimy black and brown spotted slug oozed from his mouth. He let out a horrified yelp and turned, running into the forest and disappearing into the endless field of birch trunks.
"And that's for Theo! You pointy eared weirdo!" Abigail shouted.
"You let him off easy," Daniel half chuckled half winced.
"Well if he ever comes back, he will get it worst," Abigail assured.
"That was a proper counter back there with the Reducio," Daniel said.
"I thought it was you," Abigail added.
"Hey guys," Archie whispered nervously. He pointed over towards a black figure that began to walk towards them.
Daniel grabbed his spoon and Abigail redirected her pen, "Who's there!"
"Lumos!" The dark figure called out, raising a wand high over his head.
"Mr. Redd!" Archie yelled in relief.
"Merlin's Beard," Daniel winced, "I nearly had a heart attack!"
"You're hurt, let me see," Samuel said. He pulled back Daniel's blood soaked hand and examined the wound, "What is going on? Where is Timothee?"
"He is back in town," Archie answered, "Him and Theo destroyed the curse on Witchaven."
"A curse?" Samuel said. He touched the point of his wand to Daniel's side.
"Ah!" Daniel cried and jerked away.
"Sit still," Samuel ordered and in one fluid motion slid his wand across the wound.
The skin pulled together seamlessly and except for the crimson blood all over his side, there was no sign that there had ever been a wound.
"Guys!" Timothee shouted, running towards them in the forest.
Samuel looked up from Daniel's side, "Oh thank Merlin!"
"Timothee!" Abigail and Archie shouted, jogging over to meet their friend.
There was a sudden flash of fur as Timothee was hit by Vance and tackled to the ground. The werewolf clamped on and shook his massive head viciously, shredding, tearing, ripping and snarling at the teen wizard. He thrashed him around violently as if he were a rag doll.
"No!" Samuel shouted, pulling up his wand and aiming it at the savage mauling.
"Vance no!" Abigail shouted.
"Samuel help!" Timothee cried, "He's killing me!"
Daniel held a hand over his mouth, "Bloody hell!"
Samuel whipped his wand back, but Archie lunged in the way of the spell, "Don't!"
"Get out of the way!" Samuel barked.
"No!" Archie shouted, "Timothee would never leave Theo behind!"
Just then, the werewolf let out a loud crying whimper and was hurled into the forest breaking limbs of trees as he flew.
Timothee floated to his feet covered in gashes, bites and claw marks. His neck and throat were eviscerated shreds of flesh but slowly the wounds began to heal. His complextion turned a ghostly white, his hair blackened and his eyes turned ice blue. It wasn't long before Elawin was standing before them.
"Redd," Elawin said coldly, "Where is the Stone of Morgana? The item promised to the Venetian!"
"We gave him everything," Samuel protested, "Go and ask him yourself."
"I did," Elawin hissed, "And what you gave him was nothing more than a fake!"
"Well that was what we found in Benedicts Collection. Who knows where the real stone is!"
"I've seen it. In Timothee's mind. The elf had it!" Elawin snarled. Her pearly white fangs glistening in the pre-dawn hours.
Archie looked to the horizon that was now a shade of pink.
"You mean Vert?" Samuel asked, "I haven't seen him since the Partée's died."
"Samuel!" Timothee shouted, as he ran towards the group. Theo was in tow right behind him with his pen clutched in his hand.
"Perfect!" Elawin whispered. Her eyes blazed like sapphires.
Chapter 35
A Promise
Elawin's rosewood wand whipped around over her head and fired forward a green orb.
Timothee pointed and screamed, "Watch out!"
Abigail held up her hands and casted, "Protego!"
The green spell hit the shield and vanished.
Daniel and Samuel simultaneously casted "Expelliarmus" sending red orbs of light toward the vampire, who blocked the spells like a fencer parrying an attacker's rapier.
Timothee held up his rings and casted, "Stupify!" while theo casted a leg locker curse. Abigail followed up with a spell of her own. Samuel and Daniel sent another volley of spells and Archie picked up a rock from the ground and threw it at Elawin.
The orbs of light came in from every angle and yet Elawin defended against them all. She moved blindingly fast as her wand blurred to the left and right sending one spell into the tree tops and another into the ground. She caught the red orb of light that was Samuel's spell with her wand and whipped it around her head like a lasso before launching it at Abigail.
Abigail was hit by the rebounded spell and it sent her skeleton key flipping end over end into the darkness of the forest.
Without looking, Elawin caught the stone that Archie had hurled and continued to fend off the other spells with her wand. Bringing the rock to her mouth, she whispered an incantation before throwing it back at the group of wizards. The stone grew into a boulder the size of a Volkswagen Beatle and sent everyone running for safety. The boulder crashed into the ground and kicked up a brown cloud of dirt.
Theo was the first to recover, pointing his pen and firing off another spell. Elawin's blue eye caught Theo over her shoulder and in one fluent motion she flipped over the incoming orb of light landing gracefully like a ballerina on one foot.
Elawin opened her hand and twirled the tip of her wand over her palm. There was a ripping sound within the soil as the roots of the birch trees tore from the ground and began to wrap themselves around Theo, binding him to a tree trunk. The terrified young wizard tried to fight the roots suffocating hug but was quickly overcome.
Turning her blue icy gaze to Daniel, she lashed her wand towards his feet and the tip of the wand elongated into a white whip. Pulling back on her rosewood wand Daniel flipped through the air, landed on his head, and fell unconscious.
Samuel dropped to one knee and placed a hand onto the ground and called out, "Tercomedentum!"
The soil shuddered and the earth under Elawin opened like a giant mouth swallowing her whole. The vampire hissed, screamed and clawed as she disappeared into the ground.
The forest fell quiet in the early dawn hours. The eastern sky was a hue of yellows and pinks while the western blacks and purples began to retreat over the horizon. The stars were vanishing one by one and the full moon was now sitting low in the southern sky.
Timothee's chest fired up in down in staccato breathes as he held his ringed hand outstretched in front of him.
"MMmmmmm!" Theo hummed from the bound roots. He was now wrapped like a mummy completely immobilized.
The ground directly behind Samuel erupted in a volcanic cloud of black earth soil. Samuel tried to swing around but Elawin was already on him. She hit him in the back with a brilliant orange spell and the older wizard fell helplessly to the ground.
"Hey you!" Abigail yelled, picking up a rock to hurl at Elawin. Archie had another rock in his hands and was ready to do the same.
Elawin made eye contact with the teens and they dropped the rocks. Their bodies became relaxed in a care free gaze and their heads tilted ever so lazily to one side. Timothee recognized the Imperius curse and knew that his friends were helpless to do anything.
Turning her frigid gaze to Timothee, she walked towards him with purpose. Timothee held up his rings and yelled, "Stupify!" and "Expelliarmus!" he even tried the curse of the bogies but the vampire batted them away with her hand as one would do an incessant fly.
She grabbed Timothee's wrist with her icy grip and jarred his hand to one side. Timothee's vision went white as the bones in his wrist made a loud crack! Unable to contain the oppressive pain, he cried out into the morning air.
"Very good!" Elawin roared, "Let him hear you."
"I don't," Timothee started but his words turned into more cries as she twisted his shattered wrist.
"Give it to me!" Elawin pressed wrenching the wrist even further causing Timothee to shriek.
"Get away from my family!" A high pitched voice demanded.
Timothee and Elawin turned to a small old stuffed brown teddy bear standing twenty feet away amongst the tall trees. He had stuffing coming out of one ear and his brown fur was dirty and matted.
"Ursa?" Timothee wheezed.
"Get away from my family!" The bear yelled again.
Elawin let go of Timothee's wrist and pointed her rosewood wand towards the stuffed bear. She slashed her wand through the air like a knife and Ursa exploded in a white ball of cotton and fabric.
"Ursa!" Timothee shouted.
Elawin turned back to Timothee, "Partée! This is the last time I will ask you!"
"No! This is the last time I will tell you! Get away from my family!" A voice demanded.
Timothee looked over to where Ursa had fallen and standing inside the remains of the stuffed animal was a house elf wearing a baby blue robe with a gold fleur-de-lis embroidered over the heart. The house elf snapped his fingers and a black bowler cap appeared. Tucking his ears back, he secured the cap to his head with his big green eyes a blaze just under the rim.
"Vert!" Timothee shouted.
Vert nodded, his chest puffing up.
"The elf!" Elawin snapped.
Vert dug into the pocket of his robes and held out a blue shimmering stone about the size of a snitch. Inside were all the colors in the spectrum of blue.
Elawin took flight towards Vert with her clawed hand drawn forward. Her blue eyes were hungry with desire and her pearl protracted fangs dripped with lust. She was only feet away when a single golden drop of sun peered over the eastern horizon sending a yellow jet of light through the birch tree forest. The beam found the perfect gap between the trees and hit Elawin in the hand.
The vampire fell back screaming as she held up her clawed hand which was now venting steam and looked as if part of it had turned to stone.
Elawin let out a frustrated scream and got to her feet. The ray of light acted like a barrier between the elf and the vampire. Spinning around towards Timothee, her face was no longer the beautiful mask she had wrapped herself in but gaunt and starved with a missing a nose and ears that were long and pointed.
Timothee's brown and green eyes watched as a second ray of light hit Elawin directly on the right side of her face. Her flesh steamed, cracked and turned to stone that crept over her right eye turning it from blue to white marble.
Timothee heard Elawin's voice in his head, "I'll be back!"
"I'll be waiting," Timothee answered.
There was a disapperating "crack" in the forest and the vampire vanished in the rising sun.
Timothee fell back onto the forest floor. He heard birds chirping and an owl hooting in the distance. Light footsteps approached him but he was too tired, too exhausted to turn his head.
The small elf walked over towards the stunned teen and bowed, "Monsieur Timothee Partée, allow me to officially introduce myself I am…"
"Vert," Timothee said.
Vert lifted his bowed head, "Wi."
"I saw you in a memory recently. You came to me when I was an infant. Have you been in there the entire time?"
"Since the day they left us," Vert answered.
"And the stone?" Timothee asked.
"Your father once spoke of a weapon used against witches and wizards. I don't know how it works but he had hid it in a necklace. I freed the stone and kept it against your father's wishes to give it to Samuel. I felt that such a weapon would put anyone in danger if others knew they possessed it. I realized that the only option was for me to hide. Hide from the ministry, hide from the world, even hide from you. To become Ursa I could keep my promise to never leave your side and to try and keep you safe. I failed you." Vert explained bowing his head.
Timothee placed a finger under Vert's chin and lifted it, "You didn't fail me Vert. I am alive because of you. You did what you had to and I will forever be in you debt for giving up so much and sticking by my side."
"For family," Vert replied.
"For Family,"Timothee repeated, "What should we do with the stone?"
Vert gazed at the stone in his hands before his big green eyes looked up at Timothee, "I will do what I should have done a long time ago and give it to the Ministry Le France."
"There is an Auror there. His name is Louis Geroux, he can be trusted," Timothee said.
Vert nodded and tucked the stone back in his baby blue robes.
"HMMMMMmmmmm!" Called out from one of the trees.
"Theo!" Timothee yelled, getting to his feet.
Timothee tore away the tightly bound black roots that were wrapped around Theo's entire body while Vert helped Abigail and Archie recover from the Imperius curse. The adults were next and it wasn't long before they were standing together in the early morning sun.
"Well I guess that is it," Daniel said, placing a hand on Timothee's shoulder, "If that pointy toothed blood sucker comes around again, you be sure to find me."
Timothee nodded, "Wi."
Taking a step back from the group, Daniel pulled out his spoon from his trench coat.
"Hey," Abigail shouted taking a step forward.
Daniel paused.
"Live. He wanted you to live," She said.
"Live," Daniel whispered and disapperated.
Archie fixed the glasses on his face before kneeling down next to Vert, "So this is what a house elf looks like?"
"Vert is a free elf," Vert replied.
Archie smiled.
Samuel knelt down to Vert's eye level, "If you'd like Vert, Mara and I would be honored if you lived with us in our home. Friends like you aren't just friends, you are family and like you said all those years ago, family sticks together."
Vert jumped towards Samuel with his arms wide and gave him a hug.
A twig snapped off in the distance and they turned to see a tall muscular teenager with red hair. He wasn't wearing any clothes and chose to hide behind the trunk of a tree in order to keep his modesty.
Samuel stood, took off his professors robes and held them up. Touching them with the tip of his wand, they floated over to Vance and slipped over his head. With his head lowered, he walked over.
"So did we do it?" Vance asked, "Did we save the town?"
Theo and Abigail walked over and placed a hand on Vance's back welcoming him into the group, "We did it."
Samuel extended a hand, "Samuel Redd and this is Vert."
Vance extended his hand and gave it a shake, "Vance Marlett."
"Welcome to the family Vance!" Vert said excitedly.
Vance cracked a half smile before repeating, "Family."
Chapter 36
An Old Friend
It was a humid summer day in June and the students of Witchaven High School were making their way down Main Street even though it was only noon. Flowers were in bloom, the birds sang and butterflies jumped from flower to flower drinking in the sweet nectar.
"I think I aced this one," Archie said, strolling merrily in his bronze t-shirt with blue jeans.
"You said that about the last final exam," Theo laughed. He ran a hand through his black hair before pulling out his favorite pen from his pocket. He gave it a whirl in between his fingers, "What about you Timothee?"
"I'm not too sure. I don't think Mr. Applegate ever forgave me after that first day in school," Timothee answered. He was wearing his favorite butterscotch t-shirt with black pants.
Abigail tossed a ball into the air and caught it in her black and green leather mitt, "I just hope I passed Latin so I can play in states next month."
"You better!" Vance said, "We need our number one closer if we want to have a chance at winning states."
Theo stopped in his tracks and pointed to the new statue that was being lowered into place, "Look at that! You think we will have to melt that one too?"
Timothee cracked a half smile.
In the town's circle a large crane lowered a statue of a revolutionary soldier with his musket at rest on his shoulder and a Tricorne hat atop his head. The statue was as shiny as a new penny and would reflect rays of sun as it slowly swayed on the metal cable. Two men wearing construction helmets directed the crane operator as he lowered the statue into place yelling, "hold" and "lower."
"I'll have my eye on it, that's for sure," Archie promised, "Make sure it ages nice and green."
"My dad told me they think it was a lightning bolt," Theo explained, "The mayor claims the bolt hit the bell tower, traveled through the colonial façade and grounded itself through the statue of the Three Cherubs."
"Well a bolt of lightning is hotter than the surface of the sun," Archie said.
Vance turned, "Is that true?"
Archie nodded, "Around fifty thousand degrees Fahrenheit where as the sun is only about ten thousand degrees Fahrenheit. Actually, the lightning doesn't have a temperature at all. It's the resistance that causes the temperature to…"
"Oh god here he goes again," Abigail sighed.
"The brain," Theo laughed.
Timothee rested a hand on Archie's shoulder, "The smartest kid in school."
Archie smiled.
They walked past the traffic circle where students talked about their final exams and made their way to Precious Boutiques. A bell on the door rang when they entered and sitting behind the desk was Kevin. The radio was playing a popular disco tune and in Kevin's hands was a comic book titled, The Mummy's Tomb. Looking up from the comic, he smiled, "Hey you delinquents!"
"Hi Kevin!" They replied in unison.
Kevin disappeared behind his desk and reappeared with a box of sweets from pumpkin pasties to chocolate frogs and everything in between.
"So Timothee, what are you doing this summer?" Kevin asked, "Are you going to stick around here? Maybe blow up a few more statues?"
"Melt," Theo corrected as he popped a Bertie Bots Every Flavor Bean into his mouth, "We melted it and it saved your butt."
"Hey Theo!" Abigail said.
Theo turned and saw Abigail holding a pack of jellied slugs. Turning away he shuttered.
"What does he have against Jellied Slugs? I love those," Vance said.
"I'll have to tell you later," Abigail smiled.
Timothee looked into the box of sweets, "I think I am going to head back to Paris for the summer and visit my grandmother, I haven't seen her since Christmas. Maybe I'll visit some old friends who are in wizarding school and see how their life is going. Were you able to get a pack of butter beer?"
Kevin pointed one finger in the sky. He bent over and disappeared from sight before reappearing with the sweet butterscotch sodas in hand, "I almost forgot. One six pack of butter beer."
"Thanks a lot!" Timothee said digging into his pocket, "How much do I owe you?"
Kevin waived him off, "On the house for saving my butt and everyone else's as well."
They stuck around for another hour and chatted it up with Kevin before parting ways with him and Vance. They walked back the way they had come before taking a right turn and disappearing into the birch tree forest.
"I'm gonna miss it here," Timothee sighed making a complete turn. Many of the trees in the immediate area were covered in splotches of different colors from deflected spells. Some trees were missing limbs and a path of downed trees where Thistle had torn through the forest let in a large hole of light from the sun high above.
"We'll be here when you get back," Theo promised.
There was a high pitched screech from above the trees before a large grey owl swopped in with a package gripped in its' talons. Timothee held out his hands and the owl dropped the brown wrapped package before flying off into the green canopy.
"What is it?" Abigail asked.
"I don't know," Timothee answered before tearing away the wrapping paper on the small rectangular box. Timothee ran his finger over a gold embossed design of a large cursive "O" with a star on both ends and a wand cutting across the top. Sliding back the cover of the wooden box, Timothee found a folded note and a newspaper clipping inside:
Dear Monsieur Partée,
It was brought to my attention from a close friend of mine that you were subject to a most unfortunate misjudgment. We live in dark times and while I am not able to overturn your current condition of exile, I do believe I can help prepare you for the long road ahead. I retrieved your Phoenix core from your grandmother which was auspiciously intact. While ebony may have suited you in the past, it was a wand maker's expert opinion that a Phoenix core bound in holly will serve you better going forward. I am happy to tell you that your wand has been fully repaired and with a little ministry owl restructuring, all trace infractions will from now on be redirected to the crater of Mt. Etna instead of the minister's desk.
Au Revoir,
Jean-Louis Bastion
P.S. – The attached article has been printed on the front page of every magical newspaper in France. It is of my belief that it should free you of any predicaments of the "nosferatu" veriety.
Timothee examined the newspaper clipping in his hand. It was a moving picture of an auror holding up a snitch sized stone and the article read:
Auror Geroux Returns Family Heirloom
In a recent ministry raid on June 1st 1977, Auror Louis Geroux discovered a stolen sapphire in the possession of occamy egg smugglers. Upon further investigation it was revealed that the stone was indeed a long lost heirloom of the extinct magical pure blood family, Pierre-Reston. The last Pierre-Reston was Tristan Pierre-Reston (1678 – 1776) and while there are no living family members, the Pierre-Reston estate is still managed by the Ministry Le France. It is the Ministry's decision to place the sapphire in the Pierre-Reston family vault at the Imperial Goblin Bank of Paris.
Timothee smiled and handed the article to the others.
Archie adjusted his glasses, read the article and looked up, "If I didn't know any better I would say that is the stone that Elawin was looking for."
Abigail pointed to the blue gem in the Auror's hand, "That's not a sapphire at all!"
"It's the Stone of Morgana," Timothee agreed.
"So by placing the stone in the vault, Elawin won't be interested in Timothee anymore." Theo realized.
"Excatly," Archie said, "If Elawin wants the stone she will know exactly where to look. And trust me breaking into a magical bank doesn't sound too easy, especially if it is guarded by goblins."
"So you're free?" Abigail said, her eyes lighting up.
"As free as I can be I guess," Timothee replied, "I'll have to buy Vert a whole barrel of butter beer for this."
Abigail laughed, "And maybe a few pumpkin pasties!"
Timothe looked into the wooden box and carefully pulled out his 11 inch holly wand and held it in his hand. The grip felt different and yet there was an inner completeness that set over him.
"Go on Timothee. Give it a whirl!" Theo encouraged excitedly.
Gripping his wand in his left hand, he pointed it up in the air and gave it a small flick. There was a subtle rustling in the tree tops before all at once the forest around them started to heal. The different color stains on the birch trunks vanished and were replaced with fresh white birch bark. The shattered limbs grew whole again and even the trees that had been trampled by Thistle were rearing up and sprouting lush green leaves. Finally, a small green seedling sprung up in the large pit where the oak tree stump had lay.
"Wow," Archie said at the fresh new forest around them.
Theo patted Timothee on the back, "Feels good doesn't it?"
Abigail cracked a half smile and simply said, "Neat."
Timothee slowly turned as the forest became its' old self again and grinned, "It's just like my father said, magic should be beautiful."
The End
Epilogue
The Arch
1025 C.E.
The golden sun burned low on the western horizon turning the burning desert sand orange in the tilting light. Four massive pharaohs carved in stone sat upon their mighty thrones surveying the remains of a once mighty empire. Their expressions were stoic and yet the magnitude of their likeness was a testament to their eternal greatness.
Ibn Almustakshaf covered his face as he fought the sand laden wind that blew into his eyes. His white robes danced in the gusts as he got closer and closer to a massive stone door carved in between the grand statue of the four kings. He looked down at a papyrus map with drawings of pyramids, temples and gods. His finger traced a long trail on the map that ended at a black arch with the moon and the sun eclipsed over head. Looking at the door, his hand reached into his robes and he pulled out a black ebony wand accented it with gold.
"Alohomora!" He casted and the large russet stone doors ground open as bits of sand streamed down from the ceiling.
The tomb was cool inside and dimly lit as small creeping things scurried from the entrance light. Lifting his wand high over his head Ibn Almustakshaf illuminated the tomb with a simple whisper of "Lumos."
Hieroglyphs and ancient Egyptian paintings lined the walls as fresh as the day the tomb had been sealed. They were painted gold with gods, pharaohs and all sorts of animals that lived on the Nile.
Ibn walked through corridor that led to a stairwell that went deep into the earth. The tomb grew colder and colder until his breath shown in the dark. It wasn't until he reached the bottom stair when he began to hear it. A faint call in the dark.
Entering the annex, he found himself in a room of full of treasures. There were chariots decorated with gold, statues made from black onyx and gems that glistened in the light of Ibn's wand. Finely crafted furniture and chests filled with valuables meant to go with the pharaoh into the afterlife remained untouched.
The faint chants of a large crowd grew louder as Ibn exited the annex and entered the burial chamber.,
"Ra, Ra, Ra, Ra," the crowd called endlessly drawing Ibn deeper and deeper.
He entered the burial chamber where a large gold sarcophagus lay in the center of the room. It too was made of gold which was considered the flesh of the gods. It was a perfect likeness of the mummified king that once roamed the earth. The eyes were life like and painted white while the head was adorned with a crown of blue and gold. Clutched in his crossed hands were a crook and flail, a sign of his royalty.
"Ra! Ra! Ra! Ra!"
The four walls of the burial chamber depicted the life of the pharaoh entombed. Ibn looked around with his illuminated wand wondering to himself, "Where is it?"
There were two dimensional drawings of wives, sons and daughters on the eastern wall while the western wall depicted hunting expeditions of lions and Nile crocodiles. On the southern wall was a large portrait of two gods both with the body of a man and the head of a peregrine falcon. In their right hands they had a large staff and in their left they carried the ANKH or the key of life. Where they differed was the large orb drawn over their head.
"Ra, the sun god," Ibn Almustakshaf said pointing to the god with the orange orb. He moved his wand to the other god with the white orb drawn above its' head, "Khonsu the god of the moon."
Taking a step back he scanned the edges of the wall for any seams but could not find one. Reaching into his white robes he pulled out the papyrus map and studied it before flipping it over onto the other side. There was a small subset of hieroglyphs drawn in the bottom corner and Ibn ran his finger along them saying "When the sun and the moon kiss the games will begin. Eternal glory awaits all those champions who enter."
Ibn folded the map and tucked it back into his robes before calling out, "Eclipse."
He watched as the two orbs drawn over the gods came together and merged as one. There was sudden rumble in the ground as the wall began to lift into the ceiling revealing a hidden room.
"RA! RA! RA! RA!"
The crowd's cheers were so loud that it felt like Ibn was in a stadium filled with people. Inside this hidden chamber was a black stone arch with glyphs written along its borders. A shimmering liquid danced within the arch and distorted the view on the other side. Ibn approached the arch wearily as a warm breeze came through blowing bits of sand in at the base of the entrance. Ibn couldn't help but touch the rippling surface. It felt like a fine mist as it ran through his fingers.
Drums thundered on the other side and great big horns trumpeted a regal anthem causing the crowd to fall silent and from this silence came a booming voice, "Ra a' Khonsu mene lene Kanf'ka. Sup bounteth alshem rakneff!"
The crowd erupted and the chants grew to a defeaning level of "RA! RA! RA! RA!"
Ibn Almustakshaf casted "nox!" before placing his wand into his robes. Taking one last deep breathe he walked into the arch disappeared.
