Mystery Of The Map
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A few days after the incident with the fire, I was sitting in class next to Joffrey when a loud alarm went off. Everyone around me jumped up and started running out of the classroom. A teacher yelled at us to get back inside before he came over the intercom and told everyone to be calm.
It was all quite comical until we realized that there were soldiers outside our school. They had taken the top floor of the main building down—the one that held the library—and were searching it for something or someone. At first, they thought that the map was there, but then it became clear that whatever they were looking for wasn’t on the map anymore.
We never did find out what happened to it. But we also didn’t see any more soldiers in the area again. And thankfully that marked the last time I ever saw Mr. Stearn.
After a day or two of wondering about the map, I decided to try using my new magic ability. I figured that if the map was now out of my reach, then maybe it could show me where to go next. So I closed my eyes and focused on my fingers. That’s when I felt my magic. Something like a warm breeze brushing against my hand.
Then I tried putting my hand flat on the desk so that I could feel it through the wood. Still nothing. After some more experimentation, I discovered that I couldn’t use my power while holding anything. Or being touched by something else. In fact, it seemed like there were only certain things that I could touch—or not touch.
Which meant that I would have to do this alone. I didn’t want to ask anyone for help because I knew they wouldn’t understand. Not even Joffrey.
I spent most of the rest of the day trying to work out how best to use my power. I knew that I could turn myself invisible, but I couldn’t make myself intangible either. As far as I could tell there was no way to shape my power. What I needed was something that I could hold without touching.
I tried going into the bathroom and just hiding beneath the sink, but that didn’t work. If I got too close to the metal pipes underneath, my invisibility was gone. There had to be a better solution than that.
The next day, I found it on the bottom shelf of the library. I was working in the basement stacks when I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. I quickly grabbed the book I was reading and put it back where it belonged. But when I looked up, I saw that it was just Cinda.
She gave me an apologetic look. “Sorry,” she said quietly. I waved it away and explained that I hadn’t been doing anything wrong. “You know you’re always welcome here.”
She smiled. “Thanks, Ben. You are kind to say that. It helps when I need to think.”
“It seems like we both have people who don’t approve of us right now.”
She nodded.
We talked for a bit. Then she sat down across from me and asked me about the book I was reading. When I finished explaining it to her, she turned to me with a question. “Is it true?”
“What?”
“That the books contain clues to ancient spells? Is it true that the school has them all hidden somewhere?”
I nodded. “Yes, but they aren’t really secret.”
“But they haven’t been seen since the old days!”
“Not exactly. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t still around.” I paused for a second. “There is this book—”
As I spoke, I reached out to touch the spine of a different volume. It was the one that I had checked out earlier. Instead of returning it, I took it off the shelf. I put my hand on the cover and closed my eyes. I could feel my magic starting to flow. I resisted as long as I could. Then I opened my eyes.
And my hand was glowing white hot.
I let out a gasp. Cinda flinched and backed away. The other students working nearby stopped what they were doing and started staring.
“Are you alright?”
I shook my head. My hand was burning. I pulled it away and looked at it. Sure enough, the skin was red and blistered. There must have been some kind of acid in the book. I glanced around. No one else appeared injured. Someone was watching me. I saw the girl that I’d seen before near the shelves. She was leaning back and smiling.
I closed the book. “It’s a good thing I read the warning label,” I told Cinda.
Cinda stared at me. “What warning label?”
I pointed at the corner of the book where someone had written: “A single drop of this fluid can melt steel.”
***
The next day, I went to meet with Professor Breslin in his office. I walked through the stone halls, feeling the stares of curious students following behind. But I didn’t see anyone try to follow me. Did I look that confident?
In front of Breslin’s door, I hesitated. I had never met him outside of class, but I knew he wasn’t the type to waste time. I knocked. “Come in,” came a voice.
I pushed open the door. The room was dark. Only the faintest light leaked in from the hallway beyond. I stepped inside, leaving the door open behind me.
Breslin was sitting at his desk, looking through a stack of papers. He didn’t look up until I was standing directly in front of him. Even then, he didn’t stand. Instead, he gestured at the chair opposite his own. “Have a seat, Ben. I assume you want to talk to me.”
“I do,” I confirmed.
He looked me over. “Something wrong?”
“No, sir. Just don’t usually get called here.”
“I’ll admit that I’m not much of a people person.” He folded his hands together and leaned forward. His eyebrows raised. “Why did you bring your book?”
I held up the volume of ancient charms. It felt like it was glowing. I frowned. “This was the only book I brought.”
“Oh.” He stared at me for a moment longer. Finally, he sighed. “Very well. Talk.”
I explained the situation, leaving out most of my suspicions. Breslin listened intently. He nodded a few times. “Hmm,” he muttered once or twice.
When I finished, he rubbed his chin. “Interesting. And how long ago did this happen?”
“Yesterday.”
“Hmm,” he said again. Then he stood up and walked to the window. He gazed out over the courtyard. After a while, he turned to me. “It would be easy enough to find out if the book is still there. If it is, I might be able to tell you something more useful than a name. You should return it to the library, though.”
“I will. Is that all you can do?”
“That depends on what you know.”
I shifted uncomfortably. “I don’t know anything else. I just thought I’d ask first.”
“I suppose it couldn’t hurt.” He waved his hand at me. “Go ahead.”
I took the volume back to the library. As soon as I entered, I was confronted by a pair of librarians. They glared at me. I looked at the volumes in their arms. One of them was mine! “Um…this one too?”
One of them snorted. “You already checked it out!”
“Yeah…” I lowered my voice. “This was lost last night.”
They exchanged glances. Their faces screwed up in confusion. “We don’t know anything about that.”
“Well, I think we’ve got it now.” I set the book down. “If you want, go check.”
They hesitated.
“Fine!” I turned to leave. “But I want it back tomorrow!”
I returned home and found Cinda playing chess with Rufus. I sat down across from her and watched for a minute. She was losing. I guess she hadn’t gotten better since yesterday either.
“Want to play?” I asked.
“With you?”
“Sure.”
She picked up her rook and eyed me. “All right. Let’s see if you’re as good as you think.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
So, I jumped into the game. We played through three games before Cinda finally won. I let out a sigh of relief. It had been an exhausting afternoon.
“Wow,” I muttered. “That was close.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll get used to the pace.” She looked at me. “So, is everything okay?”
“Nothing really.” I shook my head. “Just wondering why you weren’t at dinner.”
“Do you think I don’t have any other friends?”
“Of course not.”
“Then you shouldn’t say things like that. Remember—you’re not a normal student here. People are going to stare at you no matter what.”
I hadn’t even considered that, but it made sense. At least, it sounded reasonable. “Sorry. It’s just hard to think straight when everything feels so new.”
“Yes, well, that’s normal.” Her gaze became distant. “I hear you were investigating someone last night.”
“What? No…”
She cocked her head. “Are you sure?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Could you tell me who?”
“Maybe. But—”
“Ben! Would you please tell me?”
“Um…” I chewed my lip. “There’s this girl. Her name is Tella. She says she saw someone using some kind of dark magic. That they could control people. Like, make them attack each other.”
Cinda closed her eyes.
“Can you help?”
“The school cannot interfere with private investigations,” she said slowly.
“Then what can you do?”
“I could try to find out more. You should talk to Benu.”
“Who’s that?”
“He’s the Headmaster’s assistant, and also a very old man. He knows a lot about the history of the school.”
I nodded. “Thanks.”
We played another couple of games after that. This time, I won both.
The End