The Hell of the Nine Realms: Book 1: The Mystery of the Odinsons

XXI: The Muds Of Memory

We were eating breakfast and once again Kiernan was pigging out. I rolled my eyes in exasperation and ate my pancakes.

Immediately after the feast was over, there was the Dueling Club. (And I don't mean sword dueling, more like wand dueling).

"Now," Nuria growled. "We're going to teach you all on how to Disarm your foes, first. And Professor Ori is going to help me with that. Don't worry, people of Thor House. You'll still have your Head of House when I'm done with him."

Everyone (excluding some people in Thor House) tittered. Nuria levitated a table between the huge crowd of kids so no one wouldn't be able to see what was going on. Nuria and Ori stepped on the table, faced each other, pulled their wands out, bowed, then took a few steps away from each other. After that, they both took fighting stances.

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

"Porzudittzam!"

Ori spun his wand around, then a thin beam of green light flew towards Nuria and before she could react, she was hit and sent flying across the extremely long table. Ori smiled indifferently as Nuria got up.

"Very good, Ori." Nuria grunted.

"Perhaps it would be best to teach them how to Disarm now?" Ori said.

"Quite right, Elijah. Mr. Reeves, come up here."

"Percival, get up here!" Ori snarled.

David and Larry obeyed and got on top of the table.

"Now," Nuria said, "You are to Disarm your opponent. ONLY Disarm. One, two three, begin."

"Noqueofuera!"

Larry stepped forward and blasted David with that spell. David was lifted off his feet and flew at least two feet. As soon as a part of him touched the table, he did a kip up and got back to his feet.

"I said to only Disarm." Nuria growled, but neither of them were listening.

"Stupefare!" David shouted and Larry was swept off his feet, spun in the air and landed on his ass. Larry looked up at Ori, who roughly grabbed him by his shirt, pulled him up and pushed him towards David. Larry stopped himself, raised his wand, then a dragon similar to Finir popped out of it. Everyone backed away as the dragon studied the humans around it, as if trying to decide which one to bite first.

Nuria raised her wand, but stopped when David walked forward, looking like he was in a trance. The dragon came slithered towards me (it didn't have any wings and apparently couldn't fly) and let out a hiss and opened its mouth wide. David spoke. He didn't speak English. His voice was barely audible and sounded like a mixture between a snake-like hiss, a low roar and a guttural growl. The dragon moved closer towards me and I couldn't help but think that maybe David was telling the dragon to attack me. Then the dragon turned its head towards David, who shook his head at it. Then, finally, Ori stepped up and incinerated the dragon. David blinked, and Lizzy grabbed both of us and dragged us out of the Mess Hall and towards the Odin house. We never made it there, however. A scream was made and we immediately rushed outside to the source. There, a few feet from the entrance was the last girl who had asked David to the Temsik dance. She lied utterly still on the soft grass, eyes opened, but glazed over. Everyone else ran to the place and they all looked at David.

"Caught in the act, Reeves." Derrick said, but he was looking at Lizzy.

"Mr. Reeves, Miss Reeves and Miss Connelly, please come with me." Ori said.

We didn't even dare look at each other and just followed Ori to wherever he planned to take us. All the students parted as we walked, as if we were carrying some kind of disease they didn't want to catch.