The Grounds Keeper

Chapter 11 The Witch With The Third Eye

Two red class students dragged Richards limp body into the Mana gazettes building and laid him on the floor. In front of Theo, who frowned in concern, he knelt down and examined him closer. He was beaten to a pulp that's not like him. He would have defended himself better than this. he conjured his student id in two fingers and taped it to the wrist of the two students, giving them both twenty credits each "piss off, you didn't see anything here understood?" they bowed quickly and made their way out in terror. it was not unjustified, the mana gazette was frozen in its entirety, the entire road leading to it was a mist with cold, Arthur and Vivian were trapped in a thick glacier And the entire warehouse was slick with a mirror like sheen of solid frost Theo clicked casually as the ice that engulfed Arthur shattered to dust, and he landed shiverthe floor. "How was Richard beaten?" He asked rolling Arthur onto his back with a foot, he coughed and panted before spitting "severely" Theo casually kicked him in the ribs "don't be a smart arse'" Arthur writhed as he grabbed his ribs "he just beat him, grabbed his right arm and went to town slamming his face into mincemeat."And Richard didn't fight back. Did you see him use a glass tube of some sort?" Arthur took a knee and attempted to get up but Theo pressed down on the back of his head pressing him to the floor, and in a blue flash had him frozen from the neck down "I want you to speak not stand, did you see a glass tube and did he fight back?" Arthurs teeth chattered as he replied "yyes I saw a ttube, but he couldn't use it, the man was fast and strong, h he just beat him with his fists till he stopped moving" Theos grin filled his face as his eyes lit up. "No magic, he just pounded his face to burger meat?" "Yes, just as i said, he slammed his fist into his face over and over till his hand was a mass of torn meat. " Theo began to laugh in what sounded like genuine good humor. "I need to meet this guy." He snapped his fingers as the ice engulfing Arthur burst. "Get up, I have a new edition to put out. This one will be called the gazette in danger, grounds keeper summoned." Arthur stood shakily to his feet and pointed at Vivian."I need her to let out a paper too, don't worry, we won't run." A gleam of determination filled his eyes."we want to be around when he comes for you." Theo smiled and clapped the man on the shoulder."I hope he likes you as much as you like him." Vivian was released in a shower of shattered ice and was left shivering on the floor, Arthur had her in his arms in an instant.

Theo sat at a desk and yawned. "Put my challenge in the paper. If he wants you to live till tomorrow, he needs to meet me here by 9 pm, or your blood is on his hands. But write it in a suitably colorfully of a bag and a green light the next tand dramatic way. He looked at the clock in the corner of the room and scratched his trimmed beard. "I could eat." He turned and walked to the thick wall of ice that covered the door, placing a hand on it the ice disappeared in an instant "You have till I get back to let out the paper or else I shatter your big toes!" he said as he left the building, in an instant the thick ice had returned as Arthur ran forward in an attempt to make it out the door before it froze back over. He clicked hi tongue in frustration, and closed one eye as the record of the conversation was replayed in an instant, when Viviane warmed through enough to stand she raised her hands and a fountain of paper swirled around the air, Arthur worded his story and hundreds of golden quills began to write on the papers each completed page folded itself and sprouted small wings reorganising itself in to the story. this took them 45 minutes, and several hundred copies of the paper were piled neatly on the floor.

Vivian snuggled up to Arthur, who had used some matches to light a few boxes of cardboard and the broken legs of the many tables his former workers once used.

They sat by the fire as the papers lined up in ranks and waited to fly out of the building to the several layers of the academy. to his annoyance, the ice didn't melt even a bit. This mass of ice was unique. Completely un-meltable, and its properties could be adjusted to Theos whim, even when someone was frozen solid, oxygen could still seep through, and the frost whist cold didn't chill through to the bone. He could choose how severely he wanted to freeze you.