Duality by Rowan Erlking (classic books for 13 year olds txt) 📕

“Wait!” Bernum grabbed his flier and shoved it back into the head magician’s hands. “Let me punish him! But let me get my sister out of there first!”

Halting, even recovering himself a little, Head Magician Jimmit started to nod vigorously. “Yes. I should send my best student after him for what he did to Ludy. And you see that he suffer as much pain as possible!”

Flattered that the head magician had just called him his best student, Bernum said, “I plan to. But you’re right in that I need to make an escape plan for all of us to pull this off.”

Nodding, Head Magician Jimmit walked back to where Bernum had already prepared some things for the trip, sticking his hands right into the travel chest. “Of course. We have to make this all legal and untraceable. He does know how to bend the law in his favor, even when he is breaking it. What is all this?”

Bernum eagerly rushed over. “Stuff for my magic show. If I am to impress him—”

“No, no, no.” Jimmit shook his head, dropping the scarves and the playing cards Bernum had accumulated. “It can’t work that way. If he knew I sent my best magician he would know something was up. We have to make you look like a bumbler or some kind of punk that I want to punish.”

Blinking at him, Bernum glanced at his chest. “But, why—”

Jimmit was still shaking his head. “He asked for a low student, one who will not amount to much, one who will be desperate for any job. Apparently whoever he had before was too powerful and walked off, breaking contract.”

“It was a wizard,” Bernum said.

With a curious look, Jimmit frowned. “Why would a wizard even make a contract with Omoni? They are famous for their perceptive abilities. A wizard would have noticed the man was dishonest.”

Bernum shrugged. “Who knows? How did he ensnare Malkia? She is a powerful magic user.”

Jimmit nodded, glancing at him. “Yes, if she is really anything like you.”

“She is,” Bernum said.

The head magician started to pace, thinking aloud. “We have to get you into his home. That is a must. We also have to get you back here safely without any legal hang-ups. I guess I could write a condition to loaning you for an internship—that I get you back at the end of the term. You shouldn’t sign any contract that does not comply with this. Read them thoroughly. You won’t have any trouble deciphering the legal jargon. I’ve seen the books you have been reading lately. Look for loopholes. As for the magic show, I think it is best that you go there acting like you don’t know what you are in for. I’ll prepare a chest of un-spelled things for you to sort through. I want it to be a surprise so it really will look like I’m sending you there to punish you. Your school record has enough detentions and disciplinary meetings with me that if he double-checks the validity of it, we’ll have facts to back it up. Then he won’t notice I’ve manipulated everything.

“Bernum, I want you to act sullen, even brag about the pranks you did here when you meet him. And at the start of the term I want you to do something that will make all the teachers upset with you. I don’t care what it is, just don’t permanently damage anything.” Head Magician Jimmit looked hard to him. “No one must know we are conspiring against that low life.”

Bernum nodded. “Thank you. That was nearly my plan, but you arranged it so much better. What kind of prank should I do?”

“Don’t let me know,” Head Magician Jimmit said. Then he smiled. “Surprise me, that way my reaction will be authentic. I’ll probably laugh, but I need to let your teachers get upset with me.”

“I won’t let on anything,” Bernum said.

“Let’s just hope your sister didn’t tell Omoni about you.” Jimmit then turned to the door, marching out. He stopped in the doorway, looking back. “In the mean time, you should write your father and let him know your plans.”

“I already told him my plans in Yapan,” Bernum called after him.

Smiling darkly, Head Magician Jimmit nodded. “Good. Then go out and get some strength. It is still a holiday and I want you ready to face that nasty…. Just get ready.”

The school started to fill three weeks later. Bernum spent that time reading in the library and taking notes on spells he could use in his trip. He also visited the town, listening in on the conversations of the foreigners there, especially keeping his ears open in case one of Omoni’s men came to Yolund to kill him. So far there had been no indication that Malkia had talked about him at all.

“You’re back early,” Motik said, carrying in his luggage through the door, staring at Bernum who was practicing a spell next to his bed. “I thought you liked vacations.”

Bernum nodded. “I do. But I had to come back early.”

Motik dropped his bags right there and walked over, lowering his voice, “Did you ever find out what happened to your sister?”

Nodding without looking up, Bernum drew out a star shaped spell on paper, marking each point as he went along. “I did.”

His friend leaned over, peering at the paper silently, still waiting for more. No other answer came for a full minute so Motik added, “And…?”

This time Bernum looked up. “And I’m taking care of it.”

“Taking care of it?” Motik frowned. “You make it sound like she’s in trouble. What happened?”

“I can’t talk about it.” And Bernum went back to his spell writing. Almost immediately the paper turned to dust where star shape had been, leaving a hole. Bernum stuck his hand through, silently smirking at the result.

Motik blinked at it. “Uh…you know, scissors would be more effective—and faster.”

Glancing up, Bernum smiled at him. “I know. But this was just a practice. I’m going to try this on stone.”

“Stone?”

Bernum nodded.

Taking a step back, Motik nodded to himself. “Ok…I see you are very busy. I’m going to go…yeah. Unpack.”

Bernum hardly noticed Motik walk backward to the suitcases and then mince away towards his bed with several nervous glances at Bernum’s  intensifying obsessive expression. Bernum was too busy writing his success in his notebook of spells that he intended to use against Omoni.

Classes started the week after.

As promised, Bernum came up with a spell that upset more than just the teachers. Pretending that he didn’t like to waste time with cleaning during his assigned kitchen duty, Bernum took a pack of soap flakes and set Malkia’s hydrating spell on it, activating the entire batch. And just like it had worked for her, foam filled the entire cooking and eating area, from floor to ceiling. But he did it with all kitchen helpers, cooks and, students working as serving aids still in the room, cackling as the liquefied soap fluffed out into clouds, rolling from the bag, over tables, cook stoves, chairs, and people as they rushed to get out, screaming.

Bernum strolled out of the room, sopping wet, grinning at the seven teachers who also had been there with heaps of snow-like fluff on their heads and shoulders.

“What?” He blinked at them.

“That was the final stroke,” one of the teachers said, the same one whom Bernum had set the flies on in his third year.

“You just don’t have a sense of humor!” Bernum laughed, even as they hauled him to the head magician’s office, his heels dragging. “It is not like it won’t clean itself up!”

Head Magician Jimmit got to see the foam mess himself. He was pulled there, actually. He laughed only mildly as if stunned Bernum would go that far to get out of work. And when he stormed back to his office to scold Bernum, more than just seven teachers were at his heels chasing the head magician down with demands to really punish Bernum hard. For good measure, Jimmit railed on Bernum in his office, his shouting heard well through the doorway.

It was enough.

So when all the internship assignments were given out later that week, the teachers grinned when they hear of Bernum’s assignment. And Bernum pretended not to understand what going to Merchant Omoni’s meant. He and Jimmit played it up perfectly, even to the day Bernum was given the mysterious chest that could not be opened until he arrived at Jonori, though Bernum did try out of curiosity.

The school carriages took the interns out to their first jobs. The covered carriage that took Bernum to Jonori also carried ten other boys out into the world. At their first stop, in Lineidin, they delivered two of them, then three in Supar. They dropped off two more in Kibilla, right in front of the businesses where they would be working. With the last three boys they traveled to Donleri where the other two climbed out and bade Bernum luck on his journey, unaware how much he really needed it. When the school carriage finally arrived in Jonori, the driver took him directly to the hilly district, straight up to a high fenced property where there two beefy guards stood at a wrought iron gate between stone walls. Bernum peered out the window first at the building set on the hill, then called to one of the guards on duty. “Is this the residence of a merchant named Omoni?”

He sounded tired and petulant, which was good, but was not altogether acting. The trip barely had any breaks, and he was exhausted.

One of the guards peered at his wan face then said with a grunt, “It is. What do you want, Magician?”

“Uh,” Bernum pushed the door open to the carriage, wearily climbing out. “Magician-in-training, actually. I’ve been sent from the school to intern with Merchant Omoni.”

The guards blinked at him, then whispered among themselves. One turned and walked up the driveway to the manor house. From this view Bernum could see the two stories of the creamy stuccoed structure, the rest of it spread out with one wing here, and another there, the entire grounds green with ivy and little grass. There were plenty of flowers, but it was clear that a gardener took care of it all and was not a hobby for the master.

Eventually the guard returned, frowning at Bernum. “The master says his plea for an intern was rejected.”

Wincing, Bernum lifted up a letter from the head magician he had been carrying in his pocket. “Yes. Head Magician Jimmit told me that. He said I had to give you this.”

The guard took it and opened it. Reading it silently, he then looked up at Bernum. The corner of his mouth curled some. Then he folded the letter and turned, carrying it up to the house, leaving Bernum and the other guard once more. This time it was ten minutes before he returned. Coming along with him were two household servants. They opened the gate.

Almost immediately the servants went to the carriage to reach for Bernum’s bags. They heaved off the travel chest and the one suitcase Bernum had, hardly casting him a look. Once both were unloaded, the carriage driver waved to Bernum, wishing him well, then he drove off, cracking the reins to the horses to urge them to an inn where they all could rest.  Bernum stood on the curb, taking in a deep breath of that evening air for strength.

There were a billion things he had to do. He thought of them as the house servants compelled him to follow them up the driveway to the manor. First and foremost he had to keep up the image of the poor student. Second, he had to keep his eye out for Malkia and hope she does not blow his cover if she sees him.

The moment he stepped up to the manor house he was in awe. Never had he seen anything so opulent. From the