Chapter 15 – Magic Parchments

Elizabeth, Johnny and Alexander were in the library. Today there were exactly two weeks since they spent their time in the library reading, apart from the time when they had lunch and rested, of course. It was very hard for them during these two weeks, as if they had to wait for a human life time. During all this time, apart from a few talks with other colleagues or professors, the three only talked to each other or to the professors Knudlac and Harmony, who often came to discuss with them what they read.

"These Ice Golems ... how do they know what to do?" Elizabeth asked Johnny.

But the boy just shrugged.

"Magic ... I think," the boy answered.

Alexander didn't sit next to them. He read alone without asking questions. But from time to time, he responded to the others, to show them how well prepared and educated he was. When did he come up with answers? Well, whenever the other two had such questions, such as those about the Ice Golems.

"These golems belong to those who can use the 'puppet' spell or Pertractatio. They can guide them as they please, as they think. In other words, they can be their puppeteers."

"How do you know?" Johnny intervened, very curious about Prince Soimesti's explanation, given that they read the same books. He and especially Elizabeth couldn't skip that.

"My dad took me once to see these Golems. On a trip to the far South Glaciers' territory. They were as tall as two people on top of each other. I heard that the present ones are even taller. He also gave me a book to read about them, which I read and reread.

Elizabeth and Johnny looked at Alexander as one looked at a true sphinx. The girl with admiration, while Johnny more with envy. Especially when he saw how amazed the girl was at his explanations, at the fact that this smug, vain and arrogant guy had answers almost for any question.

"Thanks, Alexander," Miss Edwards said, smiling.

Johnny put up his nose, because he was aware that Alexander knew a lot about magic and mystical creatures. It wasn’t very pleasant for him, because he wanted to know so many things too, to be such an encyclopaedia of all magical stuff and creatures.

As arrogant as usual, Alexander ignored their thanks. The truth was that he fed on these thanks in secret, fattening to the point of burst his pride.

Elizabeth wanted to ask something more, but they were interrupted by Professor Knudlac who entered the library.

"Hello dear, I hope you enjoyed your time in the library and I hope you liked what you read. The children didn’t respond. For them, two weeks in the library, without being able to relax in thousands of places where magic let them go just snapping fingers, or without doing a thousand other things with spells, was rather a punishment.

"Come on ... reading is the most beautiful punishment anyone can face. Especially as you learn new things now."

As the children kept being silent, Professor Knudlac began to ask questions waiting for answers:

"Johnny, what do you know about Ice Golems?"

The boy thought a little, and then he replied:

"They’re mystical creatures that, with the help of puppet magic, 'Pertra ... ctatio', or something like that, become puppets in the hands of those who command them."

The professor smiled.

"Well done, Johnny, pretty close to the truth. They’re not mystical creatures, but some kind of ice robots created by magicians. Mystical creatures, like us, are alive."

The professor, moving wand gathered some chairs in a circle, and then he signalled the three children to sit down. Alexander also approached them.

"Ostende Revelare Golem", Knudlac said. A dense fog appeared, focused in one point, followed by a small explosion and a projection of an ice golem popped up.

The professor swirled it with his wand to the left and to the right, enlarged it and shrank it, rotating it in all directions, so that the three children could see it better.

"You probably wonder why I asked you to read about this ice golem ... and why I present it in detail."

The children nodded heads.

"Because you’ll meet him at the first event of the magic Contest of the Decade," said Professor Knudlac. "You’ve proven to me you can work in a team and I want you to form that team. The contest will take place only after two full months and we must prepare for it intensely."

Elizabeth, even though she recently started to be initiated into the mysteries of magic, knew this event very well. Actually, she read and heard a lot about it. Johnny was happy like a kid who got what he wanted for Christmas, though he never expected such gift. Even Alexander smiled more than usual over the past two weeks and had nothing to say when Johnny tapped his shoulder.

As for Johnny, he realized only after a few moments that he tapped the grumpy Alexander as if they were lifelong friends. He looked at the boy and was glad to see that the arrogant and always belligerent boy wasn’t upset.

"It’s a contest where you get a very powerful magic parchment, my dear," Professor Knudlac needed to explain to them.

The professor made the image of the Golem disappear, then looked at Elizabeth and said:

"My dear, do you have that parchment with you?"

The girl took out of her coat the magic parchment she got two weeks ago.

The professor took it in his hand with great care and spread it as if it could get loose instantly.

"You have to read this parchment. Depending on how you read it, on what your magic mind considers you need and suits you best, you’ll get a magic skill right for you."

After a brief pause, he asked Johnny:

"Johnny, do you have the parchment on you?"

"Yes, sir," the boy answered.

"Let's see what your hidden magic prepared and offered to you. Read it, Johnny."

The boy took the parchment out of his pocket, made it scroll and began to read it quickly:

It helps you ... when it wants your life.

Or kills you ... no offense, that's strife...

That parchment caught fire, and the smoke that came out approached the boy's forearm. That smoke began to draw something on Johnny's forearm. It was a little tattoo.

The tattoo glittered, but only for a few moments, and then disappeared. When the fog and the tattoo vanished, Mr. Knudlac said:

"Revelare!"

A tattoo appeared on Johnny's arm depicting a miniature badger, standing on rear limbs, prepared to repel even the attack of a lion. This was the symbol of Johnny's Imperium magic. In addition, the new tattoo appeared too. It represented a sea monster, a Kraken that with two tentacles controlled rough stormy waves, with the others he controlled the calm sea, and with the other tentacles he controlled snow and ice.

"Domandi Aqua ... or control over water," Knudlac said, smiling at the boy. "It fits you, as expected. You’re as quick as water. You’ll learn how to model water, to use water in all its states, in all its forms. And along with the magic of Imperium and other you'll gain over time, this magic will definitely help you become a powerful wizard.”

After a short break, he went on:

"The parchment I gave you is for initiation in choosing your path, a kind of ... magic to begin with. It’s as if a child first learned to read and then he use what he or she learned. Then they can learn increasingly powerful magic or improve the spells acquired. You’ll see that over time this magic will become extremely powerful in your hands, Johnny ... it will be supplemented by other magic too, making it devastating in specific combinations. In my case Domandi Aqua was one of my first magic tricks," said Mr. Knudlac, looking at Johnny.

"All you have to do now is improve it."

The boy was even prouder when he heard that Professor Knudlac mastered the magic he just got. Who knows, maybe one day he'll be a wizard as powerful as his professor. Or even stronger, the boy thought, proudly.

Knudlac turned to Elizabeth.

"It's your turn…"

The girl opened the parchment. She at Mr. Knudlac a little surprised.

"It's the same text," she told him so resignedly. "It means that I too will have Domandi Aqua..."

Professor Knudlac smiled again.

"Dear Elizabeth, until you read the same text of your parchment, I want to tell you something more. You've probably noticed that apart from the spells we can learn in school, such as Procidat Deceptionem, Inpulsa or Evanescet, magic that anyone who studies hard our teachings can grasp, maybe even a sceptic, there are other magic tricks too ... a little more special."

Mr. Knudlac swiftly wagged his wand over his left arm. Lots of tattoos began to appear and shine when the wand was near them ... and just as quickly they disappeared.

But even so, the children managed to keep in mind the image of many of Professor Knudlac's tattoos.

His arm was full of tattoos, of various sizes and shapes, in various hypostases, such as that in which some archers or spearmen killed ferocious monsters or quietly watched over surroundings, images of various non-mystical animals, such as bears, deer, wolves or ravens, but also of mystical animals such as the Phoenix bird, the rock dragon, the fire snake or even an ... ice dragon.

The children were delighted to attend such a show. They felt like browsing a catalogue from a tattoo parlour. But the difference was that you couldn't get any tattoo from that register in a tattoo parlour ... but first you had to deserve them in order to get them. You had to win them, do great things as Elizabeth did, risking her life and putting the safety of others above her life.

"To control this special magic, is not enough to call their name. They must be part of you. Otherwise it’s nothing. It is true that a small part of their power can be created either by potions or by magic spells, but they’re not as powerful and the effect is short-lasting.

After a short break, the professor continued:

"It has to be part of you. You can have such magic ... tattoos all over your body. And when you need them, they activate and you can use them. Sometimes those tattoos that you win will be visible, getting your opponent shiver in front of you."

The professor had a short break and smiled slightly:

"But don't forget. The most powerful magic, strength, comes from the heart and the mind. If you don’t use your heart and mind, then all the others have no purpose ... all these tattoos," the professor said showing again the tattoos adorning his hand, “are just drawings that can become useless in case of danger."

Johnny was proud and happy when he thought of a tough situation when his tattoos would be visible. And everyone else could admire them.

"And some extremely powerful magic like Duplici in my case, become part of ... you, all the time."

Mr. Knudlac took his wand close to his face to show that powerful magic, which was represented right on his face ... it was a tattoo with his face by his temple, Knudlac's famous magic: Duplici.

Beside this tattoo there were others glittering on Mr. Knudlac's face, but as he removed the wand quickly, the tattoos disappeared so fast that the children failed to reveal exactly what symbols those magic tricks had.

Not even Alexander, who had at home catalogues with all the magic that a wizard could have, catalogues he browsed thousands of times, failed to recognize much of Knudlac's magic.

"Do you have tattoos on your body as well?" Johnny asked.

"Yes."

"Can we ...?" the boy asked.

Mr. Knudlac started laughing loud.

"Yes, I have on my body too, but you mustn’t see them. I just wanted you to understand that there will come a day when you’ll be ... a 'magic book', like many wizards."

"Like Vlad Dragoesti," Alexander completed. "I have a magazine with a picture of him. He's full of magic. He has tattoos on his neck, chest, back, abdomen ... even on his feet. The picture isn’t very clear. Some say Vlad didn’t want to reveal the magic he knows, so they couldn’t fight against him. I don't think he has a spot on his body without magic touch... I think if he learned a new magic, he wouldn't have any place to mark it.” The boy spoke with great enthusiasm and admiration about one of the most famous wizards, a wizard that everyone from Elmbridge School of Magic considered evil, the famous Vlad Dragoesti.

Mr. Knudlac's smile faded away.

"Especially him," sighed the professor. "Unfortunately, he uses all magic tricks to hurt. As for the fact that he revealed his knowledge of magic to be pictured, this is just his way of spreading fear among the other wizards, scare them and gain them as his disciples."

"Why don't you take such a picture?" Johnny asked. "Maybe you scared Vlad Dragoesti and ..."

Professor Knudlac laughed again, with the same joy as before.

"Yes ... You know ... my body is no longer as it once was. As muscular as Vladimir's. I don't have his age anymore ..."

Many at Elmbridge School wondered how old Knudlac may be given his wisdom and the multitude of spells that other wizard could achieve in a few lives. And as he never revealed his real age, perhaps because he wasn’t asked, a lot of stories and legends more or less difficult to believe were heard in the halls and corridors of the school.

The professor stopped speaking to laugh. Probably he thought how he’d look in a magazine read by wizards and what they’d tell about him.

"And then, Johnny, I think power shouldn’t be shown and demonstrated. Power ... you must use it when it’s really needed, otherwise it’s good to avoid or win a conflict without using force. To win using our minds."

The professor slightly cleared his throat.

"But let's skip these discussions and talk about you. What special magic tricks do you know, Alexander? Say it aloud for Elizabeth too."

"Clamor Infernum and Immobilitat," replied the boy.

"A loud scream that makes anyone cover ears with pain, turning him or her into stone at the same time and a magic that completely immobilizes using whatever is available in that place. For example, the spell Immobilitat in a forest immobilizes the opponent tying him/her with twigs, lianas, anything," explained Mr. Knudlac. "In a room, the curtain, the candle wax or the metal of the pots and bowls become ropes, as tough and durable as the material they’re made of. Thick ropes made of clothes, wood or even metal, which only the strongest can break and destroy. A very useful magic in many confrontations..."

Alexander's arrogance and pride grew exponentially at the professor's words.

Elizabeth listened carefully to what Mr. Knudlac said. It was clear that she was impatient, eager to "master" the magic that Johnny got.

Professor Knudlac saw this, so he interrupted her waiting.

"But, now it's time for Elizabeth to read the text. And who knows, maybe you’ll have a surprise," Mr. Knudlac smiled. "Please read. And don’t forget, the path we choose to follow makes us become what we’ll be."

The girl took the parchment and began to read calmly, in her own way, as if she wanted to understand each word.

It helps you ... when it wants your life.

After a short break, when she sighed a little, the girl continued:

Or kills you ... no offense, that's strife...

The boys were very relaxed, as it happens when waiting for something known and is no longer interesting ... They were to be very surprised at what happened.

The same fire that burned the parchment, the same smoke that activated the tattoo, tickling Elizabeth and making her smile and finally everything was ready again and the fog was gone.

"Revelare," Knudlac said again.

And just as before a tattoo appeared on the girl's forearm, but it was ... different.

Hence, the boys' surprise. Even the girl was curious what happened, what went wrong?

"I think ... it's Nunc Educandi. I'm sure it’s Nunc Educandi," Mr. Knudlac said very seriously. "A magic ... I think it's somewhat powerful if you learn how and when to use it. I just don't know it very well."

The professor was confused, but also very serious. Still, Alexander laughed:

"How can you hit someone using time?"

Johnny smiled, too, hearing Prince Soimesti's words.

"You're wrong. It's like the text saying it can help you ... but it can hurt you too," the girl defended her magic.

"I say it's a mistake. Time cannot hurt anyone. At least not in your hands ...," Alexander went on laughing.

"Maybe I'll send you in the future and make you old. Or back in the past and you’ll become a crying and helpless baby. I don't know ... I'll see what I choose."

Alexander when he heard what the girl told him became more serious. The great wizard Knudlac’s words, that any magic becomes powerful using your mind and heart, frightened the boy. If you think better, a magic trick that can do such things, it’s quite powerful. Not as the boys had initially thought.

Mr. Knudlac approached the girl.

"Although it’s a magic that some don’t consider powerful, I’m sure you’ll learn to handle it better and better. And over time ... you’ll manage to turn it into something to be feared, making it an extremely powerful magic. And by combining it with other magic you’ll learn in the future, you’ll certainly be able to make the most of your knowledge and use it for a great purpose. I'm sure of that ... I trust you."

The professor tried to encourage her, but he soon saw there wasn't the case. Elizabeth smiled.

"I have my first magic ... my first permanent magic. I’ll study it ... and use it to the best of my ability. I can't wait," said the girl, smiling happily.

Glad that the girl smiled, without being offended by Alexander's words, Professor Knudlac ended the discussion.

"Finish reading the books about Ice Golems, because after a while we’ll visit them at their home. And you’ll have to face them in your first trial.

The children sat down again at the desk where they had to sit and continued reading from the pile of books available.

Mr. Knudlac left the library, leaving them with the books and their thoughts.