Things were finally beginning to settle down. Emery felt normal againâor whatever the equivalent to normal in a magic school was. He was much more tired and anxious and jittery these days, sure, but that was the norm for him.
Leaving campus for the evening, he texted his guardian to let him know he was on his way home when there was a particular breeze that blew through him, making his hair fly in his face. It was as ifâŚthe wind was pushing him to a certain direction. Tucking back his hair behind his ears, the magician stared at the direction that the wind was blowing. He usually took the same way home every day, but clearly there was something telling him to take a new way.
He wanted to ignore it, knowing how this ended in, like, every horror movie ever. But his legs moved faster than his brain, and before he knew it, he was walking in the direction the wind wanted him to go.
There was the edge of campus this way, tall and thick bushes on the borderline to separate from the forest that was usually avoided by most people. A dead end.
Figures, Emery thought to himself. If this were a horror movie, the killer wouldâve jumped out and got him with an axe by now.
Instead, there was a bunny rabbit that seemingly popped out of thin air, landing right at Emeryâs feet. Startled, the magician stumbled back, clutching the strap of his book bag. âWhat the fuââ
âMagic in danger,â the bunny said in a low and raspy voice. âFollow me.â
Emery stared wide-eyed at the animal for a moment before glancing around wildly. âHoly shit,â he breathed out. âDid you justâŚtalk?â
âMagic in danger. Follow me,â the bunny repeated before it started hopping towards the thick bushes.
âH-hey, waitâ!â Emery ran after it, the bunnyâs words barely processing in his head. Magic in danger? What the hell did that mean?
The little animal hopped right through the bushes, making Emery groan. This thing was surely leading him to his actual death, right into the forest where no one would be able to find his body for days, weeks.
Still, he didnât turn around. Taking in a deep breath, he pushed his way through, nearly tripping over branches before making it to the other side.
Except, it wasnât the forest. At least, not the same forest in Lennox. No, this one was different somehow. There was a brightness to it, as if it was still daylight. The trees were taller, bigger. The birds were chirping away. Some deer nearby got spooked by his presence and pranced away.
The place was whimsical. It wasâŚmagical. More magical than Acadia could hold.
âWhereâŚam I?â the professor wondered out loud, taking in every detail, every sound and smell. This couldnât be real. He had to be dreaming, right? He mustâve fallen asleep on his desk. Yeah, that made sense.
âFollow me,â the bunnyâs voice cut through his thoughts.
If this was a dream, Emery wanted to know this bunnyâs deal before waking up. Like why did it sound like it smoked ten packs a day? Hitching up his book bag, he followed the little thing through the woods and out into a clearing at the edge of a cliff. Looking into the distance, his throat suddenly went dry.
There stood a castle. A castle so grand that it looked like it jumped straight from every fantasy book Emery has ever read. He blinked and rubbed at his eyes a couple times to make sure that the castle was really there. If he really was dreaming, it definitely felt real.
The bunny rabbit continued to lead him down a trail to the bottom of the cliff where a pathway started and right up to these stone gates. Two guards stood on either side, tall and slender and almost impossibly beautiful. Maybe he could get actual answers from them.
âUh, hi?â Emeryâs voice was quiet, small. He cleared his throat to try to get their attention. âCould you, uh, tell me where I am? Or what thisâŚis? Has this always been here?â
Rather than saying anything, the guards took one look at the bunny right besides Em before they opened the gates. The magician let out a huff of breath before following the darn thing inside.
If he was impressed with the outside of the castle, the interior was something else. White and gold marble floors, stone walls with colorful tapestry hanging, tall windows to let the sun in to give the place some warmth. Emery was quite literally pinching himself, wondering if he was ever going to wake up again.
He let himself be led to a grand room with various flags hung from the ceiling, a shimmering carpet leading up to where a throne satâand, god, it made Emery want to faint from the mere sight. The throne was nearly as tall as the ceiling, the white and gold seemingly glimmering from the sunlight.
âWhere the hell am I and can I stay here forever?â Emery asked out loud, his jaw dropping to the floor as he took it all in. This was every nerdâs fantasy, after all.
âYouâre in Valoria, Child of Earth,â an unexpected voice answered him, firm and almost thundering throughout the throne room.
It startled Emery, making him jump and let out a small embarrassing sound. Coming from the entryway opposite of him, a tall, inexplicably gorgeous woman made her way to the throne, as if she were gliding before taking her seat. She had long and shimmering blonde hair, a pointed golden crown on her head. She wore a sparkling white and flowy dress, perfectly tailored for her. She had a small smile on her face, like it was a practiced one to show her politeness, but it was clear that she had great power and could crush him at a momentâs notice.
âVal-Valoria? What is that? That sounds familiar, IâŚâ Emery was wracking his brain for the answer. âWait. Wait, Iâve read this book. Iâitâs about this girl who finds a portal to a fantasy land, a-and this isâŚthis is it. This isâŚâ
Swallowing thickly, it was then that Em noticed her ears. They were pointed and slender, like anâ
âYouâre an elf,â he said out loud before realizing it. âAn elven queen. Youâreâyouâre Rina Eilhorn, aren't you?â
The Queenâs smile actually became genuine, even if it was for a second. She gave a slow nod. âThatâs right,â she said. âI suppose my messenger bunny showed up for the right Child of Earth.â At this, the rabbit hopped up the steps up to the throne, stopping at the Queenâs feet for her to pick him up. âAt least now I wouldnât have to explain the history of this land.â
Emeryâs mind was runningâand screaming and dancing. He was in a magical land that heâs only ever read about, and it was real. He wanted to cry.
âThereâs no time for weeping,â Rina said, her face becoming serious all of a sudden. âI have an urgent matter and Iâm afraid that itâs a problem that only the Children of Earth can fix.â She paused, maybe for dramatic effect, but Ems didnât dare to make a sound. âMagic is running low, dangerously so. Someoneâor something is draining the Wellspring, the source of all magic.â
Emeryâs eyes widened. This wasâŚwell, it was nearly unbelievable. Magic was his constant, so what would he do if it was gone? He couldnât bear the thought.
âThousands of years ago, when my mother ruled,â the Queen continued, âshe was approached by the Keepersâa group of mortals who made their way into our landâto make a deal. They wanted access to the Wellspring, to have magic on Earth. My mother made the deal, but under one condition. The portal to Valoria would be closed forever. Since then, our Wellspring is the reason why your earth has magicians and moroi and every little creature you can think of. The Keepers became master magicians and regulated the magic usage on Earth, then came the royal morois, and so on.â She leaned back into her throne, her hand slowly rubbing through the bunnyâs fur as it lay contently on her lap. âIf there is no magic, there are no magicians. Moroi cannot control the elements. Werewolves canât shift. Sirens canât manipulate with their voice. So Iâm reopening the portal, because Valoria and Earth need help. Wouldnât you agree, little magician?â
âI-IâŚâ Emery couldnât find the words. He was trying and failing. This was absolutely beyond his comprehension. âWhy me?â he finally asked, remembering her earlier comment. âI meanâwhy did you decide to lead me here?â
The elven queen released a chortle. âDonât you feel flattered by thinking youâre a chosen one,â she told him. âThis isnât some young adult novel, Emery Woods. You were simply at the right place at the right time.â
Emery couldnât help but feel a bit disheartened by the words. He did love reading books because he always felt himself transporting into them, being in the protagonistâs shoes, feeling like he was meant to save the world. His eyes narrowed when he realized something, though.
âWait. How did you know my name?â he asked.
Rina smirked down at him. âFigure out what is draining the Wellspring and save magic. Repeat the message to those you trust. I only hope that Headmistress Wolf isnât one of them.â
Emery blinked a couple of times. âWhat? Why does she have anything to do with this?â
âThatâs for you to figure out,â the Queen simply said with a rather bored sigh, as if she didnât drop like, a million bombs onto him. âYou are dismissed, Child of Earth.â
âW-wait, waitâ!â He had so many questions. How did she know his name? What could possibly be draining the literal source of all magic? What did that mean for the academy? Why did the Queen seem distrusting of the Headmistress? Were the Keepers still around? He wasnât able to ask any of this, because with the small wave of the elven queenâs hand, he was transported right back on the other side of the bushes, back on campus.
Letting out a huff of breath, Emery took a moment to process everything that just happened, basically frozen on the spot before shaking out of his thoughts.
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The break of a new dawn lay waste to all predispositions those of the fury kind suffered from during a high Thunder Moon, gone were the rising tensions, latched to the moon as if they had no hope of holding dear to the control they so desperately clawed at. There was nothing more to speak of, those that knew of the werewolves, of the affects the passing moon had on them, had in fact thought to keep to themselves, lock their doors and hope that theyâd neither cross paths with one, or be marked in the days leading up to it, for truly, nobody wanted to suffer at the hands of truly rabid animals.
But with the rising sun, the sky remained red. A tell-tale sign that not all had thought to steer clear of our temperamental friends. It was surreal, three bodies. Scattered, broken and torn in ways no person without a stomach of steel could have laid eyes upon, though to say that the state of them was the strangest thing would have been a downright lie. Casting aside their brutalized and stomach-turning appearances, they were unknown to all. Faces that nobody knew, faces that didnât quite look human, and even still, remained unlike anything anyone in town had ever seen. Â
Rumors surfaced of a species believed to have been nothing more than myth. A species capable of taking on the persona of another, buried deep within the traumatic pasts of those unwilling to speak of them, personas of those the towns people all knew and loved, personas that certainly never belonged to them. A species unleashed by a certain black magic that hadnât graced the world of man for over a millennium.
Bodies were covered up, stories created to slow the dulling roar of small talk, accidents -- they said. Accidental deaths. And for the most part, it was believable.
A press conference was held in the hours following the discovered bodies, a plea for the people of Salemâs Point to remain vigilant, as the possibility of another storm, or more accidents left citizens concerned of their own safety should another Thunder Moon strike. Precautions were put in place, safe houses that people were expected to go to should they feel unsafe in their own homes. The number of officers on duty was increased, all too ease the growing worry of the townspeople, how unsettled they became. The idea of unknown people turning up dead in their town? Unheard of.
All things made to be believable, however, were blown off with the ferocity of a hurricane.
A forth body, torn and left to bleed out on the steps of the Town Hall. No wolf shirked away in guilt this time and much like the others, nobody could quite identify who, or what it was.
This concludes the full moon for this month. While the Thunder Moon is waning down, this does not mean the storms have yet to pass. Salemâs Point will still be the victim of torrential downpour and thunderstorms for now. As well, if you havenât already, we urge you to read the self paras created for this particular plot drop: Riya, Cassidy, and Jaxon.
WHERE: Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace and surrounding areas, Budapest
WHEN: June 1963
This past week, wrapped in the haze of heat and boredom, has been a crescendo of dull monotony ending in terrible tragedy. Or at least that is how the hotel staff has framed it, since they are not privy to the dark machinations happening within the premises. For the first few days everything proceeded as planned. Lena and Harper helped Vald ready for the meeting, while Levi and The Informant prepared for the dinner party.
A letter was slipped under Valdâs door on Saturday morning, telling him to go to the penthouse on the top floor that evening to meet a representative. Again, he was reminded to go alone. So he was equipped with a wire, and will be listened to by the available team members for the next few hours.
So far all they know is that he has met a woman named Sandra Sokolov, who claims to speak on the behalf of Vrosnky. It is unclear what she wants at the moment, but it seems as if she is interviewing Vald with the intention of determining whether he should be recruited to join the cause. Interestingly, as Vald entered the hallway to the penthouse, he ran across Dr. Richard Meeter, who was leaving and looked distressed. The team has been assigned to talk to Dr. Meeter if they get the chance. In the hopes of hearing why he was there and what the result of his meeting with Sandra was at least one spy should speak with him. It seems obvious that he was also invited by Kipler on the night of the Gala, but the reason why Vronsky would be collecting historians is unknown.
The Combatant and The Informant have just left for the dinner party which will take place at a lavish apartment a few blocks away from the hotel. They have been informed by Deborah, who is co-hosting, that it will be a small gathering of elites just for fun and social reasons. She said there would be about six people there, and while the event doesnât seem too nefarious in nature the two spies assigned to attend are expected to focus despite the more intriguing meeting taking place back at the hotel.
However, even with these two extremely vital missions on their minds it is likely the team is distracted. Yesterday morning, Agent Thursdayâs body was discovered by the hotelâs cleaning staff. He was shot once in the head, in his room. While it appears to be suicide at first glance, the make of the gun that was used is undeniably Russian and does not match Thursdayâs issued weapon. The gun did not have any fingerprints on it besides Thursdayâs, and was loaded with six rounds but only one was used.
The team has been informed not to interfere with the officials working on the case. A MI6 agent will arrive by Sunday to collect the body and investigate the death. But in the meantime, itâs clear that the team of spies will be ill at ease. While they have been discouraged from investigating Thursday's death, curiosity may win out. He had not yet submitted his reports from the evaluations before his suspected murder, and his briefcase is empty.
Crane is trying to keep the panic at bay, as there are whispers through his hotel about the presence of the police. But so far he has been able to keep the truth of the matter fairly under wraps. The staff is shaken, but otherwise all seems to be under control.
This turn of events has spurred questions for the team: Who killed Thursday? Did they kill him because he was a spy? And do they know about the other spies at the hotel?
THE OBJECTIVE: Meet with the representative, attend the dinner party, and investigate Thursdayâs murder.Â
