The Adventures of the Junior Phoenixes, Part 3: The Pendant of Death

Chapter 2: A Tale of Two Aurors

Chapter 2

     The Troll’s Hammer arrived with damage to the mainsail, which delayed their trip a day longer. They sailed through the Irish Sea and towards Castletown, where they took on a few men to help repair the mainsail. The ship then pulled towards the Queen’s Promenade along the northern part of Blackpool’s shores and dropped anchor near Admiral Heights. A few boats arrived to meet them off the shoreline and bring in the passengers and the wounded. When they approached the Queen’s Promenade, a group of Ministry Officials greeted them, along with a large group of Healers from St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
     Standing on the concrete walkway that constituted the long avenue of the Queen’s Promenade, looking regal and authoritative, was the Minister of Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt. Beside him stood a few others, including many others wearing similar robes to the ones that Shade wore while working at the Ministry in Salem.
     “Aurors,” Shade said. He accompanied Captain Scylla as she was carried on a boat to the shore. With him was Jinx. Crow and Sherman Locke came behind them in another boat. They were brought ashore and helped up. A pair of Healers grabbed the stretcher that Captain Scylla was laying upon. She reached out and grabbed Shade’s hand before they did.
     “You saved my life, Mr. Roberts,” she told him.
     “It’s Richards, Captain,” he corrected her.
     “I know, Shade,” she said, patting his hand. “Thank you for saving my life, and not wrecking my ship. I take back half of the bad things I said about you.”
     “Just half?” Shade grinned.
     “Just half,” she smiled. They carried her away on the stretcher and to a bus that was parked next to the Promenade.
     “It seems every time we meet, Mr. Shade,” Kingsley said, extending his hand, “It is under dire circumstances.”
     “Believe me, sir,” Shade began, “I’d like to meet in better circumstances and just shoot the breeze about how bad the Sweetwater All-Stars beat the Ballycastle Bats.”
     Kingsley laughed. “Talk like that in certain pubs will get you in trouble.”
     “What happened out there?” a young wizard wearing Auror’s robes asked.
     “They created some kind of mist,” Jinx answered. “Then a bunch of Selkies jumped aboard, along with some crazy-looking woman with a Sinbad fetish. She led the group, I think.”
     “I may not be completely sure, sir,” Shade added, “But I think it was the Shadow Dancer, Violet Cobra.”
     Kingsley turned to Shade but said nothing.
     “What makes you think that?” another man, of Indian descent, asked.
     “Because I’ve seen those kinds of moves before,” Shade answered. “They’re the same kind that Aldous Nimblegrim teaches his students, the art of Faerie Sword. I know those moves. One of my former students moves like that.”
     “She is well aware of the teachings of Aldous Nimblegrim,” a young lady said. She stepped forward, wearing Auror’s robes and a grin on her face. Her brown hair was tucked behind her in a ponytail, with two bangs hanging down in her face. She was holding a wand, but at her sides Shade noticed a pair of scabbards. She was young, with a medium nose and a cute smile. She wore a necklace around her neck, a chain, with a strange cross-looking pendant around her neck. From what Shade could descry, it had a strange bluish glow about them. She strolled up and gave Shade a hug.
     “Rain Fox,” Shade said to her with a big smile, “Look at you, Little Warrior. Guess they made you an Auror after all.”
     “She’s still in training,” the Indian man said, “But she’s coming along fine.”
     “I hear she’s had quite the teacher,” an older gentleman with a pointed hat, gray hair, blue eyes, and a set of Ministry High Rank Robes said. He was older than all the others around him, and wore a smile. “It is good to meet you, Mr. Shade. Keleigh Turan always spoke highly of you.”
     “Well, thank you kindly, sir,” Shade said to the man.
     “My name is Tiberius Ogden. I’m the Head of the Aurors Office.”
     “It is a pleasure to meet you, sir,” Shade said, shaking Ogden’s hand.
     Ogden pointed to the Indian man, “This is Parth Patil.”
     Parth bowed and shook Shade’s hand. “It is a pleasure, sir.” Parth Patil was tanned, very lean, and kind-mannered. He wore his robes, but beneath Shade noticed he wore a shirt and yellow tie. He was tall, with a thin nose, bags under his brown eyes, and jet black hair.
     “And this is Argent Tenebras, one of our rising stars in the Aurors Office,” Ogden said of the other young man wearing the Auror’s robes. He was young, with silver-platinum hair and smooth skin. He had no facial hair, and high cheek bones. He had gray eyes and a short nose. He shook Shade’s hand with a firm grip.
     “We finally get to meet, Shade,” Argent spoke with a grin. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
     “You have, have you?” Shade pondered.
     “Yes. My sweetheart has spoken much about you, sir.”
     “Your sweetheart?” Shade asked.
     “Yes,” Rain Fox answered for him. “He’s dating my sister.”
     Shade was surprised. “I never knew she had a boyfriend.”
     “Well, she’s spent the last two years across the Pond,” Argent spoke. “But yes, we’ve been together for quite some time.”
     “Well, it is a pleasure to meet you, Argent,” Shade said. “This is Jinx Corryn, my partner.”
     Jinx gave a nod to the others. She was chewing on a pack of Droobles.
     “That is Crow Quinn, from our New York office,” Shade said, introducing the Aussie Auror.
     Crow nodded towards the others. “G’day, mates,” he said curtly.
     “And this is Sherman Locke,” Shade introduced the tinkerer. “He’s under contract with our Salem office. He’s not an Auror, but is one of our resident experts.”
     “Expert in what?” Argent asked.
     “Well, you name it, I’m probably good at it,” Sherman said, with both a chuckle and a nod. His answer garnered no response from anyone else except for Shade and Jinx both shaking their heads.
     “Let us talk elsewhere,” Kingsley said. He then leaned over to Shade and whispered. “You and I need to converse privately.”
     “Where would you like to go?” Shade asked.
     “A little wizard community near here,” Kingsley suggested. “Little Martin, just a few miles away. There’s a pub, with a place upstairs. Let’s go there.”
     “Yes sir,” Shade concurred.