The Magicians

B is for Baltha

Lucia and Heather traveled down the long halls....completely lost. "How do we find our rooms? Is there a magic map or something?" Luce stopped at a dead-end, "I have no idea."

"You two look ridiculously lost." The two whipped around to find Hades smirking at them with his arms crossed. "We are. How do we find our rooms?"

Hades laughed, "It's just a snap away, my dears." He snapped his fingers and the three transported instantly before being dumped in another corridor lined with doors of all sorts. "This is the dormitory. Each student is paired with a room mate, so they can split the responsibility of keeping the rooms clean and to make friends also. Friendship will get you very far in this world I think."

Heather chuckled, "It's funny because he's Death." Hades smiled making Heather stiffen, "I'm not Death, dear, though he does work for me. Even the darkest of people have a friend in some form." He turned his attention back on Luce. "Use your magic, and you can go anywhere. Have a pleasant night."

With a slight nod of his head, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke leaving the two remaining in the hall.

Looking back at the paper, the room was named; not numbered. "Look for the room labeled Elder Wood. That's our room." They walked down the corridor passing by several doors. Each one was a different style, and if she was right, their door should be wooden. Of course.

At the very end, they finally found it. A gold plaque labeled "Elder Wood" hung above the door frame where vines and flowers seemed to be escaping from the room to grow on the wall.

Opening the ancient looking door, Heather and Luce gasped in unison. A small outdoor clearing lay before them as trees created a circle of protection. Above them, the night sky shimmered as a bloated moon lit the glade.

A large, four-poster bed was set up on the far side of the field, and a giant mound of plush pillows lay on the other end as Arabian lanterns flickered in the low-hanging tree branches.

"You must be Lucia Damon? And you brought a pet with you?" A large figure walked towards them from the shadows of the trees. As soon as it hit the moonlight, it was not what anyone expected. A centaur.

Half of her body consisted of a snow leopard, and her top half was an olive-skinned girl with her white hair cut super short. "I'm Baltha Zohar, from the Island of Lusions. Come on in and, do tell, how have you stayed under the radar of the school all these years? I can feel your magic from here."

Luce walked into the room closing the door behind her. "I used a dampening spell to blend in. I couldn't leave my sister behind, but somebody made me lose my cool." Baltha padded closer examining Heather. "Not a pet then? That sucks, man."

Heather barked at her, but it didn't translate well. "Here, let me help you with that." Baltha placed two black clawed fingers on Heather's head and her black eyes turned gold with power.

"There. That should do it, just test it out." Heather cocked her head, and Luce could hear her complaining in her mind. "Hello?" she squeaked. Hearing her voice aloud made her flap her wings in joy. "I can talk again!" She glared at Lucia, "Thought you said it was irreversible, Lucifer?"

Luce shoved the bird from her shoulder, "Call me that again and I'll make sure you never speak again." Baltha laughed and headed towards the pile of pillows each the size of a horse. She plopped down and rested her chin on her folded arms watching the two fight.

"Well, I'm going to bed now. Anything else you wish to do or know? Now's the time to ask."

Luce remembered the angry boy. "Do you know what's up with a guy I ran into earlier? He was somewhat tall, wearing a permanent scowl, dark hair?"

Baltha's head popped up and her plush tail began to flick impatiently. "That's Ash Samhain. You don't want to go anywhere near him. It's rumored he poisoned his girlfriend at the Macabre Ball, but it hasn't been proven yet. Such a waste of a beautiful girl and tremendous witch like Peri Tyler."

Lucia crossed over to her bed, "There's no way. How is he not in prison?" Baltha shrugged, "Because Hades refuses to release Ash from his protection until he finds the truth of what happened. Some say that it was a girl named Hera, but no one seems to remember her. Go to sleep now, you two have a big day ahead."

Lucia pulled the heavy blankets around her as cricket chirps filled the air. Heather settled at the foot of the bed nesting in the remaining comforter.

"Sleep tight."