Part One
Getting the Hell Out of Dodge
The world of magic was a bit like the wild west. Replace the guns with wands and spells, and the bandits with dark magical assholes and yeah, pretty much the same. And that is why it was time for Maggie to get the hell out of Dodge.
This plan had been brewing inside of her for a long time. While every other kid was all starry eyed and dreaming about getting a letter inviting them into the magical world, Maggie had been reading the newspaper and dreading the day some schmuck with a skeleton face and a raspy voice tried to persuade her to join his righteous cause of ridding the world of normies. In these head fantasies she’d refuse and then a battle would ensue where she was obliterated by this psycho or one of his psycho minions. Thus, these fantasies further cemented her desire to be exactly where these pricks weren’t going to be.
“Are ya all packed, honey?” Her rosy-cheeked father asked. He was of course grinning like a fool because today was the day, he was finally free of his earthly burdens. A lifetime of good financial decisions had landed he and Maggie’s mom in a position to retire early and with Maggie now going off to school, they’d have nothing holding themselves back from living out their dreams of traveling the country and visiting all the locales on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. The thought that their precious little daughter could be disintegrated by a bolt of lightning from a knock-off Ozzy Osbourne had no bearing on their consciences.
“All packed, dad.” Maggie said cheerily. “And is the tuition account setup?”
Her dad looked around the room, spotted some packed bags and hefted one up with a grunt. “It is my dear, and of course your personal stipend so you can live a little.”
Maggie hated goodbyes. Like, despised them. Not that she hated seeing people go or leaving loved ones behind, she just hated that awkwardness of deciding how many hugs, and I love yous’ was enough. How much time to spend fawning over one another. Making promises to write or call. The unneeded advice like, “Take care of yourself,” or “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” and her personal favorite, “don’t forget to lock the car doors so the homeless can’t open them at red lights.” So when her dad finished maneuvering his ridiculously sized RV into the parking lot at Penn Station she readied herself to make a mad dash away from her parents.
“We’re here!” Her father shouted. Always the master of stating the obvious.
“I don’t understand why you couldn’t just fly, taking the train seems dreadful. So much rocking and bouncing,” her mother chimed in. As if she hadn’t noticed how rocky and bouncy the RV ride was.
Maggie shrugged, “Who knows, mom.” But she in fact did know. She also knew that her mother knew. Magic and electricity weren’t friends. Each would interfere with the other. This of course helped normies feel safe in their cities filled to the brim with massive electrical systems and gave the electrical operators someone to blame for their own negligence. Oh, the power is out? Must be some wizard or witch conducting a sinister ritual. Yeah, right Texas, we all know your grid sucks balls. But it also meant you couldn’t carry any magical paraphernalia through airport security. They were definitely not going to risk a plane going down because some jackass wanted to warm his drink using a simple heat incantation, and Maggie’s bags were filled to the brim with every novice magical device and book her parents could afford.
“I like it,” her father said with a smile. “Adds a bit of mystery to the experience.”
Yep, trains, the epitome of mystery. Who could ever unravel the sacred arts of steam powered locomotion?
“Um, Maggie,” her mother said.
Maggie turned to her, “Hm?”
“I have something for you.” Her mother reached into the pocket of her coat and brought out a long silver chain with a silver circular pendant on it. “It belonged to my… Helena.”
“Grammy’s?” Maggie asked, pausing in her flight.
Her mother nodded. “Come here and let me put it on you.”
Maggie acquiesced. Lowering herself before her mother as she slipped the silver chain around her neck. “You know, she was a bit of a witchy woman herself.”
“Cracked in the head more like,” her father grunted out. A sharp look from her mother banished him back to the driver's seat.
“She had magic?” Maggie asked.
“No, I don’t think like that. But she always believed. She felt a kinship with the moon. When I was a little girl there would be many a night, she would drag me out of bed, half-awake to stand out in our yard staring up at the full moon and bask in its light.” Her voice began to quaver as her eyes welled with tears. Long ago memories not often visited threatened to overwhelm her. “And she always wore this.” and her mother tapped the moon shaped emblem on the necklace. “I don’t think there is any real magic in it, but your Grammy loved it and she’d be pleased as punch to know you’ll be carrying on her legacy.”
For once in her life Maggie was at a loss for words. Instead of speaking she did something she had so rarely done as of late and just embraced her mom. They stayed there like that, locked in a moment between mother and daughter until her father finally spoke up again.
“We best head into the station now, or you’ll miss your train.”
Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.
Her mother pushed her away but held her at arm’s length and stared into her tear-filled eyes. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Stop it.” Maggie demanded. “You’re going to make me cry.”
Her mother looked away. “I think I’ll stay here. I’m not one for goodbyes.”
“Oh, come on now. You two are acting like this is a funeral,” her dad chided.
“It’s ok dad,” Maggie said with renewed resolve. “Let’s go. You can walk me to my gate.”
She spared one last glance back at her mom, suddenly wishing she had said more, done more, to get to know the woman who had literally given her life. She resolved then to write often. Maybe she would spare her the details of her actual plan. Yeah. Wouldn’t want to worry her more.
-Break-
Trains, Pains, and Bespelled
Her mother had of course been right. Trains were terrible. Maybe not all trains. Maybe newer fancier trains were better, or those high speed bullet trains in Japan. Yeah, those were probably great, but old timey steam powered trains without all the accouterments of modern technology, yeah, they kind of sucked. That was Maggie’s thoughts before the train left normal society. After the train gained a far enough distance away from the city, the magical inscriptions kicked in.
It took every ounce of strength and dexterity Maggie had to not flail around the train cabin. How the pale girl across from her managed to sleep through this vexed her. Maybe she was dead? And then it stopped. Maggie stuck her hands out to the side ready for another wave of shaking but nothing happened. Overhead a runic symbol illuminated in a blue fluorescent color and cold air washed down from the rune blanketing the cabin. Ah, sweet delicious AC.
A green looking symbol alighted on the wall and a female’s voice spoke through it.
“Thank you for your patience. While we have distanced ourselves far enough away that we may activate our inscriptions, please refrain from any unnecessary use of magic. Please be reminded that combat magic is strictly prohibited on the train and the use of it will result in immediate expulsion.”
From the train, or from the school, Maggie wondered.
“Ah, I timed it perfectly.” the girl who has been sleeping said. She stretched and yawned and cracked her back so loud that Maggie was sure that couldn’t have been healthy.
Maggie remained silent. Maybe if she didn’t acknowledge her, she would not have to engage with her for the remainder of the trip.
“The sleeping elixir, if you were wondering. I get terrible motion sickness. I knew that the train’s stabilizing runes would kick in eventually, but I didn’t think I could make it without barfing all over the cabin. I didn’t think anyone would appreciate that, so I took some precautions. You’re really quiet by the way. My name’s Celeste, I’m a second year…”
“HI!” Maggie interrupted before the girl could go on anymore. “I’m Maggie,” she said gently.
“Maggie. Are you a Margaret, a Magdalena or maybe a Magnolia? Hm, I guess you could be a Marjorie, oh or even a Margarita.”
“Just… Maggie,” she said, rubbing her temples.
“Oh, do you have a headache? I brought some medicine. Some mundane, but also some that I brewed myself. Would you like one?” Celeste asked cheerily.
“I’m fine,” Maggie sighed. “Has anyone ever mentioned to you that you talk a lot?”
Celeste laughed. “All the time. So, you’re a first year right. You seem a little old? Was that rude to say? Hm.”
“Yeah… I delayed my acceptance as I wasn’t ready to leave mundane school.” Why was she bothering to answer this girl?
Celeste’s mouth twisted thoughtfully. “That’s weird. You’ll be with the younger kids, and boy they can be annoying.”
“I can only imagine,” Maggie said. “Anyways, I don’t plan on sticking around. This is just more of a means to an end.”
“You’re not staying? But then, why come?” asked Celeste.
Before Maggie could avoid explaining this over-convoluted scheme, she had concocted to live on her own, a knock sounded at the cabin door. She was expecting maybe a food cart, but boy was she wrong. Instead, it was exactly what she was trying to avoid. Some dickbag in a black robe with greasy hair that hadn’t been washed maybe ever.
“All students must report to Car 3,” he said with a sickly smile.
Celese looked like she was about to do something, but Maggie cut her off with a quick shake of her head. Please don’t get me fucked up in this place trying to be a hero, she thought.
“Lead the way,” Maggie said.
The students were all herded like cattle into an open train car that had little in it. Maggie wasn’t sure of the purpose of it honestly, but she also didn’t give two shits at the moment either. Sketchy dude that escorted them to the car went and joined his sketchy posse and who Maggie could only assume was the magical asshole leader.
“Greetings children,” the front man of the band hissed out. “It has come to our attention that some of you have been naughty boys and girls.”
This drew some snickers from his groupies, though Maggie didn’t know why.
“But do not be alarmed,” the man continued, “a simple test will tell us all we need to know about the culprit and the rest of you can be on your merry way.” He seized a shaggy haired boy and whipped out a wand holding it to his forehead. There was some muttering and glowing and then the boy fell back into the ground which stopped him from crumpling to the ground like a sack of potatoes. “Next,” the man said with a grin.
And then it happened. “You’ll not get away with this,” Celeste shouted out from my side. Fuck me.
“Who said that?” the man growled. And boy did that crowd part like the red sea. Apparently, they were a lot smarter than Maggie because she was still in the phase of processing why in the hell this girl had a death wish when Celeste herself whipped out a rod. Not a wand, no, this thing was thick as hell, like a shillelagh and pointed it at the dude. She grabbed Maggie’s hand as if she were steeling herself and Maggie tried to pull away because the last thing, she wanted to do was get caught up in some magical dark wizard plot.
The next thing Maggie knew was ringing ears and blurry vision and hands grasping her and someone shouting in her face as she’s being dragged to the side and when she gets a semblance of her senses back there is a giant hole in the side of the train car and Celeste is engaging in combat with this assclown. So yeah, Maggie’s mom was right, riding the train was dreadful.
-Break-
That little bitch, Caelum thought. I’m going to make her suffer a thousand deaths. A million. I’m going to find her family and make her watch me bleed them dry. They are going to sing songs of the tragedy that I’m going to deliver unto that family. And that other one with her, who the hell was that? No matter, she was as good as dead too.
Where in the hell was, he? He had been flung from the train by that bitch’s spell, cast out and slamming into the ground and only stopping after several rolls across the rocks and earth which left his robes in tatters and his ego bruised… and his ass bruised. He limped a few feet before sighing and slumping back to the ground. What was he going to tell his Master? That he was defeated by a handful of upstart children? Who in the hell gave that brat a blasting rod? And how in the hell did two amateur brats’ power such a thing?
He rubbed his aching leg absently, fuck it was throbbing. Well, nothing to do now. Soon that train would enter the protective barrier of the school and be far out of his reach. But it didn't matter. They had agents inside the school as well. Celeste and her little followers would pay dearly for this insult. He smiled at that thought. Torturing people always made him feel better.