The Books of Magic

Changeling Unmasked

by CSyphrett, with Martin Maenza

The lovely women, both around thirty years old (or so it appeared), walked up the stone path toward Grimoire’s Clock Room. “I’m not going too fast for you, am I?” asked Rose Psychic.

Abby Cable, who was using a cane to help her walk, shook her head. “No, I’m fine,” she said. “Just a little weak after that ordeal. Gallowglass said my strength would return a bit slower as I had it a lot worse than the poor students.”

“Yeah, kids have a tendency to bounce back quick,” Rose said. “Nothing slows them down for very long. Still, take your time.”

“I’d rather not,” Abby said. “Simon asked for me to come around as soon as I was up for it.” Both women knew without saying it that it was unusual for the tower keeper to request to see anyone. He preferred his privacy. Abby frowned, hoping it wasn’t because Simon was mad at her. After all, he had allowed Abby to leave the school against Gallowglass’ wishes.

Then it hit her. Could he be calling in the marker for his favor so soon? Abby hoped not. She barely had a day home before that spore virus put her on a rampage. Gallowglass insisted she recover on the island where he could watch her. It all seemed for naught.

Simon Belmont was on the top floor of the clock tower when the ladies arrived. “Join me up here, please,” he called down when he saw it was them. The older man wore leather armor, his whip coiled at his hip and a short sword strapped to his back. He hoisted a satchel to his shoulder just as the women walked up the stairs.

He was also smiling.

Both of them decided that was not good sign.

“Hello, ladies,” Belmont said. “Thank you for coming so soon.”

“What’s going on?” Abby asked, already sure of the answer.

“I’m going away for a while,” said Belmont. “Some sudden personal business. I need someone to keep an eye on the room and open a return portal for me when I get back to the pickup point.”

The women glanced at each other in surprise. Belmont actually leaving his tower. It was unheard of. “You want me to do that, don’t you?” said Abby.

“Yes.”

***

Tim Hunter sat at a table by himself. He held a bottle of soda pop in his one hand, staring at the glass container intently. Come on, he thought.

Nothing happened.

Tim closed his eyes tightly, thinking that the bottle was full of ice. He wanted it to be full of ice. It must be full of cold, wonderful ice.

He heard a buzzing around his hand, then a clink, then a small crackle. He opened his eyes widely and was amazed by what he saw. His bottle was full of tiny ice cubes from top to bottom.

Tim smiled. His experiment had worked! He had been able to make ice appear out of nowhere and fill his bottle. It was just as he had done when he turned the discharge from a fire extinguisher into a shell of ice to hold his maddened friend, Josh Cantrell. Can I do that again? Can I do other things besides making ice out of other things? How would the others react if they knew? All this weighed heavy on the mind of the young first year student from London.

Tim Hunter glanced at the other boys in the common room. Most of the class had scattered across the academy grounds, but Kirk Pike watched a television documentary on Richard Dragon, copying the moves he saw being performed. Gray Murphy and Alfred Twitchell played poker at a card table. They seemed to be taking turns winning the pot.

Josh Cantrell lay on his bunk, reading a history book. He had recently suffered a frenzy brought on by a strange plant. He seemed to have recovered faster than the others struck by the same thing, though. Josh said it was because his heart was pure, and he had the strength of ten. The other guys laughed at that notion.

Mrs. Cable was on her feet with the help of a cane and some assistance. Tim was glad of that as he was rather fond of the botany teacher. The other victim, Patsy Ambrose, was still in the infirmary, weak as a kitten.

Tim sipped his frozen drink and decided he needed some privacy to think about this new ability. Maybe try to experiment somewhere he wouldn’t attract attention.

***

“Are you sure about this?” Rose asked quietly.

“A niece of mine has surfaced and is in trouble,” said Belmont, pulling a folder from the shelf. “I’m going to get her and bring her back here. Nothing complicated.”

“Best laid plans,” said Rose. She had some idea that danger was involved in some way. Richard isn’t the only one who can play detective, she thought. Belmont taking his weapons on the trip was a major clue.

“I know,” said Belmont lightly. He didn’t feel like dwelling on that point further “This is the picture you’ll need.” He reached to one of the shelves and pulled out a photograph. He showed them a scene of a castle on a lake. A path went up to the main gate. Trees densely packed the edges of the packed earth.

“Place it on the stand, thusly,” Belmont said, demonstrating by doing just that. The scene shimmered in the clock faces when he did so. Abby saw a bat fly through the dark sky as the picture came to life.

“Do this every day at sundown until I get back,” instructed Belmont. “Shouldn’t be more than three days at most. To activate the portal, place your hand on the wall. Whatever you do, don’t step across. The portal will close behind you. Got that?”

Abby and Rose nodded. “You can count on us,” Rose said. She was willing to help her roommate out given her current condition.

“All right then.” Belmont nodded as well and walked to the screen. He paused to wave. “See you soon!” And, then, he vanished into the scene.

“I didn’t think Belmont had family,” Abby said, placing the photo back in its folder. She placed the file back on the shelf but someplace that they could easily find it later.

“This is extremely sudden,” said Rose Psychic. “Almost too sudden.”

“What do you mean?” asked Abby.

“He suddenly finds out about family right after a plant poisons you,” said Rose. “Not to mention Vlad Tepes. Richard said things would happen, but he didn’t mention a concerted attack against the staff and students.”

“You think this is a trap for Belmont?” said Abby.

“Almost certainly,” said Rose. “Something let him know about this niece. I don’t think altruism was the motive.”

“We’ll wait,” said Abby. “If we don’t hear from him by sundown tonight, I’ll ask Mr. Gallowglass to look into it.”

“Right,” said Rose. “I have to take care of some things. Are you going to wait here, or would you like to go somewhere else?”

“I think I’ll do some research,” Abby said. “Maybe read a little.”

“I’ll be back at sundown,” promised Rose before leaving the tower.

Abby limped to the shelves, running her finger over the titles of the files as she read. How often do I get an opportunity like this? she thought to herself. Besides, if I have to remain at this school, I might as well find out a bit more about those who work here.

After a half hour of looking, she frowned. She could not find a file on either Gallowglass or Belmont. That’s odd. She paused at a file marked ‘Archive’. She wondered if this was what she was looking for.

She placed the file on the podium and opened it. She thumbed back through pages to the front of the document. On the clock faces desperate battles, last minute rescues, and the birth of heroes and villains formed a rapidly changing kaleidoscope until she turned the top page and saw a rapidly forming island appearing in the ocean.

***

Mr. Gallowglass waited in the Memorial Park, a grassy spot with seven statues, for a visitor. Given its isolated nature from the rest of the school, it made for an appropriate meeting place. And though it was a bit early in the school year for such a thing, the principal made it a point to meet with this particular visitor twice a year. That had been pretty standard for as long as the academy had been open on Grim Island.

“Hello, Gareth,” said an elderly man with long white hair and a long beard. The robed visitor appeared in the well kept park in a shimmer of light. The man smiled softly and extended his hand in greeting.

“Hello, Shazam,” said Gallowglass, shaking his hand carefully. “How’s Billy?”

“He’s fine,” said the old wizard as he moved slowly towards one of the stone benches. “How has the island behaved so far this year?”

“Nothing major yet,” said Gallowglass. “Nothing that couldn’t be dealt with easily enough. Hell Week is still a few months away.” The two men sat. “You’re early this year.”

“I know,” said Shazam. He glanced about the Memorial Park; Billy had told him what the statues signified, and every year this was where he would meet with the school’s principal. “I have a favor to ask of you.”

“Go ahead,” said Gallowglass.

Shazam had seen Gallowglass’s bitterness and anger soften into a form of compassion that hid behind a mask of detachment and heartlessness over the years. The school had been good for the man though. The wizard wondered if Gallowglass would ever reach the stage where he would rejoin the world outside Grimoire and close the school for good. Probably never, he thought.

“I would like for you to take on two teachers,” Shazam finally said, coming back to the matter at hand.

“Are you sure about that?” Gallowglass said. “Hell Week is the worst part of the year. They wouldn’t have a lot of time to adjust to the island’s nastiness. This job isn’t a walk in the park.”

“They need a fresh start and a chance to start over with their lives,” said Shazam. “They have earned that.”

Gallowglass rubbed the edge of his crystallized eye socket in thought. “Tell me about them,” he finally said.

***

Abby Cable stared at the interface on the walls. Before her eyes, land emerged from the blue-green ocean waters. She saw twisted shapes become rocks and trees on an island, really a plateau, surrounded by the sea. Then the men arrived from the air just before a swirling vortex opened in the land. “Fascinating,” she said.

After a moment, Abby recognized the men from their statues in the park. She knew she was looking at their last moments alive! “This is incredible! Almost like a movie!” She felt a little awkward as she continued to watch. The masked men fought something coming out of the ground that bled demons. Then there was a flash, and the hole closed into a cross in a circle.

Abby turned the page, and the scene continued.

Eventually a sea plane arrived and landed on the shore. A boy disembarked from the craft. One of his eyes wore a bandage, probably covering a recent injury of some sort. “Poor child,” Abby said. The boy ran up to the site of the battle. Abby winced at the cry of outrage and grief the boy released.

The boy gathered up a book and a dial that had been dropped by the combatants. He refused to leave when the pilot said it was time to go. The pilot grabbed the boy by the shoulder to take him back. The ground exploded furiously at the boy’s command. His one good eye was almost white in his fury. The pilot left with upraised hands.

Abby Cable turned the pages in the file. She stopped when she heard someone walk up the stairs behind her. She turned, smiling at the newcomer. “Hi,” she said. “I am surprised to see you.”

The person raised her hand; a glowing ball of energy leaped from her hand and slammed into Abby’s chest. The instructor flipped over the podium with a loud thud. She landed heavily in front of the portal interface.

“I would say I am sorry to see you go, but I’m not,” said the attacker. Another glowing ball slammed into Abby, pushing her through the portal.

The attacker then took the folder and placed it back on the shelf. That caused the portal to close instantly. She looked around the tower’s top, satisfied she had left no evidence to point directly at her. Now to get ready for Rose.

***

Tim Hunter found a secluded spot near the river. The water rushed along on one side, providing for a gentle constant stream of sound. Trees blocked the rest of the island from view; one would have to be practically on top of the spot to see what was going on. The boy sipped the rest of his icy drink as he sat down on the grass.

OK, he thought. I can freeze things. Hopefully I will be able to do more than a bottle of soda and fire extinguisher spray, with some more practice. He wondered what it would be like to fly like Superman, or as fast as the Flash. Could I do those things with magic? Mr. E and Zatanna certainly had impressed him with their skills last Fall.

Tim wanted to be able to fly more than anything. If he could do that, that would be a real test, better than freezing things. Tim concentrated.

***

Classes ran a little short, Rose Psychic thought as she arrived at the Clock Room earlier than she had expected. The sun had only moved a little in the sky as she entered the tower. She climbed up to the top of the stairs, struck by the silence. Where is Abby?

“Abby? Abby?” she called out while she examined the room. Rose frowned when she saw the temporary cane leaning against the wall. “That’s odd.”

Rose bent down and looked at the floor. A small mark stood out, indicating something had been skidded slightly across the floor towards the blank clock face that marked the portal. Had that been here before?

Rose next turned to the shelves, regarding them with a cautious eye. Abby could have entered any of these files, she thought, assuming the clues indeed meant she had taken one of the portals. Maybe she returned home? She had left the school via the portal once before, with Belmont’s help. Rose shook her head. No, she would have said good-bye. And the cane is still here. It had to be an accident!

Rose considered the files. A million upon a million choices with a nonexistent chance to find the right one unless you had some kind of special knowledge. I’m not about to take a blind shot. I need an expert!

Rose pulled out the picture to where Belmont entered and placed it on the podium. When the other place solidified, she stepped through.

Rose Psychic found herself on the path in a thick forest. The castle should be just ahead, she thought, recalling the picture from the book. Still, she kept her guard up as she went.

There was a rustling in the brush.

Rose turned suddenly but saw nothing. She decided that this might call for something beyond conventional senses.

She continued to walk but still felt something about her, something that might be waiting for some unknown signal. Why is this familiar? she thought. A case she had worked on with Richard, perhaps. What was it?

The blood red moon crested the horizon. A howl came from the trees to one side at the sight of the ruddy satellite. A werewolf?!? Once or twice she had helped stop similar creatures on her own Earth. And me without any silver too.

The castle was just across the moat now. A small yip sounded from her pursuer as it crouched at the edge of the trees. Lambent eyes regarded the agent of the Seven quietly. Perhaps someone just wanted to insure I got to the castle OK, she thought. The answer soon was revealed.

A werewolf stepped into the light and then crouched down to wait on Rose’s decision. The ground shifted, and skeletons stood at attention on either side of an aisle leading to the moat. Rose nodded, walking down the aisle as the drawbridge lowered to the cliff side. She stepped on the old but solid wood plank and walked across with echoing footsteps. When she stepped under the portcullis, the honor guard descended back into the ground. So nice for a girl to feel welcome!

Rose followed the pathway through the wall to a fenced manor house beyond. She walked to the gate, opened it with a squeak, and stepped on through. A pack of three-headed dogs waited to escort her pass an ornate fountain.

Rose Psychic paused at the door of the villa. Should I knock or just enter? The dog pack growled at her to proceed inside. Enter it is! She placed her hand on the knob and twisted it. The door swung inwards quietly. She stepped into the massive lobby of the house.

The door swung shut behind her firmly. A robed figure appeared on the stairwell that led to the second story of the place. A cowl covered the man’s features in shadow, but not the scythe he held or the tattered wings spread from his back. “To what do I owe this pleasure, my dear?” the robed man said, his voice as dry and cold as the grave.

“I am following a man named Simon Belmont,” Rose said. “Have you seen him?”

“Belmont?” spat the other. “I wished I had. I know him of old and have scores to settle with him.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Rose said, realizing that maybe her association with Belmont might be a liability here. “I only wish to catch up with and talk to him. I will be on my way.” She started for the door.

“I think you will come with me,” said the robed man, stepping forward. Light from the chandelier fell on his face, revealing it to be a fleshless skull.

“I must respectfully decline,” said Rose quietly.

***

She walked among her fellow students with disguised glee. She saw Gallowglass talking to someone in the Park. I wonder… Then, she pulled back, recognizing the sudden risk to her identity. Better steer clear of those two before either notices. Recognition would mean a sudden stoppage of life; she knew that well from others trying to duel with the one-eyed man. She had other plans than that!

There were eleven remaining teachers and one hundred and forty-nine other students on Grimoire now. She had plenty of targets to exercise her genius against! Too bad about Mrs. Cable!. She had actually liked her. Still, it had been an easy win, and she liked that more.

She wandered into the Bestiary. She waved at Adam Frankenstein as he went about his duties. The gentle giant never suspected any problem. She saw that one of the environments held a herd of meat-eating horses. She wondered what would happen if she were to open the cage. A wicked smile crossed her face. Pandemonium!

***

Tim’s concentration broke. “Something’s wrong!” he exclaimed, bolting upright. He got up and started to run up the path from the creek area. He barely noticed when he ran into a group of boys from the dorm.

“Hey, watch it!” Kirk said.

“Sorry, sorry,” Tim apologized. “There is danger!” Tim pointed. “Down there!”

“How do you know?” said Gray Murphy, looking in the same direction.

“I don’t know,” Tim admitted. “I just do!”

“Oh yeah sure,” Alfred Twichell said. “What, you’re psychic now?”

“Lay off guys,” Josh Cantrell said, coming to the first year’s defense. “I believe him.”

“You do?” asked Gray. “How come?”

Josh smiled, remembering how Tim had come to his aid a number of times since the school year started. “I just do.”

“Let’s go,” said Kirk Pike, starting in the direction indicated by Tim’s pointing. His internal compass told him that Bestiary was directly on that line of march. He didn’t think that was a coincidence.

The group of boys took off, ignoring the fact that whatever Tim sensed might be too much for a bunch of kids to handle.

As they got closer, Kirk called out. “Look!”

A herd of wild horses were pursuing some of the students fleeing from the Bestiary. Adam Frankenstein took massive strides and over took one of the beasts. He tackled it with ease and threw it to the ground. The other horses looked enraged, if that was the right term, by this.

Tim thought of Black, the stallion he had helped not too long ago. He was glad his friend was no longer one of the beasts.

Gray started to yell. “Hey, prancers, leave those kids alone!” The horses raised their heads and snorted at the newcomers

Kirk hit him in the chest. “What’d you go and do that for?” The horses started to charge.

Tim raised his hands instintively. A wall of thick ice flew up between them and the beasts. He was giddy with the thought that he had created something out of thin air. The other guys were rather impressed as well, given that Tim was two years younger that they. But their joy was short lived.

The lead horse reared, outraged to be balked. It kicked against the wall with tremendous force. Fractures appeared in the blue frozen substance.

“We need to tranq them or something,” shouted Kirk Pike.

“OK, guys,” Josh said, addressing his fellow third years. “Does anyone have any offensive spells committed to memory?” The three older boys all smiled at the opportunity to put their lessons to practical use.

The four boys focused their efforts together on Josh’s command. On the count of three, they let fire. Sparks jumped from all their fingers accept Alfred’s; he encountered a backfire and stumbled back. Tim caught him.

The concentrated effor nailed the flank of the most determined beast. The horse crashed to the ground hard and unmoving.

Tim glanced at Alfred curiously. “Petrification spell,” the heavy boy answered. “Not a permanent effect but enough to buy us some time.”

The three boys took aim again. The second horse went down just as fast as the first. The rest of the herd fled back into the Bestiary out of concern.

***

Rose Psychic stared at the robed skeleton as he hefted his scythe in both hands. She sent part of her mind questing for Simon Belmont as she called on her mystical training. She didn’t enjoy fighting but knew the value of self defense.

The winged figure of Death hurled his scythe at Rose. It split into a cloud of smaller versions whizzing at the teacher as it flew through the air. Rose held up her hand. A disk seemed to form in front of her for a moment. The weapons shattered as the disk flew forward through the crowd of whirling razors. Death flew above the striking shield. One bony hand snatched his returning scythe out of the air as it circled the room back to its start.

Rose Psychic stepped to the top of the stairs. The winged skeleton soared into the air, gaining altitude to swoop with devastating speed. Rose turned, her hand raised. The symbol of the Seven filled the air around her. Death’s scythe struck eagerly, slicing a green line through the air. The weapon and shield shattered together in a spray of fragments.

Rose instantly leaped into the air, slashing with her hand. The edge of her hand impacted against Death’s head with a solid thunk. He fell out of the air, crashing into the central staircase that Rose had bypassed. She landed lightly, turning to face her foe.

Death raised a hand. A portal of lines in a circle appeared to confront Rose. She saw a giant fish coming from the other end of the wormhole with a toothy maw. It looked hungry.

Rose Psychic leaped to her side. The edge of the grisly green fish glanced off one leg, spinning her to the floor in a heap. She tried to get up, but found that the pain shot up her leg in a fiery sheet. She collapsed on the hard wood as the fish slid into another portal.

Death held out his hand. His scythe formed in his bony grasp. His horrible visage seemed to smile more than a skull normally did. “Game over,” he said, raising the wooden shaft above his cowled head.

“New player,” said a harsh voice from behind the flying skeleton. A silver whip cracked across Death’s head as he tried to turn. The demon flew into the railing for the second story balcony.

Simon Belmont flew from the staircase, feet smashing his enemy through the railing in an explosion of shattered wood. Belmont bounced to his feet, sword in hand. He pinned Death to the floor with a lightning stab. He pulled out a vial of water and smashed it against the demon. Blue flame lit the landing, causing the winged skeleton to scream until ashes floated up from a sudden vacuum.

***

She watched the happenings with a wide grin at first. Those meddling boys, she said as things started to turn. They’re ruining all my fun!

She never expected a fledgling adept this early in the year, much less a group of them with such daring and disregard for danger. After the last time I was here, I thought for sure that doing this before Hell Week would yield the best results.

Then young Hunter had unveiled a nasty surprise of his own. He had some degree of focused talent that she had never seen before in a first year student. These boys have to be disposed of quickly! She waited for her chance as the Horses of Diomedes rushed back into the Bestiary; the animals no doubt were setting up an ambush. If things went as she planned, Gallowglass would preside over five more funerals before the day was out.

***

The group of boys regarded the quiet zoo. The animals seemed to be watching their efforts to corral the escaped wild horses. Adam Frankenstein held a bag of darts and the blowgun that he had retrieved from the front supply cabinet. “You stay here,” he told them. “Keep watch.”

Kirk Pike flatly refused to stay on the sidelines. “I’m going in whether you likes it or not, Adam,” he said.

“What about detention for disobeying?” Josh asked. “Peel can be down right ruthless. Believe me, I know!”

“Detention with Peel’s a challenge,” Kirk replied. The others just stared at him with disbelief.

“You’re crazy!” said Gray. “But, we started this together and we’ll finish it together.” The others nodded.

Adam looked at the determined faces and decided it would be better to have them with him and close than to have them running about on their own. Of all the boys, Pike was the one who would never back down when he thought he was in the right. Adam admired that but thought it would likely get the boy killed if he wasn’t careful.

Tim Hunter stood near the Arioch pasture. He stared at the landscape blankly as the white bull cropped the grass thoughtfully. He was missing something. They were all missing something. What could it be? How would Batman, or his sidekick Robin, go about this? They would flush the horses out or figure some way to blow their cover. At least the Batman would. Tim mused on his half baked idea.

Maybe they could make it work if he had a way to implement it. All he really knew was how to freeze things. What else could he do if he put his mind to it? Could he do this? He decided to try.

Tim closed his eyes and concentrated. He felt motes of himself flitting through the strange zoo. He was everywhere and nowhere for a moment. Then he was himself again. The young boy smiled when he saw the results of his work. The Horses of Diomedes were surrounded by magical sparks that brought attention to their hiding places with their constant buzzing.

Adam Frankenstein darted three more of the predators before they realized he knew where they were. They charged out to engage the groundskeeper and his five helpers.

One went down in a roll of thunder when Josh Cantrell punched it in the side of the head. One chased Gray Murphy until a small tree fell on it. One went after Alfred Twitchell but found that the elusive boy was always just out of reach before it could bite or stamp. A dart in the hindquarters brought it down swiftly. One went after Kirk Pike, who swung up on its back before it quite knew what he planned to do. He had a handful of mane and slapped his horse’s rump. The startled equine began to buck furiously under the rough treatment, trying to throw the boy to the ground.

Tim raised his hands as two of the herd ran at him. Blue sparkles formed in glowing relief at the tips of his fingers. Suddenly the horses were covered in thick ice as the magic worked its way on the atmosphere.

Tim Hunter smiled slightly. He felt ten feet tall and bullet-proof. He had frozen two horses in their tracks with a wave of his hands and an extreme mental effort. He wondered if it would get easier.

He looked around. His friends had things in hand. He had underestimated them. He should have known better. Kirk and Josh had herded the remaining horses together, blocking them from the rest of the Academy. Gray and Alf had grabbed tree limbs and used them as prods to help keep the animals back. Adam aimed the blowgun and put one more to sleep with a breath.

Tim focused on one of the remaining horses. He called forth the energy again. Energy raced from his hands and flew at the predator. It reared as the spell buzzed by its head. Distracted and annoyed by the attack, it ran back into its enclosure. The other horse stared at his fellow, until Adam exhaled a dart in its hindquarters. It fell over after a second’s surprise at the pricking.

The boys looked at each other. “We won!” said Gray. “Wahoooooo!”

“Hold that thought,” said Kirk, looking at the gate to the enclosure.

***

“I thought I told you to stay out of the portal,” Simon Belmont said, pulling the sword from the empty robe.

“Abby is missing,” Rose Psychic said. “Her cane was left behind in the Clock Room.”

“You think she stepped into a portal?” asked Belmont.

“If she did, someone replaced whichever source file she used,” said Rose.

“I see,” said Belmont, sheathing the sword.

“Can you find her?” asked Rose.

“Not from here,” said Belmont, as he walked to a door leading off the second story landing.

“Could we go back?” said Rose, following.

“I am not done yet,” said Belmont. He pushed the door open, whip ready.

“Abby might be in danger,” Rose said.

“Quiet,” said Belmont. “We’re in danger, and there isn’t a might about that.”

He started down an open hall to a door at the other end. His brown eyes glared at the hedges bunched up against the metal picket fence as he moved. Rose followed silently. The winged Death was evidence enough of Belmont’s point of view.

Belmont pushed through the next room, revealing a rose garden around a central pillar and the edges of a circular room. Circular windows allowed the wan moonlight to shine on the plants. Belmont pushed against the second door to the other side. He went up some stairs to gain access to a hall. Knights of stained glass burst from inserts into the hall, attacking with swords. He didn’t pause as he struck with the silver whip, smashing the stained glass with two blows.

He headed for one of several doors and opened it with a key. “Inside,” he said. He waited for Rose to limp past before shutting the door and locking it. The room was small with a cask against the far wall. Belmont sat down on the edge of the platform the cask stood on. He peered in his supply bag until he pulled out a brown bag. He pulled out a wrapped sandwich and handed it to Rose.

“Eating?” Rose asked, examining the thing.

“Yep,” Belmont said, pulling out a sandwich for himself. “It’ll do wonders for your leg.”

Rose bit into the sandwich. Slow warmth bled through her system. The ache and pain drained from her leg as she ate. “What is in this?” she asked.

“Bat,” Belmont said

“What’s going on, Belmont?” Rose Psychic asked, finishing her sandwich. Her leg felt much better than it had earlier.

“My niece is being held in a tower off the central keep. I am going in and getting her.” Belmont threw his wrapper in his bag. “Coming or staying?” he asked.

“I’ll go,” said Rose, throwing her own wrapper in the bag. “How do you know that this is true?”

“I heard the rumor back at Grimoire and asked the Ferryman on the way over,” Belmont said. “Actrisse had him ferry them over a few days ago.”

“You trust this?” Rose asked.

“I trust he saw what he saw and told the truth,” said Belmont. “The rest needs to be verified.”

“Understood,” said Rose.

“Ready to go?” Belmont asked.

“Yes,” said Rose. “Which way?”

“We’re going to go left to the next door, along that room to the door on the end, down the stairs to the doors at the bottom,” said Belmont. “We’ll take a breather outside, then try an easy way across the hedge maze.” Rose nodded, memorizing the directions. Belmont threw the door open and stepped into the hall. Rose followed closely.

***

The boys helped Adam Frankenstein with carrying the horses back into their fenced pasture. Gray Murphy and Alfred Twitchell held their legs while Adam and Josh Cantrell carried the beasts in their arms. Kirk Pike had found something of personal interest about the gate. He wandered away from the work, gray eyes on the ground. Tim Hunter followed him, wondering what other trouble he was getting into now. The two boys walked slowly along some kind of trail that Kirk saw in the disturbed grass.

“What exactly are we doing?” Tim asked.

“Tracking,” said Pike.

“Tracking?”

“It’s a hobby of mine,” Pike said irritably.

“Interesting,” said Tim.

Kirk Pike paused under the branches of some kind of oak tree. He looked up into it before circling it and striking off at a random angle.

“What exactly are we tracking, Kirk?” Tim Hunter asked the intent boy. His limbs shivered from the reaction to the earlier roundup of the Horses of Diomedes. He thought his knees would give out at any moment.

“Whoever busted the lock on the gate,” Pike said, mind on the task he was performing, not on his companion.

“Don’t you think that’s a little dangerous?” Tim asked.

“Only for them,” said Pike. He had already set his mind to the deed and would not be swayed except by force of arms. Tim could read the signs of intent like a textbook.

“Maybe we should wait for Adam and the others,” Tim said.

“Don’t be a baby, Tim,” Pike said, pausing in confusion. He glanced over his shoulder, then back at where the trail led. Pike stalked towards the Administration Building. Kirk had his eyes on the floor, seeking some sign of where to go. Tim wondered if Kirk was right. No one should have been in the Admin Building, since class was out for the day. Only the infirmary was in use until Patsy Ambrose got over that plant thing. Kirk knew that too.

Kirk knelt on the floor, examining it. He frowned at what he saw. He looked at the other end of the hall. He stood up, brushing his knees off. Kirk started walking down the hall. Tim followed quietly. Kirk was leading them to the Infirmary with his quiet assurance. Tim frowned at that. He didn’t think Kirk thought enough of Patsy to visit her while she was sick. Some other reason must be behind his sudden interest.

Tim thought about the condition of the gate lock. He wondered if he could conjure protective clothing in case Kirk was about to get him in trouble.

***

Simon Belmont swung the door open suddenly to the next room. Rose Psychic took in the settees in front of the fireplace and large windows as they charged across the long expanse. Ghosts moaned at them, tried to block their flight with their cold hands. Belmont smashed them out of the way with his whip as he kicked open the doors to the stairs.

The former adventurer slid along the metal railing to the bottom of the stairs. Rose stepped across the space instantly. She barely had the door open when Belmont pushed her through to three steps leading to a small yard. The gate for the garden maze stood in front of them, guarded by sitting carved hedge dogs.

“Take five,” Belmont said. He walked to the fence around the hedges gazed inside intently.

“Did you live here?” Rose asked.

“Just killed a lot of monsters around here,” Belmont said as an explanation. His attention still lay within the garden. “Place attracts them like dead men draw flies.”

“I’ll take your word for that,” said Rose.

“Ready?” Belmont asked.

“Yes,” said Rose.

“This part is going to be a little tricky, so I want you to stay right behind me, no matter what,” said Belmont.

“Understood,” said Rose.

Belmont turned a key in the garden gate and stepped inside. He jogged down the central aisle and took a left, then a right to a door. He pushed the door open and led the way through various twists and turns to a door marked by a crest.

Clanking and the sound of a chainsaw paced them the entire jog, but Rose never saw the owner of the sounds as Belmont pushed the second door open to an underground crypt. They descended into the quiet burial place. Simon Belmont cautiously proceeded down the stairs. Rose Psychic followed silently. Abby had told of her of this side of Belmont, but she had not quite believed her.

“Vampires,” said Belmont, looking at the ceiling.

Two figures in ragged clothes dropped from the ceiling. The male rushed at Belmont, who stepped out of the way and drove his hand in the back of the former man’s neck. The vampire went down.

Rose waited as her vampire, a woman in a dirty frock, vanished in a cloud of mist. A swarm of bats flew at her from the shifting cloud. Rose concentrated. The symbol of the Seven appeared in a wall, allowing the bats to smash against it before leaping across the room at the cloud of mist. When it exited, on the other side it held the woman vampire in its shining embrace.

Belmont pulled his sword, stabbing his vampire through and through. He poured some of the flaming liquid on the undead servant while it tried to pull itself up the blade to his hands. It writhed in agony before exploding.

“What is that?” Rose asked curiously, holding her vampire out of reach.

“Holy water,” Belmont said.

Simon Belmont dealt with the other vampire with cold efficiency before stepping to the single coffin on the platform at one end of the crypt. He pulled the lid off and let it drop on the floor. He punched the bottom of the coffin hard. Wood gave way under the blow.

“We’re going to have to cross through some tunnels and then work our way up into the proper tower,” said Belmont. “The spider women will be active in the tunnels, so keep your eyes open. They drop from the ceiling, have a poisonous spray, and are usually armed. The cavern is their exclusive domain until we reach our exit.”

“Is there anything else I should look out for?” asked Rose.

“Bats and Spooks,” Belmont said. “Ready?”

“Yes,” said Rose.

Belmont dropped into the bottomless coffin.

***

Josh Cantrell clapped his hands together. He frowned as he realized that two of his friends were missing from the scene. “Anybody see where Tim and Kirk went?” he asked. Gray Murphy shook his head while rubbing his hands in the grass.

“I believe they went that away,” said Alfred Twitchell. “It looked like they were going to the Admin Building.”

Josh rubbed his face. “Let’s see what they are up to,” said Josh.

“Haven’t we done enough?” said Gray.

“You know better than that,” said Josh. “Bulldog Pike is out looking for trouble, and it is our sacred duty to keep him away from it and keep us out of it as much as possible.”

“Additionally, Tim doesn’t know the limit on his new abilities,” said Alf. “They might be overconfident that they can handle whatever they are trying to handle.”

Gray shrugged in defeat.

***

Kirk Pike paused, examining the floor again. He frowned in concentration. Tim Hunter didn’t know what Kirk was looking at, but knew they were heading towards the Infirmary. He looked at the door to the room. He thought he saw a shadow behind the pebbled glass. He saw Kirk tense and knew the other boy had seen the same thing.

Kirk walked silently to the door. He threw it open, looking the room over. Tim stood at his shoulder. Patsy lay in her bed on one side of the room. Everything looked normal, except the window was opened. Kirk walked over to the window and looked out. He turned in place, face blank and neutral.

Tim closed the door, stepping into the room. He saw a pile of clothes next to Patsy’s bed. He realized it was a nightgown just before Patsy sat up in bed. He threw himself to one side as a fireball struck the door. Another fireball flew at Kirk, who stepped out of the way.

Patsy sat up in bed, wearing her regular shirt and jeans. Fire burned in her eyes. Two more fireballs formed in her hands as she regarded her foes venomously.

“Give it up, Patsy!” Kirk said. “You can’t beat the both of us!”

“You two won’t get in my way!” Patsy swore, hurling the fireballs at Pike. Glass flew out of the window as the energy struck, missing the spinning Pike.

Time for that protective clothing, thought Tim.

Kirk Pike ducked another fireball while Tim Hunter gestured. A blue burst slid along Kirk’s body, changing his clothes into a smooth metal shell in red, white, and blue. Another burst performed the same task for Tim as he slid under the bed. His shell was blue on blue.

Patsy Ambrose leaped from the bed at Kirk, who spun in place and met her charge with a booted foot. Patsy crashed to the floor with a grunt. Kirk finished his spin, falling in an on-guard position.

“Is this a private party?” Josh Cantrell said from the door.

“Oh, man,” said Gray. “We’ll be in detention until the year is over.”

“You’ll be dead first,” Patsy said, hurling fireballs at the door.

“Kami Nomi Kai,” said Josh in response. His fists blocked the fireballs and returned to his sides so fast it looked like the fireballs splattered in midair against an invisible wall.

“Hey, Patsy!” shouted Tim from under the bed. The girl looked over involuntarily. She was blinded by a flash of light from the conjured pistol in Tim’s hand.

***

Simon Belmont and Rose Psychic slid along a narrow tube and dropped into a lit cavern. Support beams held the roof up in certain areas. The rest looked natural with rough columns formed from the solid rock. Belmont took the lead. He paused every so often to listen. He hurried his steps.

The adventurers came to a pit with several platforms circling the inner wall. Belmont leaped from platform to platform easily. He paused at the other side to allow Rose to step over. They took a right and headed for a lift beyond a conveyor belt. Belmont paused to allow blades to crash down in front of him before leaping on the belt and letting it carry him to the other side where he avoided two more blades. Rose stepped across easily. They boarded the rusty red lift and let it carry them up to the next level.

They traversed four more caverns in much the same way. The Spider Women descended to the tunnel floor on webbing to stop them but were defeated in every encounter. Belmont cleared a flight of bats to lead Rose to a numbered red platform on a rail.

“We ride on this until we reach a sort of switch station, and then we get off and board a blue one and ride that to the end of the line. Then we take a lift to the final floor of the underground and find the exit into the main keep,” Belmont said. “Any questions?” Rose shook her head.

They boarded the red platform, and it carried them down the dark tunnel.

Simon Belmont and Rose Psychic made their way cautiously. The platform rattled along at a brisk clip that was punctuated by the crack of Belmont’s whip. The stop came up, and the adventurers jumped to the flat stone. A sign stood, but it was unreadable through the dirt and grime that covered it. “Five minutes for the other platform,” he said, watching the overhead track.

Rose became aware of shapes floating in the air around the switch point. She reached out with her mind, inscribing the symbol of the Seven in the air. Some of the shades burst in a swirl of mists.

“Here comes our ride,” Belmont said. He seized Rose’s arm and guided her on the blue rectangle when it stopped. The platform took off after they boarded. “We’re heading to the final floor,” said Belmont. “As soon as we clear the underground, we’ll take a break.”

Simon Belmont waited for their stop. He seemed to be listening to the sounds of the surrounding tunnels. A blue signpost slid by on the left. The platform slowed down gradually. “Get ready,” he said as the platform slowed even more.

It stopped completely in front of a little alcove. Rose Psychic saw the familiar red lift in a corner as Belmont led the way. He boarded the lift, holding out a hand to help Rose. The lift began to rise a moment later.

Rose reached out with her mind. There were numerous things lurking along their route, but there was a human mind. She could feel it far above them. She detected some beings there, formidable beings. They were waiting for Belmont and her. There was no doubt of that.

“You mentioned an Actrisse?” Rose said.

“Witch,” said Belmont. “Specializes in crystal magic. She usually works with a partner named De Ries.”

The lift ground to a stop. Belmont walked forward steadily. The rustle of the Spider Women surrounded the adventurers as they looked around.

“The spiders are going to try to keep us from the door,” said Belmont. “I want you to keep behind me and watch my back. If I get stuck, the signs will point to a sun door and that will be the exit.”

“Yes,” said Rose.

The adventurers searched the underground tunnels for a small amount of time before finding the first sign. They moved along cautiously, listening to the sound of chittering as they headed for their goal. A swarm of the spider women dropped from the ceiling, striking with pole arms and venomous sprays.

Rose found herself surrounded and cut off from Belmont by the swiftness of the attack. She wrapped herself in the symbol of the Seven as she had been taught. An invisible dome blocked any more of the venom to hit her, but she found that she could not proceed forward without dealing with the intervening spider women.

***

Patsy Ambrose blinked furiously from the flash of light. These boys are causing too many problems for this human form! she thought. It is time for a change of identity. She surrounded herself with a glowing aura as she cast a fear spell on the boys to keep them back. She sprouted wings, her skin became a scaly purple, gray ran through her blond hair, she gained two feet in height, and a third eye opened in her forehead. She took a right foot in her face, then a left in her chest, then another right in the stomach.

Patsy glared at her attacker who was spinning in the air and delivering another kick to her face. Kirk Pike was still on his feet, and he wasn’t afraid like the rest. He was angry, furious, almost berserk with rage. And he was attacking viciously with everything he had learned in his short life.

The demonic Patsy Ambrose grew tired of being a punching bag for the enraged Kirk Pike. Purple ichor ran from where he had cut her skin and smashed her nose. She inhaled air and exhaled a glowing spray that threw Pike against the far wall. She then turned her attention to the other boys who had been affected by her working. She heard Josh Cantrell say something, felt the wall behind her wrench from some unseen working. Then thunder rolled, and she crashed through the wall, taking the window frame with her to the ground. And then the rest of the wall fell on top of her.

“Jeez, Gray,” Josh said, looking down at the rubble on the grass.

“Why does everybody blame me for stuff like that?” Gray asked out loud.

“Because you have a reputation for being a jinx on people you don’t like,” said Alfred Twitchell, pulling himself together and helping Tim Hunter to his feet.

“Oh, sure,” said Gray. “One light falling on somebody, and they never let you live it down.”

Josh Cantrell stood at the edge of the hole in the Infirmary’s wall. A magic blast changed his clothes to resemble the costume of his hero, Captain Marvel, except the lightning bolt was pointed upwards. He smiled for a moment before he turned back to the unpleasant task before him.

Josh leaped from the building as Patsy Ambrose tried to dig her way out of the rubble that had buried her. He repeated his magic words over and over as he fell. Sparks ran up and down his body in little swirls. He stomped on the pile of fallen masonry and wiring. A thunderclap announced the release of all of his energy in a single blow. A crater was dug by the pile of debris being driven into the ground by the red clad boy. “Give up?” he asked mildly, listening to the stones feebly shift under him.

“Let’s get down there,” said Kirk Pike, swinging over the edge of the ruined floor and flipping to the ground.

***

Rose Psychic concentrated. Mental energy hurled the foremost spider women out of her way, allowing her to push forward. A ring of blue fire erupted to show that Simon Belmont was still fighting. The hybrids caught in the display burst with spraying clouds of fluid.

Rose joined the old fighter, suddenly realizing that, while she had thought they were contemporaries, he could actually be older than her. She was briefly wondering how many monsters were a lot when the adventurer kicked an arriving spider woman in the face to clear the way to the gold door marked with the sun.

Belmont pressed a red card to the door, causing it to slide out of the way. He stepped inside to make sure it was clear, turning to pull Rose across the threshold.

“How are you doing, Rose?” Simon Belmont asked, checking his travel bag.

“I’m fine,” said Rose Psychic. “Where are we?” Rose looked around the empty room, trying to enjoy the feel of air being pushed by fans in the wall while trying to ignore the smell that came with the air.

“We’re under the main part of the castle,” he said. “Things should be easier from here on in.”

“How do you want to do the rescue?” Rose asked.

“We’re going to take an elevator up to the tower entrance. Then Actrisse will make some kind of proposal. Naturally we’ll turn it down. She’ll be mad. A fight will break out. First chance you get, you take my niece and teleport out to the Forest of Silence where the portal will be hopefully. I’ll join you as soon as I can.”

Belmont pulled a set of cross-like daggers from his bag and dropped the empty sack on the floor. He wrapped the bandoleer over his shoulder and hooked it together. “Sound like a plan to you?” he asked as he adjusted the fit of the bandoleer so that it was comfortable on his lean form.

“Yes,” said Rose. “Let’s go ahead and get this done.”

Belmont nodded, leading the way.

The pair moved cautiously through the next door. Belmont led the way down the hall, kicking a skeleton on a motorcycle into a wall. The bike caught fire as metal buckled on impact. Belmont turned the corner, rushing for a door in the middle of the cross hall. A second rider was at the end of the cross hall. It charged forward into an invisible wall erected by Rose and exploded on impact.

Belmont yanked the door open and ran inside to a vast white room. He headed for a set of stairs to a gate. He pulled the gate open and ran into the next room. He paused let Rose catch up. A cylinder as wide as Rose was tall rested on a stone and wood trestle on the right. A rectangular column lifted into the ceiling. Another set of stairs rose up across the room.

Belmont went to the folding gate in one side of the column and pulled it open. “We’re going upstairs,” said Belmont.

“Let’s,” said Rose, stepping into the revealed elevator

Simon Belmont triggered the elevator. He kept glancing outside the cab as much as possible. He felt trapped in the thing but it was the quickest way to where they had to go.

Actrisse wanted him up there but didn’t want to make it too easy. She wanted to make him sweat. Too bad it was impossible to slip Rose in the main tower now. Actrisse would already have been told about the woman traveling with him. It was just a way to raise the ante. A convenient hostage of fortune to keep him moving forward. If he left Rose by herself, they would hunt her until they could bring her back or kill her on the spot if they felt like they didn’t need her any more.

The elevator lifted out of the top of the column, clumping to a stop. The gate creaked open. The adventurers paused long enough for Belmont to examine the best way forward. He ignored the two bridges, one broken and warped, that stretched from massive doors on either side of the elevator shaft. Rose looked over the side and saw a boiling green fluid cast fumes in the air far below.

“How are you at climbing?” Belmont asked.

“I am fair, I suppose,” said Rose, who had grown up in a mountainous region with her adoptive mentors.

“You see that skylight up there?” Belmont said, pointing. “That’s where we are going.”

“How do we get up there?” Rose asked. She knew she could step into the astral plane and back pass the glass and wood she saw.

“We are going to have to climb the wall and then hand over hand to the sill,” said Belmont. “Think you can handle it?”

“I think so,” said Rose. “Why don’t we use the bridge and just walk out?”

“That way leads to the Were dueling towers and the lava pit beyond,” explained Belmont. “This way leads to the outer wall of this tower allowing us to bypass a lot of trouble with a minimum amount of danger.”

***

The rubble that covered Patsy Ambrose exploded outwards. She growled at her attackers as she readied her powers to destroy those meddling kids.

“What’s going on here?” asked a chilly voice from behind her.

Patsy looked over her shoulder at a grim Mr. Gallowglass, who stood glaring at them, one blue eye cold as an arctic plain. She took to the air, spinning and unleashing her called power at the principal. She gasped as the fireballs froze in midair.

“I won’t ask again!” Gallowglass said.

“Kirk and I followed this trail from the Bestiary,” Tim Hunter said, eyeing the floating fireballs absently. “We found this in Patsy’s bed, and she went crazy on us. We started fighting, and then the guys showed, and Gray knocked the wall down on her…”

“Hey!” interjected Gray.

“And that’s the truth,” finished Tim.

“Is it?” said Gallowglass mildly.

“Yep, Gray knocked the wall down on her,” said Kirk Pike.

Mr. Gallowglass rubbed his chin in thought. His one eye twinkled maliciously. “I’ll think of some worthy punishment later for the five of you,” he said. “Right now I am in a meeting. Please go about your business until I am done.”

“What about her?” demanded Kirk Pike, pointing at the hovering demon thing.

“I don’t think that’s any of your concern,” said Gallowglass.

“Come on, Kirk,” Josh said, pulling on his friend. “Could we talk about this with you later, sir? I have some questions about what we can do to ask you.”

“Certainly, Mr. Cantrell,” said Gallowglass, folding his arms. “I’ll be done with my meeting shortly. I’ll have some time to answer your questions then.”

“Thank you,” said Josh. The boys walked away. Gray Murphy remarked on being blamed for the collapsed wall with vigor.

“What did you do with Miss Ambrose?” Gallowglass asked the demon.

“I’ll never tell,” the false Patsy exclaimed. “She’s in a broom closet in the hall.” The demon placed her hands over her mouth in shock.

“Thank you,” said Gallowglass. The demon exploded in a burst of white fire.

Gallowglass thought the building should be the way it should be and that Patsy should be stronger and sleeping in the Infirmary, and both things were true instantly.

The boys were already walking outside as things returned to as Gallowglass wanted them. “This is pretty cool, Tim,” said Gray Murphy, gesturing at his black costume with a white cat’s head on the chest. “But I would like to get my own clothes back.”

“You notice Twitch didn’t get one at all,” said Kirk Pike, cracking blue gloved knuckles as he walked.

“I need a lot more practice,” said Tim Hunter. “If the guys hadn’t come along, that thing might have killed us.”

“You guys had it under control,” said Josh Cantrell, smiling. “I noticed Twitch got a regular suit instead of a costume.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” said Alfred Twitchell. He tapped the breast of the black suit jacket he wore. A muffled metallic ping answered him. “It just looks like a suit with a tie.”

“Let me see if I can recall our regular clothes,” said Tim, pausing. “Then I think I need a nap.”

“See if you can rig it so we can change back and forth,” said Kirk. “If we have to take detention with Mrs. Peel, I want every advantage I can get.”

Josh nodded in agreement, wishing he had been wearing some armor when he had spent his week with the slave-driving gym teacher.

***

Simon Belmont led the way up the wall. He tested each grip and foothold before proceeding to the next. Rose Psychic climbed behind in a calm way, trying to remember the lessons she had learned when she and Richard had started their training under the auspices of the Seven.

“Wait here,” Belmont said, gripping an outcropping of the ceiling.

“Right,” said Rose, trying to relax against the wall.

Belmont swung out, using his momentum to swing from handhold to handhold until he reached the square frame around the skylight that had been the target of the climb. He braced himself against the frame. Then he wrapped the whip around his hand and smashed the glass out with a single sharp blow. He let the glass fall to the burning water below before swinging out of sight.

A second later more glass fell out of the frame, and then Belmont was hanging upside down, half in and half out of the window. “I going to throw you the end of my whip,” Belmont said. “Catch it and I will pull you up.”

“Go ahead,” Rose called.

Belmont flicked the silver whip out gently. Rose caught it on the first try. She swung away from the wall, frightened by the whip stretching down as she moved. She was going to hit the top of the elevator with her feet when Belmont yanked her clear with his surprising strength and speed. He vanished from the window, and she was slowly pulled upwards to safety.

Belmont helped Rose through the frame, coiling his whip as he scanned the surrounding buildings. He wished he had better information than the Ferryman’s. Still, he had encountered Actrisse before and knew she wanted the high ground. There was no higher place than the master keep.

He walked to the edge of the roof, peering at the tower that beckoned slightly in the enshrouding fog. A huge gap across the invisible ground stood in the way. Belmont frowned as he searched for access to his target. Then he saw it.

Belmont went along the edge of the roof until he was rewarded by a jutting gargoyle just below the roof line. It was perfect.

“What are you thinking, Mr. Belmont?” Rose asked.

“Hush, woman,” Belmont said. His mind was on the problem in front of him and not on his companion.

“How much can you carry through that astral plane of yours?” he finally asked.

“Maybe two hundred pounds,” said Rose.

“Here’s the plan,” said Belmont, flexing his body, listening to his bones crackle. “You teleport over to the roof of that tower with the steps running up to the final one on the end. I am gonna take the long way around and climb up that staircase. I go in. A metal wall is supposed to slide down to keep people out, so I will be alone with whomever is there.”

“You want me to come in after you and get your niece out while you are keeping them busy,” said Rose, understanding instantly.

“You’re brighter than I thought,” Belmont said, leaping to the gargoyle, then vanishing into the fog.

Rose Psychic stood on the indicated tower. She probed for weak spots in the other tower with her mind as she waited for Belmont to appear. Suddenly the crotchety old man lifted himself out of the fog. He pressed against the heavy door, pushing it inward. He vanished inside, door shutting behind him.

She stepped across to the roof of the other tower. She focused all of her attention on the stone roof. The symbol of the Seven appeared against the dark blocks. Mists appeared along the lines of the mystic circle. The roof fell inward under the melting force.

Belmont took advantage of the distraction to side kick a male vampire in the gut, then shove him away with two of the dagger-like crosses in his chest. A pale woman in a black dress and hat raised a staff, projecting a fog full of crystals up through the hole in the ceiling. Rose ducked back to let the blast go by, sensing the working of a spell.

The silver whip cracked against the woman’s crystal shields, smashing them apart, as Belmont took advantage of the distraction. She turned to freeze him in his tracks, pointing her staff. Rose leaned forward, thinking hard. The symbol of the Seven trapped the mist against Actrisse’s skin, forming a crystal shell around the villainess.

***

Captain Marvel and Abby Cable approached the west cliffs of Grimoire Island. Abby felt a tearing at her body as they came in for a landing. She spotted five colorful figures walking towards the Clock Room. Then she saw Gallowglass on his way to the park. The old man she had seen earlier stood in the park, evidently waiting for Gallowglass to return.

“Holy Moley,” said Captain Marvel in her ear.

“Something wrong?” Abby asked.

“That’s the wizard who gave me my powers,” said Captain Marvel. “I wonder what he’s doing here.”

“Let’s find out,” said Abby.

Captain Marvel landed in the memorial park. He gently placed Abby Cable on her feet as he looked at the seven statues. These were the Sentinels, he realized as he made sure she could stand on her own before he took his hands away. “Hello, Wizard,” he said to Shazam with a genuine smile.

“Hello, my son,” said Shazam. I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“He brought me home, sir,” said Abby. “I had an accident and needed a hand, so to speak.”

Gallowglass arrived in the park. He had changed a lot from the bitter boy that Captain Marvel and Abby had helped in 1951, but in some ways he had not changed at all. Still, his one blue eye danced merrily while the black crystal in the other socket glinted in the sun when he saw them both.

“Hello, Captain, Mrs. Cable,” he said in his gravely voice, not at all looking surprised to see them. In fact, he rather looked as if he were expecting them. “We were just discussing you, Mrs. Cable. I was wondering if you wished to be released from your contract early?”

The boys burst into the park. “I told you it was Captain Marvel,” Josh Cantrell told the others with a voice of wonderment.

“These are some of my students,” Mr. Gallowglass said. “Josh Cantrell, Kirk Pike, Timothy Hunter, Gray Murphy, and Alfred Twitchell.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Josh said, sticking his hand out.

“Thank you,” said Captain Marvel, shaking the offered hand.

“I thought you liked Mary Marvel for her legs,” Gray whispered. Before anything could be said, something thumped against Gray’s cat helmet with a loud crack. He staggered a little, looking angrily at Kirk Pike, rubbing the back of his head.

“Excuse our friend,” Alf said. “He’s taken quite a thumping today.”

“We have some business to discuss, boys,” said Mr. Gallowglass. “Move along, please.”

“Yes, sir,” said the five boys with their varied expressions of relief, disappointment, and a single headache.

“Could I get an autograph?” Josh asked.

“Later, Josh,” said Abby Cable. “I’ll make sure of it.” The four adults in the park watched the five boys walk away; Josh Cantrell looking over his shoulder at his hero.

“I thought you eschewed the teaching of talents over the scientific world,” Shazam said, rubbing his bearded chin.

“I do normally,” said Gallowglass, a small smile pulling at the network of scars under the glass eye. “They decided to go after an impostor in the student body. They were winning too. The armor seems to be something Mr. Hunter came up with. He’s been showing signs of being an adept. Amazing for a first year, really. But then again, when he was recommended for admission by Mr. E and Zatanna, how could I go wrong?”

“This impostor?” asked Abby Cable, flinching at remembered fireballs against her body. “Did it take Patsy Ambrose’s shape?”

“Yes,” said Gallowglass. “The real Patsy has been returned to the Infirmary, and no one seems to have been bothered except for the horses of Diomedes.”

“I was sent through the portal by that thing,” said Abby. “Oh, I was supposed to wait for Rose at the Clock Room.”

“The false Patsy has been dealt with permanently,” said Gallowglass. “Take a few minutes to freshen up, and come back here. We’ll go ahead and have a short meeting and then discuss arrangements about releasing you from your contract if that’s what you would like to do.”

Abby nodded, cane suddenly in her hand. She walked slowly towards the bungalow she shared with Rose Psychic.

***

Actrisse’s eyes grew wide as she tried to burst from her prison. Belmont’s booted foot smashed her through her crystal prison into the wall beyond. A right hand landed against her face as swift as any snake.

Belmont went to the young girl bound to the coffin at one end of the tower room. He pulled her gag away, before untying the ropes around her arms. A deep rumbling started, loosening pieces of the ceiling to fall into the room.

Rose Psychic dropped down from the hole she had made. “I’ll take her and come back,” she said, as she dashed to Belmont’s side.

“Go!” Belmont said, thrusting his niece into Rose’s arms.

Rose stepped to the roof, then to the top of the other tower. She and Belmont’s niece watched as the tower collapsed into the fog that hovered around the castle. “Do you see him?” Belmont’s niece asked quietly.

“No, I don’t,” said Rose heavily. What would she tell Gallowglass? “What is your name?” Rose asked her charge.

The thin girl shook her head to clear her mind. Her wide eyes were on the cloud of dust rising from where the other stone tower had collapsed. “It’s Carrie,” she finally said in a weak voice.

“My name is Rose,” Rose said. “Let’s get away from here.”

“Let’s do that,” said a voice from behind the pair. “I didn’t go to all this trouble to have my niece become monster kibble.”

“Uncle Simon!” Carrie exclaimed, hugging her relative in relief.

“Easy, half-pint,” said Belmont with a wince. “Rose, take her back to the pick up point through the astral plane. I’ll follow as fast as I can. Hopefully by the time I get there, I’ll have a way to open the portal again.”

“Right,” said Rose. “We’ll be waiting for you.”

Belmont nodded, watching the two vanish into thin air. “Now to get down from here,” said Belmont, trying to figure the direction of the outer wall from where he stood. Finally he made a decision based on the position of the ruddy moon and cracked his whip into the ghostly night. He pulled the weapon taut before jumping off the tower and swinging into the unknown. Time to exit stage left.

Rose Psychic and Carrie stepped through the Astral Plane in short hops. Several times she had to use the symbol of the Seven to ward off unexpected bats and glowing shades bent on mischief. She was surprised to see Carrie make a throwing gesture and a fireball splashed against a bat, sending it into the ground. She raised her eyebrow but urged her companion back into the astral plane instead of commenting.

They arrived at the correct spot in the Forest of Silence without being harmed. Several skeletons burst from the ground and were dealt with as the pair waited on Simon Belmont, a man who seemed as much a stranger as when Rose first arrived at the Academy.

Fat raindrops began to fall on the pair as they waited. Several lightning bolts ripped through the nearby trees, splitting them asunder. Rose stretched out her mind, perceiving Belmont approaching the outer wall with a series of swings using his whip. He seemed to be cutting a nearly straight line toward them through whatever was in his way.

***

The boys stepped into the Clock Room. They discussed the events of the day in small voices, unaware that the keeper was absent at the moment. Tim Hunter slumped into the closest chair, weariness pulling at his bones from all the energy he had drawn on.

Josh Cantrell sat across the table from him. He had used his training more in this one day than he had all of last year. He rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands, listening to the faint crackling residue from channeling the lightning as he had done.

Gray Murphy stood by the door, looking at the park. He wondered out loud if Mrs. Cable would actually leave.

Alfred Twitchell climbed the stairs to the third floor silently. The thought crossed his mind that Belmont should be all over them with his irritable disposition.

Kirk Pike stood next to a shelf. He seemed totally unaffected by their recent experience. His eyes watched the room, the path outside, and the stairs in quick darting movements.

“I think we have a problem, guys,” Alf called from upstairs.

Pike started up the stairs two at a time. He was still ready to fight and was uncaring of whom should receive his wrath.

Pike paused at the top of the staircase. Twitch stood in front of the podium. Miss Psychic and some girl with gray hair stood on the other side of the clock face. A dark forest stretched out on either side of them. Animated skeletons burst out of the ground around the two. Some held bones in their fleshless hands as clubs.

Kirk didn’t hesitate. He plunged into the portal, striking with the kung fu he had learned from watching Richard Dragon, among the others he had studied and memorized since January. For a moment to Twitch, it seemed as if the red eagle across Kirk’s chest had become a maleficent spirit instead of a symbol for liberty as the boy broke bones with devastating punches and kicks.

“It’s one way,” Twitch told the other boys as they rushed to the top of the tower. “They are over there, and, if we go over, that thing shuts.”

“We throw them a line,” said Josh Cantrell, radiating calm as he looked around the top of the of the tower.

“Got it,” said Tim, running down the stairs to a broom closet. He returned a moment later with a coil of rope.

“Thanks,” Josh said, tying one end around his waist with practiced speed. “Who wants to take the other end?”

“I will,” said Twitch, looping the other end around one arm, and holding on to it with that hand as tight as he could.

“We will,” said Tim.

“Damn skippy,” said Gray, causing the other boys to look at him.

The trio leaped into the battle. Tim triggered the mystic flash as soon as he could draw a bead. The skeletons paused as the light washed the night away for an instant. Then the sides of the trail washed away suddenly. Trees fell across the skeletons in a moment of sudden misfortune.

“Get a move on,” Gray said. “The meter is running.”

The group plunged back across the portal interface en masse as the bony warriors tried to pull themselves together.

“Thank you, boys,” said Miss Psychic.

“Uncle Simon?” said Carrie, looking back into the portal.

” ‘Uncle Simon’?” said the five boys in unison.

“This is Carrie,” introduced Rose. “Please take her to my bungalow until we can get her situation straightened out.”

“I’ll do it,” said Gray. “You guys get ready to help Uncle Simon.”

“I wouldn’t call him that to his face,” warned Tim.

“Don’t worry, Carrie,” said Rose. “Your uncle will be at the portal, and we will pull him through.”

Carrie examined each of the boy’s faces, at least what she could see of them that was exposed by their masks. She knew from their eyes they would never give up and were formidable in their own right. Carrie nodded quietly. This group, these Sentinels, would do what was necessary. She gestured for the boy in the cat costume to lead the way.

Rose watched the forest scene intently. The boys waited patiently around her. She heard knuckles crack and knew Pike had flexed his hands as he readied himself to fight again.

Simon Belmont appeared on the trail, crushing something that looked like a humanoid frog under his heels. His whip smashed three skeletons apart with ease, as he forearmed a fourth and hurled a dagger at another who tried to get in his way.

“Grab the rope, guys,” said Josh Cantrell, “it’s my turn at bat.”

Josh rushed into the screen as the others grabbed hold of Twitch. He said something that no one heard, then he was back at their side with Belmont in his hand in a second.

“What do we have here?” said Belmont, examining his rescuers, dripping rain water on the floor. “A costume party?” The kids just laughed.

Simon Belmont urged the group out of his Clock Room after finding out the location of his niece. The boys headed for their barracks, Kirk Pike supporting a bone weary Tim Hunter. Rose Psychic headed for her bungalow, assured that Abby had returned from her adventure in one piece. High overhead, Captain Marvel streaked back into the past to meet his own appointment with his destiny on his own Earth.

***

Abby Cable showered and got fresh clothes to replace the ones burned in her encounter with the false Patsy. She returned to the park to finish her talk with Gallowglass and the old wizard. They were asking her to make a hard decision about her own future.

“If you’ll please sit, Mrs. Cable,” Gallowglass said. “This is my predicament. Shazam would like to enroll two people that he feels needs a new lease on life as teachers here to give them time to recover from a certain amount of personal stress. Typically I would say no and move on. The Academy is not used to switching teachers in mid-year, and this time of year will be particularly bad for newcomers.”

“I assured Gareth that the two people I have in mind will be able to handle any crisis,” said Shazam.

Gallowglass nodded and continued. “Out of all the teachers here, you are the one in the worst physical shape and are also awaiting the return of your husband, Alec Holland. In any case, you will be ill prepared to deal with the upcoming strife, in my opinion. The offer is for you to retire for the year with full pay, return home to rebuild your life with Mr. Holland, and reestablish ties and so forth.”

“Can I have some time to think about this?” Abby asked. “I have just got back into the routine again.”

“Yes,” said Gallowglass. “Do you have any questions?”

“Not right now,” Abby said with a shake of her head. “I just need some time alone. In all the excitement, I forgot Alec was on his way home.”

“Would a week be enough time?” asked Gallowglass.

“More than enough,” said Abby. “Thank you for asking my input before you actually decided.”

“You’re welcome,” said Gallowglass.

Abby stood and left, head awhirl with thoughts and feelings. Gallowglass and Shazam watched her leave.

“Nothing to do but wait,” Gallowglass said. “It was a pleasure seeing you again, Shazam. I’ll let you know what the decision is when I know.”

“Do not forget to give young Cantrell his souvenir, Gareth,” Shazam said before vanishing.

***

The week flew by for Abby Cable as she went about her duties, gradually discarding the cane as her strength grew. She had led a momentous life so far, and the place that had seemed such a refuge had its own burden to lay on both teachers and students alike. It was hard working in a place that was a piece taken from an eternal prison that she had barely escaped from with the help of Alec.

She took one last walk around the Academy grounds as she had on the first day she had arrived. She smiled at memories invoked by the places she visited. Finally she arrived at the Memorial Park. She regarded the statues there. They seemed almost to be watching her with different expressions than those they had worn on the first day.

Were they disappointed in her? Did they understand the emotional quagmire she was in? How could they? They were just statues.

“Hello, Mrs. Cable,” said Gallowglass, striding into the park. “Have you made your decision yet?”

“I’m going to leave, Mr. Gallowglass,” said Abby. “I’m sorry. Discovering how this island came to be has made me realize that I have been running from my problems. I haven’t even been able to see Matt like I should. Not even when I took that furlough.”

“I understand,” said Gallowglass. “When would you like to leave?”

“As soon as you can arrange it, I guess,” Abby said.

“Let’s go over to the Clock Room,” said Gallowglass, gesturing with his hand. “I believe Mr. Belmont can place you right on your doorstep.”

“My clothes and things?” Abby asked.

“Should already be there,” said Gallowglass.

They went to the tower, slipping inside. Belmont could be heard grumbling about the state of his precious Clock Room, and irresponsible women, and kids run amuck, from the top of the building.

Abby smiled at the diatribe as they went upstairs to talk to the old man about using the interface to transport her around the world to be at her husband’s side and wait for her love to return.