Lanterns: The School For Good And Evil

Chapter Two: The Art of Kidnapping

By the time the sun extinguished, the children were long locked away. Through bedroom shutters, they peeked at torch-armed fathers, sisters, grandmothers lined around the dark forest, daring the School Master to cross their ring of fire. But while shivering children tightened their window screws, Elena had left hers open for she knew there was no chance of her being taken. So she lay on her bed reading a book and began her wait till morning.
The first kidnappings happened two hundred years before. Some years it was two boys taken, some years two girls, sometimes one of each. The ages were just as fickle; one could be sixteen, the other fourteen, or both just turned twelve. But if at first the choices seemed random, soon the pattern became clear. One was always beautiful and good, the child every parent wanted as their own. The other was homely and odd, an outcast from birth. An opposing pair, plucked from youth and spirited away. Naturally the villagers blamed bears. No one had ever seen a bear in Gavaldon, but this made them more determined to find one. Four years later, when two more children vanished, the villagers admitted they should have been more specific and declared black bears the culprit, bears so black they blended with the night. But when children continued to disappear every four years, the village shifted their attention to burrowing bears, then phantom bears, then bears in disguise . . . until it became clear it wasn't bears at all. But while frantic villagers spawned new theories (the Sinkhole Theory, the Flying Cannibal Theory) the children of Gavaldon began to notice something suspicious. As they studied the dozens of Missing posters tacked up in the square, the faces of these lost boys and girls looked oddly familiar. That's when they opened up their storybooks and found the kidnapped children. Jack, taken a hundred years before, hadn't aged a bit. Here he was, painted with the same moppy hair, pinked dimples, and crooked smile that had made him so popular with the girls of Gavaldon. Only now he had a beanstalk in his back garden and a weakness for magic beans. Meanwhile, Angus, the pointy-eared, freckled hooligan who had vanished with Jack that same year, had transformed into a pointy-eared, freckled giant at the top of Jack's beanstalk. The two boys had found their way into a fairy tale. But when the children presented the Storybook Theory, the adults responded as adults most often do. They patted the children's heads and returned to sinkholes and cannibals. But then the children showed them more familiar faces. Taken fifty years before, sweet Anya now sat on moonlit rocks in a painting as the Little Mermaid, while cruel Estra had become the devious sea witch. Philip, the priest's upright son, had grown into the Cunning Little Tailor, while pompous Gula spooked children as the Witch of the Wood. Scores of children, kidnapped in pairs, had found new lives in a storybook world. One as Good. One as Evil. The books came from Mr. Deauville's Storybook Shop, a musty nook between Battersby's Bakery and the Pickled Pig Pub. The problem, of course, was where old Mr. Deauville got his storybooks. Once a year, on a morning he could not predict, he would arrive at his shop to find a box of books waiting inside. Four brand-new fairy tales, one copy of each. Mr. Deauville would hang a sign on his shop door: "Closed Until Further Notice."
Then he'd huddle in his back-room day after day, diligently copying the new tales by hand until he had enough books for every child in Gavaldon. As for the mysterious originals, they'd appear one morning in his shop window, a sign that Mr. Deauville had finished his exhausting task at last. He'd open his doors to a three-mile line that snaked through the square, down hillslopes, around the lake, jammed with children thirsting for new stories, and parents desperate to see if any of the missing had made it into this year's tales. Needless to say, the Council of Elders had plenty of questions for Mr. Deauville. When asked who sent the books, Mr. Deauville said he hadn't the faintest idea. When asked how long the books had been appearing, Mr. Deauville said he couldn't remember a time when the books did not appear. When asked whether he'd ever questioned this magical appearance of books, Mr. Deauville replied: "Where else would storybooks come from?"
Then the Elders noticed something else about Mr. Deauville's storybooks. All the villages in them looked just like Gavaldon. The same lakeshore cottages and colorful eaves. The same purple and green tulips along thin dirt roads. The same crimson carriages, wood-front shops, yellow schoolhouse, and leaning clock tower, only drawn as fantasy in a land far, far away. These storybook villages existed for only one purpose: to begin a fairy tale and to end it. Everything between the beginning and end happened in the dark, endless woods that surrounded the town. That's when they noticed that Gavaldon too was surrounded by dark, endless woods. Back when the children first started to disappear, villagers stormed the forest to find them, only to be repelled by storms, floods, cyclones, and falling trees. When they finally braved their way through, they found a town hiding beyond the trees and vengefully besieged it, only to discover it was their own. Indeed, no matter where the villagers entered the woods, they came out right where they started. The woods, it seemed, had no intention of returning their children. And one day they found out why. Mr. Deauville had finished unpacking that year's storybooks when he noticed a large smudge hiding in the box's fold. He touched his finger to it and discovered the smudge was wet with ink. Looking closer, he saw it was a seal with an elaborate crest of a black swan and a white swan.
On the crest were three letters: S.G.E. There was no need for him to guess what these letters meant. It said so in the banner beneath the crest. Small black words that told the village where its children had gone: THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL. The kidnappings continued, but now the thief had a name. They called him the School Master.
Elena's eyes had stopped trailing along the page and were now watching the the people outside. She could see to the forest edge, where Sophie's father, Stefan, stood with the rest of the perimeter guard. But instead of looking anxious like the others, he was smiling, hand on the widow Honora's shoulder. Honora was a small headed woman, with a round body, she had once heard Sophie say she looked like a turkey. The man whispered mischievously into the widow's ear. Clearly the man didn't care all that much about his daughter. He had always wanted a son and had planned to marry the women after Sophies mother died. But he needed his daughter's blessing first for the Elders to allow it and Sophie would have none of it. Perhaps if Sophie was taken than he would discover how much she meant to him.
Elena finally put her book away since she wasn't doing much reading. She jumped down from her bed and walked over to her window. The blinds blew in the breeze, and she felt a chill trail up her spin. Her house was in the centre of the town, since right below it was her parent's bakery. Glancing out her window once more before she turned away, she saw Sophie. As she laid out gingerbread hearts for the School Master with delicate care. Elena rolled her eyes and as soon as Sophie's head vanished beneath the window, Agatha shoved the gingerbread hearts in her mouth. It was a terrible idea for Agatha to be out this late, considering everyone thought she was a witch and would have gladly pushed her into the woods if it meant saving the other children. Once she saw Agatha eat the last of the cookies and begin the trudge towards the cemetery she closed the window, not bothering to lock it. She had lost the key years ago and had never gotten a new one. Turning away from the window, Elena threw a blanket over her shoulders and made her way downstairs.
The bakery had always given Elena an eery feeling at nighttime, so she quickly lit a candle. She used it to light her way to cookies that had been left on the counter. Shortbread cut into the shape of suns covered in icing sugar, grabbing the whole lot she went into the kitchen behind the counter and sat on the table. Outside the town clock sounded signalling a new hour. Without much to entertain herself she pulled out her wand. It was essentially unheard of for there to be a sorcerer living in Gavaldon considering the town was deprived of anything worthwhile, but her parents had decided to come here. She knew the history, but it didn't bother her any less. Out of all the places they could have hidden her they choose a boring old town and gave up their perfect fairytale's lives. Her mother always said the easiest way to avoid a curse was to never trigger it. Which made no sense. Sleeping beauty tried that and she still ended up dead. Hr curse wasn't as elegant as Sleeping beauty though, which truthfully was very disappointing. Elena had come to terms with whole concept of a deadly curse, but it still could've been somewhat more princess like.
She twisted the wand in her hand and then flicked it. Before her the kitchen was illuminated by a fairy tale, shown through a swirling pink and purple light.
Before her was a castle, inside people gathered around the main hall. The king and queen looked at each other proudly as a baby no more than a year-old attempt to stand up on his own. While the rest of the kingdom smiled at this fondly one woman focused entirely on the crib sat next to the two thrones. She approached it, a smile growing on her face. The story never showed her face, sometimes she wore a hood to cover it others like this time always showed her from behind. It was as if no one could see the women, perhaps she was a ghost, or they could see her and thought the women was simply blessing the baby. Instead, a green light began to fill the room. Before long, it had surrounded the baby and suddenly there was a scream. The scream of a mother as she realised what had happened. It was to late. The curse seeped into the princess's blood. The women began to speak but her words were simply depicted in pictures. Of a knife covered in blood and the same green colour. The girl older now, trapped in a deep sleep. A riddle, the antidote. A clock.
Then the story faded away and she was left simply in the light of the candle. Outside she heard a noise. She had to be imaging it. It had to be someone in the guard. Someone who was getting closer to the bakery rather than around the forest. She focused back on her wand, perhaps she could find a way to reverse the curse using a second magic spell. She needed to find the riddle the witch spoke of.
Then, a gust of wind blew open the back door. Just wind and the guards outside she had no reason the panic. Approaching the door, she went to shut it, but then she saw it. Staring right at her. A bony, hunchbacked human shadow, with shiny blue eyes. Shiny blue eyes that looked back at her. Before she even got the chance to run it grabbed her. The shadows covering her arms, Elena pushed and fought back but it was no use. When she screamed one heard her. For the entire guard was passed out, their touches still burning. She kept screaming but no one heard as she was dragged into the forest. She fought against the shadow man as he kept dragging her along the ground. She was now covered in dirt and bruises. This was not meant to happen, she muttered in between the panicked screams for help. But no one heard her scream and behind her the fire from the torches raged.
Eventually she stopped fighting, for when they approached a tree, the shadow man let her go and fled back towards the town. Regaining her senses she stood and used her wand to light up her surroundings. Through the pain she began to run in the direction of the fire, but it was no use for the thick trees closed in on her. She had to find a way back to the village. She couldn't be taken, she couldn't have found her. That was the point of her parents fleeing, so they could solve her curse, being taken to the exact place that would active it, was the opposite of ideal.
The schoolmaster still hadn't come back so she still had time. Maybe she could blast the trees and make a pathway back to the village. He still had to fetch the other children, or the other child. Did she technically count as one of the two children, if she was from outside the village.
"Farewell, Gavaldon! Farewell, low ambition! Farewell, mediocrity-" Sophie called as she was dragged through the trees. Elena nearly screamed at the sight, because it gave her an opening. So she bolted towards the young girl who was blowing kisses to the village as she left. What was she thinking. Then she saw Agatha charge through the trees and the now blazing fire.
"Agatha, no!" Elena cried- Agatha leapt on top of Sophie, and they were both were dragged into the darkness, towards Elena. The fires around the villagers were extinguished and the trees once again grew thick and thorny, locking them out. Her one chance at escape gone. Before she could even think what to do next, the shadows came around her again, and pulled her instantly towards the two other girls.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" roared Sophie, shoving and scratching Agatha as the shadow pulled them into pitch-black forest.
"AND WHY ARE YOU HERE?" Sophie exclaimed as Agatha thrashed wildly, trying to wrest the shadow's grip on Elena and Sophie's grip on the shadow.
"TRYING TO ESCAPE." Elena yelled back at the girl and fought against the shadow in attempt to free the hand that still gripped her wand tightly.
"YOU'RE RUINING EVERYTHING!" Sophie howled. Elena wasn't sure if that was directed at her or Agatha who just bite Sophies hand.
"EEEEEYIIII!!!!"
Sophie brayed and flipped her body, so Agatha scraped against dirt. Agatha flipped Sophie back and climbed towards the shadow, her clump squashing Sophie's face. All while Elena kept trashing trying to get free, so she could somehow find her way back to the village.
"WHEN MY HANDS FIND YOUR NECK-"
They felt themselves leave the ground. As something spindly and cold wrapped its way around them, Agatha fumbled for a match from her dress, struck it against her bony wrist, and paled. The shadow was gone. They were cocooned in the creepers of an elm, which ferried them up the enormous tree and plopped them on the lowest branch. Elena didn't dare try to use her wand now. Before she could have blamed it on the shadow man, but now it was too late. She quickly tucked it back into her boot. Stood up and looked down.
"We need to get down from here and go home right now." She announced to the pair and before either of them got to speak, the branch wobbled, coiled back like a sling, and shot them up like bullets. Elena screamed and the branch they had just landed on branch coiled and snapped them up to the next bough, which bounced them up to the next.
"HOW TALL IS THIS TREE!" Agatha shrieked. Ping-ponging up branches, the girls' bodies collided and crashed, dresses tearing on thorns and twigs, faces slamming into ricocheting limbs, until finally they reached the highest bough. There at the top of the elm tree sat a giant black egg. The girls gaped at it, baffled. The egg tore open, splashing them with dark, yolky goo as a colossal bird emerged, made only of bones. It took one look at the three of them and unleashed an angry screech that rattled their eardrums. Then it grabbed them in its claws and dove off the tree as they screamed, finally agreeing on something.
The bony bird lashed through black woods as Agatha frantically lit match after match on the bird's ribs, giving them catches of glinting red eyes and bristling shadows. All around, gangly trees snatched at the girls as the bird dipped and climbed to avoid them, until thunder exploded ahead, and they smashed headfirst into a raging lightning storm. Fire bolts sent trees careening towards them and they shielded their faces from rain, mud, and timber, ducked cobwebs, beehives, and vipers, until the bird plunged into deadly briars and the girls blanched, closing their eyes to the pain- Then it was quiet.
Elena gasped as she looked down and saw it. "It's real."
She knew deep in her heart it was, but she never imagined she would end up here. Never imagined she would end up back in the fairy tale realm. It had been drilled into her since she found out about magic and fairytales and curses. That she was safer in the village, because in the village there was no chance of activating the curse. The only magic that existed in the village was the fairytale books, Callias and Elenas family. All incapable of activating her curse. But here surrounded by magic, she wasn't entirely sure how long the curse would stay dormant.
"It's breathtaking." Sophie exclaimed, finally she was going to be a princess. Far beneath them, two soaring castles sprawled across the forest. One castle glittered in sun mist, with pink and blue glass turrets over a sparkling lake. The other loomed, blackened and jagged, sharp spires ripping through thunderclouds like the teeth of a monster. The School for Good and Evil. The bony bird drifted over the Towers of Good and loosened Sophie from its claws. The two other girls clutched onto her in horror, for being dropped from his height was surely deadly but then they saw Sophie's face, glowing with happiness.
"I'm a princess." But the bird dropped Agatha and Elena instead.
Stunned, Sophie watched them plummet into pink cotton-candy mist.
"Wait-no-" The bird swooped savagely towards the Towers of Evil, its jaws reaching up for new prey.
"No! I'm Good! It's the wrong one!" Sophie screamed- And without a beat, she was dropped into hellish darkness.