Spellcaster series #5: The Sage

The Lucky Orphan Returns

HEIDI

The next morning, I waited until Tristan and Michael leave for the Underworld before I made my move in secrecy. That was, of course, before my mother-in-law caught me.

"You're off to somewhere too?"

I whirled on my heels to see Mrs. Embers standing by the door of my bedroom. Ada was in her arms, reaching out to me.

"Just for a bit," I took Ada and sniffed her soft hair. "I won't be home too late."

Ada played with the ends of my hair. Mrs. Embers eyed the wand in my back pocket.

"Are you off to fight more djinns?"

"I hope not," I looked at Ada's long and thick lashes. Just like her father. "I just want to look for someone."

I kissed Ada's cheek before handing her back to her grandmother. Mrs. Embers reminded, "Well, don't be long."

I nodded and put on my lucky leather jacket. Secretly, away from Ada's sight, I picked up my Vampire dagger and Necromancer's blade and slipped them into my ankle holster. I covered it with my jeans and summoned a portal to the Magic realm.

"Mummy will be right back, Ada. I love you so much!" I blew a kiss to her before walking through it.

As the portal closed behind me, I sighed. She would understand someday.

The perpetual starry sky of the Magic realm greeted me—a familiar sight. However, the Academy itself was not. Its bricked walls were no longer exposed like how it used to be and instead were replaced with concrete painted in white. Full-height glass were put in place instead of the familiar black-framed circular windows. My heart sank. What happened to its character? It looked like a modern hospital.

A silhouette appeared in my peripheral vision. I turned. The man stood tall and lean, wearing a grey jacket and basketball shoes. His green eyes bore on me behind rimless spectacles, wide in shock. Or horror.

"Elton?" I asked in disbelief. "You've gotten so tall—"

"Frozium!" He cried with his wand aimed at me.

Instinctively, I held up my palms and formed a shield just in time. Sheets of ice bounced off of it. "Whoa!"

He swung a fist but I ducked. I leaned my body weight into him and threw him to the ground as his spectacles flew out of his face. He landed with a thud and an oof as my hands pressed on his broad chest.

"Heidi?" He coughed. "Is that really you?"

"What do you think?"

I felt his heart race. He swallowed his throat and panted. "I'm sorry, I just—I thought you were dead?"

I blinked. "Excuse me?"

I pulled him up by the hand. He had gotten so much taller and heavier since the day he helped me get through the Academy gates the first time.

"How are you alive? They said you died on the noose. We were all at your funeral!" He brushed off the dirt from his t-shirt.

"What do you mean? Wait, are you talking about my execution five years ago?"

He glanced around before lowering his voice. "Looks like you and I need to fill each other in on the last five years."

We sat on the bench in the Gardens, next to a charred tree stump which we accidentally set fire to nine years ago. Elton listened quietly and intently the entire time. His eyes watered at the mention of Ada.