Birth of The Mortokai Page 2

  ‘I just wanted to make sure you’re okay,’ she replied, full of concern.

  ‘What would your clique say about that?’

  ‘I don’t care; besides, they’re not my clique,’ Trinity stated as she leant against the door. ‘Look, when I started here, they flocked to me; it wasn’t the other way around. I guess it’s because I know a bit about crystals and stuff like that.’

  ‘So, you told them you were coming after me then?’ Daniel asked.

  She paused as she decided whether to lie or not. ‘No, I didn’t,’ she said truthfully.

  ‘So much for ‘I don’t care,’ huh? You’re no different from the rest of them.’

  Trinity took offence at the remark and let him know exactly how much, by kicking the door in anger. ‘Look, Daniel, I didn’t have to come here! If I were like the others, as you say I am, I wouldn’t have. I’d be sitting in the hall eating my food and having a good laugh at your expense. But here I am, concerned about you, and if you can’t see that I’m different from the rest of them, then I guess I’m wasting my time here!’

  Silence reigned supreme as neither of them spoke for what seemed like an age. Eventually, Trinity shook her head and with a disappointed sigh turned and began to make her way back to the dining hall. She really thought she could get through to him. The sound of a cubicle lock being slid open stopped her in her tracks.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Daniel said sheepishly.

  ‘It's okay,’ she said as she approached him. ‘I’m sorry for what happened to you.’

  ‘It's just another day in the life of Daniel Welsh.’

  ‘But it shouldn’t have to be. You’re special, Daniel.’

  ‘Special needs, you mean?’

  ‘No. I mean special as in special.’

  Before Trinity could continue, the door behind them opened and a boy stood in the doorway staring at them. He looked at Daniel then Trinity, then at Daniel and back to Trinity again. A grimace came over his face and he started to hop from foot to foot. Then Trinity remembered where they were.

  ‘I think we should go and talk somewhere else,’ she said to Daniel, suddenly becoming sympathetic to the boy’s needs. They heard a loud groan of relief as they walked away.

  2

  It wasn’t long before they were sitting in the quiet surrounds of the library, a much more appropriate location for them to meet. The library was a well-stocked place of study. It was laid out over two levels; the upper level housed rooms for quiet study and the reference books, the lower level had all the other books against the walls and in tall shelving along the length of the library, on either side of the rows of desks that ran down the centre.

  Mrs. Berry, the school librarian, greeted Daniel and Trinity as warmly as she always did. She believed in the power of the written word and she kept her library in immaculate condition, even though these two were the only students that ever utilised it.

  The two classmates sat down opposite each other at a desk at the back. Sunlight streamed through the large arched windows and the rays warmed the wood of the table.

  ‘So,’ Daniel dragged the word out for all it was worth, ‘here we are.’

  ‘Yes,’ Trinity replied, ‘here we are.’ She absentmindedly played with the shards of light that streamed through the window, casting shadows across the desk; something weighed heavily on her mind. ‘Does it bother you?’ she asked all of a sudden. ‘Not being able to go out in the sun?’

  ‘I am out,’ he said whilst throwing his arms out in a wide gesture.

  ‘You know what I mean, Daniel. Having to cover up like it’s winter. Not feeling the sun on your skin, the warmth or its healing energy. Does it get to you?’

  He rocked back in his chair and gave some thought to what she was asking. ‘It used to,’ he replied after a few moments. ‘A lot more when I was a kid than now. Now I’m used to it, it’s like second nature. I don’t even think about it. But back then I’d watch films, mostly Bond, and see Caribbean islands and stuff like that and know that it'd never be me. I thought I’d burst into flames like a vampire nightwalker. No sun, sea, and sand for this dude. I’ve always wanted to go to Antigua or St. Bart’s or Seychelles and the Maldives. Then there’s Natal in Brazil; I’ve read that the coastal waters around there stay at a constant twenty-eight degrees.’

  ‘What if you could go to all of them?’

  ‘Then I’d be gone in a shot. No need to offer me a second time,’ he chuckled sombrely. ‘Some people’s dreams can come true; unfortunately, mine never will.’

  ‘But what if one day they could? Hypothetically speaking, of course. What if they could?’ She thought a moment as she still tried to gage Daniel’s reaction. ‘But you had to take on some sort of, I don’t know, let’s say some sort of extra responsibility, would you?’

  Daniel sat there and looked at her with a quizzical face. ‘What the heck are you on about?’

  ‘Don’t worry about it,’ she said with a nonchalant wave of her hand. ‘I was just trying to get to know you, especially if we’re going to be study partners.’

  ‘Study partners?’

  ‘Yes. That is what you want, right?’

  ‘Yeah! Yeah of course! Actually, that’s what I was going to ask you at lunch.’

  ‘I was hoping you would,’ she said and smiled that winning smile of hers. ‘I actually kind of had a feeling.’

  ‘Oh, then you must be special too then,’ Daniel stated with a sarcastic smile.

  ‘More than you could imagine.’ There was a hint of playful mystery to Trinity’s reply.

  ‘I don’t know, I could imagine quite a lot.’

  ‘Star Wars? You’re quoting Star Wars?’

  ‘Would you prefer I quoted Pretty Woman?’

  ‘Only if you want me to start teasing you too!’ she exclaimed in a matter-of-fact way. Then they both burst out laughing. The day was fast becoming Daniel’s best one at college. He hadn’t laughed and smiled this much in ages, and he knew it was all down to Trinity. Usually, around people, he felt tense and on edge. He was always half expecting people to start whispering and pointing at him. But she seemed to have a calming, relaxing effect on him; around her, he found it easy to open up and be himself. It was a feeling he could learn to get used to.

  ‘So, study buddy, tell me about your parents. What do they do?’ she asked after they had both composed themselves.

  ‘Well, my dad’s a construction foreman and my mum’s a doctor. What about you?’

  ‘It's just my father and me; he’s a professor. My mother left when I was still young.’

  ‘I’m sorry.’

  ‘Don’t be; you weren’t to know.’

  ‘Have you ever thought about trying to find her?’

  ‘No.’

  The abruptness of her reply let Daniel know that this subject was a no-go area. ‘Your dad being a professor explains your own smarts. You must get lots of homeschooling. Do you feel pressure to succeed because of him?’

  ‘I am who I am because of him. He’s a great man; you’ll see for yourself one day. I’m sure he’ll want to meet you.’

  ‘You know, you still haven’t told me what you meant by me being special,’ stated Daniel suddenly.

  Trinity looked down at her hands. ‘Yeah, about that, I shouldn’t have said anything to you,’ she replied, looking down at her hands with regret.

  ‘But you did.’

  ‘And it wasn’t my place to.’

  Daniel gave her a confused look. ‘Okay, now I’m curious. What’s with all the mystery?’

  She continued to look at her hands intently, as her eyebrows furrowed and she began biting her lower lip. She gave little nods and slight shakes of her head, plus the occasional shrug of her shoulders. All the while Daniel watched her inquisitively as she had a deep, thoughtful conversation in her head.

  ‘Right!’ Trinity shouted as she slammed her hands down on the table, which made Daniel jump in his chair. Mrs. Berry shushed them from her desk. She apologised to the librarian
and then huddled closer to Daniel and whispered to him conspiratorially. ‘Okay, I’ll let you know. I think it’s only fair that you should have some foreknowledge because sooner rather than later your life will change.’

  ‘Well, that doesn’t sound ominous at all,’ he said sarcastically.

  ‘It's supposed to,’ she replied with an air of seriousness. ‘Magic is not to be trifled with lightly.’

  ‘Wait a minute. You’re kidding, right?’ Daniel said as he leaned back in his chair with an exasperated look. He was expecting some ground-breaking revelation, not this. ‘This is what this is about? David Blaine, Dynamo stuff?’

  ‘Don’t be idiotic, Daniel, I’m not talking about card tricks,’ she said as she put her hand into her satchel. She brought it back out and held it before her, palm up, so Daniel could see what she held. In her hand lay a multifaceted olive-green rectangular gem. ‘I’m talking about real magic.’

  Trinity stared at the gemstone unblinkingly and Daniel watched her just as intently. Her eyes were mesmerising him once again, and then he noticed that they were beginning to glow brighter. Her lips moved but he could barely hear the words she was speaking; they sounded almost melodic. Then the stone’s core started to throb with incandescent light. As it did so, it began to levitate slightly above her hand. As she spoke, he could feel something pulse through his body in time with the light coming from the gem; he likened it to a surge of adrenalin, but this was somehow different.

  ‘You can feel it, can’t you, the magic in the air? It’s called Essence. It’s everywhere, within all the dimensional realms and it courses through our bodies also, some more than others.’ Trinity briefly looked at Daniel as she said this to gauge his reaction, then she sat back in her chair, leaving the gem floating above the desk. ‘It’s what is spent when we cast spells. The more powerful the spell, the more Essence is used up. It’s like physical activity in that respect. The more you do, the more stamina you use, the more you tire; Essence works the same way. This spell, for instance, costs practically nothing.’

  Daniel looked at the gem in wide-eyed wonder. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. It had to be some sort of trick, he thought, as he edged out a speculative finger towards it, but stopped himself just short of touching it. ‘What is it?’

  ‘It's just a peridot crystal. Earth Faeries are closely involved in their formation so they have a strong connection to them.’

  ‘I meant the spell,’ Daniel corrected, but then paused a moment as he processed what Trinity had actually said. ‘Wait! What? Faeries? Are you kidding?’

  ‘Yes, Faeries,’ she smiled. ‘The Fae, the Fair Folk, the Enchanted People, whatever you want to call them. Dwarfs, Elves, Orcs, Trolls, Ogres. They’re all real, and more besides. If you don’t believe me, take the gem, put it to your eye, and look over there.’

  Daniel tentatively plucked the gem out of the air. He treated it as if it were a delicate piece of archaeology. Once he held it in his hand, however, he could feel exactly how solid and sturdy it actually was. He slowly brought it up to his left eye and peered through its centre. Everything appeared in lustrous, iridescent colours.

  ‘Don’t look at me, look over there,’ Trinity said, pointing to a corner behind Daniel.

  He turned in his seat to follow the direction she indicated. There was something huddled in the corner. What it was he couldn’t be sure. All the rainbow colours he was seeing obscured his vision and made it difficult to pinpoint anything.

  Trinity could see the knot in Daniel’s brow as he strained to see what she could. She knew that she was going to be in trouble for what she had already told him, so she thought that she might as well make it worthwhile and show him too. ‘What you have to do, Daniel, is rotate the crystal to increase the focus.’

  He turned back to face the corner and manipulated the peridot in front of his eye. As the lustrous colours faded into the more visually recognisable colour palette of real life, he was able to make out the sleeping form of what he thought was a small child snoring in the corner. He moved closer to get a better look; however, he still couldn’t tell what it was. All he could really see was that the figure had long, black wiry hair and was dressed in a rough green waistcoat and trousers that may have been white at one time but were now a dirty grey. Then the figure rolled over in its sleep. The face looked like that of an old, wizened man with a large warty nose.

  ‘What you staring at, longshanks?’ the creature shouted. ‘Can’t a fella sleep in peace?’

  The sight was such a shock to Daniel that he jumped back in his chair with such force that he fell off it and landed on a heap on the floor, which drew another, even more, stern shush from Mrs. Berry and sniggers from Trinity.

  Daniel looked at her in confusion as he stood up and dusted himself off. ‘What is that...that thing?’ he asked.

  ‘It’s not a thing, it’s a Hobthrust,’ she corrected.

  ‘Oh right, of course. How could I be so stupid?’ said Daniel sarcastically.

  ‘Some call them Hobgoblins, others Kobolds or Brownies. They’re House Elves. They keep homes clean and tidy; it’s what they do. You never thought the college cleaners did this whole building by themselves, did you? They’re good, but they’re not that good,’ she smiled.

  ‘A Hobthrust?’ he mused, as he looked at the apparently empty corner it lay in. ‘Why can’t I see it without the gem?’

  ‘Why would you?’ she asked. ‘They disappeared from sight when people as a whole stopped believing in Fae. When they preferred to follow a scientific, so-called logical outlook on life, but they didn’t cease to exist. Most returned home but some remained here. Having belief can be a powerful thing, Daniel. It’ll help with your magic. What you’ll need to do is learn the spells and conjurations, as well as the meditative exercises to increase your Essence control. Look at me; I’ve been speaking as if you’ve already made your decision to become an Initiate. It’s wrong for me to assume, especially when...’

  Before she could finish her sentence, the bell sounded, signalling the end of the lunch break. It was the moment that Daniel had been dreading. Whilst he had been talking to Trinity, nothing else had occupied his mind. He had forgotten all about school, the people, even the mess on his shirt. The only thing that had concerned him was the relaxed atmosphere and the normal conversation he had had with her, or as normal as a conversation about Faeries, Hobthrusts, and magic could ever be. To be honest, he hadn’t believed what she was telling him, not at the beginning anyway. Telling him that he was some sort of mage, or rather had the potential to be one, seemed a bit far-fetched, but the floating gem had fascinated him, and he had to admit that he had felt something when she was supposedly casting a spell. But the clincher had been the creature asleep in the corner. He had no rational explanation for it. Trinity, however, did. The question on his mind now was did he believe it all? And the answer he came to, inevitably, was that she had no reason to lie.

  3

  Trinity and Daniel bid farewell to Mrs. Berry. As they left, the librarian made a comment about being happy at seeing her two favourite students working together. The fact that they were the only students that she saw in any sort of regularity and the only two that she knew well enough to stop and converse with probably helped with her assessment.

  The two students headed down the corridor towards their next class. They had talked casually as they walked, covering subjects synonymous with small talk; the weather, new CDs out, latest movie releases. Daniel had even told her about his interest in history and historical items.

  As they approached room 101, the location of their next lecture, Daniel determined it was time to make his confession.

  ‘I think this is as far as I go. I’ve decided not to go to afternoon lectures, Trinity. I’ve had about all I can take of this muck on me,’ he stated.

  ‘You should have said. I wouldn’t have dragged you all the way up here otherwise,’ she replied, a little disappointed.

  ‘I wanted to come. Trust me, i
f it wasn’t for this stuff I’d stay. I...I’ve enjoyed your company.’ He found it difficult to divulge his feelings. He had put up so many barriers and had been so guarded throughout his life that he had become a virtual emotional recluse. But now he felt himself opening up once again.

  ‘I’ve enjoyed spending time with you too,’ Trinity smiled. ‘Okay, if you’re going to go, let me show you one last thing.’

  She looked into the classroom through the window and saw that only the lecturer was there. She deduced that she still had a few minutes before the class began, so she took Daniel by the hand, felt his slim fingers interlock with her own, and led him to an empty adjacent room. Once inside, she set about rearranging things by pushing two tables together. She persuaded Daniel to lay on them, despite his reluctance.

  ‘What’s this all about?’

  ‘Well,’ Trinity began, ‘I’m not being funny, but you’re a little tense and a little stiff too. To make the best use of the meditation exercises that you will be taught, you need to be able to relax, both mentally and physically. Tension is a major barrier between magic and us. What I’m going to teach you now will help you to prepare.’

  ‘Look, Trinity, I still haven’t made a decision, but the way you’re talking it’s almost like I have no real choice in the matter either. I wasn’t even sure I believed you at first, to be honest.’ He saw the despondent look on her face when he said this. ‘But I do now; it’s hard not to when you’re confronted with a grumpy Hobthrust.’

  ‘I was going to say something to you earlier, before the bell, but didn’t get the chance to. Being a mage is difficult. It brings a lot of responsibility and takes a lot of dedication. It opens your mind to new things, some wondrous, some dangerous. You should understand that it is a big decision, and not one to be taken lightly.’

  ‘How is it you know so much?’

  ‘One of the benefits of having a professor for a father, I guess.’ She deliberately avoided Daniel’s sceptical gaze, as she pushed him back down onto the table. ‘Right, let’s begin. Close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Now, you should be getting a feeling of warmth growing at the top of your head. This is your Essence. Allow it to flow down your face and neck, taking away all tension as it moves. Feel it pass over your shoulders, arms, hands, and fingers. Now it flows through your torso and finally travels down your legs and feet. How do you feel?’