Knight School: A Mystic Brats Novel Vol. 1

Sir Louis approached me days after I stormed off from Jason and Barry. “Ms. Roman, I need your help finding the sorcerer. It’s the only way we can save Mr. Gardner’s mother.”

I looked at Sir Louis with the most determined look I could muster. “Let’s go!”

We walked to the outskirts of the village as Sir Louis grabbed my shoulder. “Are you sure about this, Ms. Roman?” he asked. “Once we start this mission ― there’s no going back. You might learn the truth about secrets kept for years. Secrets that could destroy you.”

“...I’m sure,” I replied.

“Alright,” said Sir Louis. “Don’t lose physical contact with me while we’re teleporting, or you could end up anywhere. On the count of three... one... two... three...”

I felt a rush of heat engulf my lungs and couldn’t see anything but fire for what felt like forever, until...

“Oh, Aria, that was a terrible experience,” I said as the fire disappeared when we reached our destination. It was a cold, dark, cavern. Sir Louis shot a fireball out of his hand, lighting a torch on the wall.

“There,” he said. “That should help light things up.”

“It’s okay,” I said, “but I think we’ll need something a little brighter.” I waved my hand and every torch in the cavern lit up with his dragon fire. Now, that it was illuminated, I could see the entire cavern. There were white marble graves in each wall that were marked with Roman numerals. “Are we in a tomb?”

“Yes,” replied Sir Louis. “This is the final resting place of the Knights of the Roundtable. In the past five years, I’ve been here four times. Each time I discover something new. The first time it was this.” He removed a small crown from his backpack. “The Crown of King Arthur. This mystical object has the power to remove enchantments... and trace them to their source.”

Sir Louis smiled in an impish sort of way. “Legend has no idea of this particular ability, and the only reason I discovered it was because of the Call.”

I stared at Sir Louis in utter confusion. “The what?”

“Every Dragon Master, sorcerer, or sorceress can hear enchanted items call out to them in a secret language that only they can understand, if their magic is strong enough. When I first heard the Call from this crown, I wasn’t sure what to listen for, but that changed after you touched the Heart of Aphrodite. That night, the crown whispered to me the location of our enemy.”

“You’re saying that you can use that crown to find the sorcerer?” I asked.

“Yes,” said Sir Louis. “In a manner of speaking. I’ll have to channel my own magic through the crown to achieve our goals. Now, stand back, Ms. Roman, I’m still not sure what effects that this spell will have.”

I stood behind Sir Louis as His eyes glowed a haunting fiery red. Flames emitted from his hands making the crown absorb the fire, more and more, until...

BOOM!

The crown exploded as flames flew around the tomb. The flames hit the cold stone, melting it away, revealing an ancient doorway.

“Damn’t!” yelled Sir Louis, looking at the pile of melted silver in his hand. “We lost the crown!”

“But we found a doorway,” I said, happily.

“The crown was our secret weapon,” sighed Sir Louis. “We can’t take any risks now, Ms. Roman. Are you sure that you want to continue?”

“I am a princess, a sorceress, and a student of the Knight Academy,” I said. “I can handle anything!”

Sir Louis smiled at me as he put the melted silver in his backpack. When we walked through the doorway, a bright light engulfed us. When it faded, we were now standing outside on green grass. A group of oddly shaped stones stood before us. I recognized them from a class lesson.

“Stonehenge,” said Sir Louis. “The one place that Legend would never think to look.”

“Why wouldn’t they?” I asked.

“Ms. Roman,” sighed Sir Louis, “I thought you paid attention in my class? We just discussed Stonehenge four weeks ago.”

“...It’s not like I try not to pay attention,” I replied, sheepishly. “My mind just sometimes wanders.”

“Is that your kind way of telling me my lectures are boring?”

“Uh... no, Sir,” I lied.

“Uh-huh,” said Sir Louis, thoroughly unconvinced. “The reason Stonehenge is an unthinkable location to hide is because of all the magical anomalies that have happened since its creation. This is one of the most dangerous mystical spots in the country.”

“Oh, come on,” I said. “It can’t be that bad.”

Just as those words left my mouth, the earth began to tremble beneath us. A cold wind howled around us as clouds gathered in the sky. The wind started to form a mini-tornado inside Stonehenge. I had never experienced bad weather while I lived in Aria. So, this was one of the most terrifying days of my life. Lightning struck the tornado, changing its shape to that of a man. In a few seconds, the storm stopped, and the tornado had been transformed in a purple-robed, long-bearded, grey-haired sorcerer. He floated in the sky, smiling weirdly at me as he landed in front of us.

“My darling, Nara,” said the sorcerer. “It is so good to see you.”

The sorcerer stretched out his hand to touch my face as Sir Louis stepped between us. “Don’t you dare touch her, Merlin!”

“Merlin?” I asked in shock.

“Yes, my dear,” said Merlin. “I am Merlin Ambrosias, but you can call me... Father.”

“Don’t talk to her!” Sir Louis yelled. “You lost all rights to be in her life a long time ago!”

“You can’t be my father,” I said, trying to regain my composure. “My mother created me with her magic! I don’t have a father!”

“Are those the lies you’ve told my daughter, Louis?” asked Merlin.

“She was told what she needed to hear, Merlin,” Sir Louis snarled. “I won’t let you hurt her again!”

“So, it’s true,” I said as tears ran down my face. “Merlin... is my father?”

“Get out of here, Ms. Roman!” said Sir Louis. “Run!”

“I don’t understand,” I cried. “Why would you and my mother keep this secret from me?”

“I won’t be kept away from my daughter any longer!” shouted Merlin.

“Run!” yelled Sir Louis.

Merlin waved his hand and Sir Louis vanished.

“No!” I yelled. “What did you do to him?”

Merlin smiled crazily at me. “He has been taken care of, Nara. Now, why don’t I show you to your new home?”

Merlin snapped his fingers as a staircase appeared beneath Stonehenge.

“I have a home at the Knight Academy and Sir Louis is my friend!” I shouted. “He may have lied to me and I want to know the truth, but I want to hear it from him! So, I’m not going anywhere until you bring him back!”

“NO!” Merlin shouted. “He will only poison your head with more lies! I will not have it! I won’t lose you again!”

“I don’t care what you want,” I said. “I want him back now!” I didn’t care if this man was my father or not. I wasn’t going to let him do who knows what to Sir Louis!

“I wanted to avoid doing this,” sighed Merlin. He took out a small blue powder and blew it in my face. I immediately felt serenity and euphoria wash over me. It was like my brain had gone completely numb. “Now, why don’t you follow me, darling?”

“Okay,” I said, happily.

I followed him down the staircase as it closed behind us. We had entered catacombs that were lit with purple torches. Small fairies flew around us, speaking excitedly to Merlin. “Oooh, is this your daughter, Master Merlin? Did you finally find her?”

“Yes, yes, Ripochire,” said Merlin. “I’ve finally retrieved my darling, but be careful around her. I put her in an enchanted peace of mind.”

“Yes, Sir, Master Merlin, Sir!” said Ripochire.

We reached an underground castle surrounded by trees. They were truly beautiful trees with black trunks and purple leaves. Hundreds of fairies were harvesting fairy dust from them. Merlin led us into his castle. We passed many chambers of odd colors and smells.

“This is a special chamber, Nara,” said Merlin happily as we stopped by the largest room. “This is my library, where I keep all of my spellbooks. One day, this will be all yours, darling. Do you see that one in the center on the pedestal?”

“Yes,” I said. I had never been happier in my life. For once, I didn’t have any worries or decisions to make. Who cares if Jason’s mother wasn’t saved, that wasn’t my decision to make... it was Merlin’s. He was so wise, I mean, he had a thousand books in this library.

“This spellbook contains the most powerful incarnations and magical instructions in history,” said Merlin. “Including the Mora ritual, but that’s a story for another day. We have more important places to be.”

Once we left the library, Merlin began to speak about the past.

“Your mother and I met back during the reign of King Arthur,” he said. “He was the greatest leader we ever had. He wasn’t as egotistical as Louis and his Council. Your mother was known as the Lady of the Lake in those years. She was just a normal village girl searching for a home for her and her son, Lancelot. Arthur and I rescued them from an evil Dragon the first time we met. I’ll never forget how beautiful she was that day. Arthur was so impressed with Lancelot’s bravery that he made him part of the roundtable. As for Eviane and I... our eyes met... then... my world would be forever changed. I fell madly in love with her, she was so passionate about life, something that I had never experienced before. I wanted to repay her for how she made me feel; thus we began her training in the mystical arts. Eviane progressed perfectly with each lesson, Nara. She went from simple hovering spells to conjuring Phoenix powder. But, alas, tragedy struck in the form of Mordred. An insane usurper to Arthur’s throne used Lancelot to help bring about Arthur’s death and with it the demise of Camelot. Your mother and I were the only survivors of the final battle. It was then that I saw what she and Lancelot really were — threats to us all! I tried to end Eviane’s life that very day, but she stopped me by saying that she was pregnant with you.

“I couldn’t destroy my own flesh and blood — so I let Eviane entrap me within these very catacombs for centuries. I bided my time and used my powers to watch the outside world grow into the disaster it is today. I saw the very formation of Legend in the early sixteen-hundreds. It was the first time since Camelot that the magic on earth stood a chance at becoming dominant again, but those fools decided to keep the mystical arts a secret from their countries. Years passed, like snails, until the day I finally left here. I sought help for a plan that had formed in my mind during my imprisonment — I journeyed to the Island of Durmach to recruit the most powerful fairies in existence. There rare fairy dust gave me more powers over the human mind than anything possible. It also gave them the chance to continue their outlawed practices.

“But I still needed a way to lure you out of, Aria. Yes, I watched you grow up in that dictatorship of a kingdom. It infuriated me to see how your mother tried to mold you into her likeness. I had to act! Though I couldn’t contact Legend to help me, no, they had placed their trust in Eviane’s hands. So, I contacted the Order to bring you to me in exchange for the location of the Knight Academy. It would have succeeded too if it hadn’t been for your so-called friends, the Mystic Brats! With Ocron in Legend’s custody and you enrolled in the Academy, I had to reconsider my approach.

“Once, I observed that the Heart of Aphrodite was now inside the school, I used my powers to call to you to touch it. I knew the havoc, destruction, and chaos it would cause. Not only did it encourage the Council to shut down the school, but under the spell of infection, your mother’s spy poisoned that Gardner boy. That’s right, Eviane had placed one of the Soldiers of Osiris, Kevin Tyson, to be her spy at the school eons ago. She even gave him an enchanted blade that could poison anyone he struck. He never cared about you, Nara. You were only his assignment. But the Gardner boy did seem to have some true feelings for you, I must admit. That doesn’t matter anymore. For in two-days’ time he shall be as dead as Camelot. He’ll never even get to see his mother awake again, either. I have the cure for both of them too, though I’ll never give it to a descendant of Legend. I even have the cure for that Brooks girl too.

“I know they didn’t tell you this — the Banshee she rescued you from damaged her brain. The only way to fix it is to use the very fairy dust I have here to transfer her mind’s essence to another body. That’s the only way she will ever stop seeing her poor, dead, brother’s face. Until she dies that is!

“I still can’t believe just how well everything has worked out! Legend has been disgraced! Louis brought you right to my doorstep! And as we speak —the Order is destroying what’s left of the Knight Academy!”

Merlin was exuberant. He brought me to a large dining room as he laughed madly. “Ripochire, stay with Nara as I prepare her potion. I will be back in a few minutes.”

After Merlin left, Ripochire turned to me. “Good Lord, he’s a nutter and a bloody blowhard. Don’t worry, Nara, you’ll be back to normal in no time.”

Ripochire’s eyes glowed purple as the dust I inhaled earlier was sucked out of my body and into his hand. At that moment, I was able to think clearly. I felt like myself again as dread and fear washed over me. Jason was going to die because of my insane parents, because of me... Julie was losing her mind... the Academy was going to be lost forever...

“Are you okay, Nara?” Ripochire stared at me like I was weakened. Why does everyone think of me as this poor, pitiful, little girl?

“I’m fine...” I felt the rush of magic running through my arms. It was time to attack! “...but you won’t be! Avar Restar!”

A bolt of magic blasted from my hand and pinned Ripochire to the wall! “Tell me where you’re keeping Sir Louis, or I will use my magic to suck the life right out of you!”

Ripochire smiled nervously at me. “Hey, Kirk is a hundred percent fine! I’ve known him for years, Nara Roman, ever since he dated my sister!”

“Who is your sister?” I asked him.

“You would know her by the name of Mary Markson,” said Ripochire. “The only reason I’m here in the first place is because of those two!”

“He is telling you the truth, Ms. Roman.” A familiar voice ran through my head.

“Sir Louis?”

“Yes,” said the voice. “Ripochire was sent to track down Merlin after he attacked the United Nations three years ago. It was the first time I ever saw him. I was assigned by Legend to guard a potential council member. Merlin ranted about how magic should be allowed in the world and how he was willing to kill for it.”

“Why are you telling me this?” I asked, tears running down my face.

“Because you finally deserve to know the truth about your life,” the voice replied. “Almost everything Merlin told you is correct. But he left out one critical fact. He didn’t just try to kill your mother after the fall of Camelot, he tried to take her intelligence.”

“What?”

“He tried to use the same fairy dust that he used on you to wipe her mind completely. He wanted her to be an empty shell of whom she used to be for something that she couldn’t have stopped. The only thing that made Merlin pause in his attempt, was when she told him that she was pregnant with you. Merlin hesitated too long, as your mother took her turn to strike back. She infected him with his own dust and then trapped him in these catacombs. Merlin lost his sanity that day. As for Eviane...

“...She had lost her son, her home, and everything else she thought mattered. Eviane gave up all hope for this world. So, she searched for the Key of Kerive. This ancient artifact was created by earth’s first group of Mystics — the Ancient Ones. The Key held the power to split the world into six separate realities. Eviane knew using its power would have repercussions, but that didn’t matter to a grieving woman. She had nothing but hatred for how the world was — it had to change in her eyes. The world could only be better divided. Thus... the Six Kingdoms were created. The Shadowlands, the Order’s reality. Skyrick, a city in the sky and a home for all flying creatures. The Other World, a nexus between dimensions born to house lost spirits. Aria, the utopia that would never age or change. The Isle of Fairies, where every clan of fairies could celebrate. While every other remaining mystical creature went into hiding for centuries. Leaving a world without magic for the rest of humanity, and that’s how things would have remained if Merlin hadn’t acted.

“Merlin, desperate and insane, used the last supply of magic this world had — to create doorways to each reality. Yes, they were built by the leaders of each reality, but only because Merlin used the same fairy dust that he just used on you to manipulate them into doing so. Merlin tried to kidnap you, himself, for years, but your mother thwarted him every time. He was eventually banished with a blood curse. That’s why he hired Ocron to do his dirty work. The only positive thing about these doorways was that magic began to resurface into the earth. Dormant species, like sorcerers, began to thrive again. Legend formed to protect this new, dangerous, world.”

“Why weren’t you ever honest with me?” I asked him.

“For the same reason I told you earlier,” he said. “Your mother —!”

“No!” I said. “That’s not what I meant! How could you not tell me that my friends were dying!”

“Those weren’t my secrets to tell, Ms. Roman,” said the voice. “Mr. Gardner and Ms. Brooks didn’t want to burden anyone with their tragedies... not even each other. Mr. Gardner was even prepared to die to keep you safe. I’ve known these kids longer than you have, and I also know that they have trouble opening up to other people. Though I will say this much, they do all care about you. Mr. Gardner, Ms. Brooks, and even Mr. Dickenson are your friends. Don’t hold this against them, when they need you the most. Now, we’re the only ones who can save them.”

The greatest quality of Sir Louis is his ability to inspire people at their darkest moments, and this was one of those times.

“You’re right. What do we do next, Sir Louis?”

“I’m in Merlin’s dungeon,” said the voice, “but I won’t be for long. I still have the remains of the Crown of King Arthur. If I charge it with my dragon fire, I should be able to cause an explosion and escape. That will make a big enough diversion to distract Merlin, and while he’s looking for me — you and Ripochire will go to his vault. Once there, Ripochire will show you which object contains the cure for Mr. Gardner and his mother. Then, Ripochire will bring you back to the surface where we will meet, teleport to Legend Headquarters, and then return to the Academy to save the others.”

“But what about Julie’s cure?” I asked. “I can’t just let her suffer because she helped rescue me from the Banshee.”

“Ms. Brooks will continue to live as long as Legend is around,” said the voice. “The injections will keep her alive.”

“She has to have injections? I can’t let her live like that!”

“You can, and you will, Ms. Roman,” he replied. “Mind transfers are an illegal act. We can’t break any more rules than we already have. We have to draw the line. It’s time for you to follow orders, Ms. Roman. Understood?”

“Yes, Sir.”

Ripochire brought me down deeper into the castle to Merlin’s vault. It was guarded by a large, crystal, door. “How are we going to get past this thing?” I asked Ripochire. “It’s made of Xaveran Crystal! The most indestructible substance ever created!”

Ripochire smiled gleefully at me. “It helps when you have a key!” He pulled out a shard of crystal.

“You stole his key!” I exclaimed.

“You didn’t think I would call old moldy beard master for nothing, did you?”

“What are you waiting for?” I asked. “Unlock the door!”

“We need to wait for...”

BOOM! Every inch of the castle and catacombs shook from the explosion. Ripochire and I were barely standing.

“...that. Well, Kirk always did know how to make some noise. Are you ready, Nara?”

“Always,” I said. “Let’s do this!”

Ripochire inserted the shard into the doorway as the crystal shattered, revealing a giant room with shelves of magical artifacts and potions. Ripochire led the way as he flew to the top shelf up towards the ceiling. “The cure should be somewhere near here, Nara, don’t worry.”

“Oh, I’m not worried at all,” I replied. “I will save my friends!”

While Ripochire wasn’t looking, I chanted a spell underneath my breath. “Umerioning... umerioning...” The Fairy Dust that Julie needed zoomed from the middle shelf to my hand. I placed the vial that contained it inside my pocket just as Ripochire flew down holding a medallion shaped like a crescent moon.

“This is a Lunar Necklace,” said Ripochire. “If you place this around your friend’s neck, it will heal him and any blood relative around him. Though, I can’t say that there won’t be side effects.”

“Side effects?” I asked. “What kind of side effects?”

“Well...”

BAM!

Ripochire fell to the ground, his back sizzling from a magical blast. Merlin was standing in front of me with an insane look in his eyes and a mystical ball of energy glowing in his hand. “There’s no need to worry, Nara, Father’s here!”

“Actually, that’s the reason I am worried,” I said. “Stay away, from me, Merlin!”

“That is no way to speak to your father!” shouted Merlin.

“You are not my father!” I shouted. “A real father wouldn’t have tried to drive my mother insane! Now, I am leaving here with Sir Louis and Ripochire — whether I have to go through you or not!”

“I will not allow my own daughter to leave me for these imbeciles!” Merlin shouted back. “Come with me, so I can use my magic to remove this rebellious streak!”

“Move!”

“I shall not!”

I could feel my magic surging through me! It was time to end this!

“I — SAID — MOVE!”

I blasted Merlin with an Energy Bolt. He blocked it, by conjuring a giant shield, with a Barrier Spell.

“How dare you attack me!”

“Arivonwer Hexazar!”

My spell caused Merlin’s shield to melt into a liquid as it covered his entire body. “Aremoreq!” The liquid hardened, encasing him completely. Which lasted for about ten seconds. Merlin exploded out of the metal, looking furious.

“YOU — WILL — PAY — FOR — THAT! QWERTH!”

Chains shot out of Merlin’s hands. I recognized the symbols on them immediately. They were the same kind of chains Ocron used to capture me all those months ago. If those things touched me — I wouldn’t be able to use my magic at all! I had to act quickly — there was only one way to save Ripochire and me —

“QUARTHY!”

“NO!” yelled Merlin.

My spell unleashed a wave of magical energy — destroying everything in sight as the vault collapsed around us! Now that Merlin had lost his concentration — I knew that he wouldn’t be able to stop me from flying as fast as I could through the wreckage, I grabbed Ripochire and we both took off!

We landed in Merlin’s library. I could see the Lunar Necklace still clutched in Ripochire’s hand. I felt the Fairy Dust in my pocket. We still had what we needed. I checked Ripochire’s back — his flesh was still melting. “Ripochire, I’m going to try to heal you. Can you hear me?”

It was no good. Ripochire was completely knocked out. Without him awake, I didn’t know if I could use my magic to help, but if I didn’t do something soon — he would die! Then — out of nowhere — Merlin appeared in a flash of light. His robes were singed, his cheek gashed, dripping blood from his mouth!

“I told you, Nara, that I would never permit you to leave here,” said Merlin. “Even if it means I have to make Ripochire an example!”

Merlin formed another energy bolt in his hand and took aim at Ripochire!

“NO!” I yelled, trying to cover Ripochire. “You’ll have to kill me to get to him!”

“So, be it!”

Then — before anything else could happen — a fiery jewel crashed into Merlin’s forehead. Merlin fell to the ground as the jewel absorbed his magic. I turned around and saw Sir Louis standing behind me, his armor melted and burnt all over him.

“I’ve always hated that jerk,” said Sir Louis.

“Sir Louis! Where have you been?”

“The dungeon collapsed on me after I used the crown’s remains,” he replied. “I was trapped in there for a while until your wave of magic destroyed the entrapment spell that kept me from teleporting. I searched the entire castle until I found you.”

“Why didn’t you just contact me telepathically?” I asked.

“That was a one-time thing, Ms. Roman,” said Sir Louis. “It’s something a Dragon Master can only attempt once in his life, on someone willing, if I tried that again it could kill me. Now, there is little time to waste. We must take Ripochire to Legend Headquarters for healing and save your friends!”

“What did you do to Merlin, though? What was that jewel?”

“That was one of the jewels embedded inside the crown. It was what gave the artifact its power. So, I used it to drain most of Merlin’s magical abilities.” said Sir Louis.

“Sir Louis... you really are a knight in shining armor!”

“Funny,” he replied. “I was going to say the same thing about you.”