The Adventures of the Junior Phoenixes, Part 4: The Pendant of Light

Chapter 14: Horns, Tentacles, and Hooves

Chapter 14

Cedrique Devereaux stood on the banks of the Black Lake. He stood upon a rock and pointed his wand towards the lake, concentrated on the dark, cold waters. He practiced using the Water Pendant as much as he could. He took his time, moving his wand slowly and with purpose. He would aim his wand, speak an incantation, and watch as the water would extend an amorphous blob that would snake into various shapes. He would flick his wand and it would rise or flutter, drop it low and wind the watery snaked spout low, the water mimicking his movements. Whenever he made the water do something particularly interesting the giant squid inside of the Black Lake (which served as the lake's de facto lifeguard) would clap two of its great huge suckered tentacles in amusement. It surprised Dev the first time it clapped but he laughed every subsequent time afterwards.

It had been weeks since the meeting on the mountaintop. Since that meeting, Dev had been keeping distant from the rest of the group. He kept wandering into the Dark Forest without anyone to accompany him. Rouge kept an eye on him as best as he could, at Echo's behest, but he didn't pry too deep or got too close; he chose instead to give Dev some space. Dev left the school a few times without anyone except for Rider DeVine. Rider kept mum about their comings and goings. The only person that Dev had constant communication with was Jean Savageau. Jean Savageau was teaching at Hogwarts for the term alongside Master Bullavin. He taught Earth Magic to the students, often taking them into the Dark Forest for lectures and demonstrations. He was a young member of the Wapanaki tribe, a former Salem student, and well adept in the arts of the Tribes. He and Dev became close friends, often discussing the politics of the Six Nations.

Dev appeared to keep Echo at arm's length, though, since the meeting on the mountaintop. Echo felt confused as to why he was being so distant. She occupied much of her time training alongside Rain Fox on the mountaintop with Master Bullavin. The Iron Bull, as Echo already knew, was a hard teacher. Often Teller joined them, wanting to hone his skills. The four of them trained for hours together, and more often than not the three young Aurors were bruised and exhausted afterwards while the Ward Master of Putnam never broke a sweat. When their training would finish Echo would turn into the big white tiger and prowl around the Dark Forest. Though he had kept her at a distance, Echo would pad her way towards the Black Lake and watch from the trees as Dev practiced using the Water Pendant he was asked to protect. She fought the urge to join him but, like Rouge had done, she chose to give him space to train. She knew it was important to him.

Star Saoirse, Dan Titan, Sam Meadows, Ignatia Jones, and Bria Brightwater made little ventures out into the Dark Forest whenever they got a chance to, as well. Sometimes, when she wasn't watching Dev practice, Echo would follow behind the five students as they wandered about under the dark canopy of the trees. They would notice her frolicking about and watched as she would catch rabbits and bring them to the kids.

"What the heck are we supposed to do with a bunch o' dead bunnies?" Sam would ask.

"I'd say eat them," Star would answer, "Cook them up! Medium rare for mine, though."

Dan and Iggy would shake their heads while Bria would clap happily and offer to skin them and make hats.

Meanwhile, Jinx kept to herself even more since the mountaintop meeting. She patrolled around the campus, wandering aimlessly. She spent a lot of time around the Great Hall and watched the students half-heartedly, missing her home in the States and giving crooked smiles to Luminara and Nymphara whenever they waved at her. Sherman kept her company most often, though it annoyed Jinx more than comforted her.

Sky Heart had sailed the Fwooper's Folly into the loch and the Black Lake, under the protection of the enchantments around the school. She kept the ship ready to sail at a moment's notice. She knew that, any day, the group was to leave for places far away. She took it out onto the open waters occasionally and went fishing for hours. Rider and Sherman kept her company on occasion. A couple of times Star, Sam, Dan, and Bria joined her on the occasional fishing voyage beyond the loch (they dared not to fish in the black lake, for fear of offending the merpeople that lived under the waves). Sky Heart taught them how to use fishing rods and their wands at the same time. She also taught them how to gut their fish and prepare them to eat (though one time Star caught a large cod and devoured it without cooking it, much to everyone's surprise and disgust). Sam knew how to gut the fish and prepare it ("My daddy taught me the Muggle way back home," she said) and Dan was disgusted at how much fun Sam had showing her skills off ("You should not be enjoying that as much as you are," Dan said to her).