Valiant (Wiccan Wars Series - Book 2)

1 - Destination

Lucy looked out of the window. Trees whizzed past as she sliced through the green countryside at a dizzying speed, the train occasionally bumping and jarring on the tracks. The trees blurred and feeling a familiar wave of motion sickness, Lucy turned her gaze to the inside of the carriage. 

There were several people in the carriage - all from different walks of life. One man sat on the edge of his seat, glancing at his watch. He wore a suit and had a briefcase laid on his lap; she assumed he was a businessman. Another woman, who sat a few rows ahead of Lucy, was the source of a constant tip-tapping. She had a professional laptop balanced on her tray-table, and seemed relaxed and familiar on the train. She probably commuted every day. 

Analysing people had been the only thing to keep Lucy busy throughout the whole journey - the train to the airport, the flight, the cab (or taxi, as it was called in England) to the train station, and now the train to the next town over from the Academy. The cab driver had told her that someone had been arranged to pick her up at the train station to take her to the main campus for orientation. From there she would either walk over to her dorm, or get a shuttle bus to where some of the other dorms were located, where she would meet her housemates. 

There was a loud ding, followed by an automated message. "We are now approaching Radley station. Please do not open the doors until the train has come to a complete stop." Lucy watched as most of the people in her carriage clambered to the doors, creating a pileup. She sighed and pulled herself up, staggering with the movement of the train as it slowed. She found herself crammed between Briefcase Man and Laptop Lady. 

Once she was free of the crowds, she easily found her way to the exit, where a cigarette smoking cab driver held up a sign saying 'Marshall'. She tentatively approached him, dragging her case behind her. 

"Hi, I'm Lucy Marshall?" The cabbie looked her up and down and grunted, tossing his cigarette to the ground, and yanking open the door. When she had seated herself, he lethargically hoisted her suitcase into the trunk and then climbed into the drivers seat, pulling away from the station. After a few minutes of driving, he glanced at her through the rearview mirror. 

"What was ya name again, love?" He asked in an unmistakably cockney accent. 

"Lucy." 

"Right, right. Ya from America, ent ya?"

"Yes."

He sighed. "America. I 'ad a sweet'art over in America. Back when I was bloody kid, that was." Lucy peered awkwardly out of the window, but the cabbie kept talking. "Veronica was 'er name. Gorgeous little fing she was. Why dont I tell ya the story of 'ow we met, eh? Well, it was 1985. I'd just finished secondary school and-" He stopped abruptly. "Well missy, looks like we've reached your destination. I'll 'ave to tell ya the rest o' that story another time."

The cab pulled up to a huge, Victorian style castle. For a moment Lucy thought that she had been brought to the wrong location, but the sight of people in a navy and burgundy uniform told her that she was in the right place. 

Lucy let herself out of the car, retrieving her case from the trunk. The cabbie rolled open his window, an unlit cigarette hanging from his lips. "Ya got a light?" He asked, his smoky breath choking her. She shook her head, resisting the urge to cough. He rolled the window back up and drove off, without even a murmur of a goodbye.

She turned to the magnificent building, almost tripping over a girl who was crouched, tying her shoelaces.

"Ooh!" She said standing up, and brushed a strand of dark hair from her face, looking at Lucy with dark, dark eyes. "Sorry!" She said quickly in an Australian accent, biting her lip.