Free Avis Blackthorn: Is Not an Evil Wizard! by Jack Simmonds Page A

game. Hunter grunted something and turned back over to
sleep, Jake nodded at his sister and Simon snored louder, which I
guessed was a no.
    So we all went for a lovely stroll. The
grounds of Hailing Hall are truly spectacular. We went down these
big stone steps in the hill, that wound down to the forests. Far
ahead lay the cliff edge and a huge canyon. Floating just above the
cliff edge was an island. A great big lump of rock, covered with a
wonderful, heavenly garden floating on a bed of cloud. A long
drawbridge hung across shrouded in cloud. The floating island had a
big fountain in the middle with a stone angel statue fluttering her
wings, the water from the fountain went off in a stream and fell
off the edge of the island in a long, white waterfall down into the
canyon. There were benches, vines and little rabbits running all
over it.
    “We must go to that at some point,” said
Robin.
    “Hmmm…” I said, I wasn't too sure. I
especially wouldn’t be crossing it with Hunter, he was too accident
prone.
    “Oh yes, we must!” Florence said, clapping
her hands together.
    The rest of the gardens were like some
horticultural heaven. The statues all spoke to each other
gracefully, and the trees sometimes decided that they didn’t much
like where they were rooted, so pulled their roots out with this
weird snapping noise and re-rooted themselves somewhere else. The
forest to the left was lit up by the morning sun and you could see
all the way through it. I could see some of the older years messing
about and chasing each other. Now and again they would do a Spell
and someone would be launched into the air by their backside, where
they hung limp, robe over their heads.
    “Apparently,” said Jake, whose English was
getting much better. “Dat game ‘dey are playin’ is called Riptide…
you have to work in teams to get as many of ‘de other team in the
air…” It actually looked really fun.
    The path led down through the forest and on
the stroll, we met many more people. A lot were just sitting in the
sun, in the large grassy open land near the floating adventure play
area. Some were doing work where they sat, others leaning against a
tree and reading, or sleeping. Surrounding the forest and grassy
expanse was a great river, big and wide with a gentle current. We
all sat and watched it for a while. It was so relaxing. Some older
years were sailing past on this handmade raft, we were surprised
because there wasn’t much wind. One of them, at the back, was
sitting there with his hands outstretched muttering something. The
sail on the front was caught, as if by huge gusts of wind.
    “He must be a weather worker,” said Joanna
fascinated.
    Some part of me really hoped that Tina would
walk past and join us. Only once had I seen her, on the way to a
lesson with Straker as we came out, but she didn’t see me. She was
deep in thought and not paying much attention to what was around
her, I am sure she would have said hello, had she seen me. Robin
wondered if she had been caught sneaking around yet. I imagined
saving her from Straker’s icy grip as he interrogates her about the
quest, then she hugs me and calls me her saviour.
    She was very mysterious. I didn’t know what
form she was in or anything. Over the coming weeks me and Robin
caught a little more sight of her. She would eat lunch and dinner
at funny times, often when we were just leaving late. But when she
did eat with her form, who we couldn’t distinguish, she ate without
talking and would be the first to leave.
    Me and Robin, whose interest was caught by
her… and her quest, wanted to find out more. So, during free time
on Saturday we went in search of her dorm room, hoping she would be
in there. We searched high and lo, but couldn't find anything.
    I had seen a rather haggard ghost float
through a wall towards us near the numerology rooms. Bloody thing
was deaf as a stone. I had to shout at it to stop, then when we
asked it (loudly) where Tina’s dorm might