Zak Turner - A Twist In Time (16 page)

Zak, however, didn’t see what happened.  He’d followed his Laxo with a couple of hasty Deflectos, trying to protect himself from the incoming stunning spells.  Two still made it through though, and hit him simultaneously.  Getting a double stunning at Magus level is more or less enough to knock you unconsciousness, and Zak’s legs duly buckled underneath him, as he collapsed to the ground. 

As his consciousness, vision, and movement returned several seconds later, he realised that he was on the floor and defeated.  The adrenalin that had been coursing through him ebbed away, and he slowly focussed his eyes expecting to see Tallion and Barty smirking at his misfortune.  What he saw, however, was something totally unexpected.

The duelling circle had shut down and was silent and empty, apart from himself.  Barty and Tallion were also silent, and were laid out, apparently unconscious, on the floor near the teacher’s desk!  Zak sat up slowly, his head still aching from the double stunning, plus the effects of too much adrenalin.  He frowned.  What had happened to them? 

Slowly he realised what he’d done.  His Laxo must have floored them too, as well as getting rid of the wizard puppets.

He allowed himself a wry smile, knowing that only he would be able to revive them, and slowly stood up.  There didn’t seem to be any other impact from his overpowered spell, but then again, there was nothing else in the room that was alive!  He didn’t realise that the walls of the room had failed to contain his gigantic, overpowered Laxo, or that its effect had spread out across the castle like a small atomic bomb!

* * *

Sir Philip Middleham had spent most of Saturday morning in London at the Wizard Council, returning shortly before lunch.  He went to his study to write some letters, and generally put his non-family life to one side so that he could spend the rest of the day with his wife and children. 

He was annoyed with himself for the way he’d been forced to leave Tallion and Zak to deal with the week’s events almost by themselves.  The emotion and anxiety of nearly being killed was too much for a couple of eleven-year-olds to handle alone, and he knew he should have spent much more time with them to help them understand it and get over it.  It was one thing encouraging your children to stand on their own two feet, but that didn’t usually include getting over a couple of assassination attempts!

He skipped lunch, preferring to finish what he was doing, and was dropping his last letter into the portal post box outside his study door, when the hairs on the back of his neck stood up as a huge pulse of magic reverberated around the castle.  He just had time to think that Tallion, or more likely Zak, had done something overpowering during their duelling lesson, when the Laxo spell hit him, and a debilitating lethargy overcame him.

He reached out to steady himself against the wall as his vision blurred, and then gave in to his buckling knees and collapsed to the floor.  Knowing instinctively that he had to stay awake, he forced himself to sit back against the wall and stay upright, hoping that the effect would pass.  Several minutes later, when it didn’t, he realised he’d been hit by a Laxo spell.  The only effective counter was a Resusipisco, but he barely had enough energy to move his wand arm, let alone cast a powerful spell on himself!

* * *

Lady Middleham had fared little better.  She was slumped limply in the drawing room where she’d settled herself to read for the afternoon.  Her head had lolled sideways, and the book she was reading had slipped from her hand and fallen to the floor.

In fact, the only member of the Middleham family who hadn’t been knocked out was Bjarne.  That was a good thing too, because he was sitting at the top of his favourite climbing tree in the woods.  By the time the spell hit
him
, it had dissipated enough to only cause him to yawn widely, and decide that he needed to head home and have a lie down!

10.  Whoops!

Zak knelt next to Tallion, and took his hand.  Last time his soul mate had been hit by this spell he’d been at death’s door, having been almost crushed to death by the Trugstork tree.

At least you’re in one piece this time
he telepathed to his friend.

Tallion’s voice came very faintly into his mind, sounding very slurred.

Is that you Zak?  I can barely hear you…

Yeah, sorry, I put a bit too much power into that Laxo, I seem to have got you and Barty as well!  I’ll revive you now okay?

Revive me?  Oh…   Err …  Yes…  Okay…

Zak was a bit worried, Tallion hadn’t been like this last time he’d knocked him out, his mind had seemed fine then, but now even
that
part of him seemed to be almost asleep!  He felt for his friend’s pulse, and could barely detect it!  He checked his breathing too, and realised that it was so shallow it had all but stopped!

Blimey!  I’ve almost killed them!

He stood quickly, already starting to panic.  If he’d done this to Tallion, then Barty would be in a worse state because he had less magical resources to keep him alive!  He needed to hurry, but he couldn’t remember the enchantment…

Come on Zak, stop panicking, calm down, think…

It took him another minute as he went methodically through the scene in the greenhouse and eventually got to the point where Sir Philip had told him the incantation.

“Okay, here goes, full-power.”

He took a couple of deep breaths to steady himself and summon all his magical power, deliberately letting his fear for Tallion’s life wind up his emotions, and then snapped open his eyes as he violently cast the spell at both Tallion and Barty.

“RESUSPISCO!”

He felt the magic building up inside him, swirling round his heart, and then racing down his arm and bursting out of the end of his wand.  If anyone had been watching, they would have seen a swirl of magic gathering behind him too, before it too poured down his arm to join the magic from within.  It was only as the magic left his wand that Zak saw the multi-coloured threads of light, like miniature laser beams, churning towards his two unconscious friends, and coiling round them, passing Zak’s own energy into their bodies. 

* * *

Blimey, what the heck did you just do?!

Tallion’s voice was clear and firm in Zak’s mind, and relief rolled over him.

I just cast Resusipisco at you, why?

I’ve never felt anything like it!  A huge tingling surge forcing its way all round my body, like fire.  It started in my chest, and flooded out to my fingers and toes, and then my head.  Phew, that was unbelievable.  I felt like I was exploding or something!

Zak’s face was a picture of worry and concern.  First, he’d knocked his friend out in an attempt to go one better than him in the duelling, and then he seemed to have put him through some kind of torture as he revived him.

I’m sorry Tallion, really sorry.  Are you okay?  I was in a bit of a panic just now because you were barely alive!  I think I almost killed you both with that Laxo!

It
was
a bit extreme Zak!  You blasted all four puppets to pieces, then your spell overwhelmed the duelling ring shield and everything just went black!

Tallion was breathing in short gasps, but all the time he was calming down.  Eventually he opened his eyes and looked pleadingly at Zak.

“Please don’t do that again when I’m anywhere near, okay?  Either spell!”

“I won’t, I promise.  Sorry.  I was so determined not to lose the duel that I unleashed a bit too much power.”

“Zak, I’m not kidding, but I’m sure I don’t have anything
like
that amount of power in me!”

“I probably took all of yours too.  You forgot that’s what happens when we get a bit desperate.”

“Oh, you’re right!  That’s why everything went black then too, because you magically drained my energy!  Now it makes more sense.  I suppose you just gave it all back to me too, which is why the Resusipisco felt so overwhelming!”

There was a pause while the boys looked at each other in relief, sharing each other’s thoughts, just happy to be together.  Then Tallion frowned and turned to look at Barty.  He still looked to be asleep.

“What’s up with him?  Why hasn’t he revived?”

Zak grabbed their tutor’s hand and searched for his pulse in a panic.  For a few seconds he couldn’t find it, and then another wave of relief rolled over him as he felt it beating slowly and steadily, albeit very faintly.

“What are you doing?” asked Tallion, puzzled.

“Checking his pulse to make sure his heart’s beating and that he’s alive of course, what did you think I was doing?”

“You can check someone’s heart by holding their hand?” asked Tallion looking surprised.

Zak frowned in puzzlement, and then smiled.

“Sorry, I’m not being a very good wizard am I?  This is what non-magical folk do to check that someone’s heart is beating.  I suppose I should have cast a charm over him, do you know which one to use?”

“Yeah, Revelio Vulna.  No special movement, you just move your wand slowly over him while you say it, at least that’s what Father and Mother always do.”

Zak gently put Barty’s hand down and took out his wand to cast the charm.  There were no glowing injuries, he just seemed to be deeply asleep!

“Why didn’t he come round Tallion?” asked Zak, his panic rising again.  “I really walloped both of you with that Resusipisco.  I don’t think I could cast it any more powerfully!”

“I don’t know Zak, we need to find Father and ask him, maybe you could send him a messenger?  I don’t feel up to it just yet.”

“Okay, I’ll do it.  I caused all the trouble anyway, so it’s only right that I fix it.”

The worried eleven-year-old jumped to his feet and closed his eyes, once again summoning his magical energy, a process which was getting easier almost every day!  He made the complicated wand movement, uttered the non-verbal incantation, and added the message asking Sir Philip if he could come to the duelling room to help them with Barty.  A smile crossed his face as his familiar spectral unicorn sprang out of his wand and galloped off through the wall.  He was now feeling quite tired himself, and realised just how much energy he’d expended in the last few minutes.

“Have you got any Honey Snap?” he asked his soul mate hopefully, “I’m feeling a bit out of it myself now.”

“Yeah, hang on.”

Tallion reached inside his robes and pulled out a bar of the delicious chocolate covered honeycombed sweet, and broke off two bits, one for himself, and one for Zak.

“Thanks.  The orb was right; you do look after me when I’m too tired to look after myself!”

“Ha!  It goes both ways,” smiled his friend. 

When they’d both finished their second piece of Honey Snap, Tallion frowned, and commented on the lack of response from their father. 

“He always replies, Zak, something doesn’t feel right.”

“Do you think it was my Laxo?  Surely it couldn’t have got anyone else in the castle?”

“It was pretty overwhelming Zak, look at Barty!”

Zak recalled again the words of Findlay MacElver, and his assertion that Zak’s wand needed the power of both boys in order to reach its full potential.  What if his Laxo really
had
drained Tallion’s power, and he’d finally cast a spell that could
not
be undone!  The feeling of panic that had never really left him strengthened again.  What if he’d blasted everyone in the castle!

He opened his mouth to share his fears with Tallion, but his companion placed a finger over his lips.

I already heard Zak, you don’t need to say it aloud, and just in case Barty can hear, let’s keep that thought secret, okay?

Okay Soul Mate, but now I’m really worried!

I know.  Let’s go and find Mother, she’ll know where Father is if he isn’t in the castle.

The two boys left Barty lying on the floor after once again checking that he was still breathing and his heart was still beating, and made their way to the main part of the castle.  As they left the secret passage by Augustus Sapari Middleham’s painting, they noticed that he too was asleep and snoring gently.  A quick look round all the other portraits revealed a similar situation; not an eye was open anywhere!

“Blimey Tallion, I must have done that to them all, that Laxo must have swept over the whole castle!” 

Zak swallowed nervously.  He hadn’t been able to revive Barty, what if he’d knocked out Sir Philip and they couldn’t revive him either?!  All sorts of crazy thoughts were running through his head as he felt Tallion take his hand and stop him half way to the marble staircase.  The wise, blond-haired wizard, turned Zak round to face him, and stared into his friend’s worried amethyst eyes.

“Calm down Zak!  Panicking about it isn’t going to help, or change anything.  We’re wizards!  If you
have
knocked out Father, and we can’t revive him, then there are plenty of people we
can
turn to.  Professor Trell for one would be sure to help.”

Zak took a couple of deep breaths, “I know, I know, you’re right.  Okay then, the drawing room?”

“Yes.”

* * *

The boys quickly trotted down the grand staircase, and ran into the drawing room as the doors swiftly opened to let them through.  Immediately their hearts sank as they saw their mother slumped on the sofa, a book on the floor next to her, having clearly fallen from her limp hands.

“Okay,” said Tallion in a resigned sounding voice.  “So you
did
blast the whole castle.  I wonder if you got the elves too?”

“Tallion, it’s not funny!  I had no idea I could do anything like this!  Are you going to try and revive Mother or am I?”

“Me?!  I’m sure I can’t cast a spell that powerful!”

“I didn’t cast it by myself, we both cast it.  Well, it used the power from both of us, even though it was my wand that did it.  I also feel very uncomfortable casting a spell at my adopted mother…”

Tallion frowned, and then grinned.

“I feel uncomfortable casting a spell at your adopted mother too, although I can tell you’re more worried about it than I am!  I never thought of trying myself, but I suppose if you can use my power, then I should be able to use yours.  It’s a good experiment.  How do you use my power?”

“I don’t choose to do it, it just happens, when I desperately need it…”

“Well, I sort of desperately need it now, so maybe it’ll work for me.  Here goes.”

Tallion never considered the fact that he hadn’t cast a Resusipisco spell before, or that no-one had taught him the wand movement.  Without either boy giving it a second thought, he simply took the details straight from Zak’s mind, unaware of what he was doing.  He steadied himself, closed his eyes, and allowed his mind to focus only on the spell that he was going to cast.  He also built up his determination, a burning desire to cast the spell with all his might, allowing his mind to think about drawing Zak’s power too. 

When he was set, he opened his eyes, made the basic clockwise wand motion, flicking the wand and pointing it at his mother.  A torrent of magic swirled behind him and raced down his arm.  It burst out of the tip of his wand and leapt across the room where it coiled around his mother, pouring his energy into her. 

The result was gratifyingly quick!  Within moments, Lady Middleham opened her dazed-looking green eyes, and quickly focussed on her son.  Tallion released the spell, and the swirling magic slowly faded away.  He looked a little bit worried as they made eye contact.

“Are you alright, Mother?”

“Yes, Tallion.” 

She took a few deep breaths. 

“Was that a Resusipisco spell?  I have never experienced such powerful magic before in my entire life!”

“Er, yes, Mother.  Sorry.”

Bella felt Tallion’s discomfort that he’d done something wrong, and she smiled as she sat up straight, resuming the elegant bearing of Lady Middleham.

“You don’t need to be sorry, Tallion, you did the right thing, as always.  Now tell me, why was it necessary?”

“It was my fault, Mother,” said Zak, before any words came out of Tallion’s opening mouth. 

“We were practising in the duelling ring and I cast a very overpowered Laxo spell which seems to have spread out across the whole castle…”

Consternation showed briefly on Bella’s face as she realised what had happened.

“Zak, I know it was an accident, but you need to learn from this mistake.  You’re a powerful wizard, and you need to keep that in mind, always.  Casting a spell in the duelling room which was so strong that it spread out over the whole castle is a first, to my knowledge, and it’s dangerous.  It must not happen again!”

It was the first time that Lady Middleham had chastised Zak, and he felt very uncomfortable, which was exactly what the baronet’s wife had intended.  She didn’t fully understand why, but she loved Zak as though he was her own son; but for his own safety, and for the sake of everyone around him, he needed to lean the importance of controlling his magic!