Even days after, with the promise stuck bouncing around in his mind like a ball in a pinball machine, Archibald couldn’t help but work himself to his limit. Archibald was in one of his practical magic lessons. Though the darkness blinded him, Archie could tell his sister was ahead of him by her footsteps as she steadied for his attack. Archibald enjoyed his practical lessons more than anything. He enjoyed fighting more than anything, although he would enjoy it more if he won every now and then.
The dark room was lined with long mats, covered in stitches and strings. At the end of each mat, a brother and sister faced each other. Their instruction was to push the other off.
Archibald and his sister had decided to take it in turns pushing each other off. Climbing onto the mat, Archibald faced his sister.
He yelled a phrase, trying to cause an explosion, but instead a cloud of smoke slapped his sister in the face. An instructor came around.
“Draconic is about more than speaking. You need to will the speech into reality. You need to believe that you’re speaking truth. The dragons were creatures of impenetrable will, so whatever they said came to pass. I think you’re just screaming random words.”
Archibald tried again, but instead of an explosion or cloud of smoke, his sister was hit with a light breeze.
“No, try it like this,” the instructor said, grabbing Archibald’s arms and holding them out. The instructor then pulled his hands to the side and clapped them back together. Archibald spoke the word. A pop came at his sister’s side, and though she put her hand out to block, embers shot out faster than she could react, and her scarf caught fire. After the instructor put the fire out, he congratulated Archibald.
When Archibald clapped his hands together again, however, his sister went flying, slamming into the stone wall. He winced as a wooden board came loose, falling onto her head and collapsing with a heavy thud to the cobble floor.
Later, Archibald sat awkwardly in the infirmary, watching over his sister as a nurse wrapped her head in bandages. Oddly enough, the nurse was plated in armour. After finishing bandaging the unconscious girl, the nurse hurried out of the room, leaving Archibald and his sister in the empty infirmary.
“I’m sorry,” Archibald murmured.
His sister let out a groan.
“I’m sorry,” Archibald spoke up, “I know, I’m sorry, and I feel really bad.”
He paused. The air was stale like old bandages. Archibald shifted in his seat, distracting himself from the smell, and finally he said, “You wanna spar again?”
His sister continued groaning in her sleep, and Archibald walked off.
He found himself stumbling down the winding hall, circling back down to his class, but in his inattentiveness, his foot caught the carpet, and he tripped.
For a while, he laid there crying, the fur of the carpet rubbing against his shaking body. It was hard to tell why he was crying; maybe he was tired, or it could have been from his sister’s injury. Perhaps Geoff’s exit had weighed on him.
Either way, as he marinated in the tear-soaked carpet, his heart beat faster. The whole world shook as his heart pulsed.
Then, he felt his father grab his shoulder, and the world calmed as he was pulled to his knees.
“Archibald,” his father whispered, “What’s wrong?”
Tears continued gushing down his face; he couldn’t answer.
“Do you want to come to my office?” his father asked, and Archibald managed to nod. His father lifted Archibald, carrying him up the hallway.
Finally, they came to his office, and as an instructor opened the door for them, Archibald’s father placed him in a chair. But instead of going around, his father knelt beside him.
“Hey, Archie?”
Archibald looked up to his father.
“You wanna go outside?”
His eyes now lit up, and the slow stream of tears suddenly stopped.
“I’ll show you, out the window, what the outside is like,” his father said. The two walked over to the massive window wall and gazed over the edge. Though a gust fell through a window from above, the main window was now bolted shut. And through the window was a vast forest. It rumbled occasionally, monstrous creatures flying around.
“Those are demons. We’re close to the demon realm’s portal, so there are a lot around here. I don’t want you to be in danger, so I’ll send you out with some of your older siblings. But you have to remember to stay close to them. They need to protect you.”
Archibald leaned against the glass, staring in awe at the wild creatures fighting down below. Finally, Archibald asked, “When are we going?”
“Three days.”
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Lined up along the wall for roll call the next day, Archibald shook wildly. His excitement only continued festering until his shoulder was caught. Johnny, standing to the right, had grabbed his shoulder..
“Are you good, Archie?” he asked, “You’re… vibrating.”
“I’m fine,” Archibald said, his face flicking down to hide his smile.
“Seriously, Archie, I know something’s up,” Johnny continued, and spinning Archibald around to face him he said, “What’s going on?”
Archibald broke. “Father said I am going outside in two days!”
“Two days? Surely not. Anyone else?”
“Father didn’t specify,” Archibald said, “But he said some older siblings.”
As Archibald finished speaking, their father came past. “What’s all this about?”
“Father,” Johnny said, “Are you sending Archie outside?”
Their father’s eyes widened. “Archie,” he said, “You told him?”
“Sorry, Father,” Archibald whimpered.
“Father, you have to let me go too,” Johnny said, “To take care of Archie.”
“Yes, Johnny, I think that would be wise,” their father said, “Veronica and Peter too, at least. You four were the only ones to remember the Geoff incident.”
“What does that mean?” Johnny asked.
“Your magic is stronger for whatever reason,” their father said, “You had resistance to the ritual’s magical effects.”
“I’ll be strong for you, Father,” Archie said. "My magic will be the strongest ever!”
“Calm down, Archie,” Johnny said, and turning to his father he asked, “Are some people naturally stronger with magic?”
“I’m not sure, but I suspect there may be trace amounts of demonic or draconic blood in your lineages,” their father answered. Gently stroking his beard, he was lost for a moment. Then, coming to his senses, he said, “That would explain why your magic would be more powerful. In any case, I need to finish roll call. Seven hundred and fifty-three, seven hundred and fifty-four, seven hundred and fifty-five, seven hundred and fifty-six…”
“I can’t wait,” Archibald blabbered, “I wanna go outside. And you and Veronica are gonna be there—”
“And Peter,” Johnny added.
“Does he have to go?”
“What do you have against Peter?”
“It’s just…” Archibald said, crossing his arms, “He’s annoying. And he keeps trying to make me mad.”
“He’s your brother. You should love him.”
“I can’t love him,” Archibald growled, “He keeps making me look worse in front of Father. He tripped me one time in front of Father to make me look clumsy.”
“You know, I have a theory that Peter loves you,” Johnny said. To Archibald’s mix of surprise and confusion, Johnny continued, “Even though he does all of that stuff to you, I think he’s using that to hide his vulnerability. He’s one of the oldest siblings, so he grew up thinking dominance was important. To him, admitting that he loves you is like admitting that you’re equal, and that scares him. I think you just need to take a step back, stop being manipulated by what he does, and really understand why he’s doing it.”
“Step back?”
“You’re so distracted by how he treats you and how he talks to you that you don’t realise what he actually thinks about you,” Johnny said.
Then, as Archibald tried to think of a comeback, the bell rung. It echoed down the tower, and the collective youth made their way to the cafeteria.
“We can keep talking over lunch,” Johnny offered, and Archibald followed him.
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Johnny and Archibald came to a wooden table in the cafeteria. Johnny placed each of their plates down, slabs of charred fish, and Archibald fiddled with his chair. His pants would not stop sticking to the seat. Finally, Johnny brought over a different chair, and the two sat across from each other.
If not for the smell of burn layering the air, the strong stench of fish would made Archibald sick. Sure, it still gave him a headache, but he could manage it.
“What did you want to talk about?” Johnny asked, “Was it going outside?”
“Yeah, I’m so excited!” Archibald shouted, “I wanna see what it’s like outside!”
Some of their siblings had turned eyes towards the pair, so Johnny shushed Archibald. “Remember, we can’t just go telling everyone,” Johnny whispered, “You already got into trouble for telling me.”
“We can’t even tell Veronica or Peter?” Archibald said.
“If Father wants to send them, then he’ll let them know,” Johnny said, “Same with whoever else he sends with us.”
As Archibald prodded his fish warily with a fork, Johnny blurted out, “I’ll protect you.”
“Huh?”
“I couldn’t protect Geoff,” Johnny said, “He ran away. We have no idea what’s happening with him, but he’s probably dead. I just can’t… I can’t let that happen again.”
As Johnny’s head fell into his palms and tears seeped through his fingers, Archibald sat in shock. His older brother had never cried.
Holding back sobs, Johnny said, “He’s dead, isn’t he? I couldn’t protect him.”
“I won’t die,” Archibald said simply.
“Because of me he’s dead. It’s all my fault.”
“I won’t die,” Archibald repeated.
Johnny was silent. Then, he said, “I know. I won’t let you die,” wiping the tears from his eyes and then wiping again because he missed a tear.
As he sunk his knife deep into the blackened skin of his fish, their father yelled, “Children!”
Their father balanced precariously on a wooden table in the centre of the cafeteria. At the sound of his voice, every child turned their attention up to him.
“I have an announcement!” he said. First, he told of Geoff’s disappearance, then of the ritual, then of the demon king. Even Archibald’s sibling still getting their food waited on his every word. Finally Archibald’s father said, “I know this is difficult to hear. Any of you who are scared and want to leave can talk to me. Tomorrow, those who want to leave will go with me to the capital. However, I should tell you that the day after, the first expedition into the demon-woods begins. Out of those of you who stay, the strongest and most ready will get to go outside. So, please, think hard. From this moment, all of you will get the chance to go outside. You just have to decide whether it’s for me or without me.”
He took a bow and climbed down.
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and then Add to home screen.