The Blood Mage by Marie-Hélène Lebeault

Author:Marie-Hélène Lebeault [Lebeault, Marie-Hélène]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Beaches and Trails Publishing
Published: 2021-12-20T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

As soon as Tom arrived in the courtyard of Harding Academy, he felt the tickling of trepidation rise within him.

He walked up the steps and knocked. When no one came to greet him, he pressed the front door handle and was pleased to find it unlocked. Gingerly, he pushed the massive door and poked his head inside.

“Hello?” he called, but the only reply was a faint echo. It wouldn’t do to be caught breaking and entering. Though he was sure Professor Montague would have left word with someone about his visit, he still felt like he was somehow trespassing.

Where’s the old butler?

He closed the door and made his way to the teacher’s office. Hopefully, she would give him a visitor’s pass and let him roam about the grounds. Tom wanted to find Jameson and the other two students. He’d forgotten their names; he remembered them as the stocky one and the tall one.

Before he reached Montague’s office, though, a familiar voice shouted, “Hey!” from the end of the hallway.

Jameson, once again, was leaning casually against a door frame.

“Hi,” Tom said.

“Knew you’d be back,” the boy said, his amber eyes lit up with excitement. “Ready for Round Two?”

“I’m here to learn,” Tom said honestly. “Do they offer a crash course in magic here?” he joked.

“Let me guess. The relics at The Academy are advising caution and restraint. Am I right?” Jameson ventured. Tom laughed and nodded. He shuffled his feet, unsure of how to proceed.

“Come with me,” said Jameson as he pushed open the door behind him. Tom saw it lead down a rather dark stairwell.

“Um, I need to check in with Professor Mon … ” hedged Tom.

“She already knows you’re here,” the boy replied. “There are wards on the school. If you weren’t a magical being, you couldn’t see the school. And if you were a known enemy, you couldn’t have gotten in. The fact that you have means you were expected.”

“But I really should check in first,” said Tom. The idea of going down those stairs with Jameson was giving him the creeps.

“Don’t be such a wet blanket. There’s nothing old Montague doesn’t know. If she wants you, she’ll know where to find you. Come on,” insisted Jameson as he put a foot onto the first step then stopped. “Unless you’re scared, that is,” said the boy, taunting Tom with a smile.

Tom bristled. Although he was, in fact, scared, there was no way he was going to let this bully know about it. Tom followed Jameson down the dark, winding staircase with an exasperated sigh.

Tom saw Jameson’s two friends waiting for them when they reached the bottom. In any other structure, their room would be the basement. But in a thousand-year-old castle, it was called a dungeon.

“Here we are,” Jameson said with his arms spread wide.

Tom looked around the dungeon. They didn’t have a dungeon at The Academy, let alone one this creepy. The circular wall was made of mismatched stone, and the whole place was coated in a thick layer of dust.

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