Splinterbark: Chaos of the Coyote Crew

Chapter 10: Magic Lesson

Lynn sulked in the back of the car as she was bring driven home. She saw her stepbrother through the back window head not for the school's parking lot but towards Campus Village. At first she reasoned that he was going off to study. She knew full well about that little tea shop he frequented. But this was different. Ignoring the swaying steps caused by his illness, there was a lightness in his footing. As pale and slightly green his face was, there was a hint of happiness. And she did not like it. That and being cheated out of driving that black and purple coupe didn't help her mood.

She was actually shocked to see her father home so early. He was in his office looking through several desk drawers and shelves muttering that he could not find something relating to some other thing. The phone on his desk had the voicemail light blinking since her father didn't do well with most electronic devices. Desmond did not seem to be aware he had left the den door wide open because Lynn saw him walking up to the higher shelves with small traces of magic underneath his feet like he was walking on invisible stairs.

"Irene, where did I put that file for that Clifford property? I could have sworn it was in here." Lynn coughed loudly trying to get his attention and slamming the door behind her quite loudly. Desmond only jumped a bit from his mystical footing but he did not drop from where he hovered. Lynn admired his skill of concertation.

"Lynn? What are you doing home? Shouldn't you be at school?" he rapidly questioned her as he casually walked down back to earth.

"Um...it's 4:30, daddy. School kinda let out a half hour ago." Desmond pulled out his pocket watch and buried his head in his massive mess of hair in embarrassment.

"Huh, so it is. Which means Irene is out teaching kids to beat each other up with sticks still. Where is your brother?" Lynn opened her mouth slightly perfectly ready to rat her stepbrother out as Desmond casually waved her off.

"No matter, knowing him he's studying in his room." Lynn pouted and made a very audible grunt. But then another idea same to her.

"Say daddy, since Irene and Alucard are busy, maybe we could...have another magic lesson?" Desmond seemed to be ignoring her by the continued shuffling of papers.

"Don't you have homework?"

"But daddy, I really wanna show you what I can do. And we haven't had a magic lesson in so long. Pretty please?" She opened her eyes wide and leaned against him. Desmond sighed heavily and slapped the folder closed. A knowing smile shined though his beard.

"Alight dear, let us see what you have learned."

The Dougal Estates had many secrets since its erection almost 150 years ago. Chambers and secret passages between rooms honeycombed the castle-like estate and not even Desmond knew all of them. The den in particular had its own secrets. He twisted the head of a griffon statue and a very thin slit appeared between two of the bookshelves. Lynn followed him down the winding staircase into the basement. The underground space housed several rooms ranging from a library to a storage room and finally a singular almost barren chamber. Desmond clapped his massive hands and the orb lanterns of the chamber flickered to life. A circle of standing candelabras had been placed around a center dais. Lynn pulled from under her shirt a pendant. It was a circle with black spines jutting out from the rugs and a crystal hung in the center. She raised up the pendant and the crystal projected light before her. The light flickered and danced as it formed into a long black staff. She swallowed hard and stood upon the dais.

Desmond twisted his fingers in the air and the candle holders danced to various spots in the room like those animated brooms from that moue cartoon. Then several lights flickered from his palm and they bounced from candle to candle until the entire room was how bathed in a peculiar blue glow. On a table next to him was a sparkler candle that he lit immediately. Lynn know exactly what he had wanted her to do. She braced her feet hard against the dais and stuck the ground hard with her staff's spike. She closed her eyes briefly and the purple gem in the top half of the staff hummed with energy. The sparkler had only run down in less than two minutes when it exploded and a thousand dark light shards struck out every which way. Lynn felt several of the slivers slice against her skin, but she had to fold that focus. When the smoke cleared a quarter of the candles had been burnt out. The others were protected by violet orbs though some were half cracked and just barely holding on. Lynn would have fallen to her knees if it were not for her staff to keep her up.